10 Nov 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a new day, a positive outlook, abundance, an inspired record, answers, assured of, authored by God, authority, broken in the name of Jesus, Christian, clear direction, Comforter, correct wrong, correction, courage, creativity, curse, divine protection, doctrine, equipped, eternal life, faith, faith in Jesus Christ, family, favour, friends, from a child, fulfillment, God's help, God's work, godly inspiration, good works, groundwork, Guide, guidelines, health, History, inspiration, inspiration of God, instruction, learned, life, LOVE, maturity, may be perfect, meditating, ministry, negative word, number one priority, oral instrcutions, original manuscripts, our daily walk, perfect, personal relationship, prayer, privilege, prosper, reproof, righteousness, salvation, scriptures, self-control, self-discipline, strong will, succeed, supernatural guidance, supernatural wisdom. promotion, talent, Thanks be to God, the BIBLE, the Book of answers, the divine Word of God, the gift of the present time, the Good Book, the holy scriptures Old Testament, the Holy Spirit, the man of God, the Spirit of God, thoroughly furnished, Thursday Blessings, Timothy, today, tomorrow, unconditional love of God, unique character of scripture, wise, wise unto salvation, yesterday
2 Timothy 3:17. That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished (equipped) unto all good works.
Oh my precious people of God, a new day has been birthed, and we’ve been blessed with the privilege of seeing it, experiencing it, and enjoying it!
And all God’s people loudly and gratefully declared: ‘Thanks be to God!’
Yes friends, it’s all because of the great unconditional LOVE that our heavenly Father has for us, and we’d be very wise to accept and use it to benefit His holy kingdom.
We can’t do anything about yesterday because that’s already past and gone, annotated in the books of history, no more to be seen. And as for tomorrow, we’re not sure that we’ll be around to see, much more enjoy it.
So we’re left with only today, the gift of the present time, and wisdom dictates that we dedicate ourselves to using it fully, with God’s work being our number one priority.
And how do we do that? First off, by having a close personal relationship with the Father through prayer, and reading and meditating on His holy word found in the book we call the Bible, which contains His guidelines for our daily walk on this planet earth.
Now it’s not an easy walk, but if we stay steadfast in prayer and in the scriptures, we will be ably assisted by the Holy Spirit that dwells within it us, as our Guide and Comforter.
Yuh see friends, our wonderful God has it all planned out; we hang with Him, read His word and be guided by His Holy Spirit and we’ll be fine.
And what I want to deal with here today is the authority found in the scriptures and how they came to be. We’ll begin by listening to Bruh Paul as he tells his young protégé Timothy before our Bit.
‘But continue thou in those things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Jesus Christ.
All scripture is given by the inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished (equipped) unto all good works.’ (2 Tim.3:14-17)
Yes friends, the Good Book has been created through godly inspiration to make us wise in Christ, so that we can achieve salvation and eternal life.
Wow! What a great God we serve and worship my brethren!
Now here are some insights from the scholars on those verses.’3:14-17. Continue literally means “remain.” The things which thou hast learned were his oral instruction in the holy scriptures (the Old Testament here) by his mother (Eunice) and grandmother (Lois).
Inspiration of God (Gr. theopneustos), lit, “God breathed”) describes the unique character of Scripture. It is not only written by men, but authored by God. For doctrine means to tell one what to believe. For reproof means to tell one what is wrong.
For correction means to tell one how to correct wrong. For instruction in righteousness means to tell one how to live. Perfect (Gr. artios, “proficient, capable”) is having everything needed to do what God wants.
Thoroughly furnished means “thoroughly equipped.” God’s inspired word, properly used and applied, provides all we need for life and ministry.’
Ah my fellow believers, God has left nothing to chance, He has given us the groundwork for earthly living, filled with answers for any and every situation we’ll ever face! That’s why the Bible is called ‘The Book of Answers!’
And I’d be amiss if I didn’t share these further insights on Inspiration as set out by the scholars. ‘3:16. This (Inspiration) refers to the supernatural guidance of the writers of Scripture by the Spirit of God, so that what they wrote was the divine Word of God, transcribed accurately, reliably, and without error in the original manuscripts (“autographs”). The word inspiration itself pictures God breathing out His Word to men.
Illustration: Not everything written by an apostle or a prophet was necessarily inspired. Paul wrote at least three epistles to the Corinthians, but apparently only two were an inspired record (1 Cor.5:9). Samuel, Nathan and Gad each wrote accounts of David’s life, only one of those prophets produced and inspired record (1 Chr.29:29).
Application: Since the Scriptures are given to help the Christian grow in maturity, they should rely on them for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instructions in righteousness (right living). First Ref. Gen.1:3; Primary Ref. 2 Tim. 3:16-17; cf. 2 Pet.1:21).’
Oh friends, I do hope that all that info will help us better understand the use and purpose of the Bible, because it’s essential for us to do so, if we intend to grow in Christian maturity.
Now let’s go home this gracious Thursday morning declaring our Thursday Blessings with much enthusiasm and faith. Remember, a blessing is not a blessing until it’s been spoken over someone.
All together now: ‘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!’
Now let’s go out into the world and make it all come through, with God’s help of course! Much LOVE!
…to know, know, know Him…is to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Him…
01 Nov 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a holy calling, a mere mortal, a sound mind, abolished death, afflictions, apostle, ashamed, baptizing, before the world began, bounden duty, bountiful blessing, christ jesus, Christians, climate confusion, comprehend, confident certainty, divine destiny, enjoy the day, eternal life, eternity, fathom, for the which cause, forever linked, Gentiles, glorious day, God has chosen me, God has not given us a spirit of fear, grace, he is able to keep, I also suffer these things, I am not ashamed, I am persuaded, I am with you always, I belong to the God of the universe, I do know, in the name of the Father, in the palms of his hands, indescribable universe, inscribed me, Jesus Christ, lavish love, LOVE, loving family of God, made manifest, mercy, mine, neck of the woods, One Year Book of Bible promises, overwhelmed, partaker of the afflictions, power, prisoner, purpose, realtionship with God, Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, share His love, spread the good news, sure confidence, talk the talk, teach all the nations, teacher, testimony, Thanks be to God, that which I have committed, the beloved of God, the end of the world, the friend of Jesus, the gospel, the Great Commission, the Holy Ghost, the life of the Son, the love of the Father, the magnitude of God, the power of God, the power of the Holy spirit, the SON, thoughts of kindness, Timothy, trust, Tuesday Mantra, until that day, vast, walk the walk, whom I have believed, works
2 Timothy 1:12. For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against (until) that day.
Oh my people, another glorious day is blossoming in our earthly lives! Thanks be to God!
And would you believe that in my neck of the woods, on the first day of November the temperature is supposed to rise up into the high teens? Wow! Talk about climate confusion!
Anyway, whatever the state of the weather in our particular area, please, lets enjoy the day, because that’s why the Lord made us to see and experience it.
Now here is something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s titled ‘I Do Know’. When I read it recently it reminded me so much of our Tuesday Mantra that I had to share it with you.
It says: ‘There is much I cannot begin to fathom concerning the vast, indescribable universe created by our majestic God. There is much I will never comprehend. I want to sing and shout, so utterly overwhelmed I am with the magnitude of God.
But I do know with confident certainty that I belong to the God of the universe – the Creator of all that exists. I know that I am a mere mortal, am forever linked to divine destiny.
I know that God has chosen me as the object of His lavish LOVE; that his thoughts toward me are thoughts of kindness and mercy; that he has inscribed me in the palms of his hands.
I know that all the LOVE of the Father, and the life of the Son, and the power of the Holy Spirit are freely, inseparably mine – now and throughout all eternity. This I do know!’
Ah friends, isn’t that a beautiful description of our relationship with Jehovah God? It certainly is!
And if you don’t believe it reminds you of our Tuesday Mantra, then, let’s declare it right now with all the enthusiasm and sure belief that it deserves.
As one beautiful voice now: ‘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!’
Mama Mia! Oh what a bountiful blessing to be the beloved of God and the friend of Jesus! It definitely couldn’t get any better than that!
And the writing above just expands on our Mantra; giving more detail of the awesome relationship we have with the Creator and Controller of the universe. Between them both, we ought surely to confidently know and understand who and whose we are – the blessed and LOVING family of Almighty God!
Now here is the promise of scripture for that writing above, it is also our Bit for today. ‘For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against (until) that day.’
Oh glory be my precious people! Bruh Paul is confidently proclaiming his trust and sure confidence in the Lord his God to his protégé Timothy. And we should also be able to proclaim it, if we truly believe what we say we believe.
In the verses before our Bit, Bruh Paul lays out his reasoning for his certainty in Christ. ‘For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.
Be not therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions (share with me in the sufferings) of the gospel according to the power of God;
Who hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world (time) began.
But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light though the gospel: Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.’ (2 Tim.1:7-11)
What a moving passage of scripture friends! Bruh Paul lays out why he believes what he believes. And the same should apply to all who consider themselves Christians!
Jesus was victorious over hell, death and the grave so that we could have eternal life and light, and it’s our bounden duty as His followers to spread that good news to all and sundry, in each and every part of the world.
So my brethren, if we are assured of salvation through Christ Jesus, then we need to behave like it, and speak it boldly, not be ashamed of our faith, as so many of us tend to be when in the company of unbelievers.
Remember Jesus’ last directive to His disciples: ‘Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt.28:19-20)
Yes precious people of God, that is our Great Commission, which we are able to do because our wonderful God hasn’t ‘given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.’
So please let’s manifest those things in our walk of faith today, let’s boldly and gladly, share the LOVE of Jesus with the rest of the world, because only then, can we be considered true believers. Much LOVE!
…true Christians not only talk the talk…but also walk the walk…
P.S. Just one of those late nights and thus late mornings. (smile) Much LOVE!
23 Oct 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abounding in God's work, ambassadors, aroma, aroma of death, ascension, backbone, bear me, belly, blessings, Calvary, celebrations, cheer, comforting power, communication, conquerors, control, Corinthians, cross at Calvary, death, defeat the foe, encouragement, evil powers, evil twins, faith, faithful, fall in our laps, fellowship, foot soldiers, fragrance, futile, glory hallelujah, glory to God, God's LOVE, good and true, grace, grief, hell, help, holy spirit, I choose Jesus, in all things, in faith, in time of grief, in vain, incense, Jesus, justified, keep keeping on, knowledge, labour, life, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, meditate, mercies, nay, need a friend, over the stormy sea, praise, prayer, raise our voices, reassurance, redeemed, reinvigorated, relief, resurrection, sacrifice, sanctified, saved our souls, savour, shield, sin, sincerity, slaves, steadfast, strong, Sunday, temptations, Thanks be to God, thanksgiving, the best for me, the day of the Lord, the grave, the law, the prince of evil, the sting of death, the straight and narrow path, through Christ, through him that loved us, to guide my soul, to yonder shore, trials, tribulations, triumph, unmovable, victory, we are more than conquerors, well rewarded, wisdom, words of truth, world supremacy, worship, your labour is not in vain
Romans 8:37. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.
Once again it’s Sunday friends – the day of the Lord – so let’s begin our celebrations of praise, worship and thanksgiving with a wise and sensible hymn titled ‘I choose Jesus.’ What can be wiser than that eh? Absolutely nothing!
So let’s raise our voices in glorious song. ‘When I need someone in time of grief, Someone my cheer to be, Jesus I choose, for He gives relief, He is the best for me. (Refrain) – I choose Jesus when I need a friend, What I need I know that He will send; I have proved Him, good and true is He; I choose Jesus, He is the best for me.
When I need someone to guide my soul Over the stormy sea, Always to Jesus I give control, He is the best for me. (Refrain) When I need help to defeat the foe, Someone my shield to be, Always to Jesus in faith I go, He is the best for me. (Refrain)
When all my trials on earth are o’er, And the dark stream I see, Jesus shall bear me to yonder shore, He is the best for me. (Refrain) I choose Jesus when I need a friend, What I need I know that He will send; I have proved Him, good and true is He; I choose Jesus, He is the best for me.’
Oh my people what awesome words of truth and wisdom! Jesus is our everything; our be all and end all! Whatever we need we can find in Him, all we have to do is surrender our lives to Him. Then He comes in and takes control of our lives; leads and guides us along the straight and narrow path through the poignant and comforting power of the Holy Spirit.
Yeh friends, all we need is Jesus. As our Bit so rightly declares: ‘Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.’
Yes my fellow believers, through Jesus sacrifice on the cross at Calvary, His glorious resurrection and ascension, we have been redeemed, justified, sanctified and become conquerors over the evil powers that be.
Hear how Bruh Paul puts it to the Corinthians in his first missive to them. ‘The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain (futile) in the Lord.’ (1 Cor. 15: 56-58)
Ah friends, what wonderful words of encouragement and reassurance this Sunday morning! Words of indisputable truth! Through God’s eternal LOVE for us and His sacrifice of His sinless Son, we have been granted victory over the evil twins of sin and death. Glory Hallelujah!
But please note that everything doesn’t just fall in our laps without any sweat from us. We still need to be strong and faithful, full of plenty belly and backbone, and do God’s work, for once we diligently keep keeping on in faith, we will be well rewarded eventually.
Sadly though, that is where a lot of us fall down. We allow the trials and tribulations and temptations of this world to wear us down so that we aren’t of much use to Christ and His LOVE Revolution. That’s very unfortunate my brethren, because Christ is depending on us to be His foot soldiers, His ambassadors in the battle with the evil forces that are fighting against Him for world supremacy.
But we can’t be strong and faithful unless we continually read His word and meditate on it, as well as have meaningful communication with Him through constant prayer, and fellowship regularly with other believers.
So if you find that your faith is slipping, please go to God for help through the means we’ve just outlined. Pour out your heart to Him and let Him comfort and strengthen you. That’s the only way to be reinvigorated with His awesome blessing, mercies and grace.
But getting back to our topic, listen to Bruh Paul in his second missive to the Corinthians, as he talks about being triumphant in Christ. ‘Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to (leads us in) triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour (fragrance) of his knowledge by us in every place.
For we are unto God a sweet savour (the fragrance) of Christ, in (among) them that are saved, and in (among) them that perish. To the one we are the savour (aroma) of death unto death; and to the other the savour (aroma) of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things? For we are not as many who corrupt (peddle by trickery) the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of (from) God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.’ (2 Cor. 2: 14-17)
Yeh friends, in usual Bruh Paul fashion those statements are somewhat convoluted, but the scholars offer us some explanations. ‘2:14-17. Triumph (cf. Col.2:9-15): The imagery conveyed in the use of this term is of the Roman general who marched in victory with his entourage, consisting of two groups: them that are saved…and them that perish.
The former group referred to those allowed to live as slaves of the empire. The latter group comprised the condemned, who were being led to their death. Each group carried burning incense. The one was, verse 16, a savour of death unto death, the other was a fragrance of life unto life.
Calvary was the mighty display of the infinite power of a sovereign God. The human race was divided into two categories, those of life unto life and those of death unto death.’ (2 Cor.2:14-17)
Hope that explanation helps us to better understand what Bruh Paul is talking about. In ending friends, all I can say is ‘Glory to God, through Christ Jesus, that we ended up in the life unto life group!’ Much LOVE!
…who completely destroyed the prince of evil…JESUS…who had victory over hell, death and the grave…JESUS… who saved our sinful souls…Jesus…praise His holy name…
07 Sep 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new creature, abundant life, actions, all-out effort, be friendly, blessed day, break the chains, Christ, christ lives in me, Christian Manifesto, crucified, crucified with Christ, delivered from guilt, dr robert h schuller, faithfully serving, freed from sin, freedom, freedom from sin, gave himself for me, glorious future with christ, glory hallelujah, God-given, golden words of advice, halfway home, hands on the plough, happiness, hitching your wagon to a star, holy spirit, Hour of Power Devotional, I live, I live by faith, in the flesh, in the likeness of his death, in the likeness of his resurrection, inoperative, joy, laziness, lazy attitude, living for Christ, LOVE, make a positive difference, newness of life, old things are passed away, people of excellence, praise, price of success, rewards, slaves to sin, source of power, strength, Thanks be to God, the breath of life, the foundation of wisdom, the highest joy of life, the music of the soul, the road to happiness, the ruling passion, the secret of youth, the Son of God, time to dream, time to laugh, time to love, time to play, time to read, time to think, time to work, to serve Christ, understanding, united, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, words, you reap what you sow
Galatians 2:20. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of (by faith in) the Son of God, who LOVED me, and gave himself for me.
Ah mih people, it’s another God-given, blessed day in our lives! All praise and thanks be to our great and generous God!
The first thing I want to do is to apologize for the error in the dates in yesterday’s titles. I know that many of you missed it, but that’s what comes from laziness, meaning copying the titles from the day before and not remembering to change the dates. One title says the 6th while the other says the 5th.
Chuh! It annoys me when I make those lazy attitude errors, but as we all know, you only reap what you sow. So if you sow laziness, errors and mistakes are what you’ll reap. (smile)
However, on the good side of the ledger, let me now share some wonderful advice from an anonymous Irishman, taken from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional. I believe I’ve shared it before, but as we say, when it’s nice, we can share it twice, or even thrice. (smile).
And the golden words of advice are: ‘Take time to work, it is the price of success. Take time to think, it is the source of power. Take time to play it is the secret of youth. Take time to read, it is the foundation of wisdom. Take time to be friendly, it is the road to happiness. Take time to dream, it’s hitching your wagon to a star. Take time to LOVE, it is the highest joy of life. Take time to laugh, it is the music of the soul.’
Oh friends, those are not only wise words for the ordinary man, but they also sound like the Christian Manifesto! For those are all the things that a true, Jesus –LOVING and faithfully serving Christian ought to be following, if we sincerely hope to make a positive difference in this crazy, misguided, corrupt, and evil world.
The truth is though, we can only do those things properly if and when we have Jesus in us and we are in Him. Hence our Bit. ‘I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of (by faith in) the Son of God, who LOVED me, and gave himself for me.’
Ah mih breddren, what a joy it is when Christ is the ruling passion in our lives! First of all He gave His holy and sinless life as a sacrifice, so that we could be saved by the generous grace of God! Then, when His Holy Spirit indwells us, He gives us, strength, wisdom, understanding, and all the other wonderful things we enjoy in association with Him.
No wonder Bruh Paul could make the powerful and true statement he makes in our Bit! If we allow our old, sinful selves to be crucified with Christ, that means we will also be resurrected with Him in a new life, with Him living in us and we in Him. Glory Hallelujah!
As Bruh Paul says in his letter to the church at Rome, when talking about freedom from sin’s power. ‘For if we have been planted together (united) in the likeness of his death, we (certainly) shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed (rendered inoperative), that henceforth we should not serve (be slaves to) sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin.’ (Rom.6:5-7)
Yes my brethren, isn’t it wonderful that when we die to self, we are raised with Christ in newness of life! ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold all things are made new.’ (2 Cor.5:17) That’s Bruh Paul talking about us to the Corinthians! (smile)
Now here are some explanations from the scholars on the earlier verses from Romans. ‘6:6. Our old man: This is our old self, the person we were before we were crucified with Christ. Might be destroyed (lit. “rendered inoperative”). The believer now has the power to serve Christ instead of his old master, sin.’
‘6:7. Freed from sin: The believer has been delivered from the guilt and penalty of sin and is set free to serve Christ.’
And believe me friends, nothing is more interesting and wonderful than serving Christ! It’s not easy, but it makes us people of excellence… and brother, let me tell you, the rewards are certainly worth it!
So why aren’t we supposed Christians doing better than we are eh? I’m not sure, but maybe, just maybe it’s because we don’t truly believe all that we read and hear, re Jesus, and thus we don’t put our all-out effort into living for Him. And on top of that, the material things and ways of the world still exert a powerful pull on us, and keep us wanting what the world offers.
Anyway my people, it’s time for us to break those chains that the world still have us bound and wrapped up in, else we’ll never really enjoy the freedom, the LOVE, the joy, the abundant life that Christ died for us to have.
Now let’s go home joyfully and sincerely declaring our Wednesday Wail. No I haven’t forgotten it. (smile)
Wailing as one: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And having so gloriously declared that, now let’s go out and put it all into action nuh, make it reality and not just a bunch of insincere words. Much LOVE!
…the words and actions of a true believer…ought to show Jesus truly living in them…
21 Feb 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Inspirational Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a rollicking time, analogy, Anselm, as the heaven is as high above the earth, attributes, basic objective, believing is seeing, bless the Lord, blessings, catalyst, children's children, Christ's realm, compassion, edifying, Emotional Quotient, encouraging, EQ, everlasting, faith, fellowship, focused on God, forgiveness, free choice, friendships, generations, glory and honour to God, glory hallelujah, grace, grass, home away from home, hope, Hours of Power Devotional, Intelligence Quotient, IQ, Jesus Christ, joy, life, likeness of Christ, LOVE, loving kindness, memories, mercy, no place like Home, obedient to God's will, Radisson Hotel, relationships, righteousness., Sea Breeze, seeing is believing, so great is his mercy, Thanks be to God, to them that fear him, Tobago, truth, understanding, wander away from God, wisdom
Psalm 103:11. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy (LOVING-kindness) toward them that fear him.
Once again friends and neighbours, on this bright and beautiful Sunday morning, I’m coming to you from my little cottage by the sea in sweet Tobago, aptly called ‘Sea Breeze.’ (smile)
Got back here late last night. And is it ever so good to be back home in Tobago again! As they say, there’s no place like home. And this is my home away from home right now.
Anyway, this morning I’m bringing words of LOVE, compassion, mercy, forgiveness, understanding, grace, and blessings from our heavenly Father; all the attributes of which He is the Supreme Possessor and Giver.
And all God’s people declared loudly: ‘Thanks be to God, who gives us generously of all His attributes!’ And we all know that as gospel truth friends!
Now I’ve got a lot to share today, so let’s begin right away with this quote from our friend Anselm, who delights in inspiring us to live a better tomorrow. And this rather appropriate quote tells us that: ‘Believing is seeing. You gotta believe something will happen for you before you see it. Have faith in the process of getting there.’
And that’s ever so true my people! In Christ’s realm, you have to believe it before you see it. With Christ, believing is seeing, not like the world thinks, that seeing is believing. That’s where those two great attributes, hope and faith come in; for without them we can’t believe without seeing.
And to help us along in that regard, Gramps Schuller (Robert H. Schuller) from his Hours of Power Devotional tells us about our EQ as opposed to our IQ.
Now our IQ or Intelligence Quotient is naturally related to our intelligence. However, our EQ or Emotional Quotient is related to our hope and faith. Gramps defines a high EQ as ‘a heart that has strong faith, unquenchable hope, and passionate LOVE.’
Glory Hallelujah! Oh how I wish that all God’s children were blessed with such a high EQ! Unfortunately though, we’re not, but fortunately it is indeed possible and very necessary that we build up that high EQ. And that is all a part of what out Bit is about; trying to keep us focused on God, His Word and His plan for our lives.
Now remember though, that the Bit IS NOT sufficient reading and studying material for a child of God. It is a useful catalyst, but we all need to get deeply involved in the Word and fellowship with other believers on our own. That’s the only way we’ll ever truly grow to a likeness of Christ, achieve a high EQ, which is our basic objective.
Now I haven’t kept you all up to date on my recent activities, sorry about that, (smile) but I can only write what the Lord directs me to write. And thankfully He’s given me some room for that today.
Well you all know that I was in Trinidad for the last few days. You also know I went to the Southland by water taxi and had a great time.
On Friday evening we also had a rollicking time as some friends and family gathered with me in the lobby bar area of the Radisson Hotel where I was staying. The hotel has a happy hour every Friday evening from 5 to 7, but our happy hour lasted from about six to eleven. Hn, Hn!
We laughed and talked and drank and munched some chicken wings the hotel provided, shared old memories and made some new ones that we can share at a later date. Glory to God!
I saw a couple of friends whom I hadn’t seen since I left the UWI Mona campus in Jamaica in 1969. Brother! That’s something like 45 years. But what I like about these old friendships is that though we don’t see each other often, when we meet, it’s just like we saw each other yesterday, we pick up from right where we left off. That is what true friendships and relationships are all about!
Enough about my activities though. I’ll leave yesterday’s activities for tomorrow though, because it was truly an eye opener for me, and will take up too much time and space.
So let’s get to our oh so wonderful, encouraging and edifying Bit. ‘For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy (LOVING-kindness) toward them that fear him.’
Yes Friends what a wonderful analogy to show how great God’s mercy is towards those of us who revere and worship Him – as high as the heaven is above the earth! Wow! That’s pretty high! So just imagine how much LOVING-kindness He has stored up and pours down on us nuh.
And all I can say in response is: ‘All glory and honour be to our magnificent and magnanimous God who is so interested in our welfare, in every aspect of our lives!’
The problem here though is that many of us have a problem in truly believing that Almighty God, that great entity on high, can be interested in our plain and simple, lowly and mundane lives. But my people, He truly does. He made us and has a big stake in everything that happens in our earthly sojourn.
Listen to how Bruh David continues in Psalm 103, from which our Bit is taken. ‘As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it (remember it) no more.
But the mercy (LOVING-kindness) of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear (revere) him, and his righteousness unto children’s children.’ (Ps.103:15-17)
Ah mih breddren, our God’s mercy spans time from whenever it began to whenever it ends, if ever, and is available to all generations during that time. What more can we ask eh? Not a whole lot, except His guidance and strength to keep on LOVING Him and being obedient to His holy will, so that we can keep on enjoying His (LOVING-kindness.)
Yes friends, it is somewhat of a conundrum; we have to LOVE and obey God, but at the same time we do need His strength, wisdom and guidance to do it. Yuh see how we’re inextricably tied up with our Creator!
And we’ll end with these wise words from Bruh David. ‘Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye ministers (servants) of his, that do his pleasure. Bless the Lord, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the Lord, O my soul.’ (Ps.103:21-22)
Now that’s wisdom for all the ages! Much LOVE!
…yes…we do have free choice…but to wander away from God…means we’re not using that free choice wisely…
17 Mar 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abominable sins, be filled with the Spirit, beloeved son, bounden duty, breathtaking knowledge, Calvary, calypso on the radio, Catholicism, Christ's Church, Christians, communing with Jesus, Cousin Sol, demonstrate undying love, dissipation, doubt, driving the snakes out of Ireland, drunk with wine, encourages, epitome of wisdom, eternal declarations, Ethan the Ezrahite, evil times. Beelzebub, faithfulness, fellow believers, followers of Jesus, foolish and fleshly lusts, forgiveness, giving thanks always, glorious green colours, God's sure promises to David, grace, grateful, gratitude, heavenly Father, hell-bent for destruction, hope, hymns, I will sing of the mercies of the Lord, inferiority complex, Ireland's patron saint, it's a good thing to give thanks, It's Good, it's good to be loved by you, Jesus Christ, joy, kaiso, lazy, Lent, lethargic attitudes, life-giving love, LOVE, majestic life symphony, make them known to our children, making melody in your heart to god, mercies, miserable, misery, mortal lives, nothing compares to god's love for us, One Year Book of Bible promises, playing both ends against the middle, praise, protective umbrella of Christ, psalms, pseudo followers, reconciliation, reverence, rings chimes in my tremulous heart, sacrificed on the cross, Saint Patrick, scripture, sentiments, shouting the Lord's goodness from the rooftops, sing about them, sing and make merry to God, sinners, sitting on the fence, sour, St.Patrick's Day, thankfulness, Thanks be to God, thanksgiving, the assembly of saints, the fear of God, the heavens shall praise thy wonders, the Lord's loving-kindness, the Love Revolution, the new generation, things that flow from God, this wicked world, triumph in the work of thy hands, true believers, trust, unconditional, understanding, unsettled questions, we're alive and kicking, wisdom, wishy-washy, with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness
Psalm 89:1. I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.
Well Friends, Thanks be to God, we’re alive and kicking this Tuesday morning; especially on this 2015 St.Patrick’s Day! A Happy St. Paddy’s Day to all and sundry!
And remember to come out bedecked in your glorious green colours today, drink your green beer and other beverages, celebrating the life and death of Ireland’s patron saint, Saint Patrick, the man credited with driving all the snakes out of Ireland. (smile)
And I always remember St. Patrick’s Day fondly, for growing up in T&T that was the only day that you heard a calypso on the radio during Lent. Such was the staunch Catholicism and the inferiority complex that our local music wasn’t good enough to be played during Lent.
That however has now come full circle, with kaiso been played everyday of the year, even some of those that should not be played at all. But that’s the new generation, and you either like it or leave it.
Now here is a little ditty from the One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that suitably acknowledges and gives thanks to our wonderful heavenly Father. It’s simply titled ‘It’s Good.’
Please say with me: ‘Oh God, it’s good to be LOVED by You! The breathtaking knowledge of Your life-giving LOVE rings chimes in my tremulous heart. It fashions eternal declarations Out of unsettled questions. It creates a majestic life symphony From a solitary note. God, it’s good to be LOVED BY You!’
And is it ever my fellow believers! There is NOTHING in this world that even comes close in comparison to the LOVE that our heavenly Father has for us! It’s unconditional, it’s pure and true…it’s everything we can ask!
But unfortunately too many of us don’t seem to recognize and/or appreciate it. Neither do we return that LOVE, opting instead to rush and grab for the foolish and fleshly lusts of this wicked world. That’s why there’s so much doubt and misery in our souls in these trying times.
Oh Friends, if we’d only consider the great LOVE that God has for us, and it’s not only talk, for He showed it by sending His only BELOVED Son, Jesus Christ to be sacrificed on the cross of Calvary for our abominable sins, so that we could find hope and reconciliation through Him.
And that while we were yet sinners, hell-bent for destruction. So if that doesn’t demonstrate His great and undying LOVE for us, then I don’t know what does!
And our Bit for today is the promise to which our poem is devoted. ‘I will sing of the mercies (the LOVE) of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.’
Wow! What wonderful sentiments my brethren! They are the opening words of Psalm 89 – God’s sure promises to David – the contemplation by Ethan the Ezrahite; one of the wise men and great songwriters of Bruh David’s time.
He was even used as a comparison for Cousin Sol’s wisdom. ‘For he was wiser than all men; Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol:’ (1 Kin.4:31)
And yuh know what Friends? If we are indeed grateful for the unconditional LOVE, the mercies, forgiveness, grace and all the other good and wonderful things that flow from our great God, then we ought to sing about them constantly and make them known to our children and grandchildren!
But we obviously don’t do that as much as we ought. Is it because we don’t truly appreciate the Lord’s LOVING-kindness, or do we just take it for granted? Either way, we’re wrong. My fellow believers, we ought to be shouting out the Lord’s goodness from the rooftops, each and every day of our mortal lives!
Now let’s look at some scripture that encourages us to do just that. Ethan himself, later on in Psalm 89, wisely declares: ‘And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Lord: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints. For who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord?
Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord? God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had (held) in reverence of all them that are about him.’ (Ps.89:5-7)
Yes Friends, there’s none as mighty and as faithful in this universe as our Lord and Creator! Therefore we ought to acknowledge Him with much praise and thanksgiving!
Now listen to the words of the psalmist from Psalm 92 – Praises for the Lord’s goodness. ‘It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High: To show forth (declare) thy LOVING-kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night.
Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery (lute or lyre); upon the harp with a solemn (harmonious or melodic) sound. For thou, Lord hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.’ (Ps.92:1-4)
Oh what a joy to be living under the protective umbrella of our most faithful God! And my people we need to make that known much more than we currently do. Most of the time we just sing and make merry to God when we go to church, but we ought to be doing it all the time, every day.
As Bruh Paul so wisely put it to the Ephesians, when talking about the ways of the believer. Hear him: ‘Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (dissipation), but be filled with the Spirit;
Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.’ (Eph.5:18-21)
Yuh see Friends, if we consider ourselves a part of God’s flock, then we ought to be always singing and making merry in His name, not going about sour and miserable like so many of us supposed Christians do.
We have been granted a great and wonderful life through Jesus Christ, so let’s be thankful and show that thankfulness and gratitude nuh, so that the unbelievers can see the joy and faithfulness that communing with Jesus truly brings!
If we’re not joyful and thankful for the great mercies and blessings being daily bestowed on us by God, then we’re not true believers or sheep in His flock, just pseudo followers, sitting on the fence, trying to play both ends against the middle.
Ah Friends, at no time in the life of Christ’s church has the necessity for our sincere display of joy and trust in the Lord’s goodness been more important.
Sadly, in these evil times, Beelzebub’s power is on the rise and we desperately need to counteract it with the singing of songs of praise and thankfulness to Almighty God, if we ever hope to regain the running of our world and the success of Christ’s LOVE Revolution.
So please, my brethren, let’s wake up and smell whatever we need to, and do whatever we need to, so that we can rise above the lazy, wishy-washy and lethargic attitudes we currently display. That my people, is the epitome of wisdom! Much LOVE!
…if we’re truly glad to be followers of Jesus…then we need to show it outwardly…so that others will come to Him…and find the joy that we have…that’s our bounden duty…
24 Apr 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Spiritual Living
Tags: abominable transgressions, abounding in the work of god, appreciation, Beelzebub, believers in Jesus Christ, blessings, bounden duty, Calvary's cross, Christ defeated death and the grave, Christ triumphantly rose from the dead, cold spring wind, confident in the glory and victory of Jesus, damnation, death, death is swallowed up in victory, Easter Season, eternal death, eternal life, ever-faithul, ever-Loving, everlasting victory, faithful, first Easter Sunday, forgiveness, furthering God's glorious kingdom, futile, give thanks and praise, give you much thanks and praise, glorifying God's name, glory hallelujah, grace, grateful, Hades, heavenly Father, holy character of Jesus, holy spirit, Jesus Christ, joy, lord jesus christ, LOVE, loving, Lucifer, magnify Your Holy Name, mercy, o death where is thy sting, o grave where is thy victory, oodles of optimism, optimism, our labour is not in vain, pardon sin, praise, prince of darkness, reconciliation, repay, right standing, righteous God, sacrifice, saviour jesus, set us free, sincerely worship and adore you, sinful undeserving children, sinless soul, sins, Son Jesus, song of praise, spring has sprung, stark naked, steadfast, thankful Lord and Saviour, thanks, Thanks be to God, the birds are singing praises to God, the blood of Jesus, the gift of God is eternal life, the Good Book, the LOVE of God, the price of sin, the shedding of blood, the sinless One, the sting of death is sin, the strength of sin is the law, the wages of sin is death, trials and tribulations, unconditional LOVE, unmovable, victory, wallowing in the misery of our sins, we truly Love you, wonderful news of Easter
1 Corinthians 15:57. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Oh Friends, it seems like spring has finally decided to stay sprung! Glory Hallelujah!
And I say that because there’s finally some green colour appearing in the previously dead looking brown grass, the temps are staying fairly standard between 7 and 12 degrees Celsius, and when I got up just now I heard some birds singing their early morning praises to their Maker!
How wonderful eh! It’s so refreshing and revitalizing to hear the birds singing praises, because they are ever so faithful in it. Sometimes I think the Lord should have made us like the birds, without a mind of our own, for then we would have been much more faithful than we currently are.
Unfortunately though, the trees don’t seem to be buying into this optimism that spring is finally getting serious about coming, for there is not one single green bud on any of them. They all still dancing stark naked in the oftimes brisk and cold spring wind.
We believer in Jesus Christ however, are filled with oodles of optimism, through, and for the LOVE of God! We are so filled with it that it’s overflowing, and consequently filling others with the wonderful news of this Easter Season, where Christ so triumphantly rose from the dead – Mama Mia! – and in the process defeated the twin evils of death and the grave, and therefore the ruler of Hades, Lucifer.
Oh Friends, this Easter Thursday morning, let’s put a big smile on our faces, and release the immense joy that’s in our hearts and souls with a song of praise to our Maker nuh!
Like the birds, let’s show Him our great appreciation for designing, putting into action and successfully carrying out His incredible plan of reconciliation, which so LOVINGLY brought us back into right standing with Him.
Please pray with me now: ‘Dear heavenly Father, You are so wonderful to Your sinful, undeserving children! We continually make You sad and mad at our misdoings, but You just keep on LOVING us! You keep on granting us Your awesome forgiveness, mercy and grace, blessing us with stuff we definitely don’t deserve.
Oh Father, this morning we’re here to tell You that we truly LOVE You! We sincerely worship and adore You! We do magnify Your Holy Name and give You much thanks and praise!
Oh gracious Father in heaven, we are especially grateful and thankful for Your most wonderful Son Jesus, who became our Lord and Saviour on that first Easter Sunday two millennia ago, by sacrificing His holy life to pay for our abominable transgressions.
Oh Father, we are truly sorry that You had to put such trials and tribulations on Jesus for our sakes, but we know that You are a just and righteous God and cannot just pardon sin; a price, including death and the shedding of blood must be paid for it.
And You LOVED us so much, considered us so worthy, that You gave Your Only son, Jesus Christ, the ONLY sinless soul beside Yourself, to pay for our sins!
Oh heavenly Father, You know that we can NEVER repay You for that awesome, unconditional LOVE, but we will try our best to live lives down here on earth that will magnify You. Lives that will continue to grow in the holy character of our Saviour Jesus, thus glorifying Your great Name and furthering Your glorious kingdom. We pray this on the blood of Jesus that was shed for us on Calvary’s cross. Amen!’
Oh mih people, mih people! What the Holy Spirit can do in your soul eh! I have to chuckle here, because I never intended to even have a prayer, much less such a long one. But as usual, the Holy Spirit guided me there. In any case, it is right, and also our bounden duty to pray and give thanks and praise to our heavenly Father, especially at this Easter season, when He so faithfully caused us to be reconciled to Him!
And believe me Friends, that is no small undertaking or unimportant event! In fact it’s the greatest thing that’s ever happened to mankind! If our wonderful, ever-faithful and ever-LOVING Creator didn’t care so much for us, we’d still be wallowing in the misery of our dreadful sins, headed for eternal death and damnation in the foul and vile company of the prince of darkness, Beelzebub.
For remember, as the Good Book so pointedly states: ‘For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through (in) Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (Rom.6:23)
But then Bruh Paul further clarifies the situation to the Corinthians, and consequently us: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave (Hades), where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (1 Cor. 15:54b-57)
Yes my fellow believers, don’t ever forget those memorable, momentous and most important words of our Bit! Let’s plant them deep, deep, deep in the inner recesses of our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, because that is indeed why we are able to laugh, sing and shout ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ this Thursday morning two thousand years after Jesus gave us that everlasting victory!
Wow! What a mighty God we serve and worship my brethren!
So as we prayed above, and Bruh Paul so timely reminds us: ‘Therefore my BELOVED brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain (futile) in the Lord.’ (1 Cor.15:58)
Absolutely not my fellow believers! So please, let’s stand steadfast and strong this morning, and all the remaining days of our lives, confident in the glory and victory of Jesus Christ! Much LOVE!
…oh how could we not LOVE Jesus…the sinless One…who made our sins His own…and LOVINGLY set us free…to some day dwell with Him in heaven…and always faithful be…
19 Mar 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a man after God's heart, alive and kicking, atonement for sins, believe, believers in Jesus Christ, blessed the Lord, brimming with energy, Bruh David, Bruh Paul, disbelief, enthusiasm, eternal life, everything belongs to God, evil world, exalted, excited, exhortation, faithfulness, for ever and ever, fragance of God's knowledge, genuine faith, God will always make a way for us, God will never give us more than we can handle, God's power, God's wisdom, good news, greatest blessings, greatness, grumpy, head above all, heavenly Father, honour and glory, immeasurable, in god's hand is power and might, in the blink of an eye, Jesus, Jesus' gospel, joy, kingdom of god, leap of faith, Lord and Saviour, Lord god of Israel, LOVE, loving kindness, majesty, marvels and miracles, modern technology, my spirit came alive, noised abroad, not ready to face the day, only wise God, praise God's glorious name, Praise the Lord, prayer, reconciliation, rejuvenation, riches and honour come from God, salvation, see god work wonders, selfless sacrifice, Spread God's Word, tests, Thanks be to God, thanksgiving, the glory, the Great Commission, the kingdom, the Lord's faithfulness, the power, the Son of God, the work of the Holy Spirit, thine is the kingdom, time in prayer, tired, to all and sundry, triumph in Christ, victory, willing to do God's bidding, wine and roses, wisdom, wonder of wonders, word of caution
Matthew 6:13. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil (the evil one): For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, the ole fella’s excited this morning! Why? I really don’t know, because there’s nothing to be really excited about except being alive and kicking!
The story though, is that I woke up sort of early this morning, feeling tired and not ready to face the day, so I went back to bed. I got up an hour or so later, still somewhat tired and grumpy – and don’t you dare say that’s normal (smile) – but I could not afford to give in to my tired feelings and go back to bed, for the Bit would be even later than it already was going to be.
But wonder of wonders, after spending some time in prayer with our heavenly Father, my spirit just came alive, and now I’m brimming with energy, enthusiasm, joy and LOVE, ready to face the evil world that we dwell in!
Now that rejuvenation could only have come through the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit. As I keep telling us, our God’s not foolish, His wisdom is immeasurable. He knew that I had to write the Bit, and couldn’t do a decent job if I was feeling low down and grumpy, so He rejuvenated my spirit!
And as Bruh Paul told the Corinthians: ‘Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to (leads us in) triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour (fragrance) of his knowledge by us in every place.’ (2 Cor.2:14)
Oh Friends, our God is such a wonderful Deity! Please don’t ever doubt it! He never leaves us in the lurch, especially when we cry out to Him in genuine faith. But the problem though my brethren is that we first have to BELIEVE; to BELIEVE that He is a helper of those who truly seek Him.
And that’s where a lot of us falter… we don’t truly BELIEVE.
Now do you think I could have been writing the Bit going on 8 years now on only my strength? No way Jose!
And you all know how I laughed in disbelief when the Lord first broached the idea, pleading my lack of knowledge etc. etc. But the Lord persisted, and I finally agreed to do His bidding.
And my people, over the years, as I have tried my best, I’ve seen the Lord’s faithfulness in helping me to do His bidding. And now, now I’ve reached a point where I have NO DOUBTS whatsoever as to the Lord’s faithfulness and LOVING-kindness to those who are willing to do His bidding!
But we first have to make that leap of faith. And I challenge us to wisely make that leap of faith today, RIGHT NOW, if you sincerely want to see God work wonders in your life!
Now one word of caution; don’t get the idea that it will be all wine and roses when the Lord begins to work in your life. Hn! On the contrary, it might get more difficult as He tests us to see if we truly want to be a part of His kingdom.
But please remember that He will NEVER give us more than we can bear, and WILL ALWAYS make a way for us to handle the situation, even when there seems to be no way. I can vouch for that.
And all this ties in quite nicely with our Bit, immortal words of Jesus on prayer: ‘And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil (the evil one): For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.’
Yes Friends, only if the kingdom, the power and the glory are truly the Lord’s, can He work marvels and miracles in our lives! So to see and experience one side of the equation, you must sincerely believe the other!
And nobody’s said it better than Bruh David, when he exhorted his people in thanksgiving and prayer. ‘Wherefore David blessed the Lord before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel our father, for ever and ever.
Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all.
Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.’ (1 Chr.29:10-14)
Oh mih people, mih people, could Bruh David excite a body and spirit with prayer or what! I guess that’s why the Lord called him a man after his own heart.
So even before Jesus, the Son of God declared it, Bruh David recognized that the universe, the power and the glory were all God’s, and penitently noised it abroad. So too my fellow believers, ought we to noise the kingdom of God abroad to all and sundry.
And fortunately it’s never been easier to do than in these times of modern technology, where information can be transferred and transmitted to those in faraway places in the blink of an eye. Yes my brethren, we are the first generation that’s physically able to comply with Jesus’ Great Commission and spread the Word to ‘ALL NATIONS.’ (Matt.28:19-20)
So please, let’s get ourselves together and joyfully spread the good news of Jesus’ wonderful gospel nuh; of His selfless sacrifice, His atonement for our sins, His enabling of reconciliation with the Father, and the wonderful promises of salvation and eternal life! Wow! Those are indeed the GREATEST BLESSINGS that the world has ever known!
And we’ll close with some appropriate words from Bruh Paul to Timothy: ‘Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the ONLY WISE GOD, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.’ (1 Tim.1:17)
And all God’s people gave a mighty shout of joy, which resounded across both heaven and earth. ‘Praise the Lord God Almighty! For His is indeed the kingdom, the power and the glory!’
Much, much LOVE, my fellow believers in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
…unless you truly believe in God’s power…you won’t ever see it working in your life…
19 Feb 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a Saviour is born, abode in heaven, all right physically, angels, apostles, be foolish, believe not, chief cornerstone, Christ the Lord, Christmas, crummy earth, darkness, depend on, derail, develop a good attitude, disobedient creation, eternal death, eternity, ever-loving Lord and Saviour, every aspect of life, exaggeration, exile, exile in Babylon, faith and trust, faithful God, far-sighted, fear not, fellow believers, fulfill our god-given tasks, giving us the tools to do the job, God's promises, good frame of mind, good tidings, great joy, guiding light, heart-warming, high priest, humanitarian purpose, Jerusalem, Jesus Christ, Jewish people, judge not, judge the world, kernel of an idea, kin to lying, latter years, light of the world, like a million dollars, lost, LOVE, love and revere God, mankind, Maytones, merciful, mighty god, modus operandi, mountain goat, navel string is buried, never giving us more than we can bear, never leave or forsake us, no easy task, no stone left unturned, one way, ought to grow, Passover, Peter, physical aspects of the body, physical capabilities, please the Father, positive effect, preaching Christ crucified, promote His Holy Church, read God's word, relationship with heaven, repatriation, responsible, righteousness., rough around the edges, rough row to hoe, sacrifice, salvation, serious effort, shepherds, sinless soul, smile, son of god, stand steadfast and strong, straight from the heart, surrender your will, testimonial, Thanks be to God, the city of David, the Lord's planted us, the mind, tired, to be obedient, to seek and to save, to work in sync., Tobago, under the weather, undergo some sacrifice, ungrateful pagans, unsaved, walk in obedience, wayward, whole spectrum, wonder of wonders, words of truth, work diligently, work out all things for our good, Zion Land
Luke 19:10. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, last night I went to bed feeling somewhat tired and under the weather, but wonder of wonders, I got up this morning feeling like a million dollars! Wow! All thanks be to our great and wonderful God!
Well… let’s not exaggerate nuh, for exaggeration is kin to lying… Let’s say like three quarter million. (smile) But the important thing is that I’m up at a decent hour, in a good frame of mind, and feeling all right physically, though obviously not as good as I felt back in Tobago.
Oh mih breddren, what amazed me most in Tobago was how physically strong and fit I felt after about the first week, as compared to how I feel up here in the cold north country. The sea, the sand, salt, sex and rum does have a most positive effect on the physical aspects of the body, (smile)and we all know that once the body is feeling fine, the mind will operate on a higher level, since they’ve been programmed to work in sync.
To tell how physically strong the ole fella felt, I took my cane with me, because sometimes I need it going up steep inclines, but from the day I put it up against the dressing table in the bedroom, I never touched it until the day I was ready to come home, for I was walking up steps, hills and other steep inclines like a mountain goat. Now now, we’re only talking about the goat’s physical capabilities, not his other characteristics. (smile)
But then again, it’s important for us to realize that wherever the Lord’s currently planted us, that’s where we ought to grow. And though my dreams are focused on spending my latter years in Tobago, where my navel string is buried, I am also determined to do my best up here as an exile in the cold.
The Lord promised the Jewish people that after a sojourn of exile in Babylon, He would return them to Jerusalem, and He did. Now I’m believing for the same thing; after forty something years of exile in the new age Babylon, I’m hoping, praying and believing for repatriation to Tobago. Oh Friends, please pray that the Lord will be merciful unto the ole fella and grant him that wish.
Anyhow, for all you beautiful people who are feeling a little, or even plenty rough around the edges this morning, please take heart, if I can develop a good attitude and stand steadfast and strong with our Creator, then so can you. But you have to make a serious effort to be obedient, to be willing to undergo some sacrifice.
We all talk about becoming like Jesus, but yuh think Jesus had it easy? No way Jose! Yuh think He wanted to leave His comfortable abode in heaven and come down to this crummy earth and sacrifice His sinless soul for a bunch of ungrateful pagans? I very much doubt it.
But the Father asked Him to, because He was the ONLY HOPE, His wayward and disobedient creation called mankind had. And if there was one thing Jesus desired more than anything else was to please the Father!
And Friends, that too should be our guiding light, today and everyday, right down through eternity! Our heavenly Father’s wishes and will must be the all-consuming, engine-driving modus operandi of our lives. And if it isn’t, then something’s wrong somewhere, and it will consequently derail the good and wonderful relationship with heaven that we ought to have.
Now my fellow believers, don’t get me wrong, what I’m advocating is no easy task, rather, it’s a rather difficult row to hoe. But if we depend on, put our faith and trust in God’s promises of never giving us more than we can bear or handle; always giving us the tools to do whatever He’s called us to do; to work out all things for our eventual good; and never to leave or forsake us, then we WILL be able to fulfill our God-given tasks.
And please notice that those promises cover the whole spectrum, every aspect of life, so there’s no stone left unturned, or area left unaccounted for. That’s how responsible and far-sighted is our God!
Oh Friends, I’m chuckling here because I came downstairs to my study just now, not knowing what I’d write about, when suddenly the opening kernel of an idea struck me, and I simply picked up pen and paper and began writing, and the words and ideas just kept flowing!
Mama Mia! So how could I not sincerely LOVE and revere our wonderful and faithful God with all my heart, mind, body and soul eh? Please believe me when I say that He is indeed a mighty and faithful God!
But you’ll never find that out for yourself until you make a serious effort to get to know Him, surrender your will to His, read His Word, then try to walk in obedience to it. You most likely will have to sacrifice something(s), but you’ll eventually notice that what you’ve gained, is much more important than what you’ve sacrificed.
But enough rambling and ‘preambling’, I hadn’t planned on writing a testimonial, but apparently the Lord desired one. And who am I to say Him nay eh?
Now let’s check out our most informative and heart-warming Bit. ‘For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.’ And unfortunately my fellow believers, too many of us are still lost and unsaved.
But as we’ve been doing, let’s turn to some scriptures which truthfully declare and support the purpose of our Bit. And the first one comes from Luke’s gospel, where the angels are talking to the shepherds in the fields, while they watch their flocks by night.
‘And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.’ (Luke 2:10-11) And that’s the basis for our great celebration of Christmas, just passed.
The next scripture comes from Acts, where the apostles are up before the high priest and Jewish council, when they refused to stop preaching Christ crucified.
In one of his powerful moments, Peter declares to the council: ‘This is the stone which was set at nought of (rejected by) you builders, which is become the head of the corner (chief cornerstone). Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.’ (Acts 4:10-11)
Yes my brethren, THERE IS NO OTHER WAY FOR A MAN TO BE SAVED BUT THROUGH JESUS CHRIST! And I had to put that in big, bold letters so that it would resonate and permeate right to the very depths of our being and make us understand what’s truly at stake in this life.
And we’ll end, as I always like to when possible, with some words from Jesus, further acknowledging His earthly purpose. These words come from a session in Jerusalem where some Greeks who had come up for the Passover requested to see Jesus.
Listen to our wonderful Leader once again proclaim His most humanitarian purpose. ‘And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me. I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.’ (John 12:45-47)
Oh my people, what faithful words of truth and action! Because He did show us the LIGHT, and saved us from eternal death by dying in our stead. Please note though, that the first time Jesus came, it was to SAVE the world, the next time He comes though will be to JUDGE it!
So today, let’s not be foolish and dispute His testimony, but understand, be wise and accept Him as our true, ever-LOVING Lord and Saviour… the wonderful Son of God, who sacrificed it all for us!
Let’s be thankful and grateful and work diligently to promote His Holy Church here on earth, as He desires of us. Much LOVE!
…as the Maytones sing in their song…there’s only one way to Zion land…only one way…there’s only one way to righteousness…only one way…and that’s through Jesus Christ…
P.S. Oh Friends, I know the Bit’s somewhat long, and a tad late, but it’s what I’ve been guided to write today. Besides it comes straight from the heart, and I rather like it. (smile) Hope you do too. Much LOVE!
11 Feb 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bite to eat, abhor justice, abuse, abuse God's generous gifts, all is well, ashamed, astonished, bare hills, beauty, bloodshed, bribe, brought to justice, cause people to err, cleanliness, confounded, cover their lips, darkness, decent night's sleep, divine for money, diviners, efficiently designed, embarrassed, essence, euphoric, finely tuned machine, full of garbage, full of power, God's creation, God's people, God's unchanging nature and law, God's Word, God's wrath, grin and bear it, hot ginger tea, humankind, iniquity, Israel, Jacob, Jerusalem, judge for reward, judgement, just a matter of time, justice, Leaders, lean upon the Lord, like going to church, magical, magnificent, majesty, nature, negative and sinful acts and emotions, new snowfall, no answer from god, no divination, no harm can come upon us, no vision, one of those days, oppression, outdoors, peace, people are destroyed, perfect truth, pervert equity, presence of god, priests, prophet Micah, prophets, re-acclimatize to the cold, refreshing, respectful, ruins, rulers, searching and hushing experience, seers, shame, Skip Whitcomb, smile, something beautiful to admire, special attraction, sublime, take heart, teach for hire, temple, Thanks be to God, the great mystery lies, the human body, the spirit of the Lord, transgression, ugly, unchalleneged, war, wickedness, with the Lord's help, Zion
Isaiah 9:16. For the leaders of this people cause them to err, and they that are led of them are destroyed.
Ah mih people, at last the ole fella’s beginning to feel somewhat human again. (smile) I finally had a decent night’s rest. Thanks be to God! Oh, I was up early, but decided to go back to sleep, if I could. And you better believe I fell back to sleep with no problem whatsoever.
Ah Lord eh! I never expected it to be so hard to re-acclimatize to the cold, but that just shows what a finely tuned machine the human body is. Oh, and I haven’t felt so cold in a long, long time. Steups! But what to do eh? Just grin and bear it, and believe that with the Lord’s help you will make it through!
So what’s on today’s agenda eh? Oh I just discovered this interesting quote on a piece of paper here. I don’t remember where I got it from, or if I’ve ever shared it before, but if so, it’s definitely worth sharing again.
It’s attributed to the American artist, Skip Whitcomb. And it says: ‘Outdoors is where the great mystery lies, so going into nature should be a searching and hushing experience, like going to church.’
Oh Friends, that’s perfect truth! For God’s creation is so magical, magnificent and efficiently designed that when we venture into nature, we ought to be quietly astonished and respectful to the wonders we find there! And we’re not only referring to lush greenery and colourful flowers, but also to the desert areas, the watery spots and even the snow covered fields.
That’s because each type of territory has its own special attraction, as well as the essence and presence of God, so that wherever we are on God’s great earth, we will find something beautiful to admire and contemplate, and most importantly, feel His sublime but refreshing presence.
That’s why there’s such cleanliness, beauty and majesty in a new snowfall, as you look at it through a window, behind warm walls. (smile) And even when you go tramping through it, it feels somewhat euphoric. Hn, Hn! Don’t think I’m going to feel euphoric today though. (smile)
But then, once man has ventured into any natural areas, it becomes ugly and full of garbage, since we seem to always abuse God’s generous gifts.
Oh Friends, sorry for that short interruption, about ten minutes, I heard the garbage truck in the area and had to run to put out mine. Well not really run, since that word no longer seems to be applicable to my actions. (smile) Then I had to make a cup of hot ginger tea, which I’m now sipping as we speak, to replace the warmth I lost in the cold outside.
But getting back to our abuse of God’s generous gifts, it not only happens in nature, but even more so in humankind, as our Bit so rightly declares. ‘For the leaders of this people cause them to err, and they that are led of them are destroyed.’
Oh my brethren, unfortunately, it also seems that wherever man and man congregate, abuse, oppression and all the other negative and sinful acts and emotions always abound!
But in this last message on this topic, I want us to pay particular attention to what God declared through the prophet Micah, because in God’s unchanging nature and law, it still stands, still holds true for our generation and all those to come. Here Micah talks about the judgement on the prophets.
‘Thus saith the Lord concerning the prophets that make my people err, that bite with their teeth and cry, Peace (when there is a bite to eat, they cry, all is well); and he that putteth not (nothing) into their mouths, they even prepare war against him.
Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision (be without vision); and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine (be without divination); and the sun shall go down over (on) the prophets, and the day shall be dark over (for) them.
Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded (embarrassed): yea, they shall all cover their lips (mouths); for there is no answer of (from) God.’ (Mic.3:5-7)
Oh my fellow believers, that’s some of the kind of stuff that lies in wait for the leaders, false prophets and teachers who abuse and oppress God’s people!
And hear this explanation from the scholars. ‘3:5-8. Cover their lips: They will be put to shame and will show this shame openly by covering their lips, which was an oriental gesture to indicate shame and mourning.’
But that’s not all mih people. Micah continues: ‘But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the Lord, and of judgement (justice), and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin. Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the houses of Jacob, and princes (rulers) of the house of Israel, that abhor judgement (justice), and pervert all equity.
They build up Zion with blood (bloodshed), and Jerusalem with iniquity. The heads thereof judge for reward (a bribe), and the priests thereof teach for hire (pay), and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the Lord, and say (saying), Is not the Lord among us? none evil (no harm) can come upon us.
Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps (heaps of ruins), and the mountain of the house (temple) as the high places (bare hills) of the forest.’ (Mic.3:8-12)
Oh my fellow believers, please rest assured that our God will not allow these evil leaders, prophets and priests who are currently abusing their power, to continue unchallenged in their evil ways, but they will eventually feel His wrath and be brought to justice.
So if you’re being abuse, oppressed or hurt in some form and fashion by the works and decrees of our evil leaders, please take heart, our God is still on His throne, still in control of His universe, and in His time, He will punish and destroy the evil doers. Much LOVE!
…believers are guaranteed…through God’s Word…that the wicked will pay for their wickedness…it’s just a matter of time…
P.S. Please excuse the Bit’s lateness, for as the song says, it’s just one of those days, just one of those days. (smile) Much LOVE!
Next Newer Entries
SCRIP-BITS 