19 Nov 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a believer's life, adversity, almighty god, as the waves of the sea, be of good cheer, bear our earthly burdens, believers, benediction, bone-chilling cold, calamity, calmness of spirit, Canada, changes, climate changes, continuity, courage, Courage to change the things I can, difficult times, disobedience, dissension, earthly paths, Everett M Dirkson, god is still in control, God's goodness, grains of sand, heavenly Father, Holy Redeemer, Isaiah, Israel, keep an open mind, kind, Life is not static, living truth, long-suffering, LOVE, November wind, O if thou had heeded my commandments, obedience, pateint, peace, peace like a river flows, prayer, punishment, righteousness., rope to hang ourselves, sameness, serenity, Serenity Prayer, Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, shiver and shake, stand strong and steadfast, storms of life, testing, that's life, the Holy One of Israel, the promises of Jesus, thy peace had been as a river, tribulation, troubled valleys, unfaithfulness, upheavals, verdant mountain tops, waywardness, winter time, wisdom, wisdom to know the difference, ye might have peace
Isaiah 48:18. O that thou hadst hearkened to (heeded) my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea.
Well a good Wednesday morning Friends and Neighbours! How’s it going eh? Well in my neck of the woods it’s a bit on the rough side with the bone chilling cold still in effect out there. Oh Friends, it’s been a long time since I remember experiencing such a bitterly cold and strong November wind as we had yesterday.
Hn! It was just a howling all day long! The only good thing is that there was no precipitation, but lots of sunlight. Somehow that just doesn’t seem right though; such bright sunlight with such cold weather, and we’re still officially a month away from winter (Dec.21).
But this is Canada and come the wintertime, anything is possible, especially with the unpredictable climate changes and weather patterns that are now in vogue.
Anyway, we believers are required to stand strong and steadfast in whatever weather and personal situations we may encounter, by holding on to the promises of Jesus and allowing Him to lead and guide us through the troubled valleys back to the verdant mountain tops.
That brings us to this quote from Everett M. Dirkson (1896-1969) a Republican American Politician, who reminds us that ‘Life is not static.’
And that’s the living truth my people. For if there’s one thing we can be sure of is constant change in our lives. We might not like it, or them, but be assured our lives will be full of changes.
Sometimes they might be small and slow, and thus barely noticeable; those we can easily handle. But when the big ones come, we shiver and shake and don’t handle those as well, because we all like some kind of continuity and sameness in our lives. We don’t do upheavals, especially the sudden, unexpected ones, very well.
But my brethren we have to realize that that’s all life, what it’s all about, and try and keep an open mind and do our best, believing that our wonderful and omnipotent God is still in control and will see us through those difficult times, as He’s promised.
We often need to invoke the Serenity Prayer too. ‘Oh God, please grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the Courage to change the things I can, and the Wisdom to know the difference!’
Yes Friends, it’s Almighty God who gives us the wherewithal to bear our earthly burdens. That’s why prayer, constant prayer to boot, is ever so important in a believer’s life. It’s through that continual communication with our heavenly Father that our earthly paths are made smooth and calm.
And what’s so wonderful about our God is that though He’s testing us with adversity, He still gives us the peace and calmness of spirit during those times. So that though the storms of life are raging all around us, within our souls, His peace and calm reigns.
And it is indeed sad to see that words used to rebuke Israel’s unfaithfulness so long ago, are ever so appropriate to us in these modern times; times of evil, idol worship and exceeding unfaithfulness.
Listen to Isaiah declare God’s words, including our Bit. ‘Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.
O that thou hadst hearkened to (heeded) my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea:
Thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels (body, loins) like the gravel (grains of sand) thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me.’ (Is. 48:17-19)
Oh my brethren, please look around and see, God’s punishment is being meted out to us for our unfaithfulness. You don’t have to be a brain surgeon to figure out why there’s so much calamity and dissension in our technologically advanced world right now.
It’s true that our God is patient, kind and long suffering, but even His patience runs out in the face of continual disobedience and mockery of His way and words. He’s given us lots of rope to hang ourselves, and now He’s simply pulling the noose tight.
And what amazes me is that we have all these wonderful Bible passages that promote peace through association with and obedience to God, which we totally ignore. Let’s hear some of them nuh.
And we can begin with the part of the priestly benediction that deals with peace, with which God told Moses to have Aaron and his sons bless the Israelites. ‘’The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee (look on you with favour), and give thee peace.’ (Num.6:26)
And in psalm 81 – God’s goodness to and Israel’s waywardness – the psalmist Asaph laments: ‘Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways! I should have soon subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries.’ Ps. 81:13-14)
Then in that longest of Psalms, 119, the psalmist truthfully declares: ‘Great peace have they which LOVE thy law: and nothing shall offend them (cause them to stumble).’ (Ps.119:165)
Jesus also held forth on the subject of peace, as He told the disciples when the time of His passion was nigh. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)
What greater promise than that can we expect eh Friends! None really. However, time and space are against us, so we’ll end here for today. Tomorrow we’ll continue in this same vein.
So until then, the Lord willing, let’s hang on tightly to those promises and go out into the crazy and wicked world that surrounds us, with the everlasting peace of Jesus. That’s wisdom for the ages! Much LOVE!
…when my soul exalts in Jesus Christ…my Lord and Saviour…then peace like a river flows…
09 Jul 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a present from God, a way to escape, almighty god, avenues of escape, blessed, cast not away your confidence, common to man, do thee good, doing good, done the will of god, drawing breath, earthly life, earthly sojourn, endurance, endure, enduring, focus, for my name's sake, friends, fulfilling goals, generous help, glory hallelujah, God is faithful, God's blessings, God's LOVE, got up early, grace, hated, he that shall endure to the end, healing, Hebrews, humble thee, in accordance with god's wishes, Jesus, Job, LOVE, mapped out his day, mature, meaningful communication, meditiate, modus operandi, more than you can bear, Mosaic Law, obey God's will, one day at a time, opportunity, patience, persecution, perspective, pressures of life, priority, privilege, prove thee, receive the crown of life, receive the promise, recompense, reward, righteousness., running race, seek ye first the kingdom of God, Sermon on the Mount, shall be saved, special, spur on growth, steadfast, strong, suffer you to be tempted, sufficient unto the day, take no thought for the morrow, temptation, testing, the curse of god, the desires of yesterday, the evil thereof, the gift of life, the present time, the race is not for the swift, the sure of foot, the work of Christ, thy latter end, to serve Almighty God, today, tomorrow, tomorrow never comes, tragedy, trait of endurance, trials, tried, trouble, troubled times, unbearable, victory, warns the disciples, wisdom, wonder of wonders, worked his plan, yesterday
Matthew 24:13. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Oh Friends, wonder of wonders, we’ve been granted another wonderful opportunity to serve Almighty God with the gift of life today! Glory Hallelujah!
And my people, please realize that today is today; not yesterday or tomorrow, but simply TODAY; the present time; a present from our heavenly Father! So let’s concentrate on it and no other nuh.
Let’s try to do our very best on this one special day, for every day that we’ve been granted the awesome privilege of drawing breath is indeed special, and ought to be treated as such. And if we just do that, treat each day as being very special and important, then it will surely satisfy the desires of yesterday, and spur on the growth for tomorrow.
Please note that that was what Jesus did during His earthly sojourn. He got up early, had meaningful communication with the Father, mapped out His day in accordance with the Father’s wishes and will, then He went out and worked that plan; healing and doing good.
He wasn’t overly concerned with what had happened yesterday, or was going to happen tomorrow, but kept His focus on, concentrated the vast majority of His energy and time on fulfilling His goals for that particular day, which is always, TODAY.
Therefore, in accordance with Jesus’ modus operandi, I’m asking us to please put the same perspective in our own lives; simply concentrate on what we can and have to do today.
As Jesus warned His listeners 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. Take therefore no thought for the morrow (therefore do not worry about tomorrow): for tomorrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.’ (Matt.6:33-34)
Yes Friends, once we’re seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness today, tomorrow will look after itself. And remember that tomorrow never really comes, it simply becomes today, so we just have to keep on doing the same thing, seeking God and His righteousness every today.
And that’s possibly the easiest way for us to adhere to our Bit: ‘But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.’
Oh mih people, as we said yesterday, the trait of endurance is a must in the believer’s life! And it’s possibly the hardest thing to do with all the pressures of life, of living, and of the world, being heaped upon us in these very sad and troubled times.
That’s why concentrating on just one day at a time, the day ahead of us, is so important. It frees us from all the other concerns that yesterday and tomorrow would have us pay unnecessary attention to. And just like yesterday, we’re going to look at some more of the many scripture passages that have to do with enduring.
And we’re going to begin with the words of Jesus, when He warns the disciples of serious persecution in their future. ‘And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.’ (Matt.19:22)
Yes my brethren, as the saying goes, ‘the race is not for the swift, but for the sure of foot;’ the one who takes his time to see where he is going and spells himself, so that he can endure; last the entire race.
Then we have the author of Hebrews warning us: ‘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)
Again, my people, it is all about staying strong and steadfast in the work of Christ, which we know isn’t always easy, but we’re certain of His generous help when we obey His will.
Meanwhile, James says this on the very real and tangible subject of temptation. ‘Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that LOVE him.’ (James 1:12)
And I think Friends, that it will be an excellent idea to close with some wise, interesting and important observations from the scholars on that verse.
‘1:12. Mankind understandably may look on tragedy as the curse of God, as Job’s friends did. Trials are, however, the means through which God’s blessings can come. One’s endurance in and victory over trials brings God’s blessings. Christians, therefore, are not instructed to seek avenues of escape.
God desires that they mature in the situation rather than move from it (cf. Rom.5:3-5; 1 Pet.1:6-7). He does, however, promise to provide an escape if the testing becomes unbearable (1 Cor.10:13).’
And I’ll break the scholars words here to show us that scripture, since I know that many of us won’t look it up if I just say to do so, and it’s very important for us to know and understand that scripture verse.
‘There hath no temptation taken (overtaken) you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear (endure) it.’ (1 Cor.10:13)
Yeh Friends, we all run to that verse as soon as trouble shows up, expecting God to quickly deliver us. But that’s not the purpose it serves.
For, as the scholars continue: ‘God’s people need to meditate more on James 1:12 than 1 Corinthians 10:13. The reason for this, and why God allows trials in the lives of His people, is revealed in the Mosaic Law: ‘That he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end.’ (Deut.8:16).’
Yeh mih breddren, running this race of earthly life is all about ENDURANCE; about standing strong and steadfast in God’s LOVE and plan for each and every one of us.
So today, let’s make it our number one priority nuh, for that is indeed the wisdom of Almighty God, and we certainly can’t get any better than that! Much LOVE!
…when we make up our minds to endure…rather than simply escape…our heavenly Father is pleased…and gives us even more grace to endure…
03 Jun 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: about the Lord's business, answering the bell, apostasy, awesome wisdom, be of good cheer, blasphemers, bleary eyed, boastful, brighter tomorrow, Bruh Paul, brutal, closer to the Father, corrupt minds, covetous, death, defeat, destined to undergo trials, disobedient, divers lusts, early rains, esoteric quest for truth, ever learning, everlasting glory, exhorting them to continue in the faith, false teachers, fires of this earthly life, followers of Jesus, forgiving, Glory Halleujah, God's Word, godliness, haughty, high-minded, horrific testing of Jesus, i have overcome the world, inherit everlasting life, invite Jesus into our eharts, irreconcilable, Jambres, Jannes, joy, kind, last days, lovers of pleasure, magnanimous, merciful, money lovers, more than lovers of God, Moses, muggy, overcome our trials, perilous times, proud, rain, rainy day Tuesday, reckless, redeeming grace, regneration, religion without power, reprobate, respite from heat, rewards, shall receive a hundredfold, silly women, slanderers, Son of man, sorrow, strengthening the souls of the disciples, success, tales of joy and sorrow, testimony, testing, the church age, the first shall be last, the kingdom of God, the knowledge of truth, the last shall be first, the will prevailed, throne of his glory, through tribulation we enter into the kingdom of God, Timothy, traitors, tribulations, triumph, troubled times, truth, Tuesday, twelve tribes of Israel, uncomfortable, unconsciousness, undeniable truth, understanding, undisputed wisdom, unholy, unthankful, wisdom, with God all things are possible, with the Lord's help, without self control, wonderful ideal
Acts 14:22. Confirming (strengthening) the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
Oh Tuesday, oh glorious Tuesday! What tales of joy or sorrow, success or defeat will you bring? Let’s hope that there are many more tales of joy and success than sorrow and defeat.
I know for one thing, Tuesday’s brought rain, some of the early rains that we’ve so far been lacking. The rain began late yesterday evening and fell on and off during the night. So it looks like it will be a rainy day Tuesday.
But the rain didn’t seem to be the refreshing type that brings respite from the day’s heat, and yesterday was hot in my neck of the woods. The rain just caused the night to be muggy and uncomfortable, which made sleeping, even with all my windows open, a somewhat rough experience.
So much so that when the Lord called this morning, I had a hard time answering the bell. The old body just wanted to roll over and go back to sleep, feverish though it was. However Friends, I’m glad and proud to say that on this occasion the will prevailed, the will triumphed… Glory Hallelujah!
And here I am about the Lord’s business, though still somewhat bleary eyed. (smile) But as I always say, I have no doubt that our great, wonderful, forgiving, merciful and kind, magnanimous and understanding God and Creator will eventually bring me unto myself and unto Him, so that I can write something sensible in His Holy Name.
And that’s my testimony for this Tuesday morning, my people! (smile)
Yes Friends, the ole fella’s shaking it a bit rough this morning. But as we like to say, nothing but unconsciousness or death must stop the Bit from going out. Oh, it’s indeed a wonderful ideal, and so far, obviously with the Lord’s superior help, I’ve been able to live up to it.
Now that leads us nicely into our Bit. ‘Confirming (strengthening) the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.’
Unfortunately my brethren, followers of Jesus, just like our Leader, have been destined to undergo some trials and tribulation, some testing in the fires of this earthly life. Obviously most of us won’t be tested as hard and as horrifically as Jesus was, but some testing is indeed our lot.
And just like it brought Jesus closer to the Father, because He had to depend on Him for the wherewithal to do His bidding, even so our trials and tribulation ought to draw us closer to our Maker. For it is only through His redeeming grace and power that we can ever hope to successfully overcome our trials.
Now listen to these words of awesome wisdom and undeniable truth, re the coming apostasy (abandonment of religious faith), written by Bruh Paul to Timothy so long ago, but which are currently being fulfilled in these troubled times in which we live.
‘This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous (money lovers), boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
Without natural affection, trucebreakers (irreconcilable), false accusers (slanderers), incontinent (without self-control), fierce (brutal), despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady (reckless), high-minded (haughty), lovers of pleasure, more than (rather than) LOVERS of God;
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate (disapproved) concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs was also.’ (2 Tim.3:1-9)
Ah mih people, like Bruh Paul’s living today and writing about us! It’s definitely not a pretty picture of our world, but it is indeed a very truthful one.
And to help us understand those verses, here is some info from the scholars. ‘3:1-4. The last days began with the birth of Christ and will culminate in Christ’s return to the earth to set up His kingdom. The prediction of perilous times indicates that apostasy will characterize the final days of the church age.
3:5-9. A form of godliness is mere religion without power or spiritual life. Paul commands Timothy to turn away from these false teachers who prey upon silly women laden with sins, who are especially susceptible to false teachers.
Ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth condemns not intense study but some esoteric quest for truth apart from God’s Word. Jannes and Jambres, according to Jewish tradition, were the two magicians in Pharaoh’s court who attempted to duplicate Moses’ miracles (cf. Ex.7:11; 9:11).’
Oh Friends, I know that all we’ve been hearing about so far are trials and tribulations, but listen now to the rewards of living for Christ, as explained by our Saviour Himself.
He had just finished telling the disciples about it being ‘easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?
But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?
And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye shall also sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
And everyone that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or fathers, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first. (Matt.19:24-30)
Now Friends, neighbours and fellow believers, I ask you, are those rewards worth the testing and trials of this earthly life? I humbly submit that they certainly are!
But the Lord’s left it up to each individual to make that life changing decision to follow His Son or not. Please, I implore us to make the right one today, and invite Jesus into our hearts and souls right now, so that we can enjoy a much brighter tomorrow with Him in everlasting glory!
Why? Because that’s the undisputed wisdom of this earthly life! Much LOVE!
…in the world ye shall have tribulation…but be of good cheer…I have overcome the world…
13 Feb 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: above the earth, above the heavens, afflictions, all-knowing God, awake early, awake my glory, believers ought to operate, bemoaning his unfortunate fate, blessed be God, Bruh David, Bruh Paul, comfort others, comforted of God, Comforter, comforts us in tribulation, concentrating on troubles, Creator, digged a pit, disease, do it twice, dreaming, epitome of a true believer, essence of the situation, ever-LOVING God, evil, exaltation, exaltation of god, exalted, faith, focus thoughts and energy on god, Galilee, Gentiles, glory, god of all comfort, God's greatest invention, great unto the heavens, Guide, Healer, healing, healing power of christ, hell and high water, human mind, innocent of any wrongdoing, Israel's king, keep our attention and focus on God, LOVE, magnificence of the mind, mercy, my heart is fixed on god, my soul is bowed down, negative circumstances, O God, omnipotent, omniscient, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, prepared a net for me, promotion, provider, Saul, see and do life like God desires, Selah, serious turmoil, sickness, sincere faith, sing and give praise, sitting at the right hand of the Father, so nice, steadfast, teaching, testing, the business of healing, the Corinthians, the Father of mercies, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, time of need, trust, truth, ungodly earth, wisdom, workings of the mind
Psalm 57:5. Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth.
Oh Friends, the human mind is a most wonderful bit of machinery yes! Possibly our God’s greatest invention, for so far man can replicate most of what happens in the human body, but he’s still completely baffled by the exquisite and exotic workings of the mind.
And I bring this up because during the night I got up a couple of times, looked at the clock and decided it was too early to get up, so I rolled over and went back to sleep. However, at some stage after the last roll over, I discovered that I had gotten up and was putting on my day clothes.
Then something struck me as being not right. I realized that I was really dreaming about getting up and putting on my clothes. Hn, Hn! But yuh know what’s so significant about that dream?
I was dreaming about putting on the very same clothes that I had actually put out to put on whenever I got up. Now does that tell us something about the magnificence of the mind or what!
The same way Friends, when we keep our attention and focus on God, we see and do life the way He desires. Like Bruh David holed up in the cave, hiding from Saul, instead of bemoaning his unfortunate fate, for he was innocent of any wrongdoing against Saul, he instead declares our Bit. ‘Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth.’
And that’s how ALL believers ought to operate, my people!
Now yesterday we ended by saying that our God was and is the greatest Comforter and Healer in the universe. Today, I want to share a couple scriptures to drive home those most important points. Listen to Bruh Paul as he talks to the Corinthians re his personal afflictions.
‘Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble (tribulation), by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.’ (2 Cor.1:3-4)
Yes my brethren, our great and wonderful God comforts us in our time of need, so that we can also comfort others in need of comforting. (smile) And re the healing power of Christ, hear what Matthew says about our Lord and Saviour when He walked this evil, ungodly earth.
‘And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of (every) sickness and all manner of (every) disease among the people.’ (Matt.4:23)
Yes Friends and neighbours, Jesus went about healing all sorts of diseases and sickness when He walked this earth. And the beauty of it all is, now that He’s sitting at the right hand of the Father in heaven, entreating on our behalf, He’s still in the business of healing; healing souls, bodies and minds!
So whenever we’re in need of comfort and healing, the first place to turn to is heaven and Jesus, like Bruh David did in that solitary cave in the wilderness. Remember too, that though Bruh David was anointed to be Israel’s next king at a young age, he went through a lot of hell and high water, plenty testing, before it became a reality.
The Lord tested him in many ways before He actually promoted him. And this is one of those times. Listen to his beautiful words of trust, faith and exaltation though his life was in serious turmoil.
After declaring our Bit, he continues: ‘They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah. My heart is fixed (steadfast), O God, my heart is fixed (steadfast): I will sing and give praise.
Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery (lute) and harp: I myself will awake early (awaken the dawn). I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations (Gentiles). For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds. Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth.’ (Ps.57:6-11)
Oh my fellow believers, that’s how ALL believers should feel, believe, talk and act! For those words portray the epitome of a true believer.
So today, if we’re being plagued, being beset by troubles that we can’t quite get a handle on, please release them all to our omnipotent, wonderful and ever-LOVING God! Let Him deal with them, for He’s promised to do just that if we come to Him in sincere faith.
The essence of the situation is therefore, instead of concentrating on our troubles, our negative circumstances, let’s do like Bruh David did in his time of need; let’s focus our thoughts and energy instead on our omnipotent, omniscient, all-knowing God; our Creator, Comforter, Guide, Healer and Provider.
That’s wisdom at its highest level, at its very zenith. Much LOVE!
…Bruh David found his exaltation of God so nice…that he had to say it twice… (vs.5,11) (smile)
07 Nov 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: affirmations, awe, awesome truth, be glad, born again, chains break, Christ's Church, Christian, complaining, Controller, Creator, Detroit, disputing, divisions, faith, faithful, fear, feeble-minded, fools despise wisdom, footsteps of Jesus, forgiveness, fortitude, God is good, God working in us, God's Spirit, God's will & purpose, gospel truth, grief, grumbling, heaven, hope, hope in God, Hour of Power, immovable, Jesus' presence, joy, joy of the lord, knowledge, Lamentations, learn to know God, life's not fair, mercy, miserable, obedience, power to get wealth, promises, prosperity, provider, quarrelling, reconciling, rejoice, rest in God, reverence, right tone, salvation, saved soul, shootout, spiritual walls, strength, strong, targets, testing, tests, Thank you Jesus, troubles, truth, unconditional LOVE, understanding, victims, wait pateintly, wild wild west, without me you can do nothing
Psalm 118:24. This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Aye mih people! What’s cooking this glorious new morn in the fall of November 2013? I hope it’s all good. But just in case it isn’t, please don’t panic, just get yourself to rest quietly in God, and He will most definitely see you through.
Now it might not be right away, or in a manner that you like, but remember He’s smarter than us and has plans for us which include a myriad of testing. And if we pass those tests, then He’ll most certainly uplift us. Wow! That wasn’t how the rough draft went nuh, but that’s how the Spirit orchestrated the final copy. (smile)
Now let’s briefly touch on a shootout in East Detroit yesterday, where apparently two cars pulled up in front a barber shop, a known gambling den, and opened fire, reminiscent of the days of similar shootouts in the Wild Wild West. Two people in the barbershop were killed and nine others were wounded. Ah Lord eh!
And as you can see, we’re slowly but surely moving up the ladder, from one person shooting, to several involved in the gunfire. I’m not going to get into it though, just ask that we pray faithfully, diligently and constantly that the nonsense will soon come to an end, because until then, we’re all potential victims and targets. Nuff said.
And to dissipate that negativity, let’s hear an intriguing and interesting poem from Gramps Schuller (Robert H. Schuller), taken from his Hour of Power Devotional.
And this poem is titled: ‘Learn to Know God – Dear Jesus, I’ve got to get 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 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.’
Yes Friends, I’m sure we can all hear those old chains breaking, our hearts opening, and sense Jesus coming more fully into our lives, which consequently are now seemingly being reborn and filled with the joy of His presence. Mama Mia!
And all the true followers of Jesus declared a mighty shout of: ‘Thank You Jesus! Thank You for saving us, and reconciling us to the Father! We LOVE You and praise Your Holy Name!’
Oh mih people, that’s exactly how we ought to move! And today I was moved to make it and Affirmation Day; one just filled with li’l bits of scripture that we can raise up from the depths of our souls and use whenever the need for strength, hope, faith and fortitude arises.
And as you can see, our Bit: ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it,’ is certainly one of those affirmations that we can affirm everyday, especially when we first arise from sleep. It truly sets the right tone for our day; rejoicing in the fact that the Lord has granted us another day on Planet Earth.
It might be rough down here, but I doubt that many of us are yet ready to give it up for heaven’s golden aisles and pathways. (smile) And to increase that rejoicing factor, let’s move on to Nehemiah, where he sincerely reminds us that ‘the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ (Neh.8:10)
Now that’s undeniable truth my brethren! For you’ll notice that 99.9 % of the time, if you’re not filled with the Lord’s strength, you’re usually miserable and feeble-minded. That’s because God’s Spirit is not working properly in us.
So let’s turn now to those famous Lamentations of poor, ole Jeremiah, and check out where he confidently declares, even in the midst of his lamenting: ‘The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.’ (Lam.3:24)
Bingo my brethren! That strikes right at the heart of our fear and joy! Hoping in the wonderful and mighty God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the BEST thing, the BEST attitude a human being can ever adopt! For remember, He’s our Creator, Controller and Provider, the one who gives us the power to get wealth and prosperity in this earthly life, provided we are obedient to His dictates. (Josh.1:8-9)
Now here is another big one Friends, one of the biggest and most important, from the wise pen of Cousin Sol, where he confidently proclaims: ‘The fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the (principal) beginning of knowledge; but fools despise wisdom and instruction.’ (Prov.1:7)
Ah mih people, without that understanding and knowledge of God we’re really powerless to do anything, because all things in His universe begin and end with Him. Remember too Jesus’ words to the disciples, re the vine and the branches: ‘for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5b) Words of awesome truth people!
And as Bruh Paul also told the Philippians: ‘For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of (according to) his good pleasure.’ (Phil.2:13) Yes Friends, it is God working in us the desire to do His will and also the actual accomplishment of His purpose.
But then Bruh Paul warns them that to truly accomplish God’s will and purpose, they needed to ‘Do all things without murmurings (grumbling) and disputings.’ (Phil.2:14)
That means, my fellow believers, no grumbling or complaining about our difficulties and trials, which will invariably come upon us when we do God’s will, and above all, quarrelling amongst ourselves is strictly prohibited.
Hn! Bruh Paul’s head must be sadly shaking up in heaven everyday as he beholds the terrible murmurings, disputings, divisions and futile, petty quarrelling that daily engulfs Christ’s church.
And now we’ll close with one more affirmation from Jeremiah’s Lamentations. ‘It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam.3:26)
Oh Friends, that’s the indisputable, unchallengeable, undeniable, gospel truth! So despite our troubles and the grief in our souls, please, let’s promise ourselves to wait patiently on the Lord, with hope in His salvation, quietly rejoicing, for He is indeed faithful that promised. Much LOVE!
…it is overwhelming combination of…hope…faith…joy…mercy…forgiveness…promises… and unconditional LOVE…from a most faithful God…that keeps a Christian…strong and immovable…
03 Nov 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: be exceeding glad, bedrock, bitter, Christ's body, Christ's sufferings, Christian living, Christians, church, church bells, coming together, common enemy, dinosaurs, divide and conquer, divisive, drifitng apart, everlasting life, faith, faithful, fellowship, fiery trial, forces of evil, foundation, fragmented, gifts, God's mysterious workings, godly decisions, going to church, growth, happy, heaven, help of Jesus, in sync, intelligence, Jesus Christ, joy, living church, living faith, living truth, logic, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, majestic glory, momentous times, negative experiences, omnipotence, patience, persecuted prophets, persecution, positive work, quarrelsome, rejoice, resentful, rewards, salvation, spiritual growth, spiritual maturity, spiritually dead, stand strong, suffer for Jesus, temptations, testing, the bells toll, Togetherness, trials, trials of life, victory, worship
Matthew 5:12. Rejoice and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Oh Friends, the church bells are tolling this beautiful Sunday morning! They’re tolling to invite us to fellowship and worship as the body of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ down here on earth! Wow! What a special benefit and honour to be numbered in that most august society!
Many of you may remember growing up with the church bells pealing every Sunday morning and evening, calling all the faithful to the house that Christ built. I remember them quite vividly, because I lived only a couple minutes walk away from St. Andrews Anglican in Scarborough, Tobago, and I’d use them as a time piece, listening for when the last bell begin to toll, then I’d hustle off to get there just in time.
There were either two or three tollings, I don’t remember, but back then, when the bells pealed, you knew that almost the whole community was getting ready to go to church, regardless of their denomination. Unfortunately though, church bells tolling as a means of inviting the faithful to worship is now a thing of the past, like prehistoric dinosaurs.
The youth of today don’t even know that church bells existed, for there are very few around now, and even fewer toll, and likewise, even fewer attend church regularly. But my brethren, going to church and fellowshipping with others of like faith, is exactly one of the things Jesus had in mind when He commanded us to ‘Rejoice and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.’
That’s because it’s much easier for believers to rejoice and be exceedingly happy, in spite of persecution, when they are gathered together worshipping and praising Almighty God, whether it be in a church, a house, a thatched hut, a cave or in the open air. Togetherness is the bedrock, the foundation of Christ’s body! No wonder we’re not making the progress we should, since that body is so fragmented, divisive, quarrelsome and resentful of each other.
But Friends, it’s virtually impossible for us to stand strong in the face of persecution when we’re not in sync with each other. That only gives the forces of evil an excellent opportunity to further divide and conquer us. For as logic declares, a group can usually stand stronger together against a common enemy, than a single individual.
And my people, coming together is one of the things we desperately need to concentrate on, if we’re to ever survive the challenges and persecution that the evil world powers are plotting against us. And even as a group, we can’t do it without the omnipotence of Jesus working in and amongst us. So please, let’s seriously concentrate on coming together, rather than drifting further apart nuh. That’s the only hope we have of strengthening and growing Jesus’ LOVE Revolution.
And I have the perfect quote for that from an article I read earlier on in the Anglican Newspaper, November 2013 edition. I copied it for use at some future time, but in God’s mysterious workings, (smile) that time seems to be now. It’s written by Bishop Patrick Yu, on the subject of inviting people to church.
He writes that ‘Growth is actually the sign of all living things, including a living faith and a living church!’ Now that’s gospel truth my people! If we’re not growing in faith and fellowship, then to all intents and purposes, we’re spiritually dead.
Anyway, enough sermonizing from me for today. (smile) Let’s get to the scriptures I faithfully promised you yesterday. And the first one deals with the first part of our Bit: ‘Rejoice and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven:’
Peter puts it this way: ‘Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as (to the extent that) ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.’ (1 Pet.4:12-13)
Yeh Friends, it’s definitely not an easy concept to grasp and then hold on tightly to, but we do need to believe that when we suffer for Jesus’ sake, we’re part of His suffering. Therefore, when He comes back in all His majestic glory, then we too shall participate in the overwhelming joy during those momentous times!
And James say it thus: ‘My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations (various trials). Knowing this, that the trying (testing) of your faith, worketh (produces) patience.’ (James 1:2-3)
Short and sweet eh Friends! (smile) What a way we doing a lotta smiling today mih breddren! But that’s just the way it ought to be, if we’re exceedingly glad.
Now here’s what the scholars have to say: ‘1:2-3. In this epistle on Christian living, James opens with a most crucial topic: the trials of life. These verses describe the various testings – whether from the world and Satan, or from God – into which godly Christians fall (Gr. peripipto). These “negative” experiences are to be accepted with great joy, not for the sake of the trial itself but because of the positive work God can accomplish through the testing.
The words in verses 2 and 3 (temptations and trying) are often regarded as virtually synonymous. If this were true, then the trials themselves would produce spiritual maturity. But they do not. Often, testings make Christians bitter instead of better, with no spiritual growth occurring. The Greek word for “trying” (dokimion) might be better translated as “approving.”
It is not merely one’s presence in such trials but one’s victory over them that brings spiritual growth and maturity. Those Christians whom God can use the most are those whom God has bruised the most.’
And all God’s people said a low, unenthusiastic ‘Amen,’ because they know that’s the living truth, and it’s hard for the flesh to handle!
But enough for today Friends, I don’t want to stretch your intelligence and busy lives by running on too long. (smile) So let’s ponder all that we’ve said and heard, then make some good and godly decisions, in as many areas as we can, obviously with the help of Jesus. Much LOVE!
…for whom the bells toll…for all mankind…why…so that they can come to Christ…to acknowledge Him as Lord and Saviour…and receive the free…but oh so wonderful gifts of salvation and everlasting life…
24 Apr 2012
by randyobrien50
in Inspirational Living
Tags: crosses, evil, fashion, promises, significant changes, strange weather, testing, trials and temptations, ungodliness, unusual weather, voices heard, votes count, wait patiently
Hebrews 6:15. And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
Ah Friends, many of you experienced the strange weather patterns of yesterday and today, where the Eastern half of North America’s snow belt had vicious snow and rain storms with powerful winds, while the Western half that’s usually colder, basked in enviable, record breaking summer weather. Luckily my area only got rain and strong winds, though places not far to the north of me saw several inches of snow hit the turf. And yet we dispute the stark evidence of changed, screwed up, unusual weather patterns. It’s not even so much a matter of whom or what’s causing it, but a simple admission that it’s changing. When we have spring in February, summer in March and winter in late April, something’s certainly changed. I guess those who have vested interest in the status quo are refusing to see the forest for the trees, because once they admit that significant changes are indeed happening, they’ll be forced to consider why, which could cost them serious coin. Anyway Friends, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to recognize that weather patterns are changing, for it’s doing so all over the world, and for a variety of reasons, emanating from both God and man; where we’re abusing the environment, and God’s laying some licks on us for our gross disobedience. And though as individuals, we can’t do much to sway the powers that be, my fellow believers, as a cohesive and vocal group we can certainly make our voices heard and our votes count. Our world is in such a mess, in all aspects, and getting worse every day, that it will take a lot of collective effort to straighten it out. And you know that it’s us, Jesus’ people, who will have to do it, since Lucifer and his evil cohorts like it the way it is; evil, ungodly and destructive. Sadly though, it’s our children and their offspring who will suffer the most if things don’t change for the better soon. Friends, we have to get serious and work tirelessly in our own little sphere to bring God and some sense of a respectable society back into fashion. They say fashion changes over time, well it’s time the fashion of ungodliness and evil enveloping our world be changed back to godliness and goodness. And it won’t be easy my people. But you know that working in tandem with God, all things are possible, so it’s up to us to get started, because God is always there, waiting for us to sincerely ask for His help. The main question though is, are we ready, willing and able to take up our crosses and follow Jesus? Are we ready to live our Bit? ‘And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.’ Yes Friends, are we willing to patiently suffer the host of frustrations and indignities possible in such a fight, as Jesus did? Now riddle I this, riddle I that, this scripture: ‘For this is thankworthy (commendable), if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if when ye be buffeted (beaten) for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with (commendable before) God. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps.’ (1 Pet.2:19-21) Ah mih Christian people, are we willing to suffer when we’ve done right, like Jesus did? That’s the million- dollar question we must ask ourselves. And the answer needs to be a resounding ‘YES,’ if we’re to successfully turn things around! Listen to this passage from James re faith and humility. ‘My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations (various trials); Knowing this, that the trying (testing) of your faith worketh (produces) patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire (complete), wanting (lacking) nothing.’ (James 1:2-4) Having read that, can we consider our trials and tribulations, our testing, as joyful? It’s hard, but we can, with strong and steadfast faith, for to true and serious believers, suffering brings patience. To some though, trials will bring bitterness, because the natural reaction is to try and escape them, however God uses them to mature us and make us more Christ-like. Ah Friends, it’s indeed a rough row we have to hoe to bring about godly change in our ungodly world, but the same way it changed over the last forty or so years from godly to ungodly, it can also be changed back. But it needs a lot of backbone and belly from us believers. And I’ll leave us with these encouraging words of Bruh Paul to ponder on, re fighting the good fight of faith. He’s just finished warning Timothy about the dangers of worldly living, including the dangerous desire to idolize money. ‘But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed (confessed) a good profession (confession) before many witnesses.’ (1 Tim.6:11-12) That wise advice pertains to us even more today than back then my people! So please, let’s consciously accept it and put it into action nuh; first in our own lives, then hopefully in those around us. It’s the only way serious, sensible, godly improvement will ever occur in our misguided and troubled world. Much LOVE!…when true believers get together in Jesus’ name…godly changes are inevitable…
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