29 Jun 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a son of Abraham, a substitutionary death, a two-edged sword in His mouth, but have everlasting life, but that the world through him might be saved, eternal life, faithful, for God so loved the world, give me Jesus, God sent not his son into the world, he gave his only begotten son, hell death and the grave, hot summer days, hurry, I am the beloved of god, in god's eyes, Jesus is all we need, Jesus is the answer to all my prayers, King of Kings, LOVE, our good shepherd, our shelter in the storm, reliable, Satan's kingdom, share His love with the world, should not perish, steadfast, tanning time, thank God, that which was lost, that whosoever believes in him, the Lord of lords, the Son of man is come to save, the straight and narrow path, the weather has been topsy-turvy, this day is salvation come to this house, to condemn the world, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, unchangeable, we cannot save ourselves, we have a Lord and Saviour Jesus Christviour Jesus, worry
John 3:17. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
And a good Tuesday morning, or afternoon, (smile) to you my Scrip-Bits friends and family! Well, it seems like we’re having a couple of hot summer days in a row, with temps in the high twenties, even the low thirties! Wow! Now isn’t that wonderful! It’s tanning time in the northern climes! Saw one fella out the street just now in shorts and no top, barebacked, trying to assimilate some rays. Hope he has on sunscreen though, because that sun can sure be powerful and deadly at times!
All the air conditioners are running in the area. But who knows how long that will last eh? The weather has been so topsy-turvy recently, that the temperature can go right back down tomorrow. But thank God we have a Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, who is not topsy-turvy, but steady, steadfast, reliable, faithful and unchangeable! Bless His holy name my people! That’s why the song declares: ‘Give me Jesus, because that’s all I need!’ And isn’t that the living truth! Jesus is all we ever and will ever need, both in this world and in the next!
And why is that you ask? Because He is the Lord of Lords and King of Kings! The warrior General with a two-edged sword in His mouth; that means He can create and destroy with His powerful words! The One who fought the enemy, that foolish fellow called Satan, fought Him tooth and nail, mano-a-mano, and took away the keys to Satan’s kingdom, hell, death and the grave, by His death on the cross at Calvary and His triumphant resurrection three days later!
Now, Satan is a toothless enemy, a dog with plenty bark, but no bite, unless we give him the opportunity to get a toehold in our lives. And on top of all that, Jesus is our refuge, our fortress, our good shepherd, our comforter, the answer to our every need, our strength and joy. No wonder so many of us are calling out for Jesus, we bow down and worship Him, because He’s our shelter in the storm, our guide and co-pilot, who never leads us wrong.
However, the path that He chooses to lead us along is not an easy one; it’s straight and narrow, with many pitfalls along the way, but with His unerring guidance, we can be certain to make it to the very end of that straight and narrow road, where an eternal rest called heaven and eternal life awaits those whose who sincerely believe in and follow him! Glory be mih brethren!
Oh my people, how can we ever go wrong when we faithfully desire the person whose name is above every other name eh, and to whom all the world will eventually bow to and worship? No way friends! That’s why, in birth, life and death, Jesus is all we need! And Jesus Himself said so on several occasions. Let’s look at a couple nuh. First and foremost are His immortal words to Nicodemus, who, under the cover of night, came seeking wisdom and understanding.
‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:16-17)
What a remarkable and momentous pronouncement my fellow believers! It’s the basic reason for all that He’s done! This sinful world of ours needed saving, and that’s what Jesus came to do. He came to show the great LOVE of the Father towards His human creation. And as Bruh Paul so rightly said to the church art Rome: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8) Yes friends, Christ died a substitutionary death for us, meaning he died in our stead, that because He died, we don’t have to die. Now how thankful should we be for that largesse eh? Very, very thankful, I would think!
Then listen to Jesus as He rebukes His disciples when they wanted to call down fire and brimstone on a Samaritan village that refused to make Him welcome. ‘Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.’ (Luke 9:55-56) There again friends, in His own words, Jesus proclaims that He is our Saviour, not our destroyer, like the evil enemy and his evil cohorts try to make us believe, because His way is not as broad and destructive as theirs.
And when Jesus talks about the parable of the lost sheep, He once more reiterates His basic purpose: ‘For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.’ (Matt. 18:11) And we see it even more forcefully, when Jesus ate at the house of Zaccheus, the tax collector, who afterward repented and promised to restore fourfold to anyone whom he had wronged. Jesus said to him. ‘This day is salvation come to this house, forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.’ (Luke 19:9-10)
And as the scholars explain: ‘19:10. The words seek, save, and lost all appear elsewhere in Scripture in a shepherd context. This verse may be taken as a kernel statement of the central theme of Luke: Jesus is the compassionate, searching Herdsman who seeks to save those who can by no means save themselves.’ Now, right there in a nutshell is our major problem friends; we cannot save ourselves, that’s why we needed someone like Jesus to save us!
And believe me, He was, and is, and will forever be, the ONLY ONE who’s capable of saving us from the abominable sinful condition we were in, and still are in. That’s because our salvation needed a sinless soul to pay for those abominable sins of ours, and Jesus was the ONLY sinless soul beside the Father in existence. And that’s why He’s the Greatest, the ONE and ONLY Superstar in the universe! All else is folly and foolishness!
So friends, I do hope that these few words (smile) I’ve penned this morning will bring you to a knowledge of Jesus, and activate you to find out more about Him, then accept Him as your Lord and Saviour. And if you have already done that, then hopefully, these words will draw you even closer to Him. Now for those of us who are serious about Jesus, let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know who and whose we are.
So as one strong voice, ‘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 if we are sincere, then, as good representatives, we’ll go out now and spread, generously share that amazing friendship and awesome LOVE of Jesus with those we meet. Much LOVE!
…all I need is Jesus… He is the answer to ALL my prayers…today, tomorrow, and through eternity…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
21 Apr 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: as in Adam all die, but to save the world, Charles Wesley, Christ died for us, Christ the Lord is risen today, condemn the world, death, everlasting life, foolish foe, forgive, God so loved the world, Hades, hail the Lord, Happy Easter, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, in Christ all shall be made alive, Jesus Christ, LOVE of God, love's redeeming work, ours the cross, resurrection, rose triumphantly from the dead, Satan, shall not perish, that whosoever believes in him, where is thy sting, while we were yet sinners
John 3:16. For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Happy Easter my people! Well at long last the endless rain seems to have ceased! Glory Be! Oh it’s nice having rain but not for days on end. Even too much of the most valuable things can become annoying when you have them in too large a quantity. Yes, even too much money and too much LOVE are annoying! (smile)
What I could use more of though is better health. Oh I’m feeling much better today than I did yesterday, but still not up to scratch. But we’re working on it. And today being Easter Sunday, probably the most important day in our Christian faith, when our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ rose triumphantly from the grave, conquering the foolish foe Satan, once and for all time!
Oh what joy that brings to believers! And I know that all the places of worship will be filled today, as even the worst church-goers fill the pews on this most memorable day! I don’t understand why they only chose to attend on Christmas and Easter, but we’ll just be thankful that they are there. (smile)
And as always we begin the real proceedings with a song of praise and worship, and this morning there’s no better hymn to open with than the Charles Wesley composition of ‘Christ the Lord is Risen Today!’ As one commentary so appropriately concludes: ‘It has been considered by many Christian hymnologists as being the most definitive church anthem for Easter. Each verse of “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today” features a focus on the Resurrection of Jesus. Learn more from the lyrics and story below!’
Yes friends, let’s do so as we belt out those words of victory which show the awesome power of our magnificent Lord and Saviour. All together now, in full voice with hearts seething with joy as the day demands. ‘Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia! Earth and heaven in chorus say, Alleluia! Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia! Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply, Alleluia!
LOVE’S redeeming work is done, Alleluia! Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia! Death in vain forbids him rise, Alleluia! Christ has opened paradise, Alleluia! Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia! Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia! Once he died our souls to save, Alleluia! Where’s thy victory, boasting grave? Alleluia! Soar we now where Christ has led, Alleluia! Following our exalted Head, Alleluia! Made like him, like him we rise, Alleluia!
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia! Hail the Lord of earth and heaven, Alleluia! Praise to thee by both be given, Alleluia! Thee we greet triumphant now, Alleluia! Hail the Resurrection, thou, Alleluia! King of glory, soul of bliss, Alleluia! Everlasting life is this, Alleluia! Thee to know, thy power to prove, Alleluia! Thus to sing, and thus to LOVE, Alleluia!’
Oh my fellow believers that’s really a lesson on Christ’s Easter Sunday resurrection! Every line spells out a significant aspect of the resurrection story. But the line I think that brings the truth home most powerfully and significantly is ‘LOVE’S redeeming work is done!’
And to that we can all shout a most glorious ‘Alleluia!’ because that is what the whole exercise was, is and shall always be about; the unconditional, overwhelming LOVE of God for His wonderful, but oh so disobedient and rebellious creation called mankind!
As Bruh Paul put it so simply, but powerfully to the church at Rome: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom.5:8) Yes friends, God didn’t wait for us to change from our rebellious ways, but showed us what true LOVE is really like, so that we can follow His example and forgive and LOVE each other, the same way he forgave and LOVED us without any conditions tied to it.
That just brings to mind the most powerful verse in the Good Book, the one that says it all, and also appropriately spoken by Jesus, who should know what He’s talking about. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’
Oh my fellow believers, it couldn’t get any better than that! Imagine that nuh? God LOVED us so much that He sacrificed His only Son so that we could be saved from hellfire and damnation! As Jesus said: ‘For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world: but that the world through him might be saved. (John 3:17)
Truly my faithful brethren, I don’t know what else to say that will help us believe the awesome and heart-rending LOVE that our heavenly Father feels for us, and what made Him go through all the pain He endured, so we can come to this great day of Jesus’ triumphant resurrection and the wonderful option that all who believe in Him, will also one day rise from the dead!
As Bruh Paul told the Corinthians: ‘For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.’ (1 Cor.15:21-22) Yes friends, this is the day, the day of Christ’s amazing resurrection that sets the tone for our faith, for our salvation and eventual resurrection too.
So please enjoy it and give much thanks and praise to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, as well as our heavenly Father, who planned the whole thing, and saw it through to completion, all for our sake! Much LOVE!
…without Easter…we would all be condemned to Hades…
14 Apr 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sinless being, abuse, abused, assurance, blessings, Christ died for us, cleanse our sins, crucified, dance, death, destruction, drunken celebrations, enthusiasm, eternal darkness, eternal life, family, fellowship, for God so loved the world, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's kingdom, generous help, glory to God, God's LOVE, Good Friday, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, heaven, hope, improvement, in Jesus' name, magnificent and magnanimous God, man made device, musician, negative aspect, pain, pay the price, positive side, Praise the Lord, reconciled to God, Red Letter Day, rejuvenation, relaxation, rest, sacrifice, should not perish, shout praises to God, sing, singer, sinners, sober, sombre, sorrow, suffering, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, that whosoever believes in him, the cross, the magnetic pull of Jesus, victorious life, week of work
John 3:16. For God so LOVED the world , that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Oh friends, oh friends, the ole fella’s getting better! I’m getting better! Yes! Praise the Lord I’m getting better!
And I have to laugh at all my enthusiasm, for one would think that I’d gotten a brand new heart or something of the sort. But all the technician said after the tests yesterday is that there was a ‘li’l bit of improvement.’
But yuh know what friends, it could be just the tiniest bit of improvement, and I’ll sing and dance and shout praises to our most wonderful, magnificent and magnanimous God!
Why? Because it tells me that natural improvement is possible, gives me hope and assurance that I might not have to turn to a man made device for help after all. Glory to God, my people!
Yesterday I also went to my friend Jackie’s memorial service. It was well attended, and I found out some things I didn’t know about her, like her age, which she wore so well, that she was a brilliant musician and singer and very much into her family.
I remember now one day recently we were talking about food when she asked if I liked souse? I went, oh yes, I certainly do! And very generously she promised to make some for me when she felt better. Now I guess I’ll have to wait until I get to heaven for that souse. (smile)
Thank the Lord though that she led a full and victorious life, and her suffering was graciously cut short by our wonderful God, and she now rests peacefully in heaven with Him.
Now today friends is another Red Letter day in the history of our Christian faith; Good Friday! People oftimes wonder why we call it Good Friday when our Saviour Jesus was so cruelly and brutally abused and crucified on the cross.
Well the good thing about it, is that that sacrifice paid for our sins for all time! Without that sacrifice of a sinless being, we would still be headed straight for death and destruction. But Jesus’ selfless gift of His life gave us a reprieve, an opportunity to be reconciled to our Maker and heavenly Father.
And if that isn’t a most wonderful thing – in fact THE MOST WONDERFUL THING -then I don’t know what truly is nuh!
And remember what ignited that whole scenario is God’s great LOVE for us. As Jesus so gloriously declares in our Bit: ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’
Yes my brethren, that is what Good Friday is all about, LOVE; the LOVE of the Father for His sinful children! Without God’s deep, abiding and unconditional LOVE for us Good Friday would never have happened!
And why did it have to be so cruel you ask? Because that’s the price it took to cleanse our sins and reconcile us to God! As simple as that!
As Bruh Paul reminds us in Romans: ‘For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through (in) Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (Rom.6:23) And both the Father and Son were willing to pay that price for us to have eternal life! Glory Be!
And as Bruh Paul again reminds us in Romans: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrates) his (own) LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom.5:8) So instead of focusing on the pain and suffering, today I want us to focus on the LOVE that went into that awesome and amazing sacrifice.
And though we abhor all the abuse and ‘sufferation’ Jesus bore on our behalf, we have to realize that it was necessary for us to be saved, and look on the bright and positive side, rather than the dark and negative aspect of the situation.
And yuh know what’s strange friends? On this Good Friday, the workingman, having the day off and the long weekend to look forward to, is not out in the streets declaring ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday, and we going to party the weekend away! Thank God for Fridays and the weekends!’
No instead, he is sober and sombre, considering the suffering of Christ on this fateful day some two thousand years ago. What a change in behaviour eh? That just shows us the magnetic pull of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
There will be no drunken celebrations today for the ordinary man. Although come tomorrow and the rest of the weekend, that will certainly change. (smile)
Anyway my fellow believers, it’s Friday, and we still need to chant our Friday Chant. So let’s do it with sincerity and truth nuh. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes mih breddren, we still need the Lord’s blessings and help and rejuvenation to continue His worthwhile work come next week.
So please, though we feel sorrow over the pain and suffering Jesus bore for our sins to be washed clean, let’s not darken our day too much, but also give some praise and thanks for it, because without Good Friday, there could have been NO Easter Sunday! Much LOVE!
…the awesome sacrifice of Jesus…took us from eternal darkness…to eternal light and life…
27 Feb 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a son is given, adrenaline, almighty god, aura of love, but have everlasting life, christianity, Christians, confidence, Cross of Calvary, easy marks, enthusiasm, eternal life, Everlasting Father, evil, evil cohorts, faith, fellowship, fodder, for God so loved the world, friends, fun, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, God's business, he gave his only begotten son, holy spirit, humble servants, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, lies, LOVE, Lucifer, lust, mighty god, Monday blues, peace, pride, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, revolution, salvation, should not perish, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, taunts, that whosoever believes in him, the joy of the Lord is our strength, the Prince of Peace, the throne of David, the will of God, there is no fear in love, trust, truth, ungodly world, unto us a child is born, weary souls, wiles, wisdom, Wonderful Counsellor, zeal
John 3:16. For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Awright friends, it’s the big day, Monday, so let’s rise and shine and go about God’s business the way we ought to nuh. But we won’t be able to do that unless we had a good Sunday; one of fellowship and praise and worship with some rest and relaxation, preparing us for today’s efforts and adventures.
But not to worry, we have the antidote for all of your Monday blues and whatever is currently taking away your joy in Christ. Remember, the joy of the Lord is our strength. (Neh.8:10) No joy – no strength. So let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with all the energy and enthusiasm we can muster.
In harmony and fine voice 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!’
Beautiful friends, beautiful! Jesus, our choirmaster was smiling from ear to ear and swinging His director’s baton with the joy of an impressed leader. Wow! Long time we haven’t seen Him that enthused. So with that wonderful adrenaline now flowing through our bodies, let’s kick start our motors and get right down to business with our ever-awesome Bit.
‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’
Everlasting words of truth to live by my brethren! And why wouldn’t they be, since without God’s awesome, amazing, unconditional and magnanimous LOVE, we’d be just easy marks, simple fodder for Lucifer and his evil cohorts. And for those of you who are tired of hearing about LOVE, especially God’s LOVE – I sincerely hope they aren’t any Christians in that group – I believe today is the last day for that Bit.
And as I’ve been doing over the last few days, I’m just going to share relevant scripture on the subject. And what better place to begin than with the original promise of God to deliver us from our iniquity eh?
Listen to Isaiah: ‘For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgement, and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.’ (Is.9:6-7)
And the zeal of the Lord did indeed perform that promise by His sending His only begotten Son to die for our sins on the cross of Calvary! No greater LOVE was ever shown than in that action friends, which proves that our wonderful, our magnificent Creator is ever-faithful and true to His promises!
Now hear this wise advice from John from his first epistle. ‘LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.’ (1 John 2:15-17) That’s just Christianity 101 my fellow believers!
And we’ll end, most fittingly with some more words of John. ‘There is no fear in LOVE; but perfect LOVE casteth out fear: because fear hath (involves) torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in LOVE. We LOVE him, because he first LOVED us. If a man say, I LOVE God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that LOVETH not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he LOVE God whom he hath not seen. And this commandment have we from him, That he who LOVETH God LOVETH his brother also.’ (1 John 4:18-21)
Ah friends, I do hope that this series of messages on LOVE sparks a revolution in our hearts, souls and minds, so that we can improve our LOVE quotient, for both God and man, as that’s the ONLY thing that will make our world truly go round on a joyful axis. Much LOVE!
…only LOVE can break a heart…only LOVE can mend it again…
26 Feb 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a dream dies, a thousand ages, arrogant, before the hills in order stood, blood, brags not, compassion, dwelt secure, earth received her frame, eternal home, exalt, faith, fellowship, first begotten, for God so loved the world, from everlasting you are god, gathering in God's sanctuary, glorify, grooving, he gave his only begotten son, hoe for years to come, I was glad, iniquity, kindness, life-giving words, LOVE, Love thy neighbour as thyself, mercy, move mountains, moving, O God our help in ages past, our defense is sure, praise, prophecy, sacrifice of praise, saints, shadow of your throne, shelter from the stormy blast, should not perish, speak with tongues, sufficient is your arm alone, Sunday, that whosoever believes in him, the greatest of these is love, the house of the Lord, the Lord's Day, the rising sun, the watch, washed us from our sins, what the world needs now, worship
John 3:16. For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Ah my fellow believers, that wonderful day, Sunday – the Lord’s Day, is here again! And you know what that means? Gathering together in His sanctuary to fellowship with each other, to worship, praise, exalt and glorify Him, as well as receive strength and direction to do His will in the upcoming week. And I do hope we are all declaring like Bruh David did: ‘I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.’ (Ps.122:1)
Yeh friends, we can’t be true believers unless we are happy to go into God’s house. I know many of us just go because we think we should go to church since we claim to be Christians, but we’re not really joyful about going. We don’t expect, or look forward to good vibes or joyful feelings or even good relationships happening there.
But that’s not the right attitude my brethren. How can you be a true believer if you are not happy in the Lord’s sanctuary eh? But we won’t belabour the point, we’ll just open the celebrations with the singing of this old but glorious hymn: ‘O God our help in Ages Past.’ So, offering up the sacrifice of praise from our lips, let’s belt it out like there was no tomorrow.
‘O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal home: Under the shadow of your throne, your saints have dwelt secure; sufficient is your arm alone, and our defense is sure. Before the hills in order stood or earth received its frame, from everlasting you are God, to endless years the same.
A thousand ages in your sight are like an evening gone, short as the watch that ends the night before the rising sun. Time, like an ever-rolling stream, soon bears us all away; we fly forgotten, as a dream dies at the opening day. O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, still be our guard while troubles last, and our eternal home!’
Yes friends, that was most excellent! And it brings us to our Bit; possibly the most important verse of scripture in God’s Word, that pertains to us, for from it, everything else flows. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’
Ah mih people, such awesome, exciting and life-giving words! And today I’m just going to continue sharing scripture passages that talk about LOVE and reveal its true nature. Now let’s begin with Jesus as He sets the stage for all that follows.
Listen to Jesus’ response to a tempting question from a lawyer -they haven’t changed, still tempters: (smile) ‘Master (Teacher), which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And second is like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ (Matt.22:36-40)
It’s so simple friends. That’s the beauty of Jesus’ teachings; they are very simple and straightforward! And I won’t theorize on why so many of us DON’T LOVE the Lord, but I will do so on why we DON’T LOVE our neighbours? Because we simply DON’T LOVE ourselves. If we did, it would not be so difficult to show kindness and mercy, compassion and understanding to others. And you’ll understand why I say that when you read some of Bruh Paul’s exhortation on ‘The way of LOVE’ to the Corinthians.
‘Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels and have not LOVE, I am become as sounding brass, or tinkling (clanging) cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not LOVE, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not LOVE, it profiteth me nothing. LOVE suffereth long, and is kind;
LOVE envieth not; LOVE vaunteth not (does not brag on) itself, is not puffed up (arrogant), Doth not behave itself unseemly (rudely), seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil (keeps no recounts of evil); Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, endureth all things. LOVE never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail (cease); whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away… And now abideth faith, hope, LOVE, these three; but the greatest of these is LOVE.’ (1 Cor.13:1-8; 13)
Ah mih Christian breddren, what else can we say about LOVE and its awesome power eh? Nothing really, except hope and pray that we will all embrace it even a li’l more in our lives, because it’s such a big substance and emotion, that even a li’l bit goes a long way. (smile)
And we’ll conclude today with this passage from Revelation, where John greets the seven churches. ‘And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten (born) of the dead, and the prince of (ruler over) the kings of the earth. Unto him that LOVED us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.’ (Rev.1:5-6)
Now please, let’s ponder all that we’ve said today my people, because it’s ever so important for us to get the spirit of LOVE joyfully moving and grooving in our hearts, souls, bodies and minds, if we are to achieve any success for Jesus. Much LOVE!
…what the world needs now is…LOVE, LOVE, LOVE…not just for some…but for everyone…
25 Feb 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a Saviour, afraid to take the first step, Anselm's quotes, but have everlasting life, comfort your heats, consolation, cures, dead in sins, deal the right cards, dreams, education, faith, fate, get down and dirty, give up, God so loved the world, God's promises, grace, grounded, hard work, he gave his only begotten son, hopes, inspire, inventions, kindness, LOVE, made a way, maximum potential, merciful manner, mysterious, no giving up, our hands to the plough, patience, perfected in us, perseverance, propitiation for our sins, put our noses to the grindstone, rich in mercy, should not perish, songs, spring-like Saturday, talent, that whosoever believes in him, the gift og God, the graveyard, the greatest of these id love, the richest place on earth, the topic of love, unfulfilled, wealth, while there is life there is hope, winter weather, with Christ anything is possible, ye have been saved
John 3:16. For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
And then it was a spring- like Saturday: with even more spring like temps forecasted into the upcoming week, except for a few short-lived pockets of winter weather in between. Ah friends, I’ll take that weather any time yes, especially since in my less than perfect state, I’ve been grounded, can’t go anywhere to get away from the winter season.
By rights, I should now be in warm, sunny Tobago, but the good Lord in His mysterious and merciful manner, after causing me to be grounded, as promised, has made a way for me to handle the situation by making the place not as cold and snowy as it usually is. All thanks and praise to Him! I have to believe that otherwise I would just go crazy. (smile)
Anyway, let’s check out a couple of our friend Anselm’s quotes for this past week, as he endeavours to inspire us. The first one states: ‘Just because Fate doesn’t deal you the right cards, it doesn’t mean you should give up. It just means you have to play the cards you get to their maximum potential.’
And we all know about that my believing brethren; it simply means no giving up, because while there is life there is hope, and with Christ, anything is possible. So we just have to play with the hands that we’re dealt. The Lord has a reason for dealing them to us. We just have to go to Him and find out how to play them.
And the second quote is even more interesting. It tells us: ‘The graveyard is the richest place on earth, because it is here that you will find all the hopes and dreams that were never fulfilled, the books that were never written, the songs that were never sung, the inventions that were never shared, the cures that were never discovered, all because someone was too afraid to take that first step, keep with the problem, or determined to carry out their dream.’
Some of you might have heard that quote before, but it is gospel truth! And why is that? Because a lot of those people gave up, they refused to plod on with the talent that God gave them, and therefore so many unfilled dreams and actions died with them. What a waste! As they say: Talent will not, education will not, wealth will not; only patience, perseverance and hard work will.
Yeh mih people, we need to get down and dirty, put our noses to the grind stone and our hands securely to the plough, without looking back, if we want to be successful in this world.
Now it’s time to bring in our Bit; that awesome fulfillment of one of Almighty God’s promises in Isaiah 9:6 – a Saviour for the world! ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’
And it was all based on the magnificent and magnanimous emotion termed ‘LOVE! Wow! How wonderful is that eh friends? There are no words to suitably describe the emotion or God’s action. And today I won’t get into any ‘sermonizing,’ (smile) I’m just going to share some scripture passages that highlight the word LOVE and it’s association with Jehovah God.
Listen closely my fellow believers to the words of Bruh Paul to the Ephesians. ‘But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great LOVE wherewith he LOVED us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us (made us alive) together with Christ, (by grace ye are (have been) saved. And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness (LOVE) toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.’ (Eph.2: 4-8)
That ought to be self-explanatory to believers. Now hear John from his first epistle. ‘Beloved, let us LOVE one another: for LOVE is of God; and every one that LOVETH is born of God, and knoweth God. He that LOVETH not knoweth not God; for God is LOVE. In this was manifested the LOVE of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so LOVED us, we ought also to LOVE one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we LOVE one another, God dwelleth in us, and his LOVE is perfected in us.’ (1 John 4:7-12)
I don’t think there is a better treatise on the topic of LOVE, my brethren. And we’ll close with these words from Bruh Paul to the Thessalonians. ‘Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath LOVED us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, and stablish (establish) you in every good word and work.’ (2 Thess.2:15-17)
And that’s my sincere hope and wish and desire for all of us today my brethren. Much LOVE!
…and now abideth faith…hope…LOVE…these three…but the greatest of these is…LOVE…
13 Dec 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: anxious, awesome God, Bible promise, blessed, bounden duty, caring, character, christ jesus, Christmas, come to Christ, commercial stuff, compassion, confusion, countenance, daily walk with God, David the Psalmist, delight to please you, distraction, duty-packed day, festive season, fighting, for God so loved the world, friend of Jesus, fulfillment of life, fussing, giving, God is LOVE, God's sure promises, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, His only begotten Son, holy spirit, I will be pleased, in the light of thy countenance, incomparable joy, intimate conversation, joyful praise, light, LOVE, LOVE is of God, manifested, miserable, noise, One Year Book of Bible promises, our heavenly Father, pardoned, peace, peace floods my tranquil heart, praise me joyfully, progressively dominate, propitiation for our sins, receive salvation, reconciled to God, rightous being, Ruth Harms Calkin, shape, sharing, should not perish, sincere passion, sinful soul, sins, surrender, talk with me intimately, that whosoever believes in him, the beloved of God, the people who know the joyful sound, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of love, the will to love, to follow you, true meaning of love, trust, trust me totally, Tuesday Mantra, understanding
John 3:16. For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Well then friends, it’s a big Tuesday morning and we’re slowly working our way towards Christmas – just 12 more days – to that wonderful day when our Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus was born!
It is the festive season of and for LOVE; sharing, caring and giving, with the thought of Jesus uppermost in our minds, not the commercial stuff that we’re being bombarded with.
Now here is an interesting and most appropriate poem for all seasons from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It is titled ‘I Will Be Pleased.’
Please read with me: ‘Lord, this fresh early morning As I sit in our quiet living room You’ve just reminded me Through David the Psalmist That there is incomparable joy For those who delight to please You – For those who are thinking about ways To follow You more closely.
Lord, the day stretches out before me, In a few brief moments I must arouse my family And face again the noise, the distraction The hubbub of confusion. But while we are still alone Just the two of us, my Lord While Your peace floods my tranquil heart Please tell me what I can do This duty-packed day To follow you more closely.
Dearly LOVED child Praise me joyfully Talk with me intimately Trust me totally And I will be pleased.’
Ah mih people, a lot of us ask God what we can do to be more righteous in our daily walk with Him. Well there is the wise answer: Joyful praise, Intimate conversation, Total Surrender and thus total trust.
Those things on a continual basis will always please our heavenly Father, and in turn bring peace, joy and understanding into our own hearts, minds and souls. So instead of fussing and fighting, being miserable and anxious, let’s try initiating and/or integrating those things into our lives nuh. They will make such a big difference that we’ll truly be surprised.
And the Bible Promise for that poem comes from Psalm 89 – God’s sure promises to David. ‘Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord in the light of thy countenance.’ (Ps.89:15) What an awesome promise my brethren, one we should hold on to with all our strength!
Now let’s turn to our wonderful Bit, an even bigger and better promise of our magnanimous God. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’
Wow friends! What a totally awesome God we serve and worship! It just blows me away to think that such a magnificent and righteous Being would care so much for me, a lowly, sinful soul, to provide a most wonderful opportunity for me to be pardoned, to receive salvation and to be reconciled to Him!
And so should all of mankind be blown away by that act of grace and unmerited favour. It shows what true LOVE is all about. Now hear this scripture from 1 John that brings home to us the true meaning of LOVE.
‘Beloved, let us LOVE one another: for LOVE is of God; and every one that LOVETH is born of God, and knoweth God. He that LOVETH not knoweth not God; for God is LOVE. In this was manifested the LOVE of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so LOVED us, we ought also to LOVE one another.
No man hath seen God at any time. If we LOVE one another, God dwelleth in us, and his LOVE is perfected in us. Hereby we know that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.’ (1 John 4:7-13).
Ah friends, what beautiful scripture! Now here are some explanations from the scholars. ‘4:9. To grasp God’s LOVE aright, one must look to how God has demonstrated it. Here John is in total harmony with Paul (Rom.5:8).’
4:10. No human LOVE is the standard for understanding God’s great compassion, but God’s own action on man’s behalf.’
4:11-13. God’s character, through His Spirit, is to shape and progressively dominate the character of the believer. The Spirit of God imparts the will to LOVE.’
Yes friends, it’s that simple: if we don’t have the Holy Spirit of God dwelling within us, then we don’t have the power, the ability to be a truly LOVING person as defined by God’s Word. That’s why it’s our bounden duty to help others come to Christ, so that they can receive the real power and Spirit of LOVE.
Now let’s go home, declaring our Tuesday Mantra with sincere passion, in a strong and convincing voice that says we truly believe what we’re saying. (smile)
As one 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!’
Yes my people, that’s who we really are; beloved children of God and wonderful friends of Jesus! Let’s never forget that and stop being defined by what the world thinks of us.
And as we go out today, let’s also remember to share the amazing and awesome LOVE of Jesus, as we are duty bound to. Much LOVE!
…LOVE is the strongest power in the world…the ultimate fulfillment of life…
12 Dec 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adrenaline, aura of love, baubles and bangles, be not afraid, be strong and of a good courage, best foot forward, boast, brave, Christ's expense, Christians, confidence, courage, crapaud smoke we pipe, drive like fools, dry pavement, enthusiasm, eternal life, everlasting life, evil, faith, fearless, for God so loved the world, friends, fun, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, God gave His only begotten son, God's generous grace, God's riches, grace, he who has ears to hear, heaven, heavenly places, hell, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, inclement weather, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, Joshua, joy, LOVE, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, neither be thou dismayed, not of works, persecutor, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, salvation, serve God, should not perish, sit togther, snowstorm, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, surrender, taunts, that whosoever believes in him, the Damascus road, the gift of God, The Israelites, the Lord thy God is with thee, truth, umbrage, ungodly world, useful purpose, weary souls, wiles, wisdom, works
John 3:16. For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Ah mih friends, the first big snowstorm of the season is upon this Monday morning! Steups!
It’s been going since yesterday and will certainly provide many problems as we go out to work, but please leave home a little earlier and take your time. Look out for the other driver, because in spite of the nasty weather, a lot of us still drive like fools, behaving as though we are on dry pavement.
And what amazes me about the snow storms, is that so many of them seem to occur on a Monday morning when we are not at our best – although we should be – and don’t need the hassle and danger of driving on snow and ice covered roads. However my faithful friends and believers this morning we certainly have to do like God commanded Joshua when He made him leader of the Israelites.
‘Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.’ (Josh.1:9)
Yes my people, let us be brave and fearless as we face the inclement weather and poor driving conditions this morning. And to further raise our courage and faith, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with strong conviction and perfect harmony.
As one 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!’
Ah mih breddren, that rendition lacked something. It wasn’t bad, but it didn’t thrill our choirmaster Jesus. And you know that’s always the aim of our singing. But Jesus is so wonderful, He didn’t take umbrage, (smile) because He knows our fears and weaknesses.
But since that shot of adrenaline we got from singing is now coursing through our veins, let’s go out bravely and do our best for Jesus nuh, for that’s all He asks of us. And logically speaking, if we consider all that He’s done for us, we should have no problem in putting our best foot forward on His behalf.
Just listen to our Bit and see the magnanimous and selfless sacrifice both the Father and Son made on our behalf. And I hope it pricks our cold hearts into doing better. (smile)
‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’
Now wasn’t that a most wonderful gesture? It certainly was! That’s why I can’t understand how we can just throw Jesus and the Father by the wayside in favour of the worthless baubles and bangles of this evil world! Chuh man people! That’s ungratefulness at its highest!
And I want to pile it on here, so please listen attentively to Bruh Paul’s discourse on the subject to the Ephesians. ‘But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great LOVE wherewith he LOVED us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us (made us alive) together with Christ, (by grace ye are (have been) saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship (creation), created in Christ Jesus unto (for) good works, which God hath before ordained (prepared) that we should walk in them.’ (Eph.2:4-10)
Yuh see friends, it’s all about God’s sincere and unconditional LOVE for us! Our good works CANNOT give us salvation, but when we are spiritually born again, we ought to have such a LOVE for Jesus, that we naturally do good works. Now there are so many explanations that I would like to share, but we don’t have time nor space. But I’ll share this very important one though, re the Grace of God.
‘2:8. The grace of God is the expression of His goodness toward the undeserving. Grace means unmerited favour, and can be expressed by the acrostic “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.” This grace is the basis of our salvation (1:7; 2:8)
Illustration: In salvation, men who deserve hell obtain heaven. This cannot be explained apart from God’s grace. Every conversion in Scripture is an example of God’s grace. When Paul (Saul) met the Lord on the Damascus Road, Paul was a persecutor of the church. Yet God made him one of the church’s chief preachers.
Application: We need to remember that we are saved, given the Holy Spirit, and allowed to serve God – by His grace. (First Ref. Gen.6:8; Primary Ref. Eph. 2:8; cf. Ps.139:1).’
Ah friends, all I can say now is, he who has ears to hear, let him hear, otherwise crapaud smoke ‘im pipe! Much LOVE!
…why foolishly accept hell eh…when one can easily get heaven…through God’s generous grace…
11 Dec 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fighting chance, a righteous man, a small gesture, actions, an act of kindness, away in a manger, be thankful for small mercies, been justified, blaspheming, bless all the dear children, by Christ's blood, care, caught napping, celebrate Christ's birth, character, Christ died for the ungodly, Christmas, comfort your hearts, compassion, condemn, condemn the world, Eat little and live long, eternity, everlasting consolation, everlasting life, evil, fellowship, fit us for heaven, get one's house in order, god demonstrates his own love, God of chances, God so loved the world, good, good hope, grace, habits, Hades, His only begotten Son, in my name, joy in God, LOVE, Lucifer, making a mockery, no crib for a bed, on the outside looking in, reconciled, reconciliation, rested, reverberate, sacrifice of praise, saved, should not perish, sinners, thanksgiving, that whosoever believes in him, the angels of heaven, the atonement, the Lord's Day, the LOVE of God, the stars in the bright sky, there am I in the midst of them, truth, under a mango tree, watch your thoughts, where tow or three are gathered, while we were yet sinners, words
John 3:16. For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
And once more friends, it’s the best day of the week; the Lord’s Day, wherein He rested after His labours, and now desires of us to do the same, while getting in some serious fellowship with other believers in His sanctuary, be that in a fabulous cathedral or under a mango tree. (smile)
Yes my brethren, our fellowship can be held any place, per Jesus’ words. ‘For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.’ (Matt.18:20) Jesus is always with us, wherever we are gathered. And isn’t that a most wonderful assurance? It surely is!
And since it’s the Christmas Season, when we celebrate Christ’s birth, it’s only appropriate that we begin our praise and worship with a joyful Christmas hymn; ‘Away in a manger.’ Now in full voice, with sincere belief and true thanksgiving, let’s offer up the sacrifice of praise with our song.
‘Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head, The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay, The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay. The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes, But little Lord Jesus no crying he makes.
I LOVE you, Lord Jesus; look down from the sky, And stay by my side until morning is nigh. Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask you to stay Close by me for ever, and LOVE me, I pray. Bless all the dear children in your tender care, And fit us for heaven, to live with you there.’
Oh my faithful believers, what a simple but profound hymn! And something about the statement that Jesus awakes at the lowing of the cattle, but doesn’t cry, just touches me. He was a sweetheart from the day of His birth! (smile)
Now here is an interesting Trini Quote from my Trini friend. It advises us to: ‘Eat little an live long.’ Hn, hn! Only in T&T yuh say! And what does it mean. Well according to my Trini friend: ‘This has many meanings, but is generally said to someone to accept a little (food, a small gesture, an act of kindness, faith, love etc.), and more will be sure to follow.’ In other words, be thankful for small mercies.
And then he reminds us to: ‘Have a GREAT day, every DAY!!!! Watch your thoughts: They become words Watch your words: They become actions Watch your actions: They become habits Watch your habits: They become character.’
And that’s the awesome truth my people! We must be ever conscious and cautious about our thoughts, for they gravitate into words, then actions, and soon are habits, which then dictate our character for either good or evil.
Now here is our Bit; one of the most famous passages in the Bible. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’
Yeh friends, our Creator had so much care and compassion for us that He just could not stand idly by and see us go down to Hades with Lucifer for eternity, without giving us a fighting chance. As Jesus explains after our Bit: ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:17)
Oh my people, what a most awesome and LOVING God we serve! In spite of our disgusting sins and our undeserved saving, the Lord moved heaven and earth for us to be reconciled to Him and thus spend eternity under His magnificent umbrella!
And how do so many of us repay His LOVING-kindness eh? By turning away from Him and embracing evil, by blaspheming His Holy Name and making a mockery of all He stands for. Now that certainly doesn’t endear us to Him, but He’s also known as the God of the second and third and fourth chance…however many you need before Jesus returns.
‘But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.’ (Matt.24:36) That means it could happen anytime; Jesus could come like a thief in the night and surprise us all. Consequently it is wise to get one’s house in order RIGHT NOW, so that whenever He returns, we will not be caught napping and end up on the outside looking in.
Now let’s check out some scripture that corroborates our Bit. Hear Bruh Paul’s words to the Roman church, re the results of justification. ‘For when we were yet without strength, in due time (at the right time) Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure (perhaps) for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth (demonstrates) his (own) LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Much more then, being now (having been) justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more being (having been) reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement (reconciliation).’ (Rom.5:6-11)
Ah mih people, how can we not greatly appreciate the Lord’s sacrifice on our behalf eh? And we’ll end with more words of Bruh Paul on the subject, this time to the Thessalonians.
‘Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath LOVED us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, and establish you in every good word and work.’ (2 Thess.2:16-17)
What a beautiful prayer my people! And it’s also my prayer for all of us believers this glorious Sunday morning in the Christmas season of 2016. Please let it reverberate deep down in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls and keep us close to our heavenly Father! Much LOVE!
…only the LOVE of God…is powerful enough…to straighten out this evil world…
10 Dec 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a negative go round, a wonderful world, acts of encouragement, Anselm, bounden duty, brotherly LOVE, commandment, common sense, criticism, critics, disciples, dreams, encouragers, evil minions, feel comfortable, foolishly, for God so loved the world, glory hallelujah, God's little Acre, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, hope, hypocrites, imperfect, imperfections, inadequate, Jesus Christ, Jesus' logic, lacking compassion, leaps and bounds, learn to like yourself, LOVE, LOVE one another, Lucifer, man is imperfect, minus category, narcissist, our Lord and Saviour, perfect, practical value, pray, redeemed, selfishly, sensational soup, should not perish, standards, sunshine of sweet Tobago, tasty concoction, temperatures, that whosoever believes in him, the ability to dream, the cross at Calvary, the heathen, the highest good, the lake of fire, the wherewithal to do His will, tropical climates, unconditional, warm my innards, winter climes
John 3:16: For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Well hello there all you blessed people residing in warm, tropical climates! Hn! I must say that right now I envy you all because it seems like the real cold weather is starting to come upon us. Temperatures are now residing in the minus category…
Ohhhh, how the warmth and sunshine of sweet Tobago would just warm and refresh my cold body and aching soul right now! And today is also Saturday, so that means Brother Kirby’s sensational soup will also be on the boil up Calder Hall! Some of that tasty concoction right now would just warm my innards and have me calling for more! (smile)
And I guess that’s why we’ve been granted the ability to dream. But one day soon friends, one day soon, that dream will come alive, I will bask in the beautiful climate of God’s Little Acre! Obviously though, it all depends on the Good Lord’s willingness to so bless me. In the meantime though, we’ll just hope and pray and ask for the wherewithal to do His bidding in these cold winter climes. (smile)
Anyway, enough of my dreaming, let’s check out some of our friend Anselm’s quotes for this past week, in his efforts to inspire us for a better tomorrow. The first one says: ‘It is of practical value to learn to like yourself. Since you must spend so much time with yourself, you might as well get some satisfaction out of the relationship.’
Ah mih people, those words are so true that they couldn’t get any truer! (smile) We spend most of our time with ourselves, so we might as well like what we see in the mirror, otherwise we’d be on a negative go round all the time.
That doesn’t mean we have to be a narcissist and go to the other extreme, but we must feel comfortable in ourselves, else we’d be even more miserable than we are right now. (smile) And besides that, if we don’t like and appreciate ourselves, we won’t be able to truly like and appreciate others.
Anselm’s second quote declares: ‘We can improve our relationships with others by leaps and bounds if we become encouragers instead of critics.’ And is that ever so true my brethren! Somehow or the other we seem to have lost the use of the word encouragement from our language.
Everyone’s a critic these days. But the fact of the matter is that none of us like criticism, even if it’s true and well-intentioned. We all respond so much better to words and acts of encouragement. I guess it’s just the overwhelming negativity of the world that has us acting so selfishly and foolishly, lacking compassion and common sense.
And the last quote from Anselm is another gem. ‘You don’t LOVE someone because they’re perfect, you LOVE them in spite of the fact that they’re not.’
Oh friends, if we’d only live that out, we’d certainly live in a wonderful world! But instead, we choose to LOVE others only if they LOVE us, or do what we want, or come up to the standards that we set. We seem to conveniently forget that mankind is an imperfect being, that’s how our God made us.
But you know the wonderful thing about it all is that God LOVES us dearly despite our imperfections. And if you don’t believe me, then listen to Jesus in our Bit. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’
Yeh mih people, if our wonderful God didn’t LOVE us in spite of our imperfections, which lead to abominable sins, we’d all eventually end up in the lake of fire, like Lucifer and his evil minions will do. But His heart was so filled with compassion for us, His greatest creation, that He broke His own heart and sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross at Calvary so that we could be redeemed. Glory Hallelujah!
So why then do we find it so difficult to be kind to each other eh, to show a little brotherly LOVE eh? Remember what Jesus said to the disciples? ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:34-35)
And sadly, that’s how it plays out in today’s world; the heathen looks at us and laughs, considering us hypocrites, because the LOVE we claim to have, or should have as followers of Jesus, we either don’t have, or don’t show to each other. Then according to Jesus’ logic, we’re not His disciples, regardless of what we may think.
Ah my brethren, you know it’s all about that one, simple, but far reaching word – LOVE! And it all stems from the LOVE of God!
Listen to what the scholars say about that. ‘3:16. LOVE is both an attribute of God and a description of His being. He alone is the epitome of divine LOVE and the source of all true LOVE. His LOVE is unconditional and consistently seeks the highest good of the one who is LOVED.
Illustration: God’s LOVE was clearly demonstrated at Calvary when Jesus died for all our sins (1 John 3:1). Application: Because God first LOVED us, we ought to LOVE others as well (1 John 4:11). (First Ref. Gen.2:16- 17; Primary Ref. John 3:16; cf. James 1:17).’
Oh my fellow believers, why is it so difficult to show LOVE and respect for each other eh, when that is exactly what our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ desires of us? In this day and age, the talk of LOVE is cheap and plentiful, but the reality of it; LOVE in action, is woefully inadequate. Please friends, let’s try and do better nuh, Jesus didn’t just ask it of us, He COMMANDED IT! Much LOVE!
…LOVING God, oneself, and each other is not merely a request…but our bounden duty…
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