12 Sep 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a positive attitude, a reserve of scriptures, Abraham, ambassadors for Christ, an anchor, antidote, aura of love, be strong and of a good courage, be strong in the power of God, blessed be the Lord, Christian behaviour, confidence, conquerors, dispositions, enthusiasm, evil, evil tide, faith, fear not, fellowship, friends, fun, glorious kingdom, gospel truth, grace, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, I am helped, I will praise him with my song, invincible, Jesus Christ, Joshua, joy, lies, LOVE, make a difference, meditation, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my heart trusted in him, my supplications, nor be dismayed, peace, positive action, promise of God, reading God's Word, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, reward, salvation, Sarah's womb, spiritual armour, stand strong and steadfast, steadfast faith, taunts, TGIM! Thank God it's Monday!, The Lord is my strength, the sun stand still, truth, ungodly world, Venice, we reap what we sow, wiles, wisdom
Joshua 1:6a. Be strong and of a good courage…
And then it was Monday – the day that we all dread! However, a few hardy and smart souls were heard to declare ‘TGIM! Thank God it’s Monday and the new workweek begins! Thank God for Mondays yes!’
Ah friends, the numbers are only a few now, but every week they are growing, and sometime in the future the revolution will be accomplished. (smile)
Now here is an interesting quote from Renier Giustina Michiel (1755-1832), a Venetian noblewoman, who held one of the most vigorous literary salons in Venice. Her interests included literature, science, and local history and culture. And why I find it interesting is because it’s so apropos to what we’re talking about.
She says, ‘The world improves people according to the dispositions they bring into it.’ And that’s gospel truth my brethren. Those of us who are happy to see Monday come around, obviously do better, especially on a Monday, than those who are sour and displeased about it.
As the renowned principle declares: we only reap what we sow. So if we sow complaining and dissatisfaction, that is what we’ll get on the other side. Meanwhile an agreeable and positive attitude will bring an agreeable and positive reward.
Anyway, we have the antidote for our negative Monday morning attitude, our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. So let’s sing it without further ado, putting our all into it, so that Jesus, our choirmaster will be pleased.
As one 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!’
Now that wasn’t bad at all friends! A beautiful smile lit up Jesus’ handsome face, which means He was obviously pleased with today’s rendition.
So, having our engines revving and running smoothly, please lets get out and show the world what true Christian behaviour ought to be like, be good, worthwhile ambassadors for our wonderful Lord and Saviour.
And it all jives with out Bit: ‘Be strong and of a good courage…’
Yes my people, in these turbulent and unsettled times, believers need to stand strong and steadfast in their faith, otherwise the enemy will just beat us down without remorse. And the best way to do that is to have a reserve of appropriate scriptures lined up to declare when the going gets rough.
Let’s check out some of them nuh, starting with Joshua, when he addressed the Israelites after they defeated the Amorites, that time the Lord made the sun stand still so that they could complete their victory. (Josh.10:12-14)
‘And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of a good courage: for thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.’ (Josh.10:25)
Oh friends, that same scripture applies to us today! The Lord our great and mighty God will fight for us against our enemies, once we stand strong and steadfast in our faith.
Now hear Bruh David from Psalm 28 – A prayer for God’s help. ‘Blessed be the Lord, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.’ (Ps.28:6-7)
Yes mih people, Jehovah God is indeed our protector! There’s none like Him: neither in might, power nor grace! And we’d be foolish to place our trust anywhere else.
And we’ll end with these words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome, re God’s promise to Abraham of a multitude of descendants from his own loins. ‘And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about a hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb:
He staggered (wavered) not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong (strengthened) in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded (convinced) that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.’ (Rom.4:19-21)
Oh friends, that is the kind of faith we need in these last days! We need to be totally convinced that whatever our great God promises, He is able to deliver, regardless of the circumstances! Otherwise we’re without an anchor to keep us steady, and can be easily washed away by the evil tide that’s currently controlling our world.
So please, let’s develop that faith nuh, by reading God’s Word, meditating on it, praying for His strength and guidance, and doing our best to put it all into positive action, so that we can make a positive and meaningful difference in our world. Much LOVE!
…be strong in the power of God…our Creator…our Provider…and our strong fortress…
25 Feb 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a day of rest, a faithful saying, a hammer, a jumble of thoughts, a lamp that guides, a mirror, a sword, abides, abominable iniquity, aches, affirm constantly, asaph, asthma, bends before it, Bibly Study, blessings, born again, bounden duty, breathed life, children of God, Christian, citicenship, contentious, cooperate with God, corrupt, cough, deceit, defeats Satan, disobedient, divers lusts, divine workman, donkey's years, empathy, enticed, envious, envy, ethics, evil, faith, fellowship, flu, foolish, friends, funeral, gentle, glory hallelujah, glory to God, god moves in mysterious ways, God's will, good works, gospel of Christ, grace, hating, holy spirit, human nature, illnesses, imbibed, Jesus Christ, joy, judges sin, kindness, living for Christ, LOVE, LOVE of God, loving kindness, Lucifer, make sense of, malice, material possessions, meekness, mercy, Mt. St. George, new life, newborn, Nicodemus, none that doeth good, pains, Paradise, pay the cost, potholes, powers, principalities, profitable, prosperity, regeneration, resist the wave, reveals sin, righteousness., salvation, sell our soul, stand strong and steadfast, stumbled, surrogate daughters, swept away, talk is cheap, temptation, tentacles, the BIBLE, the fool say in his heart, the likeness of Christ, the wicked, the work of god, there is no god, Titus, treachery, trust, truth, West Indian, winding road., wisdom
Psalm 53:1. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.
Oh friends, there is so much I want to say this beautiful Thursday morning, but I simply can’t say anything! Chuh!
Has that ever happened to you? My mind is a jumble of thoughts and whatever else that I can’t seem to make sense of, but I’m not worried because I know that our great and magnanimous God will eventually look down on me with empathy and guide me to what He wants me to say.
I guess that part of my problem is that I have a touch of the flu and cough that’s causing my asthma to act up a bit. And there’s nothing that drives me bonkers like coughing.
Anyway, I went to the funeral of an old schoolmate yesterday afternoon in Mt. St. George – and now I realize why it’s so named, for we had to drive up a steep, winding road littered with potholes to reach the church, then come another steep winding one to get back to the main road.
It’s a good thing the duchess wasn’t my co-pilot, because I don’t know if we would have made it back safely. (smile)
The funeral was well attended, and I saw people whom I hadn’t seen in donkey’s years (smile). The deceased lived in the U.S but was brought back home to her village for burial, exactly what I want to happen to me.
And to show how our God moves in mysterious ways, he took one home but also breathed life in to a newborn son of one of my surrogate daughters down here. Glory to God!
Now a buddy and I was supposed to go touring today, but it seems that he imbibed a tad too much last night, so he is also under the weather, which means that tour will have to be put off indefinitely.
Ah mih people, my time in sweet Tobago is swiftly drawing to a close, and as the duchess said recently, the problem is not how we’re going to face the cold up in the Northern climes, but how we’re going to leave this paradise? It will definitely be hard, although every day we complain how the sun is so hot.
So I guess today will just be a day of rest and later this evening I’ll go to the Bible Study class up the road. I heard they missed me last week when I was in Trinidad. I missed them too, because it was a spirited gathering, West Indian style. And call me biased, but nothing beats anything, West Indian style! (smile)
Now that’s the end of my news, but before we get to our Bit, I want to share these words of wisdom from one Leviticus, whom I assume was an olden Greek philosopher. And he is reputed to have said that: ‘He who attempts to resist the wave is swept away, but he who bends before it abides.’
And I rediscovered that in reality recently on the beach. I tried to fight off a big wave and it sent me crashing into the sand. But another one, instead of trying to fight it, I rode it successfully into the shore.
The same way it is with life my friends, especially when we are getting up in age and can’t fight all the unusual stuff that’s coming against us; all the aches and pains and illnesses. We have to learn to bend with the tide, if we hope to continue living a full and enjoyable life.
That also means we cannot emulate the people in our Bit. ‘The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.’
Now, though we know better, the prosperity of the wicked can sometimes drive us to want what they have. Listen to the psalmist Asaph, as he discourses in Psalm 73 on the Mystery of Prosperous wickedness.
‘Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean (pure) heart. But as for me, my feet were almost gone (I had almost stumbled); my steps had well-nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish (boastful), when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.’ (Ps.73:1-3)
Yes friends, although Asaph knew better, the sinful human nature still enticed him to be envious of the wicked in their earthly prosperity. And unfortunately it still does the same thing to us in these very trying and difficult times.
But we need to see the treachery and deceit of material possession and earthly prosperity for what it really is; ofttimes a temptation of the enemy, and don’t allow it to get us caught up in its wicked tentacles. Because once we sell our soul for those things, it’s not very easy to get out of Lucifer’s contract.
Now hear Bruh Paul to Titus on Christian citizenship and the basis of the Christian ethic. ‘Put them in mind to be subject to principalities (rulers) and powers (authorities), to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work. To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers (not contentious), but gentle, showing all meekness unto all men.
For we ourselves also were sometime foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and LOVE of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed (poured out) on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour. That being justified (declared righteous) by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.’ (Titus 3:1-7)
Yes my fellow believers in Christ, it’s only through God’s grace and mercy and LOVING-kindness, poured out on us through Christ that we are able to withstand the wiles and lies of the evil one. That means we have to stand strong and steadfast in faith if we want to resist the enemy.
Now here is some info from the scholars on the term ‘regeneration.’‘3:5. Regeneration refers to the work of the Holy Spirit in the salvation experience that produces new life in the believer. To express this concept, Jesus used the expression “born again” in His conversation with Nicodemus (John 3:3-7).
Regeneration is the work of God, through the Holy Spirit, of placing in one who has faith a new nature, capable of doing God’s will. The Holy Spirit is the agent or divine workman of this regeneration. His instrument is the Bible, which is likened to a hammer that judges sin (Jer.23:29), a mirror that reveals sin (James 1:23), a sword that defeats Satan (Heb.4:12), and a lamp that guides the believers (Ps.119:105).
Illustration: People are instantaneously “born again “the moment they trust Christ as Saviour. (1 Pet.1:23). Application: Christians should be careful to cooperate with God in growing as children of God after they are regenerated, or given new life. (First Ref. John 3:3), Primary Ref. Titus 3:5. cf. Eph.1:15.).’
Oh friends, only by cooperating with God and growing in the likeness of Christ, can we ever hope to stave off the foolishness and deceit of the enemy! And it will benefit us all, if we looked up the references the scholars provided. (smile)
Now let’s end with some more words of Bruh Paul to Titus. ‘This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.’ (Titus 3:8)
There’s nothing left to say my brethren, except that we should all go out, each and every day, being careful to do works that enhance the gospel of Christ, so that the heathen can see the true beauty in living for Christ and want to come to Him. It’s our bounden duty. Much LOVE!
…talk is cheap…but good works cost something…Christians should be prepared to pay that cost…
P.S. I know it’s long, but God’s word is worth it. (smile) Much LOVE!
22 Feb 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abominable iniquity, abominable sins, affirmation, aura of love, belittles., bring us to our knees, calamity, climate change, confidence, conquerors, corrupt, Creator of the universe, deceitful, decision making, demeans, depressing, disobey God, disturbing, economic decline, Elohim, evil, faith, fallible, fear, filthy, foolish, foreshadow good things, forgives, frail, further your glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, God's protection, gospel truth, history repeats itself, holy spirit, human nature, humble servants, inroads, invincible, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, jobs, keeping lives and families together, knowledge, lead and guide, lies, logical, LOVE, Lucifer, meet the enemy in battle, mercy, mind games, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, natural disasters, poverty, rejuvenation of spirit, remove God, renewed vitality, righteousness., ruminate, saviour jesus christ, scot free, seek God, serve a useful purpose, silly, sinfulness, slave for Massa, spiritual armour, stand strong and steadfast, steadfast faith, strife, strife-filled world, stupid, surrender, taunts, the children of men, the fool say in his heart, there is no god, troublesome times, truth, understand, understanding, ungodliness, ungodly world, weary souls, week of work, wiles, wisdom, wonder of wonders, workers of iniquity, Yahweh
Psalm 53:1. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.
Alas friends and neighbours, it’s Monday; the day which begins the work week…
And I hear God’s people loudly declare ‘Glory Hallelujah that it’s Monday!’
And I have to shake my head to see if I’m dreaming… God’s people happy to see Monday roll around…? Wow!
A few moments later though, I realized that Lucifer was only playing mind games on me. Chuh!
What the people had actually shouted was: ‘Oh Lord, yuh mean is Monday already! Yuh mean ah got to go back and slave for massa again! When this every week work thing going to finish eh? Steups!’
And that’s a very good question friends. The answer to which is when you retire, get fired, quit the job, or die!
Now let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn without further ado to boost our spirits as we face another worrisome week of work.
As one harmonious choir 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!’
Oh my brethren, that wasn’t so great nuh. You could read the displeasure in our choirmaster, Jesus’ serious eyes and face. But being the wonderful Deity that He is, He forgives us, because He knows our frail and fallible human nature. Now let’s go out there with that adrenaline perking in us and do His will despite our shortcomings.
That brings us to our Bit: ‘The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.’
Oh my people, how sad are those statements eh? How can any sensible person even think that eh? Notice it’s in their hearts, the very seat of their decision making that that thought lies, is being generated.
Now some might say it out loud, while others might just think it and then act on that premise, by perverting the truth that God does exist. Consequently, they become corrupt and do abominable sins.
And we only have to look around our strife-filled world to see that that’s ever so true. Abomination and corruption are running rampant throughout our entire world, and that my friends cannot foreshadow good things for us and our descendants.
Now Psalm 53 is a slightly revised version of Psalm 14. According to the scholars: ‘Two major differences are apparent: this psalm substitutes the generic word for God, Elohim, for the personal name of God used in Psalm 14, Yahweh. This was done evidently to give the psalm a wider appeal. Second, verse 5 has been rewritten and has become an encouraging affirmation of God’s protection.’
And are we ever in need of anything that affirms and encourages us re God’s protection in these very trying and troublesome times! But above all my brethren, we are not to fear, because that just demeans and belittles our faith; faith that we need to help us stand strong and steadfast against the enemy and his deceitful declarations.
Now here how Bruh David continues the psalm nuh. ‘God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God.’ (Ps.53:2)
And wonder of wonders, what did He discover? ‘Every one of them is gone back (have turned aside): they are altogether become filthy (corrupt); there is none that doeth good, no, not one.’ (Ps.53:3)
Now how do you think God felt when He saw such sinfulness and ungodliness in the world back then eh? And how does He feel now, when He performs the same exercise and gets the same basic answer eh?
Obviously not very pleased or encouraged! No wonder He asks: ‘Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge? Who eat up my people as they eat bread: they have not called upon God.’ (Ps.53:4)
But why would that surprise Him eh, when we’re still like Jeremiah said on His behalf so long ago. ‘For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish (stupid or silly) children, and they have none (no) understanding; they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.’ (Jer.4:22)
And isn’t it amazing, but depressing and disturbing that so many truths from the Old Testament are still true today. Steups! Obviously we have not learned that we cannot continually disobey God and get away with it scot free.
The calamity which befell so many other great societies who disobeyed and turned away from Jehovah God obviously doesn’t mean anything to us. But friends, the saying that history repeats itself is very true, and we are currently in great disobeying mode, and if we continue thus, we will feel the Lord’s hand upon us, and it won’t be very good. I can guarantee us that.
Who knows if we aren’t already feeling it, through the many unusual natural disasters, that are blamed on climate change, plus the economic decline and ever increasing poverty and strife that’s now battering our world.
Hn! I have to sadly chuckle here yes friends, because in all reality the Lord doesn’t have to do anything to bring us to our knees nuh, we are already doing it to ourselves, beginning with our insistence to remove God from the very bowels of our society.
And we’ll stop there for today, because I don’t want to give us too much to ruminate upon. (smile) But please friends, do ruminate on what we have spoken about today, and let each of us see, of course with God’s help, how we can better our lives, and thus our quickly deteriorating world. For that’s wisdom of immense proportions! Much LOVE!
…if God made us and everything else that exists…how can we hope to survive without His help eh…that doesn’t sound logical at all…
15 Jan 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: ., a believer in Jesus Christ, a great cloud of witnesses, a marathon, a watershed year, addle our brains, backbone, backbreaking, belly, bondage, carousing, chase away all our cares and fears, Christians, crapaud smoke we pipe, crucified, encompassed about, endurance, every foe is vanquished, faith, fellowship, Friday chant, frolicking, fun, furthering God's kingdom, generous help, have your wits about you, he that endures, heavenly abode, impedes, lay aside every weight, life threatening stuff, looking unto Jesus, LOVE, mountains to climb, never gave up, one receives the prize, patience, perseverance, progress, reconciliation, refreshed, rejoicing in hope, relaxation, renewed, repelling the enemy, respite from labour, rest, rivers to cross, run, run with patience, sacrificed, salvation, seeking prey, sensible approach, sin, slothful, soul body and mind, stand strong and steadfast, stand up for Jesus, steadfast in prayer, swift of foot, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that ye may obtain, the author, the brown girl in the bottle, the crown of life, the finisher, the race of life, the race that is set before us, the roaring lion, the sin which besets us, the straight and narrow path, the weekend, time to party, tribulation, valleys to descend, week of work, witnesses
Hebrews 12:1. Wherefore seeing (since) we also are compassed about with (surrounded by) so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (ensnare) us, and let us run with patience (perseverance, endurance) the race that is set before us.
Aye Friends, can you believe that it’s already the middle of January. These days surely seem to be rushing by quickly yes. But don’t worry, it’s Friday, which you already know, because long before I came around the corner, I heard you all enthusiastically mouthing: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday!
Mama yo! The work was backbreaking this week yes! But now is time to party; to chase away all our cares and fears with some drinks and some frolicking! Thank God that today is Friday oui! I don’t know if I could have handled another day under that slave driver, Massa nuh! Thank God for Fridays!’
Ah mih people, I know we – well some of us (smile) – work hard during the week and do deserve some respite from our labour, but drinking and carousing is not the way to overcome it.
And you certainly can’t trust the brown girl in the bottle, because she just doesn’t play fair. She’ll just addle your brains and have you doing all sorts of wrong things, even life threatening stuff.
And you need to have your wits about you all the time, otherwise our enemy, that roaring lion, seeking frail and feeble prey, will invade your soul and cause you to stray from the straight and narrow path.
Instead, let’s chant our Friday Chant, which gives us a better perspective on how to spend our weekends. As one now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes my precious people, that’s the more sensible approach to the weekend, especially in light of our Bit. ‘Wherefore seeing (since) we also are compassed about with (surrounded by) so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (ensnare) us, and let us run with patience (perseverance, endurance) the race that is set before us.’
Oh friends, the race of life that we’ve been given to run is much more important than just partying and having a rollicking good time, especially if you’re a believer in Jesus Christ.
It’s not an easy race to run, because it’s a marathon, fraught with all kinds of dangers and problems, like high mountains to climb, swollen rivers to cross, deep and dark valleys to descend and a host of other everyday stuff, many of which come upon us without any warning.
You’ll notice in chapter 11, the writer of Hebrews, whom I sincerely believe is Bruh Paul, gives us all kinds of examples of those witnesses that have gone before us, who had it difficult but never gave up, but through, and by faith just kept concentrating on their heavenly abode.
‘But now they desire a better country, that is a heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.’ (Heb.11:16)
And my fellow believers in Christ, our Creator has also prepared a city for us, so we can’t afford to be lackadaisical about this race of life. As Bruh Paul told the Corinthians: ‘Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.’ (1 Cor.9:24)
Yeh friends, we need to run hard and true, casting aside all and everything that impedes our progress, be it clothing or excessive body weight, as well as any sin(s) that hold(s) us in bondage. But most important of all my people, we must remember that this life race of faith is not a sprint, but for many of us a difficult marathon.
Therefore we need to run it with patience, with perseverance, with strong endurance. For as the saying goes, the race is not for the swift of foot, but for the one that endures…and just keeps enduring, right to the end and wins the prize, which in our case is the crown of life. (James 1:12)
Yes my precious brethren, that’s where so many of us fall by the wayside; sadly our endurance is not sufficient to keep us going. However as the author of Hebrews tells us, we have the best example of that endurance in our Lord and Saviour Jesus.
‘Looking unto Jesus the author (originator) and finisher (perfector) of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of God.’ (Heb.12:2)
Yeh folks, Jesus knew what was waiting for Him on the other side of the cross, an everlasting seat at the right hand of the Father, so He handled the shame of being crucified naked, mocked and ridiculed, injured and beaten, loaded down with our sins, so that we could enjoy reconciliation and salvation with the Most High. Don’t you think the least that we can do is be grateful for His sacrifice and show it by our faithful and true lifestyles?
Please friends, this year of 2016 will be a watershed year; our world will either get better or go up in flames, and Christians are the ONLY ones who can make the first option come true.
But we need to be strong and steadfast, standing up to wrongs, making them right, having plenty belly and backbone, staying on the straight and narrow, repelling the enemy on every front, otherwise crapaud going to certainly smoke we pipe!
Now let’s close with these awesome enlightening and inspiring words of Bruh Paul to the Romans. ‘Be kindly affectioned (affectionate) one to another with brotherly LOVE (agape); in honour preferring (giving preference to) one another;
Not slothful (lagging in diligence) in business; fervent in spirit (boiling over); serving the Lord; Rejoicing in hope, patient (persevering) in tribulation; continuing instant (steadfast) in prayer.’ (Rom.12:10-12)
Yes precious people of God, those ingredients are all essential and necessary for us to run and eventually win this race of life. Please, let’s stand up and be counted in these most troubled and uncertain times nuh. Much LOVE!
…stand up…stand up for Jesus…the trumpet call obey…till every foe is vanquished…and Christ is Lord indeed…
02 Jan 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 2016, a rousing welcome, and all these things shall be added unto you, believers in Christ, bless the Lord, consolation of joy, crapaud smoke we pipe, devotion, exalted, faithfulness, forget not his benefits, forgiveness, glory, glory hallelujah, God's faithfulness, God's mercy, happy, Happy New Year, He is love, heals thy diseases, help, honour, hope, How good it is to sing God's praise, human beings, I sing a new song, I will be glad in the Lord, I will sing praises unto my God, iniquities, joy, joyful, LOVE, loving kindness, meditation, memory, mete and right to do, New Year's celebration, no bounds, no limitations, One Year Book of Bible promises, perseverance, pledge allegiance to Jesus, praise, Praise ye the Lord, put not your trust in princes, resolution, rocket science, Ruth Harms Calkin, seek ye first the kingdom of God, Sermon on the Mount, shout Hallelujah, sincerity, sing praises unto God, stand strong and steadfast, tender mercies, the best is yet to come, the future, the god of Jacob, the Lord God of Abraham Isaac and jacob, the Love Revolution, thoughts perish, thy youth is renewed like the eagle's, truth, while I live I will praise the Lord, wisdom
Psalm 146:1-2. Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah). Praise the Lord, O my soul. While I live will I praise the Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.
Ah Friends, the New Year’s celebrations are taking a toll on the ole fella. Chuh! I’m getting to bed late, so I can’t get up early. (smile) I had a hard time even getting up late this morning. But it’s not every day we ring in a New Year so it’s understandable.
Anyway, here is an appropriate prayer that I found written at the back of my mother’s Bible. Please pray it with me. ‘Father in heaven, we thank you for your faithfulness during the past year. Help us to remember that your faithfulness will go with us into the New Year. We pray this in Jesus name. Amen!’
Yes my fellow believers in Christ, it’s ever so important to remember that the changing of the year makes no difference whatsoever to our God’s faithfulness. It will constantly be with us and consistently follow us wherever we go, on whatever day it may be, because it knows no bounds or limitations, we just have to remain faithful.
And here is something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that will help us to do just that. It’s titled ‘Happy New Year.’ Let’s declare it together: ‘This very first (or second) day Of the fresh new year I sing a new song – A joyful, exalted song!
With Israel’s sweet singer I exclaim: “How good it is to sing God’s praise How delightful and how right.” The volume increases The tempo accelerates. With glorious anticipation I shout a rousing welcome To the up-and-coming days.
The future cannot daunt me Every inscrutable memory Becomes a consolation of joy For with You in control, dear God The worst may happen But the best is yet to come.’
Oh my people, the best is surely yet to come! Please believe that. We definitely have sot seen the best of our great and wonderful God as yet! So please stay strong and steadfast in this year of HOPE, for lots of exciting things are forecasted to happen, amongst them the great surging forward of Jesus’ LOVE Revolution as we serious believers give our all to recapture our lost world.
Remember, if we don’t do it, nobody else will, and what kind of life is that going to entail for our descendants eh? Not a very nice one, I can assure you.
So in this momentous year of 2016, it’s essential that we re-pledge our allegiance to Jesus Christ, pledging to sincerely follow Him, to grow and mature in our relationship with Him, for that’s the only resolution we need to make. Once we do that, everything else will fall into place.
As Jesus so wisely and rightly stated in His Sermon on the Mount: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33)
Yeh mih people, following Jesus doesn’t entail any rocket science, just a whole lot of sincerity, perseverance, devotion and faithfulness, which all adds up to simple and true LOVE for Him.
And quite appropriately, the verses to which our promise is attached will be our Bit for today. ‘Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah). Praise the Lord, O my soul. While I live will I praise the Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.’
Ah friends, that is only mete and right to do, because Almighty God, our Creator and Provider deserves our praises, for all that we are and have come directly from Him. And in any case, that’s one of the reasons He made us. Praise and honour and glory are expected of us.
Hear how the psalmist continues. ‘Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man (a human being), in whom there is no help (salvation). His breath goeth forth (spirit departs), he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose HOPE is in the Lord his God.’ (Ps.146:3-5)
And isn’t that the everlasting truth my people! Only in the Lord God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob is there any real help to be found for mankind!
Now listen to how Bruh David puts it in Psalm 103 – Thanksgiving for God’s mercy. ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVING-kindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ (Ps.103:1-5)
Oh friends, how can we not praise and worship and glorify a Being who is so kind and generous to us eh? We ought not to forget who brought us to the dance. But sadly too many of us do, that’s why our lives and the state of our world are in such a desperate, dangerous and destructive state.
And in this year of 2016 my brethren, we desperately need to turn that situation around, otherwise, crapaud smoke we pipe, the destruction and strife will just get worse, until it all goes up in one big fireball. And I’m sure that is not what we desire for our once beautiful world.
So let’s end with these beautiful, uplifting and encouraging words of the psalmist. ‘I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord. Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the Lord, O my soul. Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah).’ (Ps.104:33-35)
Now let’s go out and do all that my people, for it is indeed the wisdom of heaven. Much LOVE!
…Praise Him, praise Him…Glory Hallelujah…He is LOVE…He is LOVE…
18 Nov 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a silver lining, all things I have commanded you, anger, back in bad shape, baptizing them, Beelzebub, believe on Jesus, betrayals, called by His name, Christian persecution, communication technology, decadent society, eternal life, false prophets, for a witness, glory hallelujah, going to bed early is for the birds, good news of Christ, hatred, I am halfway home, I am with you always, I'm looking straight ahead, I'm not focusing on the past, I'm not looking back, I'm not turning back, I'm so glad to be alive, in the name of the Father, Jesus is the best thing going, lack of love, LOVE, moaning and groaning, my gripe, my hands are on the plough, natural disasters, no laughing matter, norm of 8 hours sleep, persecution, preached to all the world, rest, rumours of wars, salvation, signs of the world's demise, sleep, spreading of the gospel of Christ, stand strong and steadfast, strife, teach all nations, teaching them to observe, thank God, the breath of life, the disciples came unto Him privately, the end of the world, the gospel of the kingdom, the Holy Ghost, the long and short of the story, the Mount of Olives, the SON, then shall the end come, to a glorious future with Jesus, turmoil, unto the end of the world, wars, Wednesday Wail, what shall be the sign of thy coming, when shall these things be, wisdom
Matthew 24:3. And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world (age)?
Aye Friends and neighbours, if I never truly believed it before, I certainly do now! And I guess you’re wondering what the ole fogey is talking about eh? (smile) Well I’m talking about going to bed early is really for the birds.
I had a long and busy day yesterday, so last night I decided to go to bed early, early my time, that’s about 12.30, so I could get some of the much vaunted and valuable rest and sleep. Hn!
Unfortunately, though normally one would think fortunately, I got up at 8 o’clock this morning.And would you believe, I could hardly get out of the bed because my back was in such bad shape.
Ah Lord eh! Obviously I’m not meant to lie in bed for even a measly 7 hours. And its not like I never got up at all. I got up at least twice to go to the bathroom. So what does this supposed norm of 8 hours of sleep per night do for me eh? Absolutely nothing!
And it’s not like I don’t know that I cannot lie in bed for so long, but I never intended to get up so late either. But I guess the ole body needed the rest. And there I was gingerly putting one foot in front of the other, moaning and groaning with every step. Hn, hn, hn!
Ah friends, I can laugh now because I’m sitting down writing, but an hour ago, it was definitely no laughing matter. But let me stop joking about it yes, because when I get up from here, it might not be a laughing matter either. (smile)
The long and the short of the story though is that I just have to stick to my short times of rest, and do it more often. Now that’s my gripe for the day, and I’m sticking to it! (smile)
And since today is Wednesday, it means we have to declare our Wednesday Wail. So altogether now, let’s wail: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Oh my people, though my back is in a sad state I truly am glad to be alive, and am looking straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus, because NO ONE else has such a glorious future to offer!
And I do hope that you feel and believe like me, because Jesus is undoubtedly the BEST thing going, the BEST show available in this evil and disturbed world! Obviously He is not a thing or a show, but that is just the language that some of us best understand. (smile)
And finally we come to our Bit: ‘And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world (age)?’
Ah mih breddren, it does seem as though all the signs of the world’s demise point to a time in the not too distant future. As we recently saw, the numerous wars and rumours of war are on the increase. So too are the natural disasters; earthquakes, floods, disease, volcanoes, famines. They are happening all over the world, in some of the least expected places.
Persecution of Christians is also on the rise as Jesus foretold, just because we are called by His name. Then there’s serious hatred and anger, with strife and betrayals on the rise in our decadent and decaying society. False prophets abound like Jesus said, and the lack of LOVE is certainly noticeable.
But in spite of all of these negative happenings, Jesus reminds us to stand strong and steadfast in His name, because if we endure to the end we will be saved. Now isn’t that wonderful news my brethren? It surely is! With Jesus there’s always a silver lining to the dark clouds. Glory Hallelujah!
But while we’re waiting for the end to come, we ought to be doing ONE more thing. Listen to Jesus. ‘And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.’ (Matt.24:14)
Yes friends, the good news of Christ MUST be shared with ALL the nations of the world, before the end comes! And whose job is that eh? Ours of course! It’s all a part of the Great Commission that Jesus gave to the disciples, and consequently every following generation, which now includes us.
‘Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always(s), even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt,28:19-20)
So there it is my fellow believers, despite all the turmoil and uncertainty in our world, we are expected to stand strong and steadfast in Jesus’ name, as well as to spread His Word to all parts of the earth. And strangely enough, we are the first generation who actually have the wherewithal to do that, through our modern communication technology.
So please, let’s get up and do that nuh. Let’s seriously engage ourselves in the spreading of the gospel of Christ, so that many others might hear it and believe on Jesus, and thus not get lost with the infidel Beelzebub, but instead attain to salvation and eternal life, as our heavenly Father so greatly desires. Now that is indeed the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
…the Lord doesn’t want to lose even one of His human creation…so what we doing to prevent that eh…
28 Oct 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 131 persons received Jesus, American Gospel Music, an altar call, and having done all, cleansed of our abominable sins, Donnie McClurkin, Festival of Praise Concert, Fred Hammond, friends, glorification, glory hallelujah, glory to God, Hezekiah Walker, I'm halfway home, I'm not focusing on the past, I'm not looking back, I'm not turning back, I'm so glad to be alive, in the might of Jesus Christ, Kim Burrell, living for Jesus, lose our christian flavour, LOVE, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, new relationship with Jesus, our light diminished, our salt is dead, praise, praise his holy name, put on the armour of god, reconciled to God, ringing in the ears, salt and light of the earth, stand strong and steadfast, substantial harvest, take unto you the whole armour of God, thanks, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, the bane of Christianity, the battle is not ours, the best gift to man, the breath of life, the evil attacks of the enemy, they left their egos at home, tinnitus, to a glorious future with Jesus, to stand, truly walked Christianity, walk our talk, Wednesday Wail, wisdom
Ephesians 6:13. Wherefore take unto you (take up) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Well my brethren, it’s Wednesday, and unfortunately my ole right knee is still acting up. Chuh! But it did not stop me from going down to the Hershey Centre last night and enjoying the proceedings…and actively partying too, I would have you know, ably supported by my African Rosewood cane, though not as energetically as I would have liked.
The Festival of Praise Concert was put on by a group of American Gospel Artistes. They included recognized gospel singers like Fred Hammond, who was the main man in putting the show together; Hezekiah Walker, Kim Burrell, and Donnie McClurkin.
Oh Friends the joint was hopping from the time the M.C. a Christian comedian, who was pretty good himself, stopped and the first notes of the music rang out. Hn! You couldn’t sit if you wanted to because everybody was standing.
And what amazed and pleased me a whole lot is that there were no openers and no headline artists. I’ve never seen this done before, but they all came out onto the stage from the very beginning and stayed there till the end, taking turns singing and backing up each other. Oh glory to God, they left their egos at home!
I didn’t know most of the songs because I don’t follow American Gospel music that much, but believe you me, the crowd of between three and four thousand knew them, including a chubby white boy who was right up at the stage singing and dancing all night long, holding up a banner that read ‘Polaski.’
And then in the ending round of celebrations he and his group of white females found themselves on the stage singing and dancing and hugging the performers. It was indeed a good night my people.
Oh, there was also an altar call, and some one hundred and thirty one (131) persons came down to the front and received Jesus! Oh glory to God! Praise His Holy Name!
The lighting was good and so was the music, just a little too loud though for my liking, and that’s because I was down on the floor, about ten rows from the stage because my young daughter bought the tickets and she figured I’d like to be close to the stage.
But at those kinds of events I like to be up in the back seats, where the music isn’t as loud. But thank the Lord, this morning I don’t have tinnitus (ringing in the ears); my ears seem perfectly all right!
Anyway Friends, it was a good night. I just hope that those who were saved woke up this morning feeling different and that they will continue their new relationship with Jesus. Let’s pray that they will indeed do so.
Now there was so much praise and thanks and glorification given to God there last night, that it makes me wonder where all of that is during our normal everyday lives eh? If we would only expend a half of that godly energy in our normal lives, this world would be truly a wonderful place.
But sadly, outside of the church and these kinds of gatherings we seem to lose our Christian flavour; our salt is dead and our light diminished. In real life, we just don’t seem to walk our talk.
But though that’s been the bane of Christianity for a long time now, it’s time we change it, especially in these difficult and crucial times that we’re facing. Only truly walked Christianity will make a significant difference in this wicked and ungodly world.
Anyway, to day is Wednesday, that means it’s wailing time! So please let’s wail together: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And am I ever glad to be alive Friends, despite my numerous aches and pains. (smile) And yuh better believe I am looking forward to a glorious future with Jesus! And if you are not, I will strongly advise you to get your act together and get to know Him, for He is the BEST thing, the BEST gift ever given to man!
Praise our heavenly Father for sacrificing His only Son so that we could be cleansed of our abominable sins and be reconciled to Him! What an awesome show of LOVE!
And with all my enthusiasm and writing about the gospel concert last night, (smile) I guess we only have time and space now for our Bit. ‘Wherefore take unto you (take up) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.’
Yes my fellow believers, that’s what every believer needs to do: put on God’s armour so that we can withstand the evil attacks of the enemy, because that’s the only way we can withstand them.
And what I truly like about that verse is the last part; ‘…and having done all, to stand.’ That means my people, once we’ve done all that we can about the situation, we just need to stand; stand up strong and steadfast, unmovable in our beliefs and actions, and let God do His part, because the battle is not ours but His. We can’t defeat the enemy without His awesome help.
So today, please, I implore us to put on the armour of God, we all know what that is (Eph.6:14-18), then let us just stand strong in the might of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! That is indeed heavenly wisdom, and if we do it, we will eventually reap a substantial harvest, be the salt and light of the earth. Glory Hallelujah! Much, much LOVE, my people!
…oh living for Jesus…is such a wonderful and interesting way to live this earthly life…
11 Aug 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a man with many friends comes to ruin, a mother's tenderness, acted as a traitor against me, Anselm, blessings, celebrity circles, count me for a stranger, deceitful friends, disappointment, earthly problems, encourage and support us, fears, friends, glory to God, God is faithful, guard the doors of thy mouth, hangers on, hath lifted up his heel against me, hurts, I will look unto the Lord, I will wait for the God of my salvation, in a positive manner, in whom I trusted, inner circle, Inspire us for a better tomorrow, it is better to trust in the Lord, jehovah god, Job, look first to God for guidance, LOVE, man's faithfulness, mercies, Micah, mine own familiar friend, my close friends have forgotten me, my God will hear me, negative attitude, Praise the Lord, put ye nor confidence in a companion, rats abandoning a floundering ship, rejoice not against me, secret sin, selfish, stand strong and steadfast, superficial relationships, surround yourself with people who will lift you higher, than to put confidence in man, the Lord shall be a light unto me, the universe is unfolding as it should, there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother, tragedy, trust ye not in a friend, ungodly world, what a wonderful God we serve and worship, when I fall I shall rise, when I sit in darkness, which did eat my bread, words of awesome wisdom, you can change the people you choose to be around, you cannot change the people around you
Psalm 41:9. Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me (acted as a traitor against me).
Well Friends, a glorious Tuesday morning to you all! God’s still on His throne and the universe is unfolding as it should. Glory to God! We too are still alive and have the promise of His many new blessings and mercies prepared especially for today to look forward to.
Hn! What a wonderful God we serve and worship eh! One who prepares special blessings and other good stuff for us each and every day. No stale stuff for our God! He LOVES His people so much that He wants to give us something new at every sunrise.
And then people wonder and ask why we LOVE Him so much? That’s obvious; simply because He sincerely cares and looks after us with a mother’s tenderness and concern, paying serious attention to all our hurts, fears and earthly problems and helping us to resolve them. How can we not LOVE Him then eh?
The problem for us now is to find people who are of like beliefs as ourselves, meaning believe in Jehovah God, and are willing to stand strong and steadfast in His Name and do what He desires. Unfortunately, in this ungodly world those people are hard to find.
But we have a couple of recent quotes from our Friend Anselm, who always aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. They came separately, but I have put them both together as they fit nicely that way.
And Anselm wisely advises: ‘You cannot change the people around you, but you can change the people you choose to be around. Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher.’
Oh my people, those are indeed words of awesome wisdom! We can’t change the habits of the people around us, but we can definitely change the people that we choose to be around. And following on from that, we need to surround ourselves with people who are going to lift us higher, give us sound and godly advice.
Yes Friends, in our camps, we desperately need people who are going to encourage and support us in our earthly endeavours in a positive manner, not those who tend to be negative, an attitude that only serves to drag us down.
That’s why it’s ever so important that we carefully choose those we allow into our inner circle, and not make that inner circle too large and unwieldy either. For a man with too many friends is just begging for destruction. And that’s why Cousin Sol says that ‘A man that hath friends must show himself friendly (may come to ruin): and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.’ (Prov.18:24)
And the scholars paraphrase that by saying ‘a man must not spread himself too thin among many superficial relationships. Far better it is to have (a few) friends who become like family and LOVE at all times (17:17).’
Gospel truth my brethren! That brings us to our Bit. ‘Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me (acted as a traitor against me).’
And that’s no lie! For many of us have experienced that same disappointment that Bruh David is talking about. And in this ever more selfish and ungodly world it is becoming real difficult to find true friends.
Look at Job nuh; instead of truly commiserating with him in his awful tragedy, his supposed friends only came and berated him, accused him of some secret sin as the reason for his downfall.
And we certainly can’t blame him when he cries out: ‘My kinsfolk have failed, and my familiar (close) friends have forgotten me. They that dwell in mine house, and my maids, count me for a stranger: I am an alien in their sight…All my inward (close) friends abhorred me: and they whom I LOVED are turned against me.’ (Job.19:14-15,19)
Ah mih people, that is what usually happens when some serious tragedy overtakes us; many of our close associates no longer stand beside us. And you can see that in bright and living colour in a lot of celebrity circles.
When the celebrity is hot, riding the wave of financial and career prosperity, there are a lot of hangers on, but once their star begins to dim, and their financial ability diminish, they all quickly disappear, like rats abandoning a floundering ship.
Yes Friends, like Bruh David says later on in Psalm 55 – A cry against deceitful friends. ‘For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne (bear) it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him:
But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide (companion), and mine acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company (in the throng).’ (Ps.55:12-14)
Ah mih people, what heartache betrayal of close friends brings! And the closer they are to us, the deeper the pain! No wonder the prophet Micah, on denouncing the sins of Israel solemnly declares: ‘Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide (companion): keep (guard) the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.
For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house. Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.’ (Mic.7:5-7)
Ah Friends, sadly a lot of what Micah says is true, for there is a lot of unnecessary feuding between families these days. So if there is much dissatisfaction and resentment amongst the smallest unit of our society, what can we expect from the larger units eh? Nothing but the same, except on a larger scale.
But I like how Micah continues after bemoaning the untrustworthiness rampant in his day. He staunchly and confidently declares: ‘Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me.’ (Mic.7:8)
And all God’s people declared a loud and grateful, ‘Praise the Lord!’ Yes my brethren, for He is indeed worthy to be praised because He does not ever leave or forsake us, or turn against us. Our wonderful God is forever faithful and true! That’s why we can put our total trust and faith in Him!
Please my brethren, let’s be wise and look FIRST to God for guidance, direction and every good thing in this life, for man’s faithfulness cannot be trusted. Much LOVE!
…it is better to trust in the Lord…than to put confidence in man… (Ps.118:8)
16 Jul 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a living hope, a positive idea in the mind of a believer, according to His abundant mercy, almighty god, and all these things shall be added unto you, anything is possible, assurance, at the revelation of Jesus Christ, Blessed be the God and Father, blessed day, blessing, brow beat, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Christ's Resurrection, Christians, distressed, does not perish, encouragement, eternal life, ever-faithful promise, glory, God is in control, God will work it all out for our good, God's on His throne, Gramps Schuller, hath begotten us again, honour, Hour of Power Devotional, in the centre of God's will, in the name of Jesus Christ, inheritance laid up for us in heaven, inspiring words, Jesus' Second Coming, joy, lead and guide, listen to God's voice, living faithfully for Jesus, LOVE, mature in faith, more precious than gold, most powerful force in the world, My walk, new creation, obedience, our Lord Jesus Christ, praise, refining faith, rejoice, resurrection, righteousness., seek ye first the kingdom of God, Sermon on the Mount, stand strong and steadfast, the straight and narrow path, the things of God, the trial of your faith, the world is our oyster, there are consequences to all decisions, though tried with fire, trials, tribulations, true faith cannot be destroyed, trust, truth, virtual reality, wake up to a new day, walk in obedience to God's will, walking in God's will, we have nothing to fear, worldly things
1 Peter 1:3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively (living) hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
Well Friends, another blessed day by the name of Thursday has been added to our life card!
And all God’s people gave a loud and grateful shout of ‘Thank You heavenly Father for causing us to see another wonderful day on Your planet earth. We know that You are on Your throne, still in control of everything, which means we have nothing to fear, once we walk in obedience to Your will.
Please lead and guide us safely and sensibly through this day, so that we may live lives worthy of you, and cause others to come to you for salvation. We pray this in the name of Your Son and our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.’
Ah my people, what a blessing it is to wake up to a new day, knowing that the world is our oyster, and with Almighty God in control, anything at all is possible! Wow!
But most important of all is His ever-faithful promise, the assurance that He will work everything out for our good, regardless of what happens today. As believing Christians, what more can we ask for eh? Nothing really nuh!
And to add further encouragement to our faith and our day, listen to this poem from our dear departed Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) from his Hour of Power Devotional. It’s simply titled ‘MY WALK.’
Please recite with me: ‘O God, I’m inspired. For you have just impressed the truth into my mind: The most powerful force in the world is a positive idea in the mind of a believer who is walking in your will! I now reach forth my life and say, “God, put my life into the centre of your will.” Amen.’
Oh Friends, what inspiring words and sentiments! Gramps Schuller has gone home to the many mansions in the sky, but his words of truth and inspiration still linger on with us and help to guide us along the straight and narrow path. And he is right yuh know. There is no more powerful force on this earth than a God-given idea to a believer who is intent on walking in God’s will.
So today, please let’s concentrate on doing just that nuh; listening to God’s voice and walking in His will, like the obedient children we’re supposed to be. Let’s let go of all the nonsense that the world is pushing at us, and concentrate on the things of God, as Jesus wisely advised in the Sermon on the Mount. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33)
Yeh Friends, if we simply seek the things of God, all the worldly things we need will be granted to us. That’s God’s promise, and we know He never breaks promises. So why are we so reluctant to seek Him and His way eh? I really can’t answer for anybody else.
But be sure that the time will come when we will each have to answer individually for our earthly behaviour. So there is no sense trying to brow beat or force anybody into obedience, we all have the option to make our own decisions. Just remember that there are consequences to whatever decisions we make.
Enough preaching now, (smile) let’s get to our Bit, a most wonderful expose on God’s goodness to mankind. ‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively (living) hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.’
Oh my brethren, as we said yesterday, without Christ’s resurrection, there could have been no new creation, no eternal life, and for that we should be everlastingly grateful!
We also saw that there is an inheritance laid aside for us in heaven that cannot be destroyed or corrupted and doesn’t fade away. And we are kept by God’s power, through our faith that believes in salvation, which will be revealed in the last days. (1 Pet.1:4-5)
And Peter continues: ‘Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness (distressed) through manifold temptations. That the trial (the genuineness) of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried (tested) with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearance (revelation) of Jesus Christ:
Whom having not seen, ye LOVE; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.’ (1 Pet.1:6:9)
Yeh mih people, that’s the beauty, the magnitude and strength of our faith! We’ve never seen Jesus, yet we believe in Him and LOVE Him everlasting! We also find unspeakable joy in living for Him, and sincerely and confidently trust Him to provide our salvation in the end times!
So much so, that even when we go through trials and tribulations here on earth, we consider them tests of our faith. And though they may be extremely tough and fiery, we pass through them with assurance, giving thanks and glory to God, eagerly and patiently waiting for Jesus’ Second Coming.
Yeh Friends, it’s not an easy life living faithfully for Jesus, but I can assure you that it’s a very rewarding one, if you stand strong and steadfast in faith.
Now here is some info from the scholars on those verses. ‘1:6-9. The problem of salvation looks to the present. Earthly trials constitute a problem of our salvation, but they are only for a season, or temporary. Manifold temptations means diversified trials. True faith cannot be destroyed though God is in the process of refining faith through our trials.’
Ah Friends, in closing, I’d like us to pay particular attention to that last sentence of the scholars because it is the absolute truth. If our faith is true, it will be strong, and thus not able to be destroyed, even though God is testing us with fiery trials and temptations.
So please, let’s hang in there in faith, knowing that all the promises made by Almighty God, our Creator and Provider, will, in His time, be revealed and become reality – not the virtual type that we’re so take up with nowadays, but the real reality that only comes from and through Him. Much LOVE!
…Once we mature in faith with Jesus…It is virtuallyunbreakable…even though tried by fire…
07 Jul 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all our sins and griefs to bear, almighty god, Amen, assurance, barrier breaker, bear good fruit, blessed assurance, blessings, break free from a limited mindset, can't have faith without hope, cast not away your confidence, comfort, confession, confidence, cumbered with a load of care, done the will of god, encouragement, endless worship, endurance, enlarge my vision, everything to God in prayer, expectant faith, faith, faith is the substance of things hoped for, faithful friends, faithfulness, favour, followers of Jesus christ, for he is faithful that promised, forgiveness, from everlasting to everlasting, glory to God, good and fertile soil, gospel truth, grace, great recompense of reward, heavenly wisdom, heavy laden, hope, hungry hope, Jesus Christ, Joel Osteen, joy, let it all hang out, let us hold fast the profession of our faith, LOVE, new mercies, oh what peace we often forfeit, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, patience, peace, physical sight, potential, praise, promises, rapture, refuge, seeds of greatness, So let it be, solace, sorrows, spiritual vision, stand strong and steadfast, surrender, sweet portion, talent, the breath of life, the Creator of the universe, the evidence of things not seen, this is the day the Lord has made, Today is my day, trials and temptations, trouble, trust, unconditional LOVE, uncontainable, walking with Jesus, we will rejoice and be glad in it, weak, what a friend we have in Jesus, what a privelege to carry, without wavering
Hebrews 10:23. Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
Well a warm and wonderful welcome to all you loyal and faithful Friends and believers out there in Scrip-Bit Land!
Welcome, welcome, welcome! It is ever so good to be in the land of the living with the awesome breath of Almighty God flowing through out frail and fragile human bodies! Wow! There is nothing else in the world that compares to that, for it is indeed the breath of life, the single, solitary thread that keeps us all going.
And it is all the more important when, as students, believers and followers of Jesus Christ, we are patiently and thankfully waiting for the new mercies, blessings, grace and forgiveness specially made for today, to be unleashed from heaven unto us saints down here on Mother Earth. Glory to God!
That’s why we should all raise our voices in praise and thanks and steadfastly proclaim; ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it.’
Yes Friends, this Tuesday morning in early July is a blessed day, so please let’s treat it as such. And luckily, in my neck of the woods it just might be the second day of what now passes for summer weather with highs in the mid-twenties, though somewhat cloudy with a chance of rain. But we will take it any day over the cold white stuff. (smile)
And today I have an affirmation from Bubba Joel (Joel Osteen) from a little while back to share with us once again. It simply declares: ‘TODAY IS MY DAY!’ And that’s gospel truth my people, so please affirm with me.
‘God has destined me to be a barrier breaker! He created me to be uncontainable. I have talent and potential given to me by the Creator of the universe. There are seeds of greatness inside of me. Today, I choose to break free from a limited mindset and enlarge my vision.
Today, God is taking me places that I’ve never even dreamed of before. Today, God is fulfilling His purpose and destiny in my life. Today I will experience His favour like never before in every area of my life.’ Mama Mia!
And all God’s children declared a loud and proud: ‘Amen! So let it be!’
Yes my brethren, let’s allow it all to hang out today! Let’s break down those barriers of bondage that are holding us back from God’s best! Let’s release the seeds of greatness planted in our souls by our Creator and plant them in good and fertile soil, so that they can bear much good fruit, for that’s why they were planted in us in the first place.
Let’s enlarge our vision and our mindset because our God is a great and powerful Deity who doesn’t deal in small, petty and trifling stuff. And if we want to enjoy His best, then we have to improve and enlarge our minds and visions.
And today I was sent a heavenly zeppo to preach… sorry, to teach (smile) on the twin attitudes of hope and faith. Remember, without hope, there can be no faith, for hope is the place where it all begins.
And as the Good Book so wisely tells us; ‘Now faith is the substance (the realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (the conviction) of things not seen.’ (Heb.11:1)
That means through hope, we are assured of the things that we can’t see with our physical sight, but surely can see them with our spiritual vision. In other words, we see them through the eyes of faith! It’s a blessed assurance that we have in the promises and faithfulness of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
That brings us to our Bit: ‘let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)’
Yes indeed my brethren our great and wonderful and magnanimous God is indeed faithful to keep each and every one of His promises! He has not reneged on a single one down through all the ages, and He never will! Wow! What a great friend and Saviour we have in Jesus!
And there is no better way to express that than through the wonderful age-old hymn that so many of us grew up to. So please sing it with me, in hungry hope and expectant faith.
‘What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer. Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer. Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer! In His arms He’ll take and shield you; you will find a solace there. Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised Thou wilt all our burdens bear May we ever, Lord, be bringing all to Thee in earnest prayer.
Soon in glory bright unclouded there will be no need for prayer Rapture, praise and endless worship will be our sweet portion there.’
Yes my believing brethren, what an awesome assurance we can have in Jesus Christ if we allow Him to come into our hearts, souls, bodies and minds and work His good works in us! There is nothing or no one else under the sun that can promise and then faithfully deliver on those promises!
All we need is sincere hope and trust and faith and surrender to His unconditional LOVE and care which runs from everlasting to everlasting! He made us Friends, and has a plan for every one of our lives, but we have to bow to His sovereignty and righteousness if we are to be enlightened as to His wonderful plans for us. Not knowing, and thus not living out the beautiful plan earmarked for us is possibly the greatest disappointment we can ever know down here on earth.
And we’ll end with a massive scripture of assurance and encouragement from Hebrews, one which we all know, but don’t seriously accept and live by. ‘Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience (endurance), that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.’ (Heb.10:35-36)
Yes my people, we need some patience, sometimes plenty of it, but fear not, God’s promise will be fulfilled, just in His own time. So please stand strong and steadfast in faith, if you want to see the mercies and blessings of God in your life. That is indeed heavenly wisdom! Much LOVE!
…walking with Jesus might lead us along some rough and unpaved roads…but the rewards of His promise…oh Friends…they are indeed most wonderful and incomparable…trust me…I’m talking from personal experience…
P.S. Oh Friends, I just LOVE writing these Bits that come straight from the heart, without any forward planning, like this one today. And I do hope that it triggers your hope, faith, patience and LOVE, and help them rise to a higher level, so that you can find true solace, comfort and joy in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, as He desires you to have.
Oh mih breddren, I can’t even stop the words from flowing, that’s how much the adrenalin is running. (smile) Much LOVE!
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