04 Oct 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a merciful forgiving gracious God, according to his riches in glory, all these things will be added unto you, ambassadors of Christ, confident Christians, erred from the faith, for His name's sake, glorify your father in heaven, hate the one and love the other, hear and answer our prayers, hope not to die without Christ, humble servants, humility, in a splendid manner, Jehovah Rapha, just to do His bidding, Let your light so shine before men, living for Christ, LOVE, material possessions, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my God shall supply all your needs, no man can serve two masters, ours is not to reason or wonder why, pierced themselves through with many sorrows, sacrifices and hardships we endure, see your good works, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, sincere repentance, store treasure in heaven, take the bull by the horns, the attirude of enslavement toward wealth, the ever-watchful eye, the God who heals, the grace and peace of Christ Jesus, the love of money is the root of all evil, time of need, we have all sinned, wet and windy Monday morning, Ye are the light of the world, ye are the salt of the earth, Ye cannot serve God and mammon
Matthew 6:24b. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (riches).
The grace and peace of Christ Jesus be unto you, my fellow believers, on this wet and windy Monday morning in early October of this confusing and crazy year of 2021! And the universe is moving along as it should, under the ever-watchful eye of its magnificent and majestic Creator, Almighty God! We know that nothing happens in the universe unless He sets it in motion, or allows it, for whatever reason He sees fit.
So, ours is not to reason or wonder why, but just to do His bidding and hope not to die without receiving Christ Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. That says it all friends: our earthly responsibility is to believe in Christ and live a life that is worthy of Him. When we do that, when we make it our first priority, then everything else falls into place. Like Jesus said: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33)
That’s a faithful promise. Anytime you concentrate on living for Christ, the Lord will take care of all your needs. Bruh Paul emphasized that in his letter to the Philippians. ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:19) Yes, my faithful brethren, when we are faithful to God, He is also faithful to us. He sees the sacrifices and hardships we endure for His name’s sake and will meet our need according to His riches.
The scholars tell us: ‘that is, in proportion to His unlimited resources. He will meet our needs in glory, that’s ‘gloriously, in a splendid manner, by Christ Jesus.’ What more can we ask for eh? Not a whole lot! However, with that scripture, we must remember that the Good Book is speaking primarily of needs, of the necessities for living, not our fleshly and lustful wants or desires.
There can be a big difference between needs and wants, especially in this ever so materialistic and ungodly world. And that’s why Jesus also made it clear that ‘No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and LOVE the other; or else he will hold to (be loyal to) the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (riches).’ (Matt. 6:24) And that’s just a simple fact of nature, of logic, my brethren. You cannot run after two things with the same intensity at the same time, one of them will inevitably suffer.
Now hear the scholars explain that verse. ‘6:24. This kind of spiritual double vision causes one to believe that he can serve two masters. Total loyalty to God cannot be divided between Him and loyalty to one’s own material possessions. A master is a lord or an owner. That God claims total lordship over His own is obvious in this passage. Therefore, Jesus rightly proclaimed, Ye cannot serve God and mammon. The term ‘mammon’ is derived from the Aramaic term for possessions or wealth. Jesus is not condemning money or possessions in and of themselves, but the improper attitude of enslavement toward wealth.’
And sadly, our world today, is maximizing the promotion of total enslavement to wealth and possessions, causing us to strive after money as the goal of life. That’s why these times are so ungodly. No wonder Bruh Paul cautioned Timothy. ‘For the LOVE of money is the root of all (kinds) of evil; which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith (for which some in their greediness have strayed from the faith), and pierced themselves through with many sorrows (caused themselves to be ruined).’ (2 Tim. 6:10)
Remember, Ye cannot serve God and mammon. So, if we are serving mammon to such a great extent, it’s obvious that God will be left far behind, in the lurch, in the dust. And where does that leave us eh friends? In a tough situation. But, as strong and confident Christians, ambassadors of Christ, we will not give up, but keep fighting to get others to come to Jesus, by living godly and righteous lives, and letting His awesome light shine through us, as we cover the earth with His salt. (smile)
For isn’t that how He referred to us? ‘Ye are the salt of the earth… Ye are the light of the world… Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:13a, 14a, 16) And that takes us right back to what we said at the beginning; ours is just to receive Christ and do the Father’s bidding. But unfortunately, we are not doing that as much as we ought to, and that’s why the enemy is in ascendance right now in the world; why the LOVE for money, power and material possessions is so great, and the desire for the things of God way down on the totem pole.
However, today is as good a day as any other to take the bull by the horns and begin to turn things around. And prayer is where we begin; it’s always the place to start. So, let’s go confidently to the throne of grace for help, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, in this our desperate time of need. Altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world.
We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And please remember my fellow saints, that the answers to our prayer all hinge on our sincerity, humility, repentance and truly seeking God’s face. Much LOVE!
…it’s much wiser to store treasure in heaven…where it cannot rot or be stolen…than down here on earth…where it rots and is continually stolen…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
13 Sep 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a merciful forgiving gracious God, a more fruitful way to live is alongside others, a threefold cord is not quickly broken, bereave my soul of good, crosswalk.com website, divine help, faithfully promised to hear our prayers, for whom do I labour, forgive us and heal our land, good relationship with God and man, he hath not another to help him up, how can one be warm alone, humble servants, I saw vanity under the sun, if two lie together they have heat, it is a sore travail, it's all about unity, Jehovah Rapha, life's difficult pathway, LOVE, mass confusion, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, no man is an island, seriously disobeyed your word, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, strong faith in Christ, Tamara Chamberlain, the God who heals, the one will lift up his fellow, the truth is the truth, they have a good reward for their labour, turn from our evil ways, two are better than one, two heads are better than one, unity between man and man and God, walk in unity, we have all sinned, wise guidance and direction, woe to his that is alone when he falleth
Ecclesiastes 4:9. Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.
Come down Monday, come on down! Let us walk in unity along life’s convoluted and ofttimes difficult pathway. For only together can we be victorious. Alone we will most surely be defeated. That’s why the wise author of Ecclesiastes, who simply refers to himself as the Preacher, but whom most scholars believe is Cousin Sol, tells us about two being better than one, and three, an even stronger cord.
Listen to these words of everlasting wisdom. ‘Then I returned, and I saw vanity (futility) under the sun. There is one alone, and there is not a second (a companion); yea, he hath neither child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his labour; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither saith he. For whom do I labour, and bereave (deprive) my soul of good? This is also vanity (futility), yea, it is a sore travail (grievous toil).’ (Eccl. 4:7-8) And is that ever the gospel truth! It is a useless, futile task when you are labouring by yourself for only yourself!
However, the Preacher wisely continues: ‘Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow (companion): but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.’ (Eccl. 4:9-10) Now that’s not rocket science friends, but mere common sense; two people working and walking in harmony and unity are always better than one, because each can help the other when they fall, either literally or figuratively.
But when you’re on your lonesome, it’s often impossible to get up if you fall. Just goes to show that we all need help to live this simple, yet complicated life. As the wisdom of the world says; no man is an island, he can’t do it all himself. But the preacher is not done yet. (smile) He maintains his claim of togetherness being oh so important: ‘Again if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone?’ (Eccl. 4:11) Now that’s a very good question. And if anyone can answer it, please let me know. (smile)
Meanwhile, the Preacher is just warming up to his argument: ‘And if one prevail against him (though one may be overpowered by another), two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.’ (Eccl. 4:12). Mama Mia! What incredible words of wisdom! So life is not completely useless, futile or meaningless after all! That is, if you are in worthwhile company.
As the scholars explain: ‘4:7-12. The toil of the miser is futile, especially when he toils only for himself. On the other hand, two are better than one because they have a good return (vs. 9); they can help each other (vs. 10); they can provide mutual warmth (vs. 11); and they double their strength (or triple it, as in the case of three friends (vs. 12).’
Now, here are some interesting insights on the subject from commentator Tamara Chamberlain, found on the crosswalk.com website. She says: ‘One of the unique things about Ecclesiastes is that its wisdom is beneficial regardless of your belief in God. The wisdom shown in these four verses can be agreed with, even if you don’t consider yourself a follower of Jesus. There are many other non-Christian proverbs that support the wisdom stated in these verses. Proverbs like, “two heads are better than one” or “no man is an island.”
The writer of Ecclesiastes penned these truths thousands of years before the similar proverbs we commonly know today. It truly is amazing to see the way the truths revealed in Scripture are not only true because we find them in the Bible, but because the truth is the truth… The principle of two being better than one can be applied to any partnership or aspect of life. To be alone isn’t necessarily seen as negative, but when you add another person to your life the situation is usually better. One of the keywords in these verses is “better.” The writer is stating that a better way, a more fruitful way to live life is alongside other people…
The statement of two being better than one is true in many different life circumstances all across time… From the very beginning, God created us to be in relationship with others. Not only are we to live in relationship with other people but with God as well. The image is explained in Ecclesiastes 4:12) “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” The three-strand cord is understood to be unity between yourself, God, and another person.’
Yes friends, it’s all about unity…with God and with each other! And that’s what our world, our church and our lives are sadly lacking in these turbulent and ever so dangerous times. And the only way to fix it is by sincerely attempting to grow that unity between you, me, and God again. And we can begin to close that needless and foolish rift, right now, by coming together and raising up our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to Almighty God, and acknowledging His sovereignty over the universe.
So as one sincere voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And as always, the answers to our prayers will be determined by the way we keep the promises we make to Almighty God! Much LOVE!
…it’s only in good relationship with God and man…can our earthly purpose be truly fulfilled…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
06 Sep 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: alleviate our problems, awesome grace and mercy, cast into the lake of fire, earth's treasures are temporary, eat your flesh as it were fire, eternal separation from God, Everything is grace, fall on deaf ears, for where your treasure is, forgive us and heal our land, from everlasting to everlasting, go to ye rich men, God's unmerited favour, grace and peace be multiplied unto you, heaped treasure together for the last days, hear our prayer, heaven's treasures are eternal, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ - the only way to the Father, keep our promises, lay not up for yourselves, lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, LOVE, mass confusion, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, on the cross of Calvary, rewards for faithful service, sacrificed His sinless life, Saint Therese of Lisieux, Satan, shall be a witness against you, sincere belief in the Son of God, sincere repentance, the breath of life, the fiery halls of hell, the God who heals, the rust of them, the Sermon on the Mount, the vicissitudes of life, there will your heart be also, thieves break through and steal, through the knowledge of God, to pay our sin debt in full, treasures upon earth, turn from our evil ways, two precious commodities, weep and howl, where moth and rust doth corrupt, wise guidance and direction, your garments are moth-eaten, your gold and silver is cankered, your miseries that will come upon you, your riches are corrupted
Matthew 6:21. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Oh my fellow saints in Christ, on this Labour Day Monday, may ‘Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord (and Saviour).’ (2 Pet. 1:2) Yes friends, we do need a lot of grace and peace in these trying times, times when everyone seems to be angry, displeased and dissatisfied over some thing or the other. And the only way to get those two precious commodities is through sincere belief in the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who sacrificed His sinless life on the cross of Calvary to pay our sin debt in full!
All praise and glory be to that wonderful Saviour of ours! He’s promised that despite our circumstances, if we believe in Him, the Father will grant us His divine grace, and thus peace, through all the vicissitudes of life. And let’s remember that it’s by God’s divine grace that we are saved, through faith; and that not of ourselves; it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast.’ (Eph. 2:8-9) Or as Saint Therese of Lisieux so wisely put it a while back: ‘Everything is grace!’
And it certainly is friends, for all that we are and do, all that we have and will ever have, from the breath of life flowing through our bodies, to the eternal life we receive through believing in Christ, is based on the divine grace of our heavenly Father. That’s God’s unmerited favour, that nothing we can ever do will be good enough to deserve it. And all God’s people gave a loud and grateful shout of ‘Thank You Lord for Your awesome gift of grace!’
Sadly though, too many of the earth’s inhabitants don’t know of Jehovah God and His wonderful goodness to the children of men. And even worse yet, too many of those who do know of Him, refuse to accept that divine grace He offers, through faith in His Son Jesus Christ. Now that’s to their detriment, for it will only lead to eternal separation from God, which is the worst thing that can ever happen to a human soul.
Oh my people, how many times do I have to reiterate that eh, before you all believe me? Eternal separation from God means not being in heaven with Him till eternity, but with Satan, the Devil, Beelzebub, or whatever name you choose to call him, facing damnation in the fiery halls of hell, and eventually being cast into the lake of fire with all the other unbelievers. Now tell me, are the sinful pleasures of this world truly worth such a terrible end? I don’t think so friends. And if you stop for a moment and really consider the situation, you will also realize that the pleasures of this world are not worth such a disastrous end, and can never be better than those found in heaven.
That’s why in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus adamantly warned: ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ (Matt. 6:19-21)
And we all know that’s the gospel truth friends, for wherever we store whatever we treasure, we will always be thinking of and contemplating on it. So, it’s much better if we store up treasure in heaven, that is, rewards for faithful service, where moth and rust nor any negative thing can destroy them, than store up earthly stuff, that’s useful today and old and rusty or stolen tomorrow. Yes my brethren, earthly things don’t last. Just look at any junkyard nuh. Everything in there was once brand new, shiny and useful, but like the shine on all earthly things it soon wore off and they became old and rusty, of no further use to anyone.
And to further illuminate us, please listen to the warning James gave to the rich, those who stored up earthly treasures. ‘Go to ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted (have rotted), and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered (corroded); and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.’ (James 5:1-3)
Sadly my brethren, that same earthly treasure that the rich have laid up for their retirement, is what the Lord will use against them in the last days, for a lot of it was treacherously and deceitfully gained; robbing the poor and not paying the labourer a fair wage. That’s the basic story friends; don’t store up too much useless earthly stuff, which you will die and leave here anyway. But try and store up as many rewards for faithful service as you can in heaven, where you will eventually go and enjoy them – providing you accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, because He is the ONLY Way to the Father in heaven!
Now, let’s talk to the Father, pour out our troubles and problems to Him, the ONLY One who can help us to put a lasting fix on them. So as one strong voice, let’s invoke our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Now let’s remember that all our prayers will fall on deaf ears, if we don’t keep the promises we just made. Much LOVE!
…earth’s treasures are temporary…short lived…but heaven’s treasures are eternal…run from everlasting to everlasting…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
30 Aug 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: an immense shower of love, and now abideth faith hope love, beareth all things, believeth all things, But God commendeth his love toward us, Christ died for us, doth not behave itself unseemly, endureth all things, envieth not, forgive us and heal our land, hatred stirreth up strifes, hear our prayer, hopeth all things, humble servants, Jehovah Rapha, learn to enjoy, let us love one another, LOVE, Love - the great mover and shaker, love covereth all sins, LOVE is of God, Love never fails, love suffereth long, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, negative producing emotions, sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins, sincere repentance, steal the joy and peace of Jesus, the God who heals, the greatest of these is love, the penultimate day, turn from our evil ways, while we were yet sinners, wise guidance and direction
Proverbs 10:12. Hatred stirreth up strifes: but LOVE covereth all sins.
Here comes Monday, here comes Monday, ringing in the penultimate day of August! And with the end of August, our summer weather will soon fizzle out to nothing. But be it hot, cold, or in between, I believe the important thing is for us to learn to enjoy whatever kind of weather we may experience, once it means that we are still alive, and still enjoying the wonderful life that Jesus died for us to have!
And please note that I said, ‘learn to enjoy,’ for that kind of thing does not come naturally. We have to make a conscious decision to not let it steal the joy and peace we find in Jesus, who is our strength, and enables us to overcome every circumstance that comes against us. And with the sad and angry state of the world, I believe today is a rather appropriate time to consider these wise words of Cousin Sol: ‘Hatred stirreth up strifes: but LOVE covereth all sins.’ (Prov. 10:12)
Oh my people, I doubt that there’s ever been a time in our world when we have needed LOVE more desperately than right now! The anger, greed, jealousy, resentment, hatred and all the other negative producing emotions are currently at an all-time high. And only an immense shower of LOVE will, or can stop it from further destroying our world. That’s because LOVE is the greatest attribute of our great God Jehovah; the attribute that caused Him to send His Son Jesus to earth to die for our sins.
As the Good Book so truthfully recounts: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8) And it is ONLY LOVE that will keep us from doing further damage to our world and to each other. Why is that you ask? Because LOVE is the perfect antidote for all negative emotions and reactions! So let’s see what the scriptures have to tell us about that marvellous thing called LOVE nuh.
Bruh Paul puts it this way to the church at Corinth in what we refer to as the LOVE Chapter: ‘Charity (LOVE) suffereth long, and is kind…envieth not…vaunteth not (does not brag on) itself…is not puffed up (arrogant), Doth not behave itself unseemly (rudely), seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil (keeps no counts of evil); Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things…never faileth.’ (1 Cor. 13:4-8)
Oh my, my…LOVE is certainly the great mover and shaker! That’s why Peter could confidently declare to the church: ‘And above all things have fervent charity (LOVE) among yourselves: for charity (LOVE) shall cover a multitude of sins.’ (1 Pet. 4:8) And that’s the gospel truth friends; if we have sincere LOVE for each other, it will clean up so many of our wrongful thoughts and actions.
And we can never talk about LOVE in the scriptures and leave out these immortal words of John from his first epistle. ‘Beloved, let us LOVE one another; for LOVE is of God; and every one that LOVETH is born of God, and knoweth God. He that LOVETH not knoweth not God; for God is LOVE. In this was manifested the LOVE of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so LOVED us, we ought also to LOVE one another.’ (1 John 4:7-11)
Matter fix friends! Story done! (smile) So all that’s left for us to do now is to inculcate that godly attribute of LOVE into our daily lives, so that we can lessen the hatred and strife that’s engulfing our world. And yes, I know that’s sometimes difficult to do, but again, if we truly have Jesus in our hearts, and we seriously desire to live for Him, then, as we said earlier on, we can do whatever we need to do, through His awesome strength and power. And we can begin right now by going to Him in prayer and laying all of our problems before Him, asking for His divine help.
So as one strong voice, let’s offer up our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to heaven nuh. ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Now friends, please remember that the Lord’s answer will pivot entirely on our keeping those promises we’ve just made. Much LOVE!
…and now abideth faith, hope, LOVE…these three…but the greatest of these is…LOVE… (1 Cor. 13:13)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
20 Aug 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a city set on a hill cannot be hid, bring backsliders back to your fold, but to be cast out trodden underfoot of men, Christ's ambassadors, Christians, Christians have lost our salty flavour, confusion and havoc of Covid 19, curdle the nourishing mile of Jesus in us, earthly agents, Friday chant, get up on our high horses, glorify your father in heaven, going to hell in a hand-basket, good for nothing, he who has ears to hear let him hear, if the salt has lost it s flavour, introduce a new flock, lack of diligence, Let your light so shine before men, men light a and put it under a bushel, not walk the walk, omnipotent help, pleading for forgiveness, sincere repentance, spouting lies and disinformation, talk a good talk, Thank the Lord for Jesus and the Holy Spirit, the status quo, they may see your good works, unrest in the streets, wake up and smell the coffee, what politicians want politicians get, wherewith shall it be salted, Ye are the light of the world, ye are the salt of the earth
Matthew 5:13a, 14a. Ye are the salt of the earth: Ye are the light of the world.
So what’s up this glorious Friday morning in this confusing and anxious summer of 2021 eh friends? With worldwide sickness, strife and turmoil galloping around the planet, I do hope that we are not allowing all that negative stuff to get to us … well not too much, because we are only human and such mind-blowing things will undoubtedly have some negative effect. And then, on top of all that turbulent stuff, here in our fine land of Canada, we now have a Federal Election to look forward to next month, despite it not being officially due for at least another year.
Ah Lord eh! And it seems no one wants an election during the pandemic…that is, except the politicians. Notwithstanding, that the status quo of a minority government seems to have worked quite well during the height of the pandemic. But yuh know, what politicians want, they usually get! And can you imagine all the unnecessary headache we will have to go through to make the elections seem safe and fair.
Thank the Lord though that we don’t have politicians as ignorant and evil as some of those down in the U.S, who insist on spouting lies and disinformation with absolutely no proof to back it up! Thank the Lord for Jesus Christ too, and the Holy Spirit, who give us the wherewithal to handle all these things in a sensible and safe manner! What would we do without our great God Jehovah eh? Just continue going to hell in a handbasket!
Unfortunately though, a lot of people still don’t know Him, and if they do, don’t believe in Him. How sad… For He is the Creator of the universe, and also the Protector and Provider. But if you don’t go to Him and ask for His protection and provision, how will you get it eh? You won’t! But truthfully, some of that blame for so many not knowing and accepting Christ as Lord and Saviour falls squarely on the shoulders of us, His ambassadors, His earthly agents, generally known as Christians.
Why you ask? Because we have not been doing a good enough job to make others want what we have. In other words, we have not been good enough examples of Christ’s wonderful promises and lifestyle to a lost and broken world, living in sin and evil darkness. Yes friends, it boils down to our lack of diligence in doing God’s work. And how is that you again ask?
Listen to these fateful words of Christ to all who choose to follow Him. ‘Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour (flavour), wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.’ (Matt. 5:13) And sorrowfully, I am here to tell us this morning my fellow believers that we Christians, the church of Christ, have indeed lost our salty flavour, through inattention, even disobedience to God’s Word, and following the ways of the evil world too much, seeking too much material possessions and earthly power.
Yes friends, instead of being in the world, but not a part of the world, we have become just like the world, allowing, fear, anxiety, laziness and a lack of enthusiasm to curdle the warm and nourishing milk of Christ that supposedly dwells within us. Therefore, if we are just like the world, it means we can no longer stand up before the world and make a difference. And that’s certainly heartbreaking to Christ!
And Jesus also describes us thus: ‘Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle (a lamp), and put it under a bushel (basket), but on a candlestick (lampstand); and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:14-16) There you have it friends; the command to be shining lights to this dark and evil world!
And as the scholars tell us: ‘5:14-16. Ye are the light of the world describes the essential mission of the Christian to the world. He is the condition (salt) to meet the world’s needs and has a mission (light) to the world. His light is to clearly shine forth into the darkness of human depravity. He is to set his light upon a candlestick, not hide it under a bushel, that is, a basket. Darkness is the absence of light, and darkness alone cannot dispel the light, but the smallest light can dispel the greatest darkness.’
However my fellow saints in Christ, we have unfortunately not been adding salt to the wounds of the world, thus not providing healing nor adding flavour to it. And neither have we been a dazzling light in the darkness of this dark and evil world. We have either been hiding our light under a bushel, through fear and anxiety, or worse yet, been joining the world in its dark and evil deeds. Both situations are highly unsatisfactory my people! But then to further muddy the waters, we get up on our high horses and talk a very good talk, but refuse to walk the walk the talk entails.
Ah friends, to say the least, Christ is very disappointed in us, because if we had put our best foot forward and served Him faithfully, no way would the world be in such an ungodly and sinful state of turmoil that it’s currently in today. But it’s not too late to try and rectify the situation, but we have to begin by going back to God in serious prayer, offering sincere repentance, and pleading for forgiveness. And there’s no better time than right now to do that through our Friday Chant.
Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means we desperately need your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets.
So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks. And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways.
And please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And, as with all prayers my people, if we don’t keep the promises we make, we won’t get positive answers. Nuff said! Much LOVE!
…he who has ears to hear…let him hear…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
16 Aug 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a merciful forgiving gracious God, divine help, Dr. Charles Stanley, God cannot lie, God is not man that he should lie, God is truth, grab the baton, hath he spoken and shall he not make it good, humble servants, I am the Lord I change not, I know the thoughts that I think toward you, Jehovah Rapha, keeping our promises, leave all the consequences to Him, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, neither the son of man that he should repent, obey God, right motives of our hearts, show this evil world, sincere repentance, stubborn and unrepentant heart, take the bull by the horns, the God who heals, the Immutability of God, them's the breaks, thoughts of peace and not of evil, thy hardness and impenitent heart, to give you an expected end, turn from our evil ways, wise guidance and direction, ye sons of Jacob
Numbers 23:19a. God is not man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent:
These weeks passing too quickly for me yes friends! We are already into the middle of August, and we just finish celebrating the 1st of August long holiday weekend. (smile) That means fall, or autumn is just around the corner. But them’s the breaks, time waits on no one, and we must therefore conclude that this Monday in the middle of August is another excellent opportunity for us to take the bull by the horns, grab the baton and run with it, put into motion, the amazing plan that our wonderful God has designed for us from time everlasting!
And yes, we have used a lot of clichés back there, but yuh know what, things become clichés because they are either the truth, or help us to understand the truth better. And the greatest truth in this universe is the Word of God found in His holy book, the Bible, our blueprint, our guide, our map for earthly living! So when we read in it, things like: ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer. 29:11)
We know, we are totally assured that we are hearing the honest to goodness truth., because it comes from the Word of our God. Our Creator has good plans for each one of us, plans He created us to fulfill. And you are even further empowered to believe His Word, when it says: ‘God is not man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?’ (Num. 23:19)
What a confidence builder that verse is my brethren! Our God has no need to lie, because He is omnipotent, possesses the power and the ability to do whatever He says He is going to do! As Jesus said to His disciples, talking about a camel passing through the eye of a needle: ‘With men, this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.’ (Matt. 19:26) And we need to remember that most salient fact my people. Nothing is too big or too small for our God to do! He can do anything and everything! Therefore, there’s no situation He cannot put us into or take us out of.
But I want to go back to that verse from Numbers about God not lying, because the scholars offer an interesting explanation of it. ‘23:19. The immutability (unchangeability) of God is stated. The word repent is parallel to lie and is coloured in tone by this very association. Here His repenting is related to falsehood. The concept of the truth of Yahweh is related to immutability (His unchanging nature). Since God is truth, He does not lie; in fact, He cannot lie: He is unchanging. God is utterly different from man. Something that comes far too easily for many men is impossible for Almighty God. He cannot lie (cf. Is. 31:2; 51:6,8; Jer. 4:28; Mal. 3:6).’
Oh friends, those are some good verses for you to look up, I just did, and they are all interesting, revolving around the Lord’s unchanging nature and the keeping of His word. But I will only spoon feed us the last one from Malachi, (smile) which we all ought to know anyway. ‘For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.’ (Mal. 3:6) And we better had be thankful for that yes my people, because just like the Lord’s mercy and LOVE are overwhelming, so is His wrath, and you definitely don’t want to feel it.
And His wrath is not just vengeful anger, but as Romans 2:5-6 says: ‘But after thy hardness (stubborn) and impenitent (unrepentant) heart treasurest up (stores up) unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement of God (when His righteous judgement will be revealed); Who will render to every man according to his deeds.’ (Rom. 2:5-6)
So wrath is basically God’s justice for disobedience and thus rounds out His basic attributes of Mercy, LOVE and Justice, or as one commentator asserts: ‘A God who didn’t have wrath towards sin would not be a God of LOVE, because how could a God of LOVE allow sin to go unpunished?’ Good question that my people. And believe me, it will not! However, our ever-LOVING God, has also ‘provided a way of redemption; faith in the atoning blood of his Son.’
Anyway, it’s the start of our work week and many of us have fears, anxieties and concerns, re the state of our lives and our world, weighing heavily on our souls and spirits, so let’s take this opportunity to carry them to the throne of grace in prayer nuh. As one strong, confident but humble voice, let’s declare our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And as always, the answer to our prayers depends on keeping our promises and the right motives of our hearts. Much LOVE!
…obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him… (Dr. Charles Stanley)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
09 Aug 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a kingdom that all people nations and languages, all power is given unto me in heaven and earth, before they spring forth, bursting with faith and confidence, chocked full of truth, divine help, go ye therefore and teach all nations, I tell you of them, Jehovah Rapha, LOVE, mass confusion, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, negative situations, seek your face, sharing Jesus, sincere repentance, the Ancient of days, the Bible - the best selling book ever, the God who heals, the Great Commission, the second coming of Christ, the Son of man, the triumphant living Lord, there was given him dominion and glory, turning from our evil ways, you are a merciful forgiving and gracious God
Daniel 7:14a. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom that all people (peoples), nations, and languages, should serve him:
Time to get a move on friends, that important but much disliked day called Monday is here! And why is it important, you sneer? Because it is the first day of the work week, and the first day after our Sunday worship, when our hearts are still bursting with faith and confidence, that we have a chance to share Jesus with a wide body of people, out there in the working world. And sharing Jesus is one of the most important of our duties as Christians, and earthly ambassadors for Jesus.
Remember some of His last words to the disciples: `All power (authority) is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:18-20) We call those instructions the Great Commission, which means we’ve been entrusted with a big job.
Hear how the scholars explain it nuh. ‘The triumphant, living Lord sends forth His ambassadors to proclaim His gospel throughout all the world. The Great Commission is not just an order but a pronouncement of victory (mundus regium Christi) by the risen Saviour through His disciples. All power or authority is now in the hands of Christ, in heaven and on the earth. On the basis of that authority and power the Christian disciple is to carry out the Great Commission of the church.’
And that’s why we are to be up and about our Father’s business this Monday morning! No slouching, laziness or procrastination, for with each passing minute, the time of Christ’s return is getting shorter, and there’s much to be done before He comes back. Now here is an interesting instance when we can determine the authenticity and magnificence of God’s Word as being all from the same source and is like a single thread woven through a whole blanket. We are talking about one of the visions of the four beasts that the prophet Daniel saw in Babylon, centuries before Jesus came.
He says: ‘I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom that all people (peoples), nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.’ (Dan. 7:13-14)
Yes mih bredrin, the Word might have been written by different people, but it is still one cohesive document, because its basic source was the same throughout, the Lord God Jehovah. And thus, we can see how things were prophesied long before they even took place. As the Lord so rightly says about the coming of Christ, through the prophet Isaiah: ‘Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth, I tell you of them.’ (Is. 42:9) Oh, what a mighty God is our God!
But turning back to those two verses from Daniel, here are some explanations from the scholars. ‘7:13. The Son of man who came to the Ancient of days is the Son of God approaching God the Father. Evidently, Jesus took the title ‘Son of man,’ which was His favourite way of referring to Himself in the Gospels, from this passage.’ ‘7:14. The commencement of Christ’s everlasting dominion will take place at His second coming (cf. Matt. 24:30; 25:31; Rev. 11:15).’
Now hear how Jesus Himself describes the coming of the Son of man, that Second Coming. ‘Immediately after the tribulation of those days, shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect (chosen ones) from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.’ (Matt. 24:29-31)
And the scholars tell us: ‘24:29-31. The reference to the events immediately after the tribulation, such as the sun being darkened and the stars falling, refer to the cataclysmic events that will accompany Christ’s millennial kingdom on earth.’ Yes friends, it definitely won’t be a nice time to be without Christ as your Lord and Saviour. And the problem there is that things can get moving at any time. And as Jesus later says: ‘But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.’ (Matt. 24:36) So we just have to be prepared from now, for whenever that fateful day comes.
And if we are serious about the whole thing, it means we have to get in God’s good graces asap, and stay in them too. And the best way to begin that process is by going to Him in prayer, the method He devised for communication between Him and us. Let’s therefore offer up our Monday Morning Battle Hymn which tells the tale of our troubled world.
All together now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And what the Lord’s looking for from us now is sincere repentance and a turning from our evil ways. All our hopes and dreams are now in our hands my people! Much LOVE!
…the Bible is the best-selling book ever, for a reason…it is chocked full of the truth…God’s Word…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
02 Aug 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: answer our prayers, as for me and my house, divin help, fear the Lord, forgive us, forsake the Lord to serve other God, God forbid, heal our land, humble servants, I will behave myself wisely, incline your heart unto the Lord God of Israel, Jehovah Rapha, LOVE, Monday merry go round, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, prisoners of hope, put away the strange God which are among you, serve Him in sincerity and truth, set no wicked thing before mine eyes, sincere repentance, the God who heals, the other side of the flood, time to put up or shut up, unfamiliar weather patterns, we will serve the Lord
Joshua 24:15d. but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Well, the Monday merry go round is up and running again. But fortunately, for many of us, it’s not a day of work, but one of leisure, as we are celebrating the Civic Holiday of the first Monday in August. And come to think of it, are we really talking about August? You know what that means?
That summer will soon be over, if you can call the cool and inclement weather we have had so far summer. Yes, for right after Labour Day in early September, the real cool weather begins in earnest. Let’s hope though, that the strange, unfamiliar weather patterns which prevented us from having a hot June or July, will turn around and give us a hot September. That’s why we are called prisoners of hope. (smile)
And I was just guided to an interesting bit of scripture which is ever so appropriate for our current times of upheaval and despair. It’s taken from Joshua’s farewell address to the children of Israel. He says to them: ‘Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood (the Euphrates river), and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.’ (Josh. 24:14)
The only difference between then and now friends, is that our immediate forefathers served the One and Only True Living God Jehovah, much more than we are doing. We are the ones who are serving the numerous false gods of lusts, carnality, greed, pride, selfishness, hate and all the other negative things with which our lives are filled. And from the turbulent, unsettled state of our world, it’s very plain to see that those false gods are not helping but dragging us further down, every day, into the mire of hellfire and damnation.
So what’s it to be eh my brethren? As Joshua continued: ‘And if it seems evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve, whether the gods which your fathers serve that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.’ (Josh. 24:15)
Yes friends, we all have a decision to make in these last days about whom we will serve. And we need to make it quickly too, either before we die, or before Jesus returns, for after either situation occurs, all bets are off. Our answer should be like the people to Joshua: ‘God forbid that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods.’ (Josh. 24:16)
I have already made the decision that my house and I will serve the Lord God Jehovah. And every day, I ask the Lord to not let it turn out to be a lie, by doing whatever it takes to keep my family and I in His wonderful fold. And I know that many of you have already decided to uncompromisingly serve the Lord God Jehovah. But unfortunately, it is a fact that too many people are still not convinced that serving the Lord is the right way to go and keep believing and wallowing in the lies and deceits of the evil enemy.
Oh my people, we need to have them do like Joshua directed the people back then. ‘Now therefore put away the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the Lord God of Israel.’ (Josh. 24:23) And the only way for us to convince them to do that, is by living a life that exemplifies the holiness, grace, and mercy of God.
As Bruh David said in Psalm 101 – A commitment to holy living. ‘I will sing of the mercy (LOVING-kindness) and judgement (justice): unto thee, O Lord, will I sing (I will sing praises). I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect (blameless) heart.
I will set no wicked (worthless) thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave (cling) to me. A froward (perverse) heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person (wickedness). Whoso privily (secretly) slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off (destroy). Him that hath a high look and a proud heart will I not suffer (endure).’ (Ps. 101:1-5)
Now my faithful brethren, those are some of the things we ought to set our minds on attaining. We won’t ever be perfect, but we can all be better than we currently are. So, let’s begin by going to the Lord in prayer, the most powerful tool in our arsenal, and asking for His divine help to bring our lives and those of the people around us under the covering of His safe and secure umbrella. As one strong, confident, but humble voice, let’s declare our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And lest we forget, our prayers will only be answered positively if the Lord finds sincere repentance in our hearts and sees us changing our evil ways. Much LOVE!
…it’s time for us to put up…or shut up…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
19 Jul 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a matter of perception, alleviate our problems, answer our prayers, based on adherence to God's revealed will, disobeyed God's word, exercise thyself rather unto godliness, for therein do I delight, forgive us and heal our land, give me understanding, God's will, hear our prayer, humility, I shall keep thy law, Incline mine heart unto thy testimonies, Jehovah Rapha, life and strong faith in Christ, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, morality, not to covetousness, our heart's desire, physical exercise has limited value, positive answers to prayer, refuse profane and old wives fables, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, spiritual exercise has unlimited value, teach me the way of thy statutes, the God who heals, the people perish, the Sermon on the Mount, the Supreme Being, weekly cycle of work, where there is no visioin, wise guidance and direction
Proverbs 29:18. ‘Where there is no (prophetic) vision, the people perish (cast off restraint): but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.’
And before you know it, the weekend is done, and the weekly cycle of work has begun again! Yeh friends, the weekend seems to pass so quickly, while the workweek seems to take forever. But you know, that’s only a matter of our perception, for all the days are the same in length and are controlled by the same mechanism. And we just think that what we like passes quickly, and what we don’t like lasts an interminably long time.
But never fear, for there is method to the Lord’s madness. He is the Supreme Being and knows what He’s doing. He set up His universe the way He thought best, so who are we, a mere creation, to doubt, or find fault with His decision making eh, just because it’s somewhat tough on our mortal bodies? (smile)
And there is only one way to overcome that, by asking the Lord for understanding, as set out in Psalm 119. ‘Teach me O Lord, the way of thy statutes (unchangeable regulations); and I shall keep it unto the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law (Word); yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.’ (Ps. 119:33-34) Yeh friends, when we have pliable or teachable hearts and go to the Lord sincerely seeking understanding, He will gladly give it to us.
But we have to get the ball rolling by going to Him, we can’t wait for Him to come to us. His will must be our heart’s desire, so that we can truthfully declare: ‘Make me to go in the path of thy commandments (directives, charge); for therein I do delight.’ (Ps. 119:35) And that’s no joking matter my brethren, because the Lord takes His commandments very seriously, so you can’t tell Him that unless you truly mean it, just to try and appease Him. He will not fall for it, because He checks the motives of our hearts for every word we say to Him.
So, unless you are serious about all this stuff, please don’t go asking for it. But if you are, the Lord will be overjoyed for you to say to Him: ‘Incline my heart unto (cause me to long for) thy testimonies (what You have said about Yourself and Your will), and not to covetousness. Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity (looking at worthless things); and quicken (revive) thou me in thy way. Stablish (establish) thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy fear (fearing thee). Turn away my reproach which I fear: for thy judgements (decisions) are good. Behold, I have longed after thy precepts (instructions): quicken (revive) me in thy righteousness.’ (Ps. 119:37-40)
Oh my people, we can never go wrong by seeking God and all that He has to offer. Remember Jesus’ fateful words of warning from the Sermon on the Mount, re serving one master and running down earthly stuff: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33) Yes my fellow believers, our number one priority ought to be seeking God and His righteousness, and then all the other stuff we need will be given to us by Him.
And on that subject, please remember Bruh Paul’s directive to Timothy. ‘But refuse (reject) profane and old wives’ fables (because they promote ungodliness) and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.’ (1 Tim. 4:7-8) And the scholars paraphrase that last verse thus: ‘For physical exercise is of limited value, but godliness, the result of spiritual exercise, has unlimited value, since it brings blessings for both now and eternity.’
Matter fixed friends! We need more spiritual exercise than we do physical, but unfortunately, the gyms, with their tough workout routines are enticing many more people than the churches in these godless times. Meaning that spiritual exercise seems to be taking a back seat to the physical aspect. Consequently, that doesn’t bode well for our society, for a society that rejects God will always suffer serious consequences. Like Cousin Sol says: ‘Where there is no (prophetic) vision, the people perish (cast off restraint): but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.’ (Prov. 29:18)
That means when you don’t have God’s direction, divine revelation in a society, there are no restraints, and people do whatever they want, like in our current world. The scholars tell us that ‘Morality is based on adherence to God’s revealed will.’ And it obviously hasn’t been revealed to us because we are a very immoral society.
But it’s not too late to get some divine revelation friends, however, as we said above, the onus is on us to get the ball rolling by going to God for direction. So let’s do that right now nuh, go to Him in prayer, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, laying out all our problems, fears and doubts before Him, asking for divine wisdom and guidance.
Altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Now, remember that humility and sincerity are essential for positive answers to prayer. So, let’s hope that we were sincere and humble. Much LOVE!
…only through seeking God’s kingdom…and its righteousness…will mankind see heaven…and not hell…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
12 Jul 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a merciful forgiving gracious God, abide in me and I in you, according to the riches of his glory, Christ as the catalyst and moving agent, Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, divine help, except it abide in the vine, forgive us and heal our land, give us wise guidance, humble servants, Jehovah Rapha, LOVE, mass confusion, more than we can ask or imagine, promised to hear and answer our prayers, right motives of our hearts, rooted and grounded in love, seek your face, sincere repentance, stay strong in Christ, the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, the Christian can conquer sin, the God who heals, the successful Christian life, the union with Christ, the uniqueness of the Christian experience, to do exceedingly abundantly, unto him that is able to do, we can do anything through Jesus, without me ye can do nothing
John 15:5b. …for without me ye can do nothing.
Don’t look now friends, but it’s that big day, Monday, the first day of the new work week! (smile) And since some of those pandemic restrictions have been lifted, I guess more of us will be going back out to work today – some joyfully, others sadly, as their extended holiday is over. But let’s remember that whatever the circumstances, we can handle them successfully if we have the Holy Spirt of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ dwelling within us. That’s one of the many differences and improvements between believers and the infidel; with Jesus, we can do any and everything, through Him who strengthens us. Give Him thanks and praise my people!
And how do we get and stay strong in Christ? Listen to His immortal words on the subject, to the disciples. ‘Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.’ (John 15:4) How sweet is that eh mih bredrin! That’s how we get and stay strong in Christ. And if you didn’t get it the first time, He goes on to further explain. ‘I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5)
Wow! How direct and to the point is Jesus eh! Unless we stick with Him, we cannot do anything! And that’s the gospel truth my people! It’s only with Christ as the catalyst and moving agent in our life that we are able to do anything truly worthwhile down here on planet earth.
And the scholars give us some useful info on that verse, re the Union with Christ.‘15:5. The uniqueness of the Christian experience results from the union of Christ and the believer. This is expressed in Scripture as Christ being in the believer and the believer in Christ. Ten times Paul uses the Greek preposition sun (“together”) to describe this relationship. Believers were crucified (Gal. 2:20), dead (Col. 2:20), buried (Rom. 6:4), quickened or made alive (Eph. 2:1-5; Col. 2:13), raised (Col. 3:1; Eph. 2:6), seated (Eph. 2:6), and glorified (Rom. 8:17) together with Christ.
Illustration: Jesus used the image of the vine and its branches to describe His union with the believer. Application: On the basis of this union, the apostle Paul showed how the successful Christian life can be opened with four key words in Romans 6: know (vs. 6), reckon (vs. 11), yield (vs. 13), and obey (vs. 17). The Christian can conquer sin because Christ lives in him (Gal. 2:20). (First Ref. John 7:37-38; Primary Ref. John 15:1-5; cf. 1 John 5:13).’
Well, there you have it friends, our Bible Study for today! (smile) Lots of Scriptures for us to look up. And please do look them up, for it will be to our benefit, as they will only enhance our knowledge and understanding of God’s Word. It’s all about inner growth or spiritual maturity my people. And that takes us to Bruh Paul’s prayer for just that in his missive to the church at Ephesus.
‘That He (Christ) would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye , being rooted and grounded in LOVE, May be able to comprehend (understand) with all saints what is the breadth (width), and length, and depth and height; And to know the LOVE of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.’ (Eph. 3:16-19)
Oh Mama, Mama! What a powerful prayer! And the scholars explain it all thus: ‘3:16-19. In these verses Paul makes three prayer requests for the addressees: (1) That they would be strengthened with might by His Spirit (vs. 16), that is, that they be divinely enabled to successfully live the Christian life. (2) That the readers be able to comprehend…the LOVE of Christ, that is to better understand the enormous LOVE Christ has for them. And (3) that they might be filled with all the fullness of God, that is, that the life, character, and virtues of God Himself may be fully developed in them.’
Now that does sound like a big programme for believers to undertake, but Bruh Paul knew what he was doing. Listen to how he ends that passage nuh. ‘Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.’ (Eph. 3:20-21) Yes friends, Bruh Paul was not making those prayer requests for too much, because he was asking the One who could do ever so much more than we can ask or think; that’s Almighty God.
So please don’t think that you can’t do anything because it’s too big for you. It might seem so, but it is definitely not too big for our God; the One who created us and still LOVES us dearly, despite all our faults and failures. That means we can go to Him right now with our problems and ask for His awesome help. So as one strong, confident, but humble voice, let’s offer up our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
But let me warn us, that we won’t get our desires unless we sincerely turn away from our evil ways and seek God with right motives in our hearts! Much LOVE!
…we can never sell God short…for He is bigger than anything we can ask or imagine…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
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