18 Sep 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bit of freedom, a good and godly attitude, all my members were written, anxiety, avoid any more serious setbacks, belief in christ, blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, bring backsliders back to your fold, confusion, covered me in my mother's womb, Covid-19, curiously wrought, do His will, establish His covenant, for his own inheritance, forgiveness, formed my inward parts, Friday chant, give them a li'l leeway, give them an inch, God created man in his own image, grin and bear it, handle the situation, havoc, heralds the upcoming weekend, humble prayer, I am fearfully and wonderfully made, I was made in secret, in godly and righteous fashion, in the lowest parts of the the earth, in the name of Jesus, in thy book, introduce a whole new flock, loss to life and property, marvelous are thy works, never teach them obedience, omnipotent help, our sinful world, people under forty, racial strife, reconciliation, repentance, restoring faith in you, restrictive embrace, righteousness exalteth a nation, run about like leggo beast, safety precautions for the pandemic, show forth godly action, showing up with the deadly virus, sin is a reproach to any people, sincerely seek God, start restricting things again, take advantage of it, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, Thank You Lord, that's life, the Bible is God's truth, the chickens coming home to roost, the government looking to, the Lord gives thee power to get wealth, the many tentacles of work, the ordinary workingman, the people whom he hath chosen, the stranglehold, they get stupid, they take a nail, thou hast possessed my reins, time to stop talking, unexpected storm, wake up and smell the coffee, we praise and bless your holy name, we to blame, welcome to friday, what people need to make them listen
Psalm 33:12. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.
Welcome to Friday at last friends! And everybody shouted: ‘Thank the Lord for that yes!’ Ah mih people, in this, our modern society, we can’t seem to get away from the stranglehold Friday has on us nuh. As we said yesterday, it heralds the upcoming weekend and a bit of freedom – never enough though – (smile) from the restrictive embrace of the many tentacles of work that has us uncomfortably wrapped up during the week.
But that’s life, and God has put us here for this specific time, so we just have to grin and bear it and do what He asks of us with a good and godly attitude. Matter fix! And the beauty of it all is that when we sincerely seek God and do His will, our lives are ever so wonderful! And all God’s people said a loud, proud and grateful: ‘Thank You Lord! We praise and bless Your Holy Name!’ Now that’s more like it! (smile)
So let’s hear what the ordinary workingman has to say for himself today nuh, as he always has some interesting tidbit to impart. And though his knowledge and understanding of God might be merely elementary, he knows to always give thanks to the Creator in his opening remarks. ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! And the weekend comes! Not going to be much of a weekend though because it starting to get chilly and the blooming people an’ them out there not observing the safety precautions for the pandemic so the Covid-19 seems like it coming back again! The numbers slowly creeping back up again! Steups!
Ah don’t know what people need to make them listen nuh? Ah guess is only when the darm thing hit them themselves that they going to smarten up. Chuh man! As soon as yuh give them a li’l leeway, they get stupid and take advantage of it. As the old people would say, yuh give them a inch, they take a nail, or sometimes even a mile! Now they have the bloody government looking to start restricting things again. Ah Lord eh!
And it look like is the young people an’ them who causing the nonsense now yes, because is people under forty who showing up with the deadly virus now! But we the old folks don’t have nobody but we selves to blame because we never teach them obedience when deh young; we just allow them to run about as they want, just like leggo beast. Now we paying the price for it. The chickens and them coming home to roost now, as we parents always told we they will. But ah still thanking God that ah have life, an’ health, an’ a job, an’ a decent family, as the weekend rolls around!’
Oh friends, those of us who can say the same thing, better believe that we truly blessed yes, because it have plenty people out there who don’t have them things at all. So we too had better remember to say, ‘Thank God!’ Remember He is the One who created us, in His own spiritual image to boot.
As Bruh David says in Psalm 139 – The everlasting presence and power of God – ‘For thou hast possessed my reins (formed my inward parts): thou hast covered (weaved) me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right (very) well. My substance (frame, bones) was not hid from thee when I was made in secret, and curiously (skillfully) wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect (unformed); and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned (the days fashioned for me), when as yet they were none.’ (Ps. 139:13-16)
Yes my people, the Lord knew all about us before He even created us in our mother’s womb! And furthermore, as Moses told the people of Israel long long ago: ‘But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish (confirm) his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.’ (Deut. 8:18)
Oh mih bredin, the Lord God Jehovah did not only create us, but He is also the cause for the power that we have to gain wealth, to live a rich and fruitful and joyful life! But this power only lasts for any length of time when we sincerely reverence Him and are obedient to His holy will. The psalmist said it quite clearly: ‘Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.’(Ps. 33:12) And Cousin Sol echoes that sentiment, that solemn truth, when he proclaims: ‘Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach (shame, disgrace) to any people.’ (Prov. 14:34)
And if the Bible is God’s truth, then what do we expect when we live in such a sinful, evil and ungodly world like ours now eh? Nothing but adversity, trials, tribulation and disaster, for that’s what the Good Book decrees! But the wonderful thing about our great God is that forgiveness and reconciliation are available through belief in His atoning Son Jesus Christ, with sincere repentance and humble prayer! Wow! So let’s get right to it, through our Friday Chant nuh.
‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. Yuh know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and the racial strife causing. We not accustomed to that kind of life Lord, and it really telling on us. And we know we can’t handle it on our own, that we desperately need your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets.
So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the sure and wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, so that we can avoid any more serious setbacks. And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to also bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways.
It’s also a good opportunity to introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion because of the way we, your faithful believers, handle the situation. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
So faithful believers, what are we waiting for eh? Let’s get out there and handle the situation in godly and righteous fashion nuh! Much LOVE!
…time for believers to stop talking…and instead…show forth godly action…
22 Aug 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 2020 will go down, a grateful life, an eventful and transforming year, attracts more valuable things, be thankful for those who, Behold, build up the church, Christian maturity, encouraging God, enjoying the compassions and mercies, express our gratitude, feeling grateful, for brethren to dwell together in unity, go to God for help, God is always there for us, help us stand strong in faithfulness, how good and how pleasant it is, in the annals of history, in the name of Jesus, lazy summer Saturday, mature Christians, new every single day, of our great God, positive thinking, promised to work all things out for good, reaping what we sow, rekindle the inner spirit, Thank You Lord, the edifying of the body of christ, the highest appreciation, those who love you, to live our words, uncertain times, we are confident, who are called according to His purpose, worth their weight in gold, you are still on the throne
Psalm 133:1. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
So here we are, a tad late (smile) on this lazy summer Saturday morning, the penultimate one in the month of August, in this crazy, mind-boggling year of 2020! What a ride it’s turned out to be… and it’s not over yet. Whatever comes next though, 2020 will certainly go down in the annals of history as a rather eventful and transforming year. But nonetheless, we’re still enjoying the compassions and mercies of our great God, which are new every single day. And to that we have to say a loud and grateful:
‘Thank You Lord! We do sincerely appreciate all that you’re doing for us in these disturbing and uncertain times. And we do ask that you keep a close watch over us and help us to stand strong in faithfulness with you. We are confident, because we know that you are still on the heavenly throne, in full control of things, and has promised to work ALL things out for good to those who LOVE you and are called according to your purpose. We pray this in the wonderful name of your Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And having made obeisance to our God, let’s see what quotes our friend Anselm sent this week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. Oh mih people, like our friend Anselm was in a rather grateful and thankful mood this week, (smile) for all his quotes centre around those two emotions. Hear this first one: ‘What you truly acknowledge truly is yours. Invite your heart to be grateful and your thank you’s will be heard even when you don’t use words.’ I can’t dispute that because when your heart is truly grateful, thanks pours out automatically without your saying anything.
Then there’s this: ‘Feeling grateful or appreciative of someone or something in your life actually attracts more of the things that you appreciate and value into your life.’ More living truth friends! When we learn to have a continually grateful heart and attitude, it certainly attracts more of the things we like and value. That’s sort of like reaping what we sow, and positive things happening when we think positively. It’s just that way in God’s economy.
Now listen closely to this quote. ‘We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.’ And isn’t that the God-given truth? Of course it is! We should always be thankful, even extra thankful, to those who help us settle our spirit and soul, help us rekindle the joy and good attitudes we need to face this crazy, evil and uncertain world. Wow! We are indeed blessed if we have those kinds of people around; even one of them. People who can lift our spirits when we are down and depressed are worth more than their weight in gold.
In fact they ought to be considered blessings from heaven, for restoring the equanimity of another’s soul is ever so important in this mish-mash life. Sadly though, very few of us possess the kind of people around us who can truly do that. They are indeed a rare breed, that’s why they are to be greatly treasured. But the encourager and lifter of our spirits to be most greatly treasured is our comforting, enabling and encouraging God. When there’s no human being around to help lift us up, let’s not worry or be anxious, we just need to go to God for help.
We do like Bruh David did when his men threatened to stone him after their home of Ziklag was burned and looted by their enemies. ‘…but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.’ (1 Sam. 30:6b) Yes mih bredrin, our mighty and stalwart God is ALWAYS there for us! Let’s never forget it, and don’t rely on fickle and frail mankind. Brother, I never intended to say so much on that quote, but I guess it just opened up, touched something in me. (smile)
And since the last two quotes are very similar, one just emoting a li’l more, going a li’l deeper than the other, (smile) we’re going to deal with them as a sparkling and encouraging pair, just what they are. Listen, and let them come into our hearts and remain there forever. ‘As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.’ Gospel truth that; we can’t only talk appreciation, we must show it. Now here’s the clincher. ‘To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven.’
Ah mih people, how true and wonderful is that eh! That brings to mind these marvellous words of Bruh David from Psalm 133 – The joy of brotherhood. ‘Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!’ (Ps. 133:1) That says it all friends. When we live in unity, we take each other’s concerns and feelings and heartaches and problems in mind and we don’t abuse them, but rather use them positively to build up each other.
That’s what Jesus desires of His followers; unity and tenderness and grace, forgiveness and mercy to each other. What I believe we ought to understand is that gratitude is not just being thankful, but more a way of life, the Christian way of life. As the earlier quote said, when we live a life of gratitude, we don’t even have to say thanks out loud, but it’s understood by our actions. And when we live that kind of life, then we touch heaven, because it’s what Jesus expects of us.
But that will never happen until the saints of Christ learn to live together in unity and harmony. And how are we ever to do that eh? As Bruh Paul said to the Ephesians re the using of our particular gifts and the edifying of the church: ‘For the perfecting (equipping) of the saints, for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. Till we come in (into) the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect (mature) man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.’ (Eph. 4:13)
And the scholars explain: ‘4:12. This verse discloses the purpose for the gifted individuals of verse 11. Their responsibility is the perfecting of the saints, that is, to train and equip the rank-and-file Christians to do the work of the ministry. The aim of this ministry of Christian service is for the edifying of the body of Christ, that is, to build up the church numerically and spiritually.’ ‘4:13. The edifying of the church (vs.12) is to continue till we all come in the unity of the faith, that is, until all Christians attain spiritual maturity. Since new believers are constantly added to the church, this objective will not be realized until the Lord returns.’
Yes friends, the only way for us to live grateful, and thus touch heaven is by living in unity, bringing all our gifts both spiritual and physical together for the betterment of all! And I’m chuckling here in disgust, because like unity (brother!) is another word I can’t spell right. Every time I’ve used it today, including just now, I’ve spelt it wrong. Ah Lord eh! It’s a good thing the Lord knows my heart. (smile) Please have a blessed and fruitful day, living in LOVE and unity! Much LOVE!
…to the saints of Christ…a normal life…ought to be a grateful life…
07 Feb 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a family to mind, as a father, basic things, bills to pay, capitalist society, chouncy pay, concrete jungle, destitute, destroy our witness, disobedience, fear him, fellowship, for the present, Friday chant, furthering your glorious kingdom, God's discipline, greedy slave master, happy is the man, hard work, he binds up, he corrects, he maketh sore, his hands make whole, homeless, joyous, keep the commandments, later than you sow, love for Christ, more than you sow, never leave nor forsake us, ordinary workingman, peaceable fruit of righteousness, praise and bless you, raising the prices, reap what you sow, refreshed in body and soul, relaxation, rest, robber barons, slow down, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, Thank You Lord, the son in whom he delights, the white stuff, treating us well, walk in his ways, whom the Lord corrects, whom the loves
Proverbs 3:12. For whom the Lord LOVETH he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
Ah mih people, I know you’ll be proud to hear that the ole fella made that adventurous trip into the concrete jungle yesterday afternoon, although by then the roads were clean, wet but clean. The only place I encountered snow was in my own lane and driveway. (smile) I was a little miffed though, because thinking that the traffic and road conditions would be bad, I took an early bus, but neither was bad. So I got to my appointment half an hour early, then had to wait a further hour before they dealt with me.
I left home around 1 pm, and did not get back until after six! No wonder going into the city is undesirable, because it eats up most of your day, and by the time you get home, you’re tired and miserable and don’t want to do anything constructive. And though we got another bout of the white stuff last night, I really don’t care because I’m not going out there today! (smile)
Ah friends, who says life isn’t nice eh! We might have all sorts of troubles and problems, but let’s consider them surmountable with our Lord’s help nuh, and remember that many others around the world have it much worse than us. And all God’s people said a loud and grateful: ‘Thank You Lord! We praise and bless your holy name for treating us as well as you do! Amen!’
And since it’s Friday, the ordinary workingman is waiting patiently and quietly in the wings to sing his weekend song. So let’s bring him on stage nuh. And as he enters, he enthusiastically belts out: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes! I don’t know what I’d do if I had to work another day nuh! Ah really work hard this week, for the same chouncy pay, and it doh look like the ole body could handle that much hard work again nuh.
Hn, hn! Like we getting old…and the body telling us to slow down. But it don’t realize we can’t really slow down when we have a family to mind and bills to pay in this ever increasing expensive society. Now I understand why it could have so many homeless and destitute people in the world. We get paid a pittance of our real worth, and the greedy slave master always trying to cut back or take back something we work so hard for.
And then they keep raising the prices on the basic things like food, clothing and shelter, so people must fall behind even though they working a lot. Steups! This capitalist society eh! Is just a setta robber barons yes! But let them know one thing for me: they never going to take away my weekend, my two days of freedom! I’ll fight to the death to preserve that! Thank God for Fridays and weekends oui!’
Yuh see friends, even the ordinary working man has stuff that he will fight to the death for, much less we blessed believers in Jesus Christ, for whom God provides all our needs! Shouldn’t there be stuff that we are also prepared to die for? Of course! But the problem is that most of us supposed Christians are a wimpy, shallow and frightened lot. We’ve gotten so accustomed to the good life, that we turn the slightest disappointment into a major happening. Anyway, we won’t get into that now nuh, (smile) let’s get to our weekend song, our Friday Chant, which is so different to the workingman’s offering.
All together now, in strong voice with sincere hearts: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen!’
Ah friends, believers (steups!) do have to be more cognizant of their circumstances and surroundings so that we don’t allow the evil one unfettered access to our lives and souls, because all he wants to do is destroy our witness and LOVE for Christ! But I’m sure we won’t give him that opportunity! Now today I want to continue with some wise words of Cousin Sol that I never finished yesterday. And they are some hard words, but truly worthwhile to hear and remember. ‘My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord, neither be weary of (detest) his correction. For whom the Lord LOVETH he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.’ (Prov.3:11-12)
Yes precious people, those are such great words! We correct our children because we LOVE them, likewise the Lord corrects us because He LOVES us! That’s nothing new, cause it was said way back in Deuteronomy by Moses, on the Lord’s behalf. ‘Thou shalt also consider (know) in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee. Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God. To walk in his ways , and to fear him.’ (Deut. 8:5-6)
Oh it’s so simple friends: we punish our children when they disobey us, the Lord punishes us when we disobey him. But for whatever reason we think that’s wrong, because we have free will and ought to do as we like. But please note friends, that free will doesn’t give us the right to sin without punishment, because sin will ALWAYS be punished by the Lord since it’s diabolical and against His very nature! Hear these wise words of Job on the subject. ‘Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not the chastening of the Almighty: For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole.’ (Job 5:17-18)
Yes my people, our God might punish us for disobedience, but He’ll never leave us to suffer unnecessarily, He will heal whatever wounds He causes. That’s the beauty of our God! Although He punishes, He never leaves nor forsakes the punished! How great is the God we worship eh? Mucho great!
That’s why the author of Hebrews could wrap up his dissertation on God’s discipline thus: ‘Now no chastening (discipline) for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised (trained) thereby.’ (Heb.12:11) And that’s a fact my brethren; discipline never seems good to us in the present moment, but afterwards, if we’re wise, we’ll surely see its benefits.
So today, let’s take a moment to contemplate our individual lives nuh, and see where the Lord might have disciplined us for disobedience, and how it affected our lives thereafter. That will help us to understand and appreciate the Lord’s doings. (smile) Much LOVE!
…you’ll reap what you sow…more than you sow…and later than you sow… (Uncle Charles – Charles Stanley)
01 Feb 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a great calm, acquire the parts to stand strong, aspires to inspire, bounden duty, Christian, come up higher, complaining, cultures, epitome of wisdom, failure, Friend Anselm, furthest from their minds, god, homelessness, indisputable fact, Jesus is the answer, leap year, naivety, no giving up, O ye of little faith, obey Jesus, owed and easy life, poverty, rebuked the winds, Saturday, save us, sickness, sincere effort, smidgen of hope, so much information, societies, Thank You Lord, the men marvelled, the winds and the sea obey him, this fallen world, through Jesus, we perish, what manner of man is this, whining
Matthew 8:27. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!’
And on this first day of February, in the leap year of 2020, some snow did fall in my area, not a whole lot, but enough that we can say snow fell. (smile) Yeh, it looks bad if you’re in winter and there’s not even a touch of the white stuff on the ground. Hn, hn! And I didn’t even know that this was going to be a leap year until recently when I checked out the February calendar and saw 29 days. I had to look again to make sure that I was seeing right.
Times surely have changed yes! Once upon a time a leap year was a big thing, all sorts of stuff was supposed to happen in one, you’d hear that news all over the place. But now, no one seems to pay much attention to it; nobody’s even mentioned it to me in passing. Don’t even know if the young people nowadays know what’s a leap year, or how it comes about. We have so much bloody information now that it’s hard to choose what to read or listen to, and more importantly, what to believe (yeah!).
But anyhow it’s Saturday, so let’s take a look at some of the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week in his sincere effort of aspiring to inspire us. And this first quote is ever so appropriate because it’s exactly what Anselm is trying to do with us. ‘The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great in whatever they want to do.’ Yeh friends, the Christian’s bounden duty is to try and lift up, encourage, and inspire those around us to come up higher in anything they choose to do.
Remember the motto of Jesus’ people is ‘diligence and excellence.’ We have to work sincerely at stuff, and do it in an excellent manner, not wishy-washy, like is so common nowadays. Our jobs and lives might be difficult, even unfair, but Jesus still desires a solid and sincere effort from us. For in His dominion, ‘Failure is impossible.’ And that’s an indisputable fact. Jesus doesn’t hold with failure at all. There’s absolutely no giving up in His kingdom!
As Cousin Sol says in Proverbs: ‘For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief (stumble into calamity).’ (Prov.24:16) And according to the scholars: ‘24:16. The righteous man always recovers, but the wicked man faces permanent destruction.’ Yes friends, if you check out Jesus’ dictionary you won’t find the words ‘failure’ or ‘give up’ in it. Because He’s the Master of Everything; the possible as well as the impossible!
And if you are a part of His dominion then you need to think like Him and behave like Him, and remember that through Him we can do ALL things, because He strengthens us! Then there’s this next quote; a dandy: ‘A good thing to remember is somebody’s got it a lot worse than you do.’ And is that ever gospel truth my people! We might think we have it rough, but believe me, a lot of other people are usually having it rougher, much rougher than us.
I remember complaining to my mother when things were rough with us, and she’d tell me, yes, times were tough, but they were a lot of people even worse off than us. In my youthful naivety I couldn’t believe that was possible, but as I went around the neighbourhood with a greater awareness, I was surprised to see many families living worse off than we were. And now, when you think of the rampant poverty, homelessness and sickness in our Western Society, we complain about how bad it is, but just check out the numerous societies and cultures on the other side of the globe who have it much worse than us, and tell me in which one you’d rather be.
At least in ours there seems to be some smidgen of hope for better times and conditions, but in many of those others there’s not even a smidgen of hope for anything better. Many were born into abject poverty, sickness and homelessness and will live and die the same way. So when you think you’re having such a bad day, and times are so rough, just think about those other more unfortunate people, and gratefully say, ‘Thank You Lord!’
And this last quote succinctly informs us: ‘Anyone can take the wheel of the ship in calm water but it’s not so easy when it’s not calm water. You can’t just enjoy the good times, you have to be resilient in the tough times.’ And that word ‘resilient’ seems to have faded from our vocabulary and lifestyle in these modern days, for the words backbone and belly which make us resilient are non-existent.
There’s never been as much complaining and whining in our world as there is now, even in the midst of great prosperity! Partly because we have allowed the young generation to grow up in an easy and non-sacrificial manner, no chores before or after school, always getting what they want, so now when real life hits them, they can’t cope with it. They think they are owed an easy life, have an inalienable right to it, because we the parents didn’t raise them right, and God is usually the furthest thing from their minds.
But friends, it’s only in and through Jesus that we can acquire the parts to stand strong when life comes against us. And one of the best examples of that occurs when Jesus and the disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee and a violent storm arose. The Good Book tells it thus: ‘And behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he (Jesus) was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.
And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!’ (Matt. 8:24-27)
Friends, Jesus is the man who made the winds and the seas, that’s why they obey Him! He is also the man who made us in His own image, that’s why we ought also to obey Him! Despite the free will He gave us, it behooves us, it’s the epitome of wisdom to believe and obey Him, because He is the ONLY one who can right the ship, or better yet calm the storms, the raging seas and gusting winds that inevitably confound our lives in this fallen world! Much LOVE!
…I’ll say it again…Jesus is the answer…to EVERYTHING…
04 Dec 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: artificial insemination, be prepared, blessed art thou among women, challenging God, Christian faith, compassions, eyes fixed straight ahead, hail, halfway home, hump day, largesse, LOVE, make a woman conceive, man-made traditions, mercies, momentous opportunity, nice to our enemies, not turning back, rejoice, salvation, season of Christmas, Thank You Lord, the angel came in unto her, the breath of life, the Holy Ghost, the Lord is with thee, the reason for the season, thou that art highly favoured, Triune God, troubled at his saying, virgin birth of Christ, Wednesday Wail, without knowing a man, Yahweh
Luke 1:28. And the angel came in unto her and said, Hail (rejoice), thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
Give it to me one time: ‘Wednesday!’ Give it to me two times: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday!’ Give it to me three times: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday!’ Give it to me four times: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday!’
And now we sing: ‘Thank You Lord for this new day, even though it looks cloudy and dark! Thank You Lord for your new mercies, your compassions, that are new every morning! Thank You Lord for Jesus; Your wonderful Son, our Lord and Saviour, who lights up our lives with His LOVE and Goodness! Thank you Lord for Your own amazing LOVE and faithfulness, that’s taken away the fearful thoughts of hell, and given us the glorious hope of heaven! We LOVE You and praise Your Holy Name! Now and forever more! Amen!’
Ah mih people, those are only a few of the things that we have to be thankful for this hump day – this Wednesday morning early in Advent, as we prepare for Christ’s second coming and celebrate His first in the upcoming season of Christmas. Yes, we’re all about celebrations and gifts and food and drink, and the numerous other things we do at this time of year. We’re even nice to our enemies, (smile) wishing them ‘Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays’ etc. etc. The sad part though is that so many of us forget the real reason for the celebrations; the birth of Christ!
We’re quick to accept and honour the man-made traditions, but the real spirit, the real importance of what happened some two thousand years ago doesn’t really concern us as much as it ought to. Where would we be if Christ hadn’t been born in that manger on that fateful day eh? Dead and dying, eternally separated from the Father, only fit to associate with the evil one. And where would our Christian faith be but for that miraculous happening? Non-existent, to say the least! That means we wouldn’t have all the blessings and promises that we currently have because of the Father’s LOVE and largesse.
Unfortunately, not enough supposed believers contemplate these kinds of things; we don’t plumb the depths of our faith to find out why it is what is. We just get caught up in all the rigmarole of the world; the commerce, the bright lights, and what have you. That’s not good enough friends, we ought to be taking the Christmas season a li’l more seriously, trying to delve into the scriptures concerning it, and learning how important it is for the very essence of our beings. And one of the most important things we ought to consider and truly believe is the virgin birth of Christ, because if it isn’t true, then our whole faith is lies and utter foolishness.
For if Christ wasn’t supernaturally planted by the Holy Ghost in the womb of his Mother Mary, then He could not be God, but a mere man like us, and consequently could not redeem us from our sins and all the other stuff He’s done. And all of that calls for a large measure of faith, not by seeing things as they seem with the normal eyes, but of knowing and acknowledging the might and miraculous power of our heavenly Father, who can do any and everything, even make a woman conceive without knowing a man. (smile)
And why should that be such a big thing these days eh, when we do almost the same thing through artificial insemination? Many woman have children now without knowing the physical aspect of a man by having his sperm injected into their wombs. But don’t get carried away, (smile) we still need the man to get the sperm! That leads to this: to deny Christ’s virgin birth is to deny His deity, and thus question the integrity of the scriptures. But thankfully, we faithful Christians don’t do that. We know that Christ had the human nature of His mother and the divine, godly nature of His Father!
And all God’s people gave a loud and grateful shout of ‘Glory Hallelujah! Give thanks to God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Ghost; our triune God!’ And so we should!
Now let’s look at some of the scripture associated with Christ’s incarnation nuh. The Good Book says: ‘And in the sixth month (of Elisabeth’s pregnancy – John the Baptist’s mother) the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused (betrothed, engaged) to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her and said, Hail (rejoice), thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast her mind (considered) what manner of salutation (greeting) this should be.’ (Luke 1:26-29)
Oh, it’s certainly reasonable for a teenaged girl in a backwater town to be somewhat confused by such and exalted greeting. But our God is a gentle and understanding deity. ‘And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus (Yahweh Is Salvation). He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest (Most High): and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David. And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.’ (Luke 1:30-33)
Ah my fellow believers, who but our great God could come up with such a plan eh? So let’s ponder that scripture today nuh, and contemplate on our possible reaction to such a momentous opportunity. Obviously we won’t be offered that one now, (smile) but with our very imaginative and challenging God, there’s no telling what miraculous opportunity He will still pitch to us. So we’ve got to be prepared.
Now let’s go home declaring (chuh!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. 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!’ Now believe it, and you’ll certainly see it! Much LOVE!
…let’s keep Christ where He belongs…in Christmas…
03 Sep 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abominable sins, all may be one, as I am not of the world, atrocities, back to school, beloved of God, Christian, church leaders, comfotable fannies, denominations, forgiveness, friends of Jesus, go and teach, good news of Christ, help the poor, I am with you always, Jesus Christ, kindness, Labour Day, lead the way to Christ, light of the world, lost, LOVE, mercy, organizational disunity, our Lord and Saviour, our Triune God, prayer, prosperous society, religions, repentance, sactify them, salt of the earth, saltiness, salvation, sects, seek ye first, set them apart, share His love, sinful manner, spiritual unity, summer vacation, Thank You Lord, the body of Christ, the church, the Great Commission, the kingdom of God, the original creation, the re-creation, they are not of the world, thy word is truth, truth, Tuesday Mantra, unconditional LOVE, ungodly
John 17:16. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
And no, yesterday wasn’t a drizzly day like the day before, but it sure was cloudy for a lot of it. That means the Labour Day Monday celebrations weren’t marred by rain and the proceedings could be held outside like it ought to be. However, unfortunately, that also spells the end of the summer vacation period, it’s now back to school and back to work time for the thousands who were merry and carefree all summer long!
And along with that comes a lot of complaining and anxiety as the cold weather and strenuous times of school and work become a reality. (smile) Yeh friends, good things don’t last forever…except the LOVE and salvation of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! And all God’s people said a loud and grateful ‘Thank You Lord!’
Yes my faithful Christian brethren, there’s nothing we should be more thankful and grateful for than the unconditional and amazing LOVE of our Triune God and their even more amazing and awesome promise of salvation to all those who sincerely believe, worship and obey them!
It’s the second greatest thing that has ever happened to mankind! First, there was the original creation, then came the re-creation; the coming of Jesus Christ to earth in human form to save mankind from their abominable sins! Wow! How wonderful, generous and selfless was that eh? Words cannot fully describe it nuh!
And though, on a mental level we sort of understand it, deep down in our hearts we still have some resistance, else we wouldn’t be behaving in the reckless, sinful and ungodly manner that so many of us supposed believers still do. Yeh friends, as the body of Christ, His church, and as individual believers, we simply don’t come up to scratch!
We’re certainly not investing enough of our time, talent and resources in fulfilling Jesus’ Great Commission: ‘Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples) of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt.28:19-20)
What’s in that not to understand eh friends? Absolutely nothing! We’re supposed to get up off of our fat, lazy, comfortable fannies and spread the good news of Christ’s gospel to all and sundry, save the lost, help the poor, spread LOVE, mercy, kindness and forgiveness! But are we doing that to the best of our ability? Certainly not! In our comfortable and supposedly prosperous society so many are poor, sick, suffering, and still oh so lost!
And does the church, as it’s supposed to, helping as much as it can? Certainly not! The church and its hierarchical system and too many of us supposed believers are too interested in building wealth, power and success as the world sees it. Like we’ve forgotten, or simply choose to ignore, those memorable words of Jesus chocked full of heavenly advice! ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33)
Oh my people, that is possibly the most important and significant advice that Jesus ever gave us! Our future, our eternal home lies in heaven, not here on earth, consequently we ought to be seeking the things of God, not the things of the world. Remember too that Jesus prayed the Father that He should keep us out of the world, that though we had to be in it to do His bidding, we should not be a part of it.
‘They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them (set them apart) through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they may also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.’ (John 17:16-21)
Ah mih people, two thousand years ago, Jesus even prayed for those who would eventually believe in Him, that’s you and me, to be set aside for God’s work, and be one in unity of spirit, so that we could be salt and light in this dark, evil and ungodly world. But we’re not fulfilling His mighty purpose; for whatever reason, too many of us have lost our salty flavour and our batteries need serious recharging!
And the scholars offer these explanations on those verses. ‘17:18. Sent me…sent them means the mission of the church corresponds to that of Christ. Their tasks are alike – in fact, in purpose, and in results, as this prayer shows.’ And so it should be, if we are serious and sincere followers of Jesus Christ! ‘17:21. They…may be one conveys spiritual unity, not organizational unity. (cf. 1 Cor.12:13; 2 Cor.1:11; Eph.2:19; 4:3-16; Heb.10:25).’
Yeh friends, all those scriptures preach unity of spirit and purpose, however organizational unity makes it so much easier to have spiritual unity. And I’m sure that Jesus and Bruh Paul didn’t expect or want us to have so much organizational disunity, with so many religions, denominations, sects and what have you, that obviously causes a serious problem with achieving and attaining spiritual unity! End of sermon!
But seriously though friends, we all know deep down in our hearts and souls that we can ALL come up higher in God’s work, that includes many of the leaders of the church, whose indescribable atrocities are turning more people away from Christ than to Him.
I therefore implore us, if we’re serious about leading people to Christ, let’s clean up our acts nuh, come to the Father in humble and sincere prayer, offer repentance, ask for forgiveness and mercy and help to do better. He will NEVER turn away or not positively answer such heartfelt requests.
Now let’s go home declaring (yehhh!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know who and whose we are! In strong and sincere voice now: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
So please, please mih people, let’s go out today and do just that nuh! It’s all that Jesus desires of us! Much LOVE!
…the believers duty…to let our saltiness flavour the whole earth…and our lights shine brightly in its darkness…to lead the way to Christ…
18 Jun 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: after righteousness, an everlasting covenant, beloved of God, blessed are those, bounden duty, broken down, buy wine and milk, call ye upon him, carried to the fountain, come ye buy and eat, come ye to the waters, comfort, common sense, confident, dr robert h schuller, dragging like an old man, drink from the mountain springs, dwells within us, early will I seek thee, everyone that thirsteth, famished, Fill Me, for his goodness, friend of Jesus, Gentiles, God's free gift of salvation, he that hath no money, heavenly wisdom, ho, humble, in this time of prayer, invitation from God, Isaiah, Jews, joints are aching, knowing, magnanimous god, my soul will be filled, oh that men would praise the Lord, one of those days, rest, saints of Christ, salvation, seek ye the Lord, Selah, share His love, sincere, so I come O god, succour, Thank You Lord, the empty pitcher, the growing flower, the Holy Spirit, the satisfying sun, the thirsty deer, thirsty, tired, to be filled, to the children of men, Tuesday Mantra, turns hungrily to, while he is near, while he may be found, who hunger and thirst, without money, without price, your love, your truth
Isaiah 55:1. Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
Ah friends, it looks like it’s going to be one of those days; all the joints are aching and the ole fella’s dragging like an old man! Chuh! I hate when that happens, especially when I’m on a nice, fairly long, pain free run…well not completely pain free, because it’s never that nowadays. (smile)
Yuh know what I mean though; not having to take no setta pain pills and moving along smooth and easy, the way the duchess likes to see her husband move. (smile) But as you also know, prayer is the panacea, the cure-all for ALL the ills of the soul, so let’s get into a nice li’l uplifting prayer from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional nuh. It’s simply titled: ‘Fill Me!’
Please pray with me: ‘O Lord, like the thirsty deer which goes to drink from the mountain springs; like the growing flower which turns hungrily to the satisfying sun; like the empty pitcher which is carried to the fountain to be filled; so I come, O God, knowing that in this time of prayer my soul will be filled with your LOVE and your truth. Thank you Lord! Amen.’
Yes my people, if we were sincere and humble in that prayer, but also confident that God would grant our desire, then right now we’re being filled with the LOVE and truth of our heavenly father by the Holy Spirit that dwells within us. Glory be, precious saints of Christ! What a great and wonderful God we serve my faithful brethren!
A God who desires us to come to Him whenever we’re tired and thirsty, famished and broken down for rest, comfort and succour. That’s why the prophet Isaiah wisely advised his people, the Israelites, to ‘Seek ye the Lord while he may be found. Call ye upon him while he is near.’ (Is.55:6)
Yes friends, that’s simply common sense imbued with heavenly wisdom! (smile) He’s our Creator and Provider, so who else we going to call on eh? Surely not Ghostbusters, nor the evil one! And in keeping with the thirsty theme, I just want to look at some of the scriptures that powerfully illustrate our message, beginning with this wonderful, unimaginable invitation from God Himself, through Isaiah, to His people Israel, and consequently to us.
‘Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.’ Wow! What an invitation mih breddren! Nobody else can ever match that! Buying spiritual milk and water and food for free! Only in the realm of our magnificent and magnanimous God is that possible!
Hear what the scholars say about that nuh. ’55:1-7. God’s free gift of salvation is offered to ALL who will receive it. Those who are spiritually hungry and thirsty may come to eat and drink without money (or freely). He promises an everlasting covenant to the Gentiles like the one He established with Israel. His invitation to ALL men is clearly stated by the appeal, Seek ye the Lord and call ye upon him.’
And here now are a few scriptures where men hungry and thirsty for God did just that, beginning with this favourite from Psalm 42 – An intense longing for God. ‘As the hart (deer) panteth after (longs for) the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?’ (Ps.42:1-2)
Oh my people, are we that hungry and thirsty for our great God? I would certainly like to think so, but unfortunately the reality of our actions in these evil times doesn’t show it. It’s more like we’ve forgotten that God exists, and more like we’re trying to get rid of Him from our broken down and evil society.
But just a word of caution; that’s impossible to do. He might allow us to carry on with our nonsense for a time, but in the end, He will have the last word and the last laugh. So please let’s wake up and realize that our world is on the brink of destruction and only real and strong faith in Christ Jesus can ever help us to fix it. Enough preaching though. (smile)
Hear Bruh David now from Psalm 63 – God satisfies the thirsting soul. ‘O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.’ (Ps.63:1)
And in Psalm 107 – God’s wonderful works to the children of men, the psalmist declares thus: ‘Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness (LOVING-kindness), and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness (LOVING-kindness).’ (Ps.107:8-9) Oh that men nowadays would really take those words of wisdom to heart and action them! Our world would be a much better place!
And one more time from Bruh David from Psalm 143 – Teach me to do thy will. ‘ I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse (ponder) on the work of thy hands. I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah.’ (Ps.143:5-6) Ah mih people, again we see Bruh David in anguish of spirit and soul, possibly beset by enemies thirstily crying out for God to fill him with grace and mercy and LOVING-kindness! So who are we not to do the same eh?
Anyway, here is the definitive word on a spiritually hungry and thirsty soul…from none other than our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, from His Sermon on the Mount. ‘Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.’ (Matt.5:6) And isn’t that the gospel truth! Those of us who are poor and hungry in spirit and realize the depth of our need and faithfully seek God, will indeed be filled with the Lord’s grace, mercy and LOVING-kindness!
And having imbued our soul and spirit with those uplifting, assuring and comforting words, let’s go home now declaring (yes!) our Tuesday Mantra, proudly telling the world who and whose we are! In strong voice, as one: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
Oh glory be mih people! What joy it brings to the soul when we are beloved of Jesus and can sincerely count Him as our friend! So please let’s go out and share that good news now nuh! It’s our bounden duty! Much LOVE!
…oh, words cannot describe…how wonderful it feels…to have Jesus…living right here within me…
05 Jun 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, Abide in me, adult in the faith, analogy of a grapevine, and i in him, bringeth forth much fruit, building our faith, burdensome, cast them into a fire, Christian babies, Christian-like, constant movement and growth, contrary weather, cooperation with Almighty God, dr robert h schuller, drinking milk, eat solid food, exciting life, failure to success, free will, from boring death, glad to be alive, grow, hands on the plough, he purgeth, he that abideth in me, Hour of Power Devotional, I am the true vine, I am the vine, I will move, in you I come alive, in your pardon, in your power, in your promises, in your providence, looking forward to, mature, move from discouragement, my Father is the husbandman, not looking back, Ottawa, partnership, prunes, shame to glory, tests, Thank You Lord, the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, the breath of life, the christian thing, the true way of life, times of adversity, to hope, walking with Jesus, weakness to strength, Wednesday Wail, without me ye can do nothing, ye are the branches, your heart to be in my heart
John 15:5. 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.
Well it seems like another ‘riney’ day is in the offing! Brother, when is it going to stop eh? Doesn’t look like anytime soon. But who cares eh? Oh, how I dislike that term that’s so popular in our current parlance! Because we all ought to care, since too much rain means flooding and a whole set of other problems. Some places up around the nation’s capital of Ottawa are still flooded, and some parts up there recently received a telling blow from a powerful tornado!
So why don’t we care eh? Because we’re selfish and greedy and not truly Christian-like! Let’s try and change that nuh by praying for those who are suffering from the recent ravages of the unpredictable and contrary weather, while helping in any other capacity that we can. That’s the Christian thing to do. And to help us do that, here is a prayer from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional titled, ‘I Will Move…’
Please pray with me: ‘Lord, I want your heart to be in my heart. For in you I come alive, moving ahead from boring death to exciting life! In your promises, I will move from discouragement to hope. In your pardon, I will move from shame to glory. In your power, I will move from weakness to strength. In your providence, I will move from failure to success! Thank you Lord! Amen!’
Oh friends, therein lies the true way of life…in sincere partnership and cooperation with Almighty God, our Creator and Provider! Without Him in our lives we’re absolutely nothing! He made us, with a plan for every life, and He still controls them even though we have free will. Nothing happens in our lives without His knowledge and acceptance.
Granted, some of the things He allows to happen are tough and burdensome, but those things are just tests and ways and means of building our faith, since we only grow during times of adversity. So if He didn’t allow adversarial things in our lives, we would just stay as Christian babies, forever drinking milk and not being able to eat solid food. (smile)
And that’s not His plan. His plan is to have us all become strong and mature and adult in the faith – as Christ-like as His Son. But in keeping with that desire, our God is so wonderful that He never gives us more than we can bear, or if it seems so, He is always there to help us bear it. That’s why it’s ever so important to have meaningful and constant communication with Him through His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Listen to Jesus tell it nuh: ‘I am the true (genuine) vine, and my Father is the husbandman (vinedresser). Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth (prunes) it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through (because of) the word which I have spoken unto you. 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.’ (John 15:1-4)
Oh friends, don’t you like how Jesus just puts it out there, without any fuss or fancy! And then He rubs it in further: ‘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.’
And that’s oh so true my brethren! Without Jesus first and foremost in our lives we are incapable of producing much, if any positive fruit. But with Him taking a meaningful part in our lives, we abiding in Him, and He in us, oh, we’re capable of producing enormous amounts of good and wonderful fruit!
And Jesus does not leave us wondering about what happens if we don’t abide in him, and He in us: ‘If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.’ (John 15:6) And the scholars tell us that that verse ‘refers to the judgement of believers at the judgement seat of Christ (2 Cor.5:10).’
So basically speaking, ‘Jesus explains the divine-human relationship by the analogy of a grapevine. Jesus is like the main vine. The disciples are compared with branches. The Father tends the branches like a gardener. At that time of year, branches of grapevines would be budding in Jerusalem.’
So the disciples would have understood exactly what He meant. That’s another wonderful things about Jesus; His analogies are always about things that we can understand, things that are prevalent in our lives, so we don’t have to go wondering what He’s talking about.
The long and short of the story friends, is that walking with Jesus involves constant movement and growth, no sitting on one’s laurels admiring one’s earlier successes. If you’re not bearing good fruit, then the Father will cut you off and throw you away. But even if you’re bearing good fruit, He will prune you occasionally so that you can bear even more fruit! So you’re in a no win situation! Damned if you do, and damned if you don’t! (smile)
The Father requires constant growth and the bearing of much fruit, and He pursues His plan with great conviction and sense of purpose, therefore we need to pull up our britches and get with the programme, if we say we are, or want to be true believers! Now let’s go home declaring (right ho!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know our wonderful position in Christ Jesus.
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!’
Oh my people, let’s be wise and keep our eyes fixed steadfastly on Jesus nuh, and know that the future with Him will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…oh Jesus…oh Jesus…what would we do without you eh…
24 Mar 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a pardon receives, all may go in, Amen, are created, atonement for sin, atonement of sins, Billy Graham, cast their crowns, come to the Father, delebrates, eternal life, every believer, Fanny Crosby, feloowship, finite minds, for thy pleasure, four and twenty elders, from Jesus, greater, he gave us his son, higher, him that lives for ever, honour, I was glad, Jesus' sacrifice, lay down our labour, let the earth hear his voice, let the people rejoice, let us go into the house of the Lord, lifr up our heads to the sky, making a mockery of, opened the life gate, our rapture, our wonder, perfect redemption, power, praise, Praise the Lord, purer, rejoice, resurrection, Sabbath, sacrificed his son, sinless blood, so loved he the world, soaring harmony, spirit of gratitude, Sunday morning's coming down, Thank You Lord, the believer's strength, the cross at Calvary, the greatness of God, the hallowed halls of heaven, the joy of the Lord, the promise of God, the purchase of blood, the universe, the vilest offender, the whole weight of the world, they exist, thou art worthy O lord, thous hast created all things, through Jesus the son, Tiune God, To God be the glory, to receive glory, truly believes, unfolding as it should, when Jesus we see, when they said unto me, William Howard, worship, yielded his life
Revelation 4:11: Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are (by your will they exist) and were created.
Sunday morning’s coming down friends…in fact, by the time you receive this missive, it will have already come down! (smile) But don’t worry, God’s great universe is unfolding as it should. But what else do we expect from the great architect and planner eh? Nothing less than things running the way He planned them.
And so it is with us, His greatest creation: He planned us to worship and praise Him and pray to Him and receive answers to those prayers. He also stipulated that once a week we should lay down our labour and gather in His sanctuary to fellowship with other believers, and we have designated Sunday as our Sabbath, our day of rest and worship.
So let me invite us to gather in the Lord’s house nuh. And let us be also glad, the way Bruh David was, when they invited him to go into the house of the Lord. (Ps.122:1) (smile) And as always, we’ll begin the proceedings with some praise and worship in glorious song!
According to the Internet site ‘godtube,’ our song for today,’ To God be the Glory’ is a hymn with lyrics by Fanny Crosby and music by William Howard, possibly written around 1872, but first published in 1875. It soon became popular in Britain, but never had any success in the U.S until the 1950’s when it was added to the songbook of Billy Graham’s crusades. Now it’s one of our very popular hymns.
And we can certainly understand why: Because it ‘celebrates the greatness of God and calls upon an appreciation for the wondrous things “He hath done.” It is a glorious hymn to be sung rejoicefully in the spirit of gratitude.’ And that’s no lie! So without further ado, let’s sing it nuh, in sweet, soaring harmony, rejoicefully, and most definitely in the spirit of gratitude!
All together now: ‘To God be the glory, great things He hath done; So loved He the world that He gave us His Son, Who yielded His life an atonement for sin, And opened the life gate that all may go in. (Refrain Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Let the earth hear His voice! Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Let the people rejoice! O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son, And give Him the glory, great things He hath done.)
O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood, To every believer the promise of God; The vilest offender who truly believes, That moment from Jesus a pardon receives. (Refrain) Great things He hath taught us, great things He hath done, And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son; But purer, and higher, and greater will be Our wonder, our rapture, when Jesus we see.
(Refrain: Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Let the earth hear His voice! Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Let the people rejoice! O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son, And give Him the glory, great things He hath done.)
Oh friends, oh friends, that was beautiful! We sounded like the heavenly host that continually worships God. ‘The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are (by your will they exist) and were created.’ (Rev.4:10-11)
O my fellow believers, is our great God ever worthy of tumultuous praise and worship, glory, power and honour! He certainly is! Just look at the marvellous things He’s done nuh! He LOVED us so much that He sacrificed His only Son, like a lamb on the cross at Calvary, so that His sinless blood could pay for the atonement of our sins! And with His resurrection, opened the gate of eternal life for anyone who believes on Him to enter into the halls of heaven!
Wow! For that the Lord is certainly worthy of praise! And we ought also to rejoice over that perfect redemption performed by Jesus. And what a wonderful situation Jesus’ sacrifice caused, so much so that even the most disgusting offender is instantly pardoned once he sincerely believes! And in the doing of all those great things, our majestic God has also taught us great things!
And if yuh think we rejoicing now through Jesus earthly work, just listen to Fanny’s words as she reflects those of the Good Book: ‘But purer, and higher, and greater will be Our wonder, our rapture, when Jesus we see.’ Yeh mih breddren, the celebration now is incomparable to what it will be when we bounce up with Jesus face to face in the hallowed halls of heaven!
Ah friends, that’s why Christians are supposed to be the happiest and most joyful people in the world! We have been accorded such wonderful privileges and blessings down here on earth, along with the faithful promise of more to come in the afterlife that our puny finite minds can’t even truly comprehend them!
I guess that’s why so many of us drag ourselves around like we’re bearing the whole weight of the world on our shoulders. Sorry friends, Jesus has already assumed that position! You don’t have to go around feeling sad and sorrowful and beating up yourself any longer. Otherwise you’re just making a mockery of Jesus’ sacrifice. And I’m sure you don’t want to do that.
So please, let’s lift our heads, hands and hearts to the sky and shout a loud, proud and grateful, ‘Thank You Lord! You are indeed worthy to be praised! We LOVE You and bless Your holy name! Amen! And again we say: ‘Amen!’ Now let’s go home rejoicing in the goodness and wonder of our great Triune God – the ONLY REAL and TRUE DEITY that exists! Much LOVE!
…the joy of the Lord…is the true believer’s strength…
28 Feb 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: . the pain of loneliness, a human soul, Abide in me, agent, ask what ye will, bless your Holy Name, bring forth much fruit, cannot bear fruit of itself, cast forth, cast into the fire, compassionate heart, created us, curse, DETERMINATION, disciple, divine protection, eased up on the pedal, embrace Jesus, eternal separation, evil, except it abide in the vine, fierce pride, glorify the Father, God's kingdom, hell fire and damnation, hooking up, I am the vine, I love and adore you, in His own image, intercession, Jesus, LOVE, magnificent carthorse, make a difference, negative word, New Year's resolution, our broken down wagons, our legacy, positive outlook, promotion, prosper, self-discipline, strong walk with Jesus, success, take Jesus more seriously, Thank You Lord, thankfulness, the branch, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Trinity, the only antidote, the worst thing, Thursday Blessings, ungodliness, walking closer with Jesus, withered, without me, ye are the branches, ye can do nothing, zeppo
John 15:4. 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.
Well it’s pretty white out there still, but the snow seems to have abated…till when who knows? But thankfully, I did not have to go into the city and face the mess yesterday. Don’t get me wrong, I was all prepared to do it, but during the mid morning hours when the stuff just kept falling my resolve began to weaken, (smile) and I got the bright idea…or rather the Holy Spirit gave me a zeppo to call the clinic and find out how early I could get another appointment if I cancelled that one?
Obviously I could not find a living soul to talk to since in this age of modern communications less people are answering phones, it’s all artificial intelligence. (smile) But I left a message…then waited and waited for an answer. None came until an hour before I had to leave home. The lady offered me an appointment for next week and I gladly took it, thanking her effusively, then I gave more effusive thanks and praise to our wonderful God for His timely intercession.
Isn’t our God wonderful people? But certainly! Though His timing could be just a li’l less ‘just in time.’ (smile) The things He does for us eh, when He doesn’t have to. He could have very well said yesterday, ‘No let him go and experience the struggle out there and let it purify and strengthen him!’(smile) But instead, in His omniscience, He saw that I might not have been able to handle it, it was just too much for me to bear, so He mercifully and graciously eased up on the pedal!
But whatever the reason, believe me friends, the ole fella is exceedingly glad and thankful that I did not have to go into the city yesterday, especially after some of the horrible stories I heard. ‘Thank You Lord, Thank You! I LOVE and adore and exalt You even more today than yesterday! Bless Your holy name! I give you thanks and praise from the very depths of my being! Help me to live the life that You’ve planned for me and run a good and strong race! In Jesus’ name I pray! Amen!’
Now enough about me and my thankfulness! (smile) Let’s turn to a more important subject on this last day of February; that of how we are doing with our New Year’s Resolution two months into the year? And some of you must be wondering, ‘what New Year’s Resolution is he talking about eh?’ The one that we made, on January the first, namely to walk closer with Jesus this year! I guess if we have to shrug our shoulders and jiggle our minds to remember it, then most likely we have not been doing it?
Ah friends, what do we have to do to get us to take Jesus more seriously than we’re currently doing eh? Our world is falling apart under the tremendous evil and ungodliness that’s bearing down on it, and a strong and certain walk with Jesus is the ONLY antidote to save us from hell fire and damnation! If we continue the way we’re going, our world is going to blow up, both literally and figuratively, at some stage of the game!
And is that what we want? Is that the legacy we want to leave for our children and grandchildren? Certainly not! Well then the only option we have to prevent that disaster is to embrace Jesus and ALL He stands for with a fierce pride and determination, for He is the ONLY One who can help us make a sincere and satisfactory difference!
As He said so clearly to the disciples, and consequently to us: ‘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.’ Wow! What can be clearer than that eh friends? But as is Jesus’ wont, He goes on to explain in greater detail: ‘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 15:5)
Mama Mia! What a powerful statement of truth is that last clause, my fellow believers! Without Christ we can do nothing! And whoever thinks otherwise is just fooling themselves! For as Jesus explains: ‘If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.’ (John 15:6) Yeah friends, that’s what’s going to eventually happen when the Lord sets up His judgement court.
And believe me, that day will surely come, when all those who don’t believe will be cast out into eternal separation from the Holy Trinity, which I’ve often said is the very worst thing that can happen to a human soul! And the only way to avoid that rather disastrous ending is to do as Jesus says: ‘If ye abide in me (be my agent, my disciple), and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto (for) you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath LOVED me, so have I LOVED you: continue (abide) ye in my LOVE!’ (John 15:7-9)
Oh friends, remember our major job down here on earth is to let others know about God’s kingdom and thereby glorify the Father who created us in His own image. And the ONLY WAY we can accomplish that is by hooking up our broken down wagons to the magnificent and powerful carthorse that’s Jesus! So let’s wake up, let’s be wise and get with Jesus’ programme nuh. That’s our only hope!
Now let’s go home declaring (right ho) our Thursday Blessings that our Lord and God have so magnanimously bestowed on us to help us do our job, spread His Holy Word and glorify His Holy Name! All together now, in strong voice and sincere sense of purpose with thanksgiving: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance!
I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
The next step is to go out and share those blessings, while staying attached to the vine so we can bear good fruit! Much LOVE!
…please remember…that Jesus is the Way…the Truth…the Life…the Light…and the Only avenue to the Father…
P.S. Yeah, it’s sorta long, but we can’t always deal in short, since short does not always convey the full message. (smile) Much LOVE!
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