20 Jan 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: cease from anger, compassionate, delight thyself also in the Lord, doesn't play favourites, doesn't spare the rod to spoil the child, drink of the river of thy pleasures, evildoers shall be cut off, faith, faithful, for the salvation of the Lord, God never gives up on us, great is thy faithfulness, holy, how excellent is thy lovingkindness, I may know you all the more, increase my awareness of you, it is good that a man, It is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed, Jesus Christ, just, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, LOVE, loving, mercy, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, remembering mine affliction, rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him, righteous, salvation, should both hope and quietly wait, slow my thoughts, the Lord is good unto them that wait for him, the wormwood and the gall, therefore I have hope, those that wait upon the Lord shall inherit the earth, thy faithfulness reaches unto the clouds, truth, we serve an intimate God, wisdom, your unceasing nearness
Lamentations 3:26. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.
Well, I guess it’s what we will now refer to as a anormal day; cold and cloudy. And although there is a li’l daylight showing through the cloudiness, I won’t hold out much hope for bright sunshine. (smile) But, as we like to say, regardless of the weather and all our other disturbing circumstances, we will do very well, because we have the Lord Jesus Christ on our side! And all God’s people gave a grateful shout of ‘Praise the Lord!’
So, in keeping with that sentiment, let’s turn to our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer and declare it with all sincerity and truth. As one voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And as always, when we say those few words with heartfelt feeling, we experience the presence of the Lord moving in and around us, doing exactly what we asked for, calming our souls and refreshing our spirits, while increasing our intimacy with Him. What a LOVING and intimate God we serve my fellow believers! There’s none other like Him! He’s holy, righteous, just, faithful, LOVING, compassionate, doesn’t play favourites, and doesn’t spare the rod to spoil the child. (smile)
That means He is the perfect Father! And although many of us have become rebellious children, He NEVER gives up on us, always has His eye on our situation, so that when we finally reach rock bottom, and in all sincerity, cry out to Him for help, He’s right there to save us and bring us back into His fold. What a wonderful, marvellous, caring and compassionate God we serve! We can never say it too often.
Bruh David said it thus in Psalm 36: ‘Thy mercy (LOVING-kindness), O Lord, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds. Thy righteousness is like the great mountains (of God); thy judgements are a great deep (ocean): O Lord, thou preservest man and beast. How excellent (precious) is thy LOVINGKINDNESS, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness (fulness) of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.’ (Ps. 36:5-9)
Oh my people, what a beautiful and true discourse on the wonderfulness of our great God! That’s why, despite the tough times Jeremiah went through doing the Lord’s work, he could still so rightly describe it in his Lamentations. ‘Remembering (I remember) mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall (bitterness). My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled within me (bowed down). This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam. 3:19-23)
And those words of truth we cannot ever doubt, for without God’s compassion and mercy, we would have been long ago consumed in our sin and unrighteousness. But the Lord is ever so faithful that even in Jeremiah’s tough times in doing the Lord’s work, he doesn’t give up, because he knew that the Lord would eventually come through for him. And because of that he had hope in the rough times, and likewise, we who claim to believe in God and His faithfulness, ought to have hope and not give up during the stormy times.
Just like the Lord is faithful to us, we are expected to be faithful to Him. Consequently, Jeremiah continues: ‘The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore I will hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.’ (Lam. 3:24-25) Yes friends, when we sincerely seek the Lord, His blessings flow down on us even more than normal. As the Lord says in Jeremiah 29:13. ‘And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’
That says it all! If we don’t actively and sincerely seek the Lord, we won’t find him, and therefore He won’t hear us. Then Jeremiah gives us this wonderful verse of scripture: ‘It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam. 3:26) Truer words were never spoken my brethren!
And Bruh David acknowledges them in Psalm 37. ‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on God’s faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday.
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (for it only causes harm). For evil doers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps. 37:3-9)
Oh my fellow saints, there’s nothing in those heartfelt words to doubt, because Bruh David lived them. He wasn’t perfect, and like us made many mistakes, but all through the long and dangerous years when he was anointed to be the next king of Israel but spent them running for his life from the current King, Saul, he never took matters into his own hands or turned away from the Lord, but waited patiently and always sought Him for advice and comfort. And if we are going to be true believers in Christ Jesus, then that’s how we also ought to live in these trying and turbulent times. Much LOVE!
…godly wisdom says to…earnestly seek the Lord…and then faithfully wait on Him…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
18 Jan 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a barrier breaker, a compassionate heart, a positive outlook on life, be made the righteousness of God in Him, break free from a limited mindset, curse, enlarge my vision, eternal damnation, eternal separation from Almighty God, experience god's favour, faith, give drink to my people, I will do a new thing, in every area of my life, Jesus Christ, living for Christ, living for Satan, LOVE, made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, make a way in the wilderness, negative word, now it shall spring forth, pleasure is fleeting, prosper, remember ye not the former things, rivers in the desert, salvation, seeds of greatness in me, shall ye not know it, shew forth my praise, success, the abundant life, Thursday Blessings, Today is my day, undergoing the passion, wisdom
Isaiah 43:19a. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it?
Ah mih people, this cold, cloudy day is already far gone, what with the ole fella’s late arising. (smile) But I do have some good news to share with us regarding Today. It says that ‘TODAY IS MY DAY!’ Yes friends, that’s an undeniable fact! And why is that you ask? Well, let’s read it, or rather declare (yesss!!!) it together.
‘Today is My Day! God has destined me to be a barrier breaker! He created me to be uncontainable. I have talent and potential given to me by the Creator of the universe. There are seeds of greatness inside of me. Today I choose to break free from a limited mindset and enlarge my vision. Today, God is taking me places that I’ve never even dreamed of before. Today, God is fulfilling His purpose and destiny in my life. Today I will experience His favour like never before in every area of my life.’
Now isn’t that good news? It certainly is! And the beauty of it is that EVERY DAY we can say it, because every day is a new Today, and thus it’s applicable to our lives! Wow! What blessed lives we live under God’s eternal and ever-LOVING guidance! The problem though, as with so many other promises of God, is that we have to believe it before we see it. And one of those wonderful promises entails making a way in the desert for us, making new things so that we can forget the old.
Listen to the prophet Isaiah on the subject. ‘Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons (jackals) and the owls (ostriches): because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen. This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth (declare) my praise.’ (Is. 43:18-21)
What a magnificent promise my brethren! Our great God is always in the process of making things new. Now, that prophecy of scripture looks toward the coming of Christ and His marvellous work for mankind. And I like what these two commentaries point out. The first says: “Behold I am doing a new thing.” The coming of Jesus to earth is the new thing Isaiah’s prophetic words point to. The ultimate superhighway home to God’s presence, and ultimately, home to Him in heaven eternally.’ Wow! How wonderful is our God to provide a way for us abject sinners to be reconciled back to Him!
Then this commentary asks: ‘How is God making all things new? By undergoing the passion, Jesus paid the price for our human sin (death) and granted us the opportunity for salvation and relationship with God the Father. Thus, in the context of the film, Christ “made all things new” through his death and resurrection. Jesus died for us, so have we considered living for him?’ Now that last question is one of utmost importance, in fact, the most important question we’ll ever deal with, for it determines where we will spend eternity.
And if you don’t remember the question (smile) it’s ‘have we considered living for Jesus?’ Yes, the One who died for us on the cross of Calvary, to atone for our sins. That’s indeed the most important question in a human being’s life, and if the answer is not ‘YES!’ then you’re playing foolish games with your soul and your eternal life. For if you’re not living for Christ, then you’re obviously living for Satan, as those are the only two options we have, and living for the latter is utter foolishness for those who live for him will eventually perish in hell fire and be eternally separated from Almighty God!
And friends, I can’t ever stop reminding us that eternal separation from God is the worst thing that can ever happen to human soul. Please believe that. Oh, I know the sins and pleasures that Beelzebub gets us into nowadays are wonderful, but the pleasure only lasts for a fleeting moment, while eternal damnation will last for much, much longer than that, and when you experience the heat of hellfire, like the rich man Lazarus did in Luke 16:19-31, then you won’t have a chance to change your mind.
Choosing Jesus as our Champion, right now, today, is the wisest decision we can ever make, because with Him, we’ll live eternally in heaven. And furthermore, He’s already done so much for us, as Bruh Paul wrote to the Corinthians: ‘For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.’ (2 Cor. 5:21) Right there friends, we have the best reason for surrendering our lives to Jesus! Yes, He gave His sinless life for our sinful ones. What can ever be more important than that eh? NOTHING! So why turn to the evil one who’s done absolutely nothing but get us into God’s bad books. That’s the height of foolishness!
And the great thing about living for Christ is that through the abundant life He died for us to have, you begin reaping rewards right down here on earth. And among those many rewards are what we call our Thursday Blessings, which the Lord’s bestowed on us so we can do His earthly work. And they are even more significant today, because of how we opened the Bit, with ‘TODAY’ being ours. So let’s activate those many undeserved blessings by sincerely declaring (awright!!!) them.
As one voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
Now friends, if with all those blessings under our belt, today isn’t our day, then I don’t know when will ever be our day nuh. So please, let’s go out into the world like blazing lights and salt-filled vessels and share those blessings with others, just a generously as Christ shared them with us. That’s our bounden duty! Much LOVE!
…every day we’re alive is our Day…buoyed by God’s awesome blessings…Wow!
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
16 Jan 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: an inheritance incorruptible, disobedience, earthly treasures only last a lifetime, eternal separation from God, faith, feed his flock like a shepherd, gather the lambs with his arm, gently lead those that are with young, hath begotten us again unto a lively hope, heavenly treasures last for eternity, holy spirit, hurry, I am the beloved of god, I am the vine ye are the branches, in god's eyes, Jesus Christ, lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, LOVE, my God shall supply all your needs, neck of the woods, rebellion, salvation, seek ye first the kingdom of God, share His love with my neighbours, the Lord God will come with strong hand, the Lord's hand is not shortened, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, where your treasure is there will be your heart also, wisdom, without me ye can do nothing, worry
Matthew 6:21. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Oh friends, it’s a cold, snowy Tuesday in my neck of the woods. That means we probably won’t see any of the bright sunshine we experienced over the last two days. Chuh! It’s so nice seeing the sunshine reflect off the white snow. If we must have snow, then we do need sunshine to brighten it up. The sun can shine even while the snow is falling. That’s not too difficult for the Lord to do eh? (smile) Absolutely not! For nothing is impossible with our great God! As Isaiah says: ‘Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, neither his ear heavy that it cannot hear.’ (Is. 59:1) That means there is no limitation or weakness in God’s ability to save anyone or do anything!
As Isaiah also said earlier on: ‘Behold the Lord God will come with strong hand (in strength), and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.’ (Is. 40:10-11) Wow! What a powerful scripture my brethren, speaking of Christ’s coming and gathering His people like a shepherd gathers his flock. It shows us both the Lord’s strength and His never ending LOVE and compassion for His sinful creation called human beings.
And I like how this commentary puts it. ‘When the Bible talks about God’s right arm, it refers to His powerful, ruling arm—His justice, His holiness, and His strength. God is like that. He is all that and more.’ No doubt about it my fellow believers! In His omnipotence, omniscience and omni-presence, our majestic and magnificent God embodies ALL that there is, and can ever be! That’s why it’s so foolish and unwise for us frail, fickle and finite human beings to turn away from Almighty God our Creator, Controller and Protector.
For as Jesus so rightly said: ‘I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same shall bring forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5) And that’s gospel truth my people, for without Jesus in our lives, our ability to do much of anything productive is severely limited. Remember that God gave us free will so that we could choose His Will, not the will of Beelzebub or any of the many other false gods existing in our evil world. And when we don’t choose God’s will, then we suffer the negative consequences of disobedience and rebellion. It’s as simple as that.
As Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley) liked to say: ‘You reap what you sow, more than you sow, and later than you sow.’ And that’s an indisputable fact! It’s just the way the Lord’s kingdom is set up. Meaning that if you sow evil, you will eventually reap evil, and if you sow good seed, you will eventually reap good fruit. And the best way to ensure that we are sowing good seed is by accepting and living by these momentous and oh so true words of Jesus. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33)
Yes my brethren, that’s the basic root of our faith: keeping God first place in our lives, making sure that all, or most of what we do and say falls into the realm of His godly will! Then, all that we need to live this earthly life will be added to us. As Bruh Paul so confidently said to the Philippians: ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:19) Yuh see how it all falls into place my fellow believers? We acknowledge God as El Numero Uno, or Number One, and He looks after all our basic needs through His wonderful Son, Christ Jesus! It couldn’t get any better than that.
But some of us mistakenly and foolishly have decided to follow the will of the evil Satan, to whom we sell our souls to get the same earthly stuff that we can quite easily get from Almighty God. The big difference is that when you follow Satan all your earthly treasure will be left behind when you descend into hellfire and damnation, and eventually eternal separation from God, which is the worst predicament in which a human soul can find itself. However, when you sincerely seek Christ and His kingdom, though your earthly treasure is still left behind, you are able to store up treasures in heaven that you can enjoy while spending eternity with our Triune God!
Now isn’t that a much better scenario? It certainly is! And if you don’t believe me, (smile) then listen to Jesus explain it. ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ (Matt. 6:19-21) And that’s the indisputable truth friends! Wherever our treasures are stored, that’s indeed where our hearts and most of our attention will be focused.
And we’ll just add these two verses from 1 Peter as extra fodder for our souls. (smile) Peter writes these words of encouragement to the Christian diaspora, those spread abroad from their homeland, and undergoing tough lives with a lot of undeserved persecution. ‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively (living) hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.’ (1 Pet. 1:3-4) Please be reassured my fellow saints, that if we sincerely live for Christ, then there will be rewards awaiting us in heaven.
Now, for those of us who believe it and are trying our best to live for Christ, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And having made that declaration (yesss!!!) we must now go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too may come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…earthly treasure only lasts a lifetime…while heavenly treasure lasts for eternity…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
14 Jan 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: bring all things to your remembrance, comfort ye my people, confidence for the upcoming week, faith, fellowship, gospel truth, He gave me wealth untold, he may abide with you for ever, He shall give you another Comforter, he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, He's only a prayer away, holy spirit, I am the light of the world, I asked the Lord, I asked the Lord to walk with me, I count my blessings every day, I did not ask for riches, I will not leave you comfortless, I will pray the Father, if ye love me keep my commandments, inclement weather, Jesus Christ, Jimmy Duncan, Johnny Lange, lift your cares away, LOVE, raising our passion for Christ, sacrificial praises, salvation, search for me with all your heart, the Holy Ghost shall teach you all things, the power to uplift hearts, the tender mercy of our God, to give light to them that sit in darkness, when darkness was all I knew, wisdom, ye shall seek me and find me
John 14:16. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter (Helper), that he may abide with you for ever.
Oh, come one, come all to the Lord’s house on this Sunday, His special day, where there will be worship, praise, exaltation, fellowship, and a whole lot of other good vibes! Please don’t allow the inclement weather to prevent you from enjoying all that good stuff, for when you leave, you’ll be totally refreshed, rejuvenated and filled with the Holy Spirit, so you can step out into the world with the utmost confidence in the upcoming work week. And all God’s people said a loud and grateful ‘Amen!’
Why? Because they know that’s the gospel truth! It’s exactly what happens when you visit the Lord’s sanctuary on His day. And we’ll start it all of with some worship, singing this favourite song, not quite an oldie, since it was only written around the middle of the last century, but certainly a goldie, written by prolific songwriters, Jimmy Duncan and Johnny Lange, respectively writers of hit songs ‘My Special Angel,’ and ‘Mule Train.’ No, the young ones won’t know those two songs, but they were big hits two generations ago, and still have the power to uplift hearts and move dancing feet.
But the Duncan and Lange song we’re going to sing today is simply but rather aptly titled, ‘I asked the Lord.’ So, without further ado, let’s offer up sacrificial praises to heaven in a mid-tempo, sincere and grateful version of the wonderful song. By the way, I added the last two verse from a rendition by one Linus Wee, because I thought they rounded out the song rather nicely. Now, singing: ‘I asked the Lord to comfort me When things weren’t going my way; He said to me “I will comfort you And lift your cares away.”
I asked the Lord to walk with me, When darkness was all that I knew; He said to me, “Never be afraid, for I will see you through.” I did not ask for riches, He gave me wealth untold- The moon, the stars, the sun, the sky, And He gave me eyes to behold. I thank the Lord for everything, And I count my blessings each day; He came to me when I needed Him – I only had to pray: He’ll come to you if you’ll ask Him to – He’s only a prayer away. I asked the Lord to lead the way, When each step was getting so rough, He said to me “put your trust in me, and I’ll direct your path.”
I asked the Lord to come inside And take all my struggles away. He said to me, “Cast your cares on me, and live each day by day.” I did not ask for riches, He gave me wealth untold- The moon, the stars, the sun, the sky, And He gave me eyes to behold. I thank the Lord for everything, And I count my blessings each day; He came to me when I needed Him – I only had to pray: He’ll come to you if you’ll ask Him to – For He’s only a prayer away. Yes… He’ll come to you if you’ll ask Him to – For He’s only a prayer away.’
And that’s a certainty my people! Our great God is only a prayer away, so we don’t have to go far to look for Him. For as he says through the prophet Jeremiah: ‘Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:12-13) So friends, communicating with our heavenly Father is simple, but it does take some effort and sincerity on our part. And having unintentionally begun at the end, (smile) let’s now go to the beginning of the song and check out some scripture references.
And right there in the opening verse we can find some potent scripture to back it up: ‘I asked the Lord to comfort me, When things weren’t going my way;…’ We’re talking about Jesus’ promise of a Comforter. He advises the disciples: ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter (Helper), that he may abide with you for ever. Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless (as orphans): I will come to you.’ (John 14:15-18)
Yes friends, our Saviour is indeed wonderful, promising not to leave us comfortless, but to send someone like Him, the Holy Spirit, which the world didn’t know, but the disciples did, because He was already with them in their daily lives. However, after Jesus ascended to heaven, the Holy Spirit would then come and dwell in them, and also in every other believer. And that miraculous event happened at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended on the believers sitting in the upper room, with cloven (divided) tongues like of fire, and had them speaking in different languages. (Acts 2:1-14)
Jesus also told the disciples: ‘These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.’ (John 14:25-26) Yuh see mih bredrin, how important the Holy Spirit is in our lives. He not only comforts us, but also leads and guides and reminds us of all that Jesus taught.
And the second verse says: ‘I asked the Lord to walk with me, When darkness was all that I knew;’ And obviously the Lord promised to do so, as Jesus faithfully proclaimed: ‘I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ (John 8:12) Then we have these great verses from the second most popular prayer, Psalm 23, where Bruh David confidently asserts: ‘He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me: thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.’ (Ps. 23:3-4)
Oh my fellow believers, when we’re in the company of our God, there’s no need to fear anything, for the Good Shepherd always has us under His watchful eyes. Then we have these words from Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist: ‘Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring (dawn, Messiah) from on high hath visited us. To give light to them that sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.’ (Luke 1:78-79)
But yuh know what my people, there are so many wonderful scriptures I want to share regarding that song, but there’s just not enough time nor space today, so we’ll just have to continue it tomorrow. In the meanwhile, let’s just continue raising our passion for Christ, and do our best to live a Christ-like life, so that others will see Him through us and want to accept Him as their Lord and Saviour too! Much LOVE!
…comfort ye, comfort ye my people…saith your God… (Is. 40:1)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
12 Jan 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all came to pass, all should come to repentance, being not weak in faith, divine help, faith, Friday chant, given rest unto his people Israel, going the way of all the earth, hard slogging, imputed to him for righteousness, introduce a new flock of believers, Jesus Christ, light in the darkness, LOVE, not willing that any should perish, Promise Keeper, promised by the hand of his servant Moses, restoring faith in you, salvation, simmering unrest, strong in faith, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the awesome help of Jesus, the deadness of Sarah's womb, the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel, the Lord is not slack concerning His promise, the way the truth and the life, there failed notof any good thing, throne of grace, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee, Way Maker, wise guidance, with God all things are possible
Joshua 21:45. There failed not ought of any good thing which the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.
The week’s finished mih people! That means we can cry out: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday…and the weekend’s here at long last!’ Yes, I know some of us had it hard slogging through a whole five day work week, having not done one for a while. But I’m sure, with the awesome help of Jesus, we all came through it with flying colours. And that’s the beauty of having Jesus as Lord and Saviour; we can always depend on Him, trust Him to help us in our time of need. That reminds us of the song that calls Him, the Way Maker, Promise Keeper and Light in the Darkness.
And why is he called the Way Maker? Because He can, and does make a way where there seems to be no way! For He is the way, the truth and the life, and no man cometh unto the Father but by Him.’ (John 14:6) So, in the first place if we’re looking for a way, Jesus is the One to turn to. And secondly, ‘By serving as the atoning sacrifice for all of the world’s sins, Jesus made a way for EVERYONE to enter into Heaven.’ How wonderful is that eh my brethren! Jesus made a way for all of us to go to heaven! And thirdly, as He said to the disciples re the camel passing through the eye of a needle: ‘With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.’ (Matt. 19:26)
That means that Jesus can do ANYTHING! Therefore, He is the person that we need to put our total trust in, to surrender our all to, because He is also a faithful Promise Keeper! Yes friends, our wonderful God and Saviour is still in control of the universe He created and His promises are true. He’s never reneged on one! And there are many scriptures which proclaim that truth. Let’s look at a couple of them nuh, beginning with the Book of Joshua, where it speaks of the division of the Promised Land to the tribes of Israel. The Word says: ‘There failed not ought of any good thing which the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.’ (Josh. 21:45)
That’s for sure my brethren! Not a single word that the Lord spoke to Israel failed! And later on, Joshua himself said to the people: ‘And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth (going to die): and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof.’ (Josh. 23:14) And if the Israelites were truthful, they would have admitted that, since all the promises God made to them about bringing them out of bondage in Israel to the Promised Land were faithfully fulfilled.
Cousin Sol said the same thing when he made His great prayer to God and speech to Israel after the Ark of the Covenant was placed in the newly built temple. He said: ‘Blessed be the Lord that hath given rest (peace) unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of his servant Moses.’ (1 Kin. 8:56) And what about the father of our faith eh, Abraham? At seventy years of age, he packed up family and his belongings and left his homeland to wander where he knew not, because a God he didn’t know told him to do so. And what of it, you ask?
Listen to Bruh Paul as he writes to the Roman church on the subject of Abraham’s faithfulness. ‘Who against hope (contrary to the circumstances) believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he (Abraham) considered not his own body now dead, when he was an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb: he staggered (wavered) not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong (strengthened) in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded (convinced) that what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.’ (Rom. 4:18-22)
Yuh see friends, the Lord always keeps His promises, though they may take a long time to come to pass, like the twenty five years it took for Abraham and Sarah to have the child, Isaac, who would enable the promise of ‘the Father of nations’ to be kept. But though we sometimes have to wait a long time for the Lord’s promises to come true, like Abraham, we need to be strong in faith, never doubting that they will eventually happen. For as Peter writes: ‘The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness, but he is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.’ (2 Pet. 3:9)
Oh my people, our God takes His promises very seriously and doesn’t make them unless He intends to keep them. Let’s believe that with all our hearts souls, mind and bodies, for if we do, it will stand us in very good stead in this fickle and faithless world. And since we don’t want to make the Bit too long for our short mind spans, (smile) we’ll deal with the ‘Light in the Darkness’ aspect of Jesus’ attributes tomorrow, obviously if God spares life. Now let’s go to the throne of grace through our Friday Chant seeking divine help for our many earthly problems.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.
And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And the best way to invoke that divine help is by taking action and truly setting the example of faithful believers we talk about! Much LOVE!
…there’s no reason whatsoever…to doubt the power, promises and faithfulness of our God Jehovah…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
09 Jan 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: acknowledge Christ as Lord and Saviour, be as a tree planted by the waters, bounden duty, cease from man whose breath is in his nostrils, cursed be the man that trusteth in man, economic deprivation, eternal separation from Almighty God, giveth food to the hungry, God is the only one who can guide us safely, happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, he preserveth the strangers, he shall be like a heath in the desert, her leaf shall be green, his spirit departs, in god's eyes, in that very day his thoughts perish, in the son of man, in whom there is no help, inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, Jesus Christ, LOVE, natural disasters, neither shall cease from yielding fruit, openeth the eyes of the blind, put not your trust in princes, relieveth the fatherless and widow, salvation, shall not be careful in the year of drought, shall not see when heat comes, share His love with my neighbours, spreadeth out her roots by the river, the beloved of God, the indisputable truth, the way of the wicked he maketh crooked, there's none like our God Jehovah, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, vain is the help of man, whose heart departeth from the Lord, whose hope is in the Lord his God, wisdom, worry
Psalm 146:5. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord God.
Now, how crazy can this weather scene get eh? Right now we’re having snow filter down from the heavens, but this afternoon we’re expected to have rain. Please explain that to me. Isn’t it usually the opposite way? Oh, who knows what’s happening in our world these days but our One True God! With all the violence, inhumanity, greed, natural disasters, economic deprivation and unusual weather patterns that are currently dominating our world, ONLY Jehovah God truly knows and understands what’s going on!
And because our puny, finite minds cannot comprehend the reality of our society, the Lord expects us to surrender our all to Him, to put our sincere trust, our whole lives in His strong and faithful hands! Why? Because He is the ONLY ONE who can guide us safely through all the commotion and confusion that’s occurring. And if we’re wise, that’s exactly what we’ll all do, for as Psalm 146 wisely warns us: ‘Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man (a human being), in whom there is no help (salvation). His breath goeth forth (his spirit departs), he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.’ (Ps. 146:3-4)
Yes friends, that’s the gospel truth. It’s not wise to trust influential people, because they cannot truly help you, since they are mere mortals like yourself. It’s also unwise to put your trust in human leaders; for no human being can save you. So what am I to do then, you ask? Who can save me if mankind can’t? That’s a very good question, and we also have a very good answer for it! As the psalmist wisely proclaims: ‘Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord God.’ (Ps. 146:5) Now that’s the indisputable truth my people!
But why is that, you doubtfully and hesitantly ask? Again the psalmist gives us the answer. For He is the God ‘Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all therein is: which keepeth truth for ever: Which executeth judgement (justice) for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The Lord looseth (gives freedom to) the prisoners: The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind: the Lord raiseth them that are bowed down: the Lord LOVETH the righteous. The Lord preserveth (watches over) the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down (makes crooked).’ (Ps. 146:6-9)
Now that, as far as I’m concerned, is sufficient reason to surrender my all, to put my entire trust in Almighty God! For no human being can do those things that the Almighty did and still does! And if you have some person or persons who can do better than the Lord does, then please show or tell me about Him or Her! But my faithful brethren, we all know that there’s NONE like our God Jehovah, so why beat about the bush eh? Stop wasting precious time and simply turn to Him; give your heart, mind, body and soul to Him, for He is trustworthy and faithful to keep them in good order for you down here on earth, then receive you to His glorious salvation when you depart this earthly life!
And there’s NO ONE else who can make that promise and keep it! For as the psalmist ends: ‘The Lord shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the Lord.’ (Ps. 146:10) Yes my fellow saints, our omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present God shall reign FOREVER! There’s absolutely no doubt about that, for there’s none strong, wise and all seeing like Him! So why not put your trust in Him today eh. Receive His wonderful self-sacrificing Son, Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour today, right now, before it’s too late.
For if Christ returns to earth or you die before receiving Him, then you’ll never see the pearly gates of heaven or speak to the Father face to face. Your sorry lot will be eternal separation from the One who created you, and that’s the worst thing that can ever happen to a human soul! So please, let’s get wise and acknowledge Christ as Lord and Saviour nuh, so that our names will be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, and eternal life assured. And just in case you are still doubtful about the psalmist’s claims, then listen to these other warnings on the subject from other righteous brethren.
Bruh David said it thus in Psalm 108 when he cried out to the Lord: ‘Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man. Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.’ (Ps. 108:12-13) And Bruh David knew what he was talking about, after his long experience with the Lord. And Isaiah, who also knew the power of the Lord, reasoned it thus: ‘Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of (why should he be esteemed)?’ (Is. 2:22)
And the prophet Jeremiah puts it as plainly as possible. ‘Thus saith the Lord, Cursed be the man that trusteth in man (man’s strength), and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. For he shall be like the heath (a shrub) in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see (fear) when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful (anxious) in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.’ (Jer. 17:5-8)
That says it all my people; trust in the Lord and your life shall be blessed, regardless of the circumstances that come against you. And for those of us who have sincerely done that, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And having proclaimed our wonderful heritage, it’s now our bounden duty to go out and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…why trust in the created and not the Creator…that’s not wisdom…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
08 Jan 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a crown of righteousness, a full work week, deceitfulness, faith, fiery trial, finished my course, fought a good fight, get us to lose heart, holy spirit, humble servants, if any man suffer as a Christian, in heaviness, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, kept the faith, let him glorify God on this matter, let him not be ashamed, lies, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, more precious than gold, pray, refining faith through trials, rejoice with joy unspeakable, reproached for the name of Christ, salvation, sincerey seek your face, some strange thing happened to you., suffer without complaints, temptation, the God who heals, the spirit of glory rests on you, the trial of your faith, them that love his appearing, to be discouraged, to faint, tried with fire, truth, wiles, wisdom, wise guidance
1 Peter 4:16. Yet, if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf (matter).
And the first full work week in a while has dawned damp and cloudy, and undoubtedly some of us will find it difficult to handle the full five days. But we must rise up to the challenge if this year is to be a very important one in the annals of the Christian faith. The one where we make a significant impact on the negative, sinful, ungodly and evil doings of our world, as encouraged by the enemy. And believe me Satan won’t take out offensive decisions and actions lying down. No! He will increase his efforts of temptation and deceitfulness to get us to lose heart, to faint and be discouraged.
But friends, we can only gain the victory if we stand strong and steadfast in the promises and LOVING-KINDNESS of Christ, and not fall prey to the tempter’s wiles and lies! And he is very good at what he does, so please don’t think we can ever defeat him on our own. We most definitely need the help of the Holy Spirit to do it successfully. We need to be as Peter describes in his first epistle.
‘Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried (tested) with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing (revelation) of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye LOVE; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.’ (1 Pet. 1:6-9)
Yes friends, while we are alive in this world our faith will be tried, first by the devil through manifold or diversified temptations, and also by God, to see if our faith can stand the test of those temptations better than gold can stand the test of fire. As the scholars explain: ‘The problem of salvation looks to the present. Earthly trials constitute a problem of our salvation, but they are only for a season, or temporary. True faith cannot be destroyed though God is in the process of refining faith through our trials.’
Oh my people, if our faith is strong and true, then it will not be destroyed by God’s testing nor the devil’s provocation! And Peter solidifies that later in the chapter, when he talks about being partakers in Christ’s suffering. ‘Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you. But rejoice, inasmuch as (to the extent that) ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
If ye be reproached (insulted) for the name of Christ, happy (blessed) are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of (blasphemed), but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief or as an evildoer, or as a busybody (meddler) in other men’s matters. Yet, if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf (matter).’ (1 Pet. 4:12-16)
No doubt about it mih bredrin, the Christian life can be a difficult one to live, but if we stand up strong for Jesus and suffer whatever it is that comes against us in His name, with a true sense of purpose, then we will be well rewarded in the end. We need to be able to say like Bruh Paul did to Timothy: ‘I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (run my race), I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that LOVE his appearing.’ (2 Tim. 4:7-8)
So my fellow saints, that’s some of what we are up against if we truly desire to live for Christ and make a significant difference in this year of 2024! There’ll be temptations from Satan, tests from God, unjust accusations and trials, simply because we profess Christ’s name. However, in all these things we are expected to stand strong through Christ who strengthens us through His indwelling Holy Spirit. Now, there are times when we will falter and or fail, and God knows and expects that, but we must always get up and try again, for in Christ’s vocabulary the words ‘give up’ don’t exist. No friends, giving up is NEVER an option.
And if overall, we run a good earthly race and fight a good fight, then we will be handsomely rewarded come the judgement day with a crown of righteousness by the righteous judge, the Lord God Jehovah Himself! Now what can be better than that to look forward to eh? NOTHING my brethren, absolutely NOTHING! Now, with all of that possibly sitting on some of us like a heavy load, let’s take our problems to the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, so that we can find help in time of need.
Altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And as our prayer so wisely advises, if we expect to receive divine help, then a good place to begin is turning from our evil ways, with sincere repentance in our hearts. Much LOVE!
…Jesus suffered much for us…without complaints…and we are also expected to suffer some for Him…without complaints…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
03 Jan 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: became obedient unto death, by the things he suffered, Christianity is all about obedience, endure to the end, even the death of the cross, experience the abundant life, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, guide us in the right way, hands on the plough, he learned obedience, holy spirit, humbled himself, if ye love me keep my commandments, Jesus Christ, listen to the Holy spirit's guidance then follow it, live for Jesus, LOVE, love calls for sacrifice, made himself of no reputation, moaning and groaning, not looking back, passed from untested to fully tested obedience, pay the bills, pay the Piper, safe and secure in the arms of Jesus, salvation, thank God, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the nature of love, the reality of real life, them's the breaks, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, Wednesday Wail, wisdom
John 14:15. If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments.
Well, at long last all the holiday celebrations are over and we can get back to reality; the reality of real life, of mundane, same old, same old days of working! And furthermore of working to pay all the bills we’ve incurred during the long time of festivities. (smile) I’m sure some of us will be moaning and groaning when we see the credit cards bills come in later this month, somewhat belatedly asking ourselves why we had to buy all that unnecessary stuff. But them’s the breaks my brethren, if you dance to the piper, then you’ve got to pay for his tunes. (smile)
But not to worry, this is the year that we will all get wise and sensible, because we will all buckle down and live for Jesus. Yes, friends, we’ll put all of our efforts into living for Jesus, just getting more intimate with Him day by day. And that way we won’t be worried about our bills or any of the other things that might come against us, for in Jesus’ arms we’ll be safe and secure! He will guide us in the right way, through His Holy Spirit that dwells within us to be our Guide, Leader and Comforter.
However, to accomplish that, we need to LISTEN to His guidance and then FOLLOW it! That’s what’s been holding us back all this time, for even when we hear the Spirit’s guidance most of us don’t follow it. So how do we expect to experience the abundant life that Christ died for us to have eh? Remember this whole Christian business is basically about obedience! You can believe, but if you don’t obey, then you’re rebellious and thus sinful! Remember Jesus’ warning words? ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments.’ (John 14:15)
That’s oh so plain and straight forward my people! LOVE demands certain obligations! Even in our human relationships, when we claim to LOVE someone, there are things we must do for and to them. LOVE calls for sacrifice! Sacrifice like Jesus made on our behalf. And talking about obedience, Jesus again showed us the way.
Listen to Bruh Paul in his letter to the Philippians ‘Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men, (emptied himself of all his godly privileges): And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ (Phil. 2:5-8)
Yes my fellow believers, Jesus came to earth as man, but didn’t invoke all His divine privileges, instead he gave them up and lived like the human being he’d become, like us, and was completely obedient to the Father, even to going to the cross that He had no real desire to do. but the Father required it of Him, and His great LOVE for the Father caused Him to do it. It’s the same way that He expects our great LOVE for Him to cause us to obey His desires.
And furthermore, on the topic of Jesus’ obedience, hear how the author of Hebrews puts it. ‘Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him. Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.’ (Heb. 5:8-9) Yuh see that my fellow saints, though Jesus was God’s Son, He still learned the reality of the hard human way by the suffering He underwent, even to His sacrificial atoning death on the cross of Calvary, which gave Him the authority to become our Saviour and our giver of eternal life.
And I like this explanation re Jesus’ suffering and obedience put forward by John Piper. “He learned obedience” means that Jesus moved from untested obedience into suffering, and then through suffering into tested and proven obedience. If you think about it, if you are good enough, you can learn a new task without failing. And the new task that Jesus had to learn every hour, especially at the end of his life was: Can I endure this suffering that I have never experienced before, this new obedience that I have never performed before in the history of the universe? Can I learn and do this perfectly without failing, without falling into unbelief and murmuring?
And the answer of Hebrews is yes. He could and he did. He learned obedience in what he suffered, and he never, never, never failed once in the process of perfect learning, proven, tested obedience. In all of Jesus’s suffering, he was being tested. Would he add obedience to obedience until he had grown into the complete, perfect, tested man, that is, the man who had been fully and completely proven and who had responded with perfect obedience, so that he could be described as fully perfected, not meaning that he passed from sinfulness to sinlessness, but that he passed from untested obedience to fully tested obedience?
And I think the answer to Chris’s question about what Jesus was moving toward is not merely that he was moving toward a completed, tested perfection, but that he was moving toward fulfilling a perfect salvation for us sinners. Remember Hebrews 2:10 goes like this: “It was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.”
Yes sir! Jesus became the perfect person to be the author of our salvation through His suffering and obedience though being sinless. And if there’s one thing we cannot say about Jesus is that He came to earth and lived the easy life that His godly privileges entitled Him to! No way! He abrogated, revoked, rescinded those things that would have given Him the easy life and chose to see the true reality of life on earth through His own eyes and servanthood.
That’s why when we say we LOVE Him we shouldn’t be just paying lip service, but actually following His example of LOVE for the Father, doing what was required of Him. And please remember that Jesus will NEVER ask us to do more than He did, or not help us to do whatever He asks of us! That’s the very foundation of our Christian faith! and until we truly believe that and act upon it, our faith will be really worthless.
Now, let’s go home declaring (steups!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And if we endure to the very end with Jesus, then it’s been promised that that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask of imagine! So let’s plan to be there right at the very end nuh! That’s eternal wisdom! Much LOVE!
…LOVE is the greatest attribute…but it also calls for great sacrifice and total obedience…that’s just the nature of LOVE…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
25 Dec 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a special Monday, born of water and of the spirit, born that man no more may die, born to give them second birth, Charles Wesley, Christ is born in Bethlehem, eat the fat and drink the sweet, eternal life, faith, George Whitefield, glory to the new born king, go your way, God and sinners reconciled, hail the heaven born Prince of Peace, Hark the herald angels sing, holy spirit, Jesus Christ, light and life to all he brings, LOVE, peace on earth and mercy mild, risen with healing in his wings, salvation, send portions unto them for whom nothing has been prepared, that which is born of flesh is flesh, that which is born of spirit is spirit, the Sun of righteousness, this day is holy unto the Lord., truth
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Nehemiah 8:10a. Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto the Lord:
Well a Merry Christmas to all you my Scrip-Bit friends and families! Let’s hope that this blessed day of our Lord and Saviour’s birth finds you in good health, celebrating with those close to you. Let’s also hope that we did our godly duty by praying for those who can’t celebrate Christ’s birth the way we can due to strife, persecution and/or natural disaster, neither forgetting to send portions of our abundance to those around us who don’t have enough. Remember the scripture in Nehemiah?
After the scribe Ezra read from the Book of the Law, Nehemiah, the governor, said unto them: ‘This day is holy unto the Lord your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto the Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ (Neh. 8:9-10) And this Christmas day my brethren is also holy unto the Lord, so let us be joyful, but not forget those of us who are poor, sick and downtrodden.
Now, although today is Monday, since it’s such a special Monday in our calendar, with gatherings of faithful believers in the Lord’s sanctuary all over the world, I thought we would treat it like a Sunday. Thus we shall sing and praise our heavenly Father for the great gift of His Son, born this day, some two thousand years ago. And what better way to honour Christ the Lord than with this marvellous old favourite of Christmas, ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing’ written by Charles Wesley, the great hymn writer and one of the leaders of the Methodist movement of the time.
And, like so many of these old songs, this one has a rather interesting story, which includes four creative minds over a span of more than a hundred years. Wesley published the song in 1739 with a title of ‘A Hymn of Christmas Day’ and the first line being “Hark how all the Welkin rings, Glory to the King of Kings”, welkin being an archaic English term for the heavens. But then, in 1753, Wesley’s’ friend and colleague, George Whitefield edited the text of the hymn, noticeably changing the first line to what it is today.
For over a century, the hymn was sung to different tunes, until in 1855, the English musician William Hayman Cummings accomplished a unique feat by marrying Whitefield’s adaptation of Wesley’s hymn to a melody by one of classical music’s most notable composers: the great Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847). And apparently Mendelssohn’s tune was meant to be an instrumental piece, not suited for vocals. But Cummings, who was a well-respected musician himself did it, and thus we have the great Christmas hymn of today.
So, as always, let’s offer up sincere sacrifices of praise to heaven as we sing this marvellous song, which celebrates the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, in a nice mid-tempo version. Singing: ‘Hark! The herald angels sing “Glory to the new-born king Peace on earth and mercy mild God and sinners reconciled” Joyful all ye nations rise Join the triumph of the skies With angelic host proclaim “Christ is born in Bethlehem” Hark! The herald angels sing “Glory to the new-born king.”
Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Sun of Righteousness! Light and life to all He brings Risen with healing in His wings Mild He lays His glory by Born that man no more may die Born to raise the sons of earth Born to give them second birth. Hark! The herald angels sing “Glory to the new-born king.” Hark! The herald angels sing “Glory to the new-born king. Peace on earth and mercy mild God and sinners reconciled” Joyful all ye nations rise Join the triumph of the skies With angelic host proclaim “Christ is born in Bethlehem” Hark! The herald angels sing “Glory to the new-born king” “Glory to the new-born king.”
Oh my people, what wonderful singing! I’m sure those sacrifices of praise were well received in heaven. Now, here’s an interesting commentary from the Godtube website that breaks down the song in a concise fashion. It says: ‘Charles Wesley’s hymn offers us a good survey of theology. It mentions many of the names and titles of Christ: King, Lord, Prince of Peace, Sun of Righteousness, Everlasting Lord, Desire of Nations, Incarnate Deity, and Emmanuel.
After the first stanza’s call to praise “the new-born King,” the following stanzas celebrate the virgin birth, the deity of Christ, the resurrection of the body, and the truth of the new birth. Two phrases, in particular, deserve comment: “Mild he lays his glory by” refers to Christ’s willingness to lay aside the glory of heaven to take on human nature and become one of us. “Late in time behold him come” reminds us of Hebrews 1:2 where we are told “in these last days” God has spoken to us through his Son.’
And the Lord God Almighty has certainly spoken to us through the gospel of His awesome Son in these evil and ungodly times! Now there are a few scriptures that I want to point out with respect to one particular line in the song. That’s, ‘Born that man no more may die Born to raise the sons of earth Born to give them second birth.’ I believe that ties in nicely with these words of Jesus to Martha, Lazarus’ sister when she was querying Jesus about not coming sooner to save her sick brother.
He says to her: ‘I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead (may die), yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believeth thou this?’ (John 11:25-26) I do hope we believe that my brethren! That first part also ties in with Jesus interaction with the Samaritan woman at the well, when He informs her: ‘Whoever drinketh of this water (from the well) shall thirst again: But whosever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water I shall give him shall be in him a well (fountain) of water springing up into everlasting life.’ (John 4:13-14) Oh friends, again, I do hope that we are as anxious to drink of Christ’s living water as that Samaritan woman was! (smile)
And as per the last words of the line: ‘Born to give them second birth,’ has to refer to Jesus chat with the Pharisee Leader Nicodemus who came to Jesus by night to ask some perplexing questions. And was Nicodemus surprised when Jesus told him in no uncertain terms: ‘Verily verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again (from above), he cannot enter the kingdom of God.’ (John 3:3) Nicodemus was nonplussed; surprised, confused, bewildered, asking if a man could enter his mother’s womb so he could be born a second time.
But Jesus clarified the situation for Him. ‘Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.’ (John 3:5-6) Thus friends, it behooves us to be baptized in water and be reborn of the Spirit of God, if we want to enter His kingdom. And the first thing that means is accepting Christ as Lord and Saviour, for He is the way the truth and the life, and no man comes to the Father but by Him.’ (John 14:6) Matter fixed, this Christmas day! (smile)
So, let’s eat, drink and be merry today, celebrating Christ’s birth, ensuring that we’ve been born again and are thus eligible for eternal life in heaven. Much LOVE!
…the LOVE of Christ…should be front and centre today…
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24 Dec 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Adolphe Adam, celebrate Christ's birth, chains shall he break, christmas eve, every tongue should confess, faith, fellowship, good tidings of great joy, His gospel is peace, his law is love, in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, Jesus Christ, Jesus christ is Lord, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, LOVE, O Holy Night, Placide Cappeau, salvation, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord, teaching and admonishing one another, the angels rejoiced, the King of Kings, the slave is our brother, the stars are brightly shining, the whole world received their king, to our weakness no stranger, truth
Colossians 3:16. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Oh friends, it’s Sunday; the most joyful day of the week, when we gather in fellowship in the Lord’s house. And this Sunday is doubly special because it’s also Christmas Eve, the day before we celebrate the glorious birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Mama Mia! Can you imagine the festivities, the church services, the gifts, the decorations, and last but not least, the amount of food that’s going to be devoured over these next few days. I don’t know if it’s a good or bad thing that this year Christmas Eve falls on a Sunday, for although it might cause some none church goers to darken the Lord’s sanctuary – those who only attend church at Christmas and Easter.
But then, all the busyness of the season will obviously keep some church goers away from church too. Anyway, we’ll leave that in the Lord’s hands, we’ve come to worship, give thanks and celebrate Christ’s imminent birth, as well as renew and refresh our spirts by hearing the Lord’s word. So, let’s do that nuh, beginning with this wonderful Christmas song, ‘O Holy Night.’
And, as so often happens, controversy surrounds many of these old songs. This one was originally written as a French poem by Placide Cappeau, a wine merchant and poet. Although he was never particularly religious, Cappeau was asked in 1843 to write a Christmas poem to celebrate the recent renovation of the church organ in his hometown. He obliged and wrote a poem called ‘Minuit, Chrétien’s’ (Midnight, Christians). Then, in 1847, Adolphe Adam, a French composer and music critic who wrote mostly operas and ballets, composed the music for the song and it was released under the name ‘Cantique de Noël’. Alongside the opera ‘’Giselle’ (1841), ‘O Holy Night’ is one of Adam’s best-known works.
Finally, in 1855, English Minister John Sullivan Dwight translated the French original into the lyrics we sing today. Along the way, there also seemed to be some controversy with the Catholic church, which didn’t like some of the lyrics. However, no doubt with the Almighty’s help, the song has become a staunch Christmas favourite all around the world.
And I like how this commentary puts it. ‘There’s truly nothing better than hearing an old-fashioned Christmas song right around the holidays. One of those classic hymns is ‘O Holy Night.’ It brings up such great memories and thoughts of our Savior, Jesus Christ. It was truly a glorious night when Jesus was born. The angels rejoiced and the whole world received their King. God granted us eternal salvation when He sent His Son to die for our sins. Now that I know the story behind this powerful hymn, I’m even more in awe of this song.’
And now that we know some of the song’s basic history and how it truly reflects the night Christ was born, let’s offer it up as sacrifices of praise to heaven, in a soulful, sincere mid-tempo version. Singing: ‘O holy night, the stars are brightly shining, It is the night of the dear Saviour’s birth; Long lay the world in sin and error pining, ‘Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth. A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices, For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn;
(Chorus: Fall on your knees, Oh hear the angel voices! O night divine! O night when Christ was born. O night, O holy night, O night divine.) Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming; With glowing hearts by his cradle we stand: So, led by light of a star sweetly gleaming, Here come the wise men from Orient land, The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger, In all our trials born to be our friend;
(Chorus) He knows our need, To our weakness no stranger! Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend! Behold your King! your King! before him bend! Truly He taught us to love one another; His law is LOVE and His gospel is Peace; Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother, And in his name all oppression shall cease, Sweet hymns of joy in grateful Chorus raise we; Let all within us praise his Holy name! (Chorus) Christ is the Lord, then ever! ever praise we! His pow’r and glory, evermore proclaim! His pow’r and glory, evermore proclaim!’
Oh friends, that was wonderful, but what is the song all about eh? It seems like there is some Biblical inspiration woven into it. Let’s see if we can find a few. And right in the opening line: ‘O holy night, the stars are brightly shining, It is the night of the dear Saviour’s birth;’ we right away think of the shepherds watching their flocks on a starry winter’s night outside of Bethlehem, when an angel suddenly appears and tells them:
‘Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord…. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’ (Luke 2:10-11, 13-14)
Then, the chorus itself: ‘Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices! O night divine, O night when Christ was born…’ stirs up this scriptural gem. ‘Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every other name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of (those) things in heaven, and (those) things in earth, and (those) things under the earth: And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil. 2:9-11) And so it is to this day my fellow believers! Jesus Christ is Lord of All!
What about this line: ‘Truly He taught us to love one another, His law is love and His gospel is peace.’ We could choose more than one scripture for that, but this one seems to best suit our purpose. ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another: as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13: 34-35) That’s Jesus’ law of LOVE friend, and where there is true LOVE, you’ll surely find peace!
And we have time for one more Biblical inspiration. Hear this: ‘Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we, With all our hearts we praise His holy name.’ And I guess we could also find a couple of scriptures to back that up, but we’ll use this one. The words of Bruh Paul to the Colossians. ‘Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.’ (Col. 3:16)
Oh my people, that’s exactly what we’ve been doing; admonishing each other in spiritual songs, singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord! That does say something for our obedience eh. (smile) But anyway, let’s have a blessed day as we prepare for, and celebrate Christ’s birth, but please, let’s remember to pray for those who won’t be enjoying a merry and joyful Christmas like us. Much LOVE!
… Jesus Christ, the Son of God…at His birth…a trough was His bed…a stable His house…and animals His playmates…
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