30 Nov 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bunch of foolish sinners, a God of surprises, a mighty big man, a Red-Letter day, abide in me and I in you, all alone, arrogant, authority even over the sabbath, be not afraid, be of good cheer, believe we can do it all ourselves, build on life's sinking sand, deep down, demonstrates Jesus' healing power, despite all the evidence, do a lot on my own, do you want to get well, don'r realize how desperately we need Jesus, don't even know my way back home, down on my knees, except it abide in the vine, except ye abide in me, faith, fellowship, Gaither Homecoming Festival, glory to God, gospel truth, hell bound world, holy spirit, I am the vine, I can't even walk, I could be what I wanted to be, I learned how to stand, I'd be less of a man, if I didn't trust Jesus, if I'm in trouble, Jessy Dixon, Jesus Christ, Jesus walking on water, Jesus' heart was filled with compassion, Joyce and Colbert Croft, lost without you, LOVE, make it big in this world, make Jesus my all and all, mercy, no more can ye, number one would surely be me, o thou of little faith, on that powerful name I'll call, our faith is not strong enough, Peter walked on the water, raise our faith, refreshed in heart body and soul, renewed, responded to Jesus' command with faith, sacrifices of praise, salvation, self-centred, take up thy bed and walk, teaching me that through you word, Thank you Father, that Satan desires us to wallow in, the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, the Lord's Day, the mountain is too high, the paralyzed man at the pool in Bethesda, the Sabbath, the same bringeth forth much fruit, the true vine, the valley is too wide, thought of myself, took up his bed and walked, truth, unless you lead me, wallowing in the mire, we still doubt the power of Jesus, why did you doubt, wisdom, without Christ we can do nothing, without me you can do nothing, without you holding my hand, you are the branches
John 15:5b. for without me ye can do nothing.
Come on down to the Lord’s sanctuary my people, for it’s Sunday, the Lord’s Day, and though the snow is an inconvenience, we must celebrate it with fellowship and worship, so that we can be renewed and refreshed in heart, body and soul, and thus be enabled to face another week of work and whatever else comes against us in our crazy, hell bound world.
And as always, to help us celebrate, we have a wonderful song filled with lots of truth, one written by Colbert and Joyce Croft, aptly titled, I can’t even walk without You holding my hand. And we’ll offer up our sweet sacrifices of praise in a soulful, heartfelt version, as that done by the African American Gospel singer, Jessy Dixon at the Gaither Homecoming Festival some years ago.
So, let’s sing: ‘I thought, that number one, would surely be me. I thought I could be what I wanted to be. I thought I could build on life’s sinking sand. But now I can’t even walk, without you holding my hand. – I thought that I, could do a lot on my own, I thought, I could make it in this big world, all alone. I thought, thought of myself as a mighty, mighty, mighty big man, But Lord I can’t even walk, without you holding my hand. –
Oh Lord, I can’t even walk, without you holding my hand, For the mountain, is too high, and the valley, is too wide, It’s down on my knees, that’s where I learned how to stand, Because I can’t even walk, without you holding my hand. I can’t even walk, without you holding my hand. Glory to God! And I think I’ll make Jesus my all and all. And if I’m in trouble, on that powerful name, I’ll call. And if I didn’t trust Him, I’d be less of a man ‘Cause Lord I can’t even walk without you holding my hand.
Ohh Lord, I can’t even walk, without you holding my hand, For the mountain is too high, and the valley is too wide, It’s down on my knees, I learned how to stand, I learned how to pray, Because Lord, I can’t even walk, without you holding my hand. I can’t even walk, without you holding my hand. Lord, I’m lost without you. I don’t even know my way back home Lord unless you lead me. Yes my Saviour, I can’t even walk without you holding my hand. Thank you for teaching me that through your Word…I can’t even walk without, without holding your hand…Yes Lord, I can’t even walk without you holding my hand…’
And it’s all the gospel truth my brethren…we can’t even walk without Jesus holding our hands! And I believe this is a very appropriate song for so many of us who are arrogant and self-centered enough to believe we can do it all ourselves, with no help from anyone, especially from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. And we either don’t know or believe what He said when He spoke about the true vine.
So listen up and attain some wisdom when Jesus declares: ‘Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:4-5)
Oh my people, what a rather poignant, definitive and oh so true statement! Without Christ we can do nothing! For whatever we do, it’s He who allows us to do it, for He is our Creator, Controller, Potter and Master! And until many more of us realize that awesome truth, we will keep wallowing in the mire that Satan desires us to wallow in. So many of us think of ourselves as mighty, mighty big men, but in reality, we’re nothing but a bunch of foolish sinners who don’t realize how desperately we need Jesus.
That reminds us of the paralyzed man at the pool in Bethesda, who had been lying there for 38 years, because he had no one to help him get into the pool the one time a year an angel came and stirred up the water, and whosoever got into it first was then healed of their illness. When Jesus saw him, knowing how long he had lain there, even before Jesus was born, His heart was filled with compassion, and He asked him: ‘Wilt thou be made whole (do you want to get well)?’ (John 5:6)
Then the man told him about his difficulty in getting into the pool first. Jesus then said to him: ‘Rise, take up thy bed and walk. And immediately the man was made whole (well), and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.’ (John 5:8-9) Now, that’s the way many of us are, in dire need of help, yet we refuse to turn to Jesus, the One who can, wants to, and will help us if we cry out to Him for succour! And as this commentary explains: ‘This event is a significant miracle in the New Testament that demonstrates Jesus’s healing power and his authority, even over the Sabbath.’
That’s the difference between us and Peter, highlighted by the time Jesus came walking on the water to the disciples in their boat. At first they cried out in fear, believing it was a ghost, but Jesus quickly reassured them, saying, ‘Be of good cheer (take courage); it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he (Jesus) said Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.’ (Matt. 14:27-29)
And why was that possible? Because Peter responded to Jesus’ command with faith. He believed that if Jesus called him to do something, he could do it. However, his faith was not strong enough to withstand the strong winds and he became afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out to Jesus to save him. ‘And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?’ (Matt. 14:31)
And that’s the basic problem with so many of us supposed believers today; our faith is not strong enough to withstand the strong winds and waves that occasionally batter us, because deep down, despite all the evidence to the contrary, we still doubt the strength, power and resolve of Jesus. Anyway friends, I implore us to make this last Sunday in November 2025 a red-letter day by promising ourselves and each other to raise our faith to substantial levels, because that’s the only way we will ever achieve godly success in this evil world that’s getting worse every day! Much LOVE!
…remember…that it’s down our knees praying…that we learn how to stand…how to stand strong…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
17 Jan 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, all the days of my life, beauty, blessings, Christ is beautiful, Christ is invited, complain abut the weather, constant attention, delightfulness, do His will, do our best, dr robert h schuller, dwell in the house of the Lord, earthly fathers, filling the world with beauty, forgiveness, glad to be alive, glory hallelujah, grace, halfway home, hands on the plough, heartfelt desire, Hour of Power Devotional, I desired of the Lord, I had fainted, I will seek after, imbued with Christ, in Jesus' name, inquire in his temple, intimacy with god, LOVE, loving-kindness, my life beautiful, not looking back, of children, of christ, old people, one thing, righteous believers, righteous fellowship, sinners, stay on their good side, surrendered, take time to know God, Thank you Father, the beauty of love, the breath of life, the clay, the goodness of the Lord, the Holy Spirit, the land of the living, the potter, the righteousness of Christ, tme is of the essence, to behold the beauty of the Lord, Tobago, transforms us, trusted the Lord, Wednesday Wail, wisdom
Psalm 27:4. One thing have I desired of the Lord, that I will seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty (delightfulness) of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.
Ah mih people, a friend who reads the Bit told me yesterday that everyday I complain about the weather. Well, today, I’m just going to say that it’s sunny and cold. (smile) And oh… that it’s better in Tobago. It certainly is!
Now let’s move on to something more worthwhile than the weather. It’s a poem titled ‘Beauty’ by Gramps Schuler (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) from His hour of Power Devotional. I’m sure I’ve shared it before, but as they say, when it’s nice you’ve got to share it at least thrice. (smile)
Please pray with me. ‘Thank you, Father, for filling the world with beauty. I thank you for the beauty of life, the beauty of LOVE, the beauty of children, and the beauty of old people. I thank you for the beauty of Christ and for the beauty of any life where Christ is invited through the Holy Spirit. Thank you, Father, that you have made my life beautiful too. Amen.’
Isn’t that special friends? It surely is! And you young people will notice that there’s also beauty in old people. (smile) When we’re imbued with Christ and the Holy Spirit, we can see beauty in almost any and everything! That’s because Christ Himself is beautiful and He opens our eyes to the beauty of the things around us.
If we don’t have Christ in us, then our eyes are clouded and nothing looks beautiful. And how does this all happen eh? The Daily Bread tells us that ‘The Holy Spirit transforms us through His LOVE and by His grace.’ What powerful tools my people; LOVE and grace, through which despicable sinners like you and me can be transformed into righteous believers, to be called the righteousness of Christ!
And all God’s children declared a loud and grateful: ‘Thank You heavenly Father for filling us with your grace and LOVE and bringing us into righteous fellowship with You, through Your Son Jesus Christ. We LOVE and adore You and will continue to do our best to live the way You want us to. In Jesus name we pray. Amen!’
That brings us to the heartfelt desire of Bruh David in our Bit. ‘One thing have I desired of the Lord, that I will seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty (delightfulness) of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.’
Oh friends, when we take time to really know our God, we’ll find that He is truly delightful. But we can only discover that wonderful aspect of His character by taking time to spend with Him and getting to know Him intimately. Many of us claim we know God, but as soon as something negative happens and He doesn’t fix it immediately, we turn on Him.
But we have to remember that God is the potter and we are the clay, and we have to abide by His decisions, be they convenient and/or comfortable for us. And when we abide by His decisions, without a whole lot of complaining, however they may affect us, that’s when we come into true intimacy with Him and He shows us His true delightful self by blessing us with His LOVE and mercy.
It’s just like being with our earthly fathers. Unless we spend sufficient time with them, (pay attention children) we won’t know their true ways. But when we do, and learn their likes and dislikes, and generally stay on their good side, we see the delightfulness of our fathers and are usually showered with LOVE and blessings. Our God is no different; He wants our constant attention and expects us to do His will.
What did Bruh David say in our Bit? ‘…that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life…’ Oh my brethren, do we feel that way; like we want to dwell with the Lord for our entire lives? If we’ve truly surrendered our lives to Him, then we ought to.
And if we haven’t surrendered our lives to Him, then we ought to right now, today, because time is of the essence; Jesus is coming back soon, and once He returns there will be no more chance for surrender.
And we all know that although Bruh David wasn’t perfect, made mistakes for which he paid dearly, he faithfully trusted the Lord in all aspects of his life, and was quick to ask for forgiveness, thus the Lord’s LOVING-kindness towards him. We can have the same kind of life friends, if we do our best to walk in step with God.
Hear how Bruh David ends Psalm 27. ‘I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.’ (Ps.27:13-14)
Words of everlasting wisdom my people! Words that we ought to follow in our own lives, if we sincerely want to experience the goodness of God. Nuff said!
Now let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know of our wonderful relationship with the Lord. In all sincerity and truth 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 all know that it will be indeed a glorious future, so let’s do our best to encourage others to join us in looking forward to it nuh. Much LOVE!
…the more time we spend with God…the more intimate we’ll get with Him…
22 Feb 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a covenant, a matter of faith, alone, Amalekites, an ever-faithful God, anger, awesome works of God, black cloud, brotherly LOVE, but David encouraged himself in the Lord, disaster, disloyal, dismal day, dr robert h schuller, encouraged, evil, faith, fallen apart, fear not, few and far between, fixed straight ahead, foggy day, given up, glory hallelujah, gnash teeth, golden sunshine, groan, halfway home, hateful world, I'm not looking back, Jonathan, LOVE, loyal followers, medications, moan, my hands are on the plough, negative situations, no avenue of escape, precious people, raised my spirits, resentment, rough times, Saul, selfish, sincere belief, strenthened his hand in God, surprises, Thank you Father, the best laid plans of mice and men., the breath of life, the Creator of the universe, the Good Book, the hand of Saul, the most powerful Being, the needs of my body, the power of God's love, this new me, to a glorious future with Jesus, trials, tribulations, trustworthy, unbreakable relationship, untrustworthy, uplifting, walk this earth, war mongering world, Wednesday Wail, wicked, Ziklag
1 Samuel 30:6b. …but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.
Ah mih people, I don’t know what to say nuh, except that the best laid plans of mice and men usually go astray. (smile) My schedule yesterday was unexpectedly busier than I foresaw, and consequently I fell behind in accomplishing all that I wanted to.
But even then, I never expected to rise this late, because I had gotten some sleep in between. It just goes to show that I’m still not accustomed to this new me, what with all the different medications I’m taking, and I can’t judge the needs of my body correctly. Apparently I’m not as strong as I seem to think I am. Ah Lord eh!
But nonetheless, we’re here now and motoring on. And we’ll do so with a positive, uplifting prayer from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional. Many of us have prayed it before, but it’s ever so appropriate for the foggy day that’s happening in my area.
Please pray with me. ‘Thank you, Father, for the beautiful surprises you are planning for me today. So often in my life, when it looked like the day would be dismal, depressing and dark, an unexpected burst of golden sunshine exploded through a black cloud sending inspiring shafts of warm, beautiful sunshine into my life.
Father, it is happening now! I can already feel the power of your LOVE, through Christ my Lord. Amen!’
Ah friends, I’m certainly feeling the power of God’s LOVE now! I certainly hope that you are too. And I’m not joking. Just typing that prayer raised my spirits a whole lot. And my people, do we ever need stuff to positively raise our spirits in this selfish, evil, wicked and war-mongering world!
Consider Bruh David nuh, when his previously loyal people wanted to stone him, after they discovered that the Amalekites had burned their city of Ziklag and carried away all their families and goods captive.
He was alone. No one sat with him. No one seemed concerned that he had lost his family too. How was he going to proceed? How was he going to prevent the imminent disaster that stared him straight in the face eh?
But before we answer that, let’s ask ourselves, how would we have handled that situation, and how do we handle similar situations in our lives; the ones where we seem to have no avenue of escape, and it all depends on us?
I sincerely hope that we do like Bruh David did in our Bit: ‘ …but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.’
Yes my brethren, that’s the first reaction to all our troubles! Or at least it should be the first one. And it’s all a matter of faith, of true and sincere belief my friends!
But unfortunately, before we can get to that state of maturity, before we can develop such strong faith we have to undergo many trials and tribulation, because it’s only those negative situations that build our faith.
Most likely, if Bruh David had not been dealing with the Lord on a personal basis for a long time and remembered his awesome works in his life, he would have fallen apart, even perhaps given up. But that strong trust in the God of his forefathers caused him not to fall over and be consumed by the anger and resentment of his hitherto loyal followers.
And I contend again friends, that in this disloyal, untrustworthy and hateful world, we need that kind of strong, trustworthy, unbreakable relationship with our heavenly Father, if we want to successfully walk this earth.
And many of us have it, but when the rough times come, we simply forget about all the other times when the Lord bailed us out of trouble, and instead we moan and groan and gnash our teeth, wondering how we’re going to get out.
My precious people of God, please remember we serve an ever-faithful God, and if He bailed us out before, there’s no reason He won’t bail us out again. And furthermore, if He’s the Creator of the universe, the most powerful Being therein, then whom else better to turn to in times of trouble eh? NOBODY!
Now listen to this uplifting story of strengthening and brotherly LOVE. On one of the many times Bruh David was out in the wilderness hiding from Saul, the Good Book tells us: ‘And Jonathan, Saul’s son arose, and went to David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God (encouraged him).
And he said unto him, Fear not: for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next to thee; and that also Saul my father knoweth. And the two made a covenant before the Lord: and David abode in the wood, and Jonathan went to his house.’ (1 Sam.23:16-18)
Ah mih breddren, those are the kinds of relationships we should ideally have, but sadly, they are very few and far between, thus the necessity of turning to almighty God, FIRST and FOREMOST! If He wants us to turn to people, then He will direct our steps in that direction.
And since it’s Wednesday, let’s end by wailing our Wednesday Wail in all truth and sincerity. All together 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!’
Much LOVE my precious people of God!
…remember…FIRST God…then man…
22 Mar 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abused, acts of obedience, anger, become more like Jesus, born of God, Bruh Paul, Christ's redeeming presence, Christian, Cousin Sol, Creator of the universe, dynamism, encouraging, endures all things, family gatherings, fellowship of believers, fomented, friends, God demonstrates His love for us, God is LOVE, godly love, hatred stirs up strife, hopes all things, in spirit and in truth, inspirational, love believes all things, Love covers all sins, Love doesn't envy, Love doesnt boast, Love God, love is an action word, Love is kind, love is not selfish, LOVE is of God, love is the panacea for all ills, Love isn't arrogant, love isn't easily provoked, love isn't rude, Love never fails, love reigns, Love suffers long, love thinks no evil, manifest deep affection, misunderstandings, motivation, negative emotions, overused, panacea, praise, prayer, Proverbs, quiet reflection, raise our voices to heaven, redeem, redemption, resnetment, rest, reverence, rumours of war, song, step up to the plate, strife, Sunday, Thank you Father, the epitome of love, the Good Book, the Lord's Day, the shed blood of Jesus, time for peace, traits of love, trust in Christ, truth, uplifting, wars, while we were yet sinners christ died for us, wisdom, worship, worshipping Almighty God
Proverbs 10:12. Hatred stirreth up strifes: but LOVE covereth all sins.
Well Friends, the earth has turned on its axis seven times, that means it’s Sunday once again; the Lord’s Day, a time for peace and quiet, reflection, rest, family gatherings and fellowship of believers!
So please, let’s try and get some of that good and godly stuff into our lives today nuh, especially the church going that brings together fellow believers to sing, praise and worship the Creator of the universe and all therein. For there’s nothing as moving, as inspirational, as encouraging and uplifting as a group of believers giving thanks and praise and worshipping Almighty God in spirit and in truth!
It is what our souls and spirits thrive on Friends. That’s why it is necessary for us to congregate at least once a week and raise our voices, our hearts, heads and eyes to heaven and let the Father know that we still admire, revere and LOVE Him.
Yes Friends, if we LOVE our God, then we need to let Him know, show Him, through prayer, song, worship and acts of obedience to His will. And that last part is of the utmost importance my people, because too many of us simply talk LOVE but never show it, and as I keep reminding us, LOVE is an ACTION word!
And the Lord proved this to us so famously, as Bruh Paul tells the church at Rome: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrates) His LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom.5:8)
Oh Friends, that’s the epitome of LOVE! How many of us will do that sort of thing in real life eh? Not too many. We all want to see someone else step up to the plate, to show their hand, before we do. But our omnipotent God was sure of whom He was, and confidently set the plans in motion to redeem us, even before we knew that we needed redemption.
Wow! And all God’s redeemed children gave out a loud and appreciative: ‘Thank You Father! Thank You for redeeming us through the shed blood of Jesus, our Lord and Saviour! We LOVE You, though we don’t always show it. Please help us to become more like Jesus, so that we can manifest the deep affection and reverence we have for You; manifest it not only in words, but even more in action. This we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen’
Oh my people, LOVE is truly the panacea for all ills!
Listen to how Cousin Sol puts it in in our Bit from Proverbs. ‘Hatred stirreth up strifes: but LOVE covereth all sins.’ And isn’t that indisputable, gospel truth, as we all can attest to from our personal lives!
Where negative emotions rule the day, strife is easily fomented. But where true LOVE reigns…. Oh Friends, strife indeed has a difficult time showing its ugly face.
Hear how Bruh Paul characterizes that in the LOVE Chapter of the Good Book. ‘Charity (LOVE) suffereth long, and is kind; charity (LOVE) envieth not; charity (LOVE) vaunteth not (does not brag on) itself, is not puffed up (arrogant). Doth not behave itself unseemly (rudely), seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil (keeps no account of evil); Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity (LOVE) NEVER FAILETH…’ (1 Cor.13:4-8a)
And that last highlighted line my brethren, brings it all together – LOVE NEVER FAILS! No matter what the situation, once sincere LOVE is involved, it will be successfully rectified, or at least rectified without a whole lot of strife, anger, hatred and resentment. And unfortunately, our world today is very lacking in true LOVE, that’s why there is so much hatred and resentment, wars and rumours of wars.
And all of that despite the fact that we use the word so often, more often than it’s ever been used before. The problem though is that we use it carelessly, without fully considering or understanding its true and beautiful meaning.
Sadly, the word LOVE has fallen into the group of words like ‘nice’ which have been overused and abused, and now don’t convey any real dynamism, just a simple, generalized understanding, which often lead to misunderstandings. (smile)
And John, in his first epistle, puts it as clearly as it can be put. ‘BELOVED, let us LOVE one another: for LOVE is of God; and every one that LOVETH is born of God. He that LOVETH not knoweth not God; for God is LOVE.’ (1 John 4:7-8)
Now Friends, as the scholars’ so rightly tell us: ‘4:7. In context, John is not saying that everyone who LOVES is somehow a Christian, whether they trust in Christ or not. He makes it clear elsewhere that true knowledge of God entails right belief about Christ, as well as right response to God, including LOVE for others. Mere human LOVE apart from Christ’s redeeming presence and motivation falls short of LOVE in its fullest dimension as a human response to God’s perfect and infinite compassion (cf.1 Cor.13).’
And we have already seen above, the true traits of LOVE in that reference. So Friends, it’s obvious that as believers we can’t use the world’s understanding of LOVE to be our umbrella, but rather God’s definition, which obviously includes acceptance of Christ and His redemptive qualities.
Therefore my people, as we go out today, to church or even at home with our friends and families, please allow that godly kind of caring and affection to show forth in our words and actions, because if we aren’t showing godly LOVE, then we are not true believers in God.
My Friends, the logic’s simple, but the wisdom is indeed heavenly! Much LOVE!
…to know, know, know Him…is to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE HIM…
09 Mar 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a feeling of peace, aches and pains, all to no avail, almighty god, atone for your sins, aura of love, believing, building materials, comfort, confidence, consuming fire, cried out to God, don't worry, enthusiasm, every man's work will be made manifest, evil, faith, fellowship, focusing on what was right with God, for other foundation can no man lay, glorious kingdom, gold, gusto, hay, heavenly Father, holy spirit, humble servants, I have a good plan for your life, I love you, I'll never leave you nor forsake you, i'll try my best, Jesus Christ, judgement seat of Christ, LOVE, loving kindness, medication, miracle, Monday Morning, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, negative mode, obedient to my will, peace, perspective, physical realm. spiritual realm, prayer, precious stones, protected. looked after, rejuvenation of spirit, relationship to Christ, renewed vitality, reward, sacirifce, service to Christ, silver, Son Jesus, stand the test of time, straw, take it to the Father in prayer, testimony, Thank you Father, the likeness of Jesus, trust, trusting, truth, ungodly world, verve, wallow in our misfortunes, well-being, which is Christ Jesus, wonderful parent, wood
1 Corinthians 3:11. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Oh Friends, our God is indeed a great and wonderful God! And don’t let anybody tell you otherwise! And this winter Monday morning I’m here to testify to that fact. Glory Hallelujah! I can say all of that now with a smile, but yesterday morning for some reason or another all my aches and pains decided to act up on me at once.
Ah Lord eh! I went to church and had trouble getting up and sitting down. I guess you could call it just one of those days when everything seems to be in a negative mode. I even took some extra medication, but all to no avail. Finally, in the afternoon, I lay on my bed and cried out to our heavenly Father.
And like the wonderful parent He is, He heard my cry and answered me. ‘What’s the matter my child?’ He asked with real concern.
‘I…I…don’t understand what this is all about,’ I stammered.
‘I know,’ He replied, ‘but you don’t have to understand everything that happens to you. You just need to trust me. Do you trust me?’
‘Yes,’I replied.
‘Remember I have a good plan for your life, and I’ve promised never to leave nor forsake you. I LOVE you so much that I even sent my dearly beloved Son Jesus to be a sacrifice, and atone for your sins, so that you can once again have true fellowship with me. So why would I do anything to harm you eh? And have I not protected and looked after you, even when you weren’t living obedient to my will?’
I could only nod in agreement.
‘So why would I stop looking after you now, when you are sincerely trying to be obedient to my will? Oh, I know that life can get rough, but a part of that is to remake you into the likeness of Jesus. And nobody ever had it as hard as Him. So please don’t worry, everything will turn out all right. I’ve promised that. Just keep moving forward, keep believing and trusting. I know what I’m doing. Just remember that I LOVE you no matter what, and I’ll never leave nor forsake you.’
All I could say was ‘Thank you Father. I’ll try my best.’
And then the miracle happened! No, my aches and pains didn’t disappear, but a feeling of peace, of well-being washed over me, because my perspective had changed. I stopped focusing on what was wrong with me, and began focusing on what was right with God.
Ah mih people, in so many cases that’s what we need to do, but instead we stop and wallow in our misfortunes, even though we can’t change them. But when we truly put our trust and faith in the Creator of the universe, then our misfortunes don’t seem so grave. Though nothing has really changed in the physical realm, improvement has taken place in the spiritual realm.
And that’s my testimony for today. I do hope that it has some impact on you, in the sense that whatever is wrong in your life, you will know that you can take it to the Father in prayer and receive His peace and comfort.
Now let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to get our motors up and running. With much verve and gusto now. ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
That was good Friends. Now let’s go out and put it all into action, for as out Bit truthfully and wisely tells us: ‘For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.’ There’s no doubting that truth my people! For from the beginning of the ages, Jesus was scheduled to be our redeemer and the rock upon which we would build our lives.
And after the Bit, Bruh Paul tells us how our building is going to work. ‘Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble (straw); Every man’s work shall be made manifest (become evident): for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire: and the fire shall try (test) every man’s work of what sort it is.
If any man’s work abide (endures) which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved: yet so as by (through) fire.’ (1 Cor.3:12-15)
Yes Friends, come the day of the judgement seat of Christ, our work on His behalf will be tested to see if it was worthwhile. If it stands up to the consuming fire of the test, as it will, if we build with incombustible stuff like, gold, silver and precious stones, then we’ll be rewarded. But if does not, as it most certainly won’t, if we build with materials like straw, wood and hay, then there’ll be no reward.
However, we shall not lose our salvation, though our work is burnt in the testing. As the scholars point out: ‘The stress in this entire passage is not on a person’s relationship to Christ; but on service to Christ.’
So therefore my fellow believers, when we go out today to work for Christ, let’s remember to put the emphasis on good building materials, materials that will stand the test of time and truly further God’s glorious kingdom. Much LOVE!
…working for Jesus…not only requires time and effort…but also good materials…
15 Feb 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: according to the blessing of the Lord thy God, almighty god, Amazing grace, blessings, blind, Bruh David, can't be measured, confidence, consecrate his service to the Lord, courage, every man shall give as he is able, evil world, favour, for donkey's years, found, friends, generosity, givng traits, God in favour, God LOVES a cheerful giver, God's Law, good measure, greed, hit the nail on the head, immeasurable, Israel, Jehiel, joy, light of jesus, lost, loving kindness, material wealth, measured back to you, my new sight in Jesus, naked we came, naked we will go back, now I see, obedience, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, peace of mind, ponder, praise, pressed down, princes, principle, prosperous, running over, safe and narrow path, selfishness, share, share with others, St. Francis, strength, Sunday, testify, Thank you Father, thanksgiving, the house of God, the Lord thy God, the Lord's Day, to give is better than to receive, unmeasurable, what you sow you shall reap, worship, you can't plant peas and expect to reap corn
Deuteronomy 16:17. Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee.
Well Friends, it’s the Lord’s Day! The week has ended, and the cycle begins again today as it has for so many generations, or as the old people would say, for donkey’s years. (smile) And no doubt the cycle will continue for many more generations until the Lord is ready to call us to judgment.
But in the meantime, we are supposed to appreciate and respect it, and give oblation to out great and wonderful God every Sunday, by gathering in His sanctuary, or wherever possible, and honouring Him with praise, worship and thanksgiving.
I went to my little church, St. Francis down the street and we sang and worshipped and praised God and gave Him an awesome amount of thanks for His goodness and LOVING-kindness to us. A new member of the fold, a little girl was also baptized this morning and I trust that she will grow up to do Jesus’ will as we promised on her behalf today.
I do hope that all of us who are able, will go, are going, or have already gone to church and offered up our thanks and praise to Almighty God, and will in return receive strength, courage and confidence to face this evil world, bathed in the brilliant and beautiful light of Jesus!
Ah Friends, when we discover that light of Jesus, when our eyes are truly opened to the wonder of His glory… ohhh… such a joy fills our hearts and our lives are so improved that we wonder how come we hadn’t made that discovery or decision before.
As one of the prayers I found at the back of my Mother’s Bible so aptly details. ‘Amazing grace – how sweet the sound – that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now I’m found, was blind, but now I see. Thank You Father for my new sight in Jesus. Amen.’
Yes my people, when we truly discover Jesus, our eyes gain a new sight, like our 20-20 vision is restored, and we can see everything in greater detail.
And today we’ll go back to our old Bit that deals with giving. One of the basic laws of God’s kingdom. ‘Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee.’
Oh Friends, that is ever so true, and unfortunately there is really no word or words to truly impress that principle as mightily on our hearts as we need to have it imprinted. And it’s just another offshoot of God’s basic law of what you sow, you will reap.
As the old people would say, you can’t plant peas and expect to reap corn. The same way Friends, you can’t not give, not be generous and expect to receive, or have generosity and favour continually fall on you.
How did Jesus say it? ‘Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give unto your bosom (the fold in a garment used as a pocket). For with the same measure that ye mete (use) withal it shall be measured back to you again,’ (Luke 6:38)
Oh lordy, lordy Miss Clordy! (smile) Friends Jesus hit the nail on the head right there. Whatever measure you use to give, it will be used in giving back to you. So if you use a small cup to give, then whoever is giving back to you will also measure their giving with a small cup. But if you use a big bucket, then a big bucket will used to give back to you!
And yuh see how Jesus specifically enumerated that it will be pressed down, shaken together and running over! Mama Mia! My people how can we not understand that principle when it’s spelled out so loud and clear eh? Is the greed and selfishness of the world so engrained in our hearts, minds and souls that we can’t bring ourselves to follow God’s law, be obedient to His will.
I surely hope not, for remember, though we pile up lots of earthly possessions, we can’t take ANY of it with us, for naked we came and naked we will go back to where we came from. And besides it all belongs to God, and He’s blessed us with whatever we have so that we can share with others, be a blessing to the less fortunate.
And remember too that we can’t give grudgingly, or because we are compelled to give, because God LOVES a cheerful giver. Ah mih people, I can personally testify to the authenticity of that principle; give and it will be given back to you, because I’ve seen it happen so often in my life.
And if you want to be prosperous, not only in material wealth but also in peace of mind and soul, then I implore you to start thinking along those lines, for your situation will never improve until you stop thinking simply and solely about what you have, and begin considering what you have that you can share with others.
Now here is some scripture that admirably upholds the principle. This comes from way back when, when Bruh David wanted to raise funds to build God’s temple. After stating the purpose of his fundraising and what he personally had given (1 Chr.29:1-5a) he continues: ‘And who then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the Lord?
Then the chief of the fathers and princes of the tribes of Israel and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the rulers of the king’s work, offered willingly, and gave for the service of the house of God of gold five thousand talents and ten thousand drams, and of silver ten thousand talents, and of brass eighteen thousand talents, and one hundred talents of iron.
And they with whom precious stones were found gave them to the treasure of the house of the Lord, by the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite. Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect (loyal) heart they offered willingly to the Lord: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.’ (1 Chr.29:5b-9)
Oh Friends, I won’t even add anything to that, just leave it fresh in our brains so that we can ponder our own giving traits and see if they fall into line with God’s.
Till tomorrow then, God in favour, please walk the safe and narrow path that leads to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, for that is eternal wisdom. Much LOVE!
…to give is better than to receive…because the joy we get from giving is unmeasurable…immeasurable…and any other words that mean can’t be measured… (smile
27 Jan 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brand new day, a rough day, all praise to the lamb that was slain for us, almighty god, Amen, and he heard my voice, Anselm's Quote, anxious, approach God's holy throne, Asa, ask, ask and it shall be given to you, ask for Your help, attitude of positive expectation, Azariah, believers in Jesus Christ, Bruh David, burdens, Calvary, Creator, cup of java, enjoy God's goodness, ever-generous God, expectant faith, fallen world, fearful, freedom, friends, glory hallelujah, glory to God, God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, God's goodness, God's Holy Will, good things of God, grace, he will be found of you, he will forsake you, Healer, heavenly Father, heavenly wisdom.the giver of success, hot cup of coffee, hungry hope, I cried unto the Lord, I will not be afraid, if ye forsake him, if ye seek him, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, it's up to us to look for God, joint heirs with Christ, knock and it shall be opened, lead and guide us, lighten our load, look forward to a brighter day, loving kindness, mercy, naysayers, needful times, new blessings, new mercies, omni-present, omnipotent, omniscient, option, our be all and end all, out of his holy hill, petitions, precious blood, provider, reaching out to God, reconciled, safely, saved children, seek and you shall find, smile, strength to bear our load, succour, superior personality, Thank you Father, thanks and praise, the Father's good graces, the Lord is with you, the Lord sustained me, the Spirit of God, the undeserving children of men, time of need, Tuesday, warning, we love and adore you, while ye be with him, wisely
Psalm 3:4. I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.
Oh Friends, yesterday was indeed a rough day! I haven’t had one like that for a long while, and in truth, I don’t want to have another one for an even longer while! (smile) I guess though, that I was due for one of those rough and miserable days.
But the reality Friends, is that today is Tuesday; a brand new day, and I’m certainly looking forward to the brand new mercies and new blessings which the Lord prepares for us every day!
I’m still tired and a tad woozy (smile) but I am feeling better, although I could not get up to write an early Bit. However, I am waiting with hungry hope and expectant faith for all the good things that the Lord has in store for me today, and I would strongly advise that you do the same thing too.
And believe me, that first cup of java, tinged with some cough syrup, is certainly going down warm and soothing on the chest! (smile) Let the naysayers say what they want, but you can’t beat a hot cup of coffee on any morning, especially a cold one, and it is cold an snowy by me.
But enough of my woes, you have your own to contend with, and the only thing that’s going to help either of us, is reaching out to our Creator, our Healer, our Heavenly Father and generous Provider; the omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
So let’s do that nuh. Please pray with me. ‘Heavenly Father, our be all and end all, Your grateful children come to you this morning bearing heavy burdens that we cannot carry. We sincerely ask for Your help, either for strength to bear them, or for Your LOVING-kindness to lessen and lighten our load.
We’re doing our best, but You know we can’t do much in our own strength, that’s why we’re looking to You this morning for grace, mercy and succour in our time of need.
We LOVE and adore You, and give You thanks and praise in our own simple way, and ask that You lead and guide us safely and wisely on this blessed day, as we make our way through this fallen world, trying to do Your holy will.
This we pray, in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, whose precious blood that was shed at Calvary, enables us to confidently come to You with our petitions. Thank You father. Amen.’
And you know what my people? If you sincerely prayed that prayer, I truly believe that our gracious Father in heaven heard it, and is right now getting ready to act on it on all our behalves! So let’s all look forward to a brighter day! Glory to God for His goodness to the undeserving children of men!
And rather appropriately, here is my friend Anselm’s quote from yesterday that inspires for a better tomorrow. ‘An attitude of positive expectation is the mark of a superior personality.’
And that’s no lie, my brethren, for all successful achievers have a positive attitude and outlook on life! Our Bit today is also rather appropriate. It comes from Psalm 3, Bruh David’s prayer of confidence in God. ‘I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.’
And that’s exactly what we did earlier on my people; we cried out to our ever-generous God for help and succour in these very trying and needful times.
We have that option because we are believers in Jesus Christ, which has made us new creations, with the freedom to approach God’s holy throne of grace, since we are now reconciled to Him once more. We are now His saved children, joint heirs with Christ in the kingdom.
And all God’s children declared a loud, proud and grateful: ‘Glory Hallelujah! All praise to the Lamb that was slain for us, so that we could get back into the Father’s good graces!’
By the way, the second cup of caffeine is going down just as good as the first! (smile)
Now let’s look at a couple of scriptures that reinforce our Bit. And we’ll begin with the verses right after it. ‘I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.’ (Ps.3:5-6)
Oh Friends, I do hope that we can all say those things in sincerity, because until we can, we will always be fearful and anxious about our lives.
And from way back when, comes this warning of the prophet Azariah. ‘And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded: and he went out to meet (before) Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.’ (2 Chr.15:1-2)
Now my brethren, the matter couldn’t be stated any simpler or more straightforward than that! It’s up to us to look for God.
And we’ll end with these famous words of Christ that convey the same basic message. ‘And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.’ (Luke 11:9-10)
Yes Friends, it’s time we start seeking, asking, and knocking, if we want to enjoy God’s goodness! That’s heavenly wisdom! Much LOVE!
…to be successful…one must seek the Giver of success…Almighty God…
P.S. Please be forewarned that tomorrow’s Bit may be even later than today’s because I have some stuff to do out of town that will push my whole schedule back. But please wait with baited breath, because it will be good – as always. (smile) Much LOVE!
10 Dec 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a well of water, a whole lot of sense, bane of our current world, born incarnate of the Virgin Mary, Christmas, competition, competitors, death, despair, down through the ages, drink of the wine I have mixed, eat of my bread, eternal separation from God, even paths, everlasting life, feast of Tabernacles, fellowship, for all eternity, free, friends, glorified, God's age old invitation, gospel, halfway point home, Harold Kushner, holy spirit, human creation, humanity, I am Alpha and Omega, individual goals, it is done, Jesus, Jesus Christ, jubilant cry, life is not a contest, life with Jesus, losing, LOVE, option, our Lord and Saviour, our spirits will soar, personal race to run, preached the gospel, process, references, rivers of living water, Samaritan woman, sensible way to live, source of new life, spiritual experiences, Thank you Father, Thank you for Jesus, the beginning, the end, the goal of life, the heavenly realm, the Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Trinity, the lustful pleasures of the world, the water of life, the well of Jacob, this earthly life, threats to our happiness, topsy-turvy, understand the scriptures, warm and cuddly, Wednesday, winning, Wisdom's invitation, worldly pleasures
Proverbs 9:5. Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled (mixed).
And then it was Wednesday – the halfway point home my people! So please keep on keeping on, because the sun, the light of Jesus Christ will soon appear over the horizon. It’s also the tenth of December, which means we’re two weeks away from that fateful day, Christmas, the day when our wonderful Lord and Saviour was born incarnate of the Virgin Mary.
And all God’s people sent up a loud and jubilant cry of ‘Thank You Father! Thank You for giving us Jesus! Giving us Jesus as a baby! Thinking of Him as a baby, we can lavish all the LOVE on Him that we normally lavish on babies. He is so wonderful, so warm and cuddly. We embrace Him with all our hearts, souls, minds and bodies! Thank You again for Jesus heavenly Father!’
Ah Friends, the Father must be chuckling at that prayer, as I was while I was writing it. But there’s nothing wrong with it. It might just seem a little different from normal prayers, but it’s well within the borders of overall prayer. The same way we pray for our babies, the same way we can be thankful for Jesus as a baby to cuddle and snuggle Him.
Now here’s an interesting quote from the prominent American Rabbi, Harold Kushner (1935-) which I believe I have shared with you before, but it is one of those which needs repeating as often as possibly in this confused world. And it simply states: ‘To see the goal of life as “winning” forces us to see other people as competitors, threats to our happiness. For us to “win,” they have to “lose.”
And that my people is the bane of the current world we’re living in; everything is based on competition, on someone winning and some one losing. But that’s not a sensible or godly way to live. We need to understand that life is not a contest, it’s a process. One by which we establish our individual goals and work towards them. If we keep putting ourselves up against others, for whatever reason, we will bring too much despair into our lives when we lose one of those competitions, and our lives will constantly be topsy-turvy, up and down, up and down.
We need to have smooth, fairly even paths in our lives, and that certainly doesn’t come from judging life as a competition. Each individual has a personal race to run. As Bruh Paul says: ‘let us run the race that is set before us.’ (Heb.12:1) That’s just our race Friends, God’s plan for our lives, not a competition between us.
And all of that brings us to our Bit; Wisdom’s Invitation to: Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled (mixed).’
Yes my brethren, that’s God’s age-old invitation to His human creation! But unfortunately, down through the ages, not too many of them have accepted it, preferring the lustful pleasures of the world. But I can assure us that those worldly pleasures will not get us far, merely to the end of this earthly life.
But what happens after that eh Friends? What happens to the spirit that dwells with us? If we only hold on to the earthly stuff, then we’ll suffer the earthly consequences; death and eternal separation from Almighty God! However, if we accept wisdom’s invitation, which you’ll note in passing, is completely free, then after the return of our earthly bodies to the dust from whence it came, our spirits will soar in the heavenly realm with the Holy Trinity for ever and ever, throughout all eternity. Now I put it to you Friends, that is a much better option than the earthly one.
And we have so many instances where that invitation has been offered, and yet we refuse to even consider it, much less accept it. Let’s look at a few of those instances. Jesus, when talking to the Samaritan woman at the well of Jacob, painstakingly informed her: ‘Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well (fountain) of water springing up into everlasting life.’ (John 4:13-14) Oh Friends, what a powerful invitation! And that Samaritan woman was smart enough to accept it.
Meanwhile, ‘In the last day, that great day of the feast (feast of Tabernacles), Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly (heart) shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) (John 7:37-39) There again my people, that great, free invitation to come and have a wonderful life with Jesus.
And the scholars explain that all, re the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit. ‘7:39. One of God’s purposes since the beginning has been to dwell with humanity and enjoy fellowship with us. He does it in this dispensation through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit (1) occurs automatically when a person is saved; (2) is not an “experience,” but produces spiritual experiences; (3) remains permanently; (4) is the basis of all other ministries of the Holy Spirit; and (5) is the source of new life in the believer.
Illustration: When Paul met 12 disciples of John who did not know of the Holy Spirit, he knew they needed to be saved. So he preached the gospel to them (Acts 19:1-5). Application: The Holy Spirit’s indwelling should motivate the believer to be careful not to harm his body nor indulge his body in sin (1 Cor. 6:19-20). (First Reference, Ex.35:31; Primary reference, John 7:37-39; cf. 1 cor.12:13.)’
Ah Friends, please check out those references, for they will help us to better understand the scriptures. And remember, it makes a whole lot of sense to come to Jesus, to accept wisdom’s invitation, rather than the foolishness of the world. Much LOVE!
…And he said unto me…it is done…I am Alpha and Omega…the beginning and the end…I will give unto him that is athirst (who thirsts)…of the fountain of the water of life freely…
08 Nov 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: art become my salvation, busyness, common sense, contentment, demanding our time and attention, doing chores, foundations, getting up early, give thanks unto the Lord, go go society, gospel truth, heartfelt prayers, his mercy endureth for ever, I Love the Lord, I will call upon the Lord as long as I live, I will praise thee, in tune with God, it is marvellous in our eyes, Jesus Christ, logic, LOVE, loving kindness, multitasking, optimum levels, pace of life, physical and spiritual foundations, praise Your Holy Name, prayers, propitiation for our sins, psalm 118, quiet time with Almighty God, rat-race society, reconciliation, rest, Rock, running errands, sacrifice, salvation, sand, Saturday, sleeping in, social media, storms, stress and strain, strong foundation, strong foundation of Jesus, Thank you Father, the head cornerstone, the stone which the builders refused, this is the day the Lord has made, this is the Lord's doing, thou hast heard me, we shall rejoice and be glad in it, wisdom, worthy of praise
Psalm 118:21. I will praise thee: for thou hast heard (and answered) me, and art become my salvation.
Well it’s Saturday Friends… the day for sleeping in late and/or getting up early to do the household chores and run the errands that we couldn’t do during the workweek. Oh, in this go, go, go society of ours, there is always something else to do, something else that’s demanding, that’s screaming out for our time and attention.
But you know what my people? In this rat-race society we have to make definite time for two things; rest, and quiet time with Almighty God!
Without those two things running at optimum levels, regardless of how good, how accomplished we are in the ways and busyness of the world, our brilliant construction will collapse and fall as soon as anything strong comes against it, because our physical and spiritual foundations are insufficient to support the worldly structure we’re trying to build.
That reminds me of Jesus talking about the two men, one who built his house on a poor foundation of sand (the world and its values) and the other who constructed his on the strong foundation of rock (Jesus Christ).
And when the storms came, as they invariably do, the wind and rain washed away the foundation of the house built on the sand and the house itself collapsed. But the one built on the foundation of rock staunchly withstood the elements. (Luke 6:46-48)
That my Friends, is what happens when we rush about madly, trying to achieve and acquire the things the world considers important, of top priority, and we’re not kind and considerate to our physical and spiritual needs.
And the sad part is that we now see such foundations crumbling much more often than we did a generation or two ago, when the pace of life was much slower and more in tune with God. Unfortunately it is also happening to younger and younger persons all the time.
The unrelenting thrust of today’s pace of life, and the resultant stress and strain are taking a serious toll on the society’s young, because that’s all a lot of them know – always in a rush, multitasking, constantly on the social media networks – and neither the body nor the mind were built to withstand such abnormal pressures.
Anyway my brethren, for those of us who have learned the lesson of life – many the hard way – to build our structures on the strong foundation of Jesus, our Bit today helps us to acknowledge where our wisdom and contentment come from. ‘I will praise thee: for thou hast heard (and answered) me, and art become my salvation.’
And that’s no lie, my fellow believers, for our God is ever so worthy of praise, because he has heard and answered our heartfelt prayers, even to the sending of His only son Jesus to be the sacrifice, the propitiation for our sins, and thus ultimately our Saviour, the reason for our reconciliation to the Father, and therefore our salvation.
And the sound of God’s people suddenly and solemnly ring out to high heaven: ‘Thank You Father! Thank You for sending Jesus to bring us back to You. We LOVE and adore You, and praise Your Holy Name!’
And that’s why the psalmist began Psalm 118 – Thanksgiving for the Lord’s salvation- this way. ‘O give thanks unto the Lord: for he is good: because his mercy (LOVING-kindness) endureth for ever.’ (Ps.118:1) And throughout the psalm he continually repeats that verse, so by the end, that thought, those serious and sacred words have been indelibly written in your soul.
And talking about answered prayer, listen to these verses from Psalm 116 – Praise for deliverance from death. ‘I LOVE the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because he hath inclined his ear unto me (listened to me), therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.’ (Ps.116:1-2)
Oh my people, that’s simple logic and common sense! If you’ve called upon the Lord, and He heard and answered you, then you’d be a fool not to keep on calling on Him. And as I researched our Bit, I was amazed to find some very poignant and prominent verses of scripture in rather close proximity to it. I had some idea of where they were to be found, but never really made the connection until now.
Hear these memorable verses of scripture that follow our Bit. ‘The stone which the builders refused (rejected) is become the head stone of the corner (the chief cornerstone). This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes. This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps.118:22-24)
Yes Friends, most of us know those scriptures, but I suspect that only a few know that they come one right after the other in the same psalm.
And we’ll close, most appropriately with the last two verses of Psalm 118, ‘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)
Gospel truth Friends, gospel truth! Let’s remember that, and wisely build our lives around them. Much LOVE!
…any structure, edifice, family or organization…is only as strong as its foundation…and the best, the strongest foundation is Jesus Christ…
19 Jul 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a joy forever, a thing of beauty, advertisers, afraid, all hot and bothered, almighty god, anarchy, batting an eyelash, be not afraid, belief, believing in jesus, bequeath, Bethany, borders, boundaries, breakneck speed, care, comforted, death's door, destruction, down through the ages, Endymion, experience, faith, familiy, forked tongues, giver of eternal life, God will give you, God will read the truth in our hearts, grace-filled, guided by our beliefs, guidelines, have life more abundantly, heirlooms, I believe, Jairus, Jesus Christ, John Keats, knowledge, Lazarus, lies, life, LOVE, loveliness, Martha, Mary, mature, meaningfulness, missing a beat, never pass to nothingness, New Year's resolution, on the inside looking out, one day morphs into the other, only believe, prosperity, questions, respect, roadblocks, safety, Saturday, separate us from God, simple, spiritual beings, straightforward, strife, Thank you Father, the heareafter, the Life, the resurrection, the Son of God, tho art the Christ, thy brother shall rise again, traditions, value of art increases with age, whatever you ask god, wisdom, worldly artifacts
Mark 5:36b. Be not afraid, only believe.
And then it was Saturday; a bright, vibrant, radiant day, made by Almighty God so that His people could rejoice and be glad in it! And all God’s children declared a loud and grateful, ‘Thank you Father!’
Oh my people, can you believe that we’re more than halfway through July already, and also this year of 2014? I swear that the days are running faster than they usually do. And most of you will no doubt agree, because your lives also seem to be moving at breakneck speed, where one day just morphs into the other, without any apparent break.
And though I don’t remind us as often as I should about our New Year’s resolution of following Jesus more closely, I do hope that you are faithfully adhering to it. And you can tell me what you will, but the Father will read the truth in your hearts.
Anyway mih lovelies, this morning I want to share with you the opening couple of lines of the poem Endymion by the English Romantic Poet, John Keats (1795-1821) It reads: ‘A thing of beauty is a joy forever: Its loveliness increases; it will never pass to nothingness.’
Now we all know that the value of art usually increases with age, but so too do people. As the days go by on our earthly journey, we get more mature and grace-filled, so that increased knowledge, experience and wisdom make us more valuable. The only problem is that unlike the physical works of art, we pass away to nothingness.
But that’s just our physical bodies. Our spiritual beings are still alive and kicking, especially in the LOVED ones that we have left behind. They continue to hold dear the traditions, the respect, the care and the LOVE that we lavished on them when we were alive. So all that and any other physical heirlooms we might have bequeathed to those around us will continue to live on, to survive, as they pass those things to others down through the ages.
So in essence, like the physical art, we too never pass into nothingness either. And here’s the end quote on the subject from the One More Day Devotional, Daily Meditations for People with Chronic Illness. It bravely declares: ‘I am comforted by the traditions of family and faith and by the meaningfulness they add to my life.’
And that’s how it ought to be my brethren, for when we approach death’s door, it’s usually family we want to see, and faith we hold on to, so we can easily transition from this life to the next.
And it all boils down to one word: ‘BELIEF!’ We live a life guided by our beliefs. Hopefully the major belief is that in Jesus Christ, for it is the best belief to build your life around.
And I just LOVE how Jesus puts things so simple and straightforward, as He says to Jairus in our Bit: ‘Be not afraid, only believe.’
Nothing to it Friends, just believe. And it is truly that simple, we just like to make a fuss over it. We believe the nonsense, the lies that the advertisers tell us in their forked tongued messages without batting an eyelash. Hn! But when it comes to believing in Jesus, the most important belief in our lives, the one that will either separate us from God forever, or keep us on the inside looking out, we get all hot and bothered, ask a whole lot of questions and put up a whole lot of roadblocks. Why eh, my people?
I think that it’s generally because we’re afraid. It seems to be such a big decision to make, for it deals with our lives in the hereafter, something we don’t want to think about just yet, plus the worldly artifacts are so beautiful to look at and possess, and we erroneously believe that believing in Jesus means we can’t enjoy the good things of earthly life. But that’s a fool’s wisdom Friends, for Jesus said He came so that we could have life, and have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)
The problem is that we don’t want any borders, any boundaries placed on our activities and behaviour, but yuh see what that desire is causing all over our world; strife and destruction. But my people, this life can only be lived in prosperity and safety if we adhere to certain strict guidelines. Anything else will only bring anarchy, as we’re seeing in so many places nowadays.
However Friends, I’m running out of space and time, so let’s get to some scriptures where Jesus highlighted belief in God. And there’s none better than the story of Him raising His friend Lazarus from the dead.
Jesus was out of town when he got the message from the sisters, Martha and Mary, saying ‘Lord behold he whom thou LOVEST is sick.’ (John 11:3) But despite His great LOVE for Lazarus and his sisters Jesus remained a further two days before He went to Bethany where they lived. By the time He got there Lazarus was already dead for four days.
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming she ran to meet Him and rebuked Him, saying, ‘Lord if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.’ (John 11:21-22)
Now is that strong belief, great faith or what my people! She just knows that whatever Jesus asks of God, God will grant. How many of us are even willing to say that today, much less believe it eh, even though we have much more info and insight than Martha did?
The Good Book continues: the conversation: ‘Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
Jesus saith unto her, I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead (may die), yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believeth thou this?
She saith unto him, Yea Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.’ (John 11:23-27)
What a powerful passage of scripture my brethren! Note the interplay between Jesus and Martha: He claiming to be the giver of eternal life, and she believing without missing a beat! That’s how it ought to be in all believers’ lives my Friends!
So today, please let’s sit and consider our personal response to Jesus’ question; ‘Believest thou this?’ And hopefully, we shall all blurt out without hesitation: ‘Yes Lord: I BELIEVE!’ Much LOVE!
…it all begins with…believing…and it all ends with…believing…only believe…
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