12 Jul 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Alpha and Omega, anointed, blessings, body soul and mind, cedar of Lebanon, chinks in our armour, christianity, courts of God, Creator of the universe, enemies, faith, fellowship, First and the Last, forgiveness, Friday chant, fun, generous help, glorify, glorious kingdom, God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, iniquity workers, Jehovah-Jireh, Jesus, Lucifer, mercy, Most High, no accounting for taste buds, old age, only true God, palm tree, prince of darkness, psalm 92, race of life, refreshed, relaxation, religion, renewed, rest, salvation, setting our sights on heaven, smart money, surrender to Christ, sweet jesus, Thank God it's Friday, thanks and praise, the righteous shall flourish, the wicked, trust, truth, weekend, wisdom
Psalm 92:8. But thou, Lord, art most high for evermore.
Well hello there Friends, neighbours and fellow believers, it’s Friday once again!
And all the people stood up, and in one accord, with hands, hearts, eyes and heads uplifted to heaven, solemnly declared: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and our labour will soon be over for another week. Thank You Sweet Jesus! Thank You for sacrificing Your life for us and giving us the chance to be reconciled with the Father, and be able to spend eternity with Him! We LOVE You, and glorify Your Holy Name!’
Yes my people, it is meet and right to give praise and thanks to Jesus for the enormous act of selflessness and LOVE that He performed for us at Calvary. Now let’s chant our Friday Chant which will give us the right perspective on the use of the weekend.
‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes Friends, let’s use the weekend wisely, so that Lucifer won’t find any chinks in our armour and take advantage of them.
Time now though to turn to our Bit; a spanking, brand new one! And I can hear some shouts of ‘Yeah! A new Bit!’
Ah mih people, I don’t know why some of us always want something new everyday, especially when there’s more left to be said on the subject. But as they say, there’s no accounting for taste buds.
Anyway, our new Bit is quite simple, straightforward and the ultimate in truth. ‘But thou, Lord, art most high for evermore.’
And that my brethren is gospel, eternal, everlasting, undeniable, irrevocable and all the other kinds of truth put together! (smile)
That’s because our God is the ONE TRUE God, the ONLY God there is in this universe! He is the FIRST and the LAST, the ALPHA and OMEGA, (Rev.1:8) Creator of the universe and all therein! The ONE who watches over mankind and provides for them; Jehovah Jireh! He sees all, knows all, and is all-powerful! In other words, He IS the most potent force in the universe!
But yet so many foolish men refuse to bow to Him and accept His gracious mercy, blessings, and forgiveness for their abominable sins. How sad eh people, that we allow the con-man Lucifer and his evil con-artists to con us into believing that the flimsy, destructible crap that the world has to offer, is what we should be about, instead of setting our sights on the wonderful, indestructible, everlasting things of heaven.
But Friends, please listen to the verses that surround our Bit. ‘O Lord, how great are thy works! And thy thoughts are very deep. A brutish (senseless) man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this. When the wicked spring (up, sprout) as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever.
But thou, Lord, art most high for evermore. For, lo, thine enemies, O Lord, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered. But my horn (strength) shalt thou exalt like the horn of a unicorn (wild ox): I shall be anointed with fresh oil. Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me.’ (Ps.92:5-11)
Yes my people, those who don’t believe that the Most High God Jehovah is the ONE and ONLY TRUE God in existence, will be destroyed in His good time.
But those who believe in Him; ‘The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat (plump) and flourishing (green); To show that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.’ (Ps.92:12-15)
Oh Friends, what more can I say eh? Not much. Except to reiterate that we should not put our trust in mankind or things of the world, but in the omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent Spirit of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, because that’s where our salvation truly lies.
Remember that Jesus has already conquered death, the grave and Lucifer, (Rev.1:18) so putting trust in the fallen angel, the prince of darkness is totally foolish, since he’s already been rendered powerless for some two thousand years now. He has no real power over us, and can only hurt us if we allow him to.
So my brethren, this Friday morning, in mid-July 2013, let’s all promise ourselves to sincerely surrender our lives to Jesus Christ, put our absolute trust and faith in Him, and live a life that’s worthy of Him. That’s the wisdom of the ages! Much LOVE!
…the smart money is on Jesus…He’s the overwhelming favourite to win the race of life…and He won’t let us down…you can count on that…
28 Jun 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: affirmations, affirming Christ-like stuff, baptizing, believing in jesus, bestowed on man, blessed opportunity, body, born again, bounden duty, Canada Day, children of God, Christian ethic, confidence, cooperate with God, damnation, death, directive to the disciples, eternal life, evil, excellence, fellowship, Friday chant, generous help, gift, glorious kingdom, good works, grace, greatest gift, hammer, holy spirit, hope, justified, lamp, lawn sprinkler system, life, light, Live our fatih, Lord and Saviour, Love God, mercy, mind, mirror, modicum of circumspection, new life, only way, profitable, promise, refreshed, regeneration, relaxation, rhythm of the falling rain, right perspective, salvation, soul, sound of rain falling, spiritual armour, spirituality, Spread God's Word, sufficient fun, summer madness, sword, teach all nations, TGIF!, Thank God it's Friday, the name of the Father, the SON, the weekend, thinking right things, true believer, truth, ungodly world, wisdom, works of righteousness
Titus 3:8: This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.
Oh Friends, there’s nothing nicer than awakening in the early morning hours to the gentle sound of rain falling outside! That happened to me earlier on, and it was a tad difficult to get up out of the warm, cozy bed, as I lay there listening to ‘the rhythm of the falling rain; pita pata, pita pata.’ (smile)
But I eventually forced my self to get up, like I might have to force myself and go out in the rain and turn off the lawn sprinkler system, that’s just spurting away like crazy out there, while the rain is falling. Now it’s not supposed to come on if the rain’s falling, but I can’t curse it today because I’m not sure if it came on before the rain began to fall. I know though that when I went to bed around 2.30, no rain was falling.
Anyway, I’ll give it a few more minutes, and if it doesn’t turn off automatically, then I’ll go and turn it off. Oh, the headaches that these supposed modern conveniences cause eh! I believe the guy was here up to yesterday trying to time it properly.
But Friends, here’s the good news, it’s Friday! And all the voices rose like one: ‘Yes, oh yes! TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! The weekend’s here at last! What a blast it’s going to be!’
And in Canada it’s certainly going to be a blast, except for those unfortunately flooded out in the Western Provinces, because it’s the long weekend when we celebrate Canada Day, our Independence, on Monday. So you can imagine what it’s going to be like, especially if it’s sunny and warm.
I finally had to go outside and turn off the sprinkler, if only to minimize the real risk of flooding, because who knows when the rain will stop, plus stopping an unnecessary increase in my water bill, which has gone up a fair amount since the sprinkler system was put in.
Anyway, summer madness will definitely be on display this weekend, so let’s see if we can keep it in check a little by chanting our Friday Chant, which gives us a better and brighter perspective on how to handle it.
All together now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes my brethren, we have to enjoy the couple days off, but as Jeeves would say, ‘with a modicum of circumspection,’ so that Lucifer doesn’t even find one li’l pinhole in our spiritual armour, that he can use to cause us to go against God’s will.
But instead that we should do as our Bit tells us. ‘This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.’
Yeh Friends, it’s the same Bit as the last two days because there’s some useful information from the scholars that I thought was important to share with you. It’s on the topic of regeneration, which we read about yesterday.
‘Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed (poured out) on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That we being justified (declared righteous) by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope (strong confidence) of eternal life.’ (Titus 3:5-7)
Now, per the scholars: ‘Regeneration refers to the work of the Holy Spirit in the salvation experience that produces new life in the believer. To express this concept, Jesus used the expression “born again” in His conversation with Nicodemus (John 3:3-7). Regeneration is the work of God, through the Holy Spirit, of placing in one who has faith a new nature, capable of doing God’s will.
The Holy Spirit is the agent or divine workman of this regeneration. His instrument is the Bible, which is likened to a hammer that judges sin (Jer.23:29), a mirror that reveals sin (James 1:23), a sword that defeats Satan (Heb.4:12), and a lamp that guides the believers (Ps.119:105).
Illustration: People are instantaneously “born again,” the moment they trust Christ as Saviour (1 Pet.1:23). Application: Christians should be careful to cooperate with God in growing as children of God after they are regenerated, or given new life. (First Ref. John 3:3; Primary Ref. Titus 3:5; cf. Eph.1:15)
Oh Friends, what greater gift can we be honoured with eh? None really!
Just ponder it for a Selah moment nuh: To be able to move from a situation of eternal death and damnation immediately to one of salvation and eternal life, simply by believing in Jesus, that He’s the Truth, the Light, the Life and the ONLY Way to God.
What a most blessed opportunity that is! One that we as believers have wisely taken hold of, but also need to share with others, because it’s the greatest gift ever bestowed on mankind, and right now too many people have not heard about it, so they’re still living in darkness, seriously threatened by eternal death and damnation, because they don’t know better.
And they won’t know better unless somebody tells them the Good News. And that somebody is us, Friends, the church of Christ!
Please remember Jesus’ last directive to the disciples: ‘Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt.28:19-20)
Yes my fellow believers, that’s our job, our bounden duty! But we can only accomplish it by first thinking the right things, affirming Christ-like stuff, then going out into this evil, ungodly world and putting them into action.
Please, let’s live up to the promise we made when we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour nuh; that is truly LOVING our wonderful God, sincerely LIVING our Christian faith, and faithfully SPREADING the Lord’s Word!
That my brethren is definitely wisdom and Christian ethic at their highest levels. And Jesus desires nothing but excellence from His followers. Much LOVE!
…to act like a true believer…our thoughts must first be in sync…with those of Jesus…
07 Jun 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a just and righteous God, absolutely essential, austerity, bad government, belt-tightening attitude, breeding ground, captures the heart, captures the mind, consider your path, deceit, deceitful mouth, diligence, don't turn to the right or to the left, fellowship, Freedom Day, Friday chant, generous help, glorious kingdom, God faithfully promised, God's righteous kingdom, guiding light, heart, hold on to our faith, human-rights, jobless, jobs, lies, look straight ahead, lucky minority, mind, mire of greed, negative atmosphere, peace, perverse lips, productive society, refeshed in soul, remuneration, rest and relaxation, rightful entitlement, rush hour traffic, short attention spans, spirituality, successful society, sufficient fun, TGIF!, Thank God it's Friday, thanks and praise, the benefits of work, the weekend, wisdom, work ethic, worldwide dilemma, worsening economy
Proverbs 4:26: Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
Oh Friends, it’s Friday; Freedom Day! Hn, hn! Yes, the weekend is finally here, and there are joyous shouts all around the world of ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! Freedom Day here at last!’
And though it’s only a measly two days off from labouring, for the lucky ones that is, we tend to so eagerly look forward to it from the very first day of work on Monday.
Ah Lord eh! Just imagine going to work in the rush hour traffic on Monday and already wishing that it were the Friday rush hour traffic taking you home. Something’s definitely wrong with that picture Friends!
How can we ever be a truly positive and productive society when work is perceived as such an invasive and negative action, such a terrible burden? This generation has lost the work ethic our parents and grand parents had, and which is absolutely essential in building a successful society.
I don’t believe that our forefathers really LOVED work all that much, but they certainly understood the benefits it brought, and there are indeed a whole lot of them. Just be out of work for any length of time and you’ll see what they are.
But unfortunately, we’ve raised our children not to value work, or the ethic that it instils in us, even though we’ve had to work our butts off to give them what they belief is their rightful entitlement.
And in this ever worsening economy, where jobs, decent and/or otherwise are constantly disappearing and thus shrinking, along with the remuneration offered, that negative atmosphere certainly doesn’t help those who are genuinely interested in work.
Ah Friends, the questions and answers to our worldwide dilemma are many and complex, and will not be easily solved, especially with the current misguided belt-tightening attitude that is sweeping governments across the world.
I was taught that the role of government was to help the people in tough times. But obviously the reigning principles are preaching the opposite lesson, with the new watchword being ‘austerity.’
May the Lord have mercy on us yes, and catch us before we sink even further into the mire of greed and bad government!
However Friends, as believers, the most important thing for us to do is to hold on tightly to our faith in a just and righteous God, who has faithfully promised to look after us, come what may.
So before we go out to labour today, we the lucky minority, let’s give some thanks and praise for whatever we have, be it much or little, and chant our Friday Chant. That will allow us to have and keep a right perspective on the upcoming weekend.
All together now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes my people, please let that mindset hold and guide us for today.
And now for our Bit, which blends nicely with what we were just talking about. But we also need the scripture before and after it to get the context, the true picture, the true essence of our Bit, where Cousin Sol is talking of wisdom being life and health.
‘Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Put away from thee a froward (deceitful) mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.’ (Prov.4:23-27)
Ah Friends, what words of awesome wisdom! Cousin Sol has been called the wisest man ever, for very good reason.
Now here’s some good info from the scholars. ‘Heart could often be translated “mind” in the book (Proverbs). Since the Hebrews had no separate word for “mind,” the word “heart” often served to represent the seat of intellect. The key to the whole man is his mind. Whatever captures the mind, captures the man.’
And isn’t that the everlasting truth, my brethren! Whatever our mind conjures up, is what we tend to dwell on. That means we have to be ever so careful about the things we think on.
Consequently, deceit and lies must be eradicated from our minds. We have to look straight ahead, focus on what’s before us, always seeking God’s righteous kingdom, and not turning away either to the left or the right. It’s of the utmost importance that we truly consider the path we tread in this earthly life, not letting our feet lead us to where evil lies.
And this is not mere talk, my fellow believers, it’s stuff that should be completely rooted in our hearts and minds, for without that guiding light, our lives will continually veer from right to left and back again, bringing us no sense of peace or righteousness.
Now there’s more scripture to be addressed on this topic, but if I do so today, it will make the Bit too long, and I always have to keep in mind our busy schedules and short attention spans. (smile) So we’ll let that suffice for today. We have enough stuff to ponder anyway, and the Lord willing, we’ll continue on this subject tomorrow.
Till then my fellow believers, please let’s thoroughly consider the things we allow to engulf our minds, for therein lies the way to our hearts, and the direction we take in this earthly life.
And may the Lord bless and keep us, make His face to shine upon us, and give us His wonderful peace, until we meet again, be it here on earth, or in heaven above. Much LOVE!
…the mind is the breeding ground…for either good or evil…so the one we breed…depends entirely on us…
08 Mar 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a holy people, believers, bondage, christianity, Christians, fellowship, fruits of righteousness, gladness, glorious kingdom, god moves in mysterious ways, God's people, God's Word, godly character, gospel truth, grace of God, hope, hypocrites, Jesus Christ, LOVE, mysterious ways, noble conduct, praise God, principles, religion, righteous fruit, Sabbath, salvation, serve the Lord, sheep of His pasture, sincere praise, sins, special treasure, spiritual wisdom, TGIF!, Thank God it's Friday, the glory of God, theology, transgressions
Philippians 1:11. Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the praise and glory of God.
Oh my wonderful Friends, neighbours and co-workers, it’s Friday! And a joyous shout of ‘TGIM! Thank God is Friday yes!’ rises up to heaven as the words register. Yes mih people, we’ll soon be released from bondage for a couple of days. But by the same token, we have to use the short time off wisely. So let’s chant our Friday Chant, which helps us to keep the weekend in its proper perspective. With great joy, enthusiasm and sincere praise, let’s chant. ‘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 let’s settle down and try not to overdo anything over the weekend, but make sure we find time for the most important aspect; fellowship with other believers, regardless of what day you celebrate the Sabbath. And it’s certainly true that wonders never cease, but daily they increase, for when I looked outside awhile ago, the lane was snow-covered as well as all the driveways … except mine. It’s not plenty snow, but mine was pitch black, the asphalt totally bare. What’s amazing is that usually mine is the one that’s covered with either snow or leaves, or whatever is blowing around the neighbour hood. But we all know that our God moves in mysterious ways, too high for our simple brains to understand, and that’s why He IS God! And that finally brings us to our Bit. ‘Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the praise and glory of God.’ Now in Bruh Paul’s usual highfalutin style, that verse can be a challenge to understand, so we’ll use the simpler translation the scholars gave us. ‘Filled with the fruit that is righteousness, which comes through Jesus Christ for the purpose of glorifying and praising God.’ That should make it much easier for all of us to understand. Yesterday we ended by looking at corroborating scriptures, and today we’ll continue to do so. And believe me, there are quite a few. So let’s go way back to Moses, who, in the course of telling the Israelites about clean and unclean food, reminds them: ‘For thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people (special treasure) unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.’ (Deut.14:2) Oh Friends, we need to remember that because as believers, followers of Jesus Christ, we also are a chosen gathering, a special treasure, blessed by Almighty God on Jesus’ behalf! That means we also have to behave as a specially chosen and blessed people. But that’s something I don’t think we’re doing too well, otherwise so many people wouldn’t have such a bad opinion of us as Christians, often considering us hypocrites, which is often true. And until we change our lifestyle, until we bring it into true accordance with God’s Word and the principles found therein, we’ll never be filled with that righteousness that sincerely causes us to praise and glorify the Most High God Jehovah. So that’s something we’ve seriously got to work on. Now we’ll turn to Colossians, where Bruh Paul is writing to them about his prayer for their spiritual wisdom. And for us to understand what’s happening, I’ll quote from the beginning of that passage to the verse that actually corroborates our Bit. ‘We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you. Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the LOVE which ye have to all the saints. For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth.’ (Col.1:3-6) And we’ll get some amplification from the scholars of most of it. According to them: ‘Evidence of a person’s faith in Christ Jesus is his LOVE…to all the saints. Hope is salvation, as it refers to the object for which one hopes. Word of the truth of the gospel could be rendered as “the message of the gospel which is true.” This is meant to contradict the Colossian heresy: unlike its false teaching, or “vain deceit” (2:8), the gospel is true indeed. The universal spread and effectiveness of the gospel verify the assertion in verse 5 that it is the truth. The Colossian heresy is merely local; while the gospel has come to the Colossians, it has gone beyond them in all the world. And it bringeth forth fruit; that is, when embraced by faith, the gospel produces godly character and noble conduct in its converts.’ There we have it my brethren; when through faith, we sincerely embrace the truth of the gospel, it leads us to right thoughts and actions in Christ. And we’ll end with some words from Psalm 100; A call to praise the Lord: ‘Make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto the Lord, all ye lands (all the earth). Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.’ (Ps.100:1-3) And that’s more gospel truth Friends! Now let’s read, mark and inwardly digest all those things, then go out and do what is right in the sight of God, as our Lord and Saviour, Jesus expects of us. That’s wisdom at its zenith! And only then can we be called true believers. Much LOVE!…to sin is human…but the righteousness of God is given to believers…to help us keep our transgressions to a minimum…
01 Mar 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: apostles, bond of peace, Christian virtues, christianity, Christians, edifying, enthusiasm, evangelists, fellowship, Friday chant, fun, gifts, glorious kingdom, harmony, LOVE, maturity, ministry, northern climes, one faith, one God, Oneness, pastors, prophets, relaxation, rest, saints, teachers, TGIF!, Thank God it's Friday, united believers, unity, weekend
Ephesians 4:3. Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Aloha Friends and neighbours! It’s Friday March 1st… And a joyful shout of ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes!’ rings out from the jubilant work force, realizing that this is the last day of the workweek. And I guess nobody’s happier than the folks in the northern climes, who have been battling the nasty, treacherous weather all week. It’s bad enough to have to endure traffic jams everyday, both morning and evening, you definitely don’t want slippery, slushy roads to further aggravate the situation. And fortunately, the weekend looks like it will be sunny, but cold. So to set the right tone and mood for it, let’s chant our Friday Chant with much enthusiasm and perfect harmony. 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.’ Wonderful chanting my people! Jesus was pleased. And having laid the foundation for the right perspective on the weekend, let’s turn to our Bit: ‘Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.’ Yes Friends, it’s the same as yesterday, because unity, spiritual unity in particular is such an important aspect of Christian fellowship, one in which we’re definitely lacking. Now yesterday we saw where Bruh Paul talked about the Oneness of believers, united in One faith, One Saviour, under One God, the Father. (Eph.4:4-6) After that, he goes on to talk about some of the spiritual gifts given to members of the church after Jesus’ ascension, so that His church would be well equipped to minister to those who needed it, to grow and be self-sustaining. ‘And he (himself) gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers.’ (Eph.4:11) And why did Jesus do that? ‘For the perfecting (equipping) of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.’ (Eph.4:12) Now hear the scholars’ comments on that verse. ‘This verse discloses the purpose for the gifted individuals of verse 11. Their responsibility is the perfecting of the saints, that is, to train and equip the rank-and-file Christians to do the work of the ministry. The aim of this ministry of Christian service is for the edifying of the body of Christ, that is to build up the church numerically and spiritually.’ And all of that will continue: ‘Till we all come in (into) the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect (mature) man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.’ (Eph.4:13) Yes my brethren, the edifying, the learning and the building of the church is to continue until we all attain spiritual maturity. But as the scholars point out: ‘Since new believers are constantly being added to the church, this objective will not be realized until the Lord returns.’ Ah Friends, I simply can’t understand why it’s so hard for us who claim to believe in the same three in one God-head, have such trouble in being unified. I guess it’s because we don’t have what Bruh Paul so emphatically said to the Colossians, re Christian virtues. ‘And above all these things put on charity (LOVE), which is the bond of perfectness.’ (Col.3:14) Yes my brethren, the bond of LOVE, betwixt and between us is definitely not strong enough! I like how the scholars describe it: ‘Charity is LOVE, here called the bond of perfectness. LOVE is the crowning grace completing the list of virtues required for perfectness or spiritual maturity. As a “bond” it binds all other virtues together in harmony and unity.’ And by that definition, as I said before, we obviously don’t have enough spiritual maturity, especially in the area of LOVE, the main bonding agent in Christian brotherhood and fellowship. That’s why we’re so divided and so easily conquered, which is certainly displeasing and disappointing to our Leader and Saviour, Jesus. We’re simply not doing a good enough job. Don’t you feel badly about that Friends? Don’t you feel badly when we disappoint Jesus? We all should! But it’s obvious that we don’t, otherwise we’d do better. And we’ll end with some wonderful words of wisdom and truth from Psalm 133, where Bruh David proclaims the joy of brotherhood, the preciousness of family unity. ‘Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!’ (Ps.133:1) Oh my people, we all know that verse, but it’s plain to see that we don’t follow it. So today, I’m asking us all to ponder on the case of unity, or disunity, in Christ’s church, and let’s seriously try in our individual efforts to bring about that harmony and unity that Jesus sacrificed His life for, and wants His followers to continue, until He comes again. I pray, in Jesus’ name, that all of us will step up to the plate and do better than we’re presently doing, re Christian maturity and unity. That’s wisdom in its highest form! Much LOVE!…only through real unity of believers…will Christ’s church attain the success…He desires of it…
25 Jan 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: be glad, fellowship, fun, furthering God's kingdom, glitzy facade, God's glory, God's righteouness, joyful shouts, losers, LOVE Revolution, loving kindness, praise and thanks, psalm 67, rejoice, renewed and refreshed, rest, Selah, sing for joy, spirituality, sweet voices, TGIF!, Thank God it's Friday, the Lord reigns, United body of Christ, who is the boss
Psalm 67:4. O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon the earth. Selah.
Oh Friends, it’s Friday! And all the joyous shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ surround and envelop me like a warm cloak. Even in my somewhat muted way, I too can utter thanks because I’m on the mend. I’m not out of the woods yet, but I’m getting there, slowly but surely. And that’s the important thing. So let’s all give thanks and praise to our Creator and Provider for just being alive this Friday morning in January 2013, by chanting our Friday Chant. Let’s let Him know, in no uncertain terms, that we truly appreciate His LOVING-kindness, mercy and forgiveness. Now you all will have to help me here by raising your sweet voices above my croaking one. (smile) As one powerful, united, body of Christ then, let’s chant. ‘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.’ That was excellent Friends! Jesus chuckled when he heard my croaking, off-key tones, but He is so wonderful, He will accept genuine praise and thanks in any shape or form. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just come from a sincere heart. And so, having reminded ourselves of how we ought to handle the weekend, let’s look at our Bit. ‘O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon the earth. Selah.’ It’s the same one from yesterday because I never exhausted all the relevant Psalms. And up first is Psalm 97 – The Lord is far above all gods. From the opening verse the psalmist makes it abundantly clear, who is the boss. ‘The Lord reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitudes of isles (coastlands) be glad thereof. Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgement are the habitation (foundation) of his throne. A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about. His lightnings enlightened the world: the earth saw, and trembled. The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory.’ (Ps.97:1-6) Oh Friends, NO other God has those omnipotent attributes! And that’s an acknowledged fact, because they have been constantly proven from the very beginning of time. Now listen to some of Psalm 98 – Praise to God for His salvation. ‘Make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise (break forth in song). Sing unto the Lord with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm (sound of a song). With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) before the Lord, the King. …Before the Lord; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity (in uprightness).’ (Ps.98:4-6, 9) Yes Friends, we need to boldly proclaim the wonders of our omnipotent, omniscient, omni-present Creator, God, Father, King and Righteous Judge! Yuh see how many things He is to us? So if we don’t serve and faithfully worship Him, we’ll simply end up with the evildoers, eternally separated from Him and His majestic kingdom. And I keep reminding us that that’s the worst thing that could ever happen to a mortal being! But this present world isn’t listening; we’re still running behind the foolish clown prince of darkness Lucifer, even though the world is going to hell in a hand basket by following his evil inclinations. Please remember Friends that Lucifer believes in God, He knows more about God and His awesome powers than us, because he was once one of God’s right hand men. And furthermore, he can’t touch a child of God without asking God’s permission, like he did with Job, or unless we foolishly fall for his wiles and lies. And to heap even more coals of fire on Lucifer’s head, Jesus came to earth and conquered death and the grave, and also set us free from them if we believe on His Holy Name. So why in heaven’s name, are we still so caught up in Lucifer’s nonsense eh, when everything points to the undeniable, indelible fact that he is a loser? And like most losers, he’s a sore one, just trying to get back at Almighty God. But here’s how we thwart him. ‘Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. Then shall the earth yield (produce) her increase; And God, even our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.’ (Ps.67:5-7) And that’s not rocket science, it’s what we’ve seen and heard been done over the ages. So Friends, please let’s use the brains, the wisdom, the spiritual insight that the Creator has so LOVINGLY placed in each of us to rise up and see Lucifer’s fallen world for what truly is nuh; a glitzy facade behind which hides death, destruction and eternal separation from the Lord God Jehovah. Until we rise up in revolt against Lucifer, in a LOVE Revolution, as one united body of Christ, we’ll continue to exist as simple-minded minions in his fallen world. And that’s surely not something to write home about! Much LOVE!…it’s so sad to see those made in God’s image…bow to a fallen being…when all reason shouts otherwise…
11 Jan 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: dogged pursuit, freedom, Friday chant, if God be for us, land of the living, look to heaven, mortal man, no refuge, overwhelmed spirit, peace and satisfaction, quicksand of life, responsibility, secret traps, spirituality, TGIF!, Thank God it's Friday, trials and tribulations, troubles
Psalm 142:3. When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me.
Well hello there you wonderful children of the Most High God Jehovah! I’m wishing you a bright and bountiful day as I acquaint you with the important fact that today is Friday. (smile) And immediately joyful shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday!’ rise up to heaven on high, bringing with it a most welcome sensation of peace and satisfaction that for two whole, big, long days, there will be no work to get up and go to in the outside world. Yes Friends, the weekend is upon us, which means we have to chant our Friday Chant. So as one faithful, hopeful, believing body now, let’s chant up a storm, even louder and more intense than the emotion we showed in rejoicing that it’s Friday. ‘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.’ Ah mih people, that is just to ensure that we don’t get too carried away by the freedom of the weekend, that we keep it in the right perspective and stay on the straight and narrow path, rather than rush off to the dangerous broad highway, that Lucifer tempts us to take. Freedom is great, but like everything else, a price has to be paid for it, in this case, one of spiritual responsibility. And as I turned my attention to our Bit, I realized that it is very appropriate, relative to what we were just saying. ‘When my spirit was overwhelmed (fainted) within me, then thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they privily (secretly) laid a snare for me.’ This comes from one of Bruh David’s contemplations, when he was hiding in a cave from his enemies, who were doggedly pursuing him. The scholars claim that cave could either be the one of Adullam (1 Sam.22:1-2) or that in Engedi (1 Sam.24:1-7) where he had opportunity to kill his major nemesis Saul, but rightly refused to lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed. Now Friends, the first thing I want us to note in our Bit is Bruh David’s surety, the confidence with which he utters that first sentence. ‘When my spirit was overwhelmed (fainted) within me, then thou knewest my path.’ Yes my people, when our enemies come so forcefully against us, have us betwixt a rock and a hard place, and our spirits are so low that we’re liable to faint from the pressure, don’t worry, the Lord knows what we’re going through. This reminds us of the words of the psalmist, Asaph. ‘In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran (my hand was stretched out) in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted. I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah.’ (Ps.77:2-3) Oh my brethren, ponder on that for a moment nuh. Yes, sometimes it does get pretty rough out there in the trenches of our evil world, especially when our enemies lay secret traps for us. And we often feel like Bruh David did: ‘I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know (acknowledge) me: refuge failed me: no man cared for my soul.’ (Ps.142:4) Now that’s a very disturbing and frightening situation Friends! But when we do feel like no one cares, that we have no place of refuge on this earth, please don’t give in to the despair, for though the children of men might be against us, always remember that our great God has us in His sights and under His protective umbrella. As Bruh Paul said centuries later: ‘What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?’ (Rom.8:31) And we all know the answer to that – NOBODY! However, Bruh David knew the underlying principle, since he had lived it for most of his life. Consequently, ‘I cried unto thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living. Attend (give heed) unto my cry; for I am brought very low: deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I.’ (Ps.142:5-6) Oh my people, I am sure right now some of you are facing some real rough times and feel like Bruh David felt, so don’t be afraid or ashamed to also cry out to our LOVING, merciful God, like he did. That’s exactly what the Lord expects us to do in times of need. Yes my brethren, whenever our spirits are spiralling downwards, pressured by the trials and tribulations of this earthly life, it is certainly no disgrace to cry out to the Almighty, to the One who is stronger than us, for even Jesus did it in His times of sorrow. Like Bruh David, we can also plead: ‘Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall compass me about (surround me); for thou shalt deal bountifully with me.’ (Ps.142:7) And that Friends, we know is an undisputable fact! When we cry out to God in true faith and sincerity, He will lift us from the mire, deal bountifully with us and cause us to be surrounded by the righteous of the earth, because that will cause us to praise and glorify Him. And we all know that there’s nothing our heavenly Father likes more than us praising and glorifying Him with sincere hearts. In fact that’s one of the major reasons He created us. So please my people, whenever we’re being mercilessly pummelled by our enemies, as all of us are at sometime or other, let’s remember that the omnipotent Creator of this universe is our sure refuge, and let’s cry out in faith to Him, let Him hear our pain and desperation ringing out loud, so that He can take appropriate action and draw us closer to Him. Much LOVE!…when we’re drowning in the quicksand of life…and there’s no help from mortal man…look to heaven…the mighty spiritual hand of God will save us…He’s faithfully promised that…
04 Jan 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: almighty god, closer walk with Jesus, Creator, Friday chant, gospel truth, heavenly Father, kingdom of god, lifeline of Jesus, new person in Christ, New Year's resolution, pleasing God, reconciliation, TGIF!, Thank God it's Friday, things of the flesh, things of the Spirit, walk with jesus, walking in the flesh, walking in the Spirit
Romans 8:8. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
Oh Friends, can you believe it is already the 4th day of this new year 2013? Brother! It’s already flying fast! That means we cannot afford to diddle daddle and procrastinate, if we truly want to seek a closer walk with Jesus, as our New Year’s resolution states. And wonder of wonders, today is also Friday… And a whooping shout of joy, accompanied by exclamations of ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday!’ rises up to heaven on high. In particular from those who had partied heartily over the holidays and were still suffering the after effects, but had to go to work a few days this week. Yes Friends, the partying is always nice, but not always so the consequences. And that’s exactly what we’re trying to prevent, to curtail this year; the sad, devastating consequences of not walking with Jesus. Oh my people, that is definitely the height of foolishness because not walking in step with Jesus will only bring us pain and shame, death and eternal separation from our Heavenly Father, our Creator. And as I keep reminding us, that’s the worst possible scenario that could ever happen to a creation of Almighty God. So please take this message to heart, and even if you don’t believe me, still try it, since your current actions are all leading to dead ends and heartaches. Humour me and give Jesus a try. I guarantee you’ll never go back to Lucifer and your old ways, because when you turn to Jesus and sincerely accept Him as your Lord and Saviour, you become an entirely new person. You think differently, believe differently, feel better – physically, mentally and emotionally, your eyes are opened to things and subjects you never even knew or dreamed existed. Mama Mia! That’s how wonderful and marvellous a change Jesus brings into your life, when you decide to seriously follow Him. And Friends, I’m not talking about this merely from hearsay, but from personal experience. Now hear how Bruh Paul explains it to the Corinthians. ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation)” old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given us the ministry of reconciliation.’ (2 Cor.5:17-18) And that’s the gospel truth my brethren! We no longer live in the lusts of the flesh, but by the Holy Spirit of Christ that then indwells us. And please pay particular note to what our Bit states: ‘So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.’ And why is that you ask? ‘For they that are after the flesh, do mind (set their minds on) the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.’ (Rom.8:5-7) Yes Friends, if we’re hooked up to the lifeline of Jesus, that means we’re living in the kingdom of heaven, that’s spiritually, joyfully looking forward to the day of His return, not according to the laws of the flesh and man, meaning simply for today, with material possessions being our mainstay. Remember again, that Jesus said, if we seek first God’s kingdom, then all our material needs will be met. (Matt.6:33) So there’s absolutely no reason to fear or worry about our earthly necessities if we put God’s will as our first priority. And what does embracing Christ and walking faithfully with Him through His indwelling Spirit do? Hear Bruh Paul tell it to the Roman church. ‘There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for (on account of) sin, condemned sin in the flesh. That the righteousness (righteous requirement) of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.’ (Rom.8:1-4) Yes my people, as the scholars declare: ‘There is nothing inherently wrong with the law. (But) the presence of sin renders the believer powerless to do what the law demands.’ That’s all undeniable truth Friends! So please, let’s get spiritual, or more spiritual with Jesus this year nuh. You’ve already seen some of the wonderful benefits that momentous decision and daring action provides. And since today is Friday, and the work week’s done, let’s perk up even more, because that gives us rest from toil, as well as more time to spend with Jesus and His Holy Spirit. And believe me people, there’s nothing better than that on this evil, ungodly earth! However, since we still need to keep everything in the right perspective, let’s chant our Friday Chant with much pomp and pleasure. Thought I’d forgotten eh? (smile) Now, as one powerful, sweet set of chanters, let’s chant: ‘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.’ Enjoy the weekend Friends, but remember to eschew the lusts of the flesh, and allow the wonderful Spirit of Christ that dwells in us, to lead and guide us to victory in His Holy Name. Much LOVE!…walking with Christ…both in our hearts and minds…makes our earthly journey…more wonderful with each passing day…
28 Dec 2012
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: discretion, don't fear getting old, faith walk, forsake foolishness, Friday chant, God's glorious kingdom, healthy, henry wadsworth longfellow, knowledge, opportunities, rest and relaxation, TGIF!, Thank God it's Friday, the simple, understanding, wealthy and wise lifestyle, wisdom, wise advice
Proverbs 9:4. Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him,
Well Friends, and all you party people, it’s Friday! And a loud, joyous shout of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ rises to heaven. And to make matters even better, though for some worse, it’s the Friday before the long New Year’s Eve weekend. So you can imagine the party preparations that are currently been made. Mama Yo! Everybody will be going out on Monday night in their Sunday best, their evening finery to celebrate the birth of a New Year. But all I have to say is remember, drunk or sober, mind yuh business. (smile) I know some of you are tired hearing me say it, but it’s essential that we do remember to be careful about whatever we do, especially when we’re partying, cause that’s when our level of attention to spiritual matters is pretty low, and it’s very easy then to give the enemy a chance to break through our defences. Anyway, let’s chant our Friday Chant, to help us put the weekend into its proper perspective. All together now, sweetly and sincerely: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’ Yes Friends, that’s how we have to handle the weekend. Now here’s a quote from the famous American poet and educator Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) that’s particularly for us old fogies, but which, if the young people reading this are smart, will also take to heart. It simply states: ‘For age is opportunity no less Than youth itself, though in another dress, And as evening twilight fades away the sky is filled with stars, invisible day.’ Ah mih old Friends, there’s no fear in getting old, because it’s a time of maturity and wisdom. So please don’t let the age thing get you so down that you become afraid of life and refuse to keep on living a healthy, wealthy and wise lifestyle. Opportunities still abound for us old folks. As Henry so nicely puts it, those opportunities are only now dressed in clothes of a different fashion. That brings us to our Bit, an invitation from Wisdom: ‘Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: as for him that wanteth (lacks) understanding, she saith to him, Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled (mixed). Forsake the foolish (foolishness), and live; and go in the way of understanding.’ (Prov.9:4-6) Oh mih breddren, in this evil, ungodly age, many more of us need to turn away from the lustful world of the flesh and heed wisdom’s call to come in unto her and partake of her generous table, forsaking the foolishness of this world, for that of godliness and spiritual understanding. Let’s hope that in the upcoming year of 2013 many more of us will take that wise advice, for without it we’ll be even more lost and stupid than we already are. Therefore it’s not surprising that throughout the Good Book, readers are strongly advised about the wisdom of the simple, the unlearned to seek and gain understanding in spiritual matters. Let’s look at a few of those scriptures. In Psalm 19; the creation and covenants of God, Bruh David confidently proclaims: ‘The law of the Lord is perfect, converting (restoring) the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.’ (Ps.19:7) And in Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible, the psalmist again confidently declares: ‘The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.’ (Ps.119:130) Meanwhile, in Proverbs 1, in outlining its purpose, Cousin Sol boldly tells us that one of the reasons is ‘To give subtilty (prudence) to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.’ (Prov.1:4) And the scholars break down that verse thus: ‘The simple are naive young people open to any influence, among the chief addressees in the book. Knowledge means the apprehension of reality, including an experiential knowledge of God. Discretion refers to the power of formulating and carrying out right measures.’ Yes my brethren, unfortunately, all of us are simple to some degree, some more so than others. That means we all need to look to God’s Word for enlightenment, wisdom and the proper way to live this earthly life, so that it will all eventually rebound to the glory of our heavenly Father. Remember that glorifying God is also a major part of our earthly tenure, and we can’t do that until we know what He wants, requires, likes and dislikes. So today I’m asking us to ponder on this important fact; are we learning more about God everyday and thus constantly growing in the character of Jesus? And if so, are we putting that knowledge, that wisdom, that understanding we’re daily gleaning into the normal routine of our lives, so that our faith walk with Jesus is daily improving? I really hope so Friends, for that’s truly wisdom at its finest. Much LOVE!…to improve our faith walk…we need to daily learn more about God…then Jesus-like…put it into practice…
21 Dec 2012
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: always-lurking enemy, blessed, bounden duty, celebration of christmas, Christmas, eternal life, exaltation, Friday chant, fulfillment of prophecy, he that believes, magnify the Lord, reason for the season, remembrance of his mercy, rich rewards, salvation, saviour jesus christ, TGIF!, Thank God it's Friday, the birth of Jesus, the Magnificat
Luke 1:45. And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance (fulfillment) of those things which were told her from the Lord.
Oh Friends, it’s Friday, and many people around the world are joyfully shouting ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ But many in the northern climes are not shouting that this morning. Instead, they’re crying out ‘Oh Lord, why this bad weather?’ Yes Friends, the first serious snowstorm of the season has already lashed the U.S. Midwest, causing all sorts of damage and inconvenience, and it’s moving north to Canada. Some places in Northern Ontario and Quebec have already seen it’s hideous face and felt its forceful blow. Meanwhile, we in Southern Ontario are experiencing freezing rain, which can change to anything later in the day. So please be careful my brethren when you take to the roads today, for if they’re not snow covered, they will most likely be icy. Take your time and drive with extra care and caution. It’s only four more days to the great celebration of Christmas, the Birth of our wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. You don’t want to miss it completely, or be lying in the hospital, all broken up, unable to enjoy it. So again, please drive and also walk safely. And as always, to help us get the weekend started in proper perspective, let’s chant our Friday Chant, in loud, serious voice. As one now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’ Yes my people, we need to be somewhat circumspect about our actions over the weekend, especially this long Christmas holiday, where some people might not be going back to work until next Thursday. Remember that drunk or sober, we have to mind our business and don’t give the always-lurking enemy any chance to invade our innermost parts and cause confusion, cause that’s what he’s all about. Stealing our joy and putting us in God’s bad book is his delight. So let’s do our best to remember the real reason for the season, the holidays, as so many now neutrally call it; the Birth of Jesus is what this time is about, not shopping and mere merry-making. Please treat the time with the reverence and solemn esteem it deserves. And today we’ll continue with Mary’s Story. Our Bit though comes from words spoken by her cousin Elisabeth, when Mary visited her. Let’s listen to them closely, and let them take root in our hearts and minds, for they are very important. ‘And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance (fulfillment) of those things which were told her from the Lord.’ Ah Friends, that statement, though at the time pertained particularly to Mary, today it applies to all of us. For blessed are all those who believe, and not necessarily what the Lord has told us, but believe on Jesus’ Name period. As Jesus said to the doubting disciple Thomas, who refused to believe that Jesus was truly resurrected until he touched the wounds in His side and palms. ‘Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.’ (John 20:29) That’s a blessing for all us believers today my brethren, for we never saw Jesus back then, but we believe. Please, let’s keep on believing, because Jesus is still alive and working for us all. And if we don’t faint, don’t give up, in due course, we’ll receive the rich rewards of salvation and eternal life that He’s offering to all who believe and stand strong in faith. And we’ll end today with one of the many beautiful songs of praise found in the Good Book. It’s Mary’s joyous anthem to a great God, who looked down on her with unspeakable blessings and mercy. It’s called ‘The Magnificat.’ And according to the scholars, it’s based on the first word of the Latin translation (the Vulgate). And since Jesus’ coming was in fulfillment of Old Testament promises, it’s suitably rich in Old Testament imagery. ‘And Mary said, My soul doth magnify (exalt) the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate (lowly state) of his handmaiden (maidservant): for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. He hath showed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats (thrones), and exalted them of low degree (the lowly). He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath holpen (helped) his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.’ (Luke 1:46-55) Oh Friends, imagine a teenaged girl conjuring up that wonderful imagery and writing such moving words two thousand years ago nuh! The Holy Spirit must surely have been with her, as he is with us today. So let’s see if we can rise to that level of faith, especially this Christmas season. It’s our bounden duty as believers. Much LOVE!…true belief is not only an internal process…but must also be shown by appropriate external actions…
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