26 Apr 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a good foundation, and of the Holy Ghost, baptizing them, condemn the world, Coronavirus, dancing, eternal life, forgiven, go down in history, go ye therefore and teach, grace, hand down the gospelclapping, hug and kiss, in the name of the Father, just a nobody, living for the world to see, make disciples of all nations, nobody but Jesus, of the Son, pandemics, physical proximity, plagues, proselytizing, salvation, saved, technology, the Great Commission, the light of the gospel, the Lord's Day, the Son of man
Matthew 28:19. Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Aye mih bredrin, we’re back to Sunday, the Lord’s Day, and we still don’t have the option to fellowship together in the Lord’s sanctuary because of the social distancing business, but that’s never stopped us before, and believe me, it won’t stop us today either because we have technology! Technology, the wizardry that allows us to communicate live and in person across major distances, so though we can’t hug and kiss and shake hands, we can still celebrate the Lord’s Day with thanks and praise and reading of His Word and getting His assurance and confidence to successfully handle our difficult circumstances.
I don’t know how our forefathers managed during their time of plagues and pandemic problems. But they still managed to hand down the gospel to us. Yet we, with all our technology, can’t get it into our children’s heads. But that’s another story for another day. So let’s get to some praise and worship to open the proceedings. And today’s song is of the contemporary Christian genre, titled ‘I’m just a Nobody.’
Now there seems to be at least two versions, each with different lyrics in the verses, one a soulful version by the Williams Brothers, but we’re going to follow the Casting Crowns version featuring Matthew West; a rocking, raunchy, good times one, with lots of clapping, dancing, and of course singing! (smile) We’ll begin with some hand clapping, in three fourths time, then sing the first line of the chorus three times acapella, then get into the full chorus as the music comes up. So here goes: clap, clap: ‘I’m just a nobody…clap, clap: I’m just a nobody…clap, clap: I’m just a nobody…’ and then music and everybody going crazy!
‘Chorus: I’m just a nobody, trying to tell everybody, all about Somebody, who saved my soul. Ever since You rescued me, You gave my heart a song to sing. I’m living for the world to see…Nobody but Jesus! I’m living for the world to see…Nobody but Jesus!) Why you ever chose me, has always been a mystery. All my life, I’ve been told I belong, at the end of the line. With all the other “Not Quites” with all the “Never-Get-it Rights” But it turns out, they’re the ones you’ve been looking for all this time, (Chorus: Cause I’m just a nobody… living for the world to see…Nobody but Jesus!)
Moses had stage fright, and David brought a rock to a sword fight, You picked twelve outsiders, nobody would have ever chosen, and you changed the world. Well the moral of the story is, Everybody’s got a purpose. So when I hear that devil start talking to me saying, “Who do you think you are?” (Chorus: I say, I’m just a nobody… living for the world to see…Nobody but Jesus!) So let me go down, down, down in history, as another blood-bought faithful member of the family. And if they all forget my name, well, that’s fine with me. I’m living for the world to see…Nobody but Jesus…
So let me go down, down, down in history, as another blood-bought faithful member of the family…That’s all I ever want to be… And if they all forget my name, well, that’s fine with me. I’m living for the world to see…Nobody but Jesus… Cause I’m just a nobody, trying to tell everybody, all about Somebody, who saved my soul. Ever since You rescued me, You gave my heart a song to sing. I’m living for the world to see…Nobody but Jesus! I’m living for the world to see…Nobody but Jesus! I’m living for the world to see…Nobody but Jesus!’
Oh yes friends, that was indeed a happily sung ditty; one of hope, faith and rejoicing! And I like what one web site says about the song: ‘The lyrics describe how God uses ordinary people to spread the Gospel of Jesus! We are all flawed, yet the Lord has a purpose for us. In our joy of having been forgiven, we excitedly point to the forgiver, Jesus Christ!’ And all God’s people said a loud and grateful ‘Amen!’ And that’s indeed our main purpose in this life my brethren; to ‘excitedly point to the forgiver;’ to spread the gospel of Christ with unyielding zest and holy enthusiasm.
As Jesus declared to His disciples: ‘All power (authority) is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:18-20) And that my people is what we refer to as ‘the Great Commission!’ And moreover, against all odds, the disciples were indeed able to do that seemingly impossible task; twelve poor, uneducated men charged with proselytizing the entire world!
And they certainly laid a good foundation for us to further build on! Let’s not forget that we are Christ’s arms, legs, head, hands and body in this dark and sinful world, and that He’s depending on us to show the lost the light of His gospel and lead them to Him so they can be saved; forgiven, granted salvation through grace, which leads to eternal life. Remember Jesus memorable words about why He came into the world: ‘For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.’ (Matt.18:11) And that philosophy hasn’t changed down through the ages friends, which means we still need to show interest in and help those lost in the darkness of Satan’s world.
Jesus also made His Father’s intentions quite clear in these momentous and memorable words that we all know: ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:16-17)
Let’s remember that this Sunday friends, as we are unable to worship in physical proximity, and realize in that sense, we are still the lost, and that we still need saving from the Coronavirus, and that Jesus is the ONLY ONE who can do it! Much LOVE!
…without Jesus…we’re all hopelessly lost…
21 Dec 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all power is given to me, Anselm, baptism, be endued, begins with the first step, Behold, believeth, cast out devils, condemned, contentious point, Day of Pentecost, destined to be, do God's bidding, evangelism, faith, faith in Jesus, fall for anything, give up on dreams, God's enablement, heal the sick, I send, in Jerusalem, incarnate birth, power, power from on high, power in the blood, power in the name of Jesus, powerless, salvation, saved, see the whole staircase, source of strength, stand for nothing, stand up for your beliefs, take the first step, take up serpents, tarry ye, the Good Book, the Holy Ghost, the longest journey, the promise of my Father, the Spirit of Christ, through Christ, we can do all things, who strengthens us, within God's will
Luke 24:49. And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye (wait) in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
Well it’s Christmas Saturday…Thank the Lord! We down to four days now before the Big Day! And plenty people still shopping and baking and cooking and preparing the treats for the festivities, not the ole fella though. (smile) Yes, I’m just taking it easy, going along my normal slow, practical way. Oh I might lend a hand here or there, but the frustrations and busyness of the season won’t affect your humble servant. Thankfully, I’ve left all of that behind. What did Bruh Paul say about not looking back at the past, but looking forward to the future where we don’t have all the hustle and bustle! Yeh friends, that’s become my style now. I don’t get involved in all the confusion. I just relax and try to enjoy Christ in His season. (smile)
But since it’s Saturday, let’s see what quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week nuh, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. Hear this first one: ‘You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.’ And that’s oh so true friends! We don’t necessarily need to see the ending of a thing, just the beginning. And there’s the inherent physical problem that if you don’t start out, you will never get to the end. Like the Chinese Proverb says: ‘The longest journey begins with the first step.’
Yeh. You do have to step out, hopefully in faith to make any journey, be it long or short. And if you’re a true and faithful believer, then you have the wonderful promise that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. (Phil. 4:13) Mama Yo! How can you ever beat being a true believer with promises such as those eh? That’s why Christians ought to be the happiest and most effective people in the universe! We don’t have to be afraid of the future, but can embrace it with joy, because of all that our Lord and Saviour Jesus has done for us, beginning with His awesome incarnate birth at this Christmas season!
Now listen to this next quote: ‘I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence.’ And that should be the motto of ALL believers: be true to oneself and to one’s faith! We can certainly notice the ridicule and disdain that the world holds many of us believers in, simply because we believe and profess a lifestyle different to theirs. But if you truly believe, then you ought to stand up for your beliefs. But sadly too many of us supposed believers are scared and afraid to stand up to the world bullies for their faith in Jesus.
That’s obviously not right my brethren, because all that does is tarnish Jesus’ name even more than it’s already tarnished. The world already considers Christians to be compromising and cowardly. It’s time we stand up strong for Jesus, and there’s no better time to do it than right now in this time of celebration, when His name is on the tongue of so many people, and they might be most receptive to Him. Remember friends, if you don’t stand strong for something, you can fall oh so easily for anything!
Then there’s this: ‘The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.’ Now I don’t agree with the semantics of that statement, because God has destined all of us to be some kind of body, but that’s not necessarily the person we become, since so many of us don’t follow God’s will. But generally speaking, we become the person we decide to become. And if it’s within God’s will, then so much the better. But if it is outside His will, then your life won’t ever be right.
And I can use my own life as a testimony. Now writing the Bit never appeared in even my wildest dreams. But obviously it featured in God’s. (smile) And if I had utterly refused to do His bidding and write it, then I’m sure my life would never have been as blessed as it is now. That doesn’t mean I’ve given up on the dreams He’s placed in my heart. No, absolutely not! I still hold on to them and sincerely believe that He will bring them to pass…just in His own time and fashion. (smile) Otherwise, what’s the point in having dreams at all eh?
That brings us to this last quote: ‘Some people have power but are powerless.’ And that is so true, especially of supposed believers in Jesus Christ! Friends, we have so much power through Christ that it’s astounding, to say the least. We can do so much because of our faith and trust in Him, but yet we remain powerless and allow the foolish Beelzebub to steal our power. Remember the quote we heard Jesus say yesterday? ‘All power (authority) is given unto me in heaven and in earth.’ (Matt. 28:18) Those were the words He spoke to the disciples just before He gave them the Great Commission to go out and proselytize the world, then He ascended back into heaven.
And Mark wrote it down thus: ‘Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned (condemned).’ (Mark 16:15-16) And I’ll pause here to interject the scholars’ note. ‘16:16. Only faith, not baptism, is essential for salvation, as the omission of baptism from the last clause above.’ And sadly, that is indeed a rather contentious point amongst believers today, and one that unfortunately keeps the church from truly being one body in Christ. Different denominations hold different views, and it seems that never the two shall meet. But that’s a discussion for another day, just thought I’d point it out. (smile)
Mark continues: ‘And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils (demons); they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not (never) hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.’ (Mark 16:17-18) Oh friends, we have so much power in us that we don’t use! Hear Jesus: ‘And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye (wait) in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.’
And the scholars’ importantly note: ‘24:49. Here is the source of strength for effective evangelism. The promise of my Father stresses that the Spirit’s coming is not an afterthought, but an integral part of God’s eternal will. Endued conveys the picture of one being clothed with God’s enablement. Waiting is part of the necessary preparation for reception of God’s guidance and sanction.’ Yes my people, that’s all so true! And it all began when the Holy Ghost came at the time of Pentecost and filled all believers with the Spirit of Christ! (Acts 2) And that all leads to the facts that there is power in the Word of God, there is power in the name and blood of Christ!
Oh precious people of Christ, we have so much inherent power, that we ought to be walking and talking and believing powerhouses! And it all stems from Jesus! And the Good Book is filled with scriptures about power and healing and all the other stuff we’ve been granted in Jesus’ name. However, we don’t have time or space to get into them. But please, let’s spend sometime this Christmas season checking them out for ourselves nuh, so that we can use that abundant God-given power to do God’s will powerfully and abundantly in the coming year. That’s our homework for this week! (smile) Much LOVE!
…sing it out…oh there is power in the blood…power in the word…power in the name of Jesus…
17 Jan 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abundant life, Amen, as sheep, be cheerful, Behold, bet your bottom dollar, C.S. Lewis, Christianity 101, Christians, comes a calling, compassionate heart, courage, creativity, curse, dissipation, don't worry, drunk with wine, entrench it deeply in our hearts, excess, exult, faithful promise, get involved, glory to God, God's Spirit, God's Word, God-like matters, goodness, growing, hard row to hoe, harmless as doves, holy spirit, hymns, I send you forth, in the midst of wolves, in the same hour, in your heart, innocent, Jesus' directive, making melody, mercy, moral intemperance, moving on, negative word, onwards, overcome the world, prompt us, prosper, psalms, read, reassurance, rejoice, rewards, saved, self-control, share with others, singing songs, steadfast, stop learning, strong, study the word, success, talent, the fear of God, the Good Book, the Spirit of your Father, the tempter, Thursday Blessings, true, undeserving children, unfairly persecuted, upwards believers in Christ, what you shall speak, wise as serpents, working for Jesus
Matthew 10:16. Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless (innocent) as doves.
Moving on…Moving on…! Yes friends, we’re moving on… onwards and upwards! As believers in Jesus Christ we’re supposed to be always moving onwards and upwards in our faith and Christ-likeness – even till the day our earthly breath expires, or Jesus comes back, whichever one happens first. But unfortunately too many of us believers tend to stop learning, stop moving up, stop growing when we most need to – that’s everyday! (smile)
We can’t enjoy the abundant life Christ died for us to have and be cheerful because He’s overcome the world, unless we’re filled with His Word and His Spirit. The great spiritual writer C.S. Lewis puts it this way: ‘God cannot give us happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it’s not there!’ Yes my brethren, it’s only in God that we can find true peace and happiness, because that’s the only place it really exists!
And the more peace and happiness we want, the deeper and higher we’ve got to get involved in God-like matters! Rejoice and exult in His goodness and mercy! Hear, read and study His Word, then entrench it deeply in our hearts, so that when the evil tempter comes a calling we can brush him aside with powerful words and actions from the Good Book!
It’s all a part of growing up as Christians my people! Of becoming strong, steadfast and true! And that’s the ONLY way we can ever carry out Jesus’ directive: ‘Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless (innocent) as doves.’
Ah mih people, working for Jesus is not easy, but He does give us all the tools we need to do the job! What a directive eh! Like dumb, innocent sheep in a pack of hungry, angry wolves, but wise like the serpent and yet harmless like a dove! That’s certainly a hard row to hoe with all the contrariness and contrasts it entails. But as I said before, as true believers, we have everything we need to do it!
And if you don’t believe me, then listen to Jesus further: After warning that we’d be unfairly persecuted, He calmly and sincerely directs us: ‘But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what (do not worry about what) ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in the same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.’ (Matt.10:19-20)
Mamma Mia! What reassurance my brethren! Yuh see, our Lord and Saviour doesn’t leave anything to chance. He has a provision for each and every situation that we might find ourselves in. The Holy Spirit that dwells in us will prompt us what to say and do in every situation that we face! Glory to God! Give Him thanks and praise for being so attentive to the needs of us undeserving children!
But here is the really rough part: ‘And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.’ (Matt.10:22) Now therein lies the heart of the story. Just for being believers in Christ, we’ll be persecuted. But those who endure; stand, strong, steadfast and true throughout the severe persecution WILL be saved!
That’s Jesus’ faithful promise my fellow believers! And we all know that He doesn’t make idle promises. If He says it WILL be so, then you can bet your bottom dollar that it WILL be so! (smile) But we have to endure, and we can only do that by being shrouded in His Word and Will.
Now hear these words of Bruh Paul to the Ephesians as he explains to them the way of the believer. ‘But all things that are reproved (exposed) are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light (all sins are exposed by light). Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.’ (Eph.5:13-14) Yes my brethren, all we that are less than right with Christ need to turn from our sin and accept the promise of spiritual enlightenment that Christ offers!
And furthermore: ‘See then that ye walk circumspectly (carefully), not as fools, but as wise (watch carefully how you live), Redeeming the time (making the most of every opportunity), because the days are evil (and are they ever). Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of Lord is.’ (Eph.5: 15-17) And the only way we can understand the Lord’s will is by having constant and excellent communication with Him and His Word!
‘And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (dissipation); but be (continually) filled with the Spirit. Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.’ (Eph.5:18-21)
There you have it friends, Christianity 101: be filled with the Holy Spirit and not wine, which leads to moral intemperance. Learn God’s will, give continual thanks and praise in everything, and defer to others if it is in God’s will. End of sermon! (smile) And when we try to live like that, then our blessings will fall down like rain, as outlined in our Thursday Blessings. Let’s declare them (spelled it right!) in loud voice with sincere hearts.
‘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 everyday! AMEN!’
And that needs to be a big ‘AMEN’ my people because of the staggering proportions of blessings we undeservedly enjoy, and remember, are also called to share with the less fortunate. Much LOVE!
…working for Jesus is not easy…but brother…are the rewards ever excellent…and certainly worth it all…
02 Jan 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new song, abominable sins, acceptable year of the Lord, acclamations, adrift, as for me and my house, be joyful in their king, beautify the meek, Beauty for Ashes, capsize, comfort all that mourn, communication, congregation of saints, early to bed, early to rise, focusing on the future, garment of praise, glorious future with Jesus, glory hallelujah, halfway home, harp, humble, I can do all things through Christ, I will not tolerate strife, in his people, in the dance, Israel, lost, LOVE, make our lives right with Jesus, not turning back, nothing can separate us from God, oil of mourning, praise His name, Praise ye the Lord, sacrifice His Son Jesus, salvation, saved, sing Hallelujah, spirit of heaviness, strengthens me, thank God, the breath of life, the Lord takes pleasure, the stormy sea of life, this is the day the Lord has made, unconditional LOVE, vengeance of God, we will follow the Lord, we will rejoice and be glad in it, Wednesday Wail, will not quit, with timbrel, Zion
Psalm 149:4. For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek (humble) with salvation.
Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man, healthy, wealthy and wise! Hn! I don’t know about the truth in that nuh, because I went to bed fairly early, and got up fairly early, and I’m not feeling any healthier, wealthier or wiser! (smile) However, we are going to begin the day wisely by declaring a few acclamations to get us on the right path, that with our wonderful God.
So please declare (Chuh! still spelling it wrong) with me: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, I WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’ (Ps. 118:24) ‘God will supply ALL my needs through His riches in glory, through Christ Jesus!’ (Phil.4:19) ‘I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me!’ (Phil.4:13) ‘I WILL NOT tolerate strife in my life!’ And finally: ‘As for me and my house, we WILL follow the Lord!’ (Josh.24:15)
Yeh friends, that ought to keep us going for today. But just to be on the safe side, I also want to have us declare (Bravo! Spelled it right) the Possibility Thinkers Creed from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional.
Please declare (another right one) enthusiastically and sincerely with me: ‘When faced with a mountain, I will not quit! I will keep on striving until I climb over, find a pass through, tunnel underneath, or simply stay and turn the mountain into a gold mine – with God’s help!’
Mama Mia! No friends, we WILL NOT QUIT! NEVER! For quitting is not in the vocabulary of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, so therefore it should not be in ours either! And having got us off on the right track, let’s see what we can find to keep us there… (smile)
And the Good Book opened this morning unto a most appropriate Psalm: Psalm 149, which declares (right ho!): ‘Praise ye the Lord, (sing Hallelujah). Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints. Let Israel rejoice in him that made them (their maker): let the children of Zion be joyful in their king.
Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp. For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek (humble) with salvation.’ (Ps.149:1-4)
Yeh mih people, that last verse is what I want us to ponder on today and write it indelibly in our hearts and souls. For if we don’t believe that our Maker takes pleasure in us, we’ll just be lost and adrift and eventually capsize on this stormy sea of life. The Lord really does enjoy us; walking and talking with us, taking part in ALL of our affairs, etc. etc! Why do you think He made us eh? So that He could have joyful communication with us!
Why do you think He went to such great lengths to sacrifice His only Son Jesus Christ for us eh? So that we could be saved from our abominable sins and thus be able to spend an enjoyable life with Him, both here on earth and in heaven for all of eternity! And that’s a long, long time! Do you think He would wish that upon Himself if He didn’t like and enjoy us? No way!
So please let’s get it our stubborn heads that our God sincerely LOVES and enjoys us! Obviously He doesn’t like our disobedience and continued sinfulness, and will chasten us when necessary, but as He’s said so often in His Word, His LOVE is UNCONDITIONAL! That means NOTHING can change His mind on us!
As Bruh Paul states so eloquently and emphatically in Romans: ‘For I am persuaded that neither death, not life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Rom.8:38-39) My brethren, it’s up to us to believe that!
Now hear Bruh David’s take on the subject from Psalm 35: ‘Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the Lord be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant. And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all day long.’ (Ps.35:27-28) Glory be mih people! Our God delights in us!
And if you don’t believe Bruh David, then listen to this promise made through the prophet Isaiah, re good tidings of salvation to Zion. ‘To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
To appoint unto (to console) them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.’ (Is.61:2-3)
Oh my faithful believing friends, do you think the Lord would go to all that trouble if He did not take pleasure in us and was very concerned about our welfare? I certainly doubt it. Anyway, enough preaching. (smile) And since it’s Wednesday, let’s go home declaring (got it!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know our sure and much envied position in Christ Jesus.
Wailing as one 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 that future will be even more glorious than we ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…TODAY…is the day…to make our lives right with Jesus…
28 Jul 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a hard task, a part of life, am known of mine, an hireling, Anselm, aspires to inspire, bellied into silence, conquer us, criticized, deceitful times, define yourself, dictators, do the best you can, end times, fall for anything, feel in your heart, feel the lash, Finbar Sebro, flees, follow the crowd, follower, for the sheep, friend, from glory to glory, gives his life, giving up our independence, glory to God, go with the flow, gospel truth, grow in the likeness of Christ, guiding light, have Jesus, helpmeet, hired man, household chores, I am the good shepherd, in respect to God's will, in the Lord's heart, know my sheep, lead us astray, leader, lonely road, LOVE, made a victim, make it through, mature in faith, money, mourning, never satisfy everybody, our wits end, power, saved, set free, sheep, sleeping in, social media, stand for something, surrendering ourselves, the bondage of sin, the easy way out, the Good Shepherd's fold, the things of the world, the wolf coming, walk alone
John 10:11. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
Ah friends, it’s Saturday and some of you are sleeping in, some of you have been up bright and early to do your household chores; as they say no rest for the wicked. (smile) Meanwhile, others are mourning the passing of their dear departed ones, like my friends and family back in Tobago, mourning the passing of their mentor, teacher and pastor, father and friend, Finbar Sebro.
But yuh know what? It’s all a part of life, and we just have to go with the flow, and once we have Jesus as our helpmeet and guiding light, we WILL make it through, though not always as easily as we desire. (smile) Yeh, we always want the easy way out, but that’s not how God operates.
Sometimes He desires us to feel the lash, so that we can reach our wits end and turn to Him, or to grow us in the likeness of his Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. But know this, that whatever He allows to come against us, He WILL NEVER allow to conquer us! What an awesome and wonderful God we serve my brethren!
And since it’s Saturday, let’s turn to some quotes from our friend Anselm, who aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. Listen to this first quote: ‘Do what you feel in your heart to be right, for you’ll be criticized anyway.’ And isn’t that living truth! Whatever we do, somebody or some group will criticize us. We’ll never be able to satisfy everybody. However, we have to make sure that’s what’s in our heart is also what’s in the Lord’s heart for us.
And this next quote sort of runs on from the last one: ‘Do the best you can until you know better, and when you know better do better.’ Yeh friends, that’s all the Lord asks of us; to do the best we can. And as He moves us along from glory to glory and we get more mature in the faith, He does expect us to do better than we did before in the lower class. (smile)
Then there’s this: ‘Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life; define yourself.’ And I’ll say Amen, to the first two aspects. However, to the last one, I’d like to add, ‘define yourself in respect to God’s will for you.’ If you don’t bring Almighty God into the equation, then you’ll still be a victim. For as they say, if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything, especially in these deceitful and untrustworthy times.
And the last quote tells us: ‘The people who follow the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The people who walk alone are likely to find themselves in places no one has been before.’ And isn’t that the gospel truth friends! You see it happening all the time, especially in these days of a prevailing and pervasive social media. It’s all about how many followers you have. Steups! And the followers are no brighter than you!
Now why would I spend so much of my time following the lives of others, to the detriment of mine eh? It’s obvious that the time you spend following others is time lost on your own. Following the crowd, for the sake of merely following the crowd, never benefits the individuals’ involved. It only benefits the leader.
That’s why it’s always better to be a leader rather than a follower, even though leading is a hard task in and of itself, and it very often causes you to walk down a long and lonely road. But in the end, you will go places that being a mere follower will never take you.
Friends, the ONLY person we should be followers of, and very avid followers at that, is of Jesus Christ, for He is the ONLY Leader who will NEVER lead us astray. He came down from heaven to be a man like us, He died so that we could be set free from the bondage of sin, and is now interceding for us at the right hand of the Father in heaven… So why would He do all of that and then lead us astray eh? No reason whatsoever!
Hear His immortal words in our Bit: ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’ Yes my faithful brethren, the good shepherd looks after His flock with LOVE and tender care, even to the point of dying to save them! Oh precious people, that is exactly what Jesus did on our behalf! Glory to God!
So why is it so difficult to follow Him eh? Why is it like pulling teeth to bow to His kingship? I guess because we want to do our own thing, and surrendering our lives to Him means giving up our independence and no longer dabbling in the things of the world.
And Jesus continues imploring us: ‘But he that is an hireling (hired man), and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is a hireling, and careth not for the sheep.’ (John 10:12-13)
Yeh friends, all the other leaders in the world are mere hirelings, working for money and power, and don’t really care about you or I. It’s all about them. And we see it so blatantly in these end times, there are so many dictators and would be dictators. But Jesus is not like that. He truly cares about us, that’s why He died for us. Glory to God!
So let’s end with this most pertinent statement of His on the topic. ‘I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.’ (John 10:14) What confident words my brethren! The question now is, do you know Jesus, and does He know you? Let’s hope the answer to that is a resounding ‘YES!’ Much LOVE!
…only the sheep in the Good Shepherd’s fold…will be saved…come the end time…
30 Jun 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a balancing act, a better tomorrow, a good life, a scorcher, Anselm, aspires to inspire, bad luck, beginning of knowledge, believest thou this, big up, blessed by Almighty God, blessed favour, building on the rock, Canada Day celebrations, Canada is the best, change your whole day, Christian faith, destroy, don't tkae anything personally, epitome of wisdom, fear of the Lord, find pasture, fools despise wisdom, foundation stone, friends, gives his life for the sheep, Go Canada, good luck, grace, Granny's warnings, have life abundantly, I am the door, I am the way, immune to the opinions, inadequacy, lack of preparation, Lazarus, Martha, mercy of God, needless suffering, no man cometh to the Father, on the right foot, on the sand, on the wrong track, opportunities, optimistic, partnership, positive thought, projection of their own reality, quotes, reality, saved, shall never die, starting out, sunscreen, the good shepherd, the Life, the prince of darkness, the resurrection, the shepherd of the sheep, the Truth, to kill, tough skinned, victim, wisdom, wrong foundation
John 14:6. Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.
And the Canada Day celebrations continue apace! And the weather seems to be in full cooperating mood too; it’s supposed to be a scorcher, possibly worse than yesterday. So get on your sunscreen and turn on the A/C, and celebrate the birth of this wonderful country called Canada, within the limits of Granny’s warnings though! (smile)
Oh we have our problems too, but of all the big countries in the world, I still believe that Canada is the BEST! Go Canada!
And so having ‘big-upped’ Canada; I hate the word, ‘big-up’ but I couldn’t think of anything more suitable at the time, let’s move on to our Saturday treat of this weeks quotes from our friend Anselm, who sincerely aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
And this week there’s a whole slate of them, starting with: ‘Choose to be optimistic, it feels better.’ And there’s absolutely no doubt about the truth and wisdom in that statement, for optimism is a foundation stone of our Christian faith.
That leads to the next quote: ‘Just one small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day.’ That also has many grains of truth in it, for if we begin our day with positive thoughts, we will indeed be starting out on the right foot.
Then there is: ‘Good luck is when opportunity meets preparation, while bad luck is when lack of preparation meets reality.’ It’s basically true, but we believers just don’t dabble in bad luck and good luck, but more the blessed favour, grace and mercy of our awesome God.
But we must do our part in the partnership and be prepared for them. If we aren’t prepared, when those opportunities appear or arise, then we’ll simply lose out on a chance, no, an opportunity to be blessed by Almighty God.
Listen to this one: ‘Don’t Take Anything Personally. Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.’
Now I don’t know if I agree with that totally, because there are times when people do things because of us, and we ought to take them personally. The problem is to know when and what things to take issue with. A lot of the time what others do and say is indeed because of their own problems or inadequacy and we have to be wise and somewhat tough skinned to recognize those times and not allow them to bother us.
It’s all a balancing act my people, and we do need God’s help to set the balance right. And the last quote says: ‘The more you are positive and say, ‘I want to have a good life,’ the more you build that reality for yourself by creating the life that you want.’
Ah friends, that statement is only true in the context of Christianity! If you say you want to build a good life under Christ, then fine. But if you want to build what the world and the prince of darkness call a good life, then you’re definitely on the wrong track. Remember the immortal words of Jesus: ‘Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.’
Yes friends, Jesus was very emphatic in that pronouncement, so if your life is not modelled on His, then you’re indeed going the wrong way, building your life, earthly as well as eternal, on the wrong foundation.
And Jesus makes His point earlier when He declares that He is the Good shepherd: ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep…
I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for (except) to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’ (John 10:1-2, 9-11)
And that is exactly what Jesus did friends: give His life for us, the sheep of His pasture. So why would we look for some other foundation on which to build our lives eh? Building our lives upon Jesus is like building them on a rock; a rock which stands the test of time and the elements of nature. Building our lives on anything else is like building them on sand, which cannot repel or withstand anything. Check out Jesus’ analogy re the two foundations, in Matthew .7:24-27.
And we’ll close with some more immortal words of Jesus on the subject, as He spoke to Martha when He arrived late on purpose for Lazarus’ burial. ‘Jesus said unto 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. Believest thou this?’ (Matt.11:25-26)
And as the scholars say: ‘11:25: I am the resurrection is one of Jesus’ greatest “I am” statements, signifying His power to give eternal life.’
And oh my people, if Jesus has that awesome power, why wouldn’t I believe in Him eh, and shout out a bold and confident ‘YES’ to the question He asked Martha at the end of the last passage above: ‘Believest thou this?’
Oh friends, believing in Jesus is not only the epitome of wisdom, it is wisdom itself! Much LOVE!
…the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge…but fools despise wisdom and instruction… (Prov.1:7)
27 May 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: assurance, audacity, be glad, blood, boldness, celebration, Christ the solid rock, Christian praise, cleanness of my hands, comfort, covenant, darkness veils, day of my calamity, delighted in me, delivered me, deliverer, do our part, edifice crumbles, fall in our laps, faultless stand before the throne, flood, fortress, fruitful results, guiding light, high tower, holiness, hope, horn of my salvation, I will trust, immortals words, indisputable truth, Jesus' blood, kept the ways of the Lord, lean on Jesus' name, LOVE, many waters, mine enemies, my anchor holds, my god, my hope, my stay, my strength, oath, partnership, reap what we sow, receptive to the Word, recompensed, right hearts, righteousness, Sabbath, saved, secure foundation, sincere spirits, sinking sand, stony hearts, stormy gale, stronghold, support me, the goodness of God, The Lord is my rock, the Lord's blessings, this is the day the Lord has made, took me out, trumpet sound, unchanging grace, we will rejoice, worthy to be praised
Psalm 18:2. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength; in whom I will trust; my buckler (shield), and the horn (strength) of my salvation, and my high tower (stronghold).
Ah mih people, it’s that day again, the Sabbath! That means it’s time for celebration as well as holiness. And we can begin by joyfully declaring, as the psalmist did so long ago: ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps.118:24)
And while we do that, we can also be wending our way to the Lord’s house to fellowship with other believers, to offer up sincere prayers, worship and give thanks for all the many blessings He has bestowed upon us, as well as to hear His word and regenerate our confidence. Wow! What an awesome God we serve my brethren!
And as always, we’ll begin the proceedings with song, to loosen up our stony hearts and make them more receptive to the Word. Today’s song is an old but wonderful hymn titled ‘My hope is built on nothing less,’ written by Edward Mote back in the 19th century. And on a point of interest, have you ever noticed that many of our beloved hymns were written way back when.
Maybe it says something about the level and intensity of Christian praise and worship back then. Anyway, let’s sing, with raised voices and truthful hearts. ‘My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.
When darkness veils His lovely face, I rest on His unchanging grace; in ev’ry high and stormy gale my anchor holds within the veil. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand. His oath, His covenant, His blood support me in the ‘whelming flood; when all around my soul gives way He then is all my hope and stay.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand. When He shall come with trumpet sound, O may I then in Him be found, dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.’
And isn’t that the indisputable truth my fellow believers! The only real safe and secure foundation on which to build is on Christ, our Rock and our Saviour. Anything else is merely sinking sand, and it’s only a matter of time before the whole edifice erected thereupon crumbles.
That’s why Bruh David could stand up and declare our Bit with utmost confidence, and so too can we many thousands of years later. ‘The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength; in whom I will trust; my buckler (shield), and the horn (strength) of my salvation, and my high tower (stronghold).’
Ah mih breddren, mih breddren what immortal words of comfort and assurance! And if we have Jesus as our guiding light, then we too ought to be able to declare them with audacity and boldness, for Jesus is indeed all those things to those who sincerely and truly believe in Him.
And if Jesus is so mighty then, Bruh David is indeed right to declare after our Bit. ‘I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.’ (Ps.18:3) And he did call upon the Lord, and the Lord saved him. (Ps.18:.4-16) Friends, yuh see how much time and trouble our Lord took to save Bruh David from his enemies? It’s the same way that He will save us if we call on Him with right hearts and sincere spirits.
Hear Bruh David again: ‘He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me. They prevented (confronted) me in the day of my calamity: but the Lord was my stay (support).
He brought me forth also into a large (broad) place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me. The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.’ (Ps.18:16:21)
Oh my people, none of us have as many enemies or problems as Bruh David had back in his day, and if the Lord saved him out of them all, why would He refuse to do the same for us if we bow down and faithfully worship Him and keep His will eh? No reason whatsoever!
That means it’s all up to us. If we want to see the goodness of God, then we have to do the things that will produce it. We can’t just sit back and expect it to fall in our laps. So let’s get serious and do our part of the partnership nuh, if we want so see fruitful results.
Remember, we only reap what we sow. And if we don’t sow righteousness and LOVE, we won’t receive the Lord’s blessings. Much LOVE!
…For who is God…save (except) the Lord…or who is a rock…save (except) our God… (Ps.18:31)
20 May 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a mighty wind, abound to every good work., an undeniable fact, baptized with the Holy ghost, call on the name of the Lord, cataclysmic, cloven tongues, confidence, Day of Pentecost, defeated the grave, disbelievers, dream dreams, drunk, fellowship, filled with the Holy Ghost, fire, foreign born, Galileans, God goes before us, God is able, God spoke the world into existence, gospel truth, He will make a way, hear the Word, in His name we overcome, Jerusalem, lifted up, lifting up our voices, make all grace abound, mockers, never fail, never leave us, new wine, open arms, Peter, pour out of my Spirit, praise, prophesy, raised to life, saved, see visions, songs of worship, sound from heaven, speak with other tongues, strength, sufficiency in all things, the Lord's Day, the uttermost part of the earth, upon all flesh, witnesses, worship
2 Corinthians 9:8. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.
It’s Sunday once again friends, the Lord’s Day, and all roads lead to His sanctuary, to praise, worship, fellowship, hear His word and receive strength and confidence to go out and do His work with diligence and excellence in the upcoming week!
And that’s partly why the Bit is this late; the ole fella finally darkened the church’s door after about three or four weeks of absence. Hn! I can’t remember being that long away from church for several years now. Anyway, we’re back, and did enjoy the fellowship and the reading of the word.
And as always, on Sundays we begin by opening our mouths, and lifting up our voices in songs of worship and praise. It helps to soften our hearts for the word that comes later. (smile) And today’s song of praise is simply titled ‘Our God is able.’ And that’s an undeniable fact. So let’s belt it out with sincere hearts and strong voices.
‘Our God is able. He will never fail. He is Almighty God. Greater than all we seek. Greater than all we ask. (Chorus: He has done great things. Lifted up. He defeated the grave. Raised to life. Our God is able. In His name we overcome. For the Lord, Our God is able.)
God is with us. God is on our side. He will make a way. Far above all we know. Far above all we hope. (Chorus) God is with us. He will go before us. He will never leave us. He will never leave us. God is for us. He has open arms. He will never fail us. He will never fail us. (Chorus -repeat).’
Oh friends, every word we sang there is indeed gospel truth, for our God is indeed able, as Bruh Paul declared to the Corinthians in his second missive to them. ‘And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.’ What an awesome God we serve and worship my brethren!
And if you don’t believe, just look at what happened on the Day of Pentecost, which the church is celebrating today. Before Jesus ascended to heaven, He told the disciples to remain in Jerusalem: ‘For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.’ (Acts 1:5)
…But ye shall receive power, after that (when) the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.’ (Acts 1:8)
Yeh friends, who could make such a remarkable promise and keep it eh? ONLY our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! And we read it every year at Pentecost time, but it still boggles our imagination.
The Good Book says that on the Day of Pentecost, ‘they were all with one accord (purpose or mind) in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.’ (Acts 2:1-4)
Wow, mih people! Can you imagine that scene back in ole Jerusalem on that first day of Pentecost? It must have been really wild, since there were oodles of people in Jerusalem at that time, many of them foreign born, and when the disciples emerged from their house and began to speak in several languages, so that those foreign born could understand in their own languages. Mama Yo! It must have been almost cataclysmic! (smile)
‘Now when this was noised abroad (the sound of the wind occurred) the multitude came together and were confounded (confused), because every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans?
And how hear we every man in our own tongue (language or dialect) wherein we were born? …And they were all amazed and, and were in doubt (perplexed), saying one to another, What meaneth this?’ (Acts 2:6-8, 12-13)
Oh fellow believers, ONLY our God is great enough to turn things on their head like that! But as always there are disbelievers and mockers, who said that the men were drunk. But Peter got up and preached his finest sermon that day, informing them that it was the coming to pass of an old promise of our God, from the days of the prophet Joel:
‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God. I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams… And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ Acts 2:17,21)
Yeh mih people, the Lord promised many other signs and wonders within that passage, but the most important was the last one; that whosoever should call on His name will be saved. Glory Hallelujah! The most glorious promise in the Good Book!
And that also marked the beginning of the Holy Spirit coming to dwell within every believer to lead and guide them in the ways of the Lord. So it’s obvious that our God is able my brethren…able to do all that’s necessary to keep us going. Please don’t ever doubt God’s ability, and give Him plenty thanks and praise, for that is wisdom at its highest. Much LOVE!
…if God could speak the world into existence…what other mighty works can’t He do eh…
29 Mar 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abundance, as it is written, awesome relationship with God, be sent, belief in Jesus, blessed, bring glad tidings, call on, call upon the name of the Lord, captivity, Christ's cross, Christ's gospel, comapssionate heart, courage, creativity, curse, Daily Bread Devotional, dilemma, essential to belief, expensive price, faith, favour, friends of God, give back, glory to God, God reigns, God sends, God's Holy Will, good news, good things, hear, hearing, Holy Thursday, how beautiful, in the name of Jesus, indisputable truth, iniversal proclamation, Isaiah, knowledge, LOVE, negative word, no better news than the gospel, Old Testament, on our behalf, paid for our freedom, pains my heart, paramount, passe, preach, preach the gospel, proclaims peace, prosperity, sacrifice of Jesus, Salvation is from God, saved, selfless sacrifice, share our blessings, stalwartly endured, success, surrender, tad tardy, take everything for granted, talent, thanks and praise, the bondages of sin, the feet of them, the Son is shining, Thursday Blessings, trust, truth, wisdom, without a preacher, Zion
Romans 10:15. And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
Ah mih people, it’s a somewhat dark and dreary looking Holy Thursday morning, and I’m making my apologies right up front. (smile) I’m a tad tardy today because I went to bed somewhat later than normal last night, or rather this morning.
But not to worry, everything’s in fine shape. The sun might not be shining but the SON definitely is, and no more brighter than on this penultimate day before we celebrate His selfless sacrifice on our behalf some two thousand years ago.
Give Him plenty thanks and praise my fellow believers, for when I think about what He so stalwartly endured for us, it severely pains my heart, although I know that if He hadn’t done it, our lives would not be as wonderful as they are today.
And this quote from a Daily Bread Devotional shows exactly what I’m talking about. ‘Because of Christ’s cross, we can become friends of God.’ Yeh friends, it’s as simple as that. If Christ had not gone to the cross, we would not be able to have the wonderful and awesome relationship we now have with Almighty God!
Mama Mia! How blessed we are but don’t truly recognize or appreciate it! Too many of us just seem to take everything for granted, but that’s not how it ought to be. A serious and most expensive price was paid for our freedom from the bondages of sin, and now we are expected to be grateful and give back something in return.
And we’re talking about things like belief in Jesus, trust, and surrender to His Holy will, living and working diligently for Him. And as another Daily Bread quote tells us: ‘There is no better news than the gospel – spread it.’ Yes my fellow believers, spreading the good news of Christ’s gospel is paramount in our living for and serving Him, because that’s how others will know and understand what He died for and come to also believe in Him.
For as Bruh Paul so plainly wrote in his missive to the church at Rome: ‘For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ (Rom.10:13) But then he puts forth the dilemma inherent in accomplishing that task. ‘How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?’ (Rom.10:14)
Now those are all important questions re the furthering of the gospel: how can people believe and hear and thus call on God if no one tells them about Christ eh? That’s impossible. Thus the next verse in Bruh Paul’s message, which is our Bit for today.
‘And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!’ And that’s the indisputable truth my friends and faithful believers! There’s nothing as beautiful in this whole wide world as the preaching of the good news of Christ’s gospel! Glory to God!
And the scholars offer this explanation: ‘10:14-15. In presenting the universal proclamation of the gospel, Paul presents the reasons why a universal proclamation is necessary: first, because the call must be preceded by faith; second, because faith must be preceded by hearing.
This shows that knowledge is essential to belief. Faith must have a valid content; third, because hearing requires a preacher; fourth, because preaching requires being sent. The One who sends is God. Salvation is completely from God.’
And we all know that indelible truth my brethren! Without God and His great unconditional LOVE and concern for us, there’d be NO salvation whatsoever!
Now here’s a li’l something for those of us who think that the Old Testament is passé, but that’s where Bruh Paul got the basis for his proclamation above. Listen to Isaiah as he reassures his people that the Lord will deliver Zion from captivity.
‘How beautiful upon the mountain are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings (good news), that publisheth (proclaims) peace; that bringeth good tidings of good (good news of good things), that publisheth (proclaims) salvation; that saith unto Zion, thy God reigneth!’ (Is.52:7)
And several thousands of years later my fellow believers in Jesus Christ, that is still the absolute truth! Our God reigns supreme in the universe that He created! And He HAS brought salvation to us through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ! Oh what better news can there be eh? NONE WHATSOEVER! Glory to God my brethren!
Now let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings, that our wonderful God has so magnanimously showered down on us because we believe. With strong conviction now: ‘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 everyday! Amen!’
And if we sincerely believe that, then let’s go out and share those awesome blessings with others as Jesus desires. Much LOVE!
…believers lives and words…ought to be all about sharing the good news of Christ…
06 Feb 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a deeper phase, a sour face, a tremulous situation, aroma, ascension, assurance, beloved of God, blaming, bring a smile, cracked earth, crediting, deeper the pain, diffuse, ditch of depression, dr robert h schuller, draws back the curtain, essential for survival, eternal life, faithful, force, friend of Jesus, give thanks to Almighty God, gives us the victory, God is good, God's grace, God's great earth, goodness, harder the fall, heartache, heated words, Hour of Power Devotional, hurry, Jesus Christ, lend healing, lose a loved one, LOVE, love of Christ, maturity, negative things, negative times, non-acceptance of Christ, not totally alone, omnipotence, perish, pierce today's darkness, positive prayer, positive thoughts, problems, promise of eternal life, promises, raise the level of our faith, relationship with god, resurrection, reunited, sacrificial death, salvation, saved, seed of faith, share, slippery step, soften a hard heart, standing firm, strife, sweet fragrance, thank you, Thanks be to God, the Father of love, the raging storm, there to help us, through our Lord, tomorrow's light, tomorrows, triumph in Christ, trust, truth, Tuesday Mantra, vital element, war, worry, worse the loss
1 Corinthians 15:57. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ah mih people, welcome to another day on God’s great earth! Oh, I know that we will be surrounded by numerous problems and everyday we hear of more and more foolish strife, war and heated words in our society, but that’s no reason not to give thanks to Almighty God for the good things He’s done, is doing, and will do in our individual lives. Yeh friends, telling God, ‘Thank You,’ is essential for our very survival.
Now I’m going to share something from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional that I’m pretty sure I’ve never shared before. I don’t know why, if it was just too long and didn’t lend itself to useful paraphrasing, but to day I’m going to share the entire thing, because I believe it’s ever so important for believers in these violent and negative times to understand.
So here goes. In the first place it is titled: ‘Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!’ So you know it’s all about thanking God.
And Gramps Schuller says: ‘When you lose a LOVED one, there is a way to thank God. You can thank Him for the promise of eternal life. You can thank Him for the assurance that someday you will be reunited with the one you’ve lost. The worse the loss, the harder the fall, the deeper the pain – the more you need to say, “Thank You, Lord!”
Thank You, Lord! is the force that draws back the curtains, letting tomorrow’s light pierce today’s darkness. Thank You, Lord! is the first slippery step back up from the ditch of depression. Thank You, Lord! is the seed of faith planted in the dry, cracked earth. When you least feel like doing it – say Thank You, Lord!
You don’t say Thank You to God because you are crediting or blaming Him for your heartache. NO! Nothing could be further from the truth! God is good! He is the Father of LOVE and goodness! Most of the time we make our own heartache. Why then do we say Thank You, Lord, in the midst of the raging storm?
We say Thank You, Lord, that you’re still there to help us! Thank You, Lord, that I’m not totally alone! Thank You, Lord for the help you will send me. Thank You, Lord. Thank You for tomorrows that are sure to come. Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! It’s a vital element of positive prayer.’
Oh friends, I do hope that Gramps Schuller’s words on the importance of saying ‘Thank You,’ to God, have resonated and reverberated in us, and will continue to do so, because if we want to have positive thoughts and actions, we first have to use positive words, in spite of our circumstances. And there are no simpler and yet more positive words than those two: ‘Thank You!’
In our crazy, confused and troubled world, when said to others, they can diffuse a tremulous situation; soften a hard heart, lend healing to a broken one, and bring a smile to a sour face. And when we sincerely say them to God, we just raise the level of our faith and maturity.
Our relationship with our heavenly Father enters a deeper phase, because we are acknowledging His goodness and LOVE, His omnipotence and ability to control circumstances, both our own and the world’s. We are saying in effect, ‘heavenly Father we trust You, regardless of what’s happening in our lives and the world. We’re standing firm on Your promises, because we know that You are faithful and will keep EVERY promise that You’ve made.’
Now here is our Bit, which declares the thing that we ought to be most grateful for and give the most thanks for: ‘But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’
Yes my fellow believers, we can never be too thankful or grateful for the victory over death, hell, the grave and any other negative things, that Jesus has given us through His own sacrificial death, resurrection and ascension, through the never-ending grace of our heavenly Father.
And Bruh Paul further sates in his second letter to the Corinthians: ‘Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to (leads us in) triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour (fragrance) of his knowledge by us in every place. For we are unto God a sweet savour (aroma) of Christ, in (among) them that are saved, and in (among) them that perish.’ (2 cor.2:14-15)
Oh friends, are we ever a sweet fragrance to God when we accept His Son Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, and wisely accept His free offer of salvation and eternal life, and thus will not be relegated to the foolish group that will perish because of their non-acceptance of Christ. He doesn’t want anything more than that. So, with His awesome help, let’s do our best to bring others to that realization nuh.
Now let’s go home declaring to the world who and whose we are in our Tuesday Mantra. In full voice and heartfelt sincerity: ‘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 the world. Amen!’
And if we are sincere, then let’s go out and share that amazing LOVE of Christ, as He so ardently desires. Much LOVE!
…LOVE unshared…is No LOVE at all…
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