29 Nov 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: . the pain of loneliness, a coward about pain, abundant in goodness, but there is forgiveness with thee, cleanse us from all unrighteousness, compassions, confess our sins, conformed to the image of Christ, emotional trauma, fiery ordeals, Fiery Trials, forgifing iniquity, forgiveness, frightens me, gather in the Lord's sanctuary, glory to God, God is faithful and just, grieves me, grin and bear it, I ask God to steady me, It is of the Lord's mercies, lessons regarding growth, let the wicked forsake his way, LOVE, mercies, merciful long-suffering, Mt. Sinai, offer up sacrifices of praise and thanks, One Year Book of Bible promises, pain, painkillers, Praise the Lord, praying for an open heart, pruning, rejoice, reverenced with awe, Ruth Harms Calkin, sin, Sunday, testing, thanksgiving weekend, that thou mayest be feared, the BIBLE, the pain of losing someone dear to me, the Ten Commandments, think it not strange re the fiery trials, to the Lord belongs mercies and forgiveness, transgression, trials are part of our walk with God, truth, we are not consumed, willingness, with exceeding joy, ye are partakers of Christ's suffering
Psalm 130:4. But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared (reverenced with awe).
Well then my fellow believers, it’s that glorious day called Sunday, when we are expected to gather together in the Lord’s sanctuary to offer up our sacrifices of praise and thanks and worship! Glory to God!
And remember this is still Thanksgiving Weekend, so even more praises and thanks are expected. Today ought mostly to be about glorifying our wonderful Creator and heavenly Father, so please, let’s not make a mockery of it and get out there in our numbers and do what we know is right.
And all God’s children declared a loud and proud: ‘Praise the Lord!’
Now here is something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, which I think we all should place close attention to this November Sunday. It’s called ‘Fiery Trials.’
Listen up. ‘God is teaching me incredible lessons regarding growth. I see with undeniable evidence that growth means pruning, and pruning means pain. I confess, I’m actually a coward about pain. I certainly never pray for it. I don’t anticipate or look for it. I do only one thing. I ask God to steady me, since the Bible so clearly states that trials are a part of our lifewalk with him.
In all honesty I would prefer to escape the testing. I don’t like the pain of emotional trauma, which can be so overwhelming and baffling. I don’t like the deep cutting pain that goes on and on without relief. The pain of loneliness frightens me, the pain of losing someone dear to me grieves me.
Nevertheless, I am praying for an open heart. I can’t begin to contemplate what fiery ordeals God may choose for my testing and growth, but I do long for my yieldness to prove my willingness to be conformed to the image of his dear Son.’
Oh Friends, I read that yesterday, but it’s only just now as I copied it that it really hit home. I’m talking about the agonizing pain I’ve been going through this past week. It was just supposed to be a simple procedure…
Ah Lord eh, thanks for painkillers yes. At least they ease up the pain some. If this is merely testing, then I’m not very thrilled about it nuh. But I guess I’ll just have to grin and bear it, although it’s getting harder to do with each passing day. I’ll surely have to check out the medics tomorrow, because this just doesn’t seem right.
And the promise to which that poem is attached is: ‘Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trials which try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as (to the extent that) ye are partakers of Christ’s suffering; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.’ (1 Pet.4:12-13)
Ah mih people, it is a great scripture, but certainly not an easy one to put into action. But since we are a continual work in progress, we’ll obviously try our best to do so, with God’s wonderful help of course.
And having said all of that, let’s turn to our Bit. ‘But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared (reverenced with awe).’
Yes friends, we’re continuing with the theme of forgiveness. Today however, we’re just going to look at scriptures which talk about, which trumpet the forgiveness of our heavenly Father. And what better scripture to begin with than this one from 1 John.
‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.’ (1 John 1:9-10) And we definitely don’t want to call God a liar!
Then listen to Daniel as he prays for his people Israel. ‘To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against him.’ (Dan.9:9)
Never were truer words spoken my brethren, because as Jeremiah so wisely tells us in Lamentations: ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam.3:22-23)
And all God’s people gratefully declared: ‘Thank God for His mercies and compassions! Thank God that they are new everyday!’ Yes friends, we certainly have to be thankful there, otherwise we’d be mercilessly swept aside because of our sinful nature and behaviour.
Now hear Isaiah: ‘Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.’ (Is.55:7) More words of undisputed truth!
And Bruh David in Psalm 86 – Teach me thy way, O Lord – puts it this way. ‘Rejoice (make glad) the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. For thou Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.’ (Ps.86:4-5) Gospel truth my precious people!
And we’ll end most appropriately with words from our God Himself, when Moses went back up Mt. Sinai to have the tablets of the Ten Commandments rewritten, after he had broken them.
‘And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth. Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.’ (Ex.34:6-7)
Yes my fellow believers, our God is a most forgiving God; in fact the ONLY such one amongst all the other supposed deities. Please remember that and act accordingly. Much LOVE!
…forgiveness is certainly ours for the asking…but it all depends on our forgiveness of others…
22 Oct 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a millstone were hanged about his neck, a newborn spiritual child, and become as little children, be born again, be not afraid of them that kill the body, Behold, behold I stand at the door and knock, do not let me be afraid, drowned in the depth of the sea, enticements, except ye be converted, faith, fear not little flock, follow me, forbid them not to come unto me, God is in full control, God will never give us more than we can bear, God will not leave us in the lurch, God's call of love, God's great universe, Gramps Schuller, hath the power to cast into hell, Hour of Power Devotional, How high Lord, humility, I will come in and sup with him, I will make you fishers of men, if any hear my voice and open the door, it is your Father's good pleasure, love can knock at my heart, of such is the kingdom of heaven, prophetic condemnation of death, resist God's affectionate touch, respond to Jesus' call, run with open arms, sin, Suffer little children, the power to not be afraid, the spirit of a little child, there is one lawgiver, to give you the kingdom, trust, welcome christ Himself, who art thou that judgest another, whomsoever shall humble himself, wisdom, woe unto the world, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven, Zebedee
Matthew 19:14. But Jesus said, Suffer (allow the) little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
Well hello there Friends and neighbours! It’s another glorious day in God’s great universe and we have so much to be thankful for this autumn Thursday morn! Glory to God!
Now we don’t have a Battle hymn, a Mantra or a Wail to declare this morning, (smile) but we do have a li’l something from Gramps Schuller from his Hour of Power Devotional to welcome the day and give God some thanks and praise and well-deserved recognition and acknowledgement.
Please pray with me: ‘Thank you, Lord, for bringing me to the place where LOVE can knock at the door of my heart. O Father, do not let me be afraid. I shall not resist your affectionate touch. Let me, O Lord, have the spirit of a little child and dare to respond and run with open arms to your call of LOVE. Amen.’
Yes Friends, a simple but surprisingly wide-ranging prayer. It touches on God’s knocking at the doors of our hearts, willing us to open them and let Him in. ‘Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come into him, and will sup (dine) with him, and he with me.’ (Rev.3:20)
Oh Friends, how many times many of us have heard that knock and refused to let Jesus in eh? That’s not heavenly wisdom at all. So the next time He knocks, please let Him in. It’s a decision you will never regret.
The prayer also includes the power to not be afraid, because our God is in full control of everything and everyone in His universe.
On that subject, Jesus declared to the disciples: ‘And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell: yea, I say unto you, Fear him.’ (Luke 12:4-5)
And the scholars tell us that:’12:4. The body’s death is not the end of a person’s life.’ ‘12:5. God is the one with this power. (James 4:12).’
And for our enlightenment, I’ll quote James here, because I know that very few of us will go and check it for ourselves. (smile) And James says: ‘There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?’ (James (4:12)
Then the prayer talks about not resisting God’s affectionate touch, which so many of us unwisely do, for one reason or another. Ah mih people, when God touches us, it’s always for a very good reason. I remember quite well when He called me some eight years ago to write the Bit, my first plea was that I couldn’t because I was not knowledgeable enough.
But when God really wants us, it’s foolish to try to resist, because He will not stop, and we will only be making life harder for ourselves. It’s always best if we answer on His first call, and ask, ‘How high do you want me to jump Lord?’ Remember, He will NEVER give us more than we can bear or ever leave us in the lurch!
Yuh see how Peter and Andrew responded to Jesus’ call? ‘And he saith unto to them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men, And they straightway left their nets and followed him.’ (Matt.4:19-20).
The same goes for James and John. When Jesus called them, the Good Book says: ‘And they immediately left the ship and their father (Zebedee), and followed him.’ (Matt.4:22)
Can you imagine poor Zebedee’s consternation when his two sons, his only help, just got up and walked off after this itinerant preacher. Hn! But that’s the kind of faith and trust we’re called to have in Jesus my people.
Then the prayer talks about the ‘spirit of a little child and run with open arms to your call of LOVE.’ Remember too how the young children ran to Jesus’ opened arms and how He rebuked the disciples for trying to stop them?
And that scripture is our Bit for today. ‘But Jesus said, Suffer (allow the) little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.’
Oh my brethren that is such an important scripture, one of the most important Jesus ever spoke. And His monologue earlier on, when He explains greatness to the disciples, explains it all.
‘At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Whomsoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend (cause to sin) one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he was drowned in the depth of the sea.
Woe unto the world because of offences (enticements to sin)! for it must needs be that offenses (enticements) come; but woe to that man by whom the offence (enticement) cometh.’ (Matt.18:1-7)
Yes Friends those are Jesus’ words. And I just read some of the scholars’ explanations and though they will make the Bit longer than I desired, I believe the info there is very worthwhile.
So here goes. ‘18-1-4. The dispute over who is the greatest was settled by Jesus’ emphasis that it was the one who was willing to forgive the most! Be converted means a “turning” (Gr. strepho) of one’s whole life and person toward God.
This is the true biblical picture of conversion. It is far more than a mental acknowledgement of the truth or intellectual assent to certain ideas. To become as little children means to be born again (converted) as a newborn spiritual child, characterized by faith and humility.’
‘18:5-7. The little child represents a new convert or young believer. To receive such a fellow believer is to welcome Christ Himself. Therefore, the basis of true Christian fellowship is established in Christ Himself.
Offenses are viewed as a reality that must be accepted in the present world, but woe (the prophetic condemnation to death) to the one who is the source of the offence. A millstone is literally an “ass-stone,” or a large grindstone turned by an ass.’
Yes Friends, that’s it for today. I know it’s long but them’s the breaks! (smile) If you can’t give up a few extra minutes for Jesus, then what’s the point eh? Happy fellowshipping today! Much LOVE!
…fear not…little flock…for it is your Father’s good pleasure…to give you the kingdom… (Luke 12:32)
07 Oct 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's wisdom, a no-brainer, a place of authority, aches and pains, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, as for me and mine, belief, caring, christianity, come boldly to the throne of grace, come unto me, compassionate, cramps, disappointments, discernment, earthly pilgrimage, earthly sojourn, faith, friend, genius, glory hallelujah, grace, guidance, hanging out with Jesus, hard experience, high priest, I am halfway home, I am meek, I will give you rest, I'm not focusing on the past, I'm not looking back, I'm not turning back, in the presence of Jesus, infirmities, intercession, Jesus Christ, LOVE, loving, lowly in heart, mercy, my burden is light, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, my testimony, my yoke is easy, natural inteligence, obtain mercy, our High Priest, our Lord and Saviour, out on a limb, praise and thanksgiving, promise, rest, sin, sympathize, take my yoke upon you, tempted, the breath of life, the Good Book, the great invitation, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Trinity, the Son of God, the throne of grace, them's the breaks, to a glorious future with Jesus, to help in time of need, we will follow the Lord, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, with God's help, without sin, worship
Hebrews 4:16. Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Ah Friends, it looks like it’s going to be another nice day, but right now the ole fella’s shaking it a bit on the rough side. (smile) I guess it all has to do with rest; with not getting enough of that most precious commodity. And to make matters worse, I was rudely awakened by a couple of cramps in my legs. It doesn’t get any better than that. (smile)
But what can I say eh? Them’s the breaks! Cause it’s nobody’s fault but my own. Anyhow we going to putter and stutter along in faith, and with God’s help, we WILL produce a Bit that’s worthy of our heavenly Father.
And since today is Wednesday, it is only appropriate that we get wailing with our Wednesday Wail. So mih breddren, let’s wail nuh, in all sincerity and truth.
As one wailer 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!’
Ah Friends, what a glorious future that promises to be! Not looking back at all my past mistakes, but just ploughing straight ahead with Jesus by my side; continually being in the presence of, hanging out with the Son of God, Jesus Christ…Chuh!
How could it get any better than that eh mih breddren? No way! But for some inexplicable reason(s), too many of us opt not to accept that promise of being continually in the presence of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. That’s a fool’s wisdom my people!
And yuh know what? To show you why that attitude is unwise, right now, in my rough and ragged state, I am going to take hold of that promise and do like our Bit says: ‘Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.’
And oh how I do need grace aplenty right now to help me find the right things and words to say in this work of praise and thanksgiving to our great God! What other faith offers such a wonderful opportunity eh Friends? No other! So why would I not partner with Jesus under those conditions eh? To me it’s a no-brainer.
And listen to what the scholars say re our Bit. ‘4:16. Only Christianity provides such boldness for sinful men before a holy God, and that boldness is possible only because of our High Priest (Jesus Christ). That figure of a throne suggests a place of authority and provision. It is the place to obtain God’s grace when it is especially needed.’
And believe you me, I desperately needed it, and went straight to the Father’s throne and pleaded for grace to do His will. And without any problems, through His Holy Spirit which dwells within me, He granted me the discernment, the guidance and wisdom to write what I’m writing now.
How can I not LOVE and worship Him then eh? Otherwise I’d be left hanging out on a limb to dry, alone and unable to help myself.
Ah mih people when I talk about being Friends with Jesus, some of you no doubt chuckle and possibly think I’m crazy. But I am only talking from hard experience here. And you will never know how wonderful it is to serve Jesus, until you actually begin to do so.
As the Good Book says, it’s all done through belief and faith. If you don’t have them, how can you know what they’re all about eh? And how do you think I’ve been writing this Bit for…for some eight years now eh? Do you think it’s through my natural intelligence and brilliance, my innate genius? Definitely not!
It’s only been possible through the powerful, ever-faithful and ever-present help of the Holy Trinity! Many days I’ve come to write with no clue whatsoever about what I was going to write about. But in His own way and timing, He has ALWAYS led me to write something worthy of His name.
And the great thing about turning to Jesus for help and intercession is that He, in His earthly sojourn experienced all the aches and pains and disappointments that we’re now going through, so he understands what’s happening with us.
As the Good Book says before our Bit: ‘For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched (sympathize) with the feeling of our infirmities (weaknesses); but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.’ (Heb.5:15)
Yes Friends, Jesus was tempted in all areas of life, just like we are. The only difference is that unlike us, He did not yield to the temptations and remained sinless during His earthly pilgrimage. But He understands better than anybody else, exactly what we are going through.
So this Wednesday morning in early October of 2015, I am beseeching, I am imploring us to turn to Him for succour and comfort. Nobody else does it the LOVING, caring, compassionate and friendly way that He does. Just listen to this awesome promise as we close. It is called the Great Invitation!
‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek (gentle and humble) and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:28-30)
Oh Friends, oh Friends, that is truly the GREATEST invitation that’s ever been uttered! And Jesus has no reason to lie, because He is God and thus able to do whatever He promises! So please wake up, be wise and turn to Him today nuh. I guarantee that that will be the wisest decision you’ll ever make in this life. Much LOVE!
…as for me and mine…oh…without a doubt…we will definitely follow the Lord…
P.S. Friends, today’s Bit is a fine example of our God’s grace and mercy. At the beginning I was feeling rough and had no idea what to write, except our Wednesday Wail.
And now, having gone confidently to the throne, look at how much I’ve written – more than I actually bargained for. And I know it’s not all nonsense. So that’s my story, my testimony. And I’m sticking to it. (smile) Much LOVE!
20 Aug 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bed of pain, a living sacrifice, a phase of the growing process, acceptable unto God, adversity, all things work together for good, an open door slammed in my face, arrogant, be not conformed to this world, be ye transformed, biblical principles, blessings from heaven, blind, born again, bury the hatchet, calluses, cannot serve two masters at the same time, children of light, commune with nature, conduct of this world, conforming to the world, courage, darkness, dedication, dependence on god, direction, divine dividends, facing difficulties, fruitful difficulty, God's blessings, Gramps Schuller, guidance, hard muscles, heartbreak, Jesus, justifying the believer, lift heavy loads, live a righteous life, mature in Christ, new life, obedience, opportunities to expand our horizons, pain, poured into the mould, priceless times, proving what is acceptable unto the Lord, release the day's stress, ruptures, rut, sensible manner, setbacks, sin, stay in faith, suffocating ground, surrender, talk the talk, the image of Christ, the mercies of God, the renewing of your mind, the righteousness of God, the Word of god, too arrogant to believe, too blind to see, too stubborn to accept any other way, total committment, transformation, valuable lessons, value systems, walk the walk, will of God, windowless grave, with God by our side, you cannot serve God and mammon
Ephesians 5:10. Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
Well Friends, welcome to a wet and windy Thursday morning. Yes the blessings from heaven eventually fell last night. And it sure was a good shower, for it wet up most of my front porch so that when I went out to commune with nature and release the day’s stress, I wasn’t able to sit in my favourite chair by the steps, but had to sit in the one by the door.
And would you believe that habits are such strange things, that although the seats weren’t that far apart, it just never felt right. (smile) Oh I did sit and relax, but it just didn’t feel the same as in the other chair. We humans are such a piddling lot eh. (smile)
Anyway. Here’s an interesting prayer from Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) from the Hour of Power Devotional. It’s titled ‘TO FACE DIFFICULTIES.’
Please pray with me. ‘Truly, Father, all things work together for good to those who LOVE you. Thank you for the difficulties that produce divine dividends. I know that pain is only a phase of the growing process: that seed buried alive under suffocating ground in a windowless grave agonizes before it ruptures into new life.
I know that I build hard muscles in heart, mind, and body only when I lift heavy loads. I thank you for tough times that produce calluses that could save my spirit from softness that would be weakness. There have been times, O Lord, when only through great difficulty have I learned the valuable lessons.
I was too blind to see, too arrogant to believe, or too stubborn to accept any other way than by a bed of pain. I praise you for the times an open door slammed in my face and forced me out of an old rut that I never would have had the courage to leave, and led me down the road to a beautiful new life.
I thank you for heartbreak which causes me to bury the hatchet and speak again to someone with whom I had for far too long been out of touch. Thank you, Father, for life’s priceless times of fruitful difficulty. Amen.’
Ah my fellow believers, all of that is oh so true! Obviously we don’t like difficulties and pain, but it is in those times of adversity that we actually grow and mature in Christ. It’s the tough times that make us tough. But we have to be big enough and wise enough to realize it, then accept it and deal with it in a serious and sensible manner.
If you don’t believe me, then look back at some of the rough times in your lives and see how your spirit seemed stronger and more mature after them. Every time we go through adversity, we come out stronger and more faithful on the other side. So let’s not look at difficulties as setbacks, but rather as opportunities to expand our horizons, obviously with God by our side.
Now let’s look at our Bit. ‘Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.’
Yeh Friends, in all our doings we need to consider what is and what is not acceptable to our wonderful God. Once we’re born again, we become children of light, the bright and shining light that’s Jesus, so we cannot afford to be involved in anything that has to do with sin and darkness.
Listen to how Bruh Paul puts it to the Romans. ‘I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable (rational) service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.’ (Rom.12:1-2)
Now here are some explanations by the scholars. ’12:1. By the mercies of God summarizes all that God has accomplished for the believer in Romans 1-11 in justifying the believer (chs.1-5), enabling the believer to live a righteous life (chs.6-8), and being faithful to Israel (chs.9-11).
That ye present refers to a definite act of presentation. The verb is used of offering a sacrifice that became “holy” under the Levitical system (cf. Ex.29:37). This shows that the Christian life begins with total commitment and irrevocable presentation.
Your bodies: The body has been the instrument of sin (ch.6). Now it is to be presented to God as a channel through which the righteousness of God is manifested.’
’12:2. Be not conformed (lit. “stop conforming yourselves”). They are to resist being poured into the mould of the present thinking, value systems, and conduct of this world. This term is used only here and in 1 Peter 1:14).’
Oh Friends, it all still pertains to us. But unfortunately, too many of us are still conforming to the world. Remember Jesus said ‘Ye cannot serve God and mammon.’ (Matt.6:24) That means we cannot serve two masters at the same time; God and the riches or material possessions of this ungodly world.
Now here is some more pertinent info from the scholars re Dedication to the Will of God. ’12:1-2. God’s will refers to His purpose for the life of the believer. It implies His guidance or direction in all of life’s decisions. Dedication is an act of surrender or submission to His will for our lives whereby we become a “living sacrifice.” Daily dependence on God results in our transformation into the image of Christ.
Illustration: When we seek to discern the will of God we must also be committed to doing the will of God as it is revealed in the Word of God. (John 7:17)
Application: The believer should evaluate every decision on the basis of biblical principles, knowing that obedience brings God’s blessing. (First Ref. Gen.22:12; Primary Ref. Rom.12:1).’
There we have it Friends; lots of stuff to ponder on this Thursday morning. Hope it helps us stay in faith and obedience to Almighty God, the way we ought to. But it can’t unless we study it, then put it into practice. That’s where the real results, the true fruits show. Much LOVE!
…as true believers in Christ…we must not only talk the talk…but even more importantly…we must walk the walk…
08 Aug 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adversities, affection, anger, blessed, Bruh Paul, busyness, christ jesus, Christian life, commandment, conforming to God's will, Corinthians, daily struggles, eternal reward, expectant faith, faith, fight the good fight of faith, flee these things, follow after righteousness, gentleness, god of all comfort, godliness, grace, hardships, hunger and thirst, hungry hope, in the sight of God, keeping up with the Joneses, lake of fire, lay hold on eternal life, lord jesus christ, Lord of Lords, LOVE, love for money, Lucifer, meekness, negative consequences, O man of God, obedience, patience, peace from God our Father, perseverance, Praise the Lord, resentment, reverence for God, salvation, sin, spiritual life, steadfastness, stress, striving for material wealth, struggle with sin, the Father of mercies, the King of Kings, the Lord jesus christ, the prize, things of God, things of the world, Timothy, wisdom, with every beat of our hearts, with every breath we take
1 Timothy 6:11. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience, meekness.
Aye Friends, on this summer Saturday morning, I greet you with the words of Bruh Paul to the Corinthians. ‘Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ! Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort.’ (2 Cor.1:2-3)
Yes my brethren, we have indeed been blessed by seeing another day on God’s great earth! And grace, and peace, mercies and comfort are all ours for the taking. So please, let’s take them as we need them nuh, through expectant faith and hungry hope, turning to Jehovah God in every circumstance of our lives, with every beat of our heart, with every breath of life we take!
That’s what He expects of us my brethren, faithful followers that we are. And since we have lots of stuff to look at, I won’t ramble on today… ‘Praise the Lord!’ several voices mutter in the background. (smile)
So let’s get straight to our Bit, wise words from Bruh Paul to his protégé Timothy. ‘But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience, meekness.’ Wisdom indeed Friends! Bruh Paul had just finished telling him what not to follow.
And the scholars have a good explanation of that verse. ‘6:11. Flee these things means shun a LOVE for money (v.10) and the striving for material wealth (v.9) with all its resulting woes. Follow after means pursue. Righteousness is practical correctness, conforming to God’s will in one’s thinking and acting.
Godliness is proper reverence for, and obedience to God. Faith is a trust in God that grows stronger. LOVE is a maturing affection for God and man. Patience is perseverance or steadfastness in life and service. Meekness is gentleness.’
Yes Friends, it all applies to us in these troubled times too. And in simple language it means don’t run behind the evil, idolatrous, destructive things of the world, but rather concern yourself with the good, wholesome and everlasting things of God. I don’t know how many times we need to hear that before we believe it and put it into practice nuh.
But too many of us are still running behind the things of the world, especially material wealth and money and are suffering the resultant negative consequences like general unhappiness, busyness, weariness, stress, anger and resentment.
Ah my people, trying to keep up with the Jones’ is a rough scene yes, which could eventually cost your life, and there are no guarantees of success. So please pay serious attention nuh, and let go of the flimsy, worthless things that Lucifer and his evil hordes are pushing. It will serve you much better in the long run.
Then Bruh Paul goes on to tell Timothy: ‘Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed (confessed) a good profession (confession) before many witnesses.’ (1 Tim.6:12) Ah mih people, all of that also pertains to us in these dreadful and distressful times.
Hear the scholars’ explanation. ‘6:12. The good fight concerns the daily struggle with sin in the Christian life, and the hardships and adversities in the ministry. A genuine believer demonstrates the reality of his faith by being engaged in this warfare. Lay hold on eternal life does not negate the fact that a believer now possesses spiritual life (John3:36); rather, it speaks of fully realizing or appropriating salvation as the believer matures.’
Yuh see mih breddren, as we face the daily struggles and hardships of life with steadfast faith, we grow, we mature in the Christian life. Oh it’s by no means an easy journey, but when we consider the prize, the eternal reward that’s waiting for us, it certainly makes it all worthwhile.
I don’t know about you nuh Friends, but I surely prefer to have salvation and eternal life with Jesus amidst plenty hard knocks down here, than to satiate myself with the things of Lucifer, then end up in the burning lake of fire when the time of judgement comes.
And to show how most of the things of the world that we hunger and thirst for are a waste of time, just take a look around your homes and you’ll see that amongst those things that we had to have, most of them are languishing, or have languished in obscurity for ages, as the shine and desire wore off in the early days. Most of them we only want them until we get them, then our interest quickly fades. So why do we still run them down eh? The Lord alone knows!
And Bruh Paul continues: ‘I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth (gives life to) all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; (c.f. John 18:36-37). That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable (blameless), until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ;
Which in his times he shall show (manifest), who is the blessed and only Potentate (sovereign ruler), the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords; who hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see; to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.’ (1 Tim.6:13-16)
Oh Friends what glorious words of truth, what a perfect word picture of Jesus Bruh Paul paints there! Glory be!
And the scholars’ explain thus: ‘6:13. A charge is a command. Quickeneth contains the idea of giving life to. Since god gives life to all things, He can also enable Timothy to “fight the good fight” (v.12).’
‘6:14. This commandment refers back to the charge in verse 13 which embraces the injunctions of verses 11-12. Thus ‘this commandment” is the charge to pursue godliness (v.11) and to fulfill one’s ministry (v.12). Without spot, unrebukable means Timothy is to be meticulous in his obedience of verses 11-13, that is, without fault and failure in compliance.’
So Friends, there’s no more left to say today. Please pay careful attention to all we’ve said, and I do hope that the Most High God Jehovah will help us to understand it, then put it into practice, as soon as possible. Much LOVE!
…Jesus…the ultimate ruler…King of Kings…and Lord of Lords…Potentate of all He surveys…
14 Jul 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: aching bones, adoration, blessed, blessed be God, blessed us, Christians, comfort, complacent, cosmopolitan town, deliverance, deprivation, diversity of people, fight to turn thngs around, Glory be to Jehovah God, God is so wonderful, God is the best comforter, God's grace, great aplomb, greed, have life more abundantly, heavenly places, helping those in need, hoard, humbling, impatient, in christ, Jesus came that we might have life, life, light, LOVE, mercy, need, oppressive heat, Pan Am Games, personal experience, physically challenged, praise, promise, reinvigorate, rush hour, Satan, selfishness, share, share God's abundance, sin, sonship, spiritual blessings, spreading God's blessings, standing strong, stressed out, swallowing my manly pride, the Father of mercies, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the God of All Comfort, the hottest day of the year, tired, travelled the subway, tribulation, truth, turn to the Lord, walk a mile in someone else's shoes, want, we may comfort them which are in trouble, who comforteth us in all our tribulation, with the Lord's help
2 Corinthians 1:3. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort.
Oh Friends, was yesterday ever an interesting day! Not only was it interesting nuh, but also rather humbling. Would you believe that on the hottest day of the year so far, about 30 C – I had to go into the goodly city of Toronto to check out a medic re my arthritically challenged right shoulder. (smile)
But with the Pan Am Games in town, I decided to take the subway into the city instead of fighting the traffic back and forth and running around looking for parking down there. Now it’s been a few years since I last travelled the subway. I believe it was still a dollar and some cents for a one-way ride, but now it’s three dollars. Mama yo!
And the upstairs and downstairs traipsing to the trains weren’t all that easy on the ole knees, but we made it through, with the Lord’s help of course. Going down wasn’t bad because the train wasn’t crowded, but coming back, shortly after four, brother!
The platforms were full of people moving in all different directions and I had to stand up on the train because there were no seats available. And yuh know that wasn’t even the real rush hour, after five is when the real cattle car stuff really happens.
At one stage I looked up at the route map on the wall and counted fifteen stops to where I got off and sincerely hoped that I wouldn’t have to stand up all the way. But the Lord is so good to me that halfway along a seat opened up right next to me. And would you believe that there were several women around who didn’t take the seat? So, finally swallowing my manly pride, I thankfully plopped myself down on it. (smile)
But another thing, with these new trains the seats are so small you can barely fit on them, there’s much more standing room than on the older trains that I was accustomed to. The diversity of the people on the train was certainly amazing too, showing that T.O has become a real cosmopolitan town.
But the behaviour on the train was still the same; people were still serious and into themselves, possible even more now, with everybody on their little phones or whatever, intently absorbed in their own business.
Me, I didn’t even have my cell phone, because when I turned it on before I left home, I found it dead as a door nail, though I had recently charged it. Apparently the battery isn’t holding the charge and I need to buy a new one.
Finally, to make matters worse, when I did exit the train, I came out the wrong doors and had to walk twice as much to get to my car in the parking lot. But Friends, our God is so wonderful, the ole fella tramped it all with great aplomb, standing strong and tall although the body was aching and the heat was oppressive. All glory be to Jehovah God!
I don’t know how people do it every day nuh, and twice a day to boot! After my first winter, some forty years ago, I promised myself never again to have to take the bus and streetcar and subway everyday to get to work. And it’s a promise that I’ve kept all through the years.
Now by the time I got home, shortly after six, I was so tired and sweaty, I just had to jump in the shower and allow the cold water to reinvigorate the ole aching bones. Ah Friends, we never really appreciate how good we have it until we try to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes nuh.
Believe you me, I am exceedingly thankful for not having to face the rush and the pull and push of public transit commuting everyday. No wonder people are so tired and stressed out and impatient. And yet they refuse to turn to the God of all comfort.
With my somewhat physically challenged self, I certainly could not have done what I did yesterday without a full serving of God’s grace, mercy and comfort. That’s why I implore us Friends, to do like Bruh Paul did in his afflictions, to turn to the Lord.
Our Bit states it so obviously. ‘Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort.’
Oh my people, what absolute and indisputable truth! And I speak here from personal experience, as many of you no doubt can also attest to. Our God is the greatest and best comforter in the entire world.
For as Bruh Paul continues after our Bit. ‘Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble (tribulation), by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.’ (2 Cor.1:4)
Now here is some info from the scholars on those verses. ‘1:3-4. Blessed (Gr. eulogetos, “well spoken of”) is used in the New Testament of God (e.g. Eph.1:3). It is a term of adoration and praise.
The Father of mercies: The mercies in view here include everything from deliverance from the world, sin, and Satan, to participation in sonship, light, and life. But the force is even more than this. The stress is that the Father is characterized by mercy (cf. Ps.86:5; Dan.9:9; Mic.7:18).’ Please check out those scriptures Friends, I just did, and they are rather interesting.
So my brethren, as with every blessing that God pours upon us, He intends for us to share His comfort with others too. When He comforts us, He expects us to use that same comfort to comfort others who are undergoing tough and rough times. That’s how Christians ought to operate; spreading God’s blessings around to all in need.
However though, in this modern age of untold selfishness and greed, that is not happening as much as it ought to. We instead try to hoard, to keep all that God has given us to share, for ourselves. That’s why there is so much want and deprivation in the world today.
Those with a lot are not sharing sufficiently with those who are in need and want. And until that attitude undergoes a godly change, our world will not improve, but most likely become even worse.
That means, we believers have to fight to turn things around. We cannot afford to be simply complacent in our own blessed lives, but are duty bound as believers in Christ to help those in need. So let’s try and concentrate on that today nuh; helping those in need, for as the saying goes, there is always someone out there who is in a worse situation than us.
And please remember that Jesus came to earth so that we might have life, and have it more abundantly, and He greatly desires that we share that abundance with others. Much LOVE!
…blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings…in heavenly places…in Christ… (Eph.1:3)
20 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a wholesome life, action, Amon, authoritarian, bad days, bad experience, before the evil days come, brave action, charity begins at home, colourful work, contrasts, did evil in the Lord's sight, discipline, don't make the children's minds, doubleminded, drift, education in the home, first day of summer, flow smoothly, godly living, good days, groves, high places, I have no pleasure in them, in the way he should go, instruction, interested in life, joy, last day of spring, LOVE, Manasseh, mature adult, moulding a child's life, nor the years draw nigh, pagan worship, parental training, patchwork, permissive, poor decision, productive life, provoke, quilt, Ralph Waldo Emerson, rebellion, Remember thy Creator in thy youth, resourceful hands, right in the sight of the Lord, sin, sorrow, springtime of our lives, successes, take them in stride, the things of God, train up a child, truth, waiver, when thou shalt say
Ecclesiastes 12:1. Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not (before the evil days come), nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say I have no pleasure in them.
Warm and sincere greetings my beautiful Friends, on this Saturday morning in June, the last day of spring! Yes, tomorrow is listed as the first day of summer, so let’s hope it does come up like summer, (smile) although I don’t mind these cool days that we’ve been having recently. Anyway, there’s not much we can do about the way the weather shapes up on any given day, so we just have to take them in stride and make the best of them.
And talking about taking things in stride, here is an interesting quote from the Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), the famous American essayist, lecturer and poet of the 19th century. Ralph reputedly said: ‘We do not live an equal life, but one of contrasts and patchwork; now a little joy, then a sorrow, now a sin, then a generous or brave action.’
And that’s the absolute truth my people! Our lives don’t flow smoothly from one day or moment to the next, but are constantly moving up and down; from good days to bad ones, from successes to failures, from joy to sorrow and back again.
As my One More Day Daily Meditations for People with Chronic Illness says: ‘A wholesome life, a productive life, a good life – whatever we call it – is not a shimmering length of perfectly woven cloth. It’s more like a patchwork quilt set together by resourceful hands. We cannot choose to discard a bad experience or a poor decision; instead, we piece it into the total colourful work that is life.’
And that’s absolutely more truth there my people! We can’t completely ignore the less than stellar experiences and/ or decisions we make over a life time, but have to weave them into our consciousness, because they are all a part of our lives, they make us what and who we are.
Yes, our lives are just like a patchwork quilt made from many different experiences. I guess the old fogeys would remember those beautiful patchwork quilts that existed when we were growing up.
Yes Friends, our lives are ones of contrasts; contrasts that we have to take and turn into unique and beautiful patterns, if we want to truly enjoy our days on planet earth.
Now my brethren, let’s turn to another insightful quote, this one our Bit, from the Good Book as penned by Cousin Sol in his role as Preacher and Teacher. ‘Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not (before the evil days come), nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say I have no pleasure in them.’
That’s certainly wisdom and common sense, because remember that though Sol is writing about things that happen in old age, it’s advice that’s actually meant for the young. We ought to remember and pay serious attention to our God while in the springtime of our lives, because when the winter comes around we possibly won’t be interested in life, or even able to enjoy it.
Now let’s address some scripture that highlights and supports the contentions of our Bit. Cousin Sol himself, in Proverbs gives us the gold standard. ‘Train up a child in the way he should go: and (even) when he is old, he will not depart from it.
And the scholars explain: ’22:6. Train up a child refers to the total process of moulding a child’s life. The word ‘train’ (chanak) comes from the root word meaning to “put into the mouth” and implies the idea of conditioning the palate. Thus, parental training should help children develop a taste for the things of God.
The biblical pattern of effective parental training emphasizes a balance of instruction and discipline (cf. Eph.6:1-4). The ideal parent is to be neither overly authoritarian nor overly permissive. Rather, he must balance LOVE and discipline as not to “provoke” his child to rebellion.
When he is old means simply “when he is grown up,” or a mature adult. It does not refer to the elderly years. The verse stresses the simple principle that education in the home forms the man throughout his lifetime.’
And that last sentence Friends is the gospel truth! The foundation that we receive at home will go with us throughout our lives, and if that foundation is not built on a solid, godly footing, then we will most likely drift and waiver and be double minded and insecure for most of our lives.
Remember the old saying; ‘Charity begins at home.’ It’s ever so true my people, for if we aren’t taught properly at home, then we won’t be able to behave properly outside of it. And unfortunately that is what has happened to a large part of this current generation; they haven’t been taught properly at home.
For whatever reasons, be they the busyness of their parents’ lives, or their fear of offending the children through proper discipline, or simply parents who don’t care, the youth of today are sadly unprepared for godly living today.
And we’ll end today with a great example of godly parenting. This deals with Josiah, one of Judah’s kings. The Good Book tells it thus: ‘Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years. And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined (did not turn aside) neither to the right hand, nor to the left.
For in the eight year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father: and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places (places of pagan worship), and the groves (wooden images), and the carved images, and the molten images.’ (2 Chr.34:1-3)
Now Bruh David was not Josiah’s biological father, just his forefather. And I don’t know how Josiah got so godly, because both his father Amon and his grandfather Manasseh did that which was evil in the Lord’s sight.
The scholars tell us: ‘34:2. Josiah is commended as a godly king whose faith took a straight course and who was unequalled by any Judean king in his concern for the law of God (cf. 2 Kin.22:1-2, 23-25).’
Ah Friends, how many young people of today would ever be so brave and godly eh? Not too many. And we only have ourselves to blame, because we didn’t do a good enough job raising them.
However my people, it’s not too late, we can still make some amends for our less than stellar parenting by keeping on trying with our children, though many are now set in their ways, but also by doing right by our grandchildren, the next generation. That’s our only hope to reverse the ungodly process that’s now in place. Much LOVE!
…it’s true you make the children…but you don’t make their minds…however you can be a major influence on them if you sincerely try…
09 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a matter of faith, a true believer, almighty god, an easy row to hoe, and the body than raiment, anxious, automatic action, be careful for nothing, boring death, but seek ye first the kingdom of God, comfort, comprehend, discouragement, don't worry, exciting life, failure, faith, finite minds, glory, glory to God, God is still on the throne, God's plan, God's ways are higher than ours, gospel truth, Gramps Schuller, his goodness to the children of men, hope, Hour of Power Devotional, I will move, in everything by prayer and supplication, in you I come alive, inner mental stability, insecure, insecurity, irresponsibility, is not life more than food, jehovah god, Jehovah-Jireh, legitimate concerns, let your requests be made known unto God, level of faith, Lord I want your heart to be in my heart, loving kindness, material needs, material things of life, outward physical provisions, pardon, personal example, power, powerless, promises, providence, reassurance, reverence, rightousness, rudderless, Sermon on the Mount, shame, sin, sinfulness, spiritual blessings of God, strength, success, take no thought for your life, Thank You Lord, thanksgiving, the Holy Spirit, the Lord is at hand, the Lord our Provider, the spirit of a man, the straight and narrow path, trust, walk in worry, weakness, wisdom, worry free
Philippians 4:6. Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Aye Friends, welcome to another day in the unfolding of God’s great universe! It is unfolding as it should. We might not think it logical or understand it, but all we need to know is that God is still on the throne, and still in control of what He made. His thoughts and abilities are way higher than ours, so our small, finite minds won’t be able to comprehend all that’s going on.
Be not afraid though, for everything is working to plan; God’s plan that is. Just rest in the comfort and reassurance of His tender, forgiving and merciful embrace and allow the Holy Spirit that dwells within you to lead and guide you on the straight and narrow path that leads to our heavenly Father. End of sermon. (smile)
And now, on this wet and cloudy Tuesday morning in my area, here’s a simple but powerful prayer from Gramps Schuller’s (Robert H. Shuller) Hour of Power Devotional titled ‘I WILL MOVE…’ I don’t know if I’ve ever shared it before, because it doesn’t even look familiar to me. Hn! And I’ve been reading the book for several years now.
Anyway, please pray with me: ‘Lord, I want your heart to be in my heart. For in you I come alive, moving ahead from boring death to exciting life! In your promises, I will move from discouragement to hope. In your pardon, I will move from shame to glory. In your power, I will move from weakness to strength. In your providence, I will move from failure to success! Thank you, Lord. Amen.’
Oh my people, what true and wonderful sentiments! That’s just what I was saying earlier; putting your hope and trust in Almighty God is the only wise and sensible way to proceed in this mish-mash thing we call life. Without His involvement in our lives we are simply powerless and rudderless, aimlessly drifting on a tossing sea of sin and sinfulness, which augurs no good whatsoever to anybody.
But with Jehovah God in our lives, as Gramps Schuller so rightfully declares, we keep moving ahead in an exciting life, filled with hope, glory, strength and success!
And all God’s people said a loud and grateful: ‘Glory to God! Praise Him for His wonderful LOVING-kindness to the children of men!’ Yes Friends, that we certainly ought to do, for our God does deserve much reverence and thanksgiving!
And talking about reverence and thanksgiving, listen to our Bit, which details it marvellously for us. ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.’
Without a doubt my brethren, the wise way is always to bring everything to God in prayer with much thanks for all that He’s done and still doing for us.
And the scholars offer this information on our Bit. ‘4:6. Be careful for nothing means “don’t worry about anything.” The Lord’s nearness (v.5b) (‘The Lord is at hand’) leads Paul to forbid his readers from worrying. This no summons to irresponsibility or an invitation to dismiss legitimate concern.
The solution to undue anxiety is prayer in everything, “in every matter of life.” The way to be free of anxiety is to be prayerful about everything. While God is eager to hear our requests, they are to be accompanied with thanksgiving.’
Ah Friends, unfortunately too many of us don’t put that advice in to action, therefore we are worried and anxious about all sorts of things. I guess it depends on the level of faith to which we have attained; meaning the greater our faith, the more we submit or adhere to the programme.
Consequently we need to build our faith so that going to God with EVERYTHING in prayer with thanksgiving becomes an automatic action in our lives. And I can tell you from personal example, it works my brethren, it truly works!
You might not always get the answer you want, or even deserve, but if you follow the leading of God’s Spirit that dwells within you, you will seldom go wrong. It won’t always be an easy row to hoe, but it will be definitely interesting and worthwhile.
And in support of our Bit, let’s look at some defining scriptures. First up is Jesus’ profound pronouncement from the Sermon on the Mount. ‘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 the life more than meat (food), and the body than raiment (clothing)?’ (Matt.6:25)
And the scholars offer this splendid explanation of that verse. ‘6:25. Jesus now deals with the equally dangerous tendency of those who have few possessions: worry! Take no thought (Gr. me merimnao) means “Do not be anxious.” This word means to be so disturbed about material needs that we distrust God and are distracted from faithfully doing His will.
Anxious care is the direct opposite of faith. Therefore, even the poor are not to worry needlessly about what they should eat, drink, or wear. The question Is not life more than meat, and the body more than raiment? indicates that inner mental stability must come from the spirit of a man and not from outward physical provisions.
To set one’s heart on material possessions or to worry about the lack of them is to live in perpetual insecurity and to deprive oneself of the spiritual blessings of God.’
And isn’t that the gospel truth my people. That’s why so many of us are so insecure. We place too much emphasis on the material things of life; worry too much about them, and work too hard to acquire them. We do need them, but listen to Jesus further on the issue.
‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33) And if you are a person of faith, a true believer in Christ, then you will understand that if you do the will of God, Jehovah Jireh, the Lord our Provider, will indeed provide for all our material wants and needs.
It’s all a matter of faith, my brethren. Believe and you will not worry, and will be amply provided for. Do not believe, then you will worry, be anxious and stress yourself out, and still not be sure of having all your needs met. And on that most important note, we’ll end today’s message.
Oh Friends, I implore us to have faith, or to raise the level of our faith, so that we won’t have the unnecessary worry and concern that comes with lack of faith. That is the wisdom of both heaven and earth. Much LOVE!
…why walk in worry…when one can walk worry free in faith…
31 May 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a dry and thirsty land, a God-pleasing life, believe in Jesus, but after the Spirit, calamity, christ jesus, Christians, climate change, condemnation, contention, curse, desires, disunity, divide and conquer, earthly pilgrimage, enemy of God, enmity with God, evil, evildoers, fellow believers, flooding, forgiveness, free from the law of sin, friend of the world, friendship with the world, Galatians, glorified, glory to God, godless world, grace, holy spirit, Jesus Christ, joy, largesse, live life in the Spirit, lusts, mercy, new creatures in Christ, no man can serve two masters, obedient to God's will, parched, praise and worship God, responsibility, showers of blessing, sin, sinful flesh, sinful lusts, sinful nature, sitting on the fence, Spirit of Christ, spiritual confrontation, strength, strength in numbers, Sunday, the dictates of God, the law of the Spirit, the Lord's Day, the things of the Spirit, the wages of sin is death, there is therefore now no condemnation, Thor's hammer, to them which are in Christ Jesus, truth, unified, walk not after the flesh, walk with god, walking in the Spirit, wicked, words of wisdom, Ye cannot serve God and mammon
Romans:8:1. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
At last Friends, at last we’ve been blessed with the long-promised showers of blessing from heaven! It began in mid-afternoon yesterday, and has been falling on and off since then. There was some of Thor’s hammer pounding away on his drum and some strong winds which earlier blew away the small rain clouds like a man’s hand. Hn!
But when the big, dark, ominous clouds finally loomed, the wind was helpless to blow them away, and those clouds emptied their watery blessings on the parched and thirsty land. Glory to God!
Let’s hope now that the blessing of rain doesn’t continue for too long and become a curse, a calamity with the opposite effect, that of flooding, for in these days of climate change there’s no telling when one aspect of the weather will change, or how long it might last.
But please remember that today is Sunday, the Lord’s Day, and whether it’s raining or not, we have a responsibility to go to church, to praise and worship Almighty God with other fellow believers, so that He might be glorified here on earth, and we might receive His largesse of mercy, grace, forgiveness and strength to keep being obedient to His will, regardless of what comes against us.
As we all know, there’s strength in numbers, and when plenty Christians get together to praise and worship God, the evildoers of the earth tremble in fear, because they know the power that we wield when we’re unified. That’s why they use the age-old technique of divide and conquer to keep us mired in contention and disunity.
But if we are truly believers in Jesus Christ, then we will recognize the ploys of the enemy, whose middle name is sin and evil, and will use the indwelling Spirit of Christ to fight against and destroy it. And our Bit certainly accentuates the benefits of walking in the Spirit of Christ. ‘There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.’
Oh Friends, what a joy it is to believe in Jesus, and thus live life in the Spirit and not in the sinful nature of our flesh! For as our Bit truthfully declares, then we are no longer condemned, and consequently no longer burdened by the fact that ‘the wages of sin is death.’ (Rom.6:23) We’ve been set free from the bondage of sin by the sacrifice of Jesus and our acceptance of Him as the new ruler in our lives.
As Bruh Paul continues: ‘For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for (on account of) sin, condemned sin in the flesh. That the righteousness (righteous requirement) of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind (set their minds on) the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.’ (Rom.8:2-5)
Yes my people, once we become new creatures in Christ, we need to put away our sinful lusts, and let the Holy Spirit lead and guide us in all truth, according to the dictates of God. Unfortunately though, in this wicked and godless world, too many of us supposed believers are sitting on the fence; we want to walk with God, but the lusts of our flesh and our eyes still have too much sway over us.
Remember what Jesus said: ‘No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and LOVE the other; or else he will hold (be loyal) to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (riches, wealth, material possessions.)’ (Matt.6:24) And that’s the unadulterated truth Friends! We cannot serve God and worship the things of the world at the same time.
For as James so candidly and wisely declares: ‘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 the enemy (makes himself an enemy) of God.’ (James 4:4)
No Friends, we can’t be both a LOVER of God and a LOVER of the world! That’s just an impossible situation! So what are we to do then, you ask? Listen to Bruh Paul explain it to the Galatians.
‘This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.’ (Gal.5:16-18) Sure words of wisdom Friends!
Now let’s hear some explanations from the scholars. ‘5:16. Walk in the Spirit (i.e. “live by the Spirit”). Christians are to live with the Spirit’s help. How does one “live by the Spirit”? (1) The Christian must believe that the Spirit is with him, having been sent by God into his heart (4:6) (2) In every spiritual confrontation the believer must yield to the Spirit, that is, submit his own desires to those of the Spirit.
(3) One must depend on the Spirit for help, enabling him to live a God-pleasing life (v.5) (4) The believer should anticipate the effects of the Spirit’s help in his daily life. The believer who “lives by the Spirit” will not fulfill (accomplish, carry out) the lust (strong desires) of the flesh (sinful nature).’
Oh my people, there’s a lot of information in the Bit to consider, so we’ll conclude with those helpful hints from the scholars. Please, let’s ponder on all that we’ve read, and try to bring our personal lives into line with God’s dictates, with the Spirit’s help of course, so that it can truly be said that we’re walking in the Spirit. Now that’s wisdom everlasting! Much LOVE!
…to sincerely walk with Christ…means letting His Holy Spirit…continously lead and guide us on our earthly pilgrimage…
27 May 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: and will forgive their sin, ashamed, ashes, branch, bubbling up in our hearts, burn as an oven, common sense, copying and pasting, curse, damnation, death, disaster, discipline, easy ways of getting by, Elijah, enter in at the strait gate, ephemeral dream, faithful God, fear my name, foolishness, frame evil, glory hallelujah, glory to God, Gramps Schuller, graven images, grin and bear it, grow fat, hard work, harness our dreams, heal their land, healing in his wings, heavenly citizenship, hope, Horeb, Hour of Power Devotional, identifiable quality, in the spirit and power, Isaiah, Jeremiah, John the Baptist, keep pushing ahead, laziness, leads to destruction, leads to life, live for Jesus, Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, LOVE, make your doings good, Malachi, molten images, my people which are called by my name, patience, perseverance, plain, ploughing for Jesus, pray, promise, prophetic forerunner, return from your evil way, ringing in our ears, root, salvation, seek my face, shall humble themselves, shortcuts, sin, smite the earth, stall fed calves, straightforward, stubble, stubbornness, successful people, suffering, Sun of righteousness, the coming day of the Lord, the destructive path of sin, the Good Book, the Great tribulation, the law of Moses, the Life, the Light, the Lord of hosts, the Messiah, the New testament, the Old Testament, the power of patience, the transfiguration, the Way, then will I hear from heaven, theTruth, trample the wicked, trust in graven images, truth, tunr the hearts of the children, turn away from their wicked ways, turn the hearts of the fathers, ungodliness, walk after our own plans, warning, Wednesday, wisdom
2 Chronicles 7:14. If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Well Friends, it’s a cool, cloudy and windy Wednesday morning in my area…and still no signs of rain. Chuh! Yesterday we definitely needed some showers of blessings to cool the hot and humid day, but since we don’t control the weather we just have to grin and bear it. Hn, hn! Today won’t be as hot and humid though. Glory to God!
So since it’s Wednesday, the mid point of our workweek, it naturally implies that we have to keep pushing ahead, no looking back, for he who looks back is not worthy of ploughing for Jesus. And I come bearing tidings this morning re patience, something a whole lot of us need to learn in this very impatient world.
And I can vouch for that by the different dates on yesterday’s Bit. The top heading was right, the 26th, but the one later on was wrong, the 25th. How many of you noticed that eh? (smile) But that stems from laziness and trying to do it the easy way, by copying and pasting, rather than typing it out again. I obviously forgot to change the second date. Please accept my most humble apologies.
As Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H Schuller) says in his Hour of Power Devotional, patience is the single most identifiable quality of successful people. And that’s no lie Friends! This generation has grown up looking for too many shortcuts and other cheap and easy ways of getting by.
We refuse to adopt the discipline necessary to harness our dreams and see them through to fulfillment. The easy road my people, is certainly no remedy for true success. That ephemeral dream that we’re chasing always demands, patience, perseverance and hard work.
Listen to these words from Gramps Schuller. ‘The people who win in life are the people who have harnessed the power of patience. You can move a mountain, Christ said – but He didn’t say how long it would take.’
And that’s the absolute truth my brethren! Mountains are indeed moveable, but it takes time, patience and hard work to accomplish any dream, be it worthwhile or not.
Now without further ado, let’s get to our Bit, this one for the last time… and I hear relieved shouts of ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ in the background. Yeh Friends, this has indeed been a long standing Bit, but as we said before, it’s a rather important verse of Scripture that determines our eternal salvation or eternal death and damnation.
‘If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.’ Ah mih breddren, it’s so plain and straightforward… but yet we refuse to accept it, or even consider it.
And we’ll get straight into the scriptures that deal with the last of the four things we need to do to have God act positively on our behalf; ‘and turn away from their wicked ways.’
Listen to Isaiah as he declares that suffering is a result of sin. ‘They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say to the molten images, Ye are our gods.’ (Is.42:17) That’s gospel truth my people! And put in simple, unequivocal language too.
And this next scripture is from Jeremiah, re the lesson from the potter. ‘Now therefore go to, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I frame evil (am fashioning a disaster) against you, and devise a device (plan) against you: return ye now everyone from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good.
And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices (according to our own plans), and we will everyone do the imagination (stubbornness) of his evil heart.’ (Jer.18:11-12)
Unfortunately Friends, that’s the same foolishness we’re talking today, as we recklessly head down the destructive path of sin and ungodliness!
Now hear the prophet Malachi, re the coming day of the Lord. ‘For behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall (grow fat like stall fed calves). And ye shall tread down (trample) the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.
Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgements. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.’ (Mal. 4:1-6)
Oh my people, what another wonderful promise of our most faithful God, most of which has already been fulfilled with the coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
Now hear this excellent explanation from the scholars. ‘4:1-6. The coming day is the day of the Lord (or the Great Tribulation), which is in view of the birth pangs for the millennial kingdom. Sun of righteousness is a figurative representation of the Messiah. Moses represents the law and Elijah represents the prophets. Both of them appeared at the transfiguration of Christ (Matt.17:3).
The Old Testament ends with the promise of the coming of Elijah, which the New Testament identifies as John the Baptist (Matt.3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4; John 1:23). John’s own disclaimer (John 1:21) was simply a denial that he was literally Elijah. Jesus, on the other hand, clearly stated that John the Baptist came “in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Matt.11:14; 17:10-13; Mark 9:11-13).
Malachi’s promise is quoted by the angel in Luke 1:17 as referring to the ministry of John the Baptist as the forerunner of the Messiah. Therefore, the Old Testament ends in anticipation of the coming of the Messiah and His prophetic forerunner, John the Baptist, who appears in the likeness of Elijah.’
Yuh see friends, the Good Book was not, is not, a haphazard concoction by a group of fuddy-duddy old men, but a well laid our plan by the Creator. And for those of you who don’t know, Malachi Chapter 4, is indeed the last chapter in the Old Testament. (smile)
And we’ll end this series of messages quite appropriately with the warning and wisdom of the Messiah. ‘Enter ye in at the strait (narrow) gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. Because strait (how narrow) is the gate, and narrow (difficult or confined) is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.’ (Matt.7:13-14)
Oh my people, my people, please, let’s go out today with those wonderful words of wisdom and warning ringing in our ears, and bubbling up in our hearts, minds and souls, as we continue to live and work diligently and excellently for Jesus! For that’s wisdom at its very highest. Much LOVE!
…wisdom and common sense both cry out loudly…accept Jesus…for He is indeed…the Way, the Truth, the Life and the Light…and no one comes to the Father…achieves heavenly citizenship… but through Him…
P.S. Oh Friends, I know it’s long, but it’s beautiful, (smile) and a special, just for today! Much LOVE!
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