09 Jan 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 2017, a commercial message, anger, aura of love, born again, carnality, cast out, christianity, Christians, comforting, confidence, consoling, enthusiasm, evil, flavouring, friends, glorious kingdom, good cheer, good for nothing, guiding, hard-hearted, heals wounds, holy spirit, humble servants, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, lies, light of the world, lost its savour, LOVE, LOVE Walk, melts coldness, misnomer, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, peace, preservative, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, resolution, rest, salt, salt of the earth, shining stars, spiritual armour, strife, the Beatitudes, the birth of Jesus, trodden underfoot, trust, ungodly world, walk closely with Jesus, wisdom, witness
Matthew 5:13-14. Ye are the salt of the earth…Ye are the light of the world…
Ah mih people, the Christmas and New Year’s celebrations finally over! Is back to serious work this Monday morning. No more three and four day weekends for a while again. Hn, Hn!
But please, please, I’m pleading with us, let’s not go back to the savage sort of life we were living before the Holiday season began nuh. Let’s keep at least some of the LOVE and good cheer we’ve been meeting out in that blessed period, otherwise the birth of Jesus would be no more than a commercial message.
Friends, it’s up to us Christian folks to make that a reality. The world with its rampant carnality doesn’t care about that sort of thing, and remember, we have resolved in our ONE resolution, to walk ever more closely with Jesus this provocative year of 2017.
So let’s stop disappointing Him with our hitherto frail and feeble LOVE walk nuh, and let’s open the year instead bright and beautiful, like the shining stars He desires us to be. Nuff said!
And with that burst of glory (smile) let’s belt out our Monday Morning Battle Hymn as though we truly mean it.
In unison 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!’
Ah friends, that was good, and Jesus was pleased but He‘d much rather we keep up a constant battle as per our Bit. ‘Ye are the salt of the earth…Ye are the light of the world…’
That’s what Christians are supposed to represent in this evil world; salt and light. I’ll let Jesus tell us. ‘Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt has lost his savour (flavour), wherewith (by what) shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.’ (Matt.5:13)
Unfortunately, a lot, too many of us fit that description; good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden underfoot! And the scholars supply this explanation: ‘5:13. The Beatitudes are followed by a summary statement of the basic character of the Christian’s life as salt and light.
Ye are the salt of the earth: Again the phrase “ye are” indicates that only the genuinely born-again person is salt and can help meet the needs of the world. Salt adds flavouring, acts as a preservative, melts coldness, and heals wounds. Thus it is a very appropriate description of the believer in his relationship to the world in which he lives.’
Oh my fellow believers, as we look at our Christian walk in action, can we truly say that we are salt? Do we add a rich and spicy flavour to our surroundings and those therein? Are we being preservative; keeping people strong, alive and vibrant with whatever we bring to the table?
And do we melt coldness? Oh friends, that’s possibly one of the most important of our duties, because there are so many cold and hard-hearted hearts and souls out there in this modern world, and it is our job to soften, to warm them up with the wonder of Jesus.
And last, but by no means least, do we heal wounds? Are we comforting and consoling and guiding and bringing peace and LOVE to situations rather than anger and strife? I surely hope so my brethren, otherwise our witness if of no use, and calling ourselves Christians is a clearly a misnomer!
Well that’s enough tough talk for today. (smile) But please, let’s be serious and check out our lives along those paths nuh, and see where we are lacking and ask the Good Lord to help us improve our LOVE walk in His name. Much LOVE!
…it’s time the world sees what true Christians are like…in fact…it’s long overdue…
08 Nov 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool is considered wise, a little memebr, a man of understanding, a saved soul, a world of iniquity, ancient seals, anger inflames talk, batting our gums, believers in Jesus Christ, boasteth great things, born again, bridle, bridleth not his tongue, chains break, control, deceiveth his own heart, distracts, dr robert h schuller, draw near to hear, edifying, eventful day, evil, experience joy, faith, fool, footsteps of Jesus, heartache, hell, hold my peace, Hour of Power, ideals, iniquity, joy, keep thy foot, keeps silent, learn to know God, level of faith, listening to God, living a godly life, LOVE, my friend Jesus, of hell, on God's great earth, our worst enemy, Paradise, patience, pep in our steps, perfecting of the saints, Praise the Lord, principles, righteous, Satan, set on fire, share His love, shut my lips, silence is golden, silence., slow to speak, slow to wrath, spiritual and emotional walls, strife, swift to hear, talk inflames anger, the beloved of God, the body of Christ, the course of nature, the house of God, the righteousness of God, the sacrifice of fools, the tongue, the work of the ministry, the wrath of man, this man's religion is vain, trials, tripp off our tongues, trust, truth, Tuesday Mantra, unworthy children of men, useless, walk prudently, war
Ecclesiastes 5:1. Keep thy foot (walk prudently) when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear (draw near to hear, rather) than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.
All hail, my fellow believers in Jesus Christ! It’s a glorious Tuesday morning…Praise the Lord!
Yes friends, we’ve been granted another eventful day on God’s great earth! Wow! Isn’t He wonderful to us unworthy children of men? He surely is! That’s why we ought to give Him a lot of thanks and praise throughout the day.
And to do that, some of us might just need these words of encouragement from Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) from his Hour of Power Devotional. It’s titled ‘Learn to Know God.’
Please pray with me: ‘ Dear Jesus, I’ve got to know You better. Please help me! I can feel my spiritual and emotional walls crack. I can hear old chains break. I can feel my heart opening like a heavy old door whose ancient seals have just begun to break.
I can sense the footsteps of Jesus walking into my life. I am beginning to experience the joy of a soul that is being saved, a life that is being born again. Thank You, Lord! Life’s not fair, but God is good. Amen!’
Ah my people, when Jesus is walking in our lives there’s such joy in our souls, and such pep in our steps! For remember, ‘the joy of the Lord is our strength.’ (Neh. 8:10)
And to further raise the joy in our souls, the level of our faith and the pep in our steps this Tuesday morning, let’s declare our Tuesday Mantra with the utmost sincerity and belief.
As one now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
Yes mih breddren, it’s certainly a wonderful God we believe in and great Friend and Saviour we have in Jesus! Nothing in this world can beat it!
We just have to remember whose we are, and behave in a fashion suitable to their ideals and principles; basically living a godly life and sharing the LOVE of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
And the awesome advice in our Bit will surely help us to do that. ‘Keep thy foot (walk prudently) when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear (draw near to hear, rather) than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.’
Yeh friends, we’re still on that Bit because it covers such a wide area, especially where our mouths and our promises are concerned. We can either be righteous or evil with those two things. And James deals with them very nicely, obviously pointing us towards the righteous aspect.
Listen to him: ‘Wherefore my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. For the wrath of man worketh not (does not produce) the righteousness of God.’ (James 1:19-20)
And the scholars add this info to those verses. ‘1:19. This is a key verse because it expresses three topics that James develops later: hearing, verses 19-27; speaking, 3:1-12; and wrath, 4:1-12.’
‘1:20. Trials require silence and patience because talk inflames anger, and anger inflames talk. Anger also distracts from listening to God.’ So true friends, so true!
And later on in that same passage, James tells us in no uncertain terms: ‘If any man among you seem to be (thinks he is) religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain (useless).’ (James 1:26)
What indisputable truth! We can’t claim to be truly religious if we don’t know how, what and when to speak. The old adage that says ‘silence is golden,’ is very true on a lot of occasions.
We’d be better served by remaining silent than by batting our gums, for as Cousin Sol reminds us: ‘Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace (keeps silent), is counted wise (is considered wise): and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.’ (Prov.17:28)
And I pray: ‘O Lord please help me to hold my peace, to shut my lips, so that I will be considered a man of understanding, even though I’m a fool!’ (smile)
Ah friends, sometimes our mouths are our worst enemy, our tongues cost us more heartache than anything else. As James says: ‘Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter (forest) a little fire kindleth (sets on fire).
And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue (the tongues is so set) among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature (existence); and it is set on fire of hell.’ (James 3:5-6)
And the scholars explain: ‘3:6. The tongue is a system (world) of iniquity that sets on fire the whole course of life, and is even set on fire by Satan (cf.3:15).’
Yes precious people of God, the tongue is one of the smallest parts of our bodies, but it has unnatural control of the entire body. Since the beginning of time, our tongues have caused more war and strife than anything else, but we still can’t, or refuse to bridle them.
Thus our lives are oftimes turned topsy-turvy by the words that trip off of our tongues. But today, I implore us to take good care, to ask the Holy Spirit to help us keep silent and think before we talk, and then to only talk that which is: ‘For the perfecting (equipping) of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.’ (Eph.4:12)
If we successfully do that, then our lives and our world will surely become more a representation of paradise, than one of hell, as it currently is. Much LOVE!
…many of us would be better off…if we had no tongues…harsh…but true…
21 Sep 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a Christian's life, admonishing, alive and kicking, begin to bless, begin to do, beneficial influence, blessed children, blessings, boring, bow down, celebrity status, celebrity worship, Christ's Church, Christian virtues, Commonplace Days, Creator of the universe, daily drain, day-by-day drudgery, DETERMINATION, direction, dissension, disunity, divine inspiration, drudgery, dwell together, enthusiasm, exciting, false impression, family in Jesus, fertile soil, fixed securely, foolish waiting for, forbearing, forgive me, friends, giving thanks to god, glamourless duties, glamourous, glory to God, God's people, godly ambassadors, good morning, grace, halfway home, hymns, in the name of the Lord Jesus, in vogue, in word or deed, indwelling word of Christ, Jehovah, lift up the wualities, living for Jesus, loving, money, mundane, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, One Year Book of Bible promises, peace, peaceful, power, privilege, psalms, purpose, pushing on, quiet me, Ruth Harms Calkin, same old, sense of purpose, spiritual songs, spoon feed, strife, tasks, teaching, thank God, the breath of life, the Most High God, the way life is, the word of Christ, to a glorious future with Jesus, trite, true believers, unique fashion, unity, virtues, Wednesday Wail, whimper, whine, wisdom, work hard, worship
Colossians 3:17. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
And a most enthusiastic ‘Good morning’ to you my friends and family in Jesus Christ!
It is indeed a good morning, meaning that we are alive and kicking, and regardless of our feelings and circumstances, we don’t have to let them control us because we are the blessed children of the Most High God Jehovah, the Creator of the universe and all therein, and He looks after each one of us in His own unique fashion. Glory to God!
And I just had to share this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin because it is so appropriate for most of us. It’s titled ‘Commonplace Days.’
Read with me. ‘Lord of my commonplace days Forgive me for foolishly waiting for “divine inspiration” Before moving in on the tasks Personally assigned to me. Hopefully I am learning To face with greater determination The day-by-day drudgery The trite, mundane tasks The pushing-pulling glamourless duties.
Lord, even when I think I’m getting no place Keep me pushing on and on With purpose and direction. Grab my heart and quiet me When I begin to whine and whimper. Despite the daily drain I think I see it more clearly now: It is only when I begin to do That you begin to bless.’
Ah mih people, it’s all so true! It certainly reflects the lives of most of us; the daily drudgery and same old, same old glamourless tasks by which we make our living. But please don’t allow it get us down, because it’s simply the way life is. Everyday can’t be exciting and glamorous, for too much of that will eventually get boring and mundane too.
So please don’t be fooled by the celebrity worship that’s currently in vogue, because even the true celebrities, not the hangers’ on, have to bow down and work hard at sometime or other if they want to keep their celebrity status intact.
Remember friends, they are people just like us, only with a little more money, power and privilege. And besides, what passes for glamour today is only an outward show, often used to give a false impression.
Now today is Wednesday, so let’s turn to our Wednesday Wail and wail it with sincerity, enthusiasm and a strong sense of purpose.
Wailing: ‘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!’
Ah mih people, every Wednesday that declaration truly wakes me up! It has me being sincerely thankful for the breath of life that’s flowing through my body, and reminds me of what is truly important; keeping my hands to the plough and looking forward to the wonderful future that Jesus has planned for His followers.
And I sure hope you all feel the same way too, otherwise you’d be missing out on the most wonderful times in your lives which come from living for and with Jesus.
All glory be to our wonderful Lord and Saviour who sacrificed His sinless lives for us! And all God’s people declared a loud and grateful ‘Amen!’
That brings us to our Bit, which is also the Bible Promise for our poem above. ‘And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.’
Oh friends, that’s the summation of Bruh Paul’s advice to the Colossians as he talked to them about Christian virtues. And believe me, we couldn’t get any better advice than that for living this earthly life.
And the scholars tell us: ‘3:17. The beneficial influence produced by the indwelling word of Christ is not only to affect public and private worship (v.16), but it is also to control all areas of a Christian’s life.’
Yeh friends, what’s the purpose of God’s word and Spirit indwelling us, if they don’t control our lives eh? None whatsoever!
And I’m going to spoon feed you all today (smile). Here is verse 16, as mentioned above. ‘Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.’ (Col.3:16)
Ah mih breddren, I only wish that we could truly do that on a much wider scale than is currently been done, for then our world would definitely be a much better place.
And the scholars have this to say about that verse. ‘3:16. When believers are forbearing (v.13), and LOVING (v.14) toward one another, when peace reigns among God’s people (v.15), then the church is fertile soil for the blessings produced by the word of Christ.’
But sadly, the church in its current state is not very fertile soil because we are not as forbearing, LOVING, and as peaceful with each other as we ought to be. There’s just way too much disunity, dissension and strife in the church.
That’s why I’m imploring us today to improve, to lift up the qualities that are needed in us, and consequently Christ’s church, so that we can be the true believers, the godly ambassadors that we’re supposed to be, for that is the wisdom of heaven. Much LOVE!
…only when Christians dwell together in true unity…is Christ’s church truly blessed…
18 Sep 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adultery, be never wanting there, Christians, courage, crapaud smoke we pipe, crown of life, danger, death itself is gain, diligently, disharmony, disunity, divide and conquer, duty calls, ephemeral character, evil minions, flesh and blood, fornication, fulfill the lust of the flesh, idolatry, impunity, in the wild blue yonder, inherit the kingdom of God, jealousy, life and death, LOVE Jesus, prayer, purposefully, put on the Gospel armour, reign eternally, sexual impurity, sincerely, sins, spiritual wickedness, stand strong and steadfast, stand up for Jesus, straight and narrow path, strength, strife, the arm of flesh., the evil one, the good fight of faith, the Holy Spirit, the king of glory, the noise of battle, the trumpet call obey, the victor's song, the whole armour of God, vices, victor's crown, walk in the Spirit, witchcraft, words of warning, works of the flesh, wrath, ye dare not trust your own
Galatians 5:16. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
Oh friends, let’s begin this Sunday morning, the last of summer 2016, with some very appropriate praise and worship for these difficult times.
Please sing with me: ‘Stand up, stand up for Jesus, ye soldiers of the cross; Lift high His royal banner, it must not suffer loss. From victory unto victory His army shall He lead, Till every foe is vanquished, and Christ is Lord indeed.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the solemn watchword hear; If while ye sleep He suffers, away with shame and fear; Where’er ye meet with evil, within you or without, Charge for the God of battles, and put the foe to rout.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the trumpet call obey; Forth to the mighty conflict, in this His glorious day. Ye that are brave now serve Him against unnumbered foes; Let courage rise with danger, and strength to strength oppose.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus, stand in His strength alone; The arm of flesh will fail you, ye dare not trust your own. Put on the Gospel armor, each piece put on with prayer; Where duty calls or danger, be never wanting there.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus, each soldier to his post, Close up the broken column, and shout through all the host: Make good the loss so heavy, in those that still remain, And prove to all around you that death itself is gain.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the strife will not be long; This day the noise of battle, the next the victor’s song. To those who vanquish evil a crown of life shall be; They with the King of Glory shall reign eternally.’
Ah mih people, in these evil days, Christians are more than ever needed to stand strong and steadfast in Jesus, if we truly want to wear that victor’s crown! Unfortunately, as individuals, as well as the body of Christ, the church, we are not doing as good a job as we should.
And why is that eh? Who knows? I figure we are still too enthralled by the wealth and material possessions of the world, and a lot of us don’t take Jesus and his Word as seriously as we should. To many of us, He is still some ephemeral character out there in the wild blue yonder, and not the true living force that’s supposed to dwell within us.
But whatever the reason(s) friends, the fact remains that we are definitely not fighting as sincerely, diligently and purposefully as we ought to. We are allowing the enemy to take the Lord out of our society with impunity. Then the disharmony, disunity, strife, jealousy and all the other negative things which are currently found in the church, does nothing to help the situation.
Look at the amount of denominations we have, all supposedly preaching the same Jesus Christ, yet all going in different directions, and not ever seeming to meet. Are there denominations in heaven? I doubt it. So why are we splitting up, allowing the enemy to divide and conquer us with nary a whimper eh?
I don’t know. But I know for sure that if we don’t pick up the intensity and desire to truly LOVE Jesus and fight for our faith, we will not be the victors in this ongoing war with the evil one and his powerful and predominant evil minions.
Friends, this is no joking matter, it is a serious one, one of life and death! And not only the physical, but more so the spiritual aspect.
Remember the words of Bruh Paul to the Ephesians. ‘For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world (age), against spiritual (hosts of) wickedness in high places.
Wherefore take unto you (put on) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.’ (Eph.6:12-13)
Yes friends, that’s how serious the fight is. And even when we have on the armour of God, we still need to walk carefully, and do as our Bit dictates. ‘This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.’
Oh my people, the Holy Spirit was sent to dwell within us, so that it could lead and guide us in a godly direction. But something is obviously wrong somewhere because we’re not fighting the good fight of faith, as we ought to. The works of the flesh are still too rampant within the supposed community of faith. And what are those works of the flesh?
Hear Bruh Paul. ‘Now the works of the flesh are manifest (evident), which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness (sexual impurity), lasciviousness (licentiousness), Idolatry, witchcraft (sorcery), hatred, variance (contentions, discord), emulations (jealousies), wrath, strife (selfish ambitions), seditions (dissensions), heresies (divisions, cliques),
Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings (excessive eating, gluttony, carousing) and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.’ (Gal.5:19-21)
Oh my brethren, if we look around our world, the unfortunate fact is that all those things are rampant throughout it – even in supposed Christian circles!
And we’ll end with these words of warning from the scholars. ‘The person whose life is habitually characterized by the sins and vices of verses 19-21 shall not inherit the kingdom of God, that is, he will not be in heaven because he is not a Christian.’ It’s as simple as that my people.
So please, I implore us to thoroughly check ourselves to see if any of those lusts of the flesh are habits of ours, and if so, pray sincerely to God to help us get rid of them, otherwise, crapaud smoke we pipe, we’ll be on the outside looking in, come the big day. Not only that, we also have to lessen the unchristian behaviour that’s happening within and between our churches. Nuff said!
Now may the good Lord bless us and keep us safe from harm and help us to walk the straight and narrow righteous path that leads to Him and His heavenly sanctuary. Much LOVE!
…he who has ears to hear…let him hear…
14 Sep 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a positive direction, anger, asthma, awesome God, be able to stand before thee, be strong and of a good courage, bless your Holy Name, boomerang, buckler, comforts us, courage, difficult times, enthusiasm, ever-faithful, exceeding abundantly, fail, faithful, fight the enemy, followers of Jesus, forskae, frail fragile bodies, get back what we give out, girds me with strength, glorious feeling, glory, glory hallelujah, glory to God, God of his forefathers, God's children, gospel, gospel truth, halfway home, hands are on the plough, holding hands, horn, I will love thee, I will trust, incontestable, indisputable, irrefutable, Jesus Christ, looking straight ahead, my fortress, negative options, not looking back, obedient, omni-present, omnipotent, omniscient, our best days are still ahead of us, our Lord and Saviour, P.S. I Love You, passion, people on our planet, positive vibrations, praise, promises, salvation, single file, standing in a circle, strength, strife, strong, Thank you Jesus, thanks, the breath of life, The Lord is my rock, the Most High, time of sickness, to a glorious future with Jesus, to the death, trust, truth, turbulent, undeniable, unequivocal, uplifting words, walk of faith, Wednesday Wail, who is God
Joshua 1:6a. Be strong and of a good courage…
Oh friends, ‘I’m getting better! I’m getting better!’ All thanks and praise and glory be to our most awesome and wonderful God!
Yeh mih people, the cough and cold and consequent asthma that’s been bothering me for the past week is easing up…Glory to God! I can now breathe a lot easier… All thanks and praise be to the Most High who heals and comforts us in our time of sickness!
Now here is something interesting and uplifting from my P.S. I LOVE YOU Poster, which I’ve probably shared before, but it’s so nice, we just had to do it twice. (smile) .
It tells us that ‘The people on our planet are not standing in a line single file. Look closely. Everyone is really standing in a circle, holding hands. Whatever you give to the person standing next to you, it eventually comes back to you.’
And it would certainly be wonderful if we were all really in a circle holding hands, then there wouldn’t be as much anger, strife and all the other negative options that are currently flooding our world. But the last part is gospel truth though my friends; whatever we give out, is what we’ll get back, like a boomerang…and more than we gave out too.
So if we sow negative stuff, we will reap more negative stuff than we sowed. However if we sow positive vibrations, then our reaping will be more positive vibrations…exceeding abundantly. So please, let’s concentrate on sowing positive vibes as our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ desires of us nuh, not the many negative ones that we’re currently sowing.
And to show the positivity, the passion and enthusiasm that we have for life this Wednesday morning, let’s declare our Wednesday Wail passionately and exuberantly, with hungry hope and expectant faith.
Wailing: ‘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 that’s such a glorious feeling my people; feeling God’s astounding breath of life flowing through our frail and fragile bodies, making us strong and able to fight the enemy to the death!
Yes my brethren, we definitely can’t afford to look back at all the stuff that’s already happened in our lives, because our best days are still ahead of us, through that amazing future which Jesus has planned for His people.
And all God’s children declared a loud and grateful, ‘Thank you Jesus! We praise and bless your Holy Name and give You sincere thanks for all that’s You’ve done, are doing right now, and has promised to do for us later on! Amen!’
That brings us to our Bit: ‘Be strong and of a good courage…’
And I LOVE how it’s so short, but yet so powerful… ‘Be strong and of a good courage…’ When you declare it, it just seems to lift you up and move you in a positive direction. And do we ever need much strength and courage in these turbulent and difficult times!
Now let’s look at some scripture that enables us to stand strong and be of good courage. The verse right before our Bit says it all. God says to Joshua: ‘There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Josh.1:5)
What a wonderful promise that is friends! And the great thing about that promise is that it’s also meant for us in these desperate times. We don’t need to fear or fret because our omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present God has promised never to leave nor forsake us, and we know that He’s ever faithful to ALL of His promises.
Now hear Bruh David tell it like it is from Psalm 18 – Thanksgiving for deliverance. ‘I will LOVE thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn (strength) of my salvation, and my high tower (stronghold). I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.’ (Ps.18:1-3)
Ah friends, what hope, faith and trust Bruh David showed in the God of his forefathers! And we all know it was not misplaced, because the Lord indeed saved him from his enemies and supplied all his wants and needs. In the same manner my fellow followers of Jesus, the Lord wants to bless and keep us, but we need to be obedient and faithful to Him and his word.
And we’ll end with some more powerful and uplifting words from Psalm 18. ‘As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried (proven): he is a buckler (shield) to all those that trust in him. For who is God save (except) the Lord? Or who is a rock save our God? It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.’ (Ps.18:30-32)
Indisputable, incontestable, irrefutable, undeniable, unequivocal, gospel truth my brethren! So let’s write it indelibly in our hearts, souls, minds and bodies nuh, so that we can be strong and courageous in our walk of faith! Much LOVE!
…the Lord gives strength and courage…to those who seek Him sincerely…
10 Sep 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fleeting illusion, a laughing stock, ambassadors for Christ, Anselm, aspires to inspire, be not afraid, be string and of a good courage, Bob Marley, brilliant light of Jesus, Christian fashion, conspiracy, courage, courageous, declare the gospel, degrade, denied, dismayed, don't give up, enforced, equal rights, eternal life, fence sitting, fight the good fight of faith, for all to see, gospel truth, greetings, guaranteed, guidance, human-rights, hypocrites, ignorance prevails, indisputable truth, inherit, Jesus is alive and well, Joshua, justice, lasting peace, LOVE Revolution, make a difference, Moses, never attained, oppress, passion, passive, poverty, promises, pursued, race, rob, salutations, saving grace, serve christ, stand up, steadfast, strife, the Holy Spirit, the Lord thy God, to the very end, trials, tribulations, trying times, ungodly world, war, wish-washy, witness for Christ, world citizenship, zest
Joshua 1:6a. Be strong and of a good courage…
Greetings and salutations my fellow brethren in Christ! Welcome to what looks like a somewhat cloudy and hopefully rainy Saturday morning in my neck of the woods. And do we ever need some decent rainfall.
But the best part of the morning is knowing that regardless of what the weather is like, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is alive and well and that His brilliant light is shining in our hearts, minds, and souls for all to see.
And the most important part of that sentence is the last part, ‘for all to see.’ That’s because Christ is shining His light not only in, but also through us. The light is for us to share with the rest of the world who don’t know Him and cause them to come to Him for His saving grace, without which they can’t find eternal life.
And it’s especially in these difficult and trying times that the world needs believers to stand up and declare the gospel with great zest and passion, and live it in true Christian fashion.
We must not be seen as wishy-washy, fence sitting hypocrites, else that would just invalidate our witness for Christ and make His organization, His church, more of a laughing stock than it already is.
So friends, please, let’s promise ourselves this morning to be excellent ambassadors for Christ so that we can raise the level, the intensity of His LOVE Revolution, that’s the only hope for our misguided, evil and increasingly ungodly world.
Wow! Where did all of that come from eh? When I sat down just now to write, that was nowhere in my imagination, but as always, I asked for guidance, and I guess that’s where I was guided. Ah mih people, you never know with our great God nuh!
Now let’s check out a couple of quotes from our friend Anselm who always aspires to inspire us. And I like this first one: ‘Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.’
And isn’t that the gospel truth! For as Bruh Bob (Bob Marley) said in his song: ‘That until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all, without regard to race. That until that day, the dream of lasting peace, world citizen ship and the rule of international morality will remain but a fleeting illusion, to be pursued but never attained… and everywhere will be war…ah say war…’
Yes friends, until equal rights and justice play a much larger role in our society, we will ALWAYS be engulfed in strife. And the second quote from Anselm tells us that, ‘The strongest people are not always the people who win, but the people who don’t give up when they lose.’
That’s more indisputable truth my brethren! The strongest are the ones who fight the good fight of faith right down to the very end, despite all the trials and tribulations that come their way. And it all segues so smoothly into our Bit: ‘Be strong and of a good courage…’
Yeh mih people, that’s all we dealing with this morning; being strong and of a good courage… Why, you ask?
Because I believe now, more than ever, Christians need to stand up strong and steadfast and be courageous, stop being passive and allowing ourselves to be pushed around and aside by the evil world powers.
Right now we’re definitely not doing justice to the ultimate power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, that’s supposed to lead and guide us along the straight and narrow path destined for us by our Creator.
The anxious and fearful way in which so many of us behave, one would never believe that the Spirit of God resides within us. We have to stand up strong friends, much stronger than we’re currently doing.
Poor Joshua was bombarded with that direction, both by Moses and the Lord. Listen up: ‘And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the Lord hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it.’ (Deut.31:7)
The Good Book also tells us, per the Lord’s direction: ‘Moses therefore wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel. And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them: and I will be with thee.’ (Deut.31:22-23)
And the Lord when He commissions Joshua as Israel’s leader, after the death of Moses, He reiterates in our Bit: ‘Be strong and of a good courage… Then in the next verse, He tells him once more; ‘Only be thou strong and very courageous…’ (Josh.1:7a)
And if that wasn’t enough, two verses later, the Lord reminds him. ‘Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.’ (Josh.1:9)
And that same message also applies to each and every believer today! Yes my people, it is ever so important that we Christians stand up proud and strong in these trying times, because that’s the only way we’ll ever serve Christ properly, and make a sincere and substantial difference in our world, which we are called to do. Much LOVE!…
Christians ought to be the strongest and most courageous people on earth…because of the awesome and ever-faithful promises of Christ…and His Holy Spirit which dwells in them…
03 Sep 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a figment of our imagination, a good man, after one time is two, Anselm, at the mercy of, Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, children of God, Christians, common sense, consciences, cruel and unjust punishment, deceit, deceitful times, discretion, do good, do not repay, drunk or sober, Eastern Parkway, followers of Jesus, forgiveness, fraudulent, generous, gracious, Granny's wisdom, greedy, guide his affairs, hands slapped, he is kind to the unthanksful, indisputable truth, Jesus, labour day weekend, lend, lends, Love your enemies, merciful, mercy, mince words, mind yuh business, our duty, peace, perpetrate fraud, piddling things, prioritize our efforts, put it into action, reward, righteousness endures for ever, rocket science, show mercy, shows favour, sorry comment, strife, talk to your enemies, tattooed to your heart, the Big Apple, the children of the Highest, the evil, the righteous, the righteous show mercy and give, the wicked borrow, want to make peace, with the help of God, you reap what you sow, your reward shall be great
Psalm 37:21. The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again (does not repay): but the righteous showeth mercy and giveth.
Well friends and neighbours, it’s Saturday; Labour Day Saturday to boot! You know I didn’t even remember that this was the long, Labour Day weekend. That just goes to show how things and times have changed. As my Auntie Anne told me the other night when we were talking on the phone; ‘After one time is two yes nephew!’
And that’s ever so true. I never used to miss a Labour Day in the Big Apple. And my Auntie thought I was calling to say that I was coming down this weekend, because that’s how it would happen. I would say that I wasn’t coming, then last minute I’d call and say, I’m on my way. But unfortunately, that’s no longer in vogue. I can’t even handle the walking in Toronto’s Caribana street parade, much less that on the Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn.
And besides, the parades and them not as good as they were; the mas and the music are of inferior quality compared to earlier times. That brings to mind my last Labour Day in New York, I believe it was in 2007. My Auntie Anne and I had to park miles from the parade because there were no parking spots to be had close by, and then walk to the Parkway. Hn!
The walk there in the afternoon hot sun was bad enough, but walking back later in the evening after the parade ended…Steups! That was murder; cruel and unusual punishment! (smile) Anyway, with the help of the Good Lord we made it back in one piece, but certainly aching in the joints and body.
However, before I forget, let me dispense Granny’s wisdom, for it’s on occasions such as this, that it’s ultra-important. ‘Sonny Boy, a beg yuh please…when yuh go out there… drunk or sober…please mind yuh business, because is times like these, when the devil is most likely to pounce unsuspecting…!’ Oh my people, this Labour Day weekend, as you celebrate, please don’t leave home without that critical piece of advice tattooed to your heart, mind and soul!
And now, since it seems to have become a Saturday routine, let’s check out a couple of quotes from our friend Anselm, who always aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. The first quote says: ‘If you want to make peace, you don’t talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies.’
Now that’s not rocket science, but strictly common sense, for you and your friends should always be at peace. Unfortunately though in today’s strife –filled world, not too many enemies are seriously and sincerely talking to each other, consequently peace is mostly a figment of our imagination.
And the second quote from Anselm tells us that: ‘Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.’ That’s also not rocket science but simply common sense. In this crazy and busy world of ours, where so many things call for our attention, we must prioritize our efforts and plans on those things which are more important to the successful running of our lives.
However, too many of us tend to get tied up in the small, unimportant things and thus make our lives harder than necessary. Time is of the essence my brethren, so we need to use it wisely, don’t waste it by getting too involved in the piddling things of life. (smile)
That brings us to our Bit, some interesting words of Bruh David from Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked. ‘The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again (does not repay): but the righteous showeth mercy and giveth.’
And isn’t that indisputable truth my brethren? Of course it is! And it’s indeed a sad and sorry comment on the state of our society, especially in these fraudulent, greedy and deceitful times, when consciences seem to have disappeared, where honour and truthful dealings have apparently been turfed out, and we lie and deceive with impunity.
White collar crime has certainly been on the rise in the last decade or so and seems to be getting worse with each passing day. And the sad part is that many of the people who have been defrauded by the wicked, don’t ever see a penny of their money again and are basically left to suffer while the defrauder merely has his hands slapped. But that’s our modern-day society for you!
Meanwhile the righteous, of which there are never enough, are the ones who show mercy and give to those in need. And so it should be friends, if we’re to be true followers of Jesus. Christians ought to be amongst the most merciful and generous, although I’m not so sure that we are, for we perpetrate a lot of fraud and deceit on one another too.
But nonetheless, let’s check out a few scriptures that encourage us to be merciful and generous. From Psalm 112 – Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord – come these two beautiful verses. ‘A good man showeth favour (is gracious), and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion… He (a good man) hath dispersed (distributed abroad), he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn (strength) shall be exalted with honour.’ (Ps.112:5, 9)
Yes my people, that’s how a true believer in Christ ought to behave. But how many of us really behave that way eh? I’d venture to say, certainly not enough, otherwise the hunger, poverty, sickness, and other negative things that are currently engulfing our world would not be half as bad.
Now let’s end with some words from Jesus Himself. ‘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)
Aye friends, Jesus didn’t mince any words there, He spelled it out as simply and straightforwardly as possible. Now it’s our duty to go out and put all that He said there into action, if we want to be true children of God. Much LOVE!
…he who wants mercy and forgiveness…must also mete out mercy and forgiveness…for what you sow…is what you will reap…
28 Aug 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Anselm, Asa, awesome majesty, Azariah, be well with them, compassion, confession, disobedience, disobeyed God, do our best for Jesus, door of happiness closes, evil, failing economies, families, fear me, fight the good fight, forgiveness, forsake, from earth to the cross, from heaven to earth, from the cross to the grave, from the grave to the sky, give Him thanks, God shuts a door, harmony, helping others, homelessness, hunger, I love to sing your praises, idolatry, jehovah god, keep all my commandments, looking forward, Lord I lift your name on high, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, magnify His holy name, move on, my debt to pay, opened door, outpouring of praise, peace, persecution, poverty, praise and worship, punishment, repentance, Rick Founds, saving grace, seek the Lord, sincere heart, strife, stubborn, thanskgiving, the closed door, the Sabbath, the Spirit of God, thou shalt find him, to show the way, turn to God, understanding, ungodly times, war, warm the cockles of Jesus' heart, with all thy heart and soul, with their children forever, worshipping the God of their fathers
Deuteronomy 4:29. But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.
Awright my people, it’s the big day, Sunday, the Sabbath, a day of praise and worship! So let’s get straight to it nuh, let’s sing this popular song of praise and worship by Rick Founds, ‘Lord I lift Your name on high.
With strong voices and sincere hearts let’s allow our song to rise to heaven and warm the cockles of Jesus’ heart as we praise and glorify His awesome majesty, magnify His holy name and give Him thanks for all that’s He’s done for us.
‘Lord I lift Your name on high Lord I love to sing Your praises I’m so glad You’re in my life I’m so glad You came to save us You came from Heaven to earth To show the way From the earth to the cross My debt to pay From the cross to the grave From the grave to the sky Lord I lift Your name on high… Lord I lift Your name on high… Lord I lift Your name on high…’
Beautiful my people, truly beautiful! Heaven had to be moved by such an outpouring of praise and thanksgiving! Now since I couldn’t share yesterday, the two of our friend Anselm’s quotes that I usually share, I’ll include one today. And it simply says: ‘When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.’
So true friends, so true! We all know that when one door closes another is usually opened, but we pine for what’s behind the closed door so much, especially if it was good, that ofttimes we can’t see, or are not even aware of the newly opened door. We’ve got to learn that when God shuts a door, we’re to leave it alone, look elsewhere for the next thing He has earmarked for us.
But, sadly, being creatures of habit and comfort, allergic to change, we still yearn and hunger for what’s behind the closed door, although deep down we know that the Lord has something better waiting for us through the newly opened door. Yes my brethren, we have to keep looking forward not backward.
As they say, the Lord brings certain things and people into our lives for a reason and/or a season, but when that time is up, and He shuts that door, we have to let whatever it is go and move on. Otherwise we’ll spend our lives miserable, wanting and wishing for what is no longer available to us. End of sermon! (smile)
Let’s turn to our Bit; the same one we’ve had for the last couple days. Why, you ask? Because it’s such an important scripture, one on which our basic faith is based, and thus there are several references to it throughout the Good Book. And more importantly, it is very appropriate for these evil and ungodly times in which we’re now living.
Just listen to the great promise it contains. ‘But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.’
Oh my fellow believers, what a glorious promise that is from our magnanimous and merciful God! In our most sinful times, our times of trials and tribulations, of disobedience and idolatry, it is yet possible to seek Jehovah God, through confession and repentance, a sincere heart and soul and find Him. Wow!
Oh friends, that’s something our world needs to take advantage of RIGHT NOW because everything is falling down around us. War and strife, poverty, hunger, persecution, homelessness, failing economies, failing families and societies; those are the things that are currently colouring, are currently prominent in our world.
Things like LOVE, peace, harmony, compassion, understanding and helping each other are unfortunately on the way out. And the ONLY way to change the negative aspects of our world is to turn to God in true repentance and receive His graceful forgiveness.
Now hear this warning of the prophet Azariah to the Israelites. ‘And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded. And he went out to meet (before) Asa (the king) and said unto him. Hear ye me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin; the Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.
Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law. But when they in their troubles did turn unto the Lord God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.’ (2 Chr.15:1-4)
Ah friends, although the Israelites were stiff-necked, stubborn and hard-headed and often disobeyed God, when the rough times, meaning God’s punishment, really caught up to them, they were smart enough to return to worshipping the God of their fathers. Now why can’t we recognize our serious plight and realize that God’s hand is working against us and turn back to Him eh?
The Israelites did it several times, and each time He welcomed them back with opened arms. He will certainly do the same for us, that is, if we can wake up before our entire world falls down, disintegrates around us. And it all depends on us my fellow believers in Christ, through the Great Commission (Matt.28:19-20), we are supposed to spread the good news of Christ all over the world. And right now we have the tools to do it.
So let’s get serious nuh, put our hands to the plough and just move forward with the saving grace of Christ’s LOVE Revolution. He is depending on His church to fight the good fight…and win it too.
Now let’s end with a rather appropriate piece of scripture, words of our wonderful God, after He had spoken to the Israelites out of the mountain of fire, and they were all afraid. And the Lord said unto Moses. ‘O that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!’ (Deut.5:29)
That says it all friends! Now let’s go out and do our best for Jesus, because that’s what He expects of us. Much LOVE!
…only true LOVE…in the guise of Jesus…can save our fast deteriorating world…
15 Jul 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: A to Zee, all things, balance, begrudge, boomerang, building, comes back to you, common sense, cruel, demanding world, destruction, do unto men what you want them to do to you, do unto others, epitome, evil lifestyles, for dear life, Friday chant, friends, fun, generous help, glorious kingdom, God's plan for man, God's Word, greed, harmony, heartless massa, hell on earth, higher than the animals, holding hands, in a line, in Jesus' name, injunction, Jesus Christ, life experience, lower than the angels, Moses, negative emotions, no more work, P.S. I Love You, perpetrate, pilgrimage, pleasure, power, reaping, relaxation, rest, rocket science, rumours of war, self-aggrandizement, selfishness, single file, slaving, sowing, spiritual matters, standing in a circle, stressful, strife, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the golden rule, the law, the lust of the flesh, the prophets, the Ten Commandments, the weekend, topsy turvy world, under the gun, ungodly, unity, vicious cycle, want, wars, wisdom, you reap what you sow
Matthew 7:12. Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
And then it was Friday…
No wonder the workers united to sing this song of emancipation: ‘TGIF! Thank God it is Friday! No more work, no more slaving for a cruel, heartless massa! The weekend is upon us and we will enjoy all the pleasures it offers – from A to Zee! Thank God for Fridays and the weekends yes!’
Ah friends, you really can’t begrudge people some pleasure when they’ve been under the gun all week, just working and doing little else in this supposedly modern but very stressful and demanding world.
However, we can’t afford to only seek the lust of the flesh in the next two days either; spiritual matters must also be of great concern, otherwise we’ll lose the something in our souls that makes us higher than the animals and just a little lower than the angels.
Now let’s chant our Friday Chant which gives us a better perspective on the matter. 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.’
Now that is a much better way to handle the couple days off we have over the weekend; it keeps our soul and spirit in balance, which is something we desperately need to survive and be successful in our current topsy-turvy world.
And here’s an interesting quote from my ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU’ Poster. I don’t know if I’ve shared it before, but if I haven’t, I ought to have, and if I’ve shared it before, then it’s nice enough for us to do it twice. (smile)
And it says: ‘The people on our planet are not standing in a line single file. Look closely. Everyone is really standing in a circle, holding hands. Whatever you give to the person standing next to you, it eventually comes back to you.’
And isn’t that the awesome truth friends? It certainly is! It’s basically God’s plan for man; whatever you sow, you shall reap. Life is like a boomerang; whatever you throw out to it, it will eventually come right back to you.
So if you throw out bad, that’s what you’ll eventually receive, the same thing goes for good. The trouble is that we don’t think sufficiently along those lines, so we sow whatever our flesh wants, then when we get back something negative in return we wonder why.
But life is not rocket science my people, it’s a simple do unto others as you’d want them doing unto you. And Jesus’ words on that subject is our Bit for today. ‘Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.’
Yes my people, that’s what we call the ‘Golden Rule!’ And it’s really the only sensible way to live, if what we said above, about sowing and reaping, is true.
And the scholars explain it thus: ‘Hence, rather than judging others, we are to treat them as we would like to be treated. Therefore all things…do ye even so to them, is the biblical injunction often called the “Golden Rule.” This is the law and the prophets indicates that the statement made here by Jesus is not intended to be novel, but rather a summarization of the second table of the law.’
Yes friends, it’s not new, it’s just what has been required of us ever since Moses got those Ten Commandments. (smile) Unfortunately though, not enough of us are following it in these crucial and critical times, thus the ungodly and evil lifestyles we’re seeing so prevalent over God’s great world.
But it shouldn’t be like that. If we’d use our common sense and life experience we’d realize it. However we tend to live by the lusts of the flesh and the emotions of greed, selfishness etc. which only tear us down. There’s no building of harmony and unity in those negative emotions my people, just breaking down and destroying.
And that’s exactly what’s happening in our world. I don’t know if we’ve ever gone through a more destructive period in a supposed time of peace. Steups!
Everyday we’re becoming better at destruction, for a lot of our manufacturing consists of finding and building better ways to destroy. It’s taken us sometimes hundreds of years to build the great monuments of our world, but we destroy them in mere seconds!
Hn! And not only that, no longer do we have to be up close to destroy, we can stay thousands of miles away and perpetrate hell on earth to our enemies. And then we wonder why our world is going to hell in a bucket!
Look at all the wars and rumours of wars that are currently causing such woeful strife in our world. Friends, it doesn’t take a fool to realize that if we keep destroying, instead of building, we’ll soon have nothing left to destroy.
Our leaders seem to be more inept and inefficient than ever, corruption has never been so pervasive, far-reaching and blatant. It just seems that all they are interested in is self-aggrandizement and holding on to immense power for dear life.
But what they don’t seem to understand is that the more you have, the more you control, the more you have to lose and the more carefully you have to guard it all, which only leads to more problems, in all areas of life.
Please friends, let’s not be caught up in that vicious cycle of want, of greed and selfishness that is so easy to climb on to, but ever so difficult to get off. Let’s use common sense and God’s Word to direct our earthly pilgrimage nuh. It’s the epitome of wisdom! Much LOVE!
…the Golden Rule…do unto others…as you want them to do unto you…is still the most sensible and godly way to live in this mish-mash world…
02 Jul 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a mustard seed, affection mind, Anselm, aspires to inspire, attributes of God, believe, bread, brethren, cast out a demon, character, christ lives in me, Christian, circumstances, Colossians, crucified, depressed, desires, disarray, doubts, downcast, earthly things, faith, faithfulness, fellowship, fine spirits, forefathers, forgiveness, freed, Galatians, God's Word, grace, heavenly things, hid in Christ, holy spirit, hope, impossible, inaudible, incredible, intimate with God, invisible, Jews, justification, knowledge, live by faith, live in the flesh, magnanimous, magnificent, majestic, medicine, meditating, mercy, miracles, move mountains, nothing shall be impossible, pandemic, power, prayer, reading, Redeemer, signs, sin, sinful life, son of god, spiritual realm, starve to death, strife, Supreme Being, taking care of, the bread of life, the law, truth, unbelief, unbelievers, unconditional LOVE, virtues, watching over, wilderness, wisdom, wonders, work wonders
John 6:48. I am that bread of life.
Welcome to another Saturday morning on God’s great earth my friends! Hope it finds us all in fine spirits, and if not, by the time we are finished here, I know those spirits will have miraculously been lifted by the Holy Spirit that indwells us, as we talk about God; His holy word, His unconditional LOVE, His freely offered grace, His undeserved mercy, His never-ending forgiveness, and His eternal faithfulness!
Now that alone should lift our spirits this Saturday morning my people! Wow! What a majestic, magnificent and magnanimous God we serve my fellow believers! I don’t see how any of us can stay depressed and downcast for very long with such a Supreme Being watching over and taking care of us.
It’s just not possible if we concentrate on all the wonderful attributes of our God, instead of the prevailing unfortunate or uncomfortable circumstances surrounding us.
And my Christian brethren, I have the right medicine for what we’re talking about. It’s contained in a recent quote from our friend Anselm, who always aspires to inspire us. And this time I think he’s done a heck of a job.
Listen to this quote. ‘When we do what we can, the LORD will do what we can’t. FAITH hears the inaudible, sees the invisible, believes the incredible, and receives the impossible!!! Feed your FAITH, and your doubts will starve to death.’
Oh my people, my people, what glorious, indisputable, gospel truth! Faith is that good my brethren. That’s why they say it can move mountains and work wonders. What did Jesus say to His disciples when they asked why they were unable to cast out a demon?
‘Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove (move); and nothing shall be impossible unto you.’ (Matt.17:20)
Yes friends, it only takes a little faith to do plenty things, and just as that little mustard seed grows into a big tree, so can our faith, if we’ll allow it do so by reading and meditating on God’s word, through fellowship with other believers and personal prayer…but first we have to believe.
Without belief nothing happens in the spiritual realm of Jesus. And that is borne out by our Bit. ‘I am that bread of life.’
It’s a simple, but true statement, but Jesus had a most difficult time getting His people to believe Him. In spite of all the signs and wonders and miracles He did, they still refused to believe. But they certainly wanted the physical bread they thought He was offering them.
Steups! Those long ago Jews, especially the leaders, were certainly a hard-headed, stubborn bunch of people. Just look at how their forefathers behaved in the wilderness although the Lord was looking after them.
Sadly though, we have a lot of unbelievers around today too. In fact too many of the world’s population are unbelievers, that’s partly why our world is in such complete disarray and strife is pandemic.
Anyway, let’s look at a couple of scriptures that corroborate our Bit. First up is this verse from Bruh Paul’s epistle to the Galatians, where he is saying that justification is not of the law.
He solemnly declares: ‘I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of (by faith in) the Son of God, who LOVED me, and gave himself for me.’ (Gal.2:20) Yes friends, Bruh Paul was not living by the law again, but through faith in Christ.
Listen to this explanation from the scholars’. ‘2:20. To be crucified with Christ means the believer has been freed from the law and from the ruling power of sin that was aroused by the law. Nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me is interpreted: “And I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” Since the believer has been freed from the law and sin, the old sinful life no longer asserts itself as formerly.
Instead, “Christ liveth in me,” that is, Jesus cultivates within the believer (Paul) His own desires, virtues, character, and power, thus morally transforming him and working through him in others. Paul lives his current Christian life by the faith of (in) the Son of God, that is, by depending on Him for strength and all necessities.’
And so should we my people, if we are true believers in Christ. Now hear how Bruh Paul tells it to the Colossians. ‘Set your affection (mind) on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.’ (Col.3:2-4)
Ah my fellow believers, it’s truly time to stop concentrating on, and being preoccupied with earthly things and look to things in heaven instead, since we have been reborn in Christ, who now sits in heavenly places.
And the scholars’ explain. ‘3:3. Your life is hid with Christ in God (or, “Your life is deposited with Christ, who is in intimate relation with God.”) As all wisdom and knowledge reside in Christ (2:3), so the believer’s new life is stored up in Him.
This means that the Christian life belongs to the spiritual or heavenly real. Jesus is in intimate relation with God; so are His followers. Since the Colossians now belong to the heavenly realm and are intimate with God, they should seek those matters and interests pertaining to heaven and not to earth.’
So friends, what’s it to be eh? Are we going to live our lives in and for Christ, as a new creation, or are we going to let the law and its sinful attributes turn us back to our former ways?
I do hope that we’ll ponder all that we’ve said and then make the wise decision to live in and for Christ! Much LOVE!
…glory be…our Redeemer lives…and we live in Him…and through Him…and for Him…
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SCRIP-BITS 
Today’s Scrip-Bit 3 September 2016 Psalm 37:21.
03 Sep 2016 Leave a comment
by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a figment of our imagination, a good man, after one time is two, Anselm, at the mercy of, Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, children of God, Christians, common sense, consciences, cruel and unjust punishment, deceit, deceitful times, discretion, do good, do not repay, drunk or sober, Eastern Parkway, followers of Jesus, forgiveness, fraudulent, generous, gracious, Granny's wisdom, greedy, guide his affairs, hands slapped, he is kind to the unthanksful, indisputable truth, Jesus, labour day weekend, lend, lends, Love your enemies, merciful, mercy, mince words, mind yuh business, our duty, peace, perpetrate fraud, piddling things, prioritize our efforts, put it into action, reward, righteousness endures for ever, rocket science, show mercy, shows favour, sorry comment, strife, talk to your enemies, tattooed to your heart, the Big Apple, the children of the Highest, the evil, the righteous, the righteous show mercy and give, the wicked borrow, want to make peace, with the help of God, you reap what you sow, your reward shall be great
Psalm 37:21. The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again (does not repay): but the righteous showeth mercy and giveth.
Well friends and neighbours, it’s Saturday; Labour Day Saturday to boot! You know I didn’t even remember that this was the long, Labour Day weekend. That just goes to show how things and times have changed. As my Auntie Anne told me the other night when we were talking on the phone; ‘After one time is two yes nephew!’
And that’s ever so true. I never used to miss a Labour Day in the Big Apple. And my Auntie thought I was calling to say that I was coming down this weekend, because that’s how it would happen. I would say that I wasn’t coming, then last minute I’d call and say, I’m on my way. But unfortunately, that’s no longer in vogue. I can’t even handle the walking in Toronto’s Caribana street parade, much less that on the Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn.
And besides, the parades and them not as good as they were; the mas and the music are of inferior quality compared to earlier times. That brings to mind my last Labour Day in New York, I believe it was in 2007. My Auntie Anne and I had to park miles from the parade because there were no parking spots to be had close by, and then walk to the Parkway. Hn!
The walk there in the afternoon hot sun was bad enough, but walking back later in the evening after the parade ended…Steups! That was murder; cruel and unusual punishment! (smile) Anyway, with the help of the Good Lord we made it back in one piece, but certainly aching in the joints and body.
However, before I forget, let me dispense Granny’s wisdom, for it’s on occasions such as this, that it’s ultra-important. ‘Sonny Boy, a beg yuh please…when yuh go out there… drunk or sober…please mind yuh business, because is times like these, when the devil is most likely to pounce unsuspecting…!’ Oh my people, this Labour Day weekend, as you celebrate, please don’t leave home without that critical piece of advice tattooed to your heart, mind and soul!
And now, since it seems to have become a Saturday routine, let’s check out a couple of quotes from our friend Anselm, who always aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. The first quote says: ‘If you want to make peace, you don’t talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies.’
Now that’s not rocket science, but strictly common sense, for you and your friends should always be at peace. Unfortunately though in today’s strife –filled world, not too many enemies are seriously and sincerely talking to each other, consequently peace is mostly a figment of our imagination.
And the second quote from Anselm tells us that: ‘Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.’ That’s also not rocket science but simply common sense. In this crazy and busy world of ours, where so many things call for our attention, we must prioritize our efforts and plans on those things which are more important to the successful running of our lives.
However, too many of us tend to get tied up in the small, unimportant things and thus make our lives harder than necessary. Time is of the essence my brethren, so we need to use it wisely, don’t waste it by getting too involved in the piddling things of life. (smile)
That brings us to our Bit, some interesting words of Bruh David from Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked. ‘The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again (does not repay): but the righteous showeth mercy and giveth.’
And isn’t that indisputable truth my brethren? Of course it is! And it’s indeed a sad and sorry comment on the state of our society, especially in these fraudulent, greedy and deceitful times, when consciences seem to have disappeared, where honour and truthful dealings have apparently been turfed out, and we lie and deceive with impunity.
White collar crime has certainly been on the rise in the last decade or so and seems to be getting worse with each passing day. And the sad part is that many of the people who have been defrauded by the wicked, don’t ever see a penny of their money again and are basically left to suffer while the defrauder merely has his hands slapped. But that’s our modern-day society for you!
Meanwhile the righteous, of which there are never enough, are the ones who show mercy and give to those in need. And so it should be friends, if we’re to be true followers of Jesus. Christians ought to be amongst the most merciful and generous, although I’m not so sure that we are, for we perpetrate a lot of fraud and deceit on one another too.
But nonetheless, let’s check out a few scriptures that encourage us to be merciful and generous. From Psalm 112 – Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord – come these two beautiful verses. ‘A good man showeth favour (is gracious), and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion… He (a good man) hath dispersed (distributed abroad), he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn (strength) shall be exalted with honour.’ (Ps.112:5, 9)
Yes my people, that’s how a true believer in Christ ought to behave. But how many of us really behave that way eh? I’d venture to say, certainly not enough, otherwise the hunger, poverty, sickness, and other negative things that are currently engulfing our world would not be half as bad.
Now let’s end with some words from Jesus Himself. ‘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)
Aye friends, Jesus didn’t mince any words there, He spelled it out as simply and straightforwardly as possible. Now it’s our duty to go out and put all that He said there into action, if we want to be true children of God. Much LOVE!
…he who wants mercy and forgiveness…must also mete out mercy and forgiveness…for what you sow…is what you will reap…