20 Jan 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Amazing grace, as long as life endures, be forever mine, being evil, best shotgun rider, British Slave Trade Act, brought me safe, celebrating, delivered me, driving to church, err, every good gift, fail, first fruits, flesh and heart, forbear to shine, give good gifts, give the Holy spirit, God Tube website, God's work, grace, grace will lead me home, gracious God, gratitude to God, his creatures, his word, how sweet the sound, humilation, immutable, Jesus Christ, John Newton, Lake Ontario, lashed to the helm, many dangers, merciful, mortal life cease, Mover, my hope secures, no variation, now I see, now I'm found, on the door of his heart, on the path of caution, once was lost, out of deep waters, plan for all creation, portion, praise and thanks, prayer, profligate sailor, promised good, property taxes, redemption, saved a wretch like me, Shaker, shield, shining as the sun, sing God's praise, slave trade, snares, snow, song of theology, stand in awe, ten thousand years, the Father of lights, the grace of God, the Lord knocked, the word of truth, to them that ask, toils, traumatic experience, unchanging, was blind, wicked life, within the veil, your heavenly Father
Luke 11:13. If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
Ah Friends, it’s still white and somewhat beautiful, but possibly even more dangerous, deceptive and slippery because it’s also deeper! Yeh, not a single snowplough nor sand truck has come by to work on my neighbourhood since the first snowfall on Friday, and it’s been snowing some everyday since! I wonder where the people whom we paid so much money a couple months ago to clean our drive way are eh?
And I’m sure the crooked councilors on the City Council are soon going to write me raising my property taxes, citing the increased cost of snow removal, when they’re removing less and less snow every year! Chuh! And the worst part of it all is that I’d planned to resume driving today, and celebrating by driving to church, planning to boast about how I had the best shotgun rider, Jesus Christ riding shotgun with me! (smile)
But the powers that be seem to have had other ideas. I don’t even know how deep the snow is in my driveway, and there aren’t even any tire tracks in the lane. Added to that, I’ve never driven this car in so much snow yet, because I only got it in the summer, so I don’t know exactly how it will react.
And I definitely don’t want to go out there and screw up my shoulder fighting with the steering and whatever else might happen. I even tried to contact my pastor to find out what was happening but could not get him either. So I decided to err on the path of caution, and stay home. So having said all of that to say nothing, (smile) let’s have church!
And today we’re going to be opening the celebrations with those wonderful words of John Newton that we all know and LOVE so much, ‘Amazing Grace.’ And as the GodTube website tells us: ‘This song isn’t a song of theology—it’s John Newton’s own heartfelt expression of gratitude to God, who helped him turn from his profane and wicked life and eventually fight against the ills he practiced. Later in life, Newton became a supporter and inspiration to William Wilberforce who lead the fight to pass the British Slave Trade Act in 1807, which abolished the slave trade in that empire.’
Ah my people, our great God works in such wonderful and miraculous ways, that if He could save a die-hard heathen like Newton, He can save any of us. So let’s sing those awesome words with true heartfelt gratitude, giving all praise and thanks to a most merciful and gracious God.
‘Amazing grace! How sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found; Was blind, but now I see. Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come; ’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home. The Lord has promised good to me, His Word my hope secures; He will my Shield and Portion be, As long as life endures.
Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail, And mortal life shall cease, I shall possess, within the veil, A life of joy and peace. The earth shall soon dissolve like snow, The sun forbear to shine; But God, who called me here below, Will be forever mine. When we’ve been there ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun, We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise Than when we’d first begun.’
Ah mih breddren, can you imagine those words being written by a drunken, profligate sailor involved in the slave trade eh? But the story goes that on March 21, 1748, Newton’s ship was being battered by a major storm and he was lashed to the helm to try and keep the ship on course. He was there from one o’clock till midnight.
That’s plenty time to think when one’s life seems to be slipping away. And apparently it was during that time the Lord knocked loudly on the door of his heart, and he never forgot it, writing: “On that day the Lord sent from on high and delivered me out of deep waters.”
How many of us has God delivered out of deep waters eh my people, and not necessarily deep waters literally, but figuratively? Oh people, I am one of those He delivered out of deep waters literally on Lake Ontario many years ago, and whenever I remember that traumatic experience I surely give Him thanks and praise.
And, “Many years later, as an old man, Newton wrote in his diary of March 21, 1805: “Not well able to write; but I endeavor to observe the return of this day with humiliation, prayer, and praise.” Only God’s amazing grace could and would take a rude, profane, slave-trading sailor and transform him into a child of God. Newton never ceased to stand in awe of God’s work in his life.”
And neither should we, my believing brethren. It’s also been said that Newton, though he realized the folly of his life, still felt that he was beyond saving, even if the Good Book was true; that is until he read the reassuring words of Jesus in our Bit. ‘If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?’
Now that’s a very good question my brethren! One we should truly ponder ourselves, like Newton apparently did. And while doing that, we should also consider these most appropriate verses from James. ‘Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness (variation), neither shadow of turning. Of his own will he begat us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.’ (James 1:17-18)
Yeh friends, God is the Creator of Everything, and Giver of ALL good things! He’s ONLY and ALWAYS GOOD! He ‘s immutable, DOESN’T change! And all those who have been redeemed are His firstfruits; the first step in His redemption plan for ALL creation!
So let’s consider all of that today nuh, and hope and pray and ask Him to help us come up higher in our faith walk and our undying LOVE for Him! That’s all we can do as mere mortals. But the right motives of our hearts do make a big difference with our heavenly Father! Much LOVE!
…the GRACE of God…the most powerful MOVER and SHAKER in His universe…
P.S. The quotes above come from the GodTube website and John Newton Discovered Amazing Grace @Christianity.com.
P.P.S. And would you believe, just as I’m about to send out the Bit, I hear them cleaning my drive way! Steups! Much LOVE!
16 Sep 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a steady heart, a steady walk, appropriate song, Azariah's warning, be wise, believer's needs, bound for hades, but thou art strong, captivity in Babylon, celebration, comfort, compassionately, crux of the matter, daily walk, daily walking, draw nigh to God, entreat our Lord, esteemed saint, eternal damnation, express awareness, falter, feeble life, fellow believers, generously, grace, grant it, guide me, he will draw nigh to you, hear his word, heaven gets together too, heed warnings, human inability, I am weak, in the mood, is my plea, is over, Jesus, just a closer walk with thee, keep me from all wrong, King Asa, let it be, lift our hands to heaven, Moses-like glow, my burden shares, my grace is sufficient, my power is made perfect in weakness, not by sight, not forsaken any who seek him, plugged nickel, pray unto me, raise the roof, reassuring, seek ye my face, sincerity, sing the Lord's praises, snares, soften our hard hearts, spirits renewed, strength, strengthening, succour, sweet voices, thanks and worship, the Holy Spirit, the house of God, then I am strong, to live righteously, we walk by faith, when I am weak, with all thy heart, with all thy soul, world of toil
James 4:8a. Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you.
Well it’s that special time again friends; time to visit the house of God and give Him thanks through sincere praise and worship, in the company of fellow believers. It’s always a great time, both here on earth and in heaven when believers get together to sing the Lord’s praises, hear His Word and have their spirits renewed and refreshed.
The celebration is remarkable, as all heaven gets together too, to watch and participate in their own way! And you know we always like to begin the proceedings with a song of praise to get us in the mood and soften up our hard hearts. Today’s song is the well-known hymn, ‘Just a closer walk with thee.’ It’s strange, but there doesn’t seem to be any agreement on who wrote the song or where it first originated.
But it’s a very appropriate song for believer’s needs, as one commentator says: ‘In this song, we acknowledge our human inability to live righteously, but we also express awareness of the grace and strength that God gives us in our daily walk. Even an esteemed saint as the apostle Paul acknowledged his need for this grace: “But he (God) said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness”…For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Cor.12:9a, 10b)
And is that ever so true, for without God’s grace and guidance our lives would not be worth even the proverbial ‘plugged nickel!’ So let’s open out hearts and mouths, and lift our hands and eyes to heaven and entreat our Lord and Saviour to generously and compassionately offer us a closer walk with Him, for without Him at our side we’re simply bound for Hades and eternal damnation.
Altogether now my people, let’s raise the roof of the sanctuary with our sweet voices, and let our prayerful requests rise to heaven in song. ‘I am weak, but Thou art strong, Jesus, keep me from all wrong; I’ll be satisfied as long As I walk, let me walk close to Thee. (Refrain: Just a closer walk with Thee, Grant it, Jesus, is my plea, Daily walking close to Thee, Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.)
Through this world of toil and snares, If I falter, Lord, who cares? Who with me my burden shares? None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee. (Refrain: Just a closer walk with Thee, Grant it, Jesus, is my plea, Daily walking close to Thee, Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.) When my feeble life is o’er, Time for me will be no more; Guide me gently, safely o’er To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore. (Refrain: Just a closer walk with Thee, Grant it, Jesus, is my plea, Daily walking close to Thee, Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.).’
Oh friends, that sure was powerful, but also very sincere! And I’m positive that our requests reached the listening ear of Jesus and He immediately instructed the angels to do exactly as we asked. And they have done it, because I can feel the Holy Spirit of our Lord and Saviour moving dramatically in me, strengthening me and reassuring me that everything will be okay, because He’s always near and will never leave nor forsake me.
And I’m sure that you my fellow believers have also received the same message, because I can see the light of Christ shining in your eyes, with a Moses-like glow on your faces, and your bodies are now standing straight and strong. Ah mih people, that’s the wonderful effect God’s power, through His Spirit, will have on us when we reach out in all sincerity to Him.
They say that the title and lyrics of this song allude to the Biblical passage from 2 Cor.5:7 which states, “We walk by faith and not by sight,” which we talked about a couple days ago. And also to our Bit for today: ‘Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you.’
And isn’t that the awesome truth! Throughout the Good Book our God repeatedly tells us to come to Him, for succour, and comfort. We see it early on when Moses tells the Israelites about turning from their evil ways if they ever become idol worshippers. ‘But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.’ (Deut.4:29)
Ah friends, that’s the real crux of the matter; not only seeking God, but also doing so with true sincerity. For remember God judges us by the state of our hearts, not by our outward show. And Bruh David tells us in no uncertain terms: ‘And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.’ (Ps.9:10) And friends, He NEVER WILL!
And Bruh David practiced what he preached.’ When thou saidst, seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.’ (Ps.27:8) Meanwhile through the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord said to the Israelites about their return from captivity in Babylon: ‘Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken (listen) unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer.29:12-13)
There again my fellow believers, that proviso of seeking God with all your heart, if you want to find Him. You can seek Him in any state, He’ll take you just as you are, but your heart must be right, be truly repentant. And let’s not forget Azariah’s warning to king Asa. ‘The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.’ (2 Chr.15:2) That says it all friends! So please, let’s be wise and heed all those warnings nuh! Much LOVE!
…if we want to have a steady walk with God…then we must have a steady heart for God…
20 Aug 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's wsidom, all my fears, choose christ, Christ's body, delivers them out of their troubles, eternal life, evil, exalt, falter, glorify, God's great earth, guide me, hang out with Jesus, he delivered me, he heard me, I am weak, I sought the Lord, joint heirs with Christ, judgement day, just a closer walk with thee, keep me from all wrong, let it be, listening to God's word, live and reign forever, LOVE, make a decision, my burden shares, my feeble life, my plea, none but thee, on the outside looking in, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, personally testifies, pilgrim's journey, praise, praise in the highest, receive wisdom, receptive hearts, redeems, sacrifice of praise, salvation, sincere emotion, sing, snares, surrender, sweet harmony, take Jesus to heart, the children of God, the church, the face of the Lord, the gospel of Jesus, the house of the Lord, the Lamb that was slain, the Life, the remembrance of them, the righteous, the righteous cry, the soul of his servants, the Truth, the voice of reason, the Way, thou art strong, thy kingdom shore, toil, trust, under his wings, understanding, ungodly world, wisdom, wise, worship
Psalm 34:4. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
Well hello there friends and neighbours, welcome to another glorious day on God’s great earth. And the fact that today is Sunday, the Lord’s Day makes it so much better. That’s because we get to gather in the house of the Lord and sing and praise and worship Him and receive wisdom and understanding by listening to His word expounded to our receptive hearts!
What an honour! Yeh friends, there’s nothing better than a gathering of Christ’s body, the church, where we exalt and glorify our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. And we’ll get today’s show on the road by raising our voices to high heaven in the singing of the old but greatly cherished and popular hymn ‘Just a closer walk with thee.’ So without further ado, let’s offer up the sacrifice of praise with our lips in sweet harmony and sincere emotion.
‘I am weak, but Thou art strong; Jesus, keep me from all wrong; I’ll be satisfied as long As I walk, let me walk close to Thee. (Refrain: Just a closer walk with Thee, Grant it, Jesus, is my plea, Daily walking close to Thee, Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.) Through this world of toil and snares, If I falter, Lord, who cares? Who with me my burden shares? None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.
(Refrain) When my feeble life is o’er, Time for me will be no more; Guide me gently, safely o’er To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore. (Refrain: Just a closer walk with Thee, Grant it, Jesus, is my plea, Daily walking close to Thee, Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.)’
Ah mih breddren, a close walk with Jesus on this pilgrim’s journey here on earth is the BEST and WISEST action we can ever take! Why, you ask? Because He knows us better than anyone else and also cares for us more than anyone else! That’s reason enough for me to walk closely with Him. As Bruh David personally testifies in our Bit: ‘I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.’
Now if that was good for Bruh David, why wouldn’t it be good for us too eh? Absolutely no reason whatsoever my people! For our God doesn’t regress…in fact He got better after Bruh David’s time by sending His Son Jesus to die for our dastardly sins, so we could have the options of salvation and spending eternity in heaven with Him.
Wow! How in heaven’s name can any human being consider themselves wise, if they don’t grab the opportunity to hang out with Jesus and hold on tightly to His strong and safely guiding hand eh? Any action other than that friends, is a fool’s wisdom, plain and simple!
Listen to some of Bruh David’s justification for his stated position. ‘The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off (destroy) the remembrance of them from the earth. The righteous cry and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of their troubles. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit (crushed in spirit).
Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate (condemned or held guilty). The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate (condemned).’ (Ps.34:15-22)
Yes my fellow believers, the Lord looks out for all those who sincerely surrender and trust Him enough to come under His marvellous wings! Does any other Deity offer such assurances? Definitely not! Who heals a broken heart and comforts a wounded spirit eh? None but the Lord God Almighty! Who hears the cry of the righteous and delivers them eh? The Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that’s Who!
And furthermore, our wonderful God has the wicked in His sights, ready to destroy them when the time is right. And Bruh David was experiencing all of that before Jesus came, and since He came and sacrificed His sinless life for us, things have gotten even better! We are now eligible to become children of God and joint heirs with Christ! Glory to God my brethren!
And all of God’s saints declared loudly and proudly: ‘Blessed is the Lamb that was slain for us! May He live and reign forever! Exalt His holy name, give Him praise in the highest, for He truly deserves it!’
Yes friends, there is no other name that’s higher than Jesus’! That’s one of the ways the Father rewarded Him for doing His will without complaining. So, in light of all that, shall we truly take Jesus to heart? I certainly hope so. Otherwise we’d be making the biggest and most serious mistake of our lives. Remember believing in Jesus and accepting Him as Lord and Saviour is the ONLY WAY one can get to heaven and the Father.
Remember, Jesus said it Himself: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.’ (John 14:6) Remember too that Jesus doesn’t, or rather cannot lie, so if He says it’s so, then it’s so! Therefore it’s up to each and every individual who hears the gospel of Jesus to make a decision to accept or reject Him.
But just to remind you, if you choose the latter option, you’ll be left on the outside looking in come judgement day, and it won’t be a very pleasant experience, to say the least. So please listen to the voice of reason crying out in this evil and ungodly world…and choose Christ. Much LOVE!
…be wise…hook up with Jesus…and let Him lead you to the Father…it will be heavenly…for all eternity…
25 Jun 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Amazing grace, blessing, bountifully, bright shining as the sun, Christians, curse, dangers, deceived, despair, eternal life, faith, found, generous in giving, glorify God, God is not mocked, grace, greetings, guidance, harden thine heart, harvest, he that soweth sparingly, homelessness, how sweet the sound, humans, increase, John Newton, joy, lead me home, lend him sufficent, lost, LOVE, made fat, magnanimous god, mortal life, my fears relieved, my hope secures, my shield, noble lives, open thine hand wide, peace, portion, poverty, praise, prosperous, reap bountifully, righteous, safety, salutaitons, salvation, saved a wretch like me, scatter, shall reap sparingly, shut thine hand, sickness, sing God's praise, snares, taught my heart to fear, thank, the hour I first believed, the liberal soul, the light of the world, toils, trust, waters, wisdom, with blessings, within the veil, worship
2 Corinthians 9:6. But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully (with blessings) shall reap bountifully.
Well greetings and salutations on this beautiful Summer Sunday morning my fellow believers! May the wonderful grace of God and His awesome peace be with and among us as we meet in His sanctuary to praise, worship, thank and glorify Him. And to get us going, let’s sing those heartfelt words of John Newton written so long ago, when he finally found God, and aptly titled ‘Amazing Grace.’
So with much passion and humble sincerity, let’s raise our voices in sacrificial praise to Almighty God. ‘Amazing grace! How sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found; Was blind, but now I see. ’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, And grace my fears relieved; How precious did that grace appear The hour I first believed.
Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come; ’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home. The Lord has promised good to me, His Word my hope secures; He will my Shield and Portion be, As long as life endures. Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail, And mortal life shall cease, I shall possess, within the veil, A life of joy and peace.
The earth shall soon dissolve like snow, The sun forbear to shine; But God, who called me here below, Will be forever mine. When we’ve been there ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun, We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise Than when we’d first begun.’
Oh friends, what a magnanimous God we serve and worship! His undying and undeserving grace and mercy are what keep us going in this evil world. His is the salvation and eternal life to which we look, like a bright shining beacon in the dark, stormy night, offering guidance and safety from the perils on our earthly journey.
No wonder Jesus declared, ’I am the light of the world!’ For without Him, our world would be covered in total darkness, the cover Lucifer needs for his evil deeds. So please let’s be everlastingly grateful for the brilliant and lifesaving light of Jesus nuh, which gives us true hope, faith and trust for the future.
Now let’s turn to our Bit; one of the life principles of our great God. ‘But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully (with blessings) shall reap bountifully.’ More awesome truth of Scripture my people! Whatever we give out, shall be given back to us; whatever we sow, we shall reap, and sometimes in greater quantity too, whether it be good or evil.
And today we’ll simply peruse some scriptures which agree with our premise. So listen to Cousin Sol as he contrasts the doings of the wise and foolish. ‘There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that witholdeth more than is meet (right), but it tendeth (leads) to poverty. The liberal soul shall be made fat (prosperous): and he that watereth shall be watered also himself. He that witholdeth corn, the people shall curse him: but blessing shall be on the head of him that selleth it.’ (Prov.11:24-26)
Oh friends, yuh see, when we scatter, or water, or sell, meaning being generous in our giving, it usually leads to prosperity, but being miserly tends to poverty. So if we are interested in having a full and prosperous life, then we must be generous in our giving and helping.
Meanwhile, the psalmist in Psalm 112 – Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord – joyfully declares: ‘A good man showeth favour (is gracious), and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion (justice)… 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: 5, 9-10)
Yes precious people of God, as Christians we are called to live righteous and noble lives, giving and helping from humble and sincere hearts as our Leader, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ did in His earthly sojourn, two thousand years ago.
And Moses warned the Israelites long before that: ‘If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates (towns) in thy land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: But thou shalt open thine hand wide (freely) unto him, and shall surely lend him sufficient for his need in that which he wanteth.’ (Deut.15:7-8)
You can’t get away from it friends, the Lord has shown us LOVE and mercy and grace, and He expects us to do the same with our fellow humans. Now if some of us would only share some of the much we have with others in desperate need, there wouldn’t be as much poverty, sickness, homelessness and despair in our world today.
But don’t forget, the Lord is watching each of us to see how we use the resources He so generously bestowed on us, and we’ll eventually have to answer for our good or bad stewardship. Now let’s end with a timely word from Bruh Paul to the Galatians. ‘Be not deceived; God is not mocked (fooled, outwitted)” for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.’ (Gal.6:7) Words of utmost wisdom friends!
So let’s remember that generosity is at the heart of the Lord, and it should also be a major priority in ours, if we sincerely desire to be true disciples of Christ. Much LOVE!
…you can only harvest what you sow…
02 Apr 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Amorites, carnal, choose you this day, comeuppance, damnation, dear Lord, destruction, Egypt, el numero uno, end of the rainbow, eternal life, eternal separation, exalt Him in song, eye candy, falter, fear the Lord, fellowship, guide me, hitched to Jesus, I am weak, intercessor, Jesus, Jesus defeated him, Jesus' Second Coming, Just a closer walk, keep me from all wrong, King of Kings, let it be, light, Lord of Lords, LOVE, Lucifer, lustful, Mighty Counsellor, mighty god, my burden, my feeble life, my plea, none but thee, our Lord and Saviour, overthrow Jehovah, possessions, pot of gold, praise, praise his holy name, prince of darkness, prince of peace, second in command, serve him, shares, sincere feeling, sincerity, sing, snares, Sunday, the other side of the flood, thou art strong, thy kingdom shore, time, top dog, truth, walk close to thee, walking to and fro the earth, wealth, who cares, whom you will serve, wisdom, world of toil, worship
Joshua 24:15(a). …choose you this day whom ye will serve…
Awright friends, it’s that great day, Sunday, when we get together to fellowship, praise, sing, worship and hear the awesome words of our most wonderful and Mighty God! Glory to Him in the highest! Praise His Holy Name! Let the people exalt Him in song!
And that’s exactly what we’ll do now; exalt and glorify our heavenly Father by offering up sacrificial praise from our lips by singing the old, but ever so encouraging and assuring hymn, ‘Just a Closer Walk with Thee.’
So with great gusto, and sincere feeling, let’s sing: ‘I am weak, but Thou art strong; Jesus, keep me from all wrong; I’ll be satisfied as long As I walk, let me walk close to Thee. (Refrain: Just a closer walk with Thee, Grant it, Jesus, is my plea, Daily walking close to Thee, Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.)
Through this world of toil and snares, If I falter, Lord, who cares? Who with me my burden shares? None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee. (Refrain) When my feeble life is o’er, Time for me will be no more; Guide me gently, safely o’er To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore. (Refrain: Just a closer walk with Thee, Grant it, Jesus, is my plea, Daily walking close to Thee, Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.)’
Oh my fellow believers, there’s nothing greater in this world, this earthly journey, than a close walk with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Prince of Peace, Wonderful Counsellor, Faithful Intercessor, etc. etc.! Yes friends, there are many more authoritative names we can mention, but we’ll let those few suffice for now.
But the long and short of the story is that Christ is the most powerful Being in the universe, and as such, it only makes sense to attach our frail human cart to His powerful spiritual horse. (smile) And it’s very disappointing that so many of us are refusing to do it, because that’s a fool’s wisdom.
And we have no better example than that of Lucifer, who was like second in command, but through greed and innate stupidity was not satisfied. He wanted to be the top dog, El Numero Uno, and thus tried to overthrow the Most High God Jehovah. Obviously he was unsuccessful, for how can you defeat the Creator of the universe eh? And now he’s set to walking to and fro the earth, until the Lord’s ready to deal with him.
Technically speaking, he is the prince of darkness, trying to get God’s people to turn away from Him. But he has no real power, for Jesus has defeated him, left, right and centre! He can only operate on the strength of lies, deceit and subtle trickery. Consequently, he tries to capture us through worldly and fleshly things, what they call eye candy, things that have no lasting value, but do appeal to our lustful and carnal side.
Sadly though, a lot of us are choosing to go over to Lucifer’s side, enamoured by the promise of earth’s wealth and pretty possessions. But what’s going to happen when we give up the ghost eh? Will we be carrying any of that with us? No! Not one iota!
And if your cart isn’t hitched to Jesus’ horse, what’s going to happen to you then eh? Nothing but eternal separation from the One who died to save you, who paid your sin debt in full! Eternal darkness with Lucifer will be your comeuppance, instead of eternal life, light and LOVE with Jesus.
That’s why Joshua in his farewell address asked the Israelites our Bit: ‘…choose you this day whom ye will serve…’
After reminding them of all the wonderful things the Lord had done for them, he admonished 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 (Euphrates river), and in Egypt; and serve the Lord.
And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served 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.24:14-15)
Yes my brethren, it’s a decision, a conscious and serious one that all of us have to make at some time or another, and the sooner the better! Why? Because there are two important time related points that can cause eternal separation from Jesus; His Second Coming, without you accepting Him as your Lord and Saviour, and your dying without doing the same.
Now if any of those things happen without you walking sincerely with Jesus, then there are no other options, but eternal separation. And the truth of the matter is that either of those two things can happen at ANY time without ANY notice! That’s why it’s of the utmost importance that you make a decision RIGHT NOW, so that you won’t get left in the lurch when the end time comes.
Please don’t do like so many have done, put it off until it’s too late. The wisdom of God dictates that we act on the matter ASAP…and that means RIGHT NOW! Please don’t put your eternal life with Jesus in jeopardy through the lies and deceits of Lucifer, who has nothing good whatsoever to offer you, but is just looking for company in his eternal damnation and destruction. Much LOVE!
…Only in Jesus…will you find light, life, LOVE and the pot of gold…at the end of the rainbow…
06 Nov 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's voice, a wretch like me, all and sundry, an empty religious profession, an oasis, associate with Jesus, be not rash, but now I'm found, dangers, Daylight Saving Time, defer not to pay, do evil, fearful storms of life, followers of Jesus, fools, give the sacrifice of fools, God has no pleasure in fools, God is in heaven, grace, grin and bear it, hasty to utter anything, heavenly things, how sweet the sound, I once was lost, keep thy foot, laziness, lead us home, let thy words be few, life-line of grace, mirages, multitude of business, multitude of words, promise and not pay, promises, rash promises, ready to hear, rudderless ship, Sabbath Day, sacrifices of praise, saving grace, snares, socail media, storm tossed sea, storms, taught my heart to fear, the hour I first believed, the house of God, them's the breaks, time difference, timely advice, toils, vowest a vow, walk prudently
Ecclesiastes 5:1 Keep thy foot (walk prudently) when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear (draw near to hear, rather) than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.
Aye mih people, a blessed Sabbath Day to you and yours! And we’ll begin as usual with some praise and worship to get us ready, to get our hearts softened up for the Word. So let’s belt out that wonderful hymn we all know and LOVE, ‘Amazing Grace’! Let’s raise our sacrifices of praise heavenward, like we truly mean it nuh.
‘Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now I’m found, Was blind, but now I see. ’twas Grace that taught, my heart to fear. And grace, my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear, the hour I first believed.
Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come. ’tis grace that brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead us home. The Lord has promised good to me, His word my hope secures. He will my shield and portion be, as long as life endures.
When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun. We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise, than when we first begun. Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, Was blind, but now, I see.’
Yes friends, it’s all through God’s amazing grace that we can aspire to heavenly things and places! Without His saving grace, we would truly be lost like a thirsty man in an endless expanse of desert, only seeing mirages, or a rudderless ship adrift in the dark on a storm tossed sea. Only through God’s grace can we find an oasis in the desert, or a clear path in the storm.
That reminds me of the picture in one of my Bibles showing a ship caught in a storm with a young lad standing at the ship’s steering wheel that’s bigger than him, but comfortingly, behind the lad stands Jesus, with His left hand on the boy’s left shoulder and His right hand pointing the way through the storm.
Ah friends, that’s how it is with all those who sincerely believe in Jesus and seek His saving grace; He takes us gently by the arm and guides us safely through the fearful storms of life. Now, given that generous life-line of grace, I don’t understand why anyone in their right mind wouldn’t have a great desire to associate with Jesus. But, I guess, if you don’t believe His Word, then you won’t see any reason for such an association.
All I can say friends, is that I’m truly sorry for those who, for whatever reason, pass up the wonderful opportunity to walk closely with Jesus. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, so let’s pray that they will come to their senses before their earthly lives are over, because then that glorious opportunity will cease to exist.
Oh, before we get to our Bit, let me apologize for a typo in yesterday’s message. Don’t know how many of you noticed it, but one heading had the 5th of November while the other had the 4th.
Chuh! I didn’t notice it until after I sent out the Bit. Obviously it annoyed me, but it was too late do anything about it then. And it all stems from laziness yes, copying the heading rather than typing it all over again, then forgetting to change the date. Ah Lord eh! I guess that just shows that I’m human, and thus liable to make mistakes. (smile)
Then this morning the clocks went back an hour, bringing an end to Daylight Saving Time. I don’t know why we continue the practice nuh, because it doesn’t seem to help anybody I know, and many other countries don’t use it and seem to get by very well. But them’s the breaks, we just have to grin and bear it, and once more figure out and remember the time difference in places we deal with.
Anyway, we’ve finally come to our Bit, a caution against hasty vows, which seems rather appropriate for this Sunday morning as we go to church. ‘Keep thy foot (walk prudently) when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear (draw near to hear, rather) than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.’
A very timely bit of advice indeed my brethren! And the Preacher continues: ‘Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter anything before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon the earth: therefore let thy words be few. For a dream cometh through the multitude of business (effort or activity); and a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words.’ (Eccl.5:2-3)
Yes friends, wisdom for the ages from Cousin Sol, writing as the Preacher. And the scholars enlighten us thus. ‘5:1-7. The emphasis of the passage is on the folly of an empty religious profession before a sovereign God: God is in heaven, and thou upon the earth. God expects sincerity and meaningfulness in worship. He is not impressed with foolish vows.’
Ah mih people, unfortunately, in the heat of the moment, a lot of us offer lengthy prayers and make rash, unwise promises to God, which we obviously can’t or don’t intend to keep.
But listen to these awesome words of wisdom from the Preacher. ‘When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer (delay) not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.’ (Eccl.5:4-5)
The truth of the matter though my fellow believers is that wisdom doesn’t only apply to our dealings with Almighty God, but should apply to our dealings with all humans! As sincere followers of Jesus, it is imperative that we keep our promises to all and sundry. He keeps all of His promises, and consequently expects us to do the same.
Sadly though, our social media revolution has made this a time of many words – most of them foolish and unnecessary – and rash promises – many of which we have no intention of keeping, or simply can’t keep. That’s why we are cautioned to not promise, rather than to promise and not pay. Please let that be our motto from now on my people, it will keep us out of many troubles. Much LOVE!
…whatever happened to the old adage…promises were meant to be kept…not broken…
11 Sep 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 9/11, a clean spirit, a life of joy and peace, a right heart, a strong tower, Amazing grace, angry, as long as life endures, be forever mine, be strong and of a good courage, Christians, confession, contrite hearts, creation, Creator, dangers, devour my flesh, disobedience, dissolve like snow, earthly pilgrimage, encouraging word, enemies, eternal life, foes, forbear to shine, forgiveness, found, grace, guidance, holy spirit, hope.my shield, humble, I will be confident, Jesus Christ, joy, lost, mercy, minister, mortal life, my fears relieved, my hope secures, my portion, my salvation, now I see, of whom shall I be afraid, our Lord and Saviour, peace, protection, receptive to God's word, repentance, sacrifices of praise, salvation, snares, soften our hearts, strength, strife filled, taught my heart to fear, thanksgiving, that saved a wretch like me, the hour I first believed, the law of the Lord, the Living Lord, the Lord is my light, the Lord's Day, the name of the Lord, the only one, the wicked, toils, transgressions, understanding, walk of faith, was blind, whom shall I fear, will lead me home, wisdom, within the veil, World Trade Centre, worship
Joshua 1:6a. Be strong and of a good courage…
Well friends, it’s Sunday, the Lord’s Day, so let’s have church nuh! (smile) It is only mete and right that we should do so on this day. And as always, the best way to begin church is by offering up our sacrifices of praise and worship and thanksgiving, to soften our hearts, get us receptive to receive the Lord’s Holy Word.
And we’ll do that by singing one of our all-time favourite songs of praise, ‘Amazing Grace.’ Let’s make the Lord know that we are serious here today by raising heaven’s roof with a magnificent rendition.
All together now: ‘Amazing grace! How sweet the sound. That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost but now am found Was blind, but now I see.’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, And grace my fears relieved; How precious did that grace appear The hour I first believed!
Through many dangers, toils, and snares, We have already come; ‘Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home. The Lord has promised good to me, His word my hope secures; He will my shield and portion be As long as life endures.
Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail, And mortal life shall cease, I shall possess, within the veil, A life of joy and peace. The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,The sun forbear to shine; But God, who called me here below, Will be forever mine’
Oh my brethren that was wonderful! The Lord had to sit up and take notice!
Now let’s pray; ‘Oh merciful Father, we come to you this day with humble and contrite hearts and spirits, offering confession and repentance for our recent transgressions. We sincerely pray that you will forgive us our disobedience and restore a right heart and clean spirit in us.
Please strengthen and encourage us, so that we can go out and successfully minister to others, letting them know of your wonderful, mercy, grace, forgiveness and salvation, so that they can come to you and be granted eternal life. This we pray in the holy name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen!’
And now let’s have a moment’s silence in remembrance of the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 bombing of the World Trade Centre in New York….
Ah Lord eh, what a horrific disaster! But unfortunately our world is currently being dominated by disasters each and every day, that’s why as Christians we need more than ever to embrace the words of our Bit: ‘Be strong and of a good courage…’
Yes friends, now is when we truly need the guidance and strength that the Holy Spirit of Christ dwelling in us provides. But it won’t provide anything unless we listen closely and follow its lead. It all depends on us as individuals.
Our world is so angry and strife-filled that we can’t make it through with man’s help alone, we need heavenly assistance to make it through these difficult times. And we can only get that when we put our sincere faith and trust in Jesus Christ, the Living Lord who died on the cross of Calvary to pay for our sins.
Oh my people, Jesus is the ONLY ONE who can help us be successful in these trying times, in these last days!
Now let’s look at some scriptures that keep us strong and encouraged. And we’ll begin with the opening words of Bruh David from Psalm 27 – The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Say it with me people: ‘The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up (devour) my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.’ (Ps.27:1-3)
Yes my fellow believers, we need to write scriptures like that indelibly in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls so that we can be confident in our walk of faith.
Now hear the words Bruh David spoke to Cousin Sol when he entrusted him with building the Lord’s temple. ‘Only the Lord give thee wisdom and understanding, and give thee charge concerning Israel, that thou mayest keep the law of the Lord thy God.
Then shalt thou prosper, if thou takest heed to fulfill the statutes and judgements which the Lord charged (commanded) Moses with concerning Israel: be strong and of good courage; dread not, nor be dismayed.’ (1 Chr.22: 12-13)
Oh friends, those are the kinds of word we should be paying heed to, as well as imparting to our children, so that the word of the Lord, His strength and encouragement can be passed down to future generations, because that’s the only way Christianity will survive.
And we’ll end today with this encouraging word from Cousin Sol. ‘The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe (is set on high).’ (Prov.18:10)
And for good measure, the scholars tell us.’18:10. The righteous find protection in the Lord.’ Now that’s everlasting truth my people!
So today, please, let’s turn to our high tower, our rock, our strength, our fortress, the Lord God Jehovah, He of Abraham Isaac and Jacob so that we can find strength, encouragement, enthusiasm, LOVE, mercy and grace to successfully complete our earthly pilgrimage! For that is the wisdom of the ages. Much LOVE!
…only the Creator can truly sustain the creation…
P.S. Ah friends, please excuse the lateness of the Bit, but the ole fella has been sick for the last few days and did not get up early enough to write it before going to church. But as they say, better late than never. (smile) Much LOVE!
12 Aug 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living
Tags: a broken heart, a life of joy and peace, a long time ago, all ye that fear God, almighty god, Amazing grace, as far as the east, as long as life endures, but now I see, but now I'm found, charles stanley, come and hear, contrite, contrite spirit, Creator of the universe, dangers, dissolve like snow, don't give up, exalted, extolled, falter, First Baptist Church, flesh and heart shall fail, forbear to shine, forgiveness, Friday chant, furthering God's kingdom, generous help, grace, gracious God, how sweet the sound, humble repentance, humble spirit, I once was lost, in Jesus' name, In Touch, iniquity, John Newton, joy, merciful, mercy, mighty wings, mortal life, my fears relieved, my hope secures, my shield and portion be, peace, perished, perspective, praise and worship, praised, promise, protective umbrella, revive the heart, revive the spirit, saved a wretch like me, sing God's praise, slave trader, snares, taught my heart to fear, tempestuous times, ten thousand years, testimony, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the hour I first believed, the party soon start, the voice of my prayer, the weekend, toils, transforming grace, two stepping, walk with god, was blind, week of work, what He hath done for my soul, will lead me home, with my tongue, within the veil
Psalm 66:16. Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.
Aye friends, I know that it’s Friday and all that; that you all are shouting out very loudly and enthusiastically: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes! The weekend done come… and the party soon start…and going all weekend long too! Thank God for Fridays and the weekend!’
Well mih people, I want us to begin the party right here by singing a wonderful old song that we all know and LOVE. Last night I heard a most stirring rendition of it from Uncle Charles’ (Charles Stanley’s) programme, In Touch, featuring a youngster whose name I believe was William Kemp, leading the First Baptist Church of Atlanta’s choir and congregation. The music was beautiful too…
Oh friends it sounded so good to me that I knew the Father had to be tapping, two stepping in the aisles of heaven. (smile) He definitely couldn’t sit still with such wonderful praise and worship reaching His heavenly home. And I knew that we just had to begin this morning’s proceedings with a wonderful rendition of it also.
So please sing with me: ‘Amazing grace! How sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found; Was blind, but now I see. ’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, And grace my fears relieved; How precious did that grace appear The hour I first believed.
Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come; ’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,And grace will lead me home. The Lord has promised good to me, His Word my hope secures; He will my Shield and Portion be, As long as life endures.
Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail, And mortal life shall cease, I shall possess, within the veil, A life of joy and peace. The earth shall soon dissolve like snow, The sun forbear to shine; But God, who called me here below, Will be forever mine.
When we’ve been there ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun, We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise Than when we’d first begun. Amazing grace…how sweet the sound…that saved a wretch like me… I once was lost…but now I’m found…was blind…but now I see…’
Oh my believing brethren, what beautiful words and sentiments from the old slave trader, John Newton! Yuh see what can happen when Almighty God touches our hearts! So though you may falter in your walk with God, please DON’T GIVE UP, because with just one miraculous thought He can change your whole life!
That brings us to our Bit, from Psalm 66 – The great works of God. ‘Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.’ And precious people of God, we couldn’t ask for a better testimony of God’s grace and mercy than the words of John Newton that we just sang!
And the psalmist continues after our Bit with a short testimony of his own. ‘I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled (praised, exalted) with my tongue. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.’ (Ps.66:17-20)
Yes my brethren, our merciful and gracious God will not turn away His ear from our prayer if our hearts are contrite and humble. Oh friends, why would He ever do such a thing eh, when He has specifically promised to bless those who come to him in humble repentance eh?
Listen to the psalmist from Psalm 34 – The Lord hears the righteous. ‘The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit (crushed in spirit).’ (Ps.34:18)
And Isaiah confidently declares: ‘For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.’ (Is.57:15)
Oh what a beautiful promise my brethren! That’s why a man like John Newton, with such terrible deeds on his conscience, could come to Jehovah God and receive mercy, forgiveness and grace to ease his aching soul. The same options are still open today for each and every human being on planet earth my people.
We just have to be brave and come to God with whatever is bothering us. He will dispose of our sins as far as the east is from the west, and give us grace and mercy to begin a new life under the protective umbrella of His mighty wings.
And believe me friends, there is no better place to be in these trying and tempestuous times as under the protection of God, the Creator of the universe and all therein! Now, being cognizant of our short span minds, (smile) we’ll stop here for today, and continue the same trend tomorrow, God willing of course.
Now let’s go home chanting our Friday Chant, so that we can get a better perspective on how to use the weekend. As one 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.’
Please put those words into action my people, because they will certainly benefit us when Monday comes along. Much LOVE!
…without God’s transforming grace and mercy…mankind would certainly have perished a long, long time ago…
11 Jun 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a crown of glory, a man's wisdom, a miracle, a springboard, a wise man, an ornament of grace, angelic smile, bitter than death, bring thee to honour, chains, chores, Christ-like, Christian faith, desire, exalt her, faith, faithful believers, far from me, fear, fetters, fleshly lusts, friends, God's promised, God's will, gospel truth, grace, guidance, holy spirit, Hour of Power Devotional, improvement, leading, looking steadfastly, LOVE, LOVE Walk, lusts, makes his face to shine, mature, nets, prayers, reverential awe, righteousness, robert h schuller, snares, Stephen, sternness, straight and narrow path, the beginning of knowledge, the boldness, the face of an angel, the interpretation of a thing, the principal thing, Top o' the morn, understanding, walk with Christ, weekend getaway, whoso pleaseth god, wisdom, wisdom of God, wisdom of the world
Ecclesiastes 8:1. Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness (sternness) of his face shall be changed.
Top o’ the morn, friends and faithful believers! And what does this Saturday have in for store for us eh? Most likely its home bound chores, grocery shopping, just taking it easy around the house, or having a little weekend getaway.
But whatever it is, please remember to always have Jesus with you, in the form of His Holy Spirit, and preferably bow to His holy and wise leading and guidance, rather than your own fleshly lusts.
The latter will only lead us eventually to sin and confusion, while the former will keep us on the straight and narrow path and enhance our righteousness, which is what we are called upon to do, and hopefully also desire in our hearts.
The long and short of the story though, is that we all need to heed the leading and guidance from the Holy Spirit that indwells each of us, so that we can become more Christ-like, more mature in our Christian faith. And that means we all need to improve, to move further along the continuum that’s our faith.
And to help us do that, here’s a little prayer from Gramps Schuller (Robert H. Schuller) from His Hour of Power Devotional. The title says it loud and clear: ‘I Want to Improve.’ So let’s pray for some improvement in our lives, in our LOVE Walk nuh friends.
‘O God, how thankful I am that you have come into my life through the Holy Spirit. I’m willing to say: “I’m not perfect, Lord! I want to improve. Show me where I can.” So father, I sense that a miracle is happening in my life right now. You are doing something beautiful in my heart this very moment. I thank and praise you! Amen.’
Yes my fellow believers, simple, straight to the point prayers are usually the best, and I’m sure that many of us who sincerely prayed that prayer, will notice improvement in our lives sometime soon, because our God has promised to grant us whatsoever we ask for in prayer, once it coincides with His will. And improvement in our walk with Christ must surely be a part of His will.
And here is our rather interesting Bit for today, wise words from Cousin Sol, posing as the Preacher. ‘Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness (sternness) of his face shall be changed.’
And is that ever so true friends! Wisdom is a helluva thing! Hear how Cousin Sol characterizes it in Proverbs nuh. ‘Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. She shall give to (place on) thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.’ (Prov.4:7-9)
Ah mih people, in this life wisdom is certainly a necessity, but unfortunately too many of us lack it. And why do we? I guess it’s because we don’t sincerely seek it, or what we seek is not true wisdom in the sense of God’s word. Remember, the wisdom of the world is not the wisdom of God!
To be able to seek and find true wisdom, one must be deeply involved with God and His word. The good thing about true wisdom is that when you find it, it gives you a perfect springboard from which to launch everything else. But does man ever get perfect wisdom? I doubt it. Listen to how the scholars put it, and please note that I will intersperse the verses they quote between their commentary
‘7:23-8:1. Solomon is known as the wisest man who ever lived, but even his wisdom was insufficient to understand life fully. (7:23) “All this have I proved (tested) by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me.”
In his search for wisdom Solomon found many sinful people (7:26) “And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets and her hands as bands (fetters or chains): whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.”
But Cousin Sol found few righteous. (7:28) “Which yet my soul seeketh, but I find not: one (wise) man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found.” In spite of the failures of wisdom, it is still the most attractive virtue since it helps bring inner happiness (8:1).’
Yes my believing brethren, God’s wisdom is certainly a thing we must all strive to acquire, if we want to live truly godly lives. And why is that? Hear Cousin Sol explain it in Proverbs. ‘A wise man will hear, and will increase learning: and a man of understanding shall attain unto (acquire) wise counsels.’ (Prov.1:5)
Oh friends, without that elusive thing called wisdom, we are truly lost in this mish-mash world. Listen to Cousin Sol again, with this warning from Proverbs. ‘The fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.’ (Prov.1:7)
Gospel truth that my people! The beginning of wisdom starts with recognizing the awe-inspiring God we serve. But fools have no interest in that, so how can they get true wisdom eh? It’s impossible to be truly wise, unless one has a good relationship with Almighty God. End of story!
And we’ll close on this interesting note, re ‘a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine.’ Listen to how the Good Book describes Stephen when he was arrested, framed, railroaded, and brought before the council. ‘And all that sat in the council, looking steadfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.’ (Acts.6:15)
Oh friends, may we all go out today and have others see the true wisdom in our faces, wisdom that makes us seem like angels! Wow! Now wouldn’t that be something mih brethren! Much LOVE!
…true wisdom brings an angelic smile to the believer’s face…softening his stern look…
09 Jun 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a burning tempest, a righteous God, a vision, abundance, all one body, almighty god, anthems, arrows, backbone, battle, belly, bend their bow, blessed, brimstone, burning coals, Christ's promise, church of Jesus, church's health, clear direction, compassionate heart, conquer, courage, creativity, crowns, curse, darkness, defences, faith, family, favour, fear, fire, flee as a bird, friends, God's will, going on before, health, hell's foundations quiver, immune, In the Lord I put my trust, kingdoms, lift your voices, marching as to war, military procedure, negative word, not divided, Onward Christian soldiers, praise, prosper, push back, righteousness, rise, security, self-control, self-discipline, shoot, snares, soul, spirit, spiritual armour, stand up and fight, stand up for Jesus, strength, succeed, success, talent, the church of God, the foolish foe, the foundations, the prince of darkness, the righteous, the shout of praise, the upright in heart, the wicked, threat of the wicked, thrones, Thursday's Blessings, triumph, trust, victory, violence, wane, wickedness, will, wisdom, with the cross of Jesus, worship
Psalm 11:1. In the Lord I put my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?
Oh friends, let’s fittingly begin this glorious Thursday’s proceedings with some praise and worship nuh. Please sing with me this old, but still ever-important standard from our hymnal.
‘Onward Christian soldiers! Marching as to war, With the cross of Jesus Going on before. Christ, the royal Master, Leads against the foe; Forward into battle, See, His banners go! Onward, Christian soldiers! Marching as to war, With the cross of Jesus, Going on before.
At the name of Jesus Satan’s host doth flee; On then, Christian soldiers, On to victory! Hell’s foundations quiver At the shout of praise: Brothers, lift your voices, Loud your anthems raise! Like a mighty army Moves the Church of God:
Brothers, we are treading Where the saints have trod; We are not divided, All one Body we— One in faith and Spirit, One eternally. Crowns and thrones may perish, Kingdoms rise and wane; But the Church of Jesus Constant will remain.
Gates of hell can never ’Gainst the Church prevail; We have Christ’s own promise, Which can never fail. Onward, then, ye people! Join our happy throng; Blend with ours your voices In the triumph song. Glory, laud and honor Unto Christ, the King; This through countless ages Men and angels sing.’
Oh my people, what a wonderful hymn! Remember when we used to sing such military songs like this and ‘Stand up for Jesus?’ They are still very important to our movement, because we are still in a raging battle with the enemy, the prince of darkness, therefore we need military procedure to fight it properly.
We also need to be well dressed everyday with our spiritual armour, backed up by sincere prayer, otherwise the enemy will have no trouble infiltrating our defences.
Now let’s move forward on the offensive by declaring our Thursday Blessings that will keep us rolling on to victory. With true sincerity, trust and confidence in Jesus Christ, let’s passionately speak blessings over our lives now:
‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life!
I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Oh my brethren, what a powerful declaration of blessings over our lives! Wow! Remember a blessing is not truly a blessing until it’s spoken over someone, so please let’s continue to speak since blessings over our LOVED ones and ourselves! That’s the only way they will truly take hold.
And that brings us to what I think is a most appropriate Bit for all of what we’ve spoken about so far. ‘In the Lord I put my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?’
Yes friends, if we put our strong and steadfast trust in Almighty God, why need we to flee anywhere eh? No reason whatsoever! Our God is the mightiest Being that exists, so there’s need to run from anything at all!
And Bruh David continues the psalm: ‘For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily (secretly) shoot at the upright in heart.’ (Ps.11:2) But the reality of that situation my fellow believers, is if we’re wearing our spiritual armour, no arrow of the wicked can penetrate it to harm us.
And all God’s people boldly and gratefully declare: ‘All glory be to our great and wonderful God! Let His holy name be praised now and forever more!’
Then Bruh David further asks: ‘If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?’ (And answers) ‘The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord’s throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try (test) the children of men. The Lord trieth (tests) the righteous: but the wicked and him that LOVETH violence his soul hateth.
Upon the wicked he shall rain snares (burning coals), fire and brimstone, and a horrible tempest (a burning wind): this shall be the portion of their cup. For the righteous Lord LOVETH righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.’ (Ps.113-7)
Yes my faithful brethren, our God is a righteous God and thus despises wickedness. So once we are walking in His will, protected by His sure armour, we have nothing to fear from the wicked, for in the Lord’s time, He shall rain fire and brimstone, burning coals and a burning wind up them. So there’s no need for a true and sincere Christian to be afraid of anything or anybody!
As the scholars explain: ‘Psalm 11. A vision of the Lord on His throne (v.4) is all the righteous need for security in the face of the threat of the wicked (v.2).’
Oh my people, please, please, let’s stop being fearful nuh. Instead let’s stand up and fight the foolish foe, who thinks he can push God’s people around! Let’s push back! Let’s stop the wicked from trying to take Almighty God completely out of our society!
Let’s strengthen our belly and backbone and truly fight for what we believe in! It’s the only way we will ever accomplish much for Jesus; ever win the LOVE Revolution!
So let’s end today’s proceedings the way we began nuh, with a powerful verse of military might. ‘Onward Christian soldiers! Marching as to war, With the cross of Jesus Going on before. Christ, the royal Master, Leads against the foe; Forward into battle, See, His banners go! Onward, Christian soldiers! Marching as to war, With the cross of Jesus, Going on before.’ Much LOVE!
…soldiers are not immune from fear…but they let their courage conquer their fear…
Previous Older Entries
SCRIP-BITS 