24 Nov 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a blade of grass, a strong will to live, abide with you for ever, accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour, all fear is gone, an empty grave, and i in him, as death gives way to victory, because He lives, Bill & Gloria Gaither, brings forth much fruit, calm assurance, church family, cloven tongues like as of fire, cross the river, death, died to buy my pardon, drug abuse, face uncertain days, faith, false accusations, feel the pride and joy, fellowship, fight life's final war, filled with the Holy Ghost, forgive, give you another Comforter, grace, he holds my future, he that abides in me, heal, hold a newborn baby, holy spirit, I am the vine ye are the branches, I can face tomorrow, I will not leave you comfortless, I will pray the Father, if thou faint in the day of adversity, if ye love me keep my commandments, inconsequential things, Jesus Christ, leave you as orphans, life is worth living, LOVE, mercy, mononucleosis, one day, prayer banned in public schools, proves my Saviour lives, racial tension, reach the sunshine of the world, salvation, see the lights of glory, shift in values, speak in other languages, speak with other tongues, strife, Ten Commandments, thanks and praise, the resurrection of Jesus, the Spirit of truth, thy strength is small, tough times, truth, victory, wisdom, without me ye can do nothing
Proverbs 24:10. If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.
So friends, we’ve lived to see another brand new day; a Sunday to boot, which means we ought to gather in the Lord’s sanctuary with other faithful believers to give Him much thanks and praise for all the undeserved blessings, grace and mercy He’s bestowed on us this past week, and pray for a continuance of such goodness in the upcoming week. And today we’re going to open our worship with a truly inspirational song, one that we all know and LOVE, written by Gloria and William Gaither, based on a tough time in their lives. It’s simply but most appropriately titled; ‘Because He Lives.’
So, let’s raise our voices in sweet sacrifices of praise, and offer up a soulful, sincere, mid-tempo version of the song. Singing: ‘(Chorus: Because He lives, I can face tomorrow Because He lives, all fear is gone Because I know He holds my future, And life is worth the living Just because He lives.) (Repeat) God sent His son they called Him, Jesus He came to LOVE, heal and forgive He lived and died to buy my pardon An empty grave is there to prove my Saviour lives. (Chorus) How sweet to hold a newborn baby And feel the pride and joy he gives But greater still that calm assurance This child can face uncertain days because He lives
And then one day I’ll cross the river I’ll fight life’s final war with pain And then, as death gives way to vict’ry I’ll see the lights of glory and I’ll know He lives Because He lives, I can face tomorrow Because He lives, all fear is gone Because I know He holds my future And life is worth the living Just because He lives And life is worth the living Just because He lives And life is worth the living Just because He lives.’
Oh my people, that was a beautiful rendition of that most inspiring song. And I guess that’s why we sung it so sweetly, (smile) for all of us have been through hard times and it’s only the trust and faith in Jesus that’s pulled us through. Apparently, it was the same with the Gaither family back in the 1960’s, when a deep shift in values was taking place in their world. The winter of 1969 was particularly hard for them, because it was long and severe, and Bill fell ill with a bad case of mononucleosis.
Concurrently, there was also strife and false accusations amongst their church family. Gloria says she can remember sitting in their living room in fear and agony on New Year’s Eve, as the educational system was being infiltrated with the “God is dead” idea, while drug abuse and racial tension were increasing. And as always, everybody was blaming everybody else. Nothing has changed since then, except that the idea of God being dead, has blossomed, where schools no longer teach about God, where the Ten Commandments and prayer are now banned in public schools and those of higher education.
What a time for the Gaithers to discover they were about to have a baby! And though it was good news, they were also concerned about the wisdom of bringing a new life into that chaotic world. Then, one sunny day in the early spring, Bill, Gloria and Bill’s father George walked across the paved parking lot at their small A-frame offices. George called Bill and Gloria’s attention to a spot they had not noticed. He pointed out a tiny blade of grass that had pushed aside layers of dirt, rock and concrete to reach the sunshine of the world above. It had such a strong will to live; it had overcome all the odds to fulfill its destiny.
That blade of grass became a symbol to the Gaithers of how God works in His creation. And it inspired Gloria to write a song expressing the hope that was shaped by the resurrection of Jesus, as well as that blade of grass and the birth of her son. And that’s the story of the song. No doubt many of us also have such inspiring stories, although we have not written any songs about them. But that’s the way Jesus works in our lives; using small and apparently inconsequential things and moments to build our faith and trust in Him.
That’s why we can never give up hope, despite the many times we fall. That’s why Cousin Sol penned these words in Proverbs. First of all: ‘If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.’ (Prov. 24:10) And then: ‘For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief (calamity).’ (Prov. 24:16) And we can do all of that only because of the completed work of Jesus. As the song says, ‘He came to LOVE, heal and forgive He lived and died to buy my pardon An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.’
Oh glory be my fellow believers! Without Jesus, we cannot do much of anything, as He so rightly says in the gospel of John. ‘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) Yes friends, in the natural we are weak, weary and finite human beings. But if we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, then His Holy Spirit comes and fills our souls and spirits with the power to do anything that He desires us to do.
It’s like He promised the disciples and those of us who believe in the future: ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter (Helper), that he may abide with you forever. Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless (as orphans): I will come to you.’ (John 14:15-18)
And we all know that Jesus kept that promise, for on the day of Pentecost after His ascension, the Holy Spirit came down from heaven, ‘as a sound of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them, cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues (in other languages), as the Spirit gave them utterance.’ (Acts 2:2-4)
And since that time my fellow saints, every time someone accepts Christ as Lord and Saviour, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within them, to lead, guide and comfort them just like Jesus promised. So, let’s go home today, renewing our faith, promising ourselves to keep it strong and to get back every time we falter or fall, because Jesus empowers us through His Holy Spirit. and as the chorus of the song reminds us: ‘Because He lives, I can face tomorrow Because He lives, all fear is gone Because I know He holds my future, And life is worth the living Just because He lives.’ And that’s the gospel truth my people! Let’s never forget it! Much LOVE!
…with Jesus as our Lord and Saviour…our strength ought not to fail…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
24 Jun 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a reason for getting up, accomplishing His purpose, as to the Lord, Bible, Blessed be the name of God, by the might of my power, Daniel, divine aid, do it heartily, faith, for the honour of my majesty, Friday equals pay day, gives wisdom unto the wise, god, God changes the times and seasons, God enlists us into His service, God reveals the deep and secret things, God supplies the grace to do our work, his ways judgement, honoured him that lives forever, humble adoration, I blessed the most High, idle chatter leads to poverty, in all labour their is profit, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keeps us busy, lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, LOVE, made in God's image, mass confusion, Monday equals work, Nebuchadnezzar, negative situations, no respect of persons, not meeting God's needs, not unto men, obedience, praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, pray, pride, reverential awe, salvation, serving God and not man, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, strong faith in Christ, tendeth only to penury, thanks and praise, the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the giver gets the glory, the God who heals, the light dwelleth with him, the reward of inheritance, the servant gets the joy, the talk of the lips, those that walk in pride He is able to abase, to fulfill God's purposes, truth, understanding returned to me, whatsoever ye do, whose works are truth, wisdom, wisdom and might are his, work ethic, work is good for us, work week, work with all of our hearts, ye serve the Lord Christ
Colossians 3:23. And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
Chuh man! Another Monday…another work week. And yes, many of us don’t like the equation: Monday equals work, but that’s the only way the equation we all LOVE: Friday equals pay day, will ever come to pass. (smile) Oh friends, we cannot get away from work…and besides work is good for us, it keeps us busy and adds challenges to our lives, gives us a reason for getting up every day. (smile) For as Cousin Sol declares from his immense wisdom: ‘In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips (idle chatter) tendeth only to penury (poverty).’ (Prov. 14:23) And that’s the gospel truth!
But above all, let’s remember we’re not working for ourselves but for God. Bruh Paul said it very clearly in Colossians: ‘And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.’ (Col. 3:23-25) It doesn’t get any clearer than that my brethren. In the long run, it’s Christ we all serve, although men may be our earthly masters.
And these two commentaries give us some inkling of what it really means to work for God. The first says: ‘We are told to work with all of our hearts, no matter what we are doing and to do so as though we are “working for the Lord” and not for humans. These Bible verses about work ethic tell us that no matter what we are doing we must persist as though we are serving God and not man.’
And the second commentary declares: ‘So, I conclude, yes, God enlists us into his service, which means he calls us to have a part in accomplishing his purposes, not meeting his needs. And he accomplishes his purposes precisely by supplying the grace to do our work, because the giver gets the glory; the servant gets the joy.’ That reminds us of Bruh Paul’s words in Philippians: ‘For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of (according) to his good pleasure.’ (Phil. 2:13)
Yes friends, we are made in God’s image to fulfill His purposes, not our own. And until we understand that, we will always get caught up in the quandary of working for men or working for God. It’s so much simpler to just conclude that all we do is for God, although we might be working under human masters, for God is the Master of the universe, as Daniel says when he received the night vision revealing to him the answer to King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream:
‘Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up (raises up) kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know (have) understanding. He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.’ (Dan. 2:20-22)
And if you don’t believe that, then listen to what King Nebuchadnezzar says in Daniel after the Lord drove him crazy for seven years, for his haughty boast. ‘Is it not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom (a royal dwelling) by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?’ (Dan. 4:30) And while the king was yet talking the Lord decreed His sentence upon him, and for seven years he lost his mind, was like a wild animal.
Then at the end of the seven years, Nebuchadnezzar regained his mental equilibrium and commented thus: ‘And at the end of the days (time) I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:
And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed (considered) as nothing: and he doeth according to his own will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay (restrain) his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou? … Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of the heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgement (justice): and those that walk in pride he able to abase (humble).’ (Dan. 4:32-35, 37)
Now my people, if a pagan king can sing those mighty praises to our God, after firsthand experience of His awesome power, what is expected of us eh, His true believers? Humble adoration, reverential awe, much thanks and praise, obedience to His holy will, Number One in our lives…amongst other things. (smile) And having made up our minds to do as we ought, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid in these turbulent times.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And we begin by humbling ourselves, praying and sincerely seeking God’s face! Much LOVE!
…the earth is the Lord’s…and the fulness thereof…the world…and they that dwell within… (Ps. 24:1)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
27 Jun 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a believer in Jesus Christ, a child of God, all our sins and griefs to bear, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, be fore they call I will answer, can a woman forget her suckling child, come unto me, everything to God in prayer, I am meek and lowly in heart, I will give you rest, I will not forget thee, Joseph Medlicott Scriven, LOVE, my burden is light, my yoke is easy, O what needless pain we bear, take it to the Lord in prayer, thanks and praise, the day of the Lord, the great invitation, then the Lord will take me up, trials and temptations, we should never be discouraged, what a friend we have in Jesus, what a privilege to carry, when my mother and father forsake me, ye shall find rest unto your souls
Matthew 11:28. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Gather round friends, gather round, tis the day of the Lord! It’s an auspicious, a right royal occasion to give Him much thanks and praise for the awesome breath of life and the many other blessings He has so generously bestowed on us during our lifetime. I know we still can’t gather physically in large numbers, but that has not so far stopped us, and will never stop us from worshipping our wonderful God. In His omniscience, during this time of pandemic, He has conveniently made it possible for us to worship Him through technological means. And though something is lost in the translation (smile) it’s still better than not worshipping Him at all.
Now, as we do each Sunday, we’ll begin worship with a song of praise and thanksgiving. And today’s song is that magnificent and most touching hymn titled ‘What a Friend we have in Jesus.’ Wow! And is it ever a hymn for these trying times! But before we get into it, let’s get a li’l info into its interesting history. According to the Hymnary.org website, the hymn was written by Joseph Medlicott Scriven (1819-1886), and Irish immigrant to Canada.
‘Because his life was filled with grief and trials, Scriven often needed the solace of the Lord as described in his famous hymn. Educated at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland, he enrolled in a military college to prepare for an army career. However, poor health forced him to give up that ambition. Soon after came a second blow—his fiancée died in a drowning accident on the eve of their wedding in 1844. Later that year he moved to Ontario, where he taught school in Woodstock and Brantford. His plans for marriage were dashed again when his new bride-to-be died after a short illness in 1855.
Following this calamity Scriven seldom had a regular income, and he was forced to live in the homes of others. He also experienced mistrust from neighbors who did not appreciate his eccentricities or his work with the underprivileged. A member of the Plymouth Brethren, he tried to live according to the Sermon on the Mount as literally as possible, giving and sharing all he had and often doing menial tasks for the poor and physically disabled. Because Scriven suffered from depression, no one knew if his death by drowning in Rice Lake was suicide or an accident.’
No wonder such touching, encouraging and immortal words were able to come from the soul of that gentleman! Now let’s sing it at a middling tempo, with great gusto, truly acknowledging the wonderful friendship that Jesus provides for all who sincerely believe in Him. As one, harmonious, melodious earthly choir, let’s wake up heaven with our song of praise.
‘What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer! – Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer! Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer! –
Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge– take it to the Lord in prayer! Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer! In his arms he’ll take and shield you; you will find a solace there. What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!’
Oh my people, what indisputable words of wisdom! But unfortunately, so many of us refuse to put them into action. We foolishly refuse to accept the truth of the words of the hymn: ‘What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!’ Yes friends, that ability to take everything to our God in prayer is one of the greatest privileges of being a child of God, a believer in Jesus Christ! We won’t even talk about Jesus just yet, but we’ll go back to the Old Testament where from way back when, the Lord promised to hear our prayers.
Listen to the prophet Isaiah on His behalf. ‘And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.’ (Is. 65:4) Now doesn’t that sound like an invitation for communication, a welcome to prayer? It certainly does! And the psalmist tells us quite clearly from Psalm 91- God is a refuge and a fortress – speaking on behalf of God: ‘Because he hath set his LOVE upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation.’ (Ps. 91:14-16)
Oh precious saints of Christ, what’s the purpose of claiming we know the Lord and not call on Him for help eh? None whatsoever! And when we get to the New Testament, Jesus Himself, our Lord and Saviour, our Deliverer from the bondage of sin, offered us this Great Invitation, the greatest that’s ever been offered: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt. 11:28-30)
Listen friends, Jesus didn’t sacrifice His sinless life on the cross of Calvary for fun nuh. He was quite serious when He paid our sin debt in full, and that invitation above is proof that He wants us to come to Him and lay our burdens down at His feet. He wants to help us bear the heavy load that’s this earthly life, that’s what His death and resurrection was all about. However, if we don’t take our problems to Him, in prayer, the method of communication the Father decreed between God and man, Jesus can’t help us.
And do we ever have loads of trials and temptations, especially in these times of unforeseen storms. As the hymn says, ‘we should never be discouraged,’ but how do we do that without the help of Jesus eh? It’s impossible. Likewise, when friends and family forsake and despise us, Jesus is the One to whom we should look to for solace! And again, way back in the Old Testament the Lord faithfully promised it. Hear Isaiah tell it nuh. ‘Can a woman forget her suckling (nursing) child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.’ (Is. 49:15)
And that obviously led Bruh David to pen these immortal words of comfort and encouragement. ‘When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up (care for me).’ (Ps. 37:10) And as one commentator points out, Bruh David didn’t say ‘if’ but ‘when’ meaning that’s something he knew for a fact. So friends, I don’t know what else to say to get us to go to Jesus for whatever we need, in whatever situation we might find ourselves. He is the answer! The ONLY true One! Only He can fix our problems and bring true peace, solace and comfort to our burdened souls.
But we have to take our concerns to Him in prayer, because that’s the only way He will generally fix them. Oh, He can fix them without us asking, but the Father prefers us to initiate the communication when our souls are troubled. So please, let’s wake up to the advantages and privileges we have as sincere believers in Christ Jesus nuh, instead of frivolously wasting them. Much LOVE!
…Jesus not only saves our souls for heaven…but also helps with our problems on earth…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
29 Jan 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: afraid of the corona virus, are afflicted, because of their transgression, bound in affliction and iron, bring backsliders back to your fold, bring us back to God, broke their chains, contemned the counsel of the Most High, Covid-19 virus, declare His works with rejoicing, despised God's word, fools, for he satisfieth the longing soul, for his goodness, for his wonderful works to the children of men, Friday chant, he filleth the hungry soul with goodness, he saveth them out of their distresses, in a bleak and challenging way, in the shadow of death, issuing from our hearts and mouths, kick Him out, life goes on, Lucifer, negative consequences, no denying of God's Word, obvious place of refuge, oh that men would praise the Lord, old fashioned and obsolete, on which side their bread was buttered, our godless society, racial strife, rebelled against God, run God out of town, sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, such as sit in darkness, thanks and praise, the joy of the Lord in our souls, the process of elimination, their iniquities, they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, they rebelled against the words of God, wake up and smell the coffee, wise guidance
Psalm 107:15. Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness (LOVING-kindness), and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
Well it’s Friday, and life goes on in a somewhat bleak and challenging way. Nonetheless, there is the joy of the Lord in our souls and thanks and praise issuing from our hearts and mouths for God’s wonderful goodness to the children of men.
Psalm 107 says it. ‘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.’ (Ps. 107:8-9) And there can be no denying of God’s Word.
I also like how the psalmist describes the situation. ‘Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron (prisoners);’ (Ps. 107:10) And it is fair to say that many of us today are sitting in darkness, prisoners of the world and all its evil spells; afraid of the corona virus and all that it’s doing to our godless society.
But why is that eh? Hear the words of the psalmist. ‘Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned (despised) the counsel of the Most High:’ (Ps. 107: 11)
Oh my people, we cannot deny that charge of rebellion, since we have indeed despised God’s word, even to the point of desperately trying to kick Him out of our modern, technological society, because we think He’s old fashioned and obsolete!
But we obviously have not learned from the history of mankind, where many other nations rebelled and tried to get rid of Jehovah God, with no success whatsoever, because the universe is His; He created it and still controls it, and will not let mere mortals, His creation, push Him around.
Remember how Lucifer, the then archangel rebelled in heaven? And where is he now eh? Walking around the earth as the evil Satan. Kicked out unsolicitously from heaven for his foolish pride and insolence, wanting to overthrow his Maker. Israel is also a very good example of that rebellion.
Remember, we’re supposed to learn from History. But we obviously are not, for there are inevitable negative consequences when you despise God’s word and try to run Him out of town. The psalmist puts it thus: ‘Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help.’ (Ps. 107:12)
Yuh notice how we falling like flies these days, and we don’t seem to have any help? But that’s not quite true; there’s always help available, if we look in the right places. And the Israelites were famous for finding help when the consequences of their rebellion stung them to the core.
Hear the psalmist again nuh. ‘Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of the darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder (broke their chains in pieces.’ (Ps. 107:13-14)
Oh my people, my people, the Lord God Jehovah is our obvious place of refuge, our sure solution in these times of abject darkness and sorrow and despair! It’s the only place where we can find succour and true refuge from all that afflicts our society. It doesn’t even require much wisdom, but mere common sense, since nothing else we’re trying is working.
Just the process of elimination alone, should bring us back solemnly, respectfully and repentantly to Almighty God! No wonder the psalmist thought that this verse was so nice he had to include it twice: ‘Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness (LOVING-kindness), and for his wonderful works to the children of men!’ (Ps. 107:15)
I don’t know why we’re not doing that on a much larger scale nuh friends, ‘For he (God) hath broken the gates of brass (bronze) and cut the bars of iron in sunder (asunder). (However) Fools, because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted. Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death.’ (Ps. 107:17-18)
That’s us, our current society the psalmist is talking about friends. When are we going to wake up and realize that Almighty God is our ONLY solution to EVERY problem we face eh? That’s why I admire the Israelites to a certain extent. Although they were foolish to turn away from God in prosperous moments, in the consequential tough times, they always remembered that it was with Him that their bread was truly buttered and turned back to Him.
As the psalmist records: ‘Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses. He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.’ (Ps. 107: 19-20)
Oh my brethren, the Lord did send His Word, Jesus Christ to heal us and save us from our self-destruction, but we’re not paying sufficient attention to Him, and that’s the major reason why we’re currently suffering our current ‘sufferation.’
Disobedience to God WILL ALWAYS bring negative consequences! That’s a given! But repentance and subsequent obedience is rewarded with God’s goodness to the children of men. So let’s be wise and turn to God for help nuh, through our Friday Chant. We have absolutely nothing to lose, and so very much to gain.
Altogether now: ‘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!’
Now friends, if we’re truly sincere in that prayer, then we need to do as the psalmist advises: ‘And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing (joyful singing).’ (Ps. 107:22) Much LOVE!
…the smart money…in whatever situation…is ALWAYS on God…
29 Dec 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a double-minded man is unstable, alive and kicking, ask in faith, blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, but enough, calamitous times, doubt destroys fear, driven with the wind and tossed, every cluttered chamber, every hidden pretense, for he satisfieth the longing soul, free me from every shallow substitute, God never makes the same thing twice, he filleth the hungry soul with goodness, he will save us, hem and haw, I am the beloved of god, I can trust my friend Jesus, I don't have to hurry, I don't have to worry, I hunger and thirst for you, I love you my Lord, I shall know, I'm not what I do, I'm not what I have, I'm not what people say about me, if any of you lack wisdom, in god's eyes, into every vacant hollow, let him ask of god, like a wave of the sea, MY Glorious Enough, no one can take that from me, nothing wavering, of my longing heart, one is enough, pour yourself lavishly dear God, put all our eggs in one basket, share His love with the world, thanks and praise, that giveth to all men liberally, the Beatitudes, the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our king, the Lord is our lawgiver, they shall be filled, this is the day the Lord has made, Tuesday Mantra, we will rejoice and be glad in it, with deep consuming conviction, You are My Glorious Enough
Matthew 5:6. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Wowee, Wowee, mih bredrin! It’s another bright and beautiful day in God’s great universe! Wow! And the astounding, the amazing, the marvellous, the astounding – oh I think I’ve said that before, but it’s so good that we can say it again, (smile) yes, the astounding thing about this day is that we’re alive and kicking in it, with a wonderful plan of God highlighted for it! Now what can be better than that eh; our great God with a good plan for us? Nothing mih people, absolutely NOTHING!
So let’s respond as best we can by giving Him a li’l thanks and praise nuh, and agreeing with His marvellous word. ‘For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us.’ (Is. 33:22) And for sure, He is all of that my fellow saints in Christ! Make no doubt about it! That’s why we can consequently say with the utmost sincerity and surety: ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made; we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’ (Ps. 118:24)
And we’d be very foolish if we didn’t, because there’ll never be another day like today. Oh yes, there’ll most likely be many other todays, but never one again like this one, because our God never makes the same thing twice. Glory be! Otherwise, can you think of there being more than one of each of us? No siree! There’d be even more confusion that we have now. But the good God in His wisdom and power, wisely said, ‘One is enough!’ And it surely is.
But here is something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that I believe we all could use today. It’s titled ‘My Glorious Enough.’ So please pray with me. ‘Oh, how I LOVE You, my Lord But not enough. How I hunger and thirst for You But not enough. Pour Yourself lavishly, dear God Into every vacant hollow Into every cluttered chamber Of my longing heart. Free me from every shallow substitute From every hidden pretense Until I shall know With deep, consuming conviction That You are my Glorious Enough.’
And mih bredrin, our great and wonderful God is indeed gloriously enough for each and every one of us! In fact, He is more than enough for ALL of us! But the sad truth is that we don’t truly believe it; our less than believing actions show it. When we need to put our sincere trust and faith in Him, we always hem and haw, wondering if He really can help.
Too many of us doubt, deep down in our hearts. And it doesn’t have to be a big doubt nuh, even a li’l one takes away so much of His awesome power in our lives. That’s why Jesus had to admonish His followers so often for being of li’l faith. Unless our faith is strong and unwavering, we miss out on so many good things God has in store for us.
No wonder Jesus’ brother, James, penned these wise and true words to the scattered diaspora of saints way back when. ‘If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not (without reproach); and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering (not doubting). For he that wavereth (doubts) is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.’ (James 1:5-8)
Oh friends, I couldn’t have said it any better. And the problem today with so many of us supposed believers is our doubt, our wavering, our double-mindedness, our lack of true faith! Yes, we talk a good talk, but our real walk is woeful. If it was really good, our world would not be in such a mess, and people would be running towards Jesus rather than dying to get away from Him!
But here’s a magnificent and most suitable word for us from our Lord and Saviour, Christ Jesus, and it’s the Bible Promise for today’s poem, and also our Bit. We all know it as one of the Beatitudes that Jesus delivered in the opening of His Sermon on the Mount. ‘Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.’ (Matt. 5:6) More gospel truth my people!
And the scholars offer this most interesting explanation of the verse. ‘5:6. These future possessors of the earth are its presently installed rightful heirs, and even now they hunger and thirst after righteousness. They experience a deep desire for personal righteousness, which in itself is a proof of their spiritual rebirth. Those who are poor and empty in their own spiritual poverty recognize the depth of their need, and they hunger and thirst for that which only God can give them. They shall be filled (Gr. chortazo) refers to a complete satisfaction. The psalmist proclaimed: “He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness” (Ps. 107:9).’
And that’s the awesome, indisputable truth my brethren! Our God fills those of us who are sincerely hungry for Him and what He has to offer and sincerely seek Him for it. And believe me, those of us who are currently alive have never needed Him and what He has to offer more than we do right now in these disastrous and calamitous times.
So let’s wake up and turn to Him for the wisdom and spiritual righteousness that we so badly need nuh. And above all, let’s do it without any doubting or wavering nuh, for we have tried everything that we can do in our own strength and it hasn’t worked. So let’s now put all our eggs in one basket, that of the Lord’s, for He is capable of hatching them without breaking or spoiling any of them. (smile)
And for those of us who are sincerely seeking His righteousness, let’s go home now declaring (steups!) our Tuesday Mantra, telling the whole world who and whose we are! Altogether 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 what we waiting for eh? Let’s go out right now and share that awesome LOVE and friendship of our friend and Saviour Jesus Christ! Much LOVE!
…only do not doubt…for doubt destroys faith… and we need faith to live successfully…
10 Feb 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Apollos watered, aura of love, babes in Christ, carnal, Christ's Church, Christians, cofidence, compassionate Deity, desire the sincere milk of the word, discern, disunity, dull of hearing, first principles, full of age, God gave the increase, good and evil, guile, humble servants, hypocrisies, I have planted, immature believers, jobs, lies, malice, mature, minimize frustrations, Monday fix, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, newborn babes, oracles of god, ought to be teachers, power of the holy spirit, practice, reason of use, rejuvenation of spirit, senses exercised, serve a useful purpose, sincerity, solid food, spiritual adrenaline, spiritual armour, spiritual maturity, steadfast faith, strife, strong meat, taunts, thanks and praise, the enemy's ranks, the word of righteousness, trained, ungodly world, unskillful, walks as men, wiles, worthwhile inroads, ye may grow thereby
1 Peter 2:2. As newborn babes, desire the sincere (pure) milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.
Another Monday friends… Yes, one more in the long line of Mondays lined up for us to go through in our work experience! And hopefully some of us might eventually wise up and realize that it doesn’t make sense to go through the Monday morning blues every week, and thus find ways to minimize the weekly frustrations and consequently decrease our stress levels and add a modicum of happiness to our lives. (smile) That’s the basic hope of our Monday offering.
But sadly, for whatever reason(s), not all of us will be able to do that, which means we will always have need for our Monday Morning Battle hymn to help us get our Monday fix of spiritual adrenaline from heaven on high, through the Holy Spirit. Now that’s not a bad thing, but with age and experience, we’re expected to achieve spiritual maturity, meaning our food types ought to improve too, move from soft, baby food, to adult stuff, like meat and spuds. (smile)
But my people, what the Lord desires more than anything else is that we come to Him, in whatever state we’re in, humbly and sincerely when we need help, regardless of whether we’re still eating baby food when by age and Christian experience, we should be eating solid stuff. (smile) So let’s come before Him now nuh, humbly and sincerely crying out for help, but confidently expecting Him to help, because that’s His awesome promise, and He keeps His promises.
Altogether 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!’
And our God is so wonderful, that the answer is on the way before we’ve even finished our supplication! Wow! Give Him some thanks and praise my fellow believers (steups!) for being such and awesome and compassionate Deity! Just look at how we’re all energized and smiling, how our attitudes have suddenly changed, and now we’re excited to go out and work for Jesus! That’s the power of the Holy Spirit friends doing the Father’s timely bidding!
And today friends, we want to talk about spiritual immaturity, the fact that we ought to grow in our Christian faith and move on from Christianity 101 to higher grades and not have to keep repeating the elementary aspects of our faith. There are several scriptures in the Good Book that deal with the subject, a few of which we want to share, beginning with Peter’s admonishment: ‘Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere (pure) milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.’ (1 Pet. 2:1-2)
Yuh see that friends, young Christians, like babies need milk to grow, they too need to learn the elementary aspects of God’s Word. But unfortunately, many of us don’t grow spiritually, we remain carnal, doing the things that Peter advises against. Thus Bruh Paul also had to admonish the Corinthians.
‘And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat (solid food); for hitherto (until now) ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions (dissensions), are ye not carnal (fleshly), and walk as men? For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?’ (1 Cor.3:1-4)
Of course they are, since spiritually minded believers (steups!) don’t fight about who converted or baptized them, because it’s team work. As Bruh Paul says two verses later: ‘I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.’ (1 Cor. 3:6) Yeh friends, whatever work we do for God, in the long run, it’s He who causes our work to bear fruit. Let’s remember that and stop arguing amongst ourselves as to who’s doing better than the other, because that only causes strife and disunity and destroys our witness.
Unfortunately, the continual warfare between the flesh and the spirit is a human trait that still exists, and is still causing disunity and division in Christ’s church today. As it was embarrassing to Bruh Paul with the Corinthians, so it is embarrassing today to see people who should know better, because of their long walk as Christians, still fighting and envying over petty stuff. And the scholars tell us that the flesh and spirit warfare was a big part of Bruh Paul’s writings, (cf. Rom.7:14-8:13; Gal.5:17). Please check out those scriptures, for they are very important and enlightening. (smile)
And the author of Hebrews didn’t pull any punches, but put it all in a direct manner. In his appeal to believe, he writes: ‘Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered (explained), seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time (by this time) ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles (sayings) of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat (solid food).
For every one that useth (partakes of) milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat (solid food) belongeth to them that are of full age (mature), even those who by reason of use (practice) have their senses exercised (trained) to discern both good and evil.’ (Heb. 5:11-14)
Ah mih people, too many of us are still drinking milk when we should be eating solid food, and it’s only causing serious problems in our church and our world. Please, for Christ’s sake, and with the Lord’s help, let’s try and do better nuh. Much LOVE!
…there is too much warfare…between too many immature believers (yeah!)…in Christ’s church…
27 Jul 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a process, a timely word, a tumultuous humanity, a word fitly spoken, acknowledge him, Anselm, aspires to inspire us, cheering on, dangerous times, easily offended, empowered, encouragement, evil world, faith, focused in the right direction, for a better tomorrow, friend, get us offtrack, glorify your father in heaven, glory to God, God's viewpoint, gratitude, have an opinion, have life more abundantly, he shall direct thy paths, honour the Lord, how secure you are, in all thy ways, in line with, keep on learning, lean not, lessons to be learned, let your light shine, like apples of gold, like water off a duck's back, live life your way, marrow to thy bones, naysayers, never go out of style, not a status, pay faithful attention, pictures of silver, pleasing, precious, problems, roll off, saying good words, secure in Christ, see your good works, social media, success, such generosity, sufficency is of God, sufficent of ourselves, supreme opinion, thanks and praise, to live live to the fullest, trust in the Lord, unto thine own understanding, what it take to offend you, with all thine heart, with all thy substance, work towards success
Proverbs 3:5. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Aye mih people, it’s a beautiful day in my neighbourhood! We’re alive…Glory to God! Yes, we’ve been granted another day on God’s great earth…Give Him thanks and praise for such generosity! And even better…the ole fella’s up early to write you encouraging words…and the icing on the cake is that my trusty desktop behaved perfectly this morning, no rebellion whatsoever.
Wow! Would the Lord ever be mighty thankful if we could be that obedient! My spelling seems to be somewhat atrocious this morning though, for I made about five mistakes in that last sentence. (smile) And make no doubt about it, the evil one and his cronies are also up and about early, for I just received a phone call purporting to be from my Credit Card Company, warning me that they had stopped some unauthorized payment on my card and I should call such and such a number.
I don’t know why I even answered the phone because I don’t usually answer numbers that I don’t know. But to be on the safe side, I did check out my Credit Card Company and they did not call me. Just goes to show we have to be on our p’s and q’s each moment of every day, because the master of deceit, falsehood and thievery is always on the lookout for a chance to creep into our souls and our business.
Anyway, with our Lord and Saviour constantly riding shotgun with us, there’s no need to worry! Give Him some more thanks and praise, exalt His mighty name! And since it’s Saturday, let’s look at what words of wisdom our friend Anselm had to offer this week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
Hear this one: ‘People will always have an opinion, but you have to live life the way you want to.’ And that’s no lie, especially in these crazy and dangerous times of social media. But you indeed have to live your life the way you see it, though in line with the way our heavenly Father wants us to live our earthly lives. That is the supreme opinion to which you ought to pay constant and faithful attention.
And then there’s this: ‘Success is a process that continues, not a status that you reach. If you are alive, there are lessons to be learned and things you can do.’ Ah mih people, in the first place success from the world’s viewpoint, is definitely not the same as God’s. But in both instances, we have to work towards that successful point, it doesn’t just happen, and once we’re alive, we are supposed to keep on learning, for that’s the whole purpose of being alive! (smile)
What’s the purpose of being alive and not learning anything eh? None whatsoever! It’s ever so important to keep on learning, both what the phony, evil world is really about, and what God’s righteousness calls for. And the next quote highlights that in spades: ‘Saying good words to people will never go out of style. The truth is everybody likes encouragement; everybody likes somebody cheering them on.’ Now that we can all attest to!
And it is the duty of Christians to cheer each other on, as well as non-believers! Cousin Sol says it thus: ‘A word fitly spoken (spoken at the right time) is like apples of gold in pictures (settings) of silver.’ (Prov.25:11) and the scholars explain: ’25:11. A timely and fitting word is precious and pleasing.’ And Jesus was all about encouragement, just read His words, and so should His followers be.
But unfortunately there’s way more discouraging words being spoken in this confused and strife-filled world than encouraging ones, and it is the Christian’s job, to get out there and shine, shine, shine, bring light and encouragement to a dark and tumultuous humanity! As Jesus so desperately desires of us: ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven’ (Matt.5:16)
And this next quote gives some indication of how we’re doing, re maturing faith. ‘A good sign of how secure you are, is what it takes to “offend” you. The more secure you are, the less offended you get.’ And that’s gospel truth! The more secure we are in Jesus, the more it takes to get us offended. And brother, are we ever easily offended these days!
But just look at Jesus’ example nuh. They said all kinds of rotten and blasphemous things about Him, but He went about His Father’s business nonetheless. He just let it all roll of like water off a duck’s back. He knew whom and whose He was, and His purpose here on earth, so He did not allow the naysayers to get Him off track with their evil words and deeds. And we’ll add this scripture here as a lagniappe. (smile) ‘Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.’ (2 Cor. 3:5) Let’s remember that friends, it’s all about our dependence on God Almighty!
Now hear this last quote: ‘As you keep your mind and heart focused in the right direction, approaching each day with faith and gratitude, I believe you will be empowered to live life to the fullest and enjoy the abundant life He has promised you.’ Yes my faithful brethren, Christ did come that we might have life, and have it more abundantly. (John 10:10b) But the important thing, as our quote says, is to be focused in the right direction.
And what is the right direction, you ask? Well I believe that right direction is found in these wonderful and wise words of Cousin Sol. ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones. Honour the Lord with thy substance (possessions), and with the first fruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses (vats) shall burst out with new wine.’ (Prov.3:5-10)
Oh my people, my people, no better direction can be found in all the world than those given there by Cousin Sol! Obviously the Lord inspired them, and if we’d just do those few but all-important things, our lives would be ever so wonderful! Not that we won’t have problems, because this world has natural problems coming out of its kazoo, but we’ll be able to prosper and stand strong in Christ despite them all. So please let’s take those words of Cousin Sol to heart this Saturday morning in July of 2019 nuh, so that our lives will manifest the Saviour to this lost and darkened world! Much LOVE!
…to the true believer…Jesus is our BE ALL…and our END ALL…our EVERYTHING…
30 Mar 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Anselm, aspires to inspire, blessings, comes into the world, courage to continue, failure, failure is not fatal, fools, friend, giving up, God is light, God's attribute, gospel truth, growing in Christ, in him is no darkness, Jesus saved us, keep on learning, lights every man, looking for love, LOVE, pick sense from nonsense, rest on the plateau, say something, settling down, shut up, social media, something that finds you, something to say, something you find, success is not final, sweet Tobago, thanks and praise, the duchess worried, the Holy Spirit, the true light, walk in darkness, walk in light, wisdom, wise men speak
John 1:9. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
And then it was Saturday, a day of rest. All the confusion of getting from there to here and settling down in Sweet Tobago has finally gotten to me. (smile) Would you believe I was up around 7, had coffee on the porch, gave some thanks and praise for all my many blessings, then went back to bed? That had the duchess worried about me because that’s not my style.
And would you believe that I got up again around 9, had coffee again, and I can go back to bed again? But no! I am going to stand up strong and write the Bit before going back to bed, it is already late, can’t allow it to be much later. And with all that jawing, (smile) since it’s Saturday, let’s turn to the quotes we received from our friend Anselm this week, as he sincerely aspires us for a better tomorrow.
And this first one is very interesting and applicable to our lives as true believers in Jesus Christ: ‘Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.’ Yeh friends, when we achieve success in whatever walk of life, that is not our final pinnacle, we don’t just stop there and rest on that plateau, but we keep on learning and attempt to have more success, for resting on our laurels just gives the enemy a brighter spot in our lives.
As true believers, we need to keep growing in Christ until the day He takes us home. And we all know that what we term failure is not the end, but just the beginning of getting up and starting again. Remember there are no words in Jesus’ vocabulary like ‘failure’ and ‘giving up!’ And He imbues us, through His Holy Spirit with the courage to carry on. So we are not lacking in any way!
Then there’s this: ‘The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.’ And that’s the living truth my people! When we as good and righteous men do nothing to rectify a wrong situation, then the evil people win! Oh, we often say that it’s not our business and we’re not going to get involved, but what yuh think happens when we don’t eh? The bad guys win! No decision is a decision!
That brings us to this interesting quote: ‘Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something.’ And isn’t that the awesome truth! Just look at the amount of nonsense that fools are talking over social media nowadays eh! It’s appalling, like we have no life unless we’re totally involved in it. But all power be to them yes, I beg to refrain from it! I talk enough foolishness without spreading it on all the forms of social media that we have nowadays. (smile) Oh, how our society would be greatly improved if some of us would just shut up!
And the next quote says: ‘LOVE isn’t something you find. LOVE is something that finds you.’ And I guess there’s some truth to that, because ofttimes when we go searching for LOVE we don’t find it, but it’s at the most unexpected and unsuspecting times that LOVE falls right in out laps! I’m sure many of us have fallen in LOVE when we least expected it, with people we’ve least expected to fall in LOVE with! (smile) But that’s the nature of LOVE; God’s greatest attribute! It can hit you at any time, in any place, with anyone! Glory to God!
And the last quote says: ‘It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.’ And that my friends is the God-awesome truth! When our world and circumstances are the darkest, that’s when we have to focus most intently and intensely on the light that’s there in our souls, but hidden from us just then. The name of that light that’s always there is Jesus! Yes friends, as John says: ‘That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.’
Yes my brethren, even if you profess not to believe in Jesus, His light has been branded, burnished into your soul on the day you came to be. There’s a li’l pocket in each of us which can only be filled by God, and in there is that true light that shines at the end of the tunnel, we just have to seek it with all our hearts, souls, bodies and minds, it doesn’t just show up, and even if it should, we still have to receive it and accept it, that’s a condition of having the light shine in our lives.
And now listen to these fateful words of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ on the subject of the Light. ‘Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light…’ (John 12:35-36)
There you have it friends, Jesus declaring that He was the Light of the world! And we all know that Jesus does not, cannot lie, so that must be gospel truth! And His wise advice to the people of His time, to walk in the light, has also been given to us in these turbulent and very strife filled times. However, just like the people of Jesus’ day refused to accept His advice, in like manner, a whole lot of us nowadays are also refusing to accept that heavenly wisdom.
Chuh! How foolish that is my people, because Jesus is the ONLY ONE who can shine true light on our dark times. But I guess until we really reach the end of our rope, we don’t consider it important to turn to Jesus for help. But that’s so unwise my brethren, because the Father made us, Jesus saved us, and the Holy Spirit dwells in us to show us the way to the true Light. You can’t get away from those facts my brethren, so please let’s make up our minds to seek the true light which will brighten our world for ever and ever nuh! That’s wisdom at its brightest! Much LOVE!
…God is light…in him is no darkness at all… (1 John 1:5)
P.S. Yes, it is late and long, and probably a tad ditzy too, (smile) but I know that with the wisdom of Jesus indwelling you, you can pick sense from nonsense! (smile) Much LOVE!
12 Mar 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a hard night, a wobnderful God, aches and pains, all will be well, awesome privilege, Babylon, beloved of God, consuming sorrow, deal treacherously, don't you even care, doubt, drive me away, ever-faithful God, fears, fiery furnace, forgive quickly, forgiveness, fragmented heart, friend of Jesus, furnace of affliction, God does not change, grace, heavenly help, hesitancies, holding sway, hurry, I lift up my soul, I trust in thee, infirmities, Lead me in thy truth, let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies, loneliness, LOVE, loving Jesus, mercy, Meshach Abednego, miracle working business, Nebuchadnezzar, O my God, peevish rebellion, planning in love, Prince Buster, promised it, rail against you, refine me, responsibility to pray for others, right there by our sides, scream, sexual activity, shadrach, share His love, Show me thy ways, silent darkness, smell of smoke, teach me thy paths, tender mercies, thanks and praise, the same today, the undeserving children of men, triumph over me, Trust me, Tuesday Mantra, understand my frailties, unto thee O Lord, wait in faith, we serve and worship, without cause, work in me silently, worry
Psalm 25:1-2. Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.
Ah friends, in the words of that old, venerable Jamaican singer, Prince Buster: ‘I had a rough night! It was a hard night…! ‘ And for those of you old enough to remember the song I’m talking about, NO! I’m not talking about sexual activity, like the Prince was doing way back then!
Sorry to disappoint you! (smile) I’m simply talking about the aches and pains holding sway over the ole fella’s ole bod in his attempt to get some much needed rest last night.
Brother! I could not find a comfortable spot to rest for any length of time. It seems like somewhere hurt in every position I tried. So obviously this morning I’m dragging around like a real old man. (smile)
But I’m not worried friends, and neither should those of you have the same, or any infirmities at all assailing your bodies. And why is that you ask? Because of this unassailable promise from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin.
It says in no uncertain terms: ‘All Will Be Well!’ Glory be! So please pray with me: ‘O Lord God In the midst of consuming sorrow When despair and loneliness hedge me in You understand my frailties – My hesitancies, my fears. As I scamper from doubt to doubt You forgive so quickly my outbursts.
Never do you drive me away When I rail against You In peevish rebellion. When I scream “Don’t You even care?” You quiet my fragmented heart. You work in me silently Always planning in LOVE. You refine me in the white flamed Furnace of affliction. In the silent darkness You whisper: Trust me – all will be well.’
And so it shall be my fellow believers, because our ever-faithful God has promised it! Give Him a whole heap of thanks and praise for His abundant grace, mercy, LOVE and forgiveness to the children of undeserving men! Wow! What a wonderful God we serve and worship!
Yes, I know He refines us in ‘the fires of affliction,’ but He doesn’t let us go through them alone. He’s always there right by our sides, just like He was with the three Jewish boys, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when the mighty king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar threw them in the fiery furnace, heated seven time hotter than usual, and they came out without a hair singed, not even the smell of smoke permeated their protected bodies. Glory to God!
And that’s exactly how our wonderful God will be with any and all of us who humbly and sincerely call on Him for heavenly help! Isn’t that just glorious to behold? It certainly is! And the Bible Promise for that awesome prayer above is also our Bit for today, and it comes from a man who had a very intimate relationship with God, and experienced His many blessings, as well as the fires of affliction, but he stood tall throughout them all!
Yes, we talking bout Bruh David here friends – the man after God’s own heart! Listen to how he puts it in Psalm 25 – A prayer for guidance and protection: ‘Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.’
And yuh know what my people? The Lord never allowed his enemies to triumph over him! Yes, occasionally they might have had a slight edge, they might have won a battle here and there, but ultimately they did not win the war! And that’s exactly how our God will react to all and any of us who come to Him in true sincerity.
As He proclaimed long ago: He does not change! He is the same yesterday, today and forever! So whatever He did for somebody long ago, He will still do for us today! Yes, He is still in the helping and miracle working business! Praise His holy name!
And the good thing about Bruh David is that he didn’t just pray for himself. Hear how he continues after our Bit: ‘Yea, let not none that wait (in faith) on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress (deal treacherously) without cause.’ (Ps.25:3) Ah friends, that’s one of the great aspects of our faith, our ability and responsibility to pray for others, especially other believers.
And we just can’t stop there – Bruh David didn’t. (smile) He continued by beseeching his God: ‘Show me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day. Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies, and thy LOVING-kindness; for they have been ever of old. Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions, according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness sake, O Lord. Good and upright is the Lord: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.’ (Ps.25:4-8)
Oh my people, yuh think any God with a truly LOVING nature would refute such a sincere and heartfelt plea? NEVER! Despite his human shortcomings, and like us, he had plenty, Bruh David never wavered, in his faith, never gave up on the God of his forefathers. And neither should we! That’s why God called Bruh David a man after his own heart! He simply had a heart for God…and so should we in these trying times!
Awright, enough preaching…(smile) Let’s go home declaring (right ho) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know in no uncertain terms, who and whose we are. Altogether now, in strong voice with a sincere and real sense of purpose: ‘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!’
And having declared that (right again), let’s go out and put it into practice, as Jesus verily desires of us! Much LOVE!
…LOVING Jesus…and working for Him…it’s such an awesome privilege…I wouldn’t trade it…for anything else in this whole wide world…
10 Mar 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all fear is gone, an empty grave, appearance, as a man, awful pain, became obedient, because He lives, calm assurance, Calvary's cross, came to love, Daylight Savings Time, death, died to buy my pardon, everlasting life, every knee should bow, every lash, every tongue should confess, face tomorrow, fight, forgive, found in fashion, gives way to victory, happy in Jesus, he holds my future, he humbled himself, heal, hell death the grave, honoured Jesus, I'll cross the river, inconvenience, Jesus, Jesus is Lord, joy, justice, life is worth living, life's final war, newborn baby, obedience, righteousness, rose from the grave, see the lights of glory, selflessly sacrificed himself, solcae, Standard Time, thanks and praise, the death of the cross, the Good Book, the pride, the wages of sin is death, to prove my Saviour lives, to the glory of the Father, trust and obey, ungrateful sinners, unto death, with pain
Philippians 2:8. And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Well it’s here right early again! And no, I’m not talking about Sunday, but Daylight Savings Time where we push our clocks ahead one hour and screw up everybody’s timetable. So at some time this morning it was two o’clock, then all of a sudden it became three o’clock! Wonder how many people remembered to do that before they went to bed and are going to get up late for church and work?
Then somewhere down in November we revert to Standard Time, setting the clocks back an hour, and again screwing up everybody’s timetable! One minute it’s two o’clock, then the next it’s one o’clock! Steups! I’ve yet to see anyone who likes the inconvenience, but the powers that be say they think it helps, so we do it.
We are one of a number of fewer and fewer areas who are doing it still. You then have to unnecessarily readjust to the time difference in different parts of the world. Even in Canada, not all the provinces do it. And they don’t suffer because of it! Chuh!
But let’s not get too worked up about that this Sunday morning nuh, let’s go to the Lord’s house and fellowship; have a good time as we give Him praise and thanks, cleanse our souls, renew a right spirit within our hearts and say the Lord be praised! And as always, we begin our praise and worship with a heartfelt song. Today’s song is one we all know, titled ‘Because He Lives,’ written by the Christian writing tandem of Gloria and William Gaither.
And since the lyrics are ever so true my fellow believers, let’s do them justice nuh, let’s allow our voices to ring out powerfully and in sweet sincerity as we joyfully declare (wrong again): ‘(Chorus: Because He lives, I can face tomorrow Because He lives, all fear is gone Because I know He holds my future And life is worth the living Just because He lives.) (Repeat)
God sent His Son they called Him, Jesus He came to LOVE, heal and forgive He lived and died to buy my pardon An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives. (Chorus) How sweet to hold a newborn baby And feel the pride and joy he gives But greater still that calm assurance This child can face uncertain days because He lives And then one day I’ll cross the river I’ll fight life’s final war with pain
And then, as death gives way to vict’ry I’ll see the lights of glory and I’ll know He lives Because He lives, I can face tomorrow Because He lives, all fear is gone Because I know He holds my future And life is worth the living Just because He lives And life is worth the living Just because He lives And life is worth the living Just because He lives.’
Ah mih people what truthful words of solace, joy and assurance! And it’s all possible just because our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ lives! Glory Hallelujah! Just imagine that nuh; because He is alive and well we can face tomorrow without any fear, and knowing that He holds our future in His mighty hands, life is worth living again!
Oh friends, give Him much thanks and praise nuh, because He didn’t have to do what He did for us, He could have even gone against the Father’s wishes. But no, as the Good Book says: ‘And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’
Yes my people, Jesus selflessly sacrificed Himself for us on Calvary’s cross. Imagine that nuh: the Son of God becoming man and giving His life for a bunch of ungrateful sinners, all because His Father asked Him to. Yuh think those nails that pierced Jesus’ body didn’t pierce the Father’s heart too? And believe you me, every lash and awful pain He felt, the Father felt them too. But that was the ONLY way the Father could save us sinners and retain His righteousness and justice.
The wages of sin is death, which means somebody, some sinless body had to pay to set us free, and Jesus was the only sinless soul besides the Father. Sacrificing His only Son for us, just goes to show how much the Father LOVED us back then, and still LOVES us even now, even though we are such ingrates!
Yes friends, it was all based on LOVE! Jesus came to LOVE, to heal and forgive. He lived and died to buy my pardon. And an empty grave is now there to prove that my Lord and Saviour Lives! Glory be my people! He won the victory over hell, death and the grave, and rose to everlasting life, so that those of us who believe in Him, will die, but also rise again and experience life eternal with Him!
And for that unstinting, willingly given obedience, the Good Book tells us: ‘Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of (those) things in heaven, and (those) things in earth, and (those) things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil.2:9-11)
Mama Yo! Yes people, the Father honoured Jesus with the greatest honours at His disposal! The only thing He didn’t lavish on Him was His own throne! And the Father has promised to also lavish us with honours and rewards if we remain steadfastly obedient to His will. So there you have it, the choice is ours to be obedient or not. And you can’t say you didn’t know. (smile) Much LOVE!
…trust and obey…for there’s no better way…to be happy in Jesus…than to trust and obey…
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