04 Dec 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: admonish, admonishment, adultery, all aspects, anointed, Bathsheba, Beelzebub, bitter fruit, blameless, blaspheme, blot out, broken spirit, Bruh David, burnt offerings, circumstances, cleanse, confess, confidence, confronted by sin, contrite heart, cried out to God, death, deny sin, depressed, despise, deterrent to willful sin, disrepute, distraught, emotions, enemies of the Lord, evil, fasted, fat of rams, forefather, forgive, forgiveness, forgiving Deity, God of truth and justice, God's only Son, gracious, house of the Lord, hurt, in thy sight, iniquity, integral part, Jesus, judge, justified, kinsman, life, listen, long and short of the story, loving kindness, lustful desire, merciful, mercy, mourning, necessary adjustments, obey, pain, pleas for help, practical application, prayer for cleansing, price to pay, promise, Psalm 51, punishment, remember our God, repentance, repented, righteousness., sacrifice, scot free, seed of sin, sin, Sin does not pay, sinful traps and snares, sinned abominably, situations, Solomon, sonner the better, sordid manner, sorrow, thanks and praise, tragic liaison, transgressions, tremendous price, ungodly behaviour, unrighteousness, walk with god, wonderful god, worshipped, wrongdoing
1 John 1:9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Oh mih people, the Bit will most likely be late today since I had a late night, and the body wasn’t too thrilled about getting up in the early hours of the morning. (smile) But all thanks to our great and wonderful God, we’re finally here and motoring on. Please give Him some thanks and praise for that.
And today we’ll continue with Bruh David’s story, how his life changed for the worse because of that lustful desire he couldn’t control; sleeping with Bathsheba, and the sordid manner and great lengths he went to, to have her for his own.
However Friends, one of the most important things to notice in that story is that when confronted by his sin, Bruh David admitted it. ‘And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.’ (2 Sam.12:13)
Yuh see God’s reaction to Bruh David’s admission; life… not death, as he deserved. But he wasn’t going to get away easily. For Nathan continued: ‘Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.’ (2 Sam.12:14)
So mih breddren, though Bruh David was allowed to live and continue to reign as king, he didn’t get away scot free from punishment for his ungodly behaviour. In fact he ended up paying a tremendous price. Now here are the scholars’ take on those verses.
’12:13. David genuinely grieved and repented (cf. Ps.32:5; 51:3-14) However, the seed of sin was immediately to bear bitter fruit, for the child born of the adultery became grievously ill and died (vv.15-18).
12:14. David’s sin had brought the name of God into disrepute. Such knowledge ought to serve as a deterrent to willful sin on the part of believers (cf. 1 Tim.5:14; 6:1).’
Please read those references Friends, for they are quite informative. And we all know how Bruh David fasted and prayed and cast himself upon the earth during the child’s sickness, and refused to be comforted. His people were even afraid to tell him when the child died, figuring that he would become even more depressed and distraught.
But Bruh David sees them whispering and figures out that the child has died, and when they confirm it: ‘Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the Lord, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required (requested), they set bread before him, and he did eat.’ (2 Sam.12:20)
Ah Friends, in all of that sorrow, Bruh David still remembered His God, and the first thing he did after cleaning up himself was to go to His house and worship Him. In our times of sorrow we ought also to remember our God.
And please note too his logic when asked by his staff about his strange behaviour; sort of mourning when the child was alive and coming out of mourning when he died.
‘And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether God, will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.’ (2 Sam.12:22-23)
The long and short of the story though my people, is that SIN DOES NOT PAY!
And though we will always receive forgiveness for our repentance, the Lord will usually require, or requite some punishment for our transgressions. And usually the sooner we own up to the wrongdoing, the better. The worse thing we can ever do is deny our transgressions.
That’s the beauty of Bruh David’s walk with God; though he sinned abominably, he came clean when confronted with it, and the Lord was merciful and magnanimous enough to not take away everything from him. In fact He even gave him another child from Bathsheba, Cousin Sol (Solomon), the richest and wisest king ever to sit on Israel’s throne, and in the end Bruh David was a kinsman, forefather of God’s only Son, Jesus.
And we’ll end with some passages from one of Bruh David’s greatest psalms, Psalm 51; A prayer for cleansing, something he wrote after His tragic liaison with Bathsheba.
‘Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy LOVING-kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified (be found just) when thou speakest, and be clear (blameless) when thou judgest…. O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise.
For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.’ (Ps.51:1-4, 15-17)
Oh Friends, that’s possibly another reason why the Lord LOVED Bruh David so much and kept blessing him. He never shied away or tried to hide his hurt, his pain, his sin and whatever emotions he was feeling at a particular time. He always cried out to the God of his fathers whether in a good or bad situation with thanks and pleas for help.
And that’s how the Lord wants it with us too, my people. We need to cry out to Him with praise, thanks and pleas for help under any and all circumstances, good, bad and/or indifferent, for the Lord wants to play an integral part in all aspects of our lives.
So let’s remember that, and don’t try to hide or run from Him, but come to Him with confidence with whatever is troubling us, for He has promised to cleanse and forgive us once we confess our wrongdoing. And He is ever-faithful to keep His promises.
But please remember too that there’s usually a price to pay for wrongdoing, for though our God is a great, merciful and forgiving Deity, He is also a God of truth and justice, and disobedience must be paid for if He is to retain His righteousness, as Bruh David notes in the psalm above, (vs.4).
That brings us to the end of this promise Friends. ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’
Let’s hope we learned from it, especially from the practical application of it in Bruh David’s life, and will make the necessary adjustments to our own lives, so that we don’t fall into the same sinful traps and snares of Beelzebub.
For that will only further complicate our lives, bring God’s Word into disrepute and cause Him to admonish us. And if there’s one thing we can certainly do without is His admonishment. Much LOVE!
…to obey is better than sacrifice…and to hearken (listen)…than the fat of rams… (1 Sam.15:22b)
30 Nov 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 1 John, antidote, bamboozle, blind to sin, blood of jesus, bondage to sin, bow down, burden of sins, cleanse, cleansing light, come short of God's glory, confess our sins, darkness, death, death on the cross, deceit, deceive ourselves, denying God's Word, eternal life, ever-faithful, faith, faithful, fellowship, forgiveness, glorious opportunity, God is light, God's promises, gospel truth, heavenly advocate, inescapable fact, Jesus, just, just desserts, Lamb's book of life, lavish, liar, lie, live by faith not by sight, live free, Lord and Saviour, loving kindness, New Testament, Old Testament, omnipotent, prince of darkness, purify our hearts, reality, rejoicing, remedy, reprieve, salvation, secure hands of Almighty God, sin, sin's presence and power, star gazing, the blood of Jesus, to fight tooth and nail, trust, truth, ultimate defence, undeniable truth, universality of sin, unrighteousness, walk in darkness, walk in the light, wonderful god, worship
1 John 1:9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Oh Friends, I think yesterday I was doing some star gazing when I wrote ‘TGIM” instead of ‘TGIF,’ at the beginning of the Bit. I don’t know how many of you noticed it, but thanks to my first born, I was apprised of the situation soon after I posted it. I guess I was gazing into the future, seeing a time when we believers would routinely be rejoicing on Mondays for the glorious opportunity to go back out to work and fight tooth and nail for Jesus.
Please accept my apologies for being so previous. (smile) But remember we need to live by faith and not by sight, and to call things that are not, as though they are. And I’m still full of hope that that scenario will eventually come to pass, possibly not in my lifetime, except I live a very long life. I’m putting my faith in the next generation, that they will do better than us, otherwise crapaud will surely smoke their pipe. (smile) That just means that things will be real bad with them.
And today we’re going to start looking again at some of God’s promises, and this one in our Bit is a pretty big one; one of the biggest. But before we get to it, let’s get some background. In John’s first letter, he seeks to convince his readers about the reality of salvation and eternal life. And in the section from which our Bit is taken, he’s dealing with sin, its reality and its remedy.
He begins there by saying: ‘If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.’ (1 John 1:8)
To which the scholars write: ‘1:8. Others seem to have been claiming that they had no sin. Jesus had taught that those who owned up to their sin could find forgiveness, while those who were blind to their sin would be left mired in it. (cf. John 9:41)’
Hence John pens our Bit: ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’
And the scholars take on that is: ‘1:9. This is a restatement of verse 7. We ought not to deny our sins (v 8), but rather to confess them before God. This opens the door for His forgiving and cleansing light to purify our hearts. Unrighteousness is another way of saying ‘sin.’
And verse 7 comes from the earlier section where John is talking about God being light, with no darkness, but we’ll go from verse 6, to get the full context. ‘If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness (sin), we lie, and do not (practice) the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.’ (1 John 1:6-7)
To which the scholars explain: ‘1:7. “God is light” (v.5): To walk in this light, which is to live free from bondage to sin (cf. Rom.6:18), is to make true communion between believers possible. Jesus’ violent death on the cross, which is what blood signifies, is the initial antidote for and ultimate defense against sin’s presence and power.’
And that’s gospel truth my people! It’s only the shed blood of Jesus that gives us any reprieve from the burden of our sins!
Thus John continues: ‘If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.’ (1 John 1:10)
Meaning: ‘1:10. To deny one’s sinfulness (v.8) or sins is not just to deceive oneself; it is to make God a liar by denying His Word. Both Old and New Testaments stress the universality of man’s sin (e.g. Job 4:17; Ps. 14:3; Is.53:6; Rom. 3:10-18, 23).’
I’ll leave you all to look up those references, except the last one, which admirably drives home the point. ‘For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.’ (Rom.8:23)
And that my brethren is an inescapable fact! But again, we have such a wonderful God, who instead of giving us our just desserts for our sins; death, in His LOVING-kindness He devised a way-out plan so that He could lavish salvation and eternal life on us instead. Wow!
Now why would I want to bow down and worship any other God eh? No way Jose!
And our God is so thoughtful and kind that He made it very easy for us; just confess that you’re a sinner, believe in His crucified Son Jesus Christ, accept Him as your Lord and Saviour, and salvation and eternal life are yours. Your name’s automatically written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
Now that’s such a wonderful promise Friends, that some people can’t handle it. But the saying that if it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is, only applies to the things of man and of the world, not to the promises of our ever-faithful, omnipotent God.
So please let’s not allow the prince of darkness and deceit, the ruler of this sinful world, Lucifer, to bamboozle us into thinking that there’s no hope for us. There IS LOTS OF HOPE when we put our faith and trust in the safe and secure hands of Almighty God, through our Lord, Saviour and heavenly Advocate, Jesus Christ! That’s the undeniable truth my Friends! Much LOVE!
…there’s no better place to be than…standing…standing…standing on the promises of God…
P.S. I hope you all notice how short it is today, (smile) Much LOVE!
24 Nov 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: accusations, accusers, actions, adversaries, anger, anguish, arrows, betray, between a rock and a hard place, bones, bowed down, broken, Bruh David, burden, Canada, chasten, chilly Sunday morning, comfort, confess, corrupt, deaf, deception, defend ourselves, depressed state, desertion, destruction, displeasure, dumb, enemies, fallible, feeble, fester, figurative speech, foolishness, friends, god, great man of God, groaned, hate, health, heartfelt, heavy, heavy laden, help, hope, hot and bothered, infallible, iniquity, Israel, labour, lay snares, light of mine eyes, loathsome disease, loins, LOVE, lowly in heart, make haste, meek, mourning, O Lord, over my head, penitent heart, personal problems, petition, physical illness, pierce, plague, ponder the situation, prayer, problems, quandary, ramifications, rebuke, reliable, render evil for good, reproofs, responses, rest, retaliate, sensible, silence is golden, sin, sinful, snow, sorrow, souls, stand aloof, stink, strength fails, succour, tender mercies, threats, troubled, truth, turmoil, turn to God, unburden our hearts, unfaithful, unreliable, warrior king, winter season, wisdom, wise, words, wounds, yoke
Psalm 38:1. O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, it’s a chilly Sunday morning in the last week of November and there’s snow on the ground. Chuh, Steups! (smile) Granted, it’s not much snow, but snow is snow, especially when winter is not officially due for another month. But this is also Canada, and in these times of climate change anything can happen. Let’s hope that this winter season isn’t too bad.
And strangely enough, this morning the Lord led me to Psalm 38, the prayer of a penitent heart, written by Bruh David to remind him of his troubles, how he needs to respond to them, and where he needs to go to get help.
Our Bit opens the psalm with an earnest, heartfelt petition: ‘O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.’
Bruh David must have been in a real quandary, as he penitently continues: ‘For thine arrows stick fast in me (pierce me deeply), and thy hand presseth me sore (down). There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any rest (health; lit. peace) in my bones because of my sin. For mine iniquities have gone over my head: as a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
My wounds stink (are foul and festering) and are corrupt because of my foolishness. I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long. For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease (inflammation): and there is no soundness in my flesh. I am feeble and sore (severely) broken: I have roared (groaned) by reason of the disquietness of (turmoil in) my heart.’ (Ps.38:2-8)
Mama Mia! Bruh David must have been in a real sad state friends. But before we continue, here are some interesting notes from the scholars.
‘Psalm 38. Some debate as to whether the details of verses 1-8 should be taken literally, and thus as a reference to a physical illness, or figuratively, making them a vivid picture of psychological and moral distress. The detail and length of the description, as well as its personal nature seem to point to some serious disease from which David is suffering as he writes.’
Yeh Friends, whether Bruh David’s words were literal or figurative, there’s no doubt that he’s certainly between a rock and a hard place, as he continues his plaintive cry. ‘Lord, all my desire is before thee; and my groaning (sighing) is not hid from thee. My heart panteth, my strength faileth me: as for the light of mine eyes, it is also gone from me.’ (Ps.38:9-10)
Ah mih people, when the warrior king of Israel, that great man of God is brought to such low levels, then something must be truly wrong in his life. And we get some idea of the other ramifications in the next couple verses.
‘My lovers (loved ones) and my friends stand aloof from my sore (my plague); and my kinsmen (neighbours) stand afar off. They also that seek after my life lay snares for me; and they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things (of destruction), and imagine deceits (plan deception) all the day long.’ (Ps.38:11-12)
Yeh mih breddren, desertion by friends and family, and serious threats from one’s enemies can bring us to a rather low and depressed state, especially if we already have other personal problems. However Friends, please note carefully Bruh David’s actions in these next verses.
‘But I, as a deaf man, heard not; and I was as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth. Thus I was a man that heareth not, and in whose mouth are no reproofs (responses).’ (Ps.38:13-14)
Bruh David didn’t answer his accusers, or plead with his supposed friends and family, but kept his mouth shut, so that there could be no further accusations against him. That’s one of the many times when silence is truly golden. And that’s what many of us have to learn to do when false accusers and unworthy friends and family betray us.
Too often though, we get all hot and bothered and angrily try to defend ourselves or retaliate, through words or actions. But usually the smartest thing is to keep quiet, since making important decisions when we’re angry or upset just make matters worse. First we need to ponder the situation, to see if there’s any truth in it, then follow Bruh David’s action, turn to God for succour.
‘For in thee O Lord, do I hope: thou wilt hear (answer), O Lord my God. For I said, Hear me, lest otherwise they should rejoice over me: when my foot slippeth, they magnify themselves against me. For I am ready to halt (fall), and my sorrow is continually before me.
For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for (in anguish over) my sin. But mine enemies are lively (vigorous), and they are strong: and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied. They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries; because I follow the thing that good is.’ (Ps.38:15-20)
Ah my fellow believers, that is the only wise and sensible way when we’re dealing with overwhelming problems, in fact with any problems at all. We need to get ourselves quiet, then go to God, FIRST, not last as we tend to do. And then we need to unburden our very hearts and souls to him, truly confessing all that we’re aware of, for In Him, there is sure hope and comfort from all our earthly problems.
As Bruh David concludes: ‘Forsake me not, O Lord: O my God, be not far from me. Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation.’ (Ps.38:21-22)
And Jesus made that very clear when He invited us to ‘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 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 my people, what a wonderful God we serve! It just boggles my mind to think how much He cares for and looks after us, despite our sinful, unfaithful nature.
So please, let’s be grateful for His tender mercies and give Him much thanks and praise, today and everyday that we’re alive, for that’s wisdom of the highest magnitude. Much LOVE!
…why do we keep turning to fallible, unreliable man for help with our problems…when we have an infallible, exceedingly reliable God to turn to eh…
15 Nov 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Abrahamic Covenant, Abram, act of faith, be on our p's and q's, border line, carried away, childless, confidence in God, count the stars, do nothing, evil, evil doings, evildoers, faith, famine in Canaan, fear not, fellowship, Friday chant, fruit of the womb, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, Gomorrah, good attitude to adopt, great reward, heir, heritage of the lord, in Jesus' name, in soul body and mind, joyfulness, king of Salem, land of Canaan, laze around, Lot, LOVE, matter of belief, Melchizedek, Most High God, obedience, offerings, Pharaoh, possessor of heaven and earth, pray, rejuvenate our spirits, relaxation, relying on God, renewed and refreshed, rest, rest is repair, rewards, righteousness., shield, sin, Sodom, source of confidence, spoils, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, tithes, to listen than the fat of rams, to obey is better than sacrifice, ungodly world, weekend, wisdom
Genesis 15:1. After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
Once more it’s Friday Friends, and we’re all singing, ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ gearing up for a joyous weekend. But let’s all be careful that we don’t get too carried away with the joyfulness and cross the border line, where it turns to sin, for that’s very easy to do when we don’t have a good handle on our thoughts and our behaviour.
So to help us have some moderation and keep our eyes on Jesus, let’s chant our Friday Chant. As one harmonious voice now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yeh mih people, in this evil, ungodly world, we need to be on our p’s and q’s at all times. And interestingly enough, I came across a rather appropriate quote this morning, attributed to one Daniel W. Josselyn, which says: ‘Rest is not a matter of doing absolutely nothing. Rest is repair.’
And that’s a fact Friends! Rest doesn’t just, or always, mean doing nothing, but sometimes simply doing other things that will repair and rejuvenate our spirits and bodies. What’s the saying? ‘A change is as good as a rest,’ or something to that effect. So when we hear the word rest, let’s not always jump to the conclusion that it’s time to laze around and do nothing. (smile)
Now let’s look at our Bit. ‘After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.’
Some of the things the Good Book’s talking about here are: Abram being driven down to Egypt because of famine in Canaan. Of deceiving Pharaoh by saying that Sarai was his sister, and the Lord opening Pharaoh’s eyes to the truth, before he could touch her. Pharaoh sending Abram away, back to Canaan, where he and Lot separate. Lot goes to live in Sodom, and as we saw yesterday, the Lord promises Abram the land as far as he could see. (Gen.13:14-18)
Then certain kings come to fight against Sodom and Gomorrah, and Lot and his people are carried away captive. When Abram hears of this, he and 318 of his fighting men pursue the captors, rescue Lot and return all the spoil to Sodom and Gomorrah.
Then he comes upon Melchizedek, king of Salem, ‘the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.’ (Gen.14:18b-20)
Abram later refused the offerings, rewards of the ungodly king of Sodom, just food for his men. ‘I will not take anything that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich.’ (Gen.14:23b) That’s a good attitude for us to adopt my brethren, when we are approached by evildoers to participate in their evil doings, or the spoils of their evil doings.
So we can see that Abram lived a very full and interesting later period of life. A time when most of us figure we should just retire from active life and do nothing. But the fact is when we completely retire from life, we die, both literally and figuratively.
Anyway, let’s hear these words from the scholars re our Bit, before we move on to some scriptures. ’15:1. Thy shield and thy exceeding great reward: This chapter introduces the Abrahamic covenant by which God promises him an heir and eventual descendants who will one day possess the land of Canaan. The word ‘shield’ is translated in other passages as “believed.”
Thus God is the object of Abram’s faith and thereby the source of his confidence. The promise of reward is especially significant in view of the fact that Abram had just refused a reward from the king of Sodom. God himself would be Abram’s true reward. (c.f. Ps.127:3)’
Oh Friends, I don’t know if I’m spoiling you, (smile) but here’s what that scripture says: ‘Lo, children are a heritage of the Lord: the fruit of the womb is his reward.’ (Ps. 127:3)
It shows the value of relying on God, especially for children, which Abram did, as these passages of scripture show, after God spoke to him in our Bit. ‘And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward (heir) of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?
And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one (a servant) born in my house is mine heir. And behold the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.
And he brought him forth abroad (outside), and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell (count) the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.’ (Gen. 15:2-6)
Yes my brethren, it’s all a matter of belief! And belief leads to obedience, and obedience to righteousness and rewards. And as the scholars so rightly point out: ‘This was not his (Abram’s) original act of faith, but a further evidence of his confidence in God.’
So please, my fellow believers, let’s listen closely to what God is saying to us today, what He’s promising us, if we believe and obey Him, for that’s wisdom at its highest height. Much LOVE!
…behold…to obey is better than sacrifice…and to hearken (listen) than the fat of rams… (1 Sam.15:22b)
26 Oct 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 1 corinthians 13, absolute truth, awesome truth, Beatitudes, believers, blessed, born again, brave, Christ's representative, Christian attitude, Christians, compassion, confess wrongdoing, divine Love, divine majesty, divine undestanding, divine wisdom, embrace Jesus, enemies, faults, fool's wisdom, forgive our debtors, forgiveness, frailities, generosity, God's grace, God's mercy, good news, good things, gospel truth, holy spirit, illness, in tune with God, Jesus Christ, kind, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, lost, merciful, mercy, offspring, poor and needy, punishment, shortcomings, show mercy, sin, sleeping in, Society of the Little Flower, spiritual strength, St. Therese, St. Thresa of Avila, the Lord's prayer, the right way, time of trouble, troubling circumstances, unfortunate masses, unregenerate men, wonder-working spirit, you reap what you sow
Matthew 5:7. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Well hello there you beautiful believers in Jesus Christ; King of Kings and Lord of Lords! How goes it this wonderful Saturday morning eh? I guess many of you are enjoying a rare morning of sleeping in, that is until your young offspring start clamouring for food and attention. All I can say there though, is better you than me yes. (smile) I went through that many moons ago.
Anyway, today I want to share a poem I got from the Between Friends Magazine published by the Friends of the Society of the Little Flower. It comes from an article written by its Director, Father Bob Colaresi. He himself was quoting a Spanish Carmelite Nun, St. Teresa of Avila. She’s different to the society’s patron Saint, St. Therese, also a Carmelite Nun, but of French origin.
It’s claimed that St. Teresa taught this poem. ‘Christ has no body but yours, No Hands, no feet on earth but yours, Yours are the eyes with which he looks Compassion on this world, Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good, Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, Yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now but yours, No hands, no feet on earth but yours, Yours are the eyes with which he looks compassion on this world. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.’
And that Friends, is the gospel truth, because Christ left us here on earth to do His work; to spread the good, exciting news of His gospel; the wonderful rewards of salvation and eternal life, if we embrace His Deity. It’s now our duty to go around the world, with our eyes, feet ears, hands and bodies, be His representative, and let the lost and unfortunate masses know of all that He’s accomplished on our behalf.
But again, to do Jesus’ work successfully, we need physical, mental and spiritual strength backed by divine wisdom, which can only be had by being in tune with Almighty God. Today’s Bit, another Beatitude, tells us: ‘Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.’
And that is absolute truth in more ways than one. First of all, like Jesus taught us in the Lord’s Prayer; ‘And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.’ (Matt.6:12) If we don’t forgive we won’t be forgiven. The same goes for mercy; if we don’t show mercy to others, neither will the Lord show us any. It’s basically the universal motto of, you reap what you sow.
You cannot be neither merciful nor forgiving and yet expect to receive forgiveness and mercy. Hn! Although that seems to be the prevailing wisdom in our world today. Generally speaking, forgiveness is NOT getting the punishment we deserve, while mercy is getting the good things that we DON’T deserve.
Then we have this take from the scholars: ‘5:7. Those who are merciful…shall obtain mercy has reference to those who have been born again by the mercy of God. Because divine LOVE has been extended to them, they have the work of the Holy Spirit in them producing a mercy that defies explanation by unregenerate men. Jesus Himself became the ultimate example of this when He cried from the cross, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)’
Oh Friends, I like that part about ‘a mercy that defies explanation by unregenerate men.’ And that’s the God-awesome truth! For mankind still can’t figure out or understand how Christians can be so merciful and forgiving when faced with serious and troubling circumstances. But it all depends on that Holy Spirit of His Divine Majesty dwelling in us, which shows us the right way.
Unfortunately, mankind will never understand the Christian attitude unless and until he wholeheartedly embraces Jesus, and consequently receives that wonder-working Spirit in his own soul. It all bolls down to, NO JESUS, NO HOLY SPIRIT, and therefore no divine understanding!
And when we talk about God’s mercy, there’s no better example in receiving it, than Bruh David. Listen to him from Psalm 41, Abuse and Assurance. ‘Blessed is he that considereth the poor (helpless, powerless): the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.
The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing (his bed of illness): thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness (restore him in his sickbed). I said, Lord be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.’ (Psalm 41:1-4)
Oh my people, two things are evident there: One must be kind and/or show mercy to the poor and needy, and secondly, one must confess one’s own wrongdoing to Jehovah God. Bruh David knew that, and tried to live that way. That’s why the Lord was so merciful to him, in spite of all his shortcomings and wrongdoings.
Unfortunately though, today, many of us figure that confessing our wrongdoings is for the birds, therefore we lose out on God’s precious grace and mercy. And sadly my people, that’s a fool’s wisdom!
Oh Friends, the Lord doesn’t expect us to be perfect, because He never made us that way. But He does expect us to be man and woman enough to own up to our faults and frailties.
Please, let’s be brave and admit our wrongs, so we can receive God’s generous grace, forgiveness and mercy. Now that’s truly divine wisdom! Much LOVE!
…O give thanks unto the Lord…for He is good…for His mercy endureth for ever… (1 Chr.16:34)
22 Oct 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: America, American culture, anti-social, as America goes, atrocities, backbone, be of good cheer, Beatitudes, blessed, bright light, bullied, children, Christian families, compassion, confession, darkest hours, death, demeaning others, depth of promise, dire situations, disaster, dislikes, dope, dreadful happening, earthly lives, easier said than done, economics, exact revenge, faithful promise, Father of mercies, fellow believers, fiction copying life, former things, former things a, go viral, God directs, god of all comfort, god the father, god's compassion, going to the dogs, guns, handle the pressure, help, human anguish, human heart, hurting, inexhaustible, Internet freak, Jesus Christ, life copying fiction, likes, man plans, model of godliness, money, new heaven and earth, overcome the world, pain, passed away, pay serious attention, peace, pin-up girl for Lucifer, rampage, Reno - Nevada, school shooting, scripture, serious measures, Sermon on the Mount, sin, social media, sorrow, sorry state of our world, spine, succour, suicide, tears, teased, they shall be comforted, they that mourn, tragedy, trials, tribulation, trouble, undeniable truth, ungodly world, wicked, yokes and burdens
Matthew 5:4. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Oh Friends, this was definitely not how I had planned to begin today’s message, but having heard of this dreadful happening, I had to change my plans. As Cousin Sol so wisely says: ‘A man’s heart deviseth (plans) his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.’ (Prov.16:9)
Now I’m talking about the tragedy of a 12 year old boy in a small town near Reno, Nevada, going to school early yesterday morning and shooting a Math teacher, wounding two other boys, then killing himself.
Ah Lord eh! How many times Friends, am I going to bewail the sorry state of our world before we see some improvement eh? In particular, what is America coming to eh? Once upon a time she was the model of godliness… Steups! But now she is the pin up girl for Lucifer.
This shooting up of schools, either by pupils or outside interests, seems to be turning into a habit now. And yet guns are still much easier to get than dope, on which they’ve wasted billions of dollars trying to curb it.
They’re not seeing the forest for the trees. Guns are killing many more people everyday than drugs. And you only hear about the gun deaths when it’s a rampage or some other high profile shooting. When is America going to wake up and realize that the old saying is very true: ‘If you live by the gun, you’ll die by the gun!’
And sadly, as in so many other things, their culture is being transferred all over the globe. It’s in more than money and economics that as America goes, so does the rest of the world.
And why that tragedy struck me more forcefully than normal, is because I’m currently reading a novel, ‘Nineteen Minutes,’ in which a 17 year old boy in small town America goes into his High School one inauspicious autumn morning and rampages through it, killing ten people both students and adults, and wounding many others.
This lad had been teased and bullied from the first day he got on the bus to attend kindergarten, even by his own star pupil brother. Apparently this 12 year old in real life was also being bullied. Now the question is, is life copying fiction, or fiction copying life? But whatever is following what, this bullying thing is really getting out of hand.
What is it, are we raising children without any spine, any backbone, so that they have to resort to such serious measures; shoot up the place or commit suicide?
I remember growing up that there were bullies around, and that some got bullied more than others, but it wasn’t the incessant type of thing that’s happening now, and I never heard of anyone picking up a gun or other weapon to exact revenge, or kill themselves because they couldn’t handle the pressure.
And apparently the supposed social media nonsense, more like the anti-social media, just seems to make matters worse, for some of the atrocities committed by our young people are brazenly posted there and go viral, oftimes with more likes than dislikes.
Doesn’t that tell us that our society is truly going to the dogs, when we’re raising children who take such pleasure in demeaning others? What kind of animals are they going to turn out to be as adults eh?
And sadly, we the parents don’t seem to have a clue about what’s happening with our children; we simply don’t care, or are too busy trying to make a living to pay serious attention to what’s happening to them.
The parents of this boy in the novel didn’t even know that he had guns in his room, or he was a big Internet freak on evil sites. And no doubt a lot of that is happening in real life today.
Ah Friends, I don’t have the answers, but somehow or the other we’ve got to stop the nonsense. And unfortunately all of that just links up so smoothly with our Bit. ‘Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.’
Ah mih breddren, so far from that disaster, two families are mourning and badly in need of serious comfort. Who will provide it to them eh? I just hope, for their sakes, that they are Christian families. Our Bit is another of the Beatitudes that Jesus delivered in His Sermon on the Mount.
And according to the scholars: ‘5:4. Those that mourn…shall be comforted. The depth of the promise of these statements is almost inexhaustible. Those who mourn for sin shall be comforted in confession. Those who mourn for the human anguish of the lost shall be comforted by the compassion of God.’
Let’s sincerely hope and pray that those families mourning right now are somehow comforted by God’s compassion, because ONLY Jesus can successfully minimize the yokes and burdens that have just been laid on them. (Matt.11:28-30)
Yes my people, for all the unfortunate things that happen to us in this oftimes wretched life, Jesus stands out as the bright light shining in our darkest hours. He is the ONE we can and should always turn to in dire situations.
For as Bruh Paul said to the church at Corinth: ‘Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; 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 by God.’ (2 Cor.1:3-4)
And that’s the undeniable truth Friends! God comforts us so that we can comfort others in their time of need. And we WILL ALL endure trials and tribulations and be in need of comfort at some time(s) in our earthly lives.
But please remember Jesus’ faithful promise: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)
Oh my fellow believers, I know that’s easier said than done, but with strong faith and trust in the Almighty, we can get through it. And we’ll close with a scripture that we’re all looking forward to; the arrival of the new heaven and the new earth.
‘And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.’ (Rev.21:4)
Yes mih people, then, and only then, will the cause for mourning and comfort cease. Till then, please wisely take hold of ALL God’s promises of help and succour, for they are the only sure means of comfort we have in this wicked, ungodly world. Much LOVE!
…when a human heart is hurting…only Almighty God can truly comfort it…
19 Oct 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Abraham, adultery, Ark of the Covenant, basis of faith, Bathsheba, Bible, breath of life, busy lives, Christians, conspiracies, covenant, creation, critical spirit, darkness, darkness of eternity, disobedient, dysfunction, encouraging, enervating, eternal life, eternal truth, fallen angel, family disunity, former things, Genesis, glory, God's glory, God's wisdom, God's Word, graven images, Hagar, imbibing wine, insensitivity, Jews, light of the Gentiles, Living Deity, loving kindness, Lucifer, meditation, Messiah, negative spirit, praise, prison house, prisoners, prophetic word of God, rebellious, reconciliation, Revelation, righteousness., rock and roll, rumours of war, salvation, Saul, sin, sinful, solemn promise, special attention, spies, spirit, spiritual shallowness, strong grasp, thrillers, treachery, wars, wisdom
Isaiah 42:5. Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein.
Oh Friends, I want to start off this morning by reminding us of two very significant pieces of wisdom, or of wise information. Now we should already know them, but such is the busyness of our lives that we either don’t remember them, or if we do, we don’t pay the special attention to them that we should.
And the first piece of wise info is that the Bible is God’s Word to us, still very fresh though it’s passed through many ages. And if we read it, we will most definitely find God’s wisdom on its pages! Everlasting, eternal truth, my people!
And the second bit of wise info is that ONE TRUTH from the Bible is worth more than all the wisdom of man! And that’s definitely truth for all the ages my people! So please let’s pay more attention to our Bibles nuh; read them more frequently and in more depth, because there’s no supposed thriller ever concocted by man that can match the Good Book for thrills.
From Genesis right through to Revelation the Bible is just chocked full of stuff we look for in man-made thrillers, and the great difference is that it’s ALL FACT, not a lot of fiction. We find wars, rumours of war, murder, adultery, conspiracies, spies, conflict in both high and low places, treachery, family disunity and dysfunction, and in its own way, sex, drugs and rock and roll, which should make us want to devour it.
Now don’t go flying off the handle, because it’s true. What do you call Abraham’s liaison with his maid Hagar eh? And what about Bruh David’s tryst with Bathsheba? And don’t forget how the ladies played their instruments, sang and danced when Bruh David came home from battle, re his killing of ten thousands to Saul’s mere thousands. (1 Sam.18:6-8)
And remember too how Bruh David danced before the Lord with all the instruments pounding away when they brought up the Ark of the Covenant. (2 Sam. 6) And what other book tells you about so much imbibing of wine eh? And yuh see how Bruh David’s wife, Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked at him askance for his dancing, (2 Sam.6:16) figuring that it was conduct unbefitting a king.
All of that was early rock and roll. (smile) It’s the same way that parents looked at their children in modern rock and roll. And as the scholars say of Michal’s behaviour: ‘A negative and critical spirit born of spiritual shallowness and insensitivity is a dangerous thing! And that’s no lie, as we see it happening in great numbers even today.
Anyway Friends, that’s just to remind us of what a thrilling book we have as the basis of our faith, and that we ought to pay MUCH MORE ATTENTION to it, and not as much to some of the nonsense that mankind is writing today.
And now, here’s our Bit, the prophetic words of our God, spoken by His servant Isaiah, re God’s servant coming to glorify His Holy Name. ‘Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein.’
Yes Friends, it’s certainly the Most High God Jehovah who formed the heavens and the earth and gave us the breath of life. The first few chapters of Genesis describe it in detail. But my people, even more important than the creation, is the reconciliation, after man sinned and fell short of God’s glory!
That’s what our Bit introduces. ‘I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of (to) the people, for a light of the Gentiles; To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. Behold the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.’ (Is.42:6-9)
Oh my people, what a wonderful God we serve and worship! I’m amazed at His extraordinary LOVING-KINDNESS every day! Those verses are a solemn promise to His creation, both the Jews and Gentiles to provide a way of reconciliation in His own time. Wow! How awesome!
The scholars describe it thus: ’42:5-16. God the Lord is pictured as the Creator who created the heavens, and stretched them out and spread forth the earth. He also gives both breath and spirit to His people. The ministry of the Messiah is described in verse 6 as a covenant to the Jews and a light to the Gentiles. It foreshadows the twofold purpose of Christ’s ministry to both the Jews and Gentiles.’
Oh my brethren, what can be more encouraging and enervating than a Living Deity who contrives a plan to bring salvation and eternal life to His lost, sinful, rebellious and disobedient creation eh? Nothing really nuh!
That’s why we have to take hold with alacrity and a strong grasp, all that God has done for us, is still doing and promises to do in the future. Otherwise we’ll be lost in the darkness of eternity forever, with the foolish fallen angel Lucifer.
Now that’s not a very good way to spend eternity, is it? Certainly not! There’s no wisdom to that move at all! Therefore, please hear the Words of our great God and be wise. That’s our meditation for today! Much LOVE!
…as for me and mine…we will follow the Lord…that should be the irrevocable cry of ALL CHRISTIANS…
17 Oct 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all things are possible with God, almighty god, alterations, Americans out of work, beasts of the earth, begin where you are, binds up, Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, change of circumstances, chastens, Christ's followers, comforting scripture, confidence, correction, Cousin Sol, descendants, desire of the wicked, desolation, dicouragement, diligently seek god, don't give up, don't let life discourage you, economic pressure, Eliphaz, ever-faithful God, evil tidings, exalted with honour, faith, famine, fear, full age, glorious kingdom, gnashing of teeth, God's promises, gospel truth, hard and scary times, heart is steadfast in the Lord, heavenly government, in league with, inspirational messages, Job, keep on keeping on, live by faith, make whole, makes sore, Mormon Tabernacle Radio, most powerful force in the universe, offspring, peace, perish, petty. selfish ideology, please God, positive transformation, power of the sword, prosperous, rebuke, redeem from death, remembrance, righteous, righteous servants, righteousness., scourge of the tongue, shock of corn, sin, stay tuned to god, strength, terror, the first step is the hardest, the grass of the earth, the longest journey begins with the first step, The Lord's your confidence, the tough get going, the vicissitudes of life, travesty of justice, trouble, U.S House of Representatives, war, when the going gets tough, worthwhile ambassadors of Jesus
Proverbs 3:25-26. Be not afraid of sudden fear (terror), neither of the desolation (trouble) of the wicked when it cometh. For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken (caught).
Oh Friends, at long last the nonsense in the U.S. House of Representatives seems to be over! Ah Lord eh! And would you believe some of them are still griping, figuring that the country should have been allowed to go even further to the dogs than it has already gone, simply because of their petty, selfish ideology! Steups!
And I’m sure most of those who are still whining can afford to put up with some economic pressure, so they were quite content to put millions of poor and needy Americans out of work for two weeks. And in any case, they, the Reps, were still getting paid. What does that say about them eh? What a travesty of justice!
However my people, as they say, when the going gets tough, the tough get going. And that’s gospel truth where Christ’s followers are concerned!
Now I want to share an interesting quote attributed to Richard L. Evans (1906-1971) a writer and Mormon scholar, who apparently delivered many inspirational messages over Mormon Tabernacle Radio. He solemnly and wisely advises: ‘Don’t let life discourage you; everyone who got where he is had to begin where he was.’
That’s more gospel truth, my fellow believers! For to get from one place to the next, you have to begin wherever you are. As the old Chinese proverb asserts: the longest journey begins with the first step. And that first step is usually the hardest.
So this morning I want to encourage us, not to let changes in life discourage us, for we can always start again if necessary. And remember, when you’re working in league with, in close alliance with the most potent and powerful force in the universe, Almighty God, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!
So please don’t give up, or give in to the vicissitudes of life, for they are simply what life is all about; alterations to the way we live and changes of circumstances. And though our lives can be drastically altered, and our circumstances seriously changed, we have to keep hanging in, stay tuned to God, and eventually we’ll see positive transformation, because that’s what our ever-faithful God has promised.
And please remember it’s by faith we live, not by sight, and we cannot please God if we don’t believe and behave like He is whom He says He is; One who rewards those who diligently seek Him. (Heb.11:6)
Now let’s check out our Bit, where Cousin Sol confidently proclaims: ‘Be not afraid of sudden fear (terror), neither of the desolation (trouble) of the wicked when it cometh. For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken (caught).’
Oh my brethren, what encouraging and comforting scripture! Who else is like unto our God eh? NOBODY! That’s why we have to keep keeping on in faith during those hard and scary times.
And it’s now time to look at some other scriptures which corroborate the advice of our Bit. First up is scripture from the Book of Job, where Eliphaz, Job’s buddy is rebuking him.
‘Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: for he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole. He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee. In famine he shall redeem thee from death: and in war from the power (hand) of the sword.
Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue: neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh. At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth. For thou shalt be in league (have a covenant) with the stones of the field: and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee.
And thou shalt know that thy tabernacle (your tent) shall be in peace; and thou shalt visit thy habitation, and shalt not sin (find nothing amiss). Thou shalt know also that thy seed (descendants) shall be great, and thine offspring as the grass of the earth (plentiful).
Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in in his season. Lo, this, we have searched it, so it is; hear it, and know thou it for thy good.’ (Job 5:17-17)
Oh Friends, I never intended to use all that scripture, but after reading it, I realized that we needed it all, for it shows just how good and great is our God to us.
And we’ll end with one more passage of scripture, that from Psalm 112, superscripted, Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord. And the psalmist unhesitatingly declares: ‘Surely he shall not be moved (shaken) for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed (steadfast) in the Lord.
His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies. He hath dispersed (distributed abroad), he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn (strength) shall be exalted with honour. The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away; the desire of the wicked shall perish.’ (Ps.112:6-10)
Oh my people, there’s no more to say, for it’s all been said right there! The righteous shall be prosperous and the wicked shall be extinguished.
So please, today, let us all go out into this evil, unfriendly world and do our best to be righteous servants and followers of Jesus Christ, so that we can be good representatives – unlike those in the U.S. House of Reps. -worthwhile ambassadors of His heavenly government, thus furthering His glorious kingdom. Much LOVE!
…the faithful promises of Almighty God…keep His followers faithful…
04 Oct 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: accuser, anger, Bruh David, calamity, comfort, common grind, condemned, cry out to God, daily rush, deceitful, disappointment, enemies, evil for evil, evil for good, evil world, fellowship, Friday chant, fun, generous help, God's glorious kingdom, good deeds, good works, goodness, gospel truth, great anticipation, hard experience, hatred for Love, hurtful experiences, jesus name, justice, leave revenge to God, LOVE, loving kindness, misery, new workweek, peace, perpetrates, prayer, punishment, recompense, refeshed in body soul and mind, relaxation, repay wrong with wrong, resentment, rest, revenge, rewarded, shame, sin, stone me, such is life, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the weekend, time off, true believers in Christ, undeserving children of men, unfaithful, unrighteous, wicked works, wrongdoers
Psalm 109:5. And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my LOVE.
And suddenly it was Friday! And in recognition of that fateful day, a loud and raucous shout rang out from the workingman. ‘TGIF! Thank the Lord it’s Friday at last! Thought this week would never end, cause it’s just been one headache after another. But give God praise and shout again: ‘TGIF! Thank the Lord is Friday!’
Yeh Friends, some of us look forward with great anticipation to Friday and the start of the weekend. And nothing’s wrong with that, because we are entitled to some time off from the daily rush and common grind. The problem though is how we use the weekend when it arrives.
And since our Friday Chant wisely advises us on the proper use of the weekend, let’s chant it then with great gusto. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes my people, we need to use the weekend very astutely, otherwise we’ll just make life even more difficult than it already is, when the new workweek begins. Why bring unnecessary problems on ourselves eh, when we’re already dealing with so many caused by others?
And our Bit highlights that quite nicely. ‘And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my LOVE.’
Oh Friends, many of us can declare those same words this morning, because we live in such a deceitful, unrighteous, unfaithful and evil world. That means, oftimes the good we’ve done, is sadly repaid with resentment and wicked works.
And I can tell you from hard experience, that that is one of the most hurtful experiences we’ll ever encounter, especially when a close family member, or someone we considered a friend or an ally perpetrates it. But unfortunately such is life my brethren.
As Jesus said to the Jews, who on one instance took up stones to stone Him: ‘Many good works have I showed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?’ (John 10:32)
Yes Friends, though we often want to repay the wrong done to us with another wrong, we need to do like Jesus did, just continue on with our good deeds, leaving revenge in God’s hands.
Bruh David, in the Psalm from which our Bit is taken, a prayer for punishment for the wicked, cried out to God for justice. ‘Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan (an accuser) stand at his right hand. When he shall be judged, let him be condemned (found guilty): and let his prayer become sin. Let his days be few; and let another take his office.’ (Ps.109:6-8) And he goes on for another dozen verses advising the Lord how to deal with his enemies.
Now that’s the way it should be Friends. Though we don’t need to tell God the justice that we seek, we do need to leave any revenge up to Him, as He adamantly proclaims: ‘To me belongeth vengeance, and recompense; their foot shall slide in due time; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.’ (Deut.32:35)
Oh my brethren, I know that’s often hard to do, especially when the wound caused by the hurt and disappointment is fresh, and the anger is really pumping, but do it we must, if we are to consider ourselves true believers in Christ.
And as Bruh Paul so wisely and rightly tells us in Romans 12: ‘Recompense to (repay) no man evil for evil. Provide things honest (have regard for good things) in the sight of all men.’ (Rom.12:17) And that’s what the followers of Jesus are expected to do, all the time, my brethren!
But we do have wise words of Cousin Sol, from which to take comfort, as he declares: ‘Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.’ (Prov.17:13) Gospel truth my people, so please beware of how you handle those situations!
And we’ll let Bruh David take us home with his own words of wisdom. ‘The heathen (nations, gentiles) are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken (caught). The Lord is known by the judgement which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion (meditation or song). Selah.’ (Ps.9:15-16)
Yes Friends, the wicked are usually caught up in their own wickedness and suffer the shame and misery set for the righteous. That’s the Lord’s way! We can therefore have some comfort and peace when wrongdoers come against us, for our mighty God will handle it all on our behalf. We couldn’t ask for more than that.
And all God’s people loudly and gratefully declared: ‘Oh what a wonderful God we serve and worship! Give Him much thanks and praise for His goodness and LOVING-kindness to the undeserving children of men! Amen!’
Now let’s go out today and do just that, my fellow believers in Christ! Much LOVE!
…to know, know, know Him…is to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Him…
26 Sep 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: ask, assaulted teenagers, assess, authority figures, beautiful day, better and brighter days, brilliant sunshine, Christians, commandments, confidence, confidence in God, conversion to Christ, deceitfulness, edification, effective prayer, emotionally violated, encouragement, endurance, evil heart, exhort one another daily, exhortation, faith, faithful, glorifies, God's house, God's plans. purposes, God's promises, God's will, gospel truth, hallmark, harden your hearts, heart condemns, hip hip hurray, holy spirit, homosexual urges, influential positions, Israel did not believe, Jesus Christ, Jesus' church, keep the faith, life of purity, living God, LOVE, Moses, nuture the seed, partakers of Christ, patience, perseverance, physically violated, pleasing in God's sight, probation, promises, rape, reality of faith, receive, recompense, religion, reward, scripture, seeds, sin, standard of Christian living, steadfast unto the end, successful praying, take it to heart, take note of, teacher remiss, test, theology, today, true believer, trust, trustworthy positions, truth, turn them straight, unbelief, undeniable truth, warning, well-spring, wisdom, wrongdoing, youth pastor
1 John 5:14. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us.
Oh Friends, another beautiful day is about to dawn in my neighbourhood, and I hope in yours too! This past week has really been marvellous; brilliant sunshine and temps in the high teens and low twenties! And hopefully, the weatherman is right, when he forecasts that this wonderful weather will continue for the rest of the week.
But sadly though Friends, once more I have to ask, what’s our world coming to eh? I don’t know if this story I received in a newsletter is true, but if it is, then the Lord help us yes!
Apparently this youth pastor in Iowa, in the U.S. confessed to raping at least four teenagers, according to him, ‘to turn them straight.’ Hn! His actions were bad enough, but listen to this. The judge sentenced him to 17 years in prison, then turned around and suspended the sentence, instead giving him 5 years probation.
Ah Lord eh! And it seems that he assaulted more than four teenagers over the years, for at least four more young men have come forward with the same claim. And this wasn’t simply a one and done thing either, but some of the assaults seem to have gone on for more than four years. All ‘to help them with homosexual urges.’
Steups! How can these young men ever trust authority figures again eh? Some of them might even continue the wrongdoing. They trusted their pastor, one of the most influential and trustworthy positions in our society, only to be physically and emotionally violated by him. And then all he gets is probation….
Something about all of that just doesn’t sound right nuh people. But I’ll let the Lord be the judge, and stick to my task. So here’s our Bit: ‘And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us.’
It’s the last day Friends… And many voices sang: ‘Hip, hip, hurray! (smile) I know some of you don’t like to see the same Bit everyday, but my brethren, when there’s a lot of scripture to share on a topic, it would be very remiss of me to not share and or point them out. Isn’t that what a teacher is supposed to do?
And having confidence in God, His plans, purposes and promises is of the utmost importance for all believers, because it’s hope and faith we live by, things that are not readily seen by the naked eye, but have to come from a well-spring deep inside of us.
And we’re going to begin in Hebrews 3, moving on from yesterday, where we saw that Moses was faithful, but yet still only a servant in God’s house, while Jesus, the Son, built His own house, the church.
Today, the author of Hebrews is warning that under Moses, Israel failed to believe. But if we should now hear Christ’s voice calling out to us through the Holy Spirit, we should not harden our hearts. (Heb.3:7-11)
‘Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called TODAY; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made (have become) partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end;’ (Heb.3:12-14)
What wisdom and truth my Friends!
And the scholars have this to say about the last verse. ‘3:14. One’s conversion to Christ, which occurred in days past (we are made partakers of Christ), is proved to have been genuine by perseverance in the days to come (if we hold…our confidence steadfast unto the end). This means that continuance in the faith is a test of the reality of one’s faith in Christ.’
And that’s certainly true my people! If we don’t keep the faith, then we’re not true believers!
Now listen to this scripture from 1 John 3, where he’s trying to nurture the seed that’s already been planted in the hearts of his readers; that they should LOVE one another.
‘BELOVED, if our heart condemn us not, then we have confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. (1 John 3:21-22)
And the scholars explain those verses thus: ‘3:21-22. If our heart condemn us not: We have confidence toward God if our lives are in line with the standard of Christian living set forth above. John is not saying that whether a person is right or wrong is simply a matter of how he subjectively feels about himself.
That is why John has given so many indicators and commands for Christians to take note of and assess themselves by. And one of the great results of a life lived in purity before God is a life where there is effective prayer. Right living is an important part of successful praying.’
More undeniable truth Friends!
And I’ve left this well known scripture for last, because it truly gets to the heart of the matter. (smile) It comes from Hebrews 10 and says: ‘Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience (endurance, perseverance), that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.’ (Heb.10:35-36)
Oh Friends, what magnificent scripture! It contains seeds of warning, wisdom, encouragement, edification, exhortation and promise! Wow! (smile)
Please let’s take it to heart today, and live our lives to suit, because it’s simply gospel truth! And if we do hope to see better and brighter days, then our lives must encompass all those things written in that scripture. Much LOVE!
…coming to believe in Christ…having the utmost trust and confidence in His power and promises…and living a life that glorifies Him…is the hallmark of a true believer…
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