22 Jun 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, a god made in man's image, a lie in my right hand, a molten image that is profitable for nothing, a nuclear holocaust, a strong will, abundance, all of them vanity, another milestone day, baked bread upon the coals thereof, burned part of it in the fire, curse, enemy induced stupor, every day serves some purpose, faith, fall down to the stock of a tree, favour, feedeth on ashes, formed a god, he cannot deliver his soul, he hath shut their eyes that they cannot see, idolatry, LOVE, make a graven image, make the residue thereof an abomination, negative word, roasted flesh and eaten it, self-control, talent, the foolishness of worshipping idols, their delectable things shall not profit, their eyes that they cannot understand, their own witnesses, they have not known nor understood, Thursday Blessings, weapons of mass destruction
Isaiah 44:18. They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand.
And so, we’ve come to Thursday, somewhat cloudy, but another milestone day in our work week, because it’s the day before our beloved Friday! But have you ever noticed that every day of the week is a milestone day? Yes. Monday is the hard day when we go back to work. Tuesday lets us know that we’ve successfully gotten through the Monday that we dreaded.
Wednesday is the day we catch our second wind. Thursday lets us know that Friday is near. And blessed Friday, the one we all pray to reach, means that the work week is ending. Meanwhile Saturday is our lazy day, and Sunday the day we gather in fellowship to praise our wonderful God! Wow! Every day serves some purpose, though they might be somewhat simple-minded. (smile)
So what shall we talk about on a serious note today eh? I don’t have a clue. But the best way to find something is to open the Good Library and see where it leads us. So, here goes!
And lo, and behold, the good Library opened unto the 44th chapter of the Book of Isaiah. And I was pointed to these verses on the foolishness of worshipping idols. Please read with me. ‘They that make a graven image are all of them vanity (useless); and their delectable (precious) things shall not profit; and they are their own witnesses; they see not; nor know; that they may be ashamed. Who hath formed a god, or molten (moulded) a graven image that is profitable for nothing?’ (Is. 44:9-10)
And those are very good questions my faithful brethren. Who can form a god or molten image that is profitable eh? Nobody, because those things have no value, are utterly worthless. They are made by man, for man, so how can they be gods? Then Isaiah lays into the people, the workmen who make those graven images, the smith and the carpenter.
And the scholars give us a good explanation of the scriptures. ‘44:9-20. This expose of idolatry is the most taunting in all of the Bible. The prophet Isaiah, serving as the spokesman of Yahweh, reveals the utter foolishness of polytheistic pagan idolatry (worshipping more than one god). The graven image (carved idol) is called vanity (nothing). Delectable things refers to the adornment of idols with gold, silver, and precious stones.
The prophet announces that the idols themselves are their own witnesses. They see not, nor know. Therefore these inanimate objects are profitable for nothing. Isaiah then berates the workmen (artisans) for designing and constructing their idols in the figure of a man. He exposes the basic fallacy of idolatry, a god made in the image of a man. Thus the prophet’s criticism of one who would worship an idol carved from the same tree that he would use for firewood is that he feedeth on ashes.’
Oh yes my people, Isaiah does a good job on those workmen. From verse 13-17, he ridicules them about cutting down a tree, using it to make a god-like image of man, then from the same tree, he burns some to keep himself warm, then uses some to bake bread. ‘And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image: he falleth down unto (before) it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith, deliver me; for thou art my god.’ (Is. 44:17)
Wow! How wise is that eh? The same stuff you use to warm yourself, cook with, you also bow down to! That’s why Isaiah then spoke of a deceived heart. ‘They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand. And none considereth in his heart, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burned part (half) of it in the fire; yea, also I have beaked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh, and eaten it: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? shall I fall down to the stock of a tree? He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?’ (Is. 44:18-20)
Ah friends, unfortunately that same misfortune has befallen many of us in this supposed enlightened day and age. Many of us have had our hearts deceived by the lying, untrustworthy enemy into turning away from God, our Creator and Provider. We have been so bamboozled that we can’t realize we’re believing a lie, when we say, there is no God. And that’s why our society is steadily falling into the mire of darkness and destruction. We are imploding, destroying ourselves from within.
The Lord doesn’t need to destroy us for our wicked and ungodly behaviour, we are doing it ourselves. He just has to sit back and watch us foolishly destroy the wonderful planet and all therein that He made and gave to us. Things have gotten so bad that instead of destroying us for our wickedness, the Lord will have to save us again from ourselves, for with each passing day we draw nearer to a nuclear holocaust, with the increase in the manufacture and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the unbridled hate and resentment overflowing in our world. Let’s hope and pray that the Lord intervenes before it’s too late.
Now, let’s go home declaring (chuh!!!) our Thursday Blessings, generously bestowed on us, so that we can do our part in avoiding the holocaust. Altogether 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 every day! Amen!’
Now friends, it’s our bounden duty to take those blessings and go out and use them just as generously with those we meet, so that they can wake up from the enemy induced stupor, come to Christ and stop worshipping Satan and/or foolish man-made idols. Much LOVE!
…how can a man worship the image of a man…when that same man…in the twinkling of an eye… returns to the dust from whence he came…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
15 Jun 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all these things shall be added unto you, curse, divine protection, easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, if thou wilt be perfect, is not life more than meat, it is he that giveth thee the power to get wealth, it's hard for a rich man to enter heaven, lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, lay up treasures for yourselves in heaven, let them have dominion, LOVE, money can't buy heavenly things, more beautiful than Cousin Sol in all his glory, negative word, no man can serve two masters, promotion, prosper, remember the Lord thy god, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, self-control, sell that thou hast and give to the poor, succeed, surrender everything to God, take no thought for your life, the birds don't sow or reap, the body more than raiment, the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the lilies of the field neither toil nor spin, the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth, thieves break through and steal, thou say in thine heart, Thursday Blessings, we are managers and stewards not owners, where moth and rust doth corrupt, Ye cannot serve God and mammon
Matthew 6:24b. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (riches, money).
Well, we’ve moved on to Thursday, the second to last day of the work week, and in my area it’s slated to be mostly cloudy, somewhat cool and windy. And I must say the last few days have been more spring-like, with cooler temps and some cloudy periods with rain, than it was earlier in the month with all that sunshine and warmth. But that’s how it is with life; what you don’t get now, you’ll get later, and vice versa. (smile) And no, I haven’t forgotten that we are supposed to continue talking about the value and importance of learning how to handle money, as prescribed in the Good Library.
Now I don’t know if this is true, but someone once said that Jesus talked about money more than anything else in His earthly ministry. But He did talk some about money, so let’s see what He had to say on the subject. And the first and possibly the most important of Jesus’ sayings about money is this: ‘No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and LOVE the other; or else he will hold to (be loyal) to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (riches, money).’ (Matt. 6:24)
And that’s the gospel truth friends! We cannot serve God and run down material wealth too, although many of us are trying to do just that. God wants to be involved in EVERYTHING we do, so we can’t leave Him out to pursue money, then come back to Him when we feel like.
And here are possibly the two most important quotes in the whole Bible about money and material wealth. The first are the opening words of Psalm 24, as Bruh David says it loud and clear. ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof, the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods (rivers).’ (Ps. 24:1-2) Yes friends, that tells us in no uncertain terms that the earth and all therein belongs to God Almighty, who created it and still controls it. So whatever we have doesn’t really belong to us, we are just stewards, managers of it on this earth.
And maybe this verse from right at the beginning of creation might help us to remember who’s the real BOSS! ‘And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every thing that creepeth upon the earth.’ (Gen 1:26) Please note that God made it all and gave us dominion, or charge over it, He did not say it was ours.
And the next verses we should hallow or think on, when we consider getting earthly riches, are these two spoken by Moses to the children of Israel. He warns them about getting swell headed when they get prosperous. ‘And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish (confirm) his covenant which he sware unto thy father, as it is this day.’ (Deut. 8:18) So there we have it, we don’t get wealth by our power, but through the Lord’s, because it all belongs to Him anyway.
Now let’s get back to some of Jesus’ teaching on money. And just before He spoke about not being able to serve God and mammon or money, He warned. ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the 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 and steal.’ (Matt. 6:19-20)
Now there’s wisdom for the ages! When you accumulate earthly wealth a lot of it deteriorates with age, or the possibilities are great for thieves to steal it, but in heaven there’s neither moth nor rust nor thieves, so if you desire to accumulate treasure, the best place to do so is in heaven! And in His teachings on worry right after that, Jesus also declares (yesss!!!): ‘Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for (do not worry about) your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not life more than meat (food), and the body more than raiment (clothing)?’ (Matt. 6:25)
Now that’s a good question. If we don’t worry about food and clothes how will we survive, and we need money to provide those things for ourselves and our families. And to further make His point, Jesus points out how the birds fly around without sowing or reaping, but they eat and live well because God looks after them. Likewise, the lilies of the field, they don’t toil or spin, but they’re even more beautiful than Cousin Sol in all his glory. and Cousin Sol was sure a sight to behold! (smile)
Then Jesus reasons that if the Lord looks after those things of His universe that are not as important as us, why wouldn’t He also take good care of us, since He knows all that we need. Then He comes to the proviso, the thing necessary for that to happen. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt, 6:33) Now that’s the big one friends. If we want all that God has to offer, then we need to seek Him and his righteousness first, and keep it first place always. And it isn’t that we ought not to work, we should, as 2 Thess. 3:10, and 1 Tim. 5:8 tell us, but that we should stop worrying and learn to trust God.
Now, we only have space and time left for one more of Jesus’ pronouncements on money. And this is indeed a hard one, where He says to the rich young ruler who had everything and kept the law as best he could, but was seeking eternal life. ‘Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.’ (Matt. 19:21) It’s obvious that the young man went away sad because he had a lot of wealth. Then Jesus went on to tell the disciples how it was hard for a rich man to enter heaven and it was easier for a camel to pass through the eyes of a needle, and with God all things are possible. etc. (Matt. 19:23-30)
But what we’re concerned with here is why Jesus said those tough words to the young man. And this commentary explains it well. ‘These words of Jesus were not given as a general command to all His followers. Rather, they were spoken to a certain rich young ruler who wanted to inherit eternal life. But that doesn’t mean they don’t apply to us today. Jesus’ concern had to do with the grip the man’s wealth had on His heart. If He couldn’t let it go, then He could never really surrender everything to God. What about you? If Jesus asked you to give up everything, would you be able to do so?’
And isn’t that a marvellous question, which all of us are hoping that Jesus never asks us to do, since we all have a fair amount of earthly stuff, to which we’ve become fairly attached. (smile) But that’s a thought for another day, right now, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Thursday Blessings which have been given to us to do Christ’s earthly work.
Altogether 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 every day! Amen!’
And it’s now our bounden duty to get out into the evil and ungodly world and share those blessings just as generously with others as Christ shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…money can buy earthly things…but it cannot buy the things of heaven…let’s remember that…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
23 May 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: begun a good work in you, being confident of this very thing, beloved of God, carnality of human nature, Christ living in me, cleanse your hearts ye sinners, dependability, desires for pleasure, draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you, faithfulness, generosity, gentleness, giveth grae unto the humble, God resisteth the proud, goodness, hurry, if we live in the Spirit, joy, let us also walk in the Spirit, live in the world but not like the world, LOVE, lusts, patience, peace, purify your hearts ye doubleminded, self-control, share His love with my neighbours, the fruit of the spirit, the law of God's Spirit, the lusts of the flesh, the testimony of Christ, the traditions of men, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, will perform it until the day of Jesus, worry, ye have not because ye ask not, ye lust and have not
Galatians 5:25. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
And then it was Tuesday; a mostly sunny day as my computer tells me, with temps in the high teens. Now that’s not too bad for the penultimate week in May, but obviously we’d prefer some warmer times so we can get the real summer programme going. (smile) That hasn’t stopped the walkers, the runners, cyclists or the convertible tops from coming out and the lawn mowers from barking every day. But that’s how it is in these northern climes after a long, cold winter, we’re just dying to get outside in shorts and t-shirts and enjoy the bright, warm, summer weather, not worrying about snow and cold and dressing up warmly.
Now some people might not appreciate the changing seasons, but it does have its own attractiveness. And I hear some murmurs: ‘What blooming attractiveness has winter got eh?’ (smile) Well for some winter enthusiasts that’s the best time of the year; they can go skiing, skating, and all the other fun things they do in the winter. And just for your information, I’m not one of those. (smile)
Anyway, today I believe we should continue looking at the lusts of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit that we began looking at yesterday. And, we had decided that carnality, or our inherent human nature did not fit in with the law of God’s Spirit, which was very evident from all the stuff that Bruh Paul listed under carnality. (Gal. 5:19-21) Now, I guess it’s only fair that we should discover what’s the opposite of all those evil and heart-wrenching things. (smile)
Bruh Paul calls them the fruit of the Spirit. ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, joy, peace, longsuffering (patience), gentleness (kindness), goodness (generosity), faith (faithfulness, dependability), Meekness (courtesy and consideration of others), temperance (self-control): against such there is no law.’ (Gal. 5:22-23) And there you have it friends, the fruit of the Spirit; the things that Christians ought to allow to flourish in their lives, not the evil and insane things that our flesh causes us to lust after.
Now here are some interesting and important words from the scholars on the fruit of the Spirit. ‘In contrast to the works (plural) of the flesh, which any individual is capable of performing, the fruit (singular) of the Holy Spirit can be produced only by God. Christian character thus results from “Christ living in me” (2.20). For this fruit to develop, all nine aspects of the fruit of the Spirit must mature.
Illustration: The character of Christ is the fullest manifestation of this fruit in the New Testament. Though Jesus did not recognize the traditions of men, His enemies were unable to prove any charge against Him. Application: So today, Christians should allow the Holy Spirit to develop this character within them, so they might be blameless before others and not hinder the testimony of Christ. (First Ref. Ex. 35:31; 36:2; Primary Ref. Gal. 5:22-23; cf. Phil. 1:6).’
Yes friends, the best way for us to manifest the character of Jesus is by developing the fruit of the Spirit…all nine of them. And remember it’s singular ‘fruit’ not plural ‘fruits.’ That’s when our light will truly shine and our salt will be saltier than ever! And since I know that very few of us will read those scriptures referenced above, (smile) the first two from Exodus are about the Lord filling certain workmen with the Spirit of wisdom to do His work. You already know the third reference, to the fruit of the Spirit.
And the last are these words of comfort and assurance from Bruh Paul to the Philippians: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus.’ (Phil. 1:6) That means if the Lord begins working on the flourishing of the fruit of the Spirit in you, He will not stop it, until He takes you home, or Christ returns.
Now here are some more interesting words from Bruh Paul to the Galatians after telling them about the fruit of the Spirit. He says: ‘And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections (its passions) and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory (conceited), provoking one another, envying one another.’ (Gal.5:24-26) Yes, my faithful brethren, those acts of the flesh simply destroy or not allow the fruit of the Spirit to flourish in us.
And James, Jesus’ brother gives us a very good example of how these things kill our witness and draws us away from God, rather than towards Him. He thus asks: ‘From whence come wars (conflicts) and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts (desires for pleasure) that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill (murder), and desire to have (covet), and cannot obtain: ye fight and war (battle), yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts (pleasures).
Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of (with) the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be (wants to be) a friend of the world is (makes himself) the enemy of God. Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy (yearns jealously)? But he giveth more grace (greater grace than the world’s attractions). Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you. Cleanse your hearts ye sinners; and purify your hearts ye doubleminded.’ (James 4:1-8)
Now that’s excellent advice my people. We have to draw near to God, especially in these very turbulent and confusing times, for He is the true source of our power. And neither can we refute James’ argument at the beginning when He says that our basic human lusts cause many of our problems. We either don’t ask for what we want, or we ask for the wrong things; things to use to satisfy those lustful pleasures. We all know that our God detests the proud spirit of man, so He wants us to come to Him humbly and ask for the right things; things that will uplift us, make the fruit of the Spirit flourish in us, and thus grow our testimony for Christ.
And for those of us who are sincerely trying to do just that, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) 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!’
Now friends, it’s our bounden duty to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with all those we meet, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…though Christians must live IN the world…we are not supposed to live LIKE the world…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
04 May 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, all the trees of the field shall clap their hands, an everlasting sign, as the rain cometh down and the swnow from heaven, be led forth with peace, be made the righteousness of God in Him, curse, God commendeth his own love toward us, God's thoughts and ways are higher than ours, good freinds, great family, he calleth those things be not as though they were, he hath made him to be sin for us, hellfire and damnation, it shall accomplish that which I please, it shall not return unto me void, LOVE, negative word, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, promote Christ's everlasting kingdom, prosper in the thing whereto I sent it, self-control, sharper than any twoedged sword, so shall my word be that goeth out of my mouth, the Creator and Controller of the universe, the mountains and hills shall break forth with singing, the natural rewards of sin, the power of life and death, the Word of god, the Word of God is quick and powerful, Thursday Blessings, watereth the earth, while we were yet sinners christ died for us, ye shall go out with joy
Isaiah 55:12a. For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace:
Ah Lord eh! Another day of wimpy sunshine and dark clouds…but at least it’s dry! And as they say, one out of three ain’t bad. (smile) Yes friends, the almost constantly drizzling rain, the feeble sunshine and dark clouds do get a bit bothersome and annoying after a while. You’ve got to remember though that it’s spring; springtime when the land is watered after a long, dry, cold spell of winter where everything went into hibernation, and now they need the water to moisten their systems so that they can regain that freedom of life and living once again.
Yes, but what’s happened to the strong sunshine that they also need to grow and refurbish themselves? Why isn’t that making a more regular appearance eh, and not the feeble stuff we’ve been recently receiving? Who knows? We just need to remember, believe and conduct ourselves with the confidence that the Good Lord, the Creator and Controller of the universe is still there running things, and that whatever happens it’s for the best. Remember His thoughts and ways are higher than ours, (Is. 55:8-9) and thus we’ll never understand everything He does, that’s why He is God. If we understood everything He said and did then we’d be like Him and therefore have no need of Him.
That brings us to this interesting scripture right after that passage on His higher thoughts and ways, which seem directed to my contention above, (smile) while describing and setting us clear on His power and intentions towards us. The prophet says on God’s behalf: ‘For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void (empty, without fruit), but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.’ (Is. 55: 9-11)
Oh friends, the Word of God is amazingly powerful. Remember that’s what He used to create the universe. The only thing He didn’t speak into existence was mankind. And remember too, how the author of Hebrews describes it: ‘For the word of God is quick (living), and powerful and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of (able to judge) the thoughts and intents (intentions) of the heart.’ (Heb. 4:12)
Yes, my fellow believers, that’s the incomparable power of God’s word, which He uses to do His omnipotent will, as well as scrutinizing our lives, and telling us the necessary things, attributes, characteristics. etc. that we need to know about Him. That’s why it’s ever so important to know the word, to read and study it. We can’t know anything about our great God unless we seriously delve into His word, because that’s what He uses to communicate a lot of His desires and demands to us. And that’s how we come to understand what we know about our magnificent Creator.
However, as the scholars tell us: ‘While God may certainly be known by men, He is still incomprehensible in the totality of His person and purposes. Therefore, He reveals Himself to men by His word, which shall not return to Him void (in vain). The Word of God, therefore, accomplishes His purpose in announcing salvation to all mankind.’ And the beauty of our God is that He promised salvation to all mankind long before Jesus ever came to bring the promise to fruition. As Bruh Paul says of God to the Roman church: ‘…he calleth those things which be not as though they were.’ (Rom. 4:17)
Yes, our God has that awesome power to talk about things that have not yet happened as though they have already happened, because He is the source of all the happenings in the universe. But getting back to the early promise of salvation. Listen to Isaiah detail it. ‘For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you with singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir (cypress) tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.’ (Is. 55:12-13)
Now that’s what God promised His people Israel a long time ago, and in due time, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ to fulfill the promise by sacrificing His sinless life on the cross of Calvary to pay for our sins. As Bruh Paul said in his second letter to the church at Corinth: ‘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) That’s how much God LOVED us and still LOVES us: putting the weight of all our sins on the shoulders of His sinless Son, so that we could be set free from the bondage of sin, from the hellfire and damnation that are the natural rewards of sin.
And this most outstanding verse from Bruh Paul’s letter to the Romans, says it all. ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his own LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8) Ponder on the enormous importance of that statement for a few moments my brethren. God didn’t wait for us to change; He made the first move. That, if nothing else, ought to prove how much He truly LOVES us. All other supposed Gods wait for their followers to come to them, hat in hand, but our most wonderful Father took it upon Himself to get down to our level and show how much He truly cared for His wonderful creation, though we really didn’t deserve it.
But with Him, it’s not about our deserving anything, it’s about Him wishing to give good things to us. And talking about giving good things to us, here is a marvellous example, the undeserved blessings, we call our Thursday Blessings, that He’s so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work. So let’s declare (yesss!!!) and activate them right now nuh.
Altogether: ‘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 it’s our bounden duty to go out and use those blessings in a generous manner to promote Christ’s everlasting kingdom! Much LOVE!
…the word of God…has the awesome power of life and death…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
13 Apr 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: according to the riches of his grace, But God commendeth his love toward us, celebrate the triumphant resurrection of Christ, Christ died for us, clear direction for my life, crapaud smoke we pipe, curse, Easter, forgiveness, forgiveness of sins, God's supernatural wisdom, got the wheels rolling, his nail-pierced hands, Jesus' sacrificial work, justification, LOVE, negative word, not redeemed with corruptible things, prosper, received the atonement, recociliation, redemption, redemption though his blood, S.O.L, sanctification, self-control, separating the sinner from his sin, spring has sprung, succeed, the birds are singing their songs of joy and praise, the keys of hades, the lamb that was slain for us, the precious blood of Christ, this is the day the Lord has made, Thursday Blessings, we will rejoice and be glad in it, while we were yet sinners, while we were yet sinners christ died for us
Romans 5:8. But God commendeth (demonstrated) his (own) LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.
Here’s looking at you with LOVE and great expectations, the first Thursday after Easter! You’ve opened so bright and sunny, and so warm too, about 19 degrees Celsius, that for the first time in many a month I can open my windows and allow the cool fresh air to flow through the house! Wow! What a pleasure! Only those who have ever experienced it, know the wonderful feeling of being able to open windows instead of keeping them tightly shut. But it’s all a part of living in the northern climes, and it does provide for some variable and interesting though not always pleasant times. (smile)
And in my neck of the woods this is definitely a day to say, with grateful truth: ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps. 118:24) Oh friends, it seems like spring is truly and finally here…Praise the Lord! The birds are singing their songs of joy and praise, while flitting about their own lives, and the flora is beginning to turn green again, awaking from its long winter snooze, and let’s hope that that new life is also blossoming in us believers, especially since spring has sprung right at Easter time, when we celebrate the triumphant resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who, having defeated hell, death and the grave, now has the keys to hades in His nail-pierced hands!
And all God’s people gave a joyful shout of: ‘Hallelujah to the Lamb that was slain for us, whose blood was shed to pay for our iniquity! Sing Hallelujah to His precious and glorious name!’ Yes, my fellow believers, we ought to be so grateful to Jesus for the selfless, sacrificial work He did on our behalf at Easter. No one else could have done it…even if they felt so inclined, for He was the only sinless soul, who could pay for our abominable sins. And yuh know what? We haven’t even spoken of the Father’s great LOVE for us as yet, which caused that marvellous debt repayment.
Oh my, my! It was indeed the Father’s unconditional LOVE for His sinful creation that got the wheels rolling, and then Jesus’ obedience to, and LOVE for the Father, that eventually made it happen. And oh how great was that rolling of wheels that rolled on to our redemption, forgiveness, justification, reconciliation and sanctification! Ah my fellow saints, that certainly deserves another Wow! Just imagine nuh, that the death and resurrection of one individual could cause all those marvellous things to happen in our lives nuh. And if you don’t believe me, then let’s look at some scriptures that prove it.
As per redemption, listen to Peter pontificate on the subject. (smile) ‘Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible (perishable) things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation (aimless conduct) received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest (revealed) in these last times for you. Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.’ (1 Pet. 1:18-21)
And all of God’s people said a loud, proud and grateful: ‘Hallelujah! Glory to God in the Highest! Amen!’ And as per forgiveness, Bruh Paul says it loud and clear in Ephesians, speaking of the Father through Jesus. ‘Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children (as sons) by Jesus Christ in himself, according to the good pleasure of his will. To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved (bestowed grace or favour) upon us. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded to us in all wisdom and prudence (understanding).’ (Eph. 1:5-8)
Yes friends, Almighty God with wisdom and understanding, through His awesome grace, forgave our sins because the shed blood of Jesus paid the requisite up-scale price for them. No one, or nothing else could have paid the horrendous high price involved. So please let’s show our eternal gratitude by living sincerely and enthusiastically for Jesus nuh. He’s sacrificed so much for us. And the scholars offer this interesting note on forgiveness. They say, ‘The word forgiveness literally means “to send off or away.” In Scripture this means separating the sinner from his sin. God accomplishes forgiveness by transferring our sin to Christ on the cross and judging it there. When an individual receives Christ as Saviour, he is forgiven by means of this transfer.’
And, as per justification, listen to these marvellous and oh so encouraging words from Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. ‘For when we were yet without strength, in due time (at the right time) Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure (perhaps) for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth (demonstrated) his (own) LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Much more then, being now (having been) justified (made right) by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his son, much more, (having) being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement (reconciliation).’ (Rom. 5:6-11)
Ah mih people, what a wonderful God we serve! Now which other supposed god would ever make their only Son die for his followers’ wrongdoing eh? NONE whatsoever! Only the mighty God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has the ability and the LOVE for His people to perform such a miraculous, amazing and LOVING feat! And we should be everlastingly grateful for it, not the offhanded, unconcerned manner so many of us supposed believers exhibit. Anyway, we still have two things to go, reconciliation and sanctification, and since time and space are in short supply, we’ll tackle them tomorrow, God willing, of course.
And no, the mention of reconciliation above, was not the scripture I want to share. Meanwhile, for those of us who truly are trying to live for Jesus, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Thursday Blessings, which have been so generously bestowed on us to do God’s earthly work. As one strong and sincere 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!’
And now, having activated those blessings, we’re duty bound to go out and share them with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…if it wasn’t for God’s great LOVE for us…we’d certainly be S.O.L… crapaud would certainly be smoking we pipe… (smile)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
05 Apr 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, according to his divine power, add to your faith vortue, ambassadors for Christ, brotherly LOVE, ebdurance, endure to the end, faithfulness, gentleness, give diligence to make your calling and election sure, given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, godliness, grace and peace be multiplied unto you, halfway home, hands on the plough, hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, having escaped the corruption in the world through lust, joy, kindness, knowledge, LOVE, moral excellence, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, neither be barren or unfruitful in the knowledge of Christ, not turning back, paid for with a price, patience, peace, perseverance, self-control, so glad to be alive, spiritual maturity, spiritual truth, store your treasures in heaven, temperance, the fruit of the spirit, the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, them who have obtained like precious faith, through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, to a glorious future with Jesus, Wednesday Wail, wisdom in spades, ye might be partakers of the divine nature
1 Peter 1:2.Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through (in) the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord.
A good Wednesday morning to you, my fellow believers in Christ Jesus! The weather’s not great, and I can hear the rain falling outside, on what’s supposed to be a rainy day. And there couldn’t be a more fitting opening on this Wednesday of Holy Week, than this one by Peter at the beginning of his first epistle. He writes: ‘Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like (the same kind of) precious faith with us through the righteousness of (our) God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through (in) the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord.’ (1 Pet. 1:1-2)
Yes friends, grace and peace to all you who have sincerely received Christ Jesus! It’s a great honour and privilege to be invited to receive Him. Why? Listen to how Peter explains it. ‘According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to (by) glory and virtue. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.’ (1 Pet. 1:3-4)
Oh my fellow saints, yuh see the immense benefits we enjoy when we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour! We are thoroughly blessed through numerous promises and acts of God, so that we can partake of His divine nature, and be able to fight the evil and corruption that’s in the world. What a great and caring God we serve my people! No other supposed god does that for His followers. ONLY the great I AM!
So, when we receive Christ, we receive salvation and all the other good things that believers get, like the indwelling of the Holy Ghost and the seeds of the fruit of the Spirit. But that’s not the end, in fact it’s just the beginning, because Christ expects us to follow the leading and guidance of His Holy Spirit as we live this earthly life, and also to nurture and grow those seeds of the Spirit which have been planted in us. That’s LOVE, joy, peace, patience, good ness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. (Gal. 5:22-23)
In other words, after receiving Christ, believers are expected to grow, to mature in the Christian faith, in the same way that newborn babies start out by drinking milk, but gradually progress to eating solid food. It’s not good enough to just keep eating baby food for the rest of your lives, although that will not stop you from getting into heaven, but it will certainly cut down drastically on your heavenly rewards, since you will not be able to witness and have strong testimony for Christ, through which others, the unbelievers and the heathen are encouraged to come to Him.
Remember, we are the eyes, ears, hands, feet and mouths of Christ here on earth. The only chance some may have to see Christ is through you, through your witness and testimony. That’s why Peter continues in his writings to encourage believers to grow in spiritual maturity. ‘And beside this (but for this very reason), giving all diligence, (after salvation) add to your faith virtue (moral excellence); and to virtue knowledge (spiritual truth); And to knowledge temperance (self-control); and to temperance patience (endurance, perseverance); and to patience godliness (God-likeness);
And to godliness brotherly kindness (brotherly LOVE – Gr. philadelphian); and to brotherly kindness charity (volitional LOVE- Gr. agape – a decision to LOVE, not an emotional feeling). For if these things be in you (are yours), and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren (useless) nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off (short-sighted), and hath forgotten that he was purged (cleansed) from his old sins.’ (1 Pet. 1:5-9)
Yes my faithful brethren, those are areas in which we all need to grow in spiritual maturity. We are not all at the same level, but for all of us it’s a lifelong cycle. Yes, spiritual growth never ends for the Christian believer. Not until Christ takes them home. And in his epistle to the Philippians, Bruh Paul confirms that, when he says: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil. 1:6) Once God begins a good work in us, He won’t ever stop until Jesus comes for us.
And if we don’t aspire to spiritual maturity, we’re forgetting that we were cleansed of our sin by the death of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary, that we were bought with a price…and a very high one at that. And the least we can do is to improve our knowledge and spirituality as befits believers, so that we can be good ambassadors for Christ here on earth. And Peter continues to explain. ‘Wherefore the rather, brethren give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall (stumble): For so an entrance shall be ministered (supplied) unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.’ (1 Pet. 1:10-11)
And the scholars explain those last two verses thus. ‘Ye shall never fall: The author is not referring to falling from salvation but to failure in Christian living. The everlasting kingdom refers to the eternal realm of God where Jesus is the undisputed Ruler. It is synonymous with heaven. Thus the one who acquires the virtues of verses 5-7 will have a rich inheritance in heaven.’
And I know that all of us desire to have a rich inheritance in heaven, but we have to begin by working for it down here on earth. As Christ said, store up your treasures in heaven where they are well protected, rather than on earth where they can rot and rust and be stolen. That’s wisdom in spades friends! And for those of us who have sincerely taken those words to heart, let’s go home now declaring (yesss!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our marvellous 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 having said all of that, let’s remember that if we endure until the very end, then the future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine. Wow! I can’t wait to experience it! I hope you can’t too! Much LOVE!
…growing in spiritual maturity isn’t easy…but it’s surely interesting and worthwhile…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
16 Mar 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a positive outlook on life, as far as the east is from the west, as the heaven is high above the earth, balance love and discipline, bounden duty, curse, despise not the chastening of the Lord, develop a taste for the things of God, don't provoke a child to rebellion, even when he is old, hath not dealt with us after our sins, he will not always chide, he will not depart from it, in the way he should go, keep his anger forever, lead by example, love children unconditionally, negative word, neither be weary of his correction, plenteous in mercy, pray with your children, raise children with a godly foundation, self-control, show children critical thinking skills, slow to anger, so far hath he removed our transgressions, so great is his mercy to them that fear him, success, supernatural strength, the Lord is heaven controlling things, the Lord is merciful and gracious, Thursday Blessings, train up a child, whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth
Psalm 103:8. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous (abounding) in mercy (LOVING-kindness).
Greetings my Scrip-Bit friends and family on this clear and sunshiny Thursday morning in the middle of March 2023! Yes, I said the middle of March. I don’t know if it’s a good or bad thing, but the days of this year are quickly passing by. Nonetheless, fortunately for us, the Good Lord is still in His heaven controlling things and looking down on us, His wonderful children, with oodles of grace and mercy. And all God’s people said a loud and grateful: ‘Thank You Lord!’
And yuh better believe that if it wasn’t for His awesome grace, mercy and long-suffering, we’d be already destroyed. So let’s give much thanks that we have such a patient and LOVING heavenly Father, who doesn’t deal with us as we truly deserve. How did Bruh David put it in Psalm 103 subtitled – Bless the Lord’s Holy Character?
Read with me: ‘The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous (abounding) in mercy (LOVING-kindness). He will not always chide (strive): neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy (LOVING-kindness) toward them that fear (reverence) him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear (reverence) him. For he knoweth our frame, remembereth that we are dust.’ (Ps. 103:8-14)
Oh my people, that’s a boon, a timely benfit or favour, we can never repay, but we can surely appreciate it much more than we do! As one commentary puts it: ‘In love and mercy, the Lord has removed His people’s sins from them. He doesn’t simply move our sins onto our doorstep or a mile away; God moves them as far from us as the east is from the west. This is an especially profound analogy.’ In other words, He moves our sins away from us by an ‘infinite amount.’
Wow! Can you imagine any of the supposed gods out there doing that? No way! They all desire their pound of flesh when their believers run afoul of them. Now, that is not to say that Jehovah God is a push over and doesn’t expect us to toe the line, but He is understanding and merciful, and LOVES us so much that He doesn’t want to see us destroyed. That’s why He gives us chance after chance to come up to scratch and be the kind of person He desires us to be, so that we can attain to the destiny that He’s prepared for us.
And please don’t think that you won’t’ pay for your wrongdoing, because you will. The Lord might forgive and forget but He LOVES us too much to let us run around doing evil and feel as though we’re getting away with it. That’s the furthest thing from the truth my brethren. We all pay for our wrongdoings in some fashion or the other. And Cousin Sol puts it very nicely in Proverbs 3. ‘My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the Lord LOVETH he chasteneth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.’ (Prov. 3:11-12)
That’s oh so true my people! It’s the same way our earthly parents correct us when we do wrong. They LOVE us, but they don’t want to see us go astray. And what does chastise mean? Basically it’s ‘To inflict disciplinary or corrective punishment on; to visit with affliction for the purpose of moral improvement; to correct, discipline, chastise.’ However, it doesn’t mean necessarily terrible punishment, the way we’ve come to understand it in our current society.
It’s also like how Cousin Sol says in Proverbs. ‘Train up a child in the way he should go: and (even) when he is old, he will not depart from it.’ (Prov. 22:6) And that is the gospel truth my fellow saints! The main point of raising good children is giving them the correct foundation, which is a godly one. And that’s why our children of today are so ungodly and lawless; we did not raise them with the right amount of godly foundation, if any. And let’s not point to the schools or churches insinuating that they are to blame. No. We the parents are to blame, because we are supposed to be the main source of training in our children’s lives.
And if you don’t teach them about God, then how will they know about Him eh? The scholars tell us that ‘Parental training should help children develop a taste for the things of God. The biblical pattern of effective training emphasizes a balance of instruction and discipline. (cf. Eph. 6:1-4. Bruh Paul’s instructions on raising children). The ideal parent is to be neither overly authoritarian (strict) nor overly permissive. Rather, he must balance LOVE and discipline so as not to “provoke” his child to rebellion.’
And sadly, we have not had that balance with our children. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, fear, busyness, lack of interest, whatever, we’ve been too permissive with them. No wonder they don’t care about God or anything much but themselves and their own needs and desires.
And just for good measure, (smile) here are some ways in which we can train our children in the goodness and reverence of God. ‘ 1) Lead by example. 2) Show them critical thinking skills. 3) Teach them how to LOVE by LOVING them unconditionally. 4) Help them serve others. 5) Share your faith with them through scripture. 6) Pray with them. 7) Allow them to have their own faith.’ Yes friends, if we had spent a little more of our time teaching those things to our children, they would not have been as ungodly and evil-bent as they currently are.
Anyway, we should never give up on our children, for while we’re alive there’s always hope from our faithful God. So, let’s keep praying for them and doing whatever we can to nudge them in the right direction. For God still answers prayers. Now, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Thursday Blessings, so generously bestowed on us by the Lord to do His earthly work. Altogether 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 every day! Amen!’
And having activated those blessings, it’s now our bounden duty to go out and share them just as generously with others as Christ shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…truly reverencing Almighty God…is the wisest action a human being can ever take…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
09 Mar 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sinless soul, acquainted with grief, all we like sheep have gone astray, an unblemished lamb, blessing and cursing, blossomed forth with sunshine, borne our griefs, by the death of his Son, choose life, curse, dampening our lives and spirits, despised, divine promotion, esteem him stricken smitten of God, eternal damnation, eternal separation from God, God commendeth his own love toward us, I am the vine ye are the branches, life light and resurrection of Jesus, LOVE, made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, negative word, prosper, quell our enthusiasm, reconciled to God, rejected, saved by his life, self-control, so that you and your seed might live, succeed, the chastisement of our peace, the iniquity of us all, the Lord hath laid on him, the Prince of Peace, the way the truth and the life, Thursday 's Blessings, turned every one to his own way, we esteemed him not, while we were yet sinners christ died for us, with his stripes we are healed, without me ye can do nothing
Isaiah 53:6. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
And it’s another sunshiny day to give thanks for! Glory to God my brethren! Thursday has blossomed forth with sunshine and blue skies under the watchful eyes and hands of our wonderful Creator! That’s about four sunshiny days in row now. Wow! I can certainly handle that! (smile) Enough of the dark, damp, dreary weather which only tries to quell our enthusiasm and passion by dampening our lives and spirits.
It’s certainly time to accept the light, life and resurrection that’s so generously offered by Jesus Christ. Nowhere, and from no one else can you get all the good stuff He has to offer. He’s the light of the world, the way, the truth and the life, the good shepherd, the lion of Judah, the Prince of Peace and numerous other things that we don’t have time to venture into today. But just those few ought to give us a sense of how important Jesus is to mankind.
Most importantly though He is our Saviour: the One who gave His sinless life so that we could be saved from our abominable sinful situation! The One who took our sins on His sinless shoulders and gave us His righteousness! Mama Mia! It couldn’t get any more wonderful than that my fellow believers! As Bruh Paul wrote to the church at Corinth in his second missive: ‘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)
Meanwhile, the prophet Isaiah said it this way long ago, when talking about a man of sorrows and a lamb to the slaughter. ‘He is despised and rejected of (forsaken, scorned by) men; a man of sorrows (severe pains), and acquainted with grief (sickness, injuries): and (because of his severe personal suffering) we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs (spiritual sickness), and caried our sorrows (severe pains): yet we did esteem (reckoned) him stricken, smitten of (struck down by) God.
But he was wounded (pierced through) for our transgressions, he was bruised (crushed) for our iniquities: the chastisement (correction, discipline) of our peace (with God) was upon him: and with his stripes (the blows that cut into His body) we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.’ (Is. 53:3-6)
Yes friends, the Lord made Jesus to suffer for our sinfulness. Someone had to suffer, to pay for our sins if they were to be justly and righteously forgiven like the Lord desired. And only an unblemished lamb, a sinless soul could do that. And it just so happened that Jesus was the only sinless soul in existence. Thus, His sacrificial, but majestic and selfless role in our salvation. What amazing obedience Jesus showed in doing the Father’s bidding. But even more amazing is the LOVE the Father showed to us, His unworthy creation, by placing all our sins on the shoulders of His only Son, then imputing His righteousness to us.
Wow! As Bruh Paul puts it in his letter to the church at Rome: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated His own special) LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now (having been) justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more being (having been) reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement (reconciliation).’ (Rom. 5:8-11)
What a Man! What a Saviour! What a God! And that’s why we say, why we consistently maintain, we’re absolutely nothing without Christ! And He confirmed it when He declared (yesss!!!) ‘I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5)
Truer words were never spoken my people! For without Jesus, we’re just a bunch of reprobate sinners bound for eternal damnation in the fires of Hades. And, unfortunately, although we have Jesus and the marvellous options of heaven and eternal life with Him, many of us are still choosing hell fire and Satan. Now, you don’t have to consciously choose the devil, but once you reject Jesus, the Saviour, you are automatically bound for eternal separation from God, which I’ll remind us again, is the worst fate that can ever befall a human being.
So please, I plead with us to wise up and do what Moses told the Israelites. ‘I call heaven and earth to record (witness) this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed shall live.’ (Deut. 30:19) And now, for those of us who have chosen life, have accepted Christ as Lord and Saviour, and are doing our best to live for Him, it’s time to go home declaring (awright!!!) our Thursday Blessings, which the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work.
So as one strong and sincere voice let’s loudly declare (yesss!!!) them, so that they can be activated. ‘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!’
And having said all of that, let’s go out now and action those declarations (oh yesss!!!) just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that others can be gladly and joyfully shepherded into His wonderful fold. Much LOVE!
…if it wasn’t for Jesus…where would we end up eh…in hellfire with Satan…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
16 Feb 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, and now abideth faith hope love, ask for selfish carnal stuff, but that he loved us, curse, divine protection, don't have time for God, God commendeth his own love toward us, God created us for fellowship, God so loved the world, greater love hath no man than this, he gave his only begotten son, herein is love, hugged me, hugged me for no discernible reason, I long to hug you more often, I love you, LOVE, negative word, not that we loved God, One Year Book of Bible promises, promotion, Ruth Harms Calkin, self-control, sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins, sinless man sacrifice his sinless self, success, that a man lay down his life for his friends, the greatest of these three is love, the ultimate solution, those who believed in him, Thursday Blessings, while we were yet sinners christ died for us, Who. Me?, would not perish but have everlasting life
1 John 4:10. Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
And then it was Thursday…and I won’t even bother to tell you the several changes that have already occurred in the weather information on my computer in the couple minutes that I’ve been on it. (smile) Just suffice it to say that it now says ‘2C Cloudy,’ which seems reasonable when one looks outside. Now here’s a li’l something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that I found interesting, amusing and ever so appropriate for so many of us supposed believers. It’s titled ‘Who. Me?’
Please read with me: ‘Lord All of a sudden today You picked me up And hugged me And hugged me for no discernible reason. I was puzzled. After all – I hadn’t picked up my toys Or practised my lessons Or brought you a daisy bouquet – Hesitantly, I sked why. You smiled and said: ‘I LOVE you, that’s all.’ Then You added: ‘I long to hug you more often.’ Why don’t You Lord? ‘You are too busy.’ Too busy, Lord? ‘Too busy hugging yourself.’
Yes my fellow believers, in these ever so busy and turbulent times, we are so often too busy with our own selves and our frail, fickle lives, that we don’t find any or sufficient time for God, which always works to our detriment. And it seems to always amaze us when He moves in our lives without any pushing from us. But that’s simply because He LOVES us! He created us to have fellowship with Him. That’s the number One reason! And when we don’t come to Him for fellowship, for hugging and kissing, it hurts His tender heart, tears Him apart.
Believe me, the Lord does have tender feelings like us. It’s just like when we LOVE fellow humans, spouses, friends and families, and they don’t return that LOVE, we feel hurt and rejected. It’s the same way our God feels when we don’t come to Him with our problems and for simple fellowship and communion. There’s nothing that would please our heavenly Father more than if ALL of His creation came to Him ALL of the time, bringing ALL of their hurts, fears, dreams and aspirations to His understanding and compassionate care.
To Him that would be the ultimate solution, for then He could LOVE and hug and kiss and comfort and care for us the way He truly wants to. But if we only go to Him once in a blue moon, and then ask for selfish, carnal stuff, like James 4:3 says, it breaks his heart, just like when our children turn away from us to outside friends for help in their troubles.
The point is that we don’t seem to realize is how much our God, Father and Provider really and truly LOVES us. The Bible verse for our poem tells it to us in no uncertain terms though. The apostle John writes in it thus in his first epistle. ‘Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.’ (1 John 4:10)
And there ought to be no doubt about God’s great compassion and caring for us simply in the fact that He sent His ONE and ONLY Son to earth to die to save a bunch of shallow, prideful, stubborn and disobedient finite creations! There was absolutely no other reason for Him to do that, than His great unconditional LOVE for us. Jesus himself made that very clear when He proclaimed: ‘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.’ (John 3:16)
Now if you don’t believe that, then you’re insinuating that Jesus is a liar, which He most definitely is not. I don’t know why it’s so difficult for us to believe that our Creator, our heavenly Father LOVES us dearly, but so easily believe that deceitful, untrustworthy humans LOVE and care for us, when every day we see the lie in it.
And there are so many scriptures which prove that our God LOVES us. One of the most telling being this one from the writings of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8) Now why would He do such an unorthodox and unusual thing if His heart wasn’t strong towards us eh?
And Jesus said it to the disciples too. ‘Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.’ (John 15:13) Now that is the ultimate act of LOVE; laying down one’s life for another. And that’s exactly what Jesus did for us at the request of His heavenly Father. Now doesn’t that show the ultimate in LOVE? It surely does! Why would a sinless man sacrifice His sinless self on an old rugged cross, bear the sins of the whole world through unbelievable ‘sufferation’ if He didn’t care greatly for them and their eternal souls eh?
The Lord doesn’t even want one of His creations to end up in hell fire with Satan, that’s why He sacrificed His sinless Son, thereby giving us another option beside damnation and eternal separation from Him. And I really can’t understand why so many of us are reluctant, hesitant and downright opposed to accepting the option of eternal life with Jesus by simply believing in Him. It certainly boggles my imagination. And even supposing, now we just supposing, (smile) even if there was no heaven or hell and just death and everything’s over, it is still much preferable to live a good, decent, caring and compassionate life than an evil, hateful one.
Anyhow, the options are there for us to choose, and both the Lord and I strongly recommend that we choose eternal life with Jesus, rather than eternal damnation with the enemy. And for those of us who agree with that, the Lord’s generously bestowed on us numerous Blessings that we call our Thursday Blessings, that enable us to do His earthly work. So, let’s declare (ah Lord eh!!!) and activate them. In loud and sincere 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!’
And with those sincere declarations (awright!!!) let’s go out and use those blessings just as generously with others as Jesus shared them with us, in His glorious name! Much LOVE!
…and now abideth faith, hope, LOVE, these three…but the greatest of these is LOVE…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
04 Feb 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a family that loves you, a few good friends, a friend that sticks closer than a brother, a roof over your head, aspires to inspire, diligent endeavours of Christ's people, don't be naive, don't lose your voice, face the realities of life, faithfulness, food on the table, give, goodness, joy, linger and laze, listen, Lord remember me, LOVE, love joy peace long-suffering, pateince, peace, self-control, the best is yet to come, the brink of a precipice, the fruit of the spirit, the truth and life that comes from Christ, the truth shall make you free, thou comest into thy kingdom, trust, truth hurts but it heals, truth is like surgery, your present situation
Luke 23:42. Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
Come Saturday morning, me and my friends, we will linger and laze in bed, or wherever it suits us…until we can linger and laze no more…and are forced to get up and face the realities of life. And I’m sorry to say that has already happened to me. Chuh! I was lingering and lazing quite nicely in bed, when the reality of having to write the Bit hit me head on. (smile) But them’s the breaks! The important thing though, is that we do spend some time lingering and lazing and not all of it simply facing the realities of life. End of philosophizing.
Now, let’s see how the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week matches up to the realities of life, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And the first one says: ‘Always remember that your present situation is not your final destination. The best is yet to come.’ And I believe that to be very true, for even in my advanced years, I still believe that the best years of my life are still out ahead of me. I haven’t done anything worthwhile, earth shaking or moving, haven’t left my mark on the world as yet, haven’t defined my legacy, so it must mean that better things are yet to come. (smile)
And when you have Jesus working in, with and through you, then you know that better things are always in the offing. The best of them all being with Him in heaven and all the good things He’s prepared there for us. I like to look to the promise Jesus made to the one criminal crucified alongside Him, who sincerely pleaded: ‘Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.’ (Luke 23:42-43) Wow! What an awesome Lord and Saviour we have. Without even one word of reproach to the sinner, Jesus promised that he would be in heaven with Him that very day.
So it’s obvious that His faithful followers can expect the same. Glory be! Praise His holy name! And the next quote kindly informs us that ‘Beauty isn’t about having a pretty face it’s about having a pretty mind, a pretty heart, and a pretty soul.’ And that’s the gospel truth my people! Beauty, like the world considers it, is only a façade, an outer appearance that looks good for a while, but like all earthly things eventually decays and/or disappears. As the saying goes, beauty is only skin deep. True beauty though is something that exists on the inside, and doesn’t decay or disappear, but lasts forever.
It’s when we have Jesus and all that He stands for running through our hearts, minds, bodies and souls that true beauty shines out. That means having things like the fruit of the Spirit emanating from us. And in Bruh Paul’s words to the Galatians, that consists of: ‘LOVE, joy, peace, longsuffering (patience), gentleness (kindness), goodness, faith (faithfulness), Meekness (courtesy and consideration towards others) and temperance (self-control): against such there is no law.’ (Gal. 5:22-23) Now when those things shine forth in our lives, that’s when we have or see true beauty!
Meanwhile, the next quote serves up this powerful food for thought. ‘If you have a family that LOVES you, a few good friends, food on your table and a roof over your head. You are richer than you think.’ And that’s more gospel truth my fellow believers! If you possess those things and have sincere people like that around you, then you are amongst the richest people in the world. Why? Because money may be able to buy food and put a roof over your head, but it cannot buy true friends and a LOVING family, which are really the most important things in this life.
Who do you run to when life gets rough, when, you’re sick, discouraged, hurting and totally devastated? Obviously your friends and family, which certainly includes Jesus, since He’s a friend that sticks closer than a brother! So please, let’s not allow the materialism of the world to blind us to the importance of friends and family in this life. For as Jesus so rightly said: ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal.’ (Matt. 9:19) Thieves cannot break through and steal family nor friends, neither can moth and rust cause them to decay.
That brings us to this quote: ‘Truth is like a surgery; it hurts but it heals. A lie is like a painkiller; it gives instant relief but has side effects forever.’ Oh friends, today’s quotes are ever so chocked full of gospel truths! (smile) For truth does hurt, but the hurt eventually disappears, while the trauma that arises from the invocation of lies never seem to end. It’s always there, haunting us in the least appropriate moments. Truth though, cuts out the bad or diseased parts and leaves the remainder to heal in peace.
Unfortunately though, in this troubled and ungodly world, it’s extremely difficult to discern truth from lies because the words are bandied about so much that they have now become impossible to differentiate one from the other. Lies are constantly being shouted out as truth, and if you hear them often enough, you can sadly believe them as truth. The opposite is also happening; truth is being touted as lies. And furthermore, it’s now the accepted thing that everybody has their own truth.
Ah Lord eh! My mind is truly finite yes, because I can’t fathom how to have several truths on the same subject. The only basis of truth that I know of comes from the Good Book, God’s unchangeable, true and infallible Word! That’s where real truth abounds and where we should go to find it, if we sincerely desire it. And here’s the clincher: ‘Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue (abide) in my word, then ye are my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’ (John 8:31-32) Now that’s how we discern truth from lies!
And this last quote is also a gem. Our friend Anselm really outdid himself this week. (smile) It wisely advises: ‘Give. But don’t allow yourself to be used. LOVE. But don’t allow your heart to be abused. Trust. But don’t be naive. Listen. But don’t lose your own voice.’ Wiser advice could never be given! It’s essential to do all those things: Give, LOVE, Trust and Listen. However, it’s also essential that we keep a close watch when we do them, for there are negative sides to them all, and if we aren’t careful, the enemy can cause them all to blow up in our faces with disastrous negative results.
So when you give, pay close attention to whom you’re giving and what they are doing with what you give. Likewise, when you LOVE, LOVE deeply and genuinely, but still keep a close watch over your heart so that it’s not eventually broken and abused. The same goes for trust, especially in this current untrustworthy world. It’s imperative that we seriously evaluate in whom and what we place our trust, not just go trusting things and people willy nilly. And listening is also a most important part of the whole equation, for we can’t know what others are thinking and saying without listening.
But please, please, in these vile and evil times, it’s of the utmost importance that we believers in Christ Jesus not lose our voices. In fact, this is the time when our voices should be heard more than ever and louder than ever, because we need to bring our world back to God and away from the negative doings of the enemy! Ah friends, life is not easy, never was and never will be, but when you have the Spirit of Jesus dwelling within you, leading and guiding you, then you are able to live it the right way; that means spreading the gospel by words and sincere deeds. Please, let’s endeavour to do that seriously and sincerely from today nuh, because our world desperately needs the truth and life that emanates from Christ Jesus! Much LOVE!
…our world’s on the brink of the precipice…only the diligent endeavours of Christ’s people…can prevent it from going over…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
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