13 May 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a horse is a vain thing, a production line, a true believer, ascend up into heaven, bad luck, blessings, chastisement, darkness, deliver their soul from death, Elihu, ever-Loving, false hope, famine, fellowship, Friday chant, Friday the 13th, fun, generous help, glorious kingdom, gospel truth, great in counsel, he considereth all their works, He fashioneth their hearts alike, hope, hung over, in Jesus' name, Jehovah, Job, keep them alive in famine, licentious behaviour, LOVE, loving kindness, lustful, make my bed in hell, man's strength, massa, mercies, mighty in work, miserable, omni-present, omnipotent god, omniscient, on our p's and q's, particular interest, party time, psalm 139, refreshed, renewed, shadow of death, sin, slave labour, sorrow, sowing of good seed, steadfast, strong, superstition, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the early rain, the eye of the Lord, the fruit of his doings, the multitude of a host, the night shineth as day, the rains came, the uttermost parts of the sea, the weekend, the wings of the morning, the workers of iniquity, Thor, thou art there, thunder, thunderous sound, thunderstorm, thy hand lead me, thy right hand hold me, tired, truth, upon them that fear him, whither shall I flee, wisdom
Psalm 33:15. He fashioneth their hearts alike (individually); he considereth (understands) all their works.
And it was Friday friends… and the rains came during the night…the early rain to water the dry and thirsty land, to irrigate the soil and make it more amenable to the sowing of good seed.
And during that time lightning flashed sporadically, while Thor also beat his drums furiously, having the thunderous sound roll across the heavens in a mighty show of his awesome power! (smile)
In other words friends, we had a big thunderstorm last night that provided much needed heavenly blessings for the earth, thus giving us a wet and cloudy Friday the 13th morning.
Yes it is one of those superstitious Friday the 13th days that happen every so often during the year, and many of us will be on our p’s and q’s desperately trying to do, or not to do certain things that cause bad luck on such days.
But precious people such belief is unworthy of a true believer in Jesus, because it’s just what it says it is – superstition – and can’t harm us in any way.
And you’d note that a majority of the working populace are still shouting out loud and clear; ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here! Forget about massa and his slave labour! It’s party time; we time to do what we want. Thank God ever so much for Friday’s oui!’
And again I have to warn us that lustful and licentious behaviour should not be the main aspects of our weekend, because that just digs us into a deeper hole of sin and sorrow. What we need are activities that are more in tune with our Friday Chant, which we’ll now proclaim with the appropriate sincerity and truth.
‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes friends, the basic reason for the weekend is for us to rest and rejuvenate ourselves through godly fellowship, so that we can be strong and steadfast when the new workweek rolls along, not a tired, miserable, hung-over mess like so many of us end up being on a Monday morning.
But enough of my haranguing, you’ll still do whatever you like. (smile) So let’s turn to our Bit, which gives us some insight into the wonderful workings of our ever-LOVING and omnipotent God. ‘He fashioneth their hearts alike (individually); he considereth (understands) all their works.’
Yes my brethren, our God has fashioned each of our hearts individually, we haven’t come off of a production line, where everything is the same. And on top of that, He takes a special and particular interest in every soul that He’s made.
Listen, as the psalmist continues after our Bit. ‘There is no king saved by the multitude of a host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. A horse is a vain thing (false hope) for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.
Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.’ (Ps.33:16-19)
Yeh mih people, it’s all about the strength and LOVING-kindness of our magnificent God Jehovah, not about man’s strength which is sorely limited!
And as Job’s friend, Elihu says so eloquently in his chastisement of Job: ‘For his (the Lord’s) eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings. There is no darkness, nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.’ (Job 34:21-22)
And as true believers, we all know that as gospel truth! The Lord looks down from His high heaven on all of us, and there’s no place that any of us can run or hide from His all-seeing, omniscient power. As Bruh David so wisely and wonderfully declares in Psalm 139 – The everlasting presence and power of God.
‘Whither shall (can) I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall (can) I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell (Sheol), behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me (fall on, hide me); even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee (is not dark to thee); but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.’ (Ps.139:7-12)
Oh what beautiful words of scripture, my people! Gospel truth in black and white! There’s nowhere we can run or hide from our Creator, as so many of us futilely try to do.
And we’ll end with these most appropriate words from Jeremiah’s prayer. ‘Great in counsel, and mighty in work (deed): for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.’ (Jer.32:19)
That says it all friends! Our God is continually looking down on us, checking our ways, so that He can meet out to us whatever we deserve. That means we just have to buckle down and live according to His will, if we want to receive His wondrous blessings and mercies. Much LOVE!
…why try to fight or hide from a God…who is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent… that’s a fool’s wisdom…
01 Apr 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: advance God's kingdom, All Fool's Day, almighty god, another week of work, April Fool's day, be content, be diligent, Caleb, christianity, church leaders, cleave unto the Lord, covetousness, dilly-dally, do not be dismayed, dread noth, exodus, faith, fear not, fellowship, foothold, Friday chant, fun, generous help, glorious kingdom, God's work, gospel, gospel truth, heartache, I will not fear, in a cloud by day, in fire by night, Joshua, keeper, Let your conversation, libertine actions, LOVE, Love the Lord, lustful, mercies, miracles, one man shall chase a thousand, pain, profligate, Promised Land, promises, reassuring thoughts, refreshed, renewed, repetition, rest, saviour, sorrow, stubborn minds, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the Lord goes before thee, The Lord is my helper, the Lord will not fail thee, the Lord will not forsake thee, the weekend, trust, wander in the wilderness, witness, worldly pleasures
Deuteronomy 31:8. And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
Well mih people, it’s Friday…
And my people tossed the ball back into my court thus: ‘Yes mih brother we know that. That is why we’ve been singing and praising and glorifying the Father by declaring ’TGIF! Thank God is Friday. The only better day than Friday is Sunday, the Lord’s Day. And we declare again: TGIF! Thank You Lord that it’s Friday, work is done for a couple days, and the long awaited weekend is finally here!’
Ah friends, I know how some of us desperately look forward to weekend, for whatever reason, but please note that we need to use it wisely, not only in profligate and libertine actions. (smile) And to improve our perspective, let’s chant our Friday Chant.
All together 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.’
Yes my brethren, that is more like how we should use our weekends; to facilitate renewal of our walk with God, not run away from Him in lustful worldly pleasures. And I know that those pleasures may seem so wonderful at the start, but trust me, I’m talking from experience here, (smile) in the long run they only bring pain and sorrow and heartache.
And please remember that today is April 1st, All Fool’s or April Fool’s Day, so please be wary and don’t allow the wily devil and his evil associates to play any tricks on us. For you know they will use any occasion whatsoever to get a foothold in our lives.
Now here are a few words of inspiration from a Reggae song I heard last night by Ras Zacahrri, something called ‘Jah is my keeper. And the chorus goes thus: ‘Jah is my keeper; He will hear me when I call. Jah is my saviour, He will catch me when I fall.’
And isn’t that the God awesome truth my fellow believers in Christ! Almighty God is indeed our keeper and will hear us when we call. He is also our Saviour amongst many other things, and will certainly catch us when we fall. So this Friday morning, please let’s plant those reassuring thoughts deep in our souls to help us face the day with faith and trust as we go about God’s work.
Now let’s look at our Bit. ‘And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.’
Oh friends, the amount of times Israel’s leaders said these words to them, and yet they did not listen. And unfortunately the same thing is happening today; the leaders of our churches are crying out this ever-faithful promise to us, but we are also ignoring it. I don’t know how to get it through our thick and stubborn minds, except possibly by repetition. So let’s look at a few of the times it was said to the Israelites.
Listen to Moses as he reflects on the time when they sent twelve spies into the Promised Land and only Joshua and Caleb voted to go in and take it over. ‘Then said I unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them. The Lord your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes.
And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the Lord thy God bear (carried) thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place. Yet in this thing ye did not believe the Lord your God, Who went in the way before you to search you out a place to pitch your tents, in fire by night, to show you the way ye should go, and in a cloud by day.’ (Deut.1:29-33)
Yeh mih people, can you believe it? After all the miracles and mercies the Lord showed the Israelites in their Exodus out of Egypt, when they came to the Promised Land they were sore afraid to go in and fight for it. Steups! That’s why the Lord allowed them to wander in the wilderness for forty years until all those who had come out of Egypt, except Joshua and Caleb died.
Now hear Joshua, as he encourages the people to refrain from mixing with the remnants of the nations God had destroyed to give them the Promised Land. ‘But cleave (cling, hold fast) unto the Lord your God, as ye have done unto this day.
For the Lord hath driven out from before you (dispossessed) great nations and strong: but as for you, no man hath been able to stand before (against) you unto this day. One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the Lord your God, he it is fighteth for you, as he hath promised you. Take good heed (be diligent) therefore unto yourselves, that ye LOVE the Lord your God.’ (Josh.23:8-11)
Oh my people, that promise stands ever so true even to this very day! But like the hard-hearted, stubborn and fearful Israelites, we too refuse to take the message to heart, and simply dilly-dally on the outskirts of true Christianity.
Consequently friends, because we don’t stand as strong as we should on God’s irrevocable and faithful promises, our lives don’t amount to as much as they should. And therefore too, our witness is not as forthright and palpable as it ought to be.
So the long and short of the story is that Christianity is not as strong and powerful as it should be. What a sad reckoning!
And we’ll close with these words from Hebrews, where Bruh Paul talks about service well-pleasing to God. ‘Let your conversation (conduct) be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall (can) do unto me.’ (Heb.13:5-6)
And there we have it friends, the living truth of the gospel! Please, I implore us, let’s take it boldly and use it wisely to advance God’s kingdom as our bounden duty calls us to do! For that’s wisdom that cannot be bought or had anywhere else. Much LOVE!
…the promises of God can only be truly attained…when the trust in God is truly overwhelming…
17 Feb 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a relationship with Jesus, adversity, apostate, assurance, atonement, Babylon, breath of God, calamity, courage, crying, dark night of sin, day of life, doomed to destruction, downfall, enemy, evil, exile, expectations, Ezra, fades, faith, Feast of Trumpets, final destination, for the joy of the Lord is your strenght, friends, glorious sunshine of Jesus, glory hallelujah, God shall wipe away all tears, God's plan for our lives, going to hell in a hand-basket, happiness, happy, heaven, holy spirit, hope, Hours of Power Devotional, I am halfway home, I'm not looking back, I'm not turning back, indisputable fact, inner peace, Israelites, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the Truth, joy, joyful, joyfulness, kind, LOVE, merciful, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge, no more death, paganism, pain, peace, planet earth, pleasure, ponder, robert h schuller, self-esteem, sorrow, steadfastly, superstition, thanks and praise, the BIBLE, the breath of life, the clouds will clear, the former things are passed away, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the law of Moses, the Life, the Light, the promise of heaven, the sun will shine again, the Way, they have not known nor understood, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, understanding, vim and vigour, walking faithfully, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, world of darkness
Nehemiah 8:10c. For the joy of the Lord is your strength.
Oh welcome my brethren to another interesting and satisfying day of life on God’s great planet Earth!
And as we keep saying, there must be a reason for us to have awakened this morning. So, after giving God some thanks and praise for bringing us through the dark night of sin into the glorious sunshine of Jesus, let’s get with His plan for our lives right away nuh.
And since today is Wednesday, it means declaring our Wednesday Wail with much vim and vigour. (smile) As one wailer now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Yes friends, life is all about looking forward to a glorious future with Jesus! As they say; our best days are still ahead. And I do believe that. And how can we not be ever-thankful for the beautiful breath of God’s Spirit that’s flowing through us to give us what we call life eh!
Now today I want to share something from Gramps Schuller’s (Robert H. Schuller) Hours of Power Devotional. Don’t know if I’ve shared it before, but if I have, it’s certainly worthy of another go round in this dark and dismal world.
He asks the question ‘Are You Happy?’ But I want to change it to ‘Are you Joyful?’ because happiness conveys a sense of now for now pleasure that soon fades, pleasure as the world sees it, not the long lasting joy that comes from a true relationship with Jesus. So in this passage, wherever we see ‘Happiness,’ let’s read it as ‘Joyfulness.’
So here goes: ‘Happiness – that deep inner strength that is made up of courage, faith, hope, and peace. Mix them together and you have happiness! Happiness – the courage to hang on in the face of severe adversity! Happiness – the faith that God will have the last word, and it will be good! Happiness – the hope that, even though you can only see the shadow, someday the clouds will clear away and the sun will shine again!
Happiness – the quiet sense of self-esteem that comes when you know you have done your best. Happiness – the assurance that you have been merciful and kind to enemy and friend alike. Happiness – the quiet assurance that God will be merciful and kind to you, too. Happiness – the beautiful belief that this life, no matter how difficult it may be, is not your final destination.’
Oh what beautiful, words, thoughts and emotions my people! Especially knowing that our final destination is heaven, to live with Jesus forever! ‘And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.’ (Rev.21:4)
And all God’s people loudly and proudly declared: ‘Glory Hallelujah! Thank the Lord for the promise of heaven!’
And that’s all fine and dandy my friends, but the truth, the reality is that we can’t have all those things, all that happiness, all that joyfulness here on earth, unless we are walking faithfully and steadfastly with Almighty God!
And you ask why? Simply because, as our Bit says: ‘For the joy of the Lord is your strength.’
And that my people is an indisputable fact! We cannot be truly happy or joyful for any length of time, unless the Lord’s joy is running through us. The Lord’s joy comes from a sense of inner peace, of expectations edged with faith in God’s promises, and the practical LOVE He showed to us by sending His Son Jesus Christ to die for the atonement of our sins!
No other faith can boast of those things! That’s why Jesus is the Truth, the Life, the Way and the Light that lights up this world of darkness!
Now some of us might not know where our Bit comes from, or how it is tied in to the scriptures, so let’s go back in time. The Israelites had recently returned from exile in Babylon, and having settled themselves in their homeland again, in the seventh month they came together to celebrate and thank the Lord.
‘And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street (plaza) that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which the Lord had commanded to Israel. And Ezra the scribe brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding upon the first day of the seventh month.’ (Neh.8:1-2)
Now friends, I think it’s very important that we listen to the scholars’ explanation here. ‘8:2. The time was the Feast of Trumpets (Lev.23:24) and was about September 27, 444 B.C. This was the most sacred of the new moons, and commenced the final month of the religious festivals (Lev.23:23-25; Num.29:1-6). The concept of understanding was important as Proverbs 1:2 indicates (cf. Ex.12:26-27; Deut.4:6; 6:6-9; 31:12-13).
Mindless superstition was the mark of paganism (“They have not known nor understood.” Is.44:18-20), and had been the downfall of apostate Israel (Hos.4:6: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”). Notice the stress on understanding in verses 2-3, 7-8,13.’
Oh friends, that is exactly what’s happening to our world today! We are suffering from a lack of knowledge and understanding of God, just like Israel was back then. Paganism is rearing its ugly head more and more, no wonder our world is going to hell in a hand-basket like happened to the apostate Israel!
What do you think happens when a society, a nation, a world turns away from Almighty God eh? Obvious calamity!
Oh my people, look at the number of places, cities and societies cited in the Bible who were destroyed because they had turned from worshipping and serving the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, including His chosen Israel several times.
What makes us thing that our turning away from Him now will end any differently eh? And I’ll leave us to ponder that question today. Much LOVE!
…apart from Almighty God…mankind is doomed to destruction…
15 Oct 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: according to your faith be it done unto you, always be ready, amazing, bondage, busy careers, Canton Juction, Christian movie, conviction, faith is the substance of things hoped for, Faith was made for moments like these, fight the good fight of faith, forgiving, free at last, glory to God, God's provision, gospel truth, gracious, have mercy on us, heaven is silent, hope that is seen is not hope, intravenous drip, John Hagee, keep on hoping, keeping up the Joneses, LOVE, loving, merciful God, mercy, negative tests, O ye of little faith, patience, perseverance, physical war, realization, simple logic, something sure to hold on to, Son of David, sorrow, sorrow brings healing to the broken, spiritual battles, stand steadfast, surrendering to Jesus, taxing experience, Thank the Lord, the evidence of things not seen, the Lord opened an opportunity, the Word of Jehovah God, truth, tyranny, War Room, we are saved by hope, when or how our number will play, wherefore didst thou doubt, wisdom
Hebrews 11:1. Now faith is the substance (realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction) of things not seen.
Free! Free at last! Yes Friends, the ole fella’s free at last from the bondage and tyranny of the medical and technological marvel of the mobile and portable intravenous drip! (smile)
Oh it does serve a very useful purpose, but five days of having to do everything with it, whether asleep or awake, is a rather inconvenient and very taxing experience.
And thankfully the wound on my leg that caused its use, seems to be healing, though rather slowly. But right now I’m thankful for any kind of improvement at all.
I’m now on oral antibiotics. I think I can handle that. (smile) And this is the best, the most rested I’ve felt in a little while. I suppose that’s because I had a decent night’s rest, with no tubes and bags to worry about, which meant I got up pretty late too.
So I do want to apologize for the lateness of the Bit, but I definitely needed the rest, as yesterday was a rather hectic and busy day. First I went to the funeral of a young lady, a former parishioner, who suddenly passed away at the tender age of thirty-eight.
Ah Lord eh! We never know when or how our number will play nuh! That’s why it’s in our best interest to be always ready.
After the funeral I went to my doctor to check on my situation. Then I got lucky, or rather the Lord opened an opportunity for me to go and get a test for any blood clots in my system. So I ran to the Vascular Lab to get that done. The tests turned out to be negative! Thank the Lord!
Then I ran home, had something to eat. The nurse came and discharged me from the home care programme, then I went to see a movie with my young daughter and her boyfriend.
But my people, it was all worth it. I don’t go to many movies, but this one came highly recommended by one of my many surrogate daughters, and it was excellent. It’s called ‘War Room.’ And believe it or not, it’s a Christian movie. And the war and the room are not about physical war but about spiritual battles; the kind that we all experience at some time in our lives.
Generally speaking it’s about a black married couple going through problems based on their busy careers and fighting to keep up with the Jones’ and Smiths, and the way the Lord oftimes sends someone into our lives to help bring us back to Him. I think ALL believers should go and see it. Please support this type of movie, as you don’t find too many of them being shown in the big movie chains.
So it was a busy day, but it ended with grace and mercy and wisdom. Glory to God!
And now it’s time to welcome our wonderful Bit: ‘Now faith is the substance (realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction) of things not seen.’
And it surely is, my people! For as Bruh Paul wrote to the church at Rome: ‘For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for it? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience (perseverance) (eagerly) wait for it.’ (Rom.8:24-25)
And that’s not only gospel truth my brethren, but also simple logic! If we can see something, why would we yet hope for it eh?
And that brings me to a song I heard last night by a Christian group called Canton Junction, featured on Uncle John’s (John Hagee) t.v. Programme. It’s called ‘Faith was made for moments like these.’ And I’ll only share a part of the second verse and the chorus, because I just got tired of pausing and writing and pausing and writing. (smile) But that’s enough to show the relevance of the song.
Here goes: ‘What happens if heaven is silent, and the silence seems to whisper, just keep hoping…oh hoping…What if it’s a sorrow… Sorrow brings a healing to the broken… to the broken… What if….Faith was made for moments like these. When God knows, what you can’t see. And you don’t understand what you choose to believe. Faith was made…for moments like these…’
Indisputable truth, my brethren! Faith was indeed made for the rough, unseeing, and not understanding times in our lives. If we could see and understand all our circumstances, then why would we need faith eh? No reason whatsoever!
But since we can’t see nor understand the majority of things we face in this earthly life, we definitely need something concrete, confident and sure to hold on to. And the only thing that does that in this evil and ungodly world is the ever-faithful and safely guiding Word of Jehovah God, and the promises found therein.
Oh glory to our most wonderful, amazing, gracious, LOVING, forgiving and merciful God!
Now I wish someone could explain to me why I shouldn’t surrender my all, my entire being to such a marvellous Deity? Oh Friends, there’s no good reason why we should not! Surrendering to Jesus Christ and obeying His dictates is indeed the wisdom of heaven and of earth throughout all the ages!
And we’ll end with some of Jesus’ thoughts on faith, how important He deemed it to be. Firstly in the Sermon on the Mount, He castigates His listeners for their lack of faith in God’s provision for them, if He had provided so wonderfully for the things of nature ‘O ye of little faith? (Matt.6:30)
Then He tells Peter, after he’s walked on the water for a few seconds, then becomes fearful, starts to sink and cries out for help. ‘O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?’ (Matt.14:31)
And finally, hear this conversation between Jesus and two blind men who desired Him to heal them, and cried out saying: ‘Thou son of David, have mercy on us. And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this?
They said unto him, Yea, Lord. Then he touched their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. And their eyes were opened…’ (Matt.9:27-30)
Yes Friends, likewise, according to our faith, it will be done unto us! Much LOVE!
…fight the good fight of faith…and stand steadfast in it…
20 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a wholesome life, action, Amon, authoritarian, bad days, bad experience, before the evil days come, brave action, charity begins at home, colourful work, contrasts, did evil in the Lord's sight, discipline, don't make the children's minds, doubleminded, drift, education in the home, first day of summer, flow smoothly, godly living, good days, groves, high places, I have no pleasure in them, in the way he should go, instruction, interested in life, joy, last day of spring, LOVE, Manasseh, mature adult, moulding a child's life, nor the years draw nigh, pagan worship, parental training, patchwork, permissive, poor decision, productive life, provoke, quilt, Ralph Waldo Emerson, rebellion, Remember thy Creator in thy youth, resourceful hands, right in the sight of the Lord, sin, sorrow, springtime of our lives, successes, take them in stride, the things of God, train up a child, truth, waiver, when thou shalt say
Ecclesiastes 12:1. Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not (before the evil days come), nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say I have no pleasure in them.
Warm and sincere greetings my beautiful Friends, on this Saturday morning in June, the last day of spring! Yes, tomorrow is listed as the first day of summer, so let’s hope it does come up like summer, (smile) although I don’t mind these cool days that we’ve been having recently. Anyway, there’s not much we can do about the way the weather shapes up on any given day, so we just have to take them in stride and make the best of them.
And talking about taking things in stride, here is an interesting quote from the Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), the famous American essayist, lecturer and poet of the 19th century. Ralph reputedly said: ‘We do not live an equal life, but one of contrasts and patchwork; now a little joy, then a sorrow, now a sin, then a generous or brave action.’
And that’s the absolute truth my people! Our lives don’t flow smoothly from one day or moment to the next, but are constantly moving up and down; from good days to bad ones, from successes to failures, from joy to sorrow and back again.
As my One More Day Daily Meditations for People with Chronic Illness says: ‘A wholesome life, a productive life, a good life – whatever we call it – is not a shimmering length of perfectly woven cloth. It’s more like a patchwork quilt set together by resourceful hands. We cannot choose to discard a bad experience or a poor decision; instead, we piece it into the total colourful work that is life.’
And that’s absolutely more truth there my people! We can’t completely ignore the less than stellar experiences and/ or decisions we make over a life time, but have to weave them into our consciousness, because they are all a part of our lives, they make us what and who we are.
Yes, our lives are just like a patchwork quilt made from many different experiences. I guess the old fogeys would remember those beautiful patchwork quilts that existed when we were growing up.
Yes Friends, our lives are ones of contrasts; contrasts that we have to take and turn into unique and beautiful patterns, if we want to truly enjoy our days on planet earth.
Now my brethren, let’s turn to another insightful quote, this one our Bit, from the Good Book as penned by Cousin Sol in his role as Preacher and Teacher. ‘Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not (before the evil days come), nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say I have no pleasure in them.’
That’s certainly wisdom and common sense, because remember that though Sol is writing about things that happen in old age, it’s advice that’s actually meant for the young. We ought to remember and pay serious attention to our God while in the springtime of our lives, because when the winter comes around we possibly won’t be interested in life, or even able to enjoy it.
Now let’s address some scripture that highlights and supports the contentions of our Bit. Cousin Sol himself, in Proverbs gives us the gold standard. ‘Train up a child in the way he should go: and (even) when he is old, he will not depart from it.
And the scholars explain: ’22:6. Train up a child refers to the total process of moulding a child’s life. The word ‘train’ (chanak) comes from the root word meaning to “put into the mouth” and implies the idea of conditioning the palate. Thus, parental training should help children develop a taste for the things of God.
The biblical pattern of effective parental training emphasizes a balance of instruction and discipline (cf. Eph.6:1-4). The ideal parent is to be neither overly authoritarian nor overly permissive. Rather, he must balance LOVE and discipline as not to “provoke” his child to rebellion.
When he is old means simply “when he is grown up,” or a mature adult. It does not refer to the elderly years. The verse stresses the simple principle that education in the home forms the man throughout his lifetime.’
And that last sentence Friends is the gospel truth! The foundation that we receive at home will go with us throughout our lives, and if that foundation is not built on a solid, godly footing, then we will most likely drift and waiver and be double minded and insecure for most of our lives.
Remember the old saying; ‘Charity begins at home.’ It’s ever so true my people, for if we aren’t taught properly at home, then we won’t be able to behave properly outside of it. And unfortunately that is what has happened to a large part of this current generation; they haven’t been taught properly at home.
For whatever reasons, be they the busyness of their parents’ lives, or their fear of offending the children through proper discipline, or simply parents who don’t care, the youth of today are sadly unprepared for godly living today.
And we’ll end today with a great example of godly parenting. This deals with Josiah, one of Judah’s kings. The Good Book tells it thus: ‘Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years. And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined (did not turn aside) neither to the right hand, nor to the left.
For in the eight year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father: and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places (places of pagan worship), and the groves (wooden images), and the carved images, and the molten images.’ (2 Chr.34:1-3)
Now Bruh David was not Josiah’s biological father, just his forefather. And I don’t know how Josiah got so godly, because both his father Amon and his grandfather Manasseh did that which was evil in the Lord’s sight.
The scholars tell us: ‘34:2. Josiah is commended as a godly king whose faith took a straight course and who was unequalled by any Judean king in his concern for the law of God (cf. 2 Kin.22:1-2, 23-25).’
Ah Friends, how many young people of today would ever be so brave and godly eh? Not too many. And we only have ourselves to blame, because we didn’t do a good enough job raising them.
However my people, it’s not too late, we can still make some amends for our less than stellar parenting by keeping on trying with our children, though many are now set in their ways, but also by doing right by our grandchildren, the next generation. That’s our only hope to reverse the ungodly process that’s now in place. Much LOVE!
…it’s true you make the children…but you don’t make their minds…however you can be a major influence on them if you sincerely try…
05 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a wonderful weekend, acknowledge God in all thy ways, and he shall bring it to pass, antidote, be not wise in thine own eyes, Bruh David, cease from anger, Christ-like, Commit thy way to the Lord, communication with Jesus, compassion, Cousin Sol, depart from evil, directed by the Lord, evil minions, evildoers shall be cut off, faith, faithful, family time, fear the Lord, fellowship, food, forgiveness, forsake wrath, Friday chant, friends, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, get down to brass tacks, glorious kingdom, glory to God, God doesn't give us more than we can bear, good relationships, gospel truth, gracious, he shall direct thy paths, he shall not be utterly cast down, he will never turn you away, health to thy navel, holy spirit, jehovah god, joy, laughter, lean not unto thine own understanding, LOVE, Lucifer, marrow to thy bones, merciful, negative situations, praise, prayer, promises, Proverbs, relaxation, renewed and refreshed in soul body and mind, rest, Rest in the Lord, sadness, saviour jesus christ, smile, sorrow, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the great invitation, the steps of a good man, the Word of god, though he fall, trials, tribulations, trust also in him, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, wait patiently for the Lord, weather, wisdom, worship
Psalm 37:5. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
So what it is eh my people? (smile) How all yuh doing? Hope all yuh doing good! But just in case oonoo not doing so good, then I certainly hope that you all are in constant communication with our wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. For He is the ONLY One who can truly ease and/or solve our problems.
Yes Friends, He’s even invited us with the Great Invitation to come to Him when we are heavily burdened, and He will give us rest and peace for our tired and burdened souls. (Matt.11:28-30) And that is not an invitation to be sneered at or taken lightly, for He will indeed do as promised.
Ah Friends, it’s a proven fact that when we’re doing poorly, that’s when we most need to communicate with the Saviour. For the best antidote for sadness and sorrow, or anything that discombobulates us, is prayer! Never forget that.
So having said all of that, I guess we can get down to brass tacks now. (smile) And I guess you all know that today is Friday…
And as expected, I’m greeted with a joyous shouting of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! And we going to have a wonderful weekend; good weather, good food, good LOVE, plenty laughter, joy, compassion and forgiveness…Oh Glory to God! Thank Him for the weekend!’
What wonderful sentiments my brethren! And I do hope that our weekend does turn out that way, as we get involved in praise and worship and fellowship and enriching family time, for the name of the game is good relationships; both with each other and with Jehovah God!
Now let’s chant our Friday Chant to help us stay on the straight and narrow path. As one chanter 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.’
Yes my people, that is how we ought to use the weekends, not merely for partying and our own amusement. And yuh know what? If we follow the wise advice of our Bit, we won’t have any real problems living life the way we ought to. ‘Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.’
Oh Friends, there’s absolutely no doubt in that statement, for our gracious and most merciful God is indeed a faithful keeper of His promises! So whenever you come to Him, He will never turn you away.
Listen to how Cousin Sol puts it in Proverbs, in his exhortations to obedience. ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth or straight) your paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones.’ (Prov.3:5-8)
Oh my brethren, in all the Good Book, there is no better advice than those four verses. If we live our lives by them, we will never go wrong… Oh you know what I mean; we’ll live under the shade of the golden umbrella of our omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent God!
Now that doesn’t mean we won’t have trials and tribulations, but when we go through them, we’ll know, we’ll be assured that Almighty God is there with us through all the sadness and mayhem. And on top of it all, He won’t give us more than we can bear, and will bring us out of the negative situations better than before, meaning more Christ-like, for that is often the purpose of our problems.
And Bruh David offers these wonderful words of advice after our Bit. ‘And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment (justice) as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (plans, schemes) to pass.
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (it only causes harm). For evil doers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps.37:6-9)
Oh mih lovelies, why is it so difficult for us to take such simple advice and live faithfully by it eh – especially when we know that it’s all gospel truth? I don’t know the answer nuh. I can only surmise that our natural sinful nature is getting the upper hand of us in these relatively sinful and godless times.
Plus the fact that Lucifer and his evil minions are in control of the day to day world, and are making a protracted push with lots of worldly things and advice, to get us to move away from God.
But my people, we are supposed to be the best creation of our God, therefore we cannot allow the wicked and wickedness of this world to get the better of us. But we can only do so if and when we take the Word of God seriously and truly live by it. Otherwise we’ll be very susceptible to the wiles and lies of the enemy.
And we’ll end today with some more encouraging advice from Bruh David from Psalm 37. ‘The steps of a good man are ordered (established) by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.’ (Ps.3723-24)
Oh Friends, that’s gospel truth! And I can personally vouch for it, because though I’m not the greatest or the most godly and righteous, yet the Lord has upheld me with His mighty hand several times over the years! So you can imagine what He’ll do for the very godly and righteous.
Oh mih people, mih people, there’s only one wise and sensible path to follow in this crazy, calamitous and disaster-prone world – the straight and narrow one, which leads directly to Jesus and our heavenly Father! And we can successfully do that if we allow the Holy Spirit which indwells us to lead and guide us in all truth. That’s our ‘ponderation’ for today my people. (smile) Much LOVE!
…only as we sincerely trust…and have true faith in God…will we see Him work in our lives…
Visit the Scrip-Bit Blog at https://randyobrien50.wordpress.com
15 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a blessed day, admonishment, all-knowing, all-powerful, alleviate, as sheep having no shepherd, because they fainted, bounden duty, Christ has no hands feet or tongues but ours, Christ's work, compassion, courage, diligent, diligent workers, dissatisfaction, eat corn dogs, eternal life, eternally separated from God, ever-present, forgiveness, friends, glory hallelujah, God is good, good news, good to the last drop, Gramps Schuller, great abundance, halfway home, harvesters, He was moved with compassion, heart-broken, heathens, His church, His earthly body, Jesus, Jesus is depending on us, Jesus' sacrificial death, joyful, keep on ploughing straight ahead, King of the universe, life isn't fair, LOVE, loving kindness, Mama Mia, mercies, missionaries, monetary contributions, no turning back, onerous, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, pain, persevering, prayer, reapers, reconciliation, resurrection, ride the Ferris wheel, ripe to hear the Word, saviour jesus christ, scattered abroad, sorrow, soul-satisfying, spiritual harvest, spring like day, strong foundation, sunshine everlasting, the Creator and Controller of the universe, the Great Commission, the harvest truly is plenteous, the judgement day, the labourers are few, the Love Revolution, the lustful things of the world, the middle of the workweek, the unsaved, the wonderful sunshine of Jesus, they were weary, truth, unconditional LOVE, Wednesday, wisdom
Matthew 9:36. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted (were weary), and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
Ah Friends, it’s Wednesday, the middle of the workweek, we’re halfway home, so no turning or looking back now, just keep on ploughing straight ahead! And it’s also supposed to be a beautiful, spring like day, with temps in the mid teens and sunshine everlasting. Wow!
And for us believers it’s going to be an even brighter day, because along with the physical sunshine we’ll also have the wonderful sunshine of Jesus shining forth from our lives. Glory Hallelujah!
That means it’s going to be a real blessed day my people, for when you add all of God’s mercies, forgiveness and LOVING-kindness that He’s prepared especially to shower down on us today… MamaMia! I don’t know if we can handle it nuh. (smile)
And today we’re going to get going with an interesting, humorous but also true quote of a couple days ago from my friend Anselm. And it says: ‘Life isn’t fair. A fair’s a place where you eat corn dogs and ride the Ferris wheel.’
Now that’s absolutely true my brethren. But the wonderful thing about it all, is that our GOD IS GOOD… GOOD TO THE VERY LAST DROP! And there’s no denying it. So the world not being fair doesn’t cause us much anxiety, since our Good God is the Creator and the Controller of the universe.
We are the children of the all-powerful, ever-present, all-knowing King of the universe. And all God’s people said a most grateful, ‘Praise the Lord!’
And yuh know what too Friends, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ needs us to do His earthly work, to spread the good news message of His sacrificial death and wonderful resurrection that now allows reconciliation with the Father and eternal life for all who believe on Him. Wow! What an awesome job my people.
But as Gramps Schuller (Robert H. Schuller) says in His Hour of Power Devotional: ‘Christ has no hands but our hands to do His work today. He has no feet but our feet to lead us on the way. He has no tongues but our tongues to tell us how He died. He has no help but our help to bring us to His side.’
Oh Friends, that’s absolute truth! So you see how important we are to Christ’s work here on earth? It all depends on us. And after He’s done so much for us, how can we justify not being diligent and persevering in our work efforts on His behalf eh? We simply can’t!
And I’ve shared that message before, but it’s ever so important that I thought it worth sharing again, since we’re not doing Christ’s work as diligently, enthusiastically and truthfully as we should.
Ah mih people, Jesus is depending on us, His earthly body, His church with strong foundation, built on the rock of His powerful Word, to stir up the LOVE Revolution that will unite the entire world in His everlasting, unfathomable and unconditional LOVE! That’s why he gave the Great Commission (Matt.28:19-20) to the disciples, and consequently to us.
That brings us to our rather appropriate Bit: ‘But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted (were weary), and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.’
Yes Friends, our Lord and Saviour was heart broken when He saw so many people going astray; like lost sheep, with no shepherd to guide them. ‘Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.’ (Matt.9:37-38)
Oh Friends, that’s another admonishment for us to go out and reap a plentiful harvest, because the unsaved are still out their in great abundance, possibly more so today than in Jesus’ time. That means He’s still heartbroken to day, and only we, His true and faithful followers can alleviate His pain and sorrow.
And as the scholars tell us: ‘Verses 37 and 38 constitute one of the great missionary passages of the New Testament. Jesus pictures the world as a great spiritual harvest in need of labourers to gather it into the storehouse.’
Yes my brethren, there are many heathens to be harvested, and there’s lots of space in the storehouses of heaven, but sadly, there are not enough reapers, harvesters and diligent workers to do the job satisfactorily. And if you read between the lines, that’s a slight on us, a mark of dissatisfaction with way we’re doing, or rather not doing, our bounden duty here on earth.
Oh Friends, I know that we can’t all be missionaries to the far-flung parts of the globe, but we can help send some there through monetary contributions and sincere prayers. But we can also do the same job, the job we are called to do, right in our own homes and neighbourhoods, where there are oodles of people who still have never heard of Jesus, and thus have never had the opportunity to accept Him as their Lord and Saviour.
Remember Friends, we will all have to stand before Christ, come the judgement day. And when He asks why we didn’t talk to this one, or that one, right in our area, who was ripe to hear the Word, and unfortunately has since been eternally separated from God, what are we going to answer eh? The truth hopefully; that we were too busy with the lustful things of the world? Steups!
That’s certainly not going to cut it my people. So please, let’s get serious nuh, right in our own areas, let’s be diligent and persevering about reaping the plentiful harvest that’s out there to put in Jesus’ storehouse, so that none will be lost, and thus suffer the worst fate a human being can – that of eternal separation from Almighty God!
Remember too Friends, that Jesus has nobody else but us to do it. So let’s show some wisdom and courage, and just do it nuh. Much LOVE!
…after all Jesus has selflessly done for us…His earthly work should not be perceived as being onerous…but rather…joyful and soul satisfying…
26 Mar 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abundance, abyss of sin, all is well, allergies, as wool, ask for guidance, atonement for sins, be acceptable in thy sight, be reasonable, believers in Jesus, bloodguiltiness, Bruh David, caffeine, cleanse, come to God, condemnation of sin, confess our sins, confession, covenants of God, devoured by the sword, do what is right, dominion, dungeon of sin, eat of the good of the land, errors, eternal damnation, forgiveeternal life, friends, glorification of God, glory hallelujah, God's gracious invitation, good for the soul, gospel truth, guilt, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, hearsay, if we confess our sins, iniquity, innocent, Isaiah, Israel, keep a sharp eye, late morning, late nights, life-changing grace of God, living colour, living truth, LOVE, love is like wildflowers, Love makes the world go round, loving kindness, magnanimous god, mercies, money, money makes the world go round, most wonderful God, obedience, obediently, our Lord and Saviour, penitent heart, personal experience, pilgrim's journey, prayer, presumptuous sins, put God first, reason together, rebel, red dye, red like crimson, Redeemer, refuse, repent, repentance, riding with Jesus, running around in the rain., Sacrifical Lamb, scarlet, secret faults, selflessly, sin, sorrow, strife, surrender your life to God, the meditation of my heart, the mouth of the Lord, the words of my mouth, to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, transgression, travelling companion, truth, turn to God, watchword, white as snow, willing, wonders
1 John 1:9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Ah Friends, it’s just one of those late nights that naturally morphed into a late morning. And running around in the rain yesterday didn’t help matters any, as my allergies are threatening to act up. (smile) But not to worry; the caffeine is hot, strong and sweet, and we’re riding along with Jesus, which means that all is well. Glory Hallelujah!
We couldn’t want, ask for, or find a better companion to journey with through this confused, troubled and sinful world. And the word for today is ‘LOVE!’
Oh my people, for serious believers in Jesus, LOVE should be our watchword each and every day, because that’s the quality that our Lord and Saviour put forth the most when He came to earth to be the sacrificial lamb for the atonement of our sins.
If He hadn’t LOVED us dearly and deeply, He would have remained resting on His laurels in heaven. But instead, He selflessly and obediently became man, became one of us, so that we could be released from the dark and dangerous abyss of sin in which we were then floundering.
Unfortunately though, too many of us are still floundering in that dark dungeon of sin. However, in keeping with our talk on LOVE, let me share a few words from my ‘p.s. I LOVE YOU’ poster, designed to bring out the LOVE in us. It says that, ‘LOVE is like wildflowers. It’s often found in the most unlikely places.’
And isn’t that the gospel truth Friends! LOVE, the real thing that is, often crops up in places we least expect to find it. So please, in our travels today, let’s be aware, let’s keep a sharp eye out for the LOVE we might find in those unusual places.
And though some say that it’s money which makes the world go round, I believe it’s LOVE! Just look at the numerous households and places where there’s plenty money, but also lot’s of strife and little or no LOVE.
Meanwhile, in so many other households and places, where there’s little or no money, but the absence of strife is very notable, and true LOVE abounds in abundance! (smile)
Oh Friends, our God is a most wonderful God, please believe that! But you won’t really experience Him in all His glory until you truly surrender yourself to His will and wise plan for your life. That’s when He shows up in bright and living colour!
In other words, God makes His move when we do as our Bit advises: ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’
And that’s the living truth, my brethren! I wouldn’t lead you astray. I’m talking from personal experience, not hearsay. When you put God first in your life and sincerely and diligently work towards obedience and His glorification, you’ll see wonders that you never dreamed of, or even imagined possible!
Yes Friends, until we come to God like Bruh David did in Psalm 38 – The prayer of a penitent heart – and earnestly declare: ‘For I am ready to halt (fall), and my sorrow is continually before me. For I will declare mine iniquity, I will be sorry for my sin.’ (Ps.38.17-18) We won’t fully experience the mercies and LOVING-kindness of our magnanimous God.
And He makes that abundantly clear from this passage in Isaiah, where he calls for repentance from His sinful people, Israel. ‘Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat of the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.’ (Is.1:18-20)
Oh my brethren, it couldn’t be put any clearer and simpler than that. And believe me, that provision still stands today. That’s one of the reasons why our world is in such a disastrous mess; we are refusing and rebelling against the Lord.
And the scholars give us some good information, re those verses. ‘1:18-20. The prophet’s appeal to come and reason together reveals God’s gracious invitation to all men. It literally means to be “reasonable” by repenting and turning to God.
Their sin is described as scarlet and red like crimson, referring to their bloodguiltiness before God. The term crimson also means “worm,” referring to the colourfast red dye of the scarlet worm.
The eradication of this stain turns it snowy white and is symbolic of the life-changing grace of God, which delivers men from the guilt and condemnation of sin. Thus the prophet reminds his readers that God stands ready to cleanse and forgive all who turn to Him.’
And Friends, today, I’m re-reminding us of all of that! So please pay serious attention, for it can mean the difference between eternal life and eternal damnation!
And we’ll end with these most appropriate words from Bruh David from Psalm 19 – The creation and covenants of God. ‘Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great (much) transgression.
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength (rock), and my redeemer.’ (Ps.19:12-14)
Yes Friends, that is what we need to do today, as we make our pilgrim’s journey through this wicked and deceitful world! Let’s confess our sins, then ask for guidance to do what is right in the sight of the Lord.
If we’re sincere in our requests and desires, then His mercy and LOVING-kindness will be showered down on us, for that’s the faithful kind of Deity He is! Much LOVE!
…confession is good for the soul…and repentance leads to eternal life…
07 Oct 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a man sharpens the countenance of his friend, a man with many friends comes to ruin, a perverse man sows strife, adversity, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, anxiety, beating him down emotionally, bless them that curse you, blessings, call on god for help, Calvary, come unto me, encouragement, fear, forgiveness, friend, friends, friendships, God makes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, God sends rain on the just and the unjust, God's wrath was kindled, gospel truth, gossip, gossip destroys friendships, greater love hath no man, grief, Healer, Helper, how good is our God, I am meek (gentle) in heart, I will give you rest, iron sharpens iron, Jesus is our be all and end all, Job, keep our focus on god, LOVE, Love your enemies, make a positive difference, mercies, my burden is light, my yoke is easy, offer burnt offerings, one more day, praise God, pray for them which use you, prayed for his friends, praying for others, redeem, repent, servants, serve God dilgently, sins, sons of the Father, sorrow, stand strong in Christ, strife, take my yoke upon you, that a man lay down his life for his friends, the Good Book, the great invitation, the poor is hated by his neightbour, the rich have many friends, wealth makes many friends, words of comfort, worry, you shall find rest unto your souls
John 15:13. Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
One more day Friends, one more day! Wow! We’ve been granted life anew for another day, so let’s use it wisely please. Let’s use it like the present God desires it to be, with all the new mercies, blessings, forgiveness and LOVE that He’s showering down on us.
Let’s keep our focus on God: praise and serve Him diligently and sincerely, and do the works He desires of us. He has given us all we need to accomplish the tasks on our task sheets, so there should be no serious problems involved.
But if perchance, one does crop up, we have the freedom, or rather we’re expected to call on Him for assistance, which He’ll never refuse, once we’re sincere. For as Jesus says in His Great Invitation: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek (gentle) and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:28-30)
So my fellow believers, with those words of comfort and encouragement bubbling in our souls, let’s not allow anything or anyone to cause us anxiety, fear or worry today. Let’s stand strong in the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour, and try our very best to make a positive difference in this crazy, troubled world in which we now live.
That’s what Jesus desires of us! And remember that He is indeed our be all and end all! He is our Healer, our Helper, our Redeemer and our Friend! What more can we ask eh? Nothing really.
So let’s look at our Bit: ‘Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.’
And it’s worth repeating and remembering that after He spoke those purposeful words, He went out and died for us at Calvary… as Friends, not servants.
And we’ll continue looking at the interplay of ‘friends and friendships’ as found in the Good Book. Then there was Job and his supposed friends. They ostensibly came to comfort him in his sorrow and grief, but unfortunately ended up beating him down emotionally, claiming that his hidden sins had caused his disastrous experience.
And God’s wrath was kindled against them, because they had not spoken rightly of Him as His servant Job had done, and He commanded them to repent and offer burnt offerings. (Job 42:7-9)
But hear this: ‘And the Lord turned (restored) the captivity (losses) of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.’ (Job 42:10)
Yes my people, the Lord turned Job’s adversity around when he prayed for his friends, and also worked some serious miracles on his behalf, blessing him with twice as much as he had lost. Oh how good our God is to us!
That brings us to this rather important point; the importance of praying for others, even when they’ve done us wrong. I know that’s sometimes pretty hard to do, but it’s required of believers.
Jesus said it loud and clear: ‘But I say unto you, LOVE your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully (spitefully) use you, and persecute you; That ye may be children (sons) of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust.’ (Matt.5:44-45)
So if you ought to pray for your enemies, it’s logical to assume that you ought to pray for your friends and fellow believers too. (smile)
Now let’s look at some wisdom of Cousin Sol, re ‘friends and friendships’ as divined in Proverbs. He declares first of all that: ‘The poor is hated even of (by) his own neighbour: but the rich hath many friends (the LOVERS of the rich are many).’ (Prov.14:20)
And isn’t that the gospel truth! The scholars explain it thus: ’14:20-21. Social standing is improved with riches, but the good neighbour will have concern for all, regardless of their status.’ That’s how it ought to be, but sadly in this topsy-turvy world of ours, we still look down on the poor and up at the rich.
And here’s a fitting companion to that Proverb. ‘Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbour (friend).’ (Prov.19:4)
And we see that everyday. Many of us have also experienced it. When times are good and we are rolling in plenty, we have plenty supposed friends around us, but as soon as the good times stop flowing, they all disappear.
Now listen to these Proverbs. ‘A froward (perverse) man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief (the best of) friends.’ (Prov.16:28) Or as the scholars say: ’16:28. Gossip destroys friendships.’ That we all know and have experienced too.
Here is a companion to that one. ‘He that covereth a transgression seeketh LOVE; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very (the best of) friends.’ (Prov.17:9) More reflections on gossip.
Then we have this bit of wisdom. ‘A man that hath friends must show himself friendly (may come to ruin): and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.’ (Prov.18:24)
The scholars explain that this way: ’18:24. A man that hath friends must show himself friendly may also be translated, “A man of many friends comes to ruin.” In other words, a man must not spread himself too thin among many superficial relationships. Far better it is to have genuine friends who become like family and LOVE at all times. (17:17).’
And isn’t that the gospel, gospel truth my people! It surely is!
And we’ll close with this priceless gem of wisdom from Cousin Sol. ‘Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.’ (Prov.27:17)
Mama Mia! Wisdom from heaven Friends!
The scholars explain it thus: ’27:17. As the proper tool shapes and sharpens iron for its desired use, so a man sharpens his friend morally and intellectually by their personal friendship.’
Now that’s the kind of friends we need to have and need to be! Friends, who encourage, comfort, exhort, educate and uplift each other in as many walks of life as possible.
So let’s go out today and be that kind of friend nuh mih people. It could only make our world a better place for our children and us. Much LOVE!
…the fewer the friends…the less possibility of strife and troublesome friendships…
06 Sep 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all the days of my appointed time, conviction, Creator, deliver their soul from death, depths of despair, dilemma, faith, fear, Footprints, footprints in the sand, friends, God's promise, gracious help, heart-broken, holy spirit, I carreid you, I will never leave you, if a man die, interesting poem, Job, lamenting, last scene of my life, left to our own devices, live a righteous life, LOVE, Magaret Fishback Powers, mind games, naked and forlorn, need, never leave or forsake us, on the alert, peace and joy, promise, Psalm 33, questioned the Lord, reverence, seeking God's kingdom, serious setbacks, shall he live again, sorrow, stand strong and steadfast, testings, Thank You Lord, the enemy trying to deceive us, the God of his fathers, the Good Book, the Lord is good to those who wait on him, the Lord is my portion, the salvation of the Lord, the Son of man, trials, tribulations, Triune God, troublesome times of my life, true believers, trust, unprotected, wait on the Lord, walk and talk with me, what a wonderful God we serve and worship, when I needed you most, when Jesus comes again, will I wait till my change has come, wisdom
Job 14:14. If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time (hard service) will I wait, till my change come.
Oh Friends, on this glorious though rainy Saturday morning, after one of the few truly hot and humid summer days yesterday, (smile) I want to share an interesting poem with you. I don’t know if I have ever shared it before, but even if I did, it must have been long ago, and it’s certainly worthy of sharing again.
It’s titled FOOTPRINTS by Margaret Fishback Powers. The first time I saw it was in a condensed form on a pamphlet, a tract issued by some Christian organization, and they claimed the author to be anonymous.
Then later on, I don’t remember how, I came into possession of a book called ‘Footprints: Scripture with Reflections Inspired by the Best-LOVED Poem’ put together by Ms. Powers. And since then, every day I read a few of the scriptures she has compiled, with suitable commentaries on them.
Now here is the poem. ‘Footprints: One night I dreamed a dream. I was walking along the beach with my Lord. Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, one belonging to me and one to my Lord.
When the last scene of my life shot before me I looked back at the footprints in the sand. There was only one set of footprints. I realized that this was at the lowest and saddest times of my life. This always bothered me and I questioned the Lord about my dilemma.
“Lord, you told me when I decided to follow You, You would walk and talk with me all the way. But I’m aware that during the most troublesome times of my life there is only one set of footprints. I just don’t understand why, when I needed You most, You leave me.”
He whispered, “My precious child, I LOVE you and will never leave you, never ever, during your trials and testings. When you saw only one set of footprints it was then that I carried you.’
Ah mih people, how many of us have had some such experience eh? Countless numbers! Because every day some situation arises where we feel completely naked and forlorn, unprotected, left alone to our own insignificant and insufficient devices. But don’t believe that lie Friends, for it’s only the enemy trying to deceive us into thinking that way.
Our wonderful God has promised NEVER TO LEAVE OR FORSAKE US, AND He is EVER-FAITHFUL! So why in the time of our deepest sorrow and need, will He not be with us eh? Lucifer is just trying to play mind games with us.
Please, ALWAYS remember that the Holy Spirit of our Triune God dwells within us, and thus is ALWAYS with us! There is no need to search the sand for His footprints, for whenever we are down and out, out of our depth, then He picks us up and carries us to safety.
Oh what a wonderful God we serve and worship my fellow believers! I don’t know how many times in a day that sentiment is brought home to me by one incident or another.
And believe you me, there’s been many a time that I have been forced to utter a humble, ‘Thank You Lord for carrying me today! Without your precious and gracious help, I couldn’t have made it through those rough spots I encountered today.’
Yeh mih people, it’s certainly not easy to live a righteous life on this ungodly earth. But if we sincerely place our trust and faith in our Creator, He will enable us to do it. That’s His promise, and He’s NEVER yet broken one!
Our faith though needs to be strong. Just look at Job, who suffered such serious setbacks for no apparent reason at all. And though he wasn’t a happy camper, and longed for death, he still did not lose that strong trust and conviction in the God of his fathers, as he recounts in our Bit.
‘If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time (hard service) will I wait, till my change come.’
That should also be our attitude my Friends. And you’ll notice in the Good Book that many of the great names mentioned there had great trials and tribulations, but they stood strong and steadfast and waited for the Lord to deliver them. Listen here, as the psalmist praises the Lord for His creation in Psalm 33.
‘Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear (reverence) him, upon them that hope in his mercy; To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waiteth for the Lord: he is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.’ (Ps.33:18-22)
Yeh Friends, our souls find such peace and joy when we rest in and wait on the Lord!
Now hear Jeremiah. Though he’s suffering and heart-broken, in lamenting his situation, he still has the faith and wisdom to acknowledge: ‘The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam.3:24-26)
Oh my brethren, when we are in the depths of despair, are we comforted by thoughts such as those? We ought to be, if we are true believers.
Now let’s end with some special advice form Jesus Himself, when He taught that man’s first priority should be the seeking of God’s kingdom. ‘Let your loins (waist) be girded about, and your lights (lamps) burning; And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.
Blessed are those servants , whom the lord (master) when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them sit down to meat (eat), and will come forth and serve them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.’ (Luke 12:35-38)
Yes Friends, Jesus warns that we must constantly be on the alert, waiting expectantly for whenever He comes. Are we ready, are we alert?
What if He comes today, right now, will He find us waiting, ready and able? For all our sakes, I surely hope so, for that will mean that we’re indeed true believers! Much LOVE!
…be ye therefore ready also…for the Son of man…cometh at an hour…when ye think not… (Luke 12:40)
Previous Older Entries Next Newer Entries
SCRIP-BITS 