23 Jun 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a remarkable transformation, always right on time, another beautiful day in the life, be renewed in the spirit of your mind, be ye angry and sin not, behold I will do a new thing, grieve not the Holy Spirit, he may have to give to him that needs, hte light of my life, I am halfway home, I'm not turning back, I'm so glad to be alive, Jesus Christ, Jesus' mystique, let him that stole steal no more, let not the sun go down upon your wrath, life-changing attirudes, LOVE, make a way in the wilderness, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, my salvation and my glory, neither consider the things of old, neither give place to the devil, no condemnation to them which are in Christ, now it shall spring forth, put away lying, remember ye not the former things, rivers in the desert, sealed until the day of redemption, shall ye not know it?, speak the truth, thank God, the breath of life, the guiding light of our lives, the most wonderful gift ever bestowed, to a glorious future with Jesus, walk the narrow path, Wednesday Wail, what a joy divine, who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit
Isaiah 43:19a. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it?
So now it’s Wednesday, another beautiful day in the life! Thank the Lord for His goodness to the children of men! Especially when it comes to His wonderful Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour; the most beautiful, powerful and LOVING gift ever bestowed in this universe! And the saints of Christ, all lifted their heads, hearts and voices and sincerely declared: ‘Jesus! Jesus! The light of my life, my salvation and my glory! Thank You heavenly Father for giving Him to us. We LOVE You dearly, and we praise and bless Your Holy Name! Amen!’
Ah friends, what a momentous and joyful experience it is when Jesus comes into our lives! There’s nothing in the world to compare to or outclass it! You just simply feel a different vibe in your spirit, body and soul. Nothing like you’ve ever felt before. And you’re just astonished that such a remarkable transformation is possible, and wonder why you never experienced it before. But that’s just part of Jesus’ mystique; nothing happens before it’s time, before He is ready to come into your life. And it’s nothing to be afraid of; for He’s never late or early, always right on time with His well-drawn up and executed plans for each of his creations.
As the Father said so long ago, through the prophet Jeremiah. ‘For I know the thoughts I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer. 29:11) That’s a very pertinent scripture in the lives of all believers my people. It means that whenever you accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, that is the exact right time, the time that He had planned from eons ago to come into your life. There’s nothing vikey-vie or wishy-washy in God’s economy. It’s all well laid out and executed. Every possibility and consequence have already been considered and plans made to countervail them.
The prophet Isaiah declared it thus: ‘Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.’ (Is. 43:18-19) Yes friends, when Jesus comes into our lives, it’s a whole new story, a rebirth! To all intents and purposes, we are born again, like He said to Nicodemus: ‘Verily, verily (truly) I say unto thee, Except a man be born again (from above), he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ (John 3:3)
And when Nicodemus looked surprised and asked: ‘How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily (truly), I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirt is spirit.’ (John 3:4-6) Yes my people, the rebirth we are talking about here is one of the spirit, one of life-changing attitudes, opinions and behaviour.
And here’s how Bruh Paul explains this rebirth. ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.’ (2 Cor. 5:17) And it’s of the utmost important that we understand the meaning of those words. Basically, it means that we give up the old lifestyle we lived and adopt a new one where Jesus, through His Holy Spirit that comes to indwell in when we receive Him, is our guide and leader. We now consider His ways and means as the guiding light of our lives.
Sin, or the rejection of it, now becomes of much more importance. We no longer live after the flesh, or as the world dictates, because then we are merely IN the world, but not OF the world! We take our direction, our orders from Jesus and the things He desires, not from what the world says. We now live life in the Spirit, not in the carnal and sinful desires of the flesh. As Bruh Paul puts it to the church at Rome. ‘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.’ (Rom. 8:1-2)
Yes friends, when we come to Christ, the influence of the Holy Spirit in our lives guides us in a new direction, to obedience and good works in Christ, not back to the old, carnal lusts and desires we once had. Oh precious people, receiving Christ brings us into a whole new ball game. Here is how Bruh Paul describes it to the Ephesians. ‘That ye put off concerning the former conversation (conduct) the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.’ (Eph. 4:22-24)
And the scholars offer these explanations re those verses. ‘4:22-24. Christianity taught the addressees to (1) put off…the old man, to renounce their pre-conversion life and sins; (2) be renewed in…your mind, to be constantly changed, being brought more and more into line with God’s own viewpoint; and (3) put on the new man, that is, to assume a new nature (character) and conduct (life) at conversion.’ And yes, we all discover that changing our lifestyle in mid-stream is not an easy, or always a delightful task. But as true believers in Christ, it is absolutely necessary that we give it our all! And never fear, for Jesus is always there to help us!
Now, here are a few practical pointers that Bruh Paul gave to the Ephesians, which are still helpful to us today in this topsy-turvy, deceitful, evil and godless world. They run from 4:25 -32, 5:1-2, you can read them at your own leisure, (smile) but to save time and space, I’ll just list them as the scholars’ explanations. ‘4:22-5:2. …practical guidelines as to how “the old man” (vs. 22) can be laid aside and how the “new man” (vs. 24) can be assumed in daily living. The passage specifies five sins to be discarded, the virtues that are to replace them, and the motive for such an exchange:
(1) Lying is to be replaced by truth-telling, since Christians are fellow members (vs. 25). (2) Sinful anger is to be replaced by (briefly held) righteous indignation, that the Devil may not be given opportunity (vs. 26-27). (3) Theft is to be replaced by honest work, in order that one may have the means to meet the needs of others (vs. 28). (4) Foul language is to be replaced by gracious speech, that it may edify others and not grieve the Spirit (vs. 29). (5) Resentment and wrath are to give way to kindness and forgiveness, since God has forgiven us (vs. 31-32).’
That’s it in a nutshell friends! Nothing exotic, but very practical guidelines that we can all implement as we walk in LOVE, as Christ desires of us. Now let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!!!) our Wednesday Wail letting the world know of our wonderful position on Christ Jesus.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And believe me, if we walk that narrow path right to the very end, then that future will be even more glorious than we ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…to walk in step with Jesus…oh…what a joy divine…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
16 Jun 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sense of shame or remorse, as we forgive our debtors, avenge not yourselves, endure to the end, feuds, forgive us our debts, forgiven me my tardiness, give us this day our daily bread, God forgives when we forgive, God is a good god, greater than we can ask or imagine, halfway home, hands fixed securely on the plough, heap coals of fire on his head, I'm so glad to be alive, inalienable right, lack of sleep, live like Jesus desires, LOVE, magnanimous god, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, not turning back, quickest way to destroy a society, still flowing through me, thank God, the breath of life, the cycle of revenge will never end, the daily provision of God, the Hatfields and McCoys, the Lord's prayer, the salt of the earth, the shining light of a city on a hill, to a glorious future with Jesus, to me nelongeth vengeance and recompense, to seek revenge, unforgiveness, unforgiveness and vengeance, vengeance is mine saith the Lord, Wednesday Wail
Matthew 6:12. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Ah mih people, the ole fella’s shaking it a bit rough this morning through lack of sleep. Went to bed pretty late this morning. What else is new eh? (smile) And that accounts for my lateness in rising and getting down to the Lord’s work. But our God is a good God, rather magnanimous I should say, and He has forgiven me for my tardiness. Let’s hope you do the same. (smile) Remember, He forgives when we forgive.
And I guess that’s the topic He wants us to look at this bright, sunshiny but cool Wednesday morning. And it’s an important topic friends, one that’s very near and dear to the Lord’s heart. Please note that it takes a solemn place in the prayer our Lord and Saviour Jesus taught us that we call, ‘The Lord’s Prayer. ‘Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.’ (Matt. 6:11-12)
You’ll notice that after giving the Father the glory and recognition He deserves, Jesus asks for daily bread, that’s the provision God provides for us each day, and then comes the petition of forgiveness, but it’s very dependent on the forgiveness in our own lives. And Jesus goes on to point it out Himself: ‘For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.’ (Matt. 6:14-15)
Oh friends, as always, Jesus states it true and clear. He doesn’t mince words. If we don’t forgive our earthly brothers and sisters their trespasses, neither will He forgive ours. But right now, one of the biggest problems in our world, one that’s possibly causing the most anger, strife, resentment and negative situations is the overwhelming state of unforgiveness that’s dwelling in our hearts and souls! We have completely forgotten Christ’s message – you must forgive if you want to be forgiven.
It could not get any clearer than that! But yet, how many of us supposed Christians run to God for forgiveness while still harbouring lots of unforgiveness towards our neighbours in our hearts eh? Plenty of us, my brethren, plenty of us! And we expect God to forgive us, although we feel we have this inalienable right to seek revenge on those who have hurt us. That’s indefensible in our Christian faith friends. Remember what the Lord told the Israelites through Moses a long, long time ago? ‘To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.’ (Deut. 32:35)
And Bruh Paul in his missive to the church at Rome puts it even more clearly and powerfully. ‘Recompense (repay) to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men (have regard for good things). If it be possible, as much as lieth in (depends upon) you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with the good.’ (Rom. 12:17-21)
There it is again friends, the basic tenets of our faith: forgiveness with doing good, not avenging ourselves, but leaving it to God, because that’s His department. But yuh better believe that vengeance is ripe and overflowing in today’s society, with too many of us wanting to take revenge and repayment into our own hands. But my people that only breeds anger and strife and a tooth for a tooth and an eye for an eye. And if we follow it logically, the cycle of revenge will never end, because once you do it to me, I will have to do it back to you, and so we will go on interminably!
Just think about the overbearing feuds of the clans in Scotland, especially that infamous one of the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s in the rough hills and valleys of Virginia and Kentucky. Apparently, the families were neighbours and friends, who even intermarried, but when the Civil War came they had to choose sides, and after the war that enmity remained and the killing, kidnapping and other forms of violence went on for a long time. And what did it achieve eh? Nothing but hate and violence!
Yuh see how easy it is to move from peaceful, coexisting neighbours, even family, to vengeful hatred and violence. And we’re definitely seeing too much of that in our selfish, me first modern society, and it can never bode any good for us or our societies. That’s why we have to be so mindful of forgiveness and repay evil with good my fellow saints.
Oh, before I forget, (smile) here are some interesting explanations from the scholars on the verses we quoted above. ‘12:19-21. Give place unto wrath: Paul quotes Deuteronomy 32:35 to show that only God has the right to avenge, and He certainly will avenge. Heap coals of fire on his head (cf. Prov. 25:22). This may refer to a sense of shame or remorse engendered when we treat an evildoer kindly. Paul is discussing personal not national enemies. He is not teaching pacifism.’
Right there we see the benefit of knowing our Bible. It allowed Bruh Paul to quote from two separate sources and make one whole. And that’s the kind of Bible knowledge we all need to have, so that we could use it in our time of need, which sadly is every day, with the kind of antagonistic and strife-filled society in which we currently live. And it will only get better when we believers in Christ Jesus start to truly live the way He expects us to live; like the salt of the earth and the bright shining light of a city on a hill! We all know that! Matter finished!
So, for those of us who are sincerely trying to live like Christ desires, let’s go home now declaring (yeahhh!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Jesus. Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Now, we must endure to the end…and then we’ll discover that that future is even greater than we can ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…the quickest way to destroy a society or a relationship…unforgiveness and vengeance…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
09 Jun 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: an eternal home in heaven, because He witnessed of Himself, cast off the works of darkness, eyes focused straight ahead, goodness grace and mercy of Christ, hard to understand but cannot be denied, he that hath seen me hath seen the Father, I am halfway home, I am the way the truth and the life, Jesus loves us, Jesus: the exact replica of the Father, my hands are on the plough, no man cometh unto the Father but by me, not looking back, Pharisees disputed His authority, put on the armour of light, Serve christ not our selfish desires, thank God, that's why He died on the cross for us, the breath of life, the day is at hand, the doctrine of the Trinity, the fires of hell, the lusts of the flesh, the night is far spent, the one and only Saviour, the place and eternal hope of the saved, the son of the one and only true living God, then it's too late, tired of living under the dark cloud od sin, to a glorious future with Jesus, Wednesday Wail
John 14:6. Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.
And we unto the hump now friends; that middling day called Wednesday! And once we get through or over it, we feel like we have the wherewithal to conquer the rest of the week. But we should not feel so inclined because it’s only the goodness, grace and mercy of Christ Jesus that can really get us through whatsoever temptations and trials we face during our lifetime.
Once we have Jesus in our corner, we have the ability to overcome any and everything that comes our way, because Jesus LOVES us and cares greatly for us, that’s why He died on the cross for us. So please let’s be wise and give our lives to Him completely, for He has ALL that we’ll ever need to succeed in this world, as well as the next!
Yes friends, by whatever name we choose to call Him, Jesus, Yahweh, Yeshua, the Conquering Lion of Judah, the Prince of Peace, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, or the name that’s above every other name, to which all knees shall bow and all tongues confess that He is Lord to the glory of the Father, He is still the ONE and ONLY Saviour of mankind, the ONLY ONE through whom we can access the Father and thus an eternal home in heaven, the place and eternal hope of the saved!
And I didn’t say that nuh, Jesus did, when the disciple Thomas questioned Him re knowing the way that He was going. ‘Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.’ (John 14:6) And until we fully understand that, and react positively to it, we will continue to be lost in the darkness of this evil and ungodly world.
Now the next bit of conversation between Jesus and His disciples is also interesting. He continued to Thomas: ‘If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth (will satisfy) us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, show us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself (on my own authority): but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.’ (John 14:7-10)
And no doubt, it was a difficult thing for the young disciples to understand, for Jesus was teaching them stuff contrary to the Jewish beliefs of the day, and they had only been with Him about three years. But we have had the words of Jesus for two thousand years, and yet many of us still refuse to acknowledge and believe that He is the Son of the ONE and ONLY True LIVING GOD!
Now listen to the scholars’ explanation re verse 9 above. ‘14:9. Seen me…seen the Father: There are no attributes of deity that the Son does not possess. This statement is most powerful. Everything that is true of God the Father is also true of the Son. The doctrine of the Trinity in the New Testament may be inscrutable (difficult to interpret or understand), but it is also inescapable (cannot be denied).’
So you see, once we know Jesus, we also know the Father, because He is the exact replica of the Father. That’s one of the reasons Christ came to earth, so that we could have a better and more intimate knowledge of the God we worshipped. And in like fashion, the Father desires to make us replicas of Jesus, as much as an imperfect created being can be. That clearly means, that a successful earthly life, and thus one that leads to the pearly gates of heaven, can only be built upon the stalwart and solid foundation that’s Jesus!
Oh my people, I wish I knew how to get through to us, to let us know that Jesus is truly ALL we need in this world. I can only give some testimony of my own and quote the scriptures, but so many of us still refuse to even acknowledge His existence much less believe in Him. And yuh know why? Because many of us, our deeds are evil, and we want them hidden in the darkness, but when we come to Jesus, all those evil deeds will be exposed.
For as Isaiah prophesied re the birth of the Prince of Peace. ‘The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.’ (Is. 9:2) And Jesus was the object of that prophecy, as He said to the hypocrite Pharisees: ‘I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ (John 8:12)
But obviously the Pharisees disputed His authority because He witnessed of Himself. And I just LOVE how Jesus could tie up the ole hypocrites an’ dem. They thought they could use words to justify their hypocrisy, but Jesus could better justify His position. As He answered them: ‘Though I bear record (witness) of myself, yet my record (witness) is true: for I know whence I came, and wither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go.’ (John 8:14)
Ah mih bredrin, we still live in a dark and evil world with much sin and evil hiding in that darkness, but the only hope we have of ever escaping that darkness into a world of light, containing much peace and LOVE and goodwill to men, is by accepting Jesus as our Lord and Saviour! Aren’t we tired of living under this dark cloud of sin and evil? I know I am. So please, please, let’s wake up and take Bruh Paul’s wise advice to the church at Rome: ‘The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.’ (Rom. 13:12)
Oh friends, the day of Christ’s return is drawing near, it’s time we prepare for it by throwing off the works of darkness and the lusts of the flesh, like drunkenness, sexual immorality, jealousy and riotous living, and instead take up the armour of light that’s Christ; serve Him, and not our own selfish desires! There’s a sense of urgency that we Christians ought to display at this breaking of the day! And for those of us who are truly trying to do that, let’s go home now declaring (steups!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in the Son of God!
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Now need I remind us that if we endure to the end, that the future will be even more glorious than we ask or imagine? Much LOVE!
…what will it take to get you to acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Saviour eh…when you’re in the fires of hell…then it’s too late…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
26 May 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a mighty conqueror, a smooth talker, after that ye had suffered a while, be sober be vigilante, called us unto his eternal glory, casting all your care upon him, he may exalt you in due time, he that hath clean hands and a pure heart, His blessings overtake us, humble yourselves therefore, I am halfway home, I'm so glad to be alive, in His incomparable universe, lifted up his soul unto vanity, make you perfect, much joy in heaven, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are fixed securely on the plough, not turning back, one true God, over one repentant sinner, parable of the prodigal son, retribution, seeing another day, spoon feeding us, stay alert and diligent, sworn deceitfully, thank God, the breath of life, the God of all grace, the great I AM, the incomparable gift, through God's mercy, to a glorious future with Jesus, to him be glory and dominion, unconditional LOVE, under the mighty hand of god, Wednesday Wail, who shall into the hill of the Lord ascend, who shall stand in his holy place
1 Peter 5:6. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.
And then it was Wednesday…another wonderful eye-opening day! (smile) Oh praise the Lord for His everlasting kindness, the incomparable gift of seeing another day in His incomparable universe! As the song says, ‘this is the day of grace,’ the day when His blessings overtake us and cause joy, peace and LOVE to rise up majestically and victoriously in our souls! Wow! No other supposed Deity even has the desire, much less the awesome power to do that for His followers.
Yes, friends, there is a true God, He is alive and looking down on mankind, His most wonderful creation with unconditional LOVE, and in Him we live, and we’ll survive, if we keep living in Him. His name is the Great I AM! But the crux of the matter, the answer to it all, is that we keep living in Him. If we do, we will be blessed and survive till eternity. However, if we don’t, we’ll be cursed and headed for destruction and eternal separation from Him forever.
Now, please believe me, eternal separation from the One and Only Living God is the worst thing that can happen to a body, soul, spirit or whatever you choose to call it. And how do we keep living in Him our whole lives? Peter gives us some examples in His epistle. ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.’ (1 Pet. 5:6-7)
Oh my people, those are the first two steps to living successfully with our God! Knowing that He cares for us, and humbly going to Him, so He can later on exalt us, because there’s nothing He dislikes like pride and arrogance! Then Peter continues: ‘Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.’ (1 Pet. 5:8)
Now the real test begins. We must realize that we have an enemy, who only wants to deceive and trip us up as we try to live for our God. But the truth is that he has no real power over us, unless we give it to him. That’s why we need to be sober and vigilant, for though he might not have any real power, he is indeed a smooth talker and great deceiver. You just have to consider how he talked Eve into eating of the forbidden fruit way back in the Garden of Eden. And his methods have not changed, possibly have become worse since our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ defeated Him at Calvary and rose from the dead, a mighty conqueror of hell, death and the grave!
So Peter wisely directs us, re the enemy: ‘Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in (experienced by) your brethren that are in the world.’ (1 Pet. 5:9) And that’s no lie friends! All of us who believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are tried and tested by the enemy in the hope that we will turn away from our God, and/or do things against His directives that will get us into His bad books. Therefore, it’s of the utmost importance that we stay alert and diligent in our life walk against the many temptations that the enemy will undoubtedly throw our way.
And when we do that, Peter promises: ‘But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish (confirm), strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.’ (1 Pet. 5:10-11). Oh my fellow saints in Christ, isn’t that an awesome promise! Once we stand strong against the enemy, survive his tests, our great God will eventually strengthen and settle us. And what’s amazing about the whole situation is that those same temptations that we endure and refute are the exact things that help build our fate in our God!
So it’s exactly as we spoke about yesterday. The first thing is to draw near to God, for He will never turn us away, regardless of what state we’re in. Hear these scriptures that attest to that fact nuh. In this first one, Moses tells Israel: ‘For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them (a God so near to them), as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for?’ (Deut. 4:7) And the answer is an emphatic ‘NONE!’ And Jeremiah declared it thus in his Lamentations: ‘Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not. O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.’ (Lam. 3:57-58)
Jesus, as always though, puts it best in the parable of the prodigal son. ‘And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.’ (Luke 15:20) Yes mih bredrin, our heavenly Father is always on the lookout for us, anxiously waiting for us to turn the corner, to come to our senses and know that with Him is our ONLY hope for a blessed, peaceful and LOVING life!
And you’ll notice that He doesn’t stand on any pomp or ceremony, He rushes forward to meet us, so great is His joy that we are coming back home to His safe and comfortable roost. He doesn’t even give us a chance to get in a word sideways, but orders a great celebration in our honour. He’s just so glad to see us come back home, not caring what we’ve done while we were gone. That could always be forgiven, though we might have to pay some retribution. (smile) Yeh friends, there are always consequences to our sins, thankfully though, through God’s mercy, not as much as we often deserve.
And I don’t know if you have realized that what I’m doing is taking us through the scriptures that we spoke of yesterday. I just couldn’t help spoon feeding us, (smile) because I know that most of us would be too busy to read those scriptures. And they do tie in nicely to Peter’s advice. Now hear this last scripture, that about hands and hearts being cleansed. Bruh David says it thus: ‘Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto to vanity (to an idol), nor sworn deceitfully.’ (Ps. 24:3-4)
So friends, you see what it takes to make it up to God’s holy hill – clean hands and a pure heart. That means we have work to do. And for those of us who are serious about doing it, let’s go home now declaring (yeahhh!) our Wednesday Wail, telling the world about our wonderful position in Christ Jesus.
Altogether now, in strong voice with sincere hearts. ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And I should not have to remind us, but I will anyway, (smile) that if we endure to the end, the future will be even more glorious than we can ever imagine! Much LOVE!
…for there is much joy in heaven…over even one repentant sinner…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
05 May 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a state of turmoil and uncertainty, at the foot of Christ's cross, be not afraid or dismayed, cast all our cares on god, desperation and anxiety, endure to the end, fear and confusion, I am halfway home, I'm so glad to be alive, in the waiting arms of God the Father, Jehoshaphat, keep your eyes steadfastly on Christ, LOVE, mid-week crisis, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, neither know we what to do, Nobody can possibly help me, not focusing on the past, not turning back, one place of safety, our eyes are pon thee, raise the level of our faith, standing achingly helpless, Stay with God, stumbling through confused days, thank God, the battle is the Lord's, the breath of life, the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit, the Lord has given me cause to rejoice, to a glorious future with Jesus, tossing through sleepless nights, we have no power, Wednesday Wail, wisdom of the ages
2 Chronicles 20:12b. …neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.
And then it was Wednesday; the mid-week relief moment, the time when we were just getting reaccustomed to the new work week. But that was then…now, Wednesday is the mid-week crisis moment, when we’re wondering how and if we are going to make it through the rest of the week. Life has changed so drastically and unexpectedly during the past year that everything is in a state of turmoil and uncertainty.
But yuh know what friends, in all the desperation and anxiety, fear and confusion, there is ONE place of safety for all of us, one place that has never, and will never change. That is at the foot of Christ’s cross, or in the waiting arms of our heavenly Father, or in the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit. It simply means that our great God is the definitive place we must turn to for refuge from anything, or anyone, that comes against us in this earthly life.
And these words from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin magnificently describe the process. The piece is titled: ‘Nobody Can Possibly Help Me.’ And as true believers in Christ, deep down we know that is not true, but it’s just when troubles keep coming relentlessly at us, we tend to lose the faith we need to carry us through the moment.
But listen to what Ms. Calkin writes: ‘How wonderful! You can shake hands with a king. His name is Jehoshaphat, and his story reads like a letter from someone who feels desperate – maybe like how you feel right now. You don’t know where to turn. Neither did he. Jehoshaphat had no forces to oppose the “great company” marching against him. Standing achingly helpless (as you are), what did he do? He literally threw himself on God. He prayed. “O our God, we have no power to face this vast army attacking us. We don’t know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.” (You’ll find the story in 2 Chronicles 20.)
Do you see yourself in the mirror of the story? Do you feel overpowered by a “great company” of temptations? Are you stumbling through confused days and tossing through sleepless nights? What is the answer? Stoic endurance? No. That brings only deeper despair. But you can pray Jehoshaphat’s prayer! His God is your God if your faith is in Jesus Christ. You can plead with God on the grounds of His great power, His promises, and His LOVE. And all the while you can keep your eyes steadfastly on Him. The result? As you trust, you will one day say as Jehoshaphat said, “The Lord has given me cause to rejoice.’
And that’s the gospel truth my fellow believers! In times of difficulty the Lord wants and expects us to cast all of our cares upon him, because He cares for us. Remember, Jesus unequivocally invited us in His Great invitation, to bring our burdens and woes to Him because He can take them from us and lighten our load. So, in spite of how things may seem, once we turn in all sincerity to God, our rocky road will gradually get smoother. As we raise the level of our faith in our Creator and Provider, we get better at handling the problems that we encounter in this earthly life.
So as the song says: ‘There’s life in Him…There’s Hope in Him…There’s a bright future in Him. So don’t give up now… don’t give in…hang in there until things get better.’ And they will eventually, if we do like Jehoshaphat did; that’s stay with God. And here is the Bible Promise for our story today, Jehoshaphat’s pleading prayer. ‘O Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen (nations)? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?
Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever? …O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.’ (2 Chr. 20:6-7, 12)
Ah friends, the same thing applies to us today: we need to keep our eyes steadfastly focused on God, for that’s where the answer to everything and every question in our lives lie. Like Peter, when he walked on water with Jesus, if we take our eyes off Him and focus on the circumstances and problems then we’ll begin to sink. And if the great king Jehoshaphat could call out to God in such fear and uncertainty, who are we to do differently eh? And yuh see how the situation ended?
Jehoshaphat and all his people of Judah fasted and prayed, then God sent them a message through Jahaziel: ‘Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s….Ye shall not need to fight in the battle: set (position) yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you.’ (2 Chr. 20:15, 17) And the next day the Israelites went out and didn’t lift a hand but ended up victorious, for our great God made the three armies that were coming against them to fight amongst each other and destroy themselves.
Oh my people, our God has not changed or become weak and immobile. He is still the omnipotent Creator and Provider, and He is telling us the same thing in these trying times: to not fear, leave your life in His powerful hands, just do what we are supposed to do, and He will protect us, because the battle is not ours but His. So let’s remember that in these turbulent times and stand strong and faithful. That’s all God is asking of us. He will do the rest!
Now for those of us who are sincerely trying to do just that, let’s go home declaring (steups!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. So as one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And just in case you’ve forgotten, (smile) if we endure to the very end, then that future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…in spite of what comes against you…stay with God…that’s wisdom for the ages…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
28 Apr 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a song of exaltation and praise, all his promises are faithful, ambassadors for Christ, circumstances should not run our lives, don't give up, end of sermon, everlasting kingdom of peace, for his mercy endureth for ever, give thanks and rejoice, glad to be alive, guided by the Holy Spirit, I am halfway home, I will exalt thee, I will praise thee, I'm not turning back, if we endure to the end, let's be joyful and celebrate, magnificent magnanimity, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are fixed securely on the plough, O Give thanks unto the Lord, panic mode, still flowing through me, thank God, the amazing benefit of living for Jesus, the breath of life, the Great tribulation, the help of Jesus, the joy of Jesus, the nations have been brought low, the peace and love of Jesus, the song of the redeemed, the story ends in our favour, the triumph of His judgement, the year of the variants, this is the day the Lord has made, thou art my God, to a glorious future with Jesus, we will rejoice and be glad in it, Wednesday Wail, words of awesome wisdom
Psalm 118:28. Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee.
Glory be, mih people! It’s another day in the life! That means our great God has something useful for us to perform this Wednesday of April 2021, the year of the variants! (smile) So let’s be joyful and celebrate that nuh, for many aren’t around to do it.
Yes friends, each and every day we’re alive, we ought to give thanks and rejoice, for as the psalmist so wisely said a long time ago: ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps. 118:24)
Words of awesome wisdom, that ought to make a significant impact in and on our lives as believers in Christ Jesus, for our circumstances are not supposed to run our lives, but the Word of God. So let’s be grateful we made the wake-up list and celebrate it and give thanks despite the negative things in our lives.
Remember the good thing about being a believer is that unlike the unbeliever, we have the awesome help of Jesus when things are not going our way; His peace, His LOVE, His joy, which is our strength. So, in these pandemic and uncertain times we need to stand up strong and show the world the amazing benefit of living for and with Jesus.
As He said, we can cast all our cares on Him, because He cares for us. But we have to truly believe that our lives are in God’s hands before our mountains can become like li’l molehills. So no matter what comes our way, we have life and hope and a bright future in living and working for Jesus, because He’ll never leave nor forsake us, because He sincerely promised that, and all His promises are faithful and reliable.
Oh my fellow believers, it’s of the utmost importance that as ambassadors for Christ, we stand up strong and steadfast and be good examples to the unbeliever, be the salt of the earth and the light of the world, like Jesus desires of us. For it’s only through us that others will see Him and the wonderful things He has to offer.
That’s why on this Wednesday, when everyone and everything around us seems to be in panic mode we can quite calmly and truthfully declare in the words of the psalmist: ‘Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee. O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.’ (Ps. 118:28-29)
What marvellous words of praise and thanksgiving, of encouragement and reassurance my brethren! It’s only when Christ is in our corner, that we can stand up strong to the storms and other negative things that come against us on this evil and sinful earth, and that deserves enormous praise and gratitude.
And the opening words of the song of the redeemed in Isaiah 25, puts it so wonderfully. ‘O Lord thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.’ (Is. 25:1)
And the scholars offer this marvellous explanation of this chapter, ‘25:1-12. Chapter 25 begins with a song of exaltation and praise to God for the triumph of His judgement of the world. The survivors of the Great Tribulation lift their voices in praise to God for His protection.
The cities of mankind have fallen into ruin and the nations of the earth have been brought low (i.e. humbled) before the mighty God who alone has been a refuge from the storm. The veil does not refer to the veil of the temple but to the covering of death that hangs over all nations. Yet God will swallow up death in victory (cf. 1 Cor. 15:54) and the Lord God will wipe away tears (Rev. 7:17). This act of His grace will then bring in the millennial kingdom.’
What more can we ask for eh my faithful believers? We know the end of the story: our God wins and then brings us into His everlasting kingdom of peace, LOVE, joy, and all the other good things available in His magnificent magnanimity!
So, if we know that the story ends in our favour, why the awful worries and anxieties eh? Just cast all your cares upon Him! Don’t give up! Don’t give in! In spite of how things may seem or appear, the only place we are truly safe is with God, through His most wonderful Son, Jesus Christ, as we are led and guided by His Holy Spirit! End of sermon mih bredrin! (smile)
And I do hope it makes some impact in all of our lives this Wednesday morning, and causes us to live a better life, be better ambassadors for Christ, than we might have been without it! But how can it not eh, when all it says is truth? (smile) So for those of us who are sincere in our desires to live for Christ, let’s go home now declaring (awright!) our Wednesday Wail, telling all and sundry about our most wonderful position in Christ Jesus.
As one strong and sincere voice now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And let’s not forget that if we endure to the end, that future will be even more glorious than our puny minds can ask or imagine. So please hang in there my friends, for Jesus will never leave or forsake us if we hold tightly to Him and His awesome ways! Much LOVE!
…O give thanks unto the Lord…for his mercy endureth for ever…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
03 Feb 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all about obedience, and through the rivers, as to the Lord, better late than never, do it heartily, do it heartily as unto the Lord, every tongue that rises against you, fear not, for I have redeemed thee, glorify your father in heaven, gotten soft flabby and weak, halfway home, hands fixed securely on the plough, I am the Lord thy God, I have called thee by name, I will be with thee, I will give men for thee, I'm not turning back, Let your light so shine before men, LOVE, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee, no weapon formed against you shall prosper, not unto men, obedience to god, obey in all things your masters, people for thy life, receive the reward of the inheritance, refuse to adhere to the rukes, singleness of heart, suffering economic and emotional loss, supposed Christians refusing to comply, talk the talk, thank God, the breath of life, the entitlement and easy living, the Great God Jehovah, the heritage of God's servants, the Holy One of Israel, the lockdown caused by the Corona virus, the opportune time, their righteousness is from me, they may see your good works, they shall not overflow thee, thou art mine, thou shalt condemn, thou shalt not be burned, thou wast precious in my sight, thy Saviour, to a glorious future with Jesus, walk the walk, we can handle whatever comes against us, Wednesday Wail, whatsoever ye do, when thou passest through the waters, when thou walkest through the fire, ye serve the Lord Christ
Colossians 3:23. And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
Welcome, welcome one and all to a bright new day in God’s great universe! In my part of the world it’s sunny but brrrr… cold. (smile) The snow is still frozen on the banks and yards and roof tops, and it doesn’t look like it intends to move for a while yet, but who cares eh?
We know that with the great God Jehovah on our side, we can handle anything that comes against us. So be it flood, fire, earthquake, famine, disease, like the pandemic that has us all wrapped up now, we know that with God’s awesome and divine help we will be fine, and it will all pass eventually.
Why? Because He’s promised that ‘No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me, saith the Lord.’ (Is. 54:17) Wow! What a powerful promise!
And hear this other one nuh, from Isaiah too. ‘But now thus saith the Lord that created thee , O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel. Fear not: for I have redeemed thee. I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned: neither shall the flame kindle upon (scorch) thee.
For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee (in thy place). Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable (honoured), and I have LOVED thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.’ (Is. 43:1-4)
Oh mih people, what marvellous promises from our Creator! The problem is do we believe them, and do we live like we believe them? And don’t tell me foolishness bout that is Old Testament scripture and don’t have any use today, because it’s in the New Testament that the Lord redeemed us through our Saviour Jesus Christ, His only Son, proving how much He LOVED us and wanted us to be able to spend eternity with Him. So, there are no excuses for not believing the Lord’s promises in His holy word!
But coming back to our earlier question about whether we believe the promises and live them out in our lives, I’d venture to say not as much as we ought to. Why? I guess our faith is just not strong enough, especially with the entitled, easy lives we’re accustomed to living in these hitherto prosperous times.
We’ve gotten soft and flabby and weak by the entitlement and easy living, lost what little backbone we had, and can’t handle hardship like our forefathers of even one generation ago. Just look at how so many of us are fumbling, bumbling and going under with the lockdown caused by the Corona virus.
Granted, many of us are suffering economic and emotional loss and that will surely cause concern, but plenty others are simply complaining and grumbling because they can’t go out and refuse to adhere to the few rules we have for keeping the virus in check. And it’s not like we don’t see the rebellious fools who take matters into their own hands dropping like flies.
But we so stupid and selfish that we still want to do it our way. Ah Lord eh. Even supposed Christians refusing to comply and holding physical church services as though the virus can’t harm them, when they seeing that it harming plenty others who behaving like them.
But what does the ole fella know eh friends? Apparently not a whole lot. (smile) I go out, when necessary, but I try and abide by the rules because I believe that the Lord will keep me safe if I abide by the rules. It’s all about obedience my people; obedience to God and to our earthly rulers, whom God has put in place over us. Obviously, we must put obedience to God first.
As Bruh Paul said to the Colossians: Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but with singleness of heart (sincerity), fearing God: And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.’ (Col. 3:22-24)
Yes friends, whatever we do, we must do it as though we’re doing it unto the Lord, for as believers, in the overall scheme of things, it is the Lord that we’re serving. That means always doing our best work, not only when our bosses are watching, for the Lord is always watching, and He will eventually reward us with the promise of salvation if we are obedient to His commands.
So what am I trying to say in this message eh? Simply that if we call ourselves believers in Christ, then we must believe and show ourselves thus. We can’t just talk the talk, but even more importantly we need to walk it, to be worthy examples to the unbelievers and the naysayers. Just like Jesus was a worthy example to us, we must be worthy examples for His purpose, which we claim to represent.
Therefore, we can’t be wishy-washy and disobedient and insincere and all those other things that the unbelievers display. Oh my brethren we spout a lot of scripture, like we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, please, please let’s show that it’s for real nuh and not just idle talk nuh!
That’s what Christ expects of those who claim to be His followers. And now is the opportune time for us to show how wonderful, powerful and LOVING He is! And we promise to do exactly that! Glory be! So let’s go home now declaring (awright!) our Wednesday Wail letting all and sundry know of our wonderful and enviable position in Christ Jesus. Wow!
Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And as we all know, if we endure sincerely until the end, that glorious future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine! So let’s staunchly hang in there nuh mih people! Much LOVE!
…let your light so shine before men…that they may see your good works…and glorify your Father in heaven… (Matt. 5:16)
P.S. Sorry it’s a tad late, but both the computer and I had issues that ate up some valuable time. (smile) But as always, better late than never! Much LOVE!
27 Jan 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a child of God, a double-minded man is unstable, a total lie, anger, ask of God, be strong fear not, be the salt and light of the world, born to manifest the Glory of God, children of the Most High God Jehovah, confirm the feeble knees, Corona and its cousins, doubt, endure to the end, even God with a recompense, expected to show strength, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith comes by hearing, faith conquers fear, fear, feel inadequate, halfway home, hands fixed securely on the plough, he will come and save you, hiding in fear and compromise, if any of you lack wisdom, in it for the long haul, intimidated by the virus, jump willy-nilly into the fire, let our own light shine, liberated from our fear, light conquers darkness, making light of the situation, making of naught all the promises of God, negative emotions, not turning back, nothing enlightened about shrinking, of no use, Our Deepest Fear, our presence liberates others, playing small doesn't serve the world, powerful beyond measure, refusing to adhere to the rules, say to them that are of a fearful heart, so glad to be alive, strengthen ye the weak hands, supposed bravado, thank God, that giveth to all men liberally, the breath of life, the hump day, the undefeatable tools of the believer, to a glorious future with Jesus, to show what Christ and Christianity are about, uncertainty, Wednesday Wail, wisdom conquers stupidity, without reproach, your God will come with vengeance
Isaiah 35:3. Strengthen ye the weak (sinking) hands, and confirm (make firm) the feeble knees.
And then Wednesday arrived, the much awaited hump day! Yeh, once we get over hump day we know we’re in the clear, off and running towards Friday and the weekend.
At least that’s how it used to be. But since Corona and its cousins took over there is no more really looking forward to Friday and the weekend, because for too many of us, everyday seems like Friday; no work, nowhere to go, etc. etc.
Therefore, there currently exists a lot of fear, doubt, anger, uncertainty and a whole lot of negative emotions in our society, making too many of us feel inadequate, unnecessary and of no use.
But friends that’s a total lie! We are the children of the Most High God Jehovah, so how can we be ever inadequate and unnecessary eh? No way!
And I just saw this poem on the wall of my young daughter’s old room, which admirably handles the situation. There is no title or author, but the expressive words say it all. Don’t remember if I have ever shared it before, but if so, it’s definitely worth another go round. (smile)
So please read with me: ‘Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are born to make manifest the Glory of God that is within us.
It’s not just in some of us, it’s in everyone, and as we let our own light shine, we consciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.’
And my people, I don’t think that there’s ever been a period in this generation that the children of God need to be more liberated than now! We are the ones who are supposed to show the way, to be the salt and light of the world! Believers in Christ are expected to lead the way when fear, anxiety, doubt and all those other negative emotions show up in abundance.
Remember what the poem says: ‘We are born to make manifest the Glory of God.’ And that’s the gospel truth! As ambassadors of Christ in this evil and fearful world, we are expected to show strength, to show others what Christ, what true Christianity is all about.
We’re not supposed to be hiding in fear and compromise, but standing strong so that the unbeliever can also gain strength from our resistance and composure. That’s what Christ expects of His followers!
But unfortunately, in these troubled times, I don’t think we have been doing enough of that. We have also been too intimidated by the virus and all that comes with it. Oh, we do need to take it seriously and do what we’re required to do to slow it down, but we don’t have to be fearful and exhibit that fear because then we’re making of naught all the promises of God.
What don’t we remember about, I will never leave nor forsake you? Do not fear, for I am with you wherever you go. What about: ‘Strengthen ye the weak (sinking) hands, and confirm (make firm) the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense, he will come and save you.’ (Is. 35:3-4)
That’s exactly what we believers ought to be doing in these troubled and dangerous times my brethren. But I don’t believe we’re doing it at a sufficiently high level, otherwise there wouldn’t be so much doubt and fear in our society. And sadly, there is also too much supposed bravado and foolishness from those who disregard the virus out of hand and keep doing what they ought not to do.
When you sit and think about it, mankind is indeed a different breed yes. Some of us are so afraid that we don’t know whether we’re coming or going, while a handful are being respectful and careful, and a whole bunch is making light of the situation and causing even more damage than necessary.
Even some believers are taking the situation to foolish lengths believing that since we’re God’s children nothing can harm us, and thus behaving like spoilt children, refusing to adhere to the rules, despite the sickness and death of many of their colleagues. Steups!
Oh friends, it’s wonderful to have faith, great faith, but that faith must be tempered with wisdom, great wisdom, else we become even more foolish than the unbelievers.
Why do you think James told us: ‘If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and unpbraideth not (without reproach), and it shall be given him.
But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering (not doubting). For he that wavereth (doubts) is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.’ (James 1:5-8)
Oh my people, just like faith comes by hearing and all of that, wisdom also comes by seeking it from the Lord…and being sensible about it. Not because He says He will protect us from the fire and storm means that we ‘re going to jump willy-nilly into the fire or the stormy sea.
All God’s promises need to be addressed with godly wisdom and common sense, two things that seem to be very sparse in our society right now. But we of this now generation have the ability, and are expected to build it up. It’s for this particular time that we were made, so let’s buckle down and do what the Lord expects of us nuh. We have all the parts to do it.
And so, with all that good inspiration under us, (smile) let’s go home declaring (yes!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus and inviting them to join us.
Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And I guess I need to remind us that we’re in it for the long haul, and if we endure to the end, the future will be even more glorious than we ask or imagine. And that’s the indisputable truth! Much LOVE!
…faith conquers fear…light conquers darkness…and wisdom conquers stupidity…the undefeatable tools of the believer…
20 Jan 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a choice slice of salvation, and beside me there is no God, anointed, be in cahoots with, bring America to its knees, calamity, Cyrus the Persian king, doing God's work, fear ye not, firecrackers, fireworks, flowing through me, forgiveness, from the rising of the sun, God is not the author of sin, grab hold of conviction, I am halfway home, I am the first, I am the last, I form the light and create darkness, I kill make alive, I make peace and create evil, I wound and I heal, I'm so glad to be alive, inauguration of the U.S. President, Jesus is our advocate, looking straight ahead, moral evil, my hands are fixed securely on the plough, neither be afraid, neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand, no pardon in heaven, not looking back, our own evil and selfish desires, parting of the Red Sea, physical evil, repentance, satisfy our whims and fancies, thank God, the breath of life, the day of their calamity is at hand, the Lord he is God, the Lord's will, the power to pardon, their foot shall slide in due time, there is no god with me, there is none else beside him, time longer than twine, to a glorious future with Jesus, to me belongeth vengeance, unfolding as it should, unpleasant consequences, Wednesday Wail, whtever best suits His ultimate purpose, ye are even my witnesses
Deuteronomy 32:39: See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with (beside) me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.
Well today’s the big day, the inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden! Wonder if there’ll be fireworks like a couple of weeks ago at the Capitol Building, or just some minor firecrackers pretending to be fireworks? (smile)
Let’s hope it will be the latter because this time the powers that be are ready for the assault, if there’s one, and it will have much more unpleasant consequences than the previous upheaval.
Be assured of one thing though, the Lord’s will is unfolding as it ought to in His universe. He will allow whatever best suits His ultimate purpose. And there’s nothing anyone can do to stop it.
As I’ve been saying ever since, the Lord allowed Trump to be President so He could bring a disobedient and ungodly America to its knees, and Donald has definitely done a marvellous job at that. It’s just left to be seen now, if the Lord is satisfied, or He wants America to bow even further.
And it’s sad to see so many supposedly godly people involved in the Trump shenanigans over the last four years. It was also surprising to see the rioters a couple weeks ago claiming that they were doing God’s work by breaking into and ransacking the Capitol Building. Hn! How often we claim to be doing God’s work when it’s our own evil and selfish desires we’re perpetrating eh.
I see now too that a whole lotta them want to fire Franklin Graham, Billy’s Son, because he appeared to be in cahoots with Donald. But remember friends, God sees all, and knows all, and time longer than twine, so the consequences for our wrongdoing might not come right away, but come they will.
As the Lord said long, long ago: ‘To me belongeth vengeance, and recompense; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.’ (Deut. 32:35) In the meantime we had better grab hold of conviction, repentance, forgiveness, and a choice slice of salvation. (smile)
I don’t know why we insist on doubting that the Lord God Jehovah is the One and Only True, Living God nuh, He’s said it so often in His indisputable word. Let’s get a few examples nuh.
This first one comes when Moses warned the people of Israel against idolatry as they came out of bondage in Egypt. ‘Unto thee it was showed, that thou mightiest know that the Lord he is God; there is none else beside him.’ (Deut. 4:35) And they had seen firsthand the mighty works of God, especially the parting of the Red Sea for them to get away from the Egyptian army.
Then Moses in his departure song, declared (yeah!) unto them. ‘See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with (beside) me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.’ (Deut. 32:39)
That’s so plain and straightforward my people! There is NO God beside Yahweh! The false gods are impotent. Only Jehovah can kill and make alive, can wound and heal! And even though He sometimes uses our enemies to bring us down, those same enemies will eventually reap their just reward through His ultimate vengeance.
But hundreds of years later, the prophet Isaiah still had to turn around and warn the Israelites: ‘Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.
And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me (who can proclaim it, then let him declare it), since I appointed the ancient people and the things that are coming, and shall come, let them show unto them.
Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God (Rock); I know not any.’ (Is. 44:6-8)
Mamacita! If that isn’t telling it like it is, then I don’t know what is nuh! Oh friends, even Cyrus, the Persian king who was so powerful, owed his power and conquests to God. He was even called ‘anointed’ (Is. 45:1) the only place in scripture where a Gentile is so designated.
And later on He says to Cyrus, through Isaiah: ‘I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me. That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west (to its setting), that there is none beside me. I am the Lord, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil (calamity): I the Lord do all these things.’ (Is. 55:5-7)
Let’s get one thing straight though, as the scholars explain: ‘The phrase I…create evil refers to physical evil or calamity rather than moral evil. God is no way pictured in Scripture as the author of sin.’ In fact friends, sin is His biggest nemesis! He hates it with a passion!
Please my brethren, let us realize nuh that our God is wonderful; LOVING, gracious merciful, forgiving and all those good things, but He is also holy, righteous and a just judge, which means He can’t allow sin to just proliferate with no consequences.
He had the power to just pardon all sin with a wave of His hand, (like Trump seems to think he can do (smile) but that would not have satisfied the justice of His judge-like character. He has to balance both sides of His character. So to make it all not only right, but seen as right, He sacrificed His Son to pay for the sins of the whole world, thereby satisfying both aspects of His character.
So He is not just a doting grandfather sitting in heaven just to satisfy our whims and fancies, He also has a righteous job as a judge to perform. That means, just like we pay for our wrongs here on earth against our society, we will eventually have to pay for those against God, if we have not received His Son, Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, and thus have those wrongs forgiven in the court of heaven.
It is therefore necessary for each individual to make their own peace with God. No one else can do it for you. Now, for those of us who have already done that, let’s go home declaring (awright!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know of our very enviable position in Christ.
Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And we need to remember that if we endure until the very end, that the future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…pardon will only be granted in heaven…if Jesus is our advocate…
23 Dec 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adversity, anger, another blessed day, bow before him, celebrate the incarnate birth of Christ, disunity, fights tooth and nail, from the words of my roaring, halfway home, hands fixed securely on the plough, hate, he is governor among the nations, I'm not turning back, is democracy dead, lockdown on Boxing day, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my god why hast thou forsaken me, none can keep alive his soul, our fathers trusted in thee, resentment, Satan believes in God, sense of division, sense of sanity, shall eat and worship, so far from helping me, strife, sufferation, thank God, the breath of life, the kingdom is the Lord's, the LOVE of God, the meek shall eat and be satisfied, the spying war, they that be fat upon the earth, they that go down to the dust, thou didst deliver them, to a glorious future with Jesus, to draw breath in god's great universe, to love that is the answer, trusting in the Lord God of our forefathers, Wednesday Wail, your heart shall live for ever
Psalm 22:28. For the kingdom is the Lord’s: and he is the governor among the nations.
So then it was Wednesday – another blessed day for us to draw breath in God’s great universe and give much thanks for the pleasure, just two days before the wonderful day of Christmas, when we celebrate the awesome, incarnate birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! And in general, that’s wonderful, but our world, instead of getting better, seems to be getting worse. Like they have discovered some new variant of the Covid-19 virus in Britain, that’s going to cause further problems.
Meanwhile, some foreign government has hacked into the computers of numerous government and security institutions in the U.S. of A, thus further opening the spying war. And still in the U.S. A, the what you call it of a President, on his shameful way out, hasn’t said a word about that, but has pardoned some 20 crooks, several of whom were his associates, and is hemming and hawing to sign a bill giving millions of starving and suffering Americans some money to ease their ‘sufferation.’ Is democracy dead or what? If it ever was alive?
And then back here in good ole Ontario, our government has decided to go with a bigger lockdown on Boxing Day, while our Covid-19 numbers remain over two thousand every day. Hn! Now that’s food for thought! Why wait till then eh? That’s what the medical people are asking. But can you imagine the hullabaloo if we were locked down earlier this week, just before Christmas?
I wouldn’t want to be in the Premier’s shoes cause he would be getting it from both sides simultaneously; the merchants who wouldn’t be allowed to make a quick Christmas penny, and the citizens who wouldn’t be allowed to finish their Christmas shopping, as difficult as it already is. So the Premier took the easiest of the three routes possible; it’s much easier to handle the medical personnel than the citizenry and the merchants. (smile) At least that’s my rational for the whole business.
Ah mih people, what’s happening in our world eh? Is there no sense of sanity, of togetherness, of coming together? Is there only a sense of division, disunity, hate, anger and strife amongst us? Our world has never been a real peaceful and unified place, but I don’t know if it’s ever been this divided, disjointed and adversarial before, with everybody up in arms about something or the other. Nobody seems satisfied with their lot, be it their fault or not, with all the chickens finally coming home to roost! (smile)
And this Christmas season is certainly not going to be a merry and jolly one for way too many people because of all the adversity and resentment that’s hovering over and between us. And what’s the answer to it all you ask? Well the only solution I can offer is that we cry out and turn back to the God of our forefathers, like Bruh David did in Psalm 22 – A cry of anguish and a song of praise. Nothing else seems to be working, so what have we got to lose eh? Nothing really. And we have a whole lot to gain, because the Lord has faithfully promised to heal our land and forgive us if we stop being disobedient and return to His fold.
Friends, it’s time for us to sincerely cry out: ‘My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring (groaning)’ (Ps. 22:1) Now that’s a good start my brethren, but the truth of the matter is not that God is far from us, but we have drifted away from Him. He’s as near to us, as He always is, it’s just that we don’t pay Him much attention or call on Him often enough.
Here’s how Bruh David puts it a few verses later nuh. ‘Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded (ashamed).’ (Ps. 22: 4-5) Now doesn’t that tell us something my fellow saints in Christ? It ought to. It ought to tell us that trusting in the Lord God of our forefathers is the sensible thing to do, because when they trusted and cried out to Him, He delivered them, and they were not ashamed or confounded like we currently are!
But no, too many of us feel that we have reached this pinnacle of evolution, enlightenment, or whatever you choose to call it, on and in our own strength. And that’s the biggest falsehood we can ever propagate! Why? Because Bruh David firmly and truly proclaims otherwise: ‘For the kingdom is the Lord’s: and he is the governor among the nations.’ (Ps. 22:28) Now friends, that’s the indisputable truth, and until mankind learns to believe and accept that li’l matter of fact, we’ll certainly be in for a rough ride.
And Bruh David gives good reason for His proclamation. ‘The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live forever. All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee… All they that be fat (prosper) upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust (death) shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul (keep himself alive).’ (Ps. 22:26-27;29)
That says it all friends; we are not the masters of our own lives, it’s all in the hands of Almighty God, our Maker and Provider and Protector! None of us can extend our lives beyond the time that He has set, and the very breath we breathe is His, so why are we being so foolish, obstinately refusing to come to and follow Him eh?
And as somebody said, even Satan believes in God and all that He supports. Why do you think the evil one fights tooth and nail to keep the earth in such turmoil eh? Friends, no one knows better than the ex-archangel Lucifer the might and power and goodness and mercy and LOVE of God! So if, evil as he is, he can acknowledge it, why can’t we eh?
Oh my people, the only way our world will ever get better is if we unite under the banner of Christ; fight the good fight of the LOVE Revolution, and steadfastly resist the evil doings of the demonic devil! Now for those of us who are sincerely trying to do that, let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus!
Altogether now. ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And let’s remember that if we endure to the end, that the future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine. Much LOVE!
…to LOVE…to LOVE…and yet to LOVE…that is the answer…
Previous Older Entries Next Newer Entries
SCRIP-BITS 