07 Aug 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: an invitation to listen, anxiety of lockdown, at the foot of Christ's cross, atrocious happenings, be glad and rejoice in this day, be responsible, book learning, bring backsliders back, calls on all men, Christ is the answer, common sense, compassion, costly, Covid-19, defeat the virus and the unrest, embrace your love, enjoy god's generosity, faithful believers, fear mongering, fight against God's will, Friday chant, frustration, give to God a ransom, God's awesome wisdom, I am the way the truth and the life, in the name of Jesus, Jesus paid the price for our redemption, leave their wealth to others, like the beasts that perish, loss of life, man that is in honour, material wealth, no man can redeem our souls, no man comes to the Father, none can redeem his brother, not see corruption, omnipotent help, our Lord and Saviour, our sinful world, painful consequences, pandemic, prosperity of the wicked, restoring faith in you, riches are woefully inadequate, rise above the ungodly drive for riches, serious setbacks, slave labour, stage 3, stand strong and steadfast, stay safe, street wisdom, superior technolofy, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the error of their ways, the fruits of our labour, the ordinary workingman, the pit, the power of free will, the redemption of their soul, the weekend, understands not, universal application, wake up and smell the coffee, wise guidance
Psalm 49:20. Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.
Prologue! I didn’t mean or expect it to be so long, but I needed to get in all that info, to be able to truly make the point that Christ and not material wealth is the answer. I’m naturally long-winded. (smile) So please ignore the length, just read quietly and let it seep into your souls and release your innate wisdom. Much LOVE!
Embrace it friends, embrace it! Embrace the beautiful day that God has made, be glad and rejoice in it! That’s why He made us and has us here on earth at this appointed time; to enjoy His generosity and the fruits of our labour, as we joyfully do His will! Glory be! I don’t know why we fight against God’s will nuh, since it’s so much easier and much more productive to give into it. But they say to each his own… and I guess that’s why in His awesome wisdom He gave us the power of free will, so we can do as we like.
But friends, that’s a rather important and possibly dangerous undertaking, (smile) for if we don’t use that free will right, very serious and painful consequences will eventually befall us. Anyway, it’s Friday, the much looked forward to end of the work week, so let’s not get into fear mongering nuh. (smile) Instead, let’s hear the wisdom of the ordinary workingman, as he goes about his ordinary working life. And he is indeed very appreciative of this being Friday, for he joyfully declares: (yeahhh!)
‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui and the blooming slave labour done for another couple of days! Wow! And is it ever good to have a holiday to start the work week, so that the aging body can rest a li’l more, since it doesn’t handle the physical labour as good, or as effortlessly as it used to. And even more thankfully, I haven’t heard of any atrocious happenings as we finally got into stage 3 of this Covid-19 reopening! Thank the Lord for that yes!
Hn! Because if we ever have to go back into serious lockdown again, a lotta people going to lose their minds…and even their lives this time, just from the awful frustration and anxiety it brings. So let’s hope people truly wake up and realize the enormity and seriousness of the situation and behave themselves responsibly. Else we could really be in for a rough, rough time. But in the meanwhile, we going to thank God for the weekend and enjoy it as best and as safely as we can!’
And who says the ordinary workingman doesn’t have wisdom eh? It might not be book wisdom, but he does have street wisdom, what we call common sense, something that unfortunately is not so prevalent in these modern times of superior technology and far-reaching book knowledge. And ah laughing mih heart out here mih people, because I just glanced at the open Bible next to me and what do you think I espied? This most appropriate and telling bit of scripture, from Psalm 49 – Trust in God, not wealth. The sons of Korah end the psalm thus: ‘Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.’ (Ps. 49:20)
Oh my people those few simple words are chocked full of awesome truth! If we don’t have the understanding that God exists and that He is sovereign and supreme and act accordingly, we’re just like the wild beasts who have no understanding whatsoever. As the psalm says earlier on: ‘They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him.’ (Ps. 49:6-7)
Yes friends, unfortunately, no man can redeem our souls! (‘For the redemption of their soul is precious (costly), and it ceaseth for ever;) That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption (the pit). For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish (senseless) person perish, and leave their wealth to others. Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names. Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not (does not endure): he is like the beasts that perish. This their way (the way of those who are foolish) is their folly: yet their posterity approve their sayings. Selah.’ (Ps. 49:8-13)
It’s all truth friends, gospel truth, which we should heed if we’re wise. Hear these explanations from the scholars nuh. ‘Psalm 49. This psalm reads almost like a passage from the Book of Proverbs, (it certainly does) with its bold contrast between the destinies of wicked and righteous. It addresses an age-old question: the prosperity of the wicked. The psalmist lived in a day when many evil men were boasting of their wealth (vs. 5-6). The psalm was therefore written to enable God’s people to rise above the ungodly drive (desire) for riches.
There is first an invitation to listen (vs. 1-4): the poet calls on all men because the psalm has a universal application. Second, he demonstrates how woefully inadequate riches are (vs. 5-12): in the day of one’s death they cannot redeem (vs. 6-7). Finally, the divergent destinies of the wicked and the righteous are vividly stated (vs. 13-20): the wicked man has no hope beyond this life (vs. 14), but the righteous man will be resurrected to eternal life (vs.15).’
Now that is more awesome truth, but the problem is that we need to use our free will wisely if we want to be righteous and live eternally. And that means ONE thing; accepting Christ Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, because He is the ONLY ONE, who can pay the costly price for our redemption! In fact, He has already done that by the sacrificial shedding of His precious, holy and sinless blood on the cross of Calvary!
And thus receiving Him into our hearts and souls and living for Him, is the ONLY way a man can see eternal life. As He so truthfully declares (steups!) ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:6) And I’m definitely not going to take the chance and doubt Him. For then we’re just like the beasts, who have no wisdom, and thus we will perish in the pit.
And no, I have not forgotten our Friday Chant (smile). So let’s declare (awright!) it now nuh in all sincerity. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. It’s been pretty rough…some of it from work, as many of us are now back to work in varied ways, but most of our anxiety still comes from all the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus still causing. We not accustomed to that Lord, and it really telling on us. And now, on top of all that, we have racial riots and protests to put up with. Oh Lord, yuh know we can’t handle it on our own and desperately need Your help.
Yes, heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the sure and wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, so that we can avoid any more serious setbacks.
And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to also bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. It’s also a good opportunity to introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion because of the way we, your faithful believers, handle the situation. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And it now behooves us to go out and behave like faithful believers of Christ Jesus! Much LOVE!
…redemption begins and ends…at the foot of Christ’s cross…
24 Jul 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sacrifice to God, a sweet smelling savour, all manner of conversation, aroma, as dear children, as your Father is merciful, at the revelation of Jesus, be merciful, be sober, be ye holy, bring backsliders back, confusion, do good, followers of God, gird up the loins of your mind, grace, havoc, hope for nothing in return, hope to the end for grace, in ignorance, intoxication, justified, lead the way, lend, lockdown, Love your enemies, made righteous, mercy, new mercies and compassions, not conforming to former lusts, obedient children, offering prayer, omnipotent help, outward conduct, pandemic, peace, persoanl discipline, physical distancing, physical labour, racial riots, redeemed, sanctified, serious setbacks, smell the coffee, stand strong and steadfast, strife, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the blood of Jesus Christ, the longed for weekend, the ordinary workingman, the saints of Christ, the saints of God, the undeserving children of men, troubled times, trusting faith, unexpected storm, wake up, walk in LOVE, wearing masks, wise guidance, your reward shall be great
Ephesians 5:1. Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
Welcome to another beautiful day on God’s great earth my fellow saints in Christ! And grace and mercy and peace to you from our heavenly Father as we spend the day doing His wonderful work, redeemed, sanctified, justified and made righteous by the awesome blood of His Son Jesus Christ!
Mama Yo! What a bountiful privilege! And all God’s children said a loud, proud and grateful: “Praise the Lord our great and merciful God, who sends us new mercies and compassions every single day! Who looks after the undeserving children of men! Bless His holy name! Amen!’
And I know it’s Friday, the day so many of us look forward to, when our weekly tasks will end for two lousy days, but nonetheless it fills us with happiness. (smile) Look at it this way nuh, the Lord worked six days to create the universe, we’re only working five, which means we’re one up, that should lessen our antipathy to the work week. (smile)
But let’s hear what the ordinary working man has to say for himself on this bright and sunshiny Friday. And he gushes today: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday and that longed for weekend is here! It was the best week for a while now. It wasn’t so hot, and some rain fell and mih body getting used again to the hard, physical labour in the slave master fiery furnace so nicely called a machine shop, so it not hurting so much again! Thank God for that oui, because it not easy to do all the things we need to do, at the speed and consistency we need to do it when every move yuh make hurts like hell!
I just hope to heaven though that the pandemic and strife business would get settled and be over with, because they still casting a dark cloud over mih life and the world. Yeh, is good to see that they easing the lockdown, but how many people going to pay serious attention to wearing masks and physical distancing when everything gets more open eh? That is the big question, especially since those seem to be the only options we currently have for holding the virus in some sorta check.
Ah Lord eh! Some of us real dense and stupid yes! We still mouthing off about freedom and trampling of rights, but when we go out there not careful, what yuh think going to happen eh? The same blooming foolishness that happening in the U.S. now! But what do I know eh? I’m just a lowly, ordinary workingman, giving thanks to God for the li’l weekend rest ah going to get come this evening.’
Ah friends, the ordinary workingman claims not to know a whole lot, but he does know more than a lot of the so-called upper class and educated people who are not taking our current situation as seriously as they ought to. But that’s where we, the saints of Christ come in; offering prayer and assurance that things will get better, we just don’t know when, and these things will pass, when our God decides it’s time. So let’s go to Him now nuh, corporately, through our Friday Chant, with sincere hearts and plead for His awesome help.
All together now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. It’s been pretty rough…some of it from work, as many of us are now back to work in varied ways, but most of our anxiety still comes from all the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus still causing. We not accustomed to that Lord, and it really telling on us. And now, on top of all that, we have racial riots and protests to put up with. Oh Lord, yuh know we can’t handle it on our own and desperately need Your help.
Yes, heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the sure and wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, so that we can avoid any more serious setbacks.
And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to also bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. It’s also a good opportunity to introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion because of the way we, your faithful believers, handle the situation. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And now that we’ve prayed with sincere hearts my people, what is our next move eh? To put into action what we said above, re God’s faithful people handling the situation with wisdom and compassion. And how do we do that? Like Bruh Paul told the church at Ephesus when he expounded on the ways of the believer. ‘Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in LOVE, as Christ also hath LOVED us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour (aroma).’ (Eph. 5:1-2)
And how do we do all of that? As Jesus said: ‘But LOVE ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again (in return); and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.’ (Luke 6:35-36)
And if Jesus words don’t appeal to you, then try these from Peter nuh, as he talks about the call to Christian dedication. ‘Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind (prepare your mind for action), be sober, and hope to the end for grace (rest your mind fully upon the grace) that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;’ (1 Pet. 1:13)
And the scholars explain that verse thus: ‘1:13. The exhortation to set one’s hope involves an inward resolution. Gird up the loins of your mind: The imagery is that of personal discipline and outward conduct. Be sober: (Gr. nephontes): Be free of every sort of mental and spiritual intoxication. The revelation of Jesus Christ is the Second advent when Jesus returns to earth to set up His kingdom.’
Consequently, our behaviour should be: ‘As obedient children, not fashioning (conforming) yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance. But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation (conduct); Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.’ (1 Pet. 1:14-16)
And for our information, that scripture is found in Leviticus 11:44-45; 19:2; and 20:7. Not only one place, but several, which means the Lord was very serious about it. So please, let’s take holiness seriously too, as we go about doing God’s work each and every day! Much LOVE!
…in troubled times…the saints of God lead the way…
10 Jul 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a stumbling block, abide in Him, anxiety, assurance, be strong, be yuh best, believers in Christ, book learning, Christ, confusion, damage, enjoy the fruits of your labour, faithful believers, faithfully promised, fight the good fight, flooding, foolishness, formal education, Friday chant, God's thoughts and ways, grace, havoc, he who endures to the end, heatwave, higher than ours, in word and deed, introduce a whole new flock, is stronger than men, is wiser than men, keep on keeping on, life experience, look yuh best, LOVE, no air conditioning, no other name like Jesus, not falter, not give up, nothing is impossible, omnipotent help, our heavenly Father, pandemic, peace, protests, quench the fiery heat, recourse, regardless of the circumstances, restoring faith in you, serious setbacks, show them, sinful world, slaving in the boiling heat, stand strong and steadfast, strength, strife, take courage, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the crown of glory, the error of their ways, the foolishness of God, the Greeks seek after wisdom, the Jews require a sigh, the message, the power of God, the weakness of God, the weekend, the wisdom of God, trusting faith, unrest in the streets, wake up and smell the coffee, we preach Christ crucified, what a hot week, will be richly rewarded, wisdom in spades, wise guidance
1 Corinthians 1:25. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
Grace and peace and LOVE from our heavenly Father be unto you this Friday morning my fellow believers in Christ Jesus! It’s a new day and His mercies are new! Glory be! And the message is that we must abide in Him, regardless of the uncomfortable and dangerous circumstances that surround us, we must be strong and not falter, not give up, for he who endures to the end will be richly rewarded! And all God’s children said a loud and grateful ‘Amen!’
Yeh friends, there’s no other name in the universe like that of Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, to whom NOTHING is impossible and through whom we can do ANYTHING He desires of us! So let’s take courage, strength and assurance from those facts today nuh and keep on keeping on, keep on fighting the good fight for which we were created so that we can eventually win the crown of glory that we’ve been so faithfully promised! Sermon done! (smile)
It’s time to hear what the ordinary workingman has to say. ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! And best of all, the weekend is upon us! But what a hot week this has been! Oh brother, both outside and inside, especially in the blooming slave master factory that don’t have no air conditioning! Steups!
What a cheap man! He refuse to spend the few dollars to put it in, even though they tell him it going to make the machinery last longer, not to mention his employees. We all lost a couple pounds this week, including him, slaving in the boiling heat! To tell the truth though, sometimes the AC not even good enough at home to quench the fiery heat during the nights and them. It’s what you call a real heatwave…and it looks like it going to last even longer.
Just hope the weekend not too bad nuh so I can get some much needed rest… And then this pandemic and strife thing still going on, with no end in sight to them either…What a bam bam! Pandemic, strife and heat! What a glorious trio! And not even a drop of rain to put out the fire. Although Toronto got a good deluge this week for an hour or so that cause a whole lotta flooding and damage, but nowhere else on the outskirts had anything but a li’l drizzle.
But what yuh going to do eh? Life’s never been easy…and nobody ever said it was ever going to be either. Yuh just have to live it as best yuh can…look yuh best and be yuh best, enjoy the fruits of yuh labour and say thank God for Fridays and weekends yes!’
Ah mih people, the ordinary workingman might not have a lot of book learning, but he does have life experience that no amount of formal education can ever teach, and it would be very wise of us to pay some attention to his pronouncements, because remember the Lord uses the simple and foolish to upset the applecart of the wise and powerful.
As Bruh Paul so nicely and wisely put it to the fractious, infighting and thus divided church at Corinth. ‘Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer (debater) of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching (the message preached) to save them that believe.’ (1 Cor. 1:20-21)
Yeh friends, it wasn’t by wisdom that the world learned of Christ Jesus, but by the message of the cross preached by simple men and women, to those who chose to believe. As Bruh Paul continues: ‘For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom. But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness. But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.’ (1 Cor. 1:22-25)
Oh my people, even on His worst day, God’s foolishness and weakness is much wiser and much stronger than man’s best! For remember, He said quite plainly that His ways and thoughts are way above ours. (Is. 55:8-9) And logically, they would have to be for Him to do all the awesome things that He’s done. So please let’s pay serious attention to Him nuh, for though it might sound like foolishness to the world’s way of thinking, it’s actually wisdom in spades.
Now let’s go home showing true wisdom, falling on our bended knees and offering up prayerful sentiments to Him in the form of our Friday Chant. All together now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. It’s been pretty rough…some of it from work, as many of us are now back to work in varied ways, but most of our anxiety still comes from all the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus still causing. We not accustomed to that Lord, and it really telling on us.
And now, on top of all that, we have racial riots and protests to put up with. Oh Lord, yuh know we can’t handle it on our own and desperately need Your help. Yes, heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets.
So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the sure and wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, so that we can avoid any more serious setbacks.
And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to also bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. It’s also a good opportunity to introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion because of the way we, your faithful believers, handle the situation. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And having said all of that, our only recourse now is to be faithful believers, both in word and deed! Much LOVE!
…whether times are good or bad…Christ is ALWAYS the answer…
03 Jul 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 4th July weekend, agree to disagree, anxiety, bacchanal, being responisble, bring backsliders back, brought to desolation, Canada Day holiday, citizenship responsibility, common sense, confusion, contemplate the situation, divided against itself, division, embrace your love and compassion, every city or house, every kingdom, fear not, fervently pray, Friday chant, heavenly Father, in a positive manner, in the name of Jesus, introduce a whole new flock, let's not disappoint Him, light of the world, loss to life and property, LOVE, no weapon formed against us will prosper, omnipotent help, only God alone knows, positive results, riot, rocket science, salt of the earth, serious setbacks, shall not stand, sinful world, stand strong and steadfast, stay safe, street protests, strife, summertime, systemic racism, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, Thank God is Friday, unexpected storm, virus pandemic, wake up and smell the coffee, win this thing for Jesus, wise guidance
Matthew 12:25. Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.
It’s late, it’s late, it’s late! But, with the Lord’s help, it’ll be great, it’ll be great, it’ll be great! (smile) Morning mih bredrin! How goes it this Friday morning in early July eh? I know some people are singing: ‘Summertime, summertime, summertime!’ enjoying the constant warm weather at last. However, many others are more concerned about all the unprecedented problems that have recently raised up their ugly heads in our society.
But not to worry, our great God is still in control, and He has promised that no weapon formed against His children will prosper. And Jesus’ two most famous words were: ‘FEAR NOT!’ So let’s do just that nuh; don’t be afraid, but work within the parameters of which we are capable and do our li’l part to help remedy the situation, if it’s only being responsible in a positive manner. And the sermon done right there! (smile)
Now let’s hear what the ordinary workingman has to say. ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! Yeah! And the Canada Day holiday broke up the work week nicely! That day of rest in between was wonderful! This is the best I’ve felt after the few weeks that we’ve gone back to work! Glory be! But the sad part is that the same problems we had last weekend, we still have them! Nothing seems to be getting better in either the virus pandemic or the strife and protests!
And with the 4th of July celebrations this weekend down in the U.S, yuh could imagine the bacchanal that going to happen down there with all the confusion that already taking place! Ah Lord eh! Good thing ah living in Canada yes, where we a li’l more law abiding and responsible. But when will we ever get back to normal eh, and when this systemic racism thing going to get fixed eh? Only God alone seems to know yes!
But ah certainly hope we see some positive results in either case sometime soon oui. Ah tired with it now. Ah can’t go out as ah want to, and when I do go out, is always somebody marching in the streets or causing some riot somewhere! Steups! Yes, ah know people have problems, and have rights and want rights and all that, but what about my rights eh? Nobody not concerned about them! Nobody concerned that their rights impinging on mine!
What a world we live in eh Dr. Jack! Ah only hope mih children don’t have to grow up in that sorta mishmash, unruly, divided and irresponsible world nuh! But all I could do right now yes is simply shake mih head and say thank the Lord is Friday, and ah have some time to sit down and contemplate the situation!’
Yes friends, we all need to take some time and contemplate the situation; both as individuals, as well as members of the overall society, and see how we can best put our gifts and talents to work to help improve it. It’s our citizenship responsibility. We won’t always agree, but as they say, we can agree to disagree, and thus get rid of the many small, petty and unimportant things that cause the division amongst us. Jesus said it very clearly: ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.’
That’s not rocket science my people, but simple common sense. I’m forgetting though, that common sense is in very short supply these days. (smile) And we’re so foolish, that we seem to prefer to destroy our society, rather than come to some workable agreement. Anyway, as saints of Christ, the first thing we ought to do in any given situation is turn to our heavenly Father and pray, ask for wisdom and guidance to handle the prevailing situation. So let’s do that right now nuh; let’s cry out to Him in humble confidence through our Friday Chant, our prayer for mercy and grace, wisdom and understanding.
As one loud and sincere voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. It’s been pretty rough…some of it from work, as many of us are now back to work in varied ways, but most of our anxiety still comes from all the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus still causing. We not accustomed to that Lord, and it really telling on us. And now, on top of all that, we have racial riots and protests to put up with. Oh Lord, yuh know we can’t handle it on our own and desperately need Your help.
Yes, heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the sure and wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, so that we can avoid any more serious setbacks.
And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to also bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. It’s also a good opportunity to introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion because of the way we, your faithful believers, handle the situation. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Yes friends, the Lord heard our prayer, and as we spoke, He was already putting His plans into action to help us. Now it’s our turn to satisfy our part of the covenant, the partnership we have with Him, time to be responsible and show the true colours of Christianity with which we will conquer this evil world! The Lord is counting on us friends, so please, let’s not disappoint Him nuh! Much LOVE!
…as true salt of the earth…and lights of the world…we can win this thing for Jesus…
21 Jun 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a li'l more oil in my lamp, a new commandment, ask, assurance, before men, celebrate the Sabbath, corporate worship, disappointed, evangelical churches, evidence of things not seen, faith, faith in my heart, faithful followers of Christ, filled with joy, get the spirit moving, get through the darkest of times, give me oil in my lamp, glorify your father in heaven, glory hallelujah, in my heart, in prayer, keep me praying, let your light so shine, like I have loved you, LOVE, LOVE one another, physical distancing, see your good works, shining lights, sing praises to, spiritual food, stand strong and steadfast, substance of things hoped for, testing, the joy of the Lord is your strength, the King of Kings, the Lord of lords, till the break of day, to keep it burning, Ye are the light of the world, ye shall receive, your joy may be full
Matthew 5:14a. Ye are the light of the world…
Yes, we’re disappointed because there’s still no corporate worship on this Sabbath Sunday, but since we’re true and faithful followers of the great, powerful and imaginative Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, we will find a way to worship and celebrate the Sabbath while physically distancing! (smile) No doubt about that my people! And we’re not worried, because we know that some day, as soon as the Lord is good and ready, all these present troubles will pass. And all God’s children gave a loud and positive shout of ‘Glory Hallelujah! This too shall end!’
But until it does, we have to keep worshipping through technological means, and to tell the truth we still get to do most things, except the physical gathering and touching. But enough talk…we come here to worship not engage in idle chatter. (smile) And as always, we open with a sacrifice of praise, today’s hymn being titled, ‘Give Me Oil in My Lamp.’ And to tell the truth, I didn’t even know that was the correct name until I looked it up yesterday. I always knew it as a local spiritual ditty called, ‘A li’l more Oil in My Lamp,’ sung in some of the more evangelical churches, that got the spirit moving and the feet dancing.
And so, in honour of that ‘Ole Time Religion,’ we going to sing it that way. I hope you like this one, mih pardner Scotty… hope it brings back memories. (smile) So let’s get the hands a clapping and the feet a dancing and voices in full, harmonious throat, as we sing praises to the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords!
‘A li’l more oil in my lamp, to keep it burning. A li’l more oil in my lamp, I pray. A li’l more oil in my lamp, to keep it burning. Keep it burning till the break of day. (Refrain: Sing hosanna, sing hosanna, sing hosanna to the King of kings! Sing hosanna, sing hosanna, sing hosanna to the King!) A li’l more LOVE in my heart, to keep me sharing. A li’l more LOVE in my heart, I pray. A li’l more LOVE in my heart, to keep me sharing. Keep me sharing till the break of day. (Refrain)
A li’l more joy in my heart, to keep me singing. A li’l more joy in my heart, I pray. A li’l more joy in my heart, to keep me singing. Keep me singing till the break of day. (Refrain) A li’l more faith in my heart, to keep me praying. A li’l more faith in my heart, I pray. A li’l more faith in my heart, to keep me praying. Keep me praying till the break of day. (Refrain: Sing hosanna, sing hosanna, sing hosanna to the King of kings! Sing hosanna, sing hosanna, sing hosanna to the King! Sing hosanna, sing hosanna, sing hosanna to the King of kings! Sing hosanna, sing hosanna, sing hosanna to the King!)’
Ah mih people, that was indeed a rousing rendition. It reminded me of how the Pentecostal Church where I grew up would be humming and jumping when they gave praise. But I guess to each his own, and I don’t think the Lord refuses any kind of praise, once it’s sincere. And I have one person’s view point on the benefit of the song. ‘For the religious, one interpretation is that it signifies a thirst for spiritual food—spiritual food to get one through the darkest of times in hopes of a brighter day, a clearer vision of one’s path or until one gains their salvation.’
And believe me friends, it certainly gives us spiritual food for dark and tough times! When we seek to have more, light, LOVE, joy and faith in our hearts and souls, it does inspire us to rise above our earthly problems and also receive divine guidance and wisdom to do the work that Christ desires of us. And right now I’m seeking some of that divine guidance and wisdom to know where to go from here. (smile) And I believe this is where I’m being guided.
The first place is to the parable of the ten virgins; five who were wise enough to take extra oil for their lamps, and five who were foolish not to do so. We are expected to be like the first five; wise and take oil with us when we go to wait for the bridegroom at the wedding feast, so that our lights don’t go out if He takes a long time to come. Remember, Jesus expects us to be bright, shining beacons to the world: As He clearly says: ‘Ye are the light of the world… Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:14a; 16)
And to do that in an excellent and diligent manner, as the song says, we need other things; like LOVE. And hear Jesus on the subject: ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another, as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:34-35) Oh friends, that seems clear and straightforward! But does our behaviour tell that story? Not nearly enough as it ought to!
And would you believe that if we truly followed Jesus’ advice, our lives would be filled with that unsurpassable blessing called joy? And not the joy of this world, but Jesus’ special kind. ‘These things have I spoken unto you; that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy may be full.’ (John 13:11) And later on, He again told the disciples: ‘Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.’ (John 16:24) And let’s not forget ‘that the joy of the Lord is our strength.’ (Neh. 8:10) So without it, we’re weak, fragile and unable to do His work properly.
That brings us to the last piece of the puzzle, but the first one we need to acquire, and the one that keeps us keeping on; faith. That ‘substance (realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction) of things not seen.’ (Heb.11:1) Yes friends, buoyed by hope, we achieve faith; assurance in the New Testament, and this brings us to a certain and sure conviction in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Obviously we can get deeper into all of those topics, but hopefully this will suffice for now, will serve as a catalyst to keep us strong and steadfast in prayer, with LOVE for each other, like shining lights filled with joy, and doing the best we can in these turbulent times. Much LOVE!
…to know Christ’s joy…and LOVE…and peace…is to accept Him forever…as Lord and Saviour…
19 Jun 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a guiding light, be responsible, bring backsliders back to your fold, calls men to accountability, compassionrestoring faith in you, defeat the virus, each one help one, each one teach one, energy level, enthusiasm, ever-faithful God, fearful and anxious world, Friday chant, grin and bear it, hard labour, have seen a great light, have the light of life, His only begotten Son, I am the light of the world, in him was life, in the land of the shadow of death, in the name of, Jesus Christ, lock down, LOVE, mercy, omnipotent help, our Lord and Saviour, pandemic, physical distancing, racial protest, realm of prayer, revelation of God, serious setbacks, stand strong and steadfast, stay safe, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, that have walked in darkness, the darkness comprehended it not, the forefront, the life was the light of men, the light shineth in darkness, the people, they that dwell, this serious storm, understanding of the truth, unrest in our streets, upon them hath the light shined, waiting with bated breath, wise guidance
Isaiah 9:2. The people that have walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
And then all those bright, sunshiny days, morphed into this beautiful one called Friday! And everyone’s thoughts are turned to what this June weekend might hold for us, as individuals, as well as our whole frustrated, discontented, weary, sick, fearful and anxious world! But there is no need to fear my friends, for our great and ever-faithful God has given us an incredible promise: ‘The people that have walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.’
Yeh friends, the Lord promised us a guiding light to lead us out of the darkness and He kept that promise when He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ into the world to show us what He was truly like, and that we would be able to follow the light and come to a sure understanding of the truth found in His Word. But unfortunately, as John says: ‘In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended (apprehended) it not.’ (John 1:4-5)
Now is it ever so sad, that back then, only a minority of mankind appreciated the light and took advantage of what it had to offer. And the same unfortunate situation still exists to this day. But hear this explanation from the scholars nuh: ‘1:4-5. Life…light: See also 8:12; 9:5; 11:25; 14:6. (Please check out those references.) In John’s writings, life represents salvation and deliverance through Christ, and light denotes Jesus’ revelation of God which calls men to accountability.’
Exactly what I’ve been saying: not enough of us have accepted Jesus’ revelation of God, neither His most wonderful offer of salvation and deliverance! No wonder our world is in such a calamitous state! Jesus said it quite plainly Himself: ‘I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ (John 8:12) So the ONLY way out is for us to accept what God has to offer on a worldwide scale, not trying to run Him out of our society, as we are presently trying to do. Let’s remember that nuh! Sermon done! (smile)
And since it’s Friday, I know many of you are waiting with bated breath to hear what the ordinary workingman has to say. So let’s check it out nuh. As always, he begins with ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday and the weekend is here!’ But these days his enthusiasm and energy level don’t seem as high as they were before the pandemic shut down everything. ‘Yeh, thank God for the two days off from work! But what we going to do with them eh? Is summer time now, and half the place still lock down, and yuh still have to practice social or physical distancing, or whatever yuh choose to call it!
Steups! And not even that, but I really don’t want to go anywhere because mih body tired, ah still can’t catch mihself, still not gotten back accustomed to the hard labour in the slave master work! Oh what a difference two months away from it makes! And this pandemic thing, as well as the new racial protest and them, doh look like they going away any time soon nuh.
Ah Lord eh! In all mih born days, ah never see the world in such a mess yet nuh! But what a small man like me going to do about all that eh? Not a hell of a lot. Just grin and bear it as best as I can and pray that it all get better sooner than later! And is a good thing I still have the weekends to look forward to yes, so I can get away from it all. Thank the Lord for that oui!’
Ah friends, I know that many of us are experiencing the same kind of frustration and feel like the ordinary workingman does, because we are ordinary working people without a whole lotta say in the big affairs of the society, and the powers that be don’t pay a lot of attention to us, unless we rise up together and make our voices heard. And that ofttimes meets with unfortunate circumstances as the current racial protests are showing. But there’s one place where NO ONE can stop or hold us back…and that’s in the realm of prayer!
Calls to Almighty God are only monitored by Him and He desires to hear from all of us. So let’s get busy and pray nuh; call out to God for mercy and deliverance through our Friday Chant. As one loud and sincere voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. It’s been pretty rough…some of it from work, as many of us are now back to work in varied ways, but most of our anxiety still comes from all the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus still causing. We not accustomed to that Lord, and it really telling on us. And now, on top of all that, we have racial riots and protests to put up with.
Oh Lord, yuh know we can’t handle it on our own and desperately need Your help. Yes, heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the sure and wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, so that we can avoid any more serious setbacks.
And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to also bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. It’s also a good opportunity to introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion because of the way we, your faithful believers, handle the situation. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Now, like faithful believers, let’s go and do whatever little we can do to help the situation! Much LOVE!
…each one teach one…each one help one…
12 Jun 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all tears from their eyes, anxiety, back to your fold, backsliders, be responsible, blatantly ignore warnings, Christian folks, comeuppance, common sense, compassion, conflict in public places, confusion, Covid-19, defeat the virus and the unrest, demonstrations, downtrodden, eternal kingdom of Christ, every dog have he day, faithful believers, foolish greed, Friday chant, God shall wipe away, hard labour, havoc, he who has ears to hear, heavenly Father, history repeating itself, in broad daylight, introduce a new flock, least amount of loss to life, let him hear, LOVE, lust for power, man's inhumanity to man, mistreated, neither sorrow, new earth, new heaven, no more death, no more pain, nor crying, omnipotent help, one day one day congotay, physical distancing, prophetic, public servants, racism, refusing to listen, reuse to hear, revolt, serious setbacks, slave master, stand strong and steadfast, stay safe, street protests, talk the tlk, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the former things are passed away, the have-nots, the haves, time longer than twine, too big for them britches, walk the talk, want what is rightfully theirs, we'll feel, wise guidance
Revelation 21:4. 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.
Welcome to Friday friends; the end of another week filled with much talk about Covid-19 and no seeming relief from its deadly clutches, as well as street protests and demonstrations and confusion and conflict in public places and amongst public servants. And it doesn’t seem as though we’ll get any relief from that soon either. And isn’t it strange and somehow prophetic that both these conditions could rise up worldwide at the same time?
And I still maintain that the Lord God Almighty, Creator and Ruler of this awesome universe is trying to tell us something significant, but as always we’re refusing to listen, to pay serious attention to His warnings. Remember Jesus’ advice: ‘He who has ears to hear, let him hear.’ And if we refuse to hear, then we’ll feel! There’s no doubt about that. Anyway, be all that as it may, (smile) let’s hear what the ordinary workingman has to say for himself nuh.
‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! Thank God for the weekend and a couple of days rest from the slave master hard labour and all the confusion in the world! Is it never going to end? Chuh man! They still can’t find no answer for this Coronavirus business and with all the protests and rioting and people gathering in big crowds, ignoring the physical distancing warning, this Covid-19 thing doh look as it going away any time soon nuh. In fact it might just get worse, because we still doh know how to handle it properly, and people still catching it and dying from it all around the world.
But what is wrong with we eh? And look at how this racism thing just suddenly blow up in we face because of one stupid, well four stupid men eh… Steups! Common sense ought to tell yuh that yuh can’t do them things in front of everybody, especially when everybody have cameras on their cell phones and quick to take pictures of everything. And that just shows the police and them getting too big for them britches, when they could do that sort of thing in broad daylight and blatantly ignore warnings from the people they supposed to be protecting. It so entrenched, and they so accustomed to getting away with it, they doh care no longer.
But thank the Lord, that every dog have he day, one day one day congotay, and we all going to get we just and rightful comeuppance in time, because time longer than twine. Ah not able nuh. Nobody doh listen to people like me. So ah just going to go home and enjoy mih weekend with mih family and give thanks to God for all I have yes! Can’t do no more than that nuh.’
Ah mih people, we all can surely identify with the workingman because most of us don’t have any real say in the crises that are currently surrounding us, and that’s just why the racism thing is rearing its ugly head. The powers that be are so short-sighted that they can’t see that their system of holding down people can’t last forever, and the downtrodden and mistreated will eventually rise up and want what is rightfully theirs. It’s been this way ever since history began; the have’s refusing to share with the have-nots…until they revolt.
We talk about history repeating itself, but we still don’t pay significant attention to it, otherwise the disturbances in our streets worldwide would not be happening now. But it’s jut a symbol of foolish greed and lust for power, highlighting man’s inhumanity to man. And it doesn’t seem as if it’s ever going to end until Jesus returns with the new heaven and the new earth and sets up His eternal kingdom. ‘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.’
But until then friends, we need to keep up our good work and pray; pray like there’s no tomorrow, for who knows if there’ll be one, or what it will look like! So let’s cry out to our great and merciful God nuh, let’s chant up a storm; a storm of peace, LOVE and understanding through our Friday Chant.
All together now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. It’s been pretty rough…some of it from work, as many of us are now back to work in varied ways, but most of our anxiety still comes from all the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus still causing. We not accustomed to that Lord, and it really telling on us. And now, on top of all that, we have riots and protests to put up with. Oh Lord, yuh know we can’t handle it on our own and desperately need Your help. Yes, heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets.
So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the sure and wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, so that we can avoid any more serious setbacks. And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to also bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways.
It’s also a good opportunity to introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion because of the way we, your faithful believers, handle the situation. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And having said all of that, we must now behave like faithful believers ought to behave in such situations. Christian folks, it’s time for us to rise up and show the world how true believers behave, like Jesus! Much LOVE!
…we can’t just talk the talk…we must also walk that talk…
05 Jun 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a means of restoring faith, a whole new flock, be responsible, beat one thing to death, blown up in our faces, bring backsliders back to your fold, bury our heads in the sand, by word or our epistle, comfort your hearts, common sense, confusion, Covid-19 virus, defeat the virus and unrest, equality, establish you, fairness, Friday chant, from Almighty God Himself, given us everlasting consolation, glad to see the weekend, good hope through grace, havoc, hold the traditions ye have been taught, in every good word and work, in the name of Jesus, let cooler and more sensible heads prevail, live in peace and dignity, not accustomed to the hard labour, off the shop floor, omnipotent help, one foolish policeman, our sinful world, overtime, picking me up, protests, riots, rocket science, serious setbacks, stand fast, stand strong and steadfast, stay safe, sure and wise guidance, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the best place to seek help, the glaring truth, the news media, unexpected storm, wake up and smell the coffee
2 Thessalonians 2:15. Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word or our epistle (acknowledge the totality of the apostolic doctrine).
And it seems another glorious day is in the offing… a hot one too! So please put on your A/C and get ready for it. I know the duchess and I will disagree, (smile) but I simply can’t stand another hot air day in our bedroom, while she languishes cool and comfortable in the family room. I don’t understand the sizable temperature difference between downstairs and upstairs either. I could not even sleep properly when I went to bed in the early hours of this morning because of the heat. But we’ll see how it plays out… (smile)
And since it’s Friday…another one in the long line, let’s see what the ordinary workingman has to say for himself nuh. As usual, he declares, though not with a whole lot of enthusiasm: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes! And ah really glad to see the weekend oui, because mih ole bod real tired, it still not accustomed to the hard labour I put it through, and it just dying for some rest and respite from it. And ah have to chuckle because before this pandemic thing, I use to work the regular hours plus overtime and never feel as tired as I do now.
Don’t even mention overtime to me now nuh, else you might just end up picking me up off the shop floor. That is what some two months of no work will do to you. But on more serious matters… whatever happening in we world today eh? On top of this pandemic business, all over the world, we now have riots and protest and what have you because of one foolish policeman. Well I guess you could call it the straw that break the camel’s back because the racism thing still going on strong all over the world, and apparently getting more blatant than ever. Steups!
The protests so hot and in yuh face that people even forget about the pandemic that was just killing we in droves…and in fact still killing we, although the news media now focusing more on the riots and protests. That’s their style…beat one thing to death, until something else comes along, then move on and beat that to death. Ah Lord, ah not able nuh. Ah just want to spend a quiet weekend with mih family and rest and recuperate so I can go back out on Monday and earn a living. Thank God for Fridays and weekends oui!’
And friends, I know that many of us feel like the ordinary workingman, but we can’t bury our heads in the sand and hope that our problems will go away. That’s what we’ve been doing for too long now, and why the situation has reached this point of apparently no return. Oh, very few of us can make the systemic changes that are needed, but we can all make the changes needed in our small communities and individual lives. And the glaring truth is that if we had done it before like we ought to, it would not have blown up in our faces now!
And many of us are trying to still sweep it under the rug or pretend that it doesn’t exist and doesn’t matter, but it does exist, and it does matter! And if we don’t deal with it seriously now, it will just get worse in our children and grandchildren’s lives. Is that what we want for them? I certainly hope not. So please, let cooler and more sensible heads prevail nuh and let’s sincerely work towards some more equality and fairness in our world. It’s just simple common sense, not rocket science, that is if you want to live in peace and dignity, and in the long run will benefit us all.
But yuh know what? The one thing ALL of us can do is pray. And that’s certainly one of the reasons the Good Lord is allowing all this disaster to rain down on us right now…He wants to hear more often and more sincerely from more of us. So let’s invoke our Friday Chant nuh. in strong voice, with sincere hearts.
‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. It’s been pretty rough…some of it from work, as many of us are now back to work in varied ways, but most of our anxiety still comes from all the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus still causing. We not accustomed to that Lord, and it really telling on us. And now, on top of all that, we have riots and protests to put up with. Oh Lord, yuh know we can’t handle it on our own and desperately need Your help.
Yes, heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the sure and wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, so that we can avoid any more serious setbacks.
And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to also bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. It’s also a good opportunity to introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion because of the way we, your faithful believers, handle the situation. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
What more can I say eh friends? Not a whole lot. And we’re going to end with these reassuring and comforting words of Bruh Paul to the Thessalonians. ‘Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word or our epistle (acknowledge the totality of the apostolic doctrine). Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath LOVED us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.’ (2 Thess. 2:15-17) Much LOVE!
…in EVERY situation…the first and best place to seek help…is from our Creator…Almighty God Himself…
18 May 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a li'l pressure and hardship, all tears from their eyes, answer our prayers, called to do His work, Christ sacrificed His life for us, confident humility, ease their suffering, eh that believes in me, eternity, fear knocks at our hearts, frogiving, give up, God shall wipe away, God will owrk everything out for good, gracious God, Great Britain, greater than he that's in the world, He who is in us, heal our land, heal them, humble servants, I am the resurrection, Jehovah Rapha, lockdown, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, no crying, no end in sight, no more death, no more pain, no sorrow, Our Father, physcial distancing, pilgrims, positive attitude, repentance, saints in Christ, send faith to answer it, severe cleansing measures, stand strong and steadfast, the former things are passed away, the grim reaper, the Life, the new Jerusalem, those love him, trillion dollar question, turn from our evil ways, Victoria Day, while there's life there's hope, who art in heaven, will never die
Revelation 21:4. 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.
Thank you Queen Vic (Victoria) for this holiday Monday, although we can’t celebrate it as we usually do in outstanding form, (smile) mainly because of the lockdown, the physical distancing and severe cleansing measures made necessary by the Coronavirus pandemic. But not to worry, we will get in some celebrations, just not as much as we usually do. We certainly won’t let your day go by without honouring your strength, positive attitude and good governance. That’s why they say B.S. baffles brains! (smile)
Ah friends, in some of the old British Crown Colonies we’re celebrating a public holiday in remembrance of Queen Victoria (1817-1901). She ruled Great Britain from 1837 until her death in 1901. Her 63 years on the throne was the longest of any of her predecessors. And though a little more than five feet tall, she was reputed to be saucy and outspoken and not easily cowed, thus the prosperity of Great Britain during her reign. And who knows how she would have reacted to our current circumstances, but we know that our first reaction today ought to, and will be prayer, because it’s the most powerful too in our tool box.
So without further ado, let’s get to our Monday Morning Battle Hymn nuh… And I can’t help but chuckle as I remember how we touted it as the antidote for all that ailed us. Now it’s still very useful, but this Covid-19 stuff has brought it up somewhat short. But nonetheless, the One to whom we pray is more powerful than whatever is in the world, and He can change everything by simply lifting a finger, so there’s no shame if our prayer takes a while to be answered. So altogether now, in confident humility, let’s call on our great God for grace and mercy in these disastrous times.
‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive, and hopefully haven’t contracted the virus that’s causing havoc around our world. Despite the crucial lockdown, those of us considered essential, still have go to work, and we’re somewhat fearful, because we have no idea, how, when and where the virus might strike. Our anxieties have even deepened in the last few days because some restrictions have been lifted, and more of us have to go to work now.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction.
Please show us how to successfully handle this scourge that’s plaguing the earth, and help the scientists to find a positive solution, a sure antidote to it as quickly as possible. And for those who have already contracted the virus, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them Father. Show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again we say: Amen!’
Ah precious people of God, right now we’re in some treacherous times, times like we’ve never experienced before. Times of pain and sorrow, sickness and death are manhandling us, the Grim Reaper seems to be in every corner of the universe at the same time, with no sure end in sight, well man’s end. But I want to remind us of two things; the first being that while there is life, while God’s breath is flowing through our bodies, there’s always hope that things will get better, especially if we walk in sincere obedience to His will. So let’s not fret and fuss and fear too much. Let’s have faith in our God to answer our prayer for healing in His own time. He’s always been faithful, so why should He change now eh?
And the second is for us to remember this magnificent promise, though it be for another time: ‘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.’ Oh my fellow saints in Christ, we are indeed shaking it rough today, and most likely will do so for the near future, but we have God’s faithful promise that one day, when the New Jerusalem comes down to earth, that all the sorrow and pain and death and crying will be no more! Now isn’t that something great to look forward to? It certainly is!
Remember too that earth is not our real home, we’re only pilgrims down here, but heaven, or wherever Jesus is, that’s our real place of abode, where we’ll spend eternity with Him. Remember the basis of our faith and eternal life is Christ’s resurrection from the dead. As He said to Martha after Lazarus had died: ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead (may die), yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?’ (John 11:25-26)
Now friends, that’s the trillion dollar question we all have to ask ourselves today? Do we truly believe in Christ’s resurrection, and that we will live triumphantly with Him in the glorious end? If so, then we cannot allow today’s problems to frighten us so much that we give up. Remember the words ‘give up,’ are not found in Jesus’ vocabulary, and consequently not in that of His followers either.
So please, I implore us this Monday morning in the middle of May 2020, during this time of pandemic, let’s stand strong and steadfast for Christ nuh! He sacrificed His life for us, the least we can do is stand a li’l pressure and hardship for Him, especially when we know for a fact that He who is in us is greater than he that’s in the world, and that our great God will eventually work all our problems out for good, because we sincerely LOVE Him and are called to do His work! Much LOVE!
…when fear knocks at our hearts…send faith to answer it…
24 Apr 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a no-brainer, acclamations, according to his riches in glory, alive and kicking, another day in the life, as for me and my house, bondage in Egypt, Book of the Law, bring backsliders back to your fold, but by every word, by bread alone, by the Word, chosen people, compassion, confusion, Covid-19, day and night, defeat this virus, delve into God's Word, doing good and not evil, faith, faithful believers, Friday chant, God will supply all of my needs, have good success, havoc, hope, I can do all things, Israelites, it is written, like we all in jail, loss of life, LOVE, make thy way prsoperous, man shall not live, meditate therein, Moese, no end in sight, not accustomed, onipotent help, ordinary workingman, out of the mouth of God, overtime, pandemic, panic, praying, pretty rough, reading, saints in Christ, smell the coffee, social distancing, stand strong and steadfast, telling on us, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the body dies, the Lord has made, the spirit lives, this is the day, this too shall pass, through Christ, through Christ Jesus, to get me over the top, trials and tribulations, unexpected storm, wait expectantly, wake up, we will rejoice and be glad in it, we will serve the Lord, who strengthens me, wise guidance, without bread
Matthew 4:4. It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Aye mih people, it’s another day in the life; another uncomfortable and unpredictable day in the sojourn, the pandemic and panic of Covid-19, with no end really in sight as yet, just more confusion, so let’s do the wise and smart thing and begin our day with some age old encouragement nuh, some acclamations that have been tried and tested and found rather useful down through the ages of time! And if that isn’t a Bruh Paulian sentence, I don’t know what is! (smile)
So please declare out loud with me: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it!’ (Ps. 118:24) And on top of that: ‘God will supply ALL of my needs according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus, our wonderful Lord and Saviour!’ (Phil. 4:19) Mama Yo! What could be more encouraging than that eh? Well this: ‘I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me!’ (Phil. 4:13) And yuh feel that divine and supernatural strength just flowing through your veins now mih people? I know you do! Because we just know that ‘If God is for us, who the hell can be against us eh? (Rom. 8:31) Not a single, bloody soul my faithful brethren!
Because He is the most powerful being in the universe, and if He’s got our back, then we’re safe like nobody or nothing else can make us! Therefore, with ALL of that wonderful stuff going for us from and through our omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent Creator, we can truly and faithfully declare these marvellous words that Joshua declared so long ago: ‘As for me and my house, we WILL serve the Lord!’ (Josh. 24:15) Yes, precious people, as long as we draw breath on this earth, regardless of whatever trials and tribulations may come against us, let us not stray from that tried and true path that leads through Jesus Christ, right to the throne room of Almighty God in the high heavens! Amen!
And I don’t know about you all, but that has certainly energized me! (smile) So, since it’s Friday, let’s hear what the ordinary, most likely out of work, workingman has to say nuh. And as always, he opens with: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ (but not with his usual enthusiasm and expectant tone.) ‘Chuh! But that sounds so hollow though, since there’s nothing to look forward to. Friday’s become just like any other day, not the prelude to the weekend, like it was when I was working. Doh even remember when last I worked. This Covid-19 nonsense been going on for so long now.
Thankfully though, I’m now getting a few dollars from the government that helps to pay the mortgage and put some food on the table…but it’s definitely not enough to do everything. I can’t even work a li’l overtime to get me over the top. Ah Lord eh! When it all going to end eh? Like we all in jail yes! Can’t even go outside and talk to nobody…got to keep this social distancing foolishness…oh I know it’s necessary, but it’s still seems foolish…staying six feet from people when yuh see them, even though yuh ent see nobody in a long time! Steups! But ah guess we still have to give God thanks that we still alive and kicking some, and as they say, this too shall pass…just hope it don’t take too much longer to pass nuh…’
Yes my fellow saints in Christ Jesus, that’s how this lonely, anxious and unpredictable time is affecting a lot of us, believers included. That’s why it’s ever so necessary for us to delve into God’s Word and find encouragement to keep us going strong in faith and courage. Remember Jesus’ rebuke to Satan when he tempted Him in the first time in the wilderness about making bread from stone. Now that would have been a piece of cake for Jesus to accomplish, but then He would have been bowing to Satan’s request, which as the Son of God, He could not do; therefore He replied: ‘It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.’
He was referring there to Moses earlier warning to the Israelites way back when they came out of bondage from Egypt and the Lord was teaching them how He wanted them to live as His Chosen People. (Deut. 8:3) And that provision still stands today my people. In the Word of God is where we find ALL that we need to successfully live this life! It’s our Guidebook for earthly living! And the Lord specifically said it to Joshua when He made him the leader of the Israelites after Moses’ death.
‘This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then shalt thou have good success.’ (Josh. 1:8) Oh my people, my fellow saints in Christ, what more has the Lord God Almighty has to say to us to make us listen and get into His most marvellous Word eh? He’s stated it as clearly as possible: when you read it consistently and study it, then put it into practice, then you’ll be successful and prosperous! That’s a no-brainer!
But we’ve become so blooming full of ourselves and figure the li’l knowledge we have is so great, that we refuse to follow the simple, but tried and trusted way set out in the Lord’s guidebook. That’s foolish friends, especially in these disturbing and scary times. So let’s get wise and return to the Good Book nuh, where we can find enormous encouragement, assurance, grace, mercy, forgiveness, salvation and eternal life! It’s the ONLY answer to ALL our problems! Now let’s go home doing what we’ve also been encouraged to do, communicate with Holy God through prayer; our rejigged Friday Chant.
As one sincere voice now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. It’s been pretty rough…though not from work, but from all the confusion and havoc that the Covid -19 virus causing. We not accustomed to that Lord, and it really telling on us. But with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat this virus. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the sure and wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible.
And please use this situation to also bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, and also introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion because of the way we, your faithful believers, handle the situation. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And then we do what the Good Book says: wait expectantly, displaying hope and faith; keep on reading and praying, and doing good and not evil. Much LOVE!
…without bread…the body dies…but the spirit lives by…the Word…
Previous Older Entries Next Newer Entries
SCRIP-BITS 