24 Nov 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a blade of grass, a strong will to live, abide with you for ever, accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour, all fear is gone, an empty grave, and i in him, as death gives way to victory, because He lives, Bill & Gloria Gaither, brings forth much fruit, calm assurance, church family, cloven tongues like as of fire, cross the river, death, died to buy my pardon, drug abuse, face uncertain days, faith, false accusations, feel the pride and joy, fellowship, fight life's final war, filled with the Holy Ghost, forgive, give you another Comforter, grace, he holds my future, he that abides in me, heal, hold a newborn baby, holy spirit, I am the vine ye are the branches, I can face tomorrow, I will not leave you comfortless, I will pray the Father, if thou faint in the day of adversity, if ye love me keep my commandments, inconsequential things, Jesus Christ, leave you as orphans, life is worth living, LOVE, mercy, mononucleosis, one day, prayer banned in public schools, proves my Saviour lives, racial tension, reach the sunshine of the world, salvation, see the lights of glory, shift in values, speak in other languages, speak with other tongues, strife, Ten Commandments, thanks and praise, the resurrection of Jesus, the Spirit of truth, thy strength is small, tough times, truth, victory, wisdom, without me ye can do nothing
Proverbs 24:10. If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.
So friends, we’ve lived to see another brand new day; a Sunday to boot, which means we ought to gather in the Lord’s sanctuary with other faithful believers to give Him much thanks and praise for all the undeserved blessings, grace and mercy He’s bestowed on us this past week, and pray for a continuance of such goodness in the upcoming week. And today we’re going to open our worship with a truly inspirational song, one that we all know and LOVE, written by Gloria and William Gaither, based on a tough time in their lives. It’s simply but most appropriately titled; ‘Because He Lives.’
So, let’s raise our voices in sweet sacrifices of praise, and offer up a soulful, sincere, mid-tempo version of the song. Singing: ‘(Chorus: Because He lives, I can face tomorrow Because He lives, all fear is gone Because I know He holds my future, And life is worth the living Just because He lives.) (Repeat) God sent His son they called Him, Jesus He came to LOVE, heal and forgive He lived and died to buy my pardon An empty grave is there to prove my Saviour lives. (Chorus) How sweet to hold a newborn baby And feel the pride and joy he gives But greater still that calm assurance This child can face uncertain days because He lives
And then one day I’ll cross the river I’ll fight life’s final war with pain And then, as death gives way to vict’ry I’ll see the lights of glory and I’ll know He lives Because He lives, I can face tomorrow Because He lives, all fear is gone Because I know He holds my future And life is worth the living Just because He lives And life is worth the living Just because He lives And life is worth the living Just because He lives.’
Oh my people, that was a beautiful rendition of that most inspiring song. And I guess that’s why we sung it so sweetly, (smile) for all of us have been through hard times and it’s only the trust and faith in Jesus that’s pulled us through. Apparently, it was the same with the Gaither family back in the 1960’s, when a deep shift in values was taking place in their world. The winter of 1969 was particularly hard for them, because it was long and severe, and Bill fell ill with a bad case of mononucleosis.
Concurrently, there was also strife and false accusations amongst their church family. Gloria says she can remember sitting in their living room in fear and agony on New Year’s Eve, as the educational system was being infiltrated with the “God is dead” idea, while drug abuse and racial tension were increasing. And as always, everybody was blaming everybody else. Nothing has changed since then, except that the idea of God being dead, has blossomed, where schools no longer teach about God, where the Ten Commandments and prayer are now banned in public schools and those of higher education.
What a time for the Gaithers to discover they were about to have a baby! And though it was good news, they were also concerned about the wisdom of bringing a new life into that chaotic world. Then, one sunny day in the early spring, Bill, Gloria and Bill’s father George walked across the paved parking lot at their small A-frame offices. George called Bill and Gloria’s attention to a spot they had not noticed. He pointed out a tiny blade of grass that had pushed aside layers of dirt, rock and concrete to reach the sunshine of the world above. It had such a strong will to live; it had overcome all the odds to fulfill its destiny.
That blade of grass became a symbol to the Gaithers of how God works in His creation. And it inspired Gloria to write a song expressing the hope that was shaped by the resurrection of Jesus, as well as that blade of grass and the birth of her son. And that’s the story of the song. No doubt many of us also have such inspiring stories, although we have not written any songs about them. But that’s the way Jesus works in our lives; using small and apparently inconsequential things and moments to build our faith and trust in Him.
That’s why we can never give up hope, despite the many times we fall. That’s why Cousin Sol penned these words in Proverbs. First of all: ‘If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.’ (Prov. 24:10) And then: ‘For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief (calamity).’ (Prov. 24:16) And we can do all of that only because of the completed work of Jesus. As the song says, ‘He came to LOVE, heal and forgive He lived and died to buy my pardon An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.’
Oh glory be my fellow believers! Without Jesus, we cannot do much of anything, as He so rightly says in the gospel of John. ‘I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5) Yes friends, in the natural we are weak, weary and finite human beings. But if we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, then His Holy Spirit comes and fills our souls and spirits with the power to do anything that He desires us to do.
It’s like He promised the disciples and those of us who believe in the future: ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter (Helper), that he may abide with you forever. Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless (as orphans): I will come to you.’ (John 14:15-18)
And we all know that Jesus kept that promise, for on the day of Pentecost after His ascension, the Holy Spirit came down from heaven, ‘as a sound of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them, cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues (in other languages), as the Spirit gave them utterance.’ (Acts 2:2-4)
And since that time my fellow saints, every time someone accepts Christ as Lord and Saviour, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within them, to lead, guide and comfort them just like Jesus promised. So, let’s go home today, renewing our faith, promising ourselves to keep it strong and to get back every time we falter or fall, because Jesus empowers us through His Holy Spirit. and as the chorus of the song reminds us: ‘Because He lives, I can face tomorrow Because He lives, all fear is gone Because I know He holds my future, And life is worth the living Just because He lives.’ And that’s the gospel truth my people! Let’s never forget it! Much LOVE!
…with Jesus as our Lord and Saviour…our strength ought not to fail…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
01 Oct 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sound from heaven, abide in me and I in you, as a rushing mighty wind, Bible, bringeth forth much fruit, buried, Christ lives in Christians, christianity, conquer sin, crucified, crucified with Christ, dead, eteranl life, faith, filled with the Holy Ghost, glorified, he that believeth on me, holy spirit, hurry, I am the vine ye are the branches, I am the way the truth and the life, I can do all things, I live by faith in the Son of God, if any man thirst, in god's eyes, Jesus Christ, let him come unto me and drink, LOVE, made alive, no one comes to the Father but by me, nothing is impossible, out of his belly shall flow, Pentecost, quickened, raised, rivers of living water, salvation, seated, share His love with my neighbours, speak in other languages, speak with other tongues, the beloved of God, the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, the life I now live in the flesh, the union of Christ and the believer, the uniqueness of the Christian experience, through Christ who strengthens me, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, wisdom, with Christ in our corner, with you we're everything, without me ye can do nothing, worry
John 15:5b. …for without me ye can do nothing.
And we’re moving on, without missing a beat, to this somewhat cloudy Tuesday, the first day of October 2024! Yes friends, it is October! Where has September gone with all those wonderful, warm sunny days? I very much doubt that October will be as nice to us. But be assured that whatever October choses to bring against us, we have the wherewithal to handle it, through the amazing auspices of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
As Bruh Paul so rightly says: ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!’ (Phil. 4:13) And that’s the gospel truth! When Christ is in our corner, and we in His, then nothing’s impossible to us, because nothing’s impossible to Him. And all of God’s children said a loud and grateful, ‘Thank You Jesus! Without You we’re nothing, and with You, we’re everything!’
And that’s brought out in most excellent fashion by these words of Jesus from the gospel of John. ‘Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15: 4-5)
Yes friends, Jesus uses the image of the vine and it’s branches to describe His union with believers. And as the scholars explain: ‘The uniqueness of the Christian experience results from the union of Christ and the believer. This is expressed in the Scripture as Christ being in the believer and the believer in Christ. Ten times Paul uses the Greek preposition sun (together) to describe this relationship. Believers were crucified (Gal. 2:20), dead (Col. 2:20), buried (Rom. 6:4), quickened or made alive (Eph. 2:1-5; Col. 2:13), raised (Eph. 2:6; Col. 3:1) seated (Eph. 2:6), and glorified (Rom. 8:17).
On the basis of this union with Christ, the apostle Paul showed how the successful Christian life can be opened with four key words in Romans 6: know (vs. 6), reckon (vs.11) yield (vs. 13), and obey (vs. 17). The Christian can conquer sin because Christ lives in him (Gal. 2:20) First Ref. – John 7:37-38; Primary Ref. -John 15:1-5; cf. 1 John 5:13).’
Wow! What a whole heap of Scriptures for us to check out my fellow believers. (smile) And if we want to truly understand our relationship with Jesus we ought to make the effort to do so, for it’s only when we truly understand what the Lord’s Word says that we can understand the real depths and uniqueness of our relationship with our Creator and heavenly Father. And the basic purpose of being in relationship with Jesus is for us to conquer sin. His major purpose for coming to earth was to help us do just that.
And here’s the scripture passage that the scholars quoted in reference to believers conquering sin through Christ living in them. ‘I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of (in) the Son of God, who LOVED me, and gave himself for me.’ (Gal. 2:20) Now that’s a scripture we ought to write indelibly in our hearts, souls and minds, for it is the basis of our renewed life in Christ.
Now, let’s look to that First scripture Reference that the scholars gave. ‘In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly (heart) shall flow rivers of living water.’ (John 7:37-38) Jesus was there speaking of the Holy Spirit, which was to eventually come to all those who believed in Him. And it finally came on that great day of Pentecost, when all the then believers were seated together.
The scripture says: ‘And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were siting. And there appeared unto them cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues (in other languages), as the Spirit gave them utterance (enabled them to do).’ (Acts 2:2-4) And since that auspicious moment in time, the Holy Spirit has been indwelling every believer, though not with the same panache (flamboyant manner).
And here’s the last of those references by the scholars; a verse from the first epistle of John that we ought also to hold dear to our hearts. ‘These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.’ (1 John 5:13) Yes my brethren, we can have eternal life if we believe in Christ!
And please note, that’s the ONLY way to access it! Don’t be fooled by anything different that the enemy and his evil cronies try to tell you. It’s as Jesus says: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:6) And I strongly advise us to believe that, and furthermore, live it, otherwise we might just end up with the devil and his people in Hades, eternally separated from Almighty God.
So, as always, I’ve spoon fed us some of the salient scriptures, (smile) the remainder is for you to look up yourself. And I plead with us to do that, because it’s all for our benefit. As I said before the more time we invest in the Lord’s Word, the better we will be able to understand our relationship with Him. Now, let’s go home declaring (steups!!!) our Tuesday mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And having said that, we are now committed to going out and sharing Jesus’ amazing LOVE and friendship with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…there’s ONLY one way to get to heaven…and that’s through Jesus…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
04 Feb 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a heart-stopping event, a rushing mighty wind, antidote, aura of love, cloven tongues, communicating with the Father, confidence, Day of Pentecost, dream dreams, enthusiasm, evil, excited to work for Jesus, faith, faithfulness, filled with the Holy Ghost, flood warnings, friends, God's promises, Great Tribulation, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, invincible, it shall come to pass, Jesus Christ, Joel, lies, LOVE, millennial kingdom, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, not drunken, of much repute, old men, omnipotent god, on all flesh, passed the test, peace, Peter, pour out my Spirit, prophecy, prophesy, put a smile on our faces, renewed vitality, rest, roll with the punches, see visions, speak with other tongues, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, taunts, testimony, third hour of the day, trust, truth, ungodly world, up to scratch, wiles, wisdom, work, young men, your sons and daughters
Joel 2:28. And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.
And after the snow and the freezing cold, come the rain and the flood! Yeh friends, flood warnings have been issued in these parts for the next couple days due to the quickly melting snow and the rain accompanying it. As they say, when it’s not one thing, it’s another!
But that’s just life, and we have to roll with the punches, and as believers in Christ we are better prepared to do that than most of the population, so there should be no cause for overly serious concern.
Nonetheless, we’re only human and still liable to fall prey to the deceitful whispers of the enemy, which means we’re somewhat less than up to scratch this wet and rainy Monday morning. (smile) But it’s all good, for we have just the right pick-me-up to solve your problem; that’s our Monday Morning Battle Hymn; antidote of much repute!
So without further ado, let’s get seriously, but humbly and confidently communicating with the Father. As one body now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
There you go friends, matter fixed! We’re bright and bubbly now as the Holy Spirit works in us to put a smile on our faces, strength and confidence in our hearts and souls and have us excited to go out now and work for Jesus! Wow! What a transformation can take place when the Spirit of the Lord God Jehovah goes to work in His children! There’s nothing else like it in this whole wide world!
And that points us to God’s promise of that future event through the prophet Joel: ‘And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.’
And then Joel goes on to prophesy about the things that will go on during the Great Tribulation and the establishment of the earthly Davidic millennial kingdom that follows the events of the Great Tribulation. However, we’re only interested here in the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon all flesh, and we all know that happened on the miraculous Day of Pentecost!
What a majestic showing that was mih people! Nobody can put on a show like our omnipotent God nuh! Can you imagine sitting down in that room with the disciples, and all of a sudden you hear this sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind which then proceeded to fill the whole house? (Acts 2:2) I know they were all waiting for and anticipating the coming of the Holy Spirit as Jesus promised, but I doubt that they were expecting it to be so such a heart-stopping event.
And the mighty rushing wind wasn’t all, for as the Good Book tells it: ‘And there appeared unto them cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.’ (Acts 2:3-4)
And can you imagine the confusion when these uneducated men from the surrounding area came out and began speaking in the languages of the different Jews who had come to Jerusalem for the big feast? They were all amazed, some even claimed that they were drunk: ‘Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.’ (Acts 2:13)
But that’s when Peter gave his great speech: ‘ But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said, unto them, Ye men of Judea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day (9.am). But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;’ (Acts 2:14-16) And then he goes on to specify the words of our Bit and the rest of Joel’s prophecy.
So you see friends, it’s not wise to write off any of God’s promises, especially if He doesn’t give a definite time frame, for remember His thoughts and ways and times are not like ours, so some of those promises could be earmarked for hundreds of years later, like that of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon all believers.
Now I sincerely hope we have all been encouraged some this Monday morning, and that our faith has also been strengthened by this review of one of God’s great promises! So please hang in there and don’t ever give up, even when things seem like they can’t get any worse, because they can always get better when our hope and trust and faith are safely placed in our Triune God! Much LOVE!
…logic dictates…that when you’re at the bottom…the only place left to go is up…and Jesus can…and will reach down and pull you up…
P.S. I’m chuckling here as I just realized that I passed the test, and thus have a testimony! Hear it nuh. The ole fella had a rough night, and so was one of those in the not up to scratch group today, (smile) and was really struggling to write the Bit. But I hung in, didn’t give up, and yuh see how Jesus eventually reached down and pulled me up out of the mire and helped me to write something sensible. (smile) Bless His holy name and His faithfulness! That means He can and will do the same for you too. Much LOVE!
20 May 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a mighty wind, abound to every good work., an undeniable fact, baptized with the Holy ghost, call on the name of the Lord, cataclysmic, cloven tongues, confidence, Day of Pentecost, defeated the grave, disbelievers, dream dreams, drunk, fellowship, filled with the Holy Ghost, fire, foreign born, Galileans, God goes before us, God is able, God spoke the world into existence, gospel truth, He will make a way, hear the Word, in His name we overcome, Jerusalem, lifted up, lifting up our voices, make all grace abound, mockers, never fail, never leave us, new wine, open arms, Peter, pour out of my Spirit, praise, prophesy, raised to life, saved, see visions, songs of worship, sound from heaven, speak with other tongues, strength, sufficiency in all things, the Lord's Day, the uttermost part of the earth, upon all flesh, witnesses, worship
2 Corinthians 9:8. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.
It’s Sunday once again friends, the Lord’s Day, and all roads lead to His sanctuary, to praise, worship, fellowship, hear His word and receive strength and confidence to go out and do His work with diligence and excellence in the upcoming week!
And that’s partly why the Bit is this late; the ole fella finally darkened the church’s door after about three or four weeks of absence. Hn! I can’t remember being that long away from church for several years now. Anyway, we’re back, and did enjoy the fellowship and the reading of the word.
And as always, on Sundays we begin by opening our mouths, and lifting up our voices in songs of worship and praise. It helps to soften our hearts for the word that comes later. (smile) And today’s song of praise is simply titled ‘Our God is able.’ And that’s an undeniable fact. So let’s belt it out with sincere hearts and strong voices.
‘Our God is able. He will never fail. He is Almighty God. Greater than all we seek. Greater than all we ask. (Chorus: He has done great things. Lifted up. He defeated the grave. Raised to life. Our God is able. In His name we overcome. For the Lord, Our God is able.)
God is with us. God is on our side. He will make a way. Far above all we know. Far above all we hope. (Chorus) God is with us. He will go before us. He will never leave us. He will never leave us. God is for us. He has open arms. He will never fail us. He will never fail us. (Chorus -repeat).’
Oh friends, every word we sang there is indeed gospel truth, for our God is indeed able, as Bruh Paul declared to the Corinthians in his second missive to them. ‘And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.’ What an awesome God we serve and worship my brethren!
And if you don’t believe, just look at what happened on the Day of Pentecost, which the church is celebrating today. Before Jesus ascended to heaven, He told the disciples to remain in Jerusalem: ‘For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.’ (Acts 1:5)
…But ye shall receive power, after that (when) the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.’ (Acts 1:8)
Yeh friends, who could make such a remarkable promise and keep it eh? ONLY our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! And we read it every year at Pentecost time, but it still boggles our imagination.
The Good Book says that on the Day of Pentecost, ‘they were all with one accord (purpose or mind) in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.’ (Acts 2:1-4)
Wow, mih people! Can you imagine that scene back in ole Jerusalem on that first day of Pentecost? It must have been really wild, since there were oodles of people in Jerusalem at that time, many of them foreign born, and when the disciples emerged from their house and began to speak in several languages, so that those foreign born could understand in their own languages. Mama Yo! It must have been almost cataclysmic! (smile)
‘Now when this was noised abroad (the sound of the wind occurred) the multitude came together and were confounded (confused), because every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans?
And how hear we every man in our own tongue (language or dialect) wherein we were born? …And they were all amazed and, and were in doubt (perplexed), saying one to another, What meaneth this?’ (Acts 2:6-8, 12-13)
Oh fellow believers, ONLY our God is great enough to turn things on their head like that! But as always there are disbelievers and mockers, who said that the men were drunk. But Peter got up and preached his finest sermon that day, informing them that it was the coming to pass of an old promise of our God, from the days of the prophet Joel:
‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God. I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams… And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ Acts 2:17,21)
Yeh mih people, the Lord promised many other signs and wonders within that passage, but the most important was the last one; that whosoever should call on His name will be saved. Glory Hallelujah! The most glorious promise in the Good Book!
And that also marked the beginning of the Holy Spirit coming to dwell within every believer to lead and guide them in the ways of the Lord. So it’s obvious that our God is able my brethren…able to do all that’s necessary to keep us going. Please don’t ever doubt God’s ability, and give Him plenty thanks and praise, for that is wisdom at its highest. Much LOVE!
…if God could speak the world into existence…what other mighty works can’t He do eh…
17 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a rushing mighty wind, abide with you for ever, almighty god, always be with you, another comforter, believers, burden is light, cloven tongues, comfort, Comforter, comfortless, compassion, encouragement, enlivens our spirit, ever-loving arms, fall in your lap, fellowship, filled with the Holy Ghost, find rest, gentle, give you rest, God's sanctuary, God's Word, guide my feet, half measures, Healer, heavy laden, hold my hand, hurting souls, I am meek, I will pray the Father, I'll never leave you nor forsake you, joyful songs, labour, lead me home, lead me on, learn from me, left in the lurch, let me stand, like fire, Lord and Saviour, lowly in heart, ministry, Pentecost, praise, prayer, Precious Lord, reassurance, speak with other tongues, succour, take my hand, take my yoke, the disciples, the great invitation, the Holy Spirit, the Lord's Day, the Spirit of truth, through the storm, times of sorrow, worship
John 14:16. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever.
Arise my brethren, it is the Lord’s Day, and we must be trekking to His sanctuary to engage in blissful fellowship with other believers. What a time it will be, with joyful songs of praise and worship, the reading of God’s word, which enlivens our spirit, and words of encouragement and prayer for and with each other.
But notwithstanding all of that, these are indeed disastrous times in our world, and we need extra comfort from our faith, thus we’ll open this morning with the old hymn ‘Precious Lord, take my hand’ that fits the bill. The song was written in 1932 by Thomas A Dorsey, a black man from Chicago after his wife Nettie died while giving birth to a child (who also died shortly thereafter). Dorsey sang the song for his friend, Gospel singer Theodore Frye, and Frye’s choir sang it the next Sunday at the Ebeneezer Baptist Church.
So please friends, and fellow believers, let’s offer up the sacrifice of praise from our lips, as we seek comfort from our comforting God. In rich and soulful harmony now, as we feel it down in our very beings. ‘Precious Lord, take my hand, Lead me on, let me stand, I am tired, I am weak, I am worn; Through the storm, through the night, Lead me on to the light: (Refrain: Take my hand, precious Lord, Lead me home.)
When my way grows drear, Precious Lord, linger near, When my life is almost gone, Hear my cry, hear my call, Hold my hand lest I fall: (Refrain: Take my hand, precious Lord, Lead me home.) When the darkness appears And the night draws near, And the day is past and gone, At the river I stand, Guide my feet, hold my hand: (Refrain: Take my hand, precious Lord, Lead me home.)
Precious Lord, take my hand Lead me on, let me stand, I’m tired, I’m weak, I’m alone; Through the storm, through the night Lead me on to the light Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home (lead me home)’
Oh my brethren, there is NONE other than Almighty God who can satisfy that need for reassurance and comfort in our hurting souls! That’s why we need to call out to Him first when terrible times overcome us, for He is our indispensable Healer and Comforter. Listen as Jesus offers assurance to His disciples in our Bit. ‘And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever.’
Oh friends, what a wonderful Lord and Saviour we have! He knew that He had to go away and that the disciples would be left in the lurch without Him around. So He made arrangements with the Father to send them another Comforter, like Jesus, the Holy Spirit, that would dwell within them forever. And he continues: ‘Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.’ (John 14:17)
And the scholars tell us: ’14:17. The Spirit…shall be in you: The ministry of the Holy Spirit, promised to believers of this age, is unique, since it is given to all believers alike, and is permanent (dwelleth, that is “takes up residence”). See verse 23.’
And we all know that the Holy Spirit made that magnificent appearance to all believers on the Day of Pentecost. Jesus had told them to stay in Jerusalem until the new Comforter came, because they would not have had the parts to go out and do what He required of them. The Good Book describes that momentous event thus: ‘And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord (one purpose, mind) in one place.
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.’ (Acts 2:1-4)
Ah mih friends, our God doesn’t too things in half measures! When He decides to put on a show, He puts on a big one, with all the bells and whistles, not a little Mickey-Mouse event! (smile) But Jesus’ most touching words to me, were the ones He spoke after promising to send the Holy Spirit. ‘I will not leave you comfortless (orphans): I will come to you.’ (John 14:18)
What care and compassion Jesus shows for those distraught men who had given up everything they had to follow Him, thinking that He would be setting up a new kingdom at that time, only to later learn that He would be killed and then He would go away and leave them…but not alone. That’s not Jesus’ style friends. Once you come to Him, He will ALWAYS be with you: ‘for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Heb:13:5)
Oh my people, in ending, all I can says is that the best place to find comfort and compassion in times of sorrow, is in the ever-open and ever-LOVING arms of Jesus. He has already offered the great invitation: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek (gentle) and 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)
Friends, it doesn’t get any better than that. But please remember, YOU have to make a serious decision to go to Him to find succour. It won’t just fall in your lap. Much LOVE!
…on a comfort scale of 1-10…Jesus is 11 plus…
04 Jun 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a part of God's people, a rushing mighty wind, a sound from heaven, baptisim of the Spirit, baptism, baptized with the Holy ghost, be nor drunk with wine, cloven tongues like fire, controlling influence, conversion, excess, filled the house, filled with the Holy Ghost, filled with the Spirit, filling, generosity, glory to God, helpless to resist, holy spirit, in my soul, Jerusalem, John baptized with water, joy, Judea, like a fountain, like a river, LOVE, love like an ocean, mind-blowing, omnipotence, peace, Pentecost, power, prayer breakfast, purpose of mind, riotousness, Samaria, speak with other tongues, spreading the gospel of Jesus, technology, the church, the New testament, the uttermost part of the earth, unity, within the believer, witnesses
Acts 1:5. For John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
Welcome friends to Pentecost Sunday; that great day in our faith, fifty days after Jesus rose from the dead, when the Holy Spirit made its miraculous entry into the lives of each and every believer at the time, in Jerusalem, the city of God!
Wow! What a momentous and memorable day that was my fellow believers! Before His ascension, Jesus told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem so that they could be baptized with the Holy Spirit. ‘For John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.’ And as loyal followers they obeyed His command and stayed in Jerusalem, and were they ever amazed by the happenings on that fateful day.
Hear how the Good Book puts it nuh. ‘And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord (purpose of mind) in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.’ (Acts 2:1-4)
Can you imagine that scene on that fateful Sunday friends? It must have been literally and figuratively mind blowing with the sudden appearance of a mighty rushing wind, the cloven tongues of fire and all of a sudden their ability to speak in other languages! Glory to God for His omnipotence and His awesome generosity to His people!
Now let’s clarify a couple of things. Jesus said in our Bit that the disciples would be ‘baptized’ with the Holy Ghost, but on Pentecost Day the Good Book says they were ‘filled’ with the Holy Ghost. I’ll try to paraphrase a long explanation that the scholars offer. ‘2:4. The filling and baptism are two different works performed by the Holy Spirit.
Note their contrasts: (1) Following Pentecost every believer receives the baptism of the Spirit (1 Cor.12:13), hence the New Testament never commands the Christian to receive it. But the filling of the Spirit is not experienced by all believers, and so is commanded (Eph.5:18).
(2) The baptism is permanent, happening but once for all. The filling is ongoing, occurring continuously as seen in the present tense imperative of Ephesians 5:18, that is, “Keep on being filled.” The verse commands: “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (riotousness), but be filled with the Spirit.”
Since Paul compares the influences of wine and the filling of the Spirit, the word ‘control’ can aptly express the idea of either. The filling of the Spirit is the controlling influence of the Spirit within the believer. Such control is neither universal nor unending, thus it must be commanded and does recur within the believers…
The baptism is the act by which Jesus, through the Spirit, at conversion brings the believer into relation with Himself and makes the believer a part of God’s people, the church. The filling is the continuous experience within the Christian whereby the Spirit, who already indwells him, keeps control over his life.’
Phew! Hope you all understand that friends. I guess we can compare it somewhat to God breathing life into us ONE time, but then we have to keep on refilling our lungs with air, if we want to stay alive.
Yes my brethren, Jesus’ words certainly came true, as just before He ascended to heaven, He told them: ‘But ye shall receive power, after that (when) the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.’ (Acts 1:8)
And they certainly made mas (smile) in Jerusalem that day, (read the rest of Acts 2) and around the country later on, and we are now spreading the gospel of Jesus to all parts of the world with the aid of technology! Glory Hallelujah!
Oh friends, I know it’s our custom to begin each Sunday with some praise and worship, but today I was filled with, controlled by the Holy Spirit to do it differently. (smile) I was so enthused by the Spirit’s working in me, that I had to get to the heart of the matter right away. (smile)
And Oh, our church held a wonderful Pentecost Prayer Breakfast yesterday morning, with plenty good food, music, and fellowship from several other churches and denominations, plus a couple of Muslim leaders. And it was all rounded out by a moving address on ‘Prayer,’ by our new Bishop, Jennifer Anderson. As usual, a fine time was had by all. And I’m sure Jesus was delighted by that little bit of unity shown by His church, instead of the disunity we are so prone to show.
Now let’s go home singing one of the songs we sang yesterday. And how appropriate it is eh on this Pentecost Day! So let’s raise out voices in song, and pour forth, the peace, joy, and LOVE that fills our Spirit.
‘I’ve got peace like a river, I’ve got peace like a river, I’ve got peace like a river in my soul, I’ve got peace like a river, I’ve got peace like a river, I’ve got peace like a river in my soul. I’ve got love like an ocean, I’ve got love like an ocean, I’ve got love like an ocean in my soul, I’ve got love like an ocean, I’ve got love like an ocean, I’ve got love like an ocean in my soul. I’ve got joy like a fountain, I’ve got joy like a fountain, I’ve got joy like a fountain in my soul, I’ve got joy like a fountain, I’ve got joy like a fountain, I’ve got joy like a fountain in my soul.’
And that’s the way it ought to be my people! So let’s go out now and faithfully spread that peace, LOVE and joy the way Jesus desires of us nuh. Much LOVE!
…when the Spirit moves you…you’re helpless to resist…
15 May 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a one way street, a permanent manner, accepted Jesus Christ, adoration, an integral part of God's will, And it shall come to pass, assurance, awe, baptism, baptized with the Holy ghost, baptized with water, Christian, cloven tongues, confidence, Day of Pentecost, dream dreams, encouragement, evangelism, filling of the Holy Spirit, Galileans, glory hallelujah, God's enablement, God's peace, God-fix, I will pour out my spirit, Jerusalem, new wine, old men, power from on high, prophesy, raise the roof, reverence, see visions, songs of praise and worship, sons and daughters, source of strength, speak in their own language, speak with other tongues, steadfastness, the epitome of wisdom, the Lord's Day, the promise of my Father, the reception of God's guidance, the Spirit gave them utterance, the Spirit of God, wisdom, workday world, young men
Joel 2:28. And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.
And then it was the first day of the week – Sunday – the Lord’s Day…Glory Hallelujah! That means it’s time to get our weekly God-fix! And that’s meant in a positive manner. It’s time to hie thee to the Lord’s sanctuary and raise the roof, or if it’s outdoors raise heaven’s roof, with songs of praise and worship, of adoration and awe and reverence to our wonderful Creator!
And the good thing about all that is that it’s not a one way street. In return we will receive God’s peace and confidence, His encouragement and assurance, His strength and steadfastness so that we can successfully face the workday world for another week.
And all God’s children gave out a delightful and grateful shout of ‘All praise and thanks be to our awesome God, who was, who is, and who always will be! Bless His holy name! Amen.’
And friends, today is a special day in the life of believers; it spells the formal beginning of Christ’s church; it’s the day of Pentecost, when the beginning of God’s promise in our Bit was fulfilled. ‘And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.’
Before this, the Spirit of God worked from the outside, came upon believers individually, temporarily, often to perform some special work. But after that, the Lord’s Spirit was going to work internally, in a permanent manner. It would come upon each and every believer and dwell within them as soon as they believed; accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour.
And that promise from Joel was also renewed by Jesus just before His ascension, when He told the disciples: ‘And, behold I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry (stay) ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.’ (Luke 24:49)
And the scholars explain that verse thus: ‘24:49. Here is the source of strength for effective evangelism. The promise of my Father stresses that the Spirit’s coming is not an afterthought, but an integral part of God’s eternal will. Endued conveys the picture of one being clothed with God’s enablement. Waiting is part of necessary preparation for the reception of God’s guidance and sanction.’
And that is exactly what the disciples did; they waited in Jerusalem until they were clothed with God’s Holy Spirit, His enablement!
Now listen to Luke describe the Day of Pentecost: ‘And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord (purpose or mind) in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
And there appeared unto them cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.’ (Acts 2:1-4)
Oh how great is our God, my brethren! For as Jesus also told the disciples before His ascension: ‘For John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.’ (Acts 1:5) And so said, so done!
Now let me see if I can paraphrase an important distinction made here by the scholars. ‘2:4. Though verse 4 mentions only the filling with the Spirit, both the filling and the baptism occurred. Christ promised that the baptism would occur (1:4-5) and Peter later affirms that it did happen at Pentecost (11:15-16).
The filling and the baptism are two different works performed by the Holy Spirit. Note their contrasts: (1) Following Pentecost every believer receives the baptism of the Spirit (1 Cor.12:13); hence the New Testament never commands the Christian to receive it. But the filling of the Spirit is not experienced by all believers, and so is commanded (Eph.5:18).
(2) The baptism is permanent, happening but once and for all. The filling is ongoing, occurring continuously as seen in the present tense imperative of Ephesians 5:18, that is, “Keep on being filled.” The verse commands: “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (riotousness): but be filled with the Spirit.”
The filling of the Spirit is the controlling influence of the Spirit within the believer. Such control is neither universal or unending, thus it must be commanded and does recur within the believers (cf.4:8,31) The baptism is the act by which Jesus, through the Spirit, at conversion brings the believer into relation with Himself and makes the believer part of God’s people, the church. The filling is the continuous experience within the Christian whereby the Spirit, who already indwells him, keeps control over his life.’
Ah mih people, I know that sounds somewhat confusing, but if you take your time and read it, you will eventually understand what it’s all about. (smile)
And we’ll conclude with some of what happened after the Holy Spirit came upon the early church. ‘And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad (this sound occurred), the multitude came together and were confounded (confused) because every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans?
And how hear we every man in our own tongue (language or dialect), wherein we were born… Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. And they were all amazed, and were in doubt (perplexed), saying one to another, What meaneth this? Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.’ (Acts 2:5-8, 11-12)
Oh my fellow believers, that must have been a rather tumultuous day in ole Jerusalem! When you hear a bunch of uneducated Galileans speaking about God in your own language, it must give you pause for wonder. And you can’t blame those who thought that the Christians were somewhat inebriated either.
So today, please, let’s sit and ponder what the Holy Spirit has done, is doing and has promised to do in our lives. And above all let’s try and keep our souls continually filled with Him, and thus let Him control us, for that is the epitome of wisdom! Have a blessed day of Pentecost! Much LOVE!
…what’s there to control and baptize us and keep us filled with Christ…the Holy Spirit…
SCRIP-BITS 