31 Oct 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: and again I say rejoice, be careful for nothing, be of good cheer I have overcome the world, casting all your care upon him, faith, grace to accept your timing, Halloween Day, hit the nail on the head, holy spirit, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, hurry, in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, in god's eyes, in me ye might have peace, in the name of the mighty dollar, Jesus Christ, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, let not your heart be troubled, let your moderation be known unto all men, let your request be made known unto God, lock stock and barrel, LOVE, my heart is stayed on hope in God, not as the world giveth, occult stuff, Peace i leave with you, rejoice always, Satanic tradition, set my thoughts higher, share His love with my neighbours, the beloved of God, the God of all grace, the goodness of God, the joy of the Lord, the peace of God which passeth all understading, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, whom resist steadfast in the faith, wisdom, worry
Philippians 4:6. Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God.
Prologue: Let me apologize for the lateness of the Bit right up front. I had a doctor’s appointment earlier this morning and you know how it is with them; you spend more time waiting than anything else. Nonetheless, I think it’s a good Bit. (smile)
And after Monday comes Tuesday…as naturally as the day follows the night. (smile) And this Tuesday, the last day in October is bright and sunshiny in my area, though somewhat chilly, for there was frost on the cars this morning. But more importantly, for the world and it’s economic masters is that today is also Halloween day, when the world shamelessly flaunts the things of the occult, with li’l children the basis of their mockery, invoking fearful and scary foolishness, as they make oodles of money from the nonsense they promote.
What a world eh! When we’re so badly in need of God’s help with our many serious problems, we foolishly keep up with this Satanic tradition, all in the name of the mighty dollar! Personally, I’ve never seen the fun in children dressing up in scary costumes and scampering around in the night to their neighbours’ houses begging for stuff, especially candy, which every day you hear in the ads is no good for you. This is the happiest time of the year for the dentists’ because they know in another couple of months children will be flocking to them with candy infused teeth problems.
And if we insist on dealing with, cherishing and encouraging dark and occult stuff, even the scary movies are doing big business these days, what’s the purpose of this scripture then? ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind. (2 Tim. 1:7) Then, afterwards, when a real challenge comes against us, we can’t handle it, because we’re too scared, we’re filled with fear, rather than faith. To help us with all our weak and fearful moments though, here’s a prayer from Bubba Joel (Joel Osteen) that will enable us to keep God first place in our lives.
Please pray with me: ‘God, please give me the grace to accept Your timing. I will enjoy this day because You have me in the palm of Your hand. No circumstance or problem can keep me from the joy You have for me. Even though it seems I may have good reason to worry or live upset, I’m going to keep my eyes on You. I know that the enemy would LOVE for me to never get my hopes up, to think that it’s always going to be this way, to just drag through the day. But my heart is stayed on hope in You. I’m going to set my thoughts higher, championing You in this moment and throughout the day. I will choose to be happy. I will choose to focus on the goodness of God. Nothing is going to override my joy in the Lord, now, or in the days to come, in Jesus’ name. Amen!’
Yes friends, that’s the kind of desire and passion we need to hold on to each and every day. Choose to be happy, choose to focus on God’s goodness and fill our lives with the joy of the Lord, which is our strength! (Neh. 8:10) It’s all a matter of choice…our choice. We can either choose to focus on God and His goodness or the fiery trials and tribulations of this evil and wicked world! The choice is ours! No one else’s! So, if you choose to focus on your tough circumstances instead of God’s goodness, then that’s foolishly your fault. For throughout all the Bible, we have been encouraged to not fear, to not worry, just give it all to God. And these two scriptures are the epitome of that wonderful and wise advice.
First off is this scripture from Bruh Paul’s letter to the Philippians. ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation (gentleness) be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:4-7)
Oh my faithful brethren, that hits the nail right on its proverbial head! Don’t worry or be concerned about anything, especially if you can’t do anything about it in your own strength. Turn it over to the Lord though prayer and thanksgiving and that wonderful peace of God, which surpasses all of man’s understanding will calm your souls and spirits. It’s that peace that Jesus bequeathed unto us, when He said: ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27) And later on He again gives us His marvellous peace, when He tells the disciples: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) And if you have sufficient faith to believe in Jesus and His faithful promises, then the cares of this world won’t trouble you unduly.
Then there’s also this amazing and encouraging scripture of putting one’s cares and lives in the hands of Jehovah God. Listen to Peter tell it: ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion , walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in (experienced by) your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish (confirm), strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.’ (1 Pet. 5:6-11)
Now friends, let’s pay close attention to those scriptures because the world is getting more evil and troubled each day, and we will only be able to handle it with God’s divine help! Now for those of us who are doing our best to stand steadfast and strong, let’s declare (awright!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere 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 my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
Now, let’s go out and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…the only place to find true peace…is with Jesus…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
10 Oct 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a great King above all Gods, being thankful keeps us spiritually healthy, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, every good and perfect gift, giving thanks gets easier the more you do it, giving thanks is a daily occurrence, giving thanks to God the Father, good manners, his mercy endureth for ever, in every thing give thanks, in god's eyes, it's good manners to say thanks, Jesus Christ, keep our priorities straight, let us make a joyful noise, lock stock and barrel, LOVE, lustful desires, mercy, O come let us sing unto the lord, O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good, our one word ought to be thanks, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, share His love with my neighbours, Thank You Lord, thanksgiving magnifies God, thanksgiving reorients us, thanksgiving weekend, the beloved of God, the Lord is a great God, the rock of our salvation, the source of every good thing, the sun's shining, the thankfulness muscles respond to exercise, they sang together by course, this is the will of God in Christ, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, whatsoever ye do in word or deed, with the help of our great God, worry
Psalm 107:1. O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
And though this Tuesday morning, post the Thanksgiving weekend, has opened somewhat cool and windy, there is at least one redeeming feature; the sun’s shining! And that’s a lot to be thankful for, as the days grow cold and cloudy, and eventually snowy. Look at it nuh, just last week we were enjoying exceptional summer-like weather, now we’ve been suddenly thrown into the throes of fall (smile) that has winter as its final dance partner. And try as you want, regardless of how long you spend in this land, unless you’re an outdoor sports enthusiast, you never seem to get accustomed to that season of darkness and dreary cold weather.
But, like all the other unpleasant and tough aspects of life, with the help of our great God, we handle it superbly whenever it raises its ugly head! Give much thanks to our gracious and merciful God for all that He’s done, is doing and has promised to do for us! And all God’s people said a loud and grateful ‘Amen!’ And just in case we’ve forgotten or gotten too busy to remember, now that the Thanksgiving weekend is over, it doesn’t mean we should stop giving thanks. No! The giving of thanks to our most wonderful God Jehovah, must be a daily occurrence, not just once a year, or when you’re pleading with him for something to satisfy your lustful desires.
And that’s one of the major reasons why our lives are so sad and miserable; we boldly ask for a whole lot from our heavenly Father, but don’t give sufficient thanks for what we already have. Somehow or the other, it just slips our minds that, as our parents taught us, it’s good manners to say thanks for whatever you’re given. Or, we simply don’t think or believe that such a great God as ours, needs or desires thanks from His puny human creation. But that’s a thoroughly incorrect supposition my fellow believers, for the Good Library, God’s inerrant and infallible word, says otherwise, and says it very often too.
But before we get into some of those many scriptures, let’s check out this commentary that tells us why it’s so important for us to give thanks to our God. It says: ‘What is the power of giving thanks to God? Thanksgiving reorients us to the center of all things. So, thanksgiving magnifies God: it makes him great in the sense of declaring his greatness. Here is the most foundational truth about biblical thanksgiving: it gives him the glory he deserves. It exalts him as the source of every good thing we enjoy.’
And that’s the indisputable truth friends! Giving thanks to Almighty God honours and exalts Him, for that was one of the reasons why He created us in the first place; to commune with Him and give Him honour and glory! Now here’s another commentary that adds further reason for being thankful. It reads: ‘But being thankful also has significant spiritual benefits. For starters, it keeps us spiritually healthy. When we live gratefully, we keep our priorities straight—focusing on God as the one who gives us “every good and perfect gift” (James 1:17)—and we don’t accidentally put ourselves in God’s place.’
Yes friends, giving sincere and constant thanks keep us spiritually healthy and on the straight and narrow path. Now let’s hear some of those scriptures on the importance of being thankful. First up is this mighty one from Psalm 107: ‘O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.’ (Ps. 107:1) And in all truth, there’s no better reason than that. The Lord’s good and merciful, and therefore our thanks is necessary. It’s as simple as that. There’s no better reason for giving thanks than to someone who’s good and merciful to you.
I just wish there was much more mercy and goodness amongst us believers, and the world in general, and therefore much more thanks, for then that would make it something we’d do naturally with our good and merciful God. But unfortunately, goodness and mercy don’t exist in our world as much as they ought to, so it doesn’t naturally rub off on our dealing with the Lord. Then there’s this Scripture from the Book of Ezra, when the Israelites returned from captivity in Babylon and began rebuilding the temple.
‘And they sang together by course (responsively) in praising and giving thanks unto the Lord; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.’ (Ezra 3:11) And yes, our God does like great shouts of praise from His people, but He’s also contented with a simple ‘Thank You Lord,’ because it shows that we are thinking of Him and gratefully acknowledging the fact that He is working in our lives. And that’s all He truly desires; a grateful acknowledgement of His presence.
Then there’s the song of thankfulness from Psalm 95. In fact, the Psalms is where the most thankfulness can be found in the Lord’s word. And just for our information here’s how many times the Bible mentions gratitude. ‘The Bible mentions the word “gratitude” 157 times. It does not appear as frequently as “fear not” (which is said 365 times), but it appears more than “thanks” or “thanksgiving” (mentioned 72 times).’ That ought to show us how important gratitude is to our God. (smile)
But back to the thankfulness of Psalm 95, which opens thus: ‘O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.’ (Ps. 95:1-3) And there’s definitely no denying those sentiments my fellow believers. Our God is GREAT! That says it all! (smile)
And don’t think that there aren’t thankful scriptures in the New Testament too, because they are, and some that tend to drive us crazy, especially this one from Bruh Paul’s first missive to the Thessalonians. ‘In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5:18) In ‘every thing’ you ask in disbelief? Yes friends…in every thing .That means whether the situation is good, bad or indifferent, we ought to give thanks. As this commentary tells it: ‘For this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. Thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.’
Then in his letter to the Colossian, Bruh Paul tells us: ‘And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.’ (Col. 3:17) That’s another tough scripture, but one which we should all adhere to if we want to please our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ as true followers. For remember, when He was here on earth, giving thanks was also one of His strongpoints. He never did anything without giving the Father thanks.
And we don’t have time nor space to go into it all, but you can read these instances for yourself. Jesus thanked the Father ‘for providing food (Luke 24:30), for listening to him (John 11:41), and for the opportunity to minister to others (Matthew 14:19, 15:36). Jesus began and ended his prayers with words of thanks and praise to his father and in the Lord’s Prayer he taught his followers to do the same (Matthew 6:9-13).’ And as always, if our Leader can do it, then we also ought to be doing it.
And this a most appropriate comment with which to close our li’l talk on the giving of thanks. ‘One of the best things about thankfulness is that the more you choose it, the easier it gets. The more you profess gratitude, the more you notice things to be grateful for. The thankfulness muscles respond to exercise!’ Yes, my brethren! Just try it and you’ll see it’s oh so true. (smile)
Now let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. In one strong and sincere 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 my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And having said all that, it now behooves us to go out and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…if there’s only one word to fall from our lips…it ought to be THANKS!…
P.S. Yes, it’s long, but oh so good, and so reenergizing! (smile)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
12 Sep 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a good time to correct our faults, an Hebrew servant, avoid disastrous flood situations, be truly faithful to God, bounden duty, coming from a privileged situation, diligence, disaster mode, excellence, God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace, God will work all things out for our good, hurry, I do remember my faults, improve human life, in god's eyes, It is not me, lock stock and barrel, our job, share His love, share His love with my neighbours, stayed the course, steady drizzle of rain, the beloved of God, the faithfulness of God, there was none that could declare it to me, titillating, titivating, to each man according to his dream, to grow up, to make things better, to understand the realities of life, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, worry
Genesis 41:16. It is not me: God shall give Pharoah an answer of peace.
Well, at long last the rain which has been promised by the weather forecasters and the intense cloudiness of the last few days, eventually arrived this Tuesday morning! And thankfully, not in humongous showers like some places have been recently receiving, but in a steady drizzle, which hopefully gives the land the opportunity to soak it up and avoid the disastrous flood situations that’s been happening around the world recently. Our world is certainly in disaster mode, but that’s why we’re here, why we’ve been chosen for just such a time like this, because we have the wherewithal from Almighty God to make things better.
Our job is always to make things better, improve human life. The question is whether we are doing that, and if so, whether it’s to our fullest ability? Remember Christ expects diligence and excellence from His followers. So, hopefully, we’re all doing as best as we can, for come the judgement day, the Lord won’t ask us about anybody else nuh. No, He’ll only ask about what WE did with the talents that He gave us. That means we’ve got to stop looking at, and comparing ourselves with others, and get on with our personal tasks.
And now it’s time to return to that amazing saga of Bruh Joseph. I wonder, with all the unfair and unjust things that have happened to him so far, how many of us would have lived up to his faithfulness? Not many I believe. Most of us would have been downright annoyed with God, angrily claiming that we’re doing right, and only unfair and unjust things are happening to us. Some of us might have already turned away from Him.
But thankfully Bruh Joseph stayed the course, as we sincere believers are expected to do. We need to believe God’s promise that eventually He will work all things out for our good. And what a catastrophe it would have been if Bruh Joseph had given up on God’s promises. But he held it all together, despite the trials he faced. And as the Lord would have it, we saw yesterday how Pharaoh dreamed two dreams he did not understand and none of his wise men or magicians could interpret them either.
And the Word says: ‘Then spake the chief butler unto Pharoah, saying, I do remember my faults this day: Pharaoh was wroth (angry) with his servants, and put me in ward (in custody) in the captain of the guard’s house, both me and the chief baker: And we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream. And there was there with us a young man, an Hebrew servant to the captain of the guard; and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams; to each man according to his dream he did interpret. And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was; me he restored unto mine office, and him he hanged.’ (Gen. 41:9-13)
Ah friends, yuh see how the Lord LOVES to play out His dramatics; slow and long. (smile) But there’s always a good reason behind His situations. In this particular case, Bruh Joseph needed to grow up, to understand the realities of life, after coming from a privileged situation. He also needed to learn how to handle and lead people for the destination and destiny the Lord had in store for him.
And maybe that’s the same thing he’s doing in many of our lives right now; preparing us for our eventual destination and destiny, and all the tough stuff we’re currently going through are merely learning and growing pains. But despite whatever is happening with us right now, we need to stand strong and steadfast and believe the faithful promises of our wonderful God! That’s the only way we’ll ever be successful in this evil and ungodly world.
Oh, and there’s a most important scripture early on in those verses above. When the chief butler says to Pharaoh: ‘I do remember my faults this day.’ Perchance, or perhaps, some of us might also remember our faults this day. Things we’ve promised to do or not to do and never kept those promises. Like the chief butler, now is as good a time as any to correct those faults. (smile) Yes friends, we’re all guilty of something, and the sooner we repent and fix them, the better off we’ll be.
But getting back to Bruh Joseph’s story. The Bible tells us: ‘Then Pharoah sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment (clothes), and came in unto Pharaoh. And Pharoah said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it. And Joseph answered Pharoah saying, It is not me: God shall give Pharoah an answer of peace.’ (Gen. 41:14-16)
Please note again, that Bruh Joseph is not assigning any of his talent to himself, but always to God. Oh, how I wish that more of us believers could do that, instead of thinking and/or claiming that our successes come solely from our own energy. (smile) And please note too that Bruh Joseph did not merely say that God will give Pharaoh an answer, but an answer of peace, which must have quieted some of Pharoah’s sorrow and lifted his spirits. Then Pharaoh told Bruh Joseph his dream, ending with the sorrowful words: ‘but there was none that could declare (yes!!!) it to me.’ (Gen. 41:24)
And in keeping with good drama procedures, we’ll stop there for today, leaving you hanging, in suspense, thinking about what comes next, titivating and titillating your imaginations. (smile) But seriously though my brethren, this story of Bruh Joseph is indeed one of God’s best drama pieces, and it definitely set the stage for most of what came after. Now, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel.
As one strong and sincere 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 my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And now it’s our bounden duty to go out and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…to truly experience the faithfulness of God…we truly need to be faithful to Him…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
29 Aug 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a heart overflowing with faith, a successful walk with Christ, and lo I am with you always, be strong and of a good courage, call his name Immanuel, econoic deprivation, even unto the end of the world, famine drought, gallivant ourselves into action, God be with us, God doesn't require us to strive and stumble, He is faithful that promised, hurry, I long to rest with you, I will fear no evil, LOVE, natural disasters, share His love with my neighbours, shewed him mercy and gave him favour, teach me to experience you, the beloved of God, the Lord was with Joseph, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, without wringing my hands, worry
Matthew 28:20b. …and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.
Oh friends, what a beautiful Tuesday morning it is in my area! The sun’s shining brightly in a clear blue sky, the birds are singing, the insects chirping, and everything seems right with the world! (smile) But we know that’s not true. In fact, it’s the opposite, not a whole lot is right with our world. When you consider the overwhelming natural disasters happening all over our world; the wildfires, the hurricanes and tornadoes, the flooding, the drought, famine, economic deprivation and sickness, plus the serious strife caused by man’s greed and inhumanity to his fellow man, how can anything be right eh?
But that’s what we believers in Christ Jesus are here for, to make it better, or as best as we can before our Lord and Saviour returns. But we have to get serious about it, not only talk, but gallivant ourselves into action, helping those in need; that’s the vocation and purpose of Christ’s body, the church. Unfortunately, it’s an area in which we have not been doing as well as we should. But with things as bad as they are right now, it’s of the utmost importance that believers rise to the occasion and help alleviate the serious situation existing in our disaster filled world.
And the best place to begin is always with prayer. So, here’s this month’s prayer from the In Touch Devotional. Please pray with me. ‘Father, all my striving has one goal – to know You. Have mercy on me. I make mistakes, I stumble, but always toward You. Have mercy on me. I confess, Lord, that I long to rest with You. Have mercy on me. Teach me to experience You without wringing my hands. Have mercy on me. Forgive me for scrambling and striving – You’ve never required it. Have mercy on me. You’ve always been here and always will be. Have mercy on me. Amen.’
Yes my fellow believers, two things jump out at me in that prayer; first that our wonderful and merciful God doesn’t ever require us to strive and scramble, because if we dwell sincerely with Him, He always provides for our needs. And secondly, He has always been with us, and always will be. And until that fact becomes a permanent and active part of our lives, our spiritual walk will not be as comfortable and significant as it ought to be. And there are numerous scriptures where the Lord has promised to be with us, so let’s look at a few to remind ourselves of his gracious promise and thus renew our faith and trust in Him.
And the first one comes from way back when, when Moses told the Israelites on the Lord’s behalf. ‘Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Deut. 31:6) Then there’s the personal outpouring of God’s favour in the life of Bruh Joesph. Yes, Joseph is one of our three Bros: we just don’t talk about him as much as we do the other two, Paul and David, but he was the forerunner of the Israelite nation in Egypt, and though he suffered much misfortune, the Lord was always with him.
As the Bible records in Genesis. ‘But the Lord was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.’ (Gen. 39:21) Wherever Joseph went, despite his many misfortunes, he remained faithful to God and God favoured him with steadfast LOVE, so that he was always well looked upon. And it’s the same way the Lord will look upon us with favour and steadfast LOVE if we are faithful to His will.
And Isaiah made this pronouncement about the coming of Jesus, long before it ever happened. ‘Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.’ (Is. 7:14) And what does ‘Immanuel mean? God with us! So the Lord didn’t just talk about being with us, but He sent His Son, God in the flesh to be with us! You can’t get any better than that!
And probably the most in your face and direct promise of God being with us, is when He said to Joshua: ‘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) And believe me friends, the same promise holds good for each and every sincere believer in Christ Jesus! He is with us wherever we go!
The problem is that we have to believe it, do like Bruh Joseph and have strong faith despite all the unfortunate and unfair things that happen to us. Don’t think that he was not confused and wondering why his brothers sold him into slavery in Egypt, why Potiphar’s wife wrongly accused him of sexual abuse, and why the chief butler forgot for two years to tell Pharaoh about him. But despite all that stuff, he held on to the dream the Lord had placed in his heart, and because of his faithfulness, it eventually came true.
That’s how we have to be my fellow believers; strong in our faith, despite whatever happens that doesn’t sync with what we expect, for our God is faithful. As Hebrews tells us: ‘Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering: (for he is faithful that promised.)’ (Heb. 10:23) And again there’s this promise through Isaiah to the people of Israel. ‘Fear thou not; for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.’ (Is. 41:10) How much more can we ask eh?
Now listen to Zephaniah tell it like it is. ‘The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest (quiet you) in his LOVE, he will joy over thee with singing.’ (Zeph. 3:17) How much reassurance do we need of God’s faithfulness eh? And Bruh David lived it and said it in spades in our favourite psalm. ‘Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me: thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.’ (Ps. 23:4) And why do you think Bruh David escaped all the times that Saul tried to kill him eh? Because the Lord was with him, and will be with us too if we stick close and faithful to Him.
Now there are many more scriptures where God poured out His promise to be with us, but we’ll close with this one straight from the horse’s mouth as it were. (smile) It’s Jesus promise, when He gives the disciples the Great Commission: ‘and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:20b) And if we can’t believe that, then I don’t know what else to say.
Now, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one sincere 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 my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And it’s now our duty to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…the most important aspect of a successful walk with Christ…a heart overflowing with faith…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
18 Jul 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, departing from thy precepts and thy judgements, do serious action for Christ, have done wickedly, have rebelled, how a cat plays with a mouse, hurry, I prayed unto the Lord my God, I set my face unto the Lord God, in god's eyes, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love Him, LOVE, seeking the kingdom of God, seeking the kingdom of Satan, share His love with my neighbours, stop talking, the beloved of God, the Millennium reign of Christ, the wicked will be destroyed, to seek by prayer and supplications, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Manrta, turn from our iniquities, understand thy truth, we have sinned and committed iniquity, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes, worry
Daniel 9:3. And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
And it looks like it’s going to be a glorious summer Tuesday in my neck of the woods! Praise the Lord! Except that I have to drive into the big metropolis of Toronto this afternoon for a doctor’s appointment. Chuh! Usually, I would take the Government’s Go Bus and enjoy a cool, quiet and stressless ride, and do the same thing coming back. But unfortunately, some wise Alec, and I’m being nice and Christian there, decided to change the bus route for their own convenient purposes and threw a lot of people out of convenient transportation.
And they didn’t even have the good manners to ask for queries or inform the public that it was going to happen. They just threw it up unexpectedly. And it’s not like it wasn’t a profitable route, because the bus was always well stocked with commuters, especially students going to school in Toronto. One friend who’s been taking the bus for several years now, summer, spring, winter and fall, don’t know how she did it, now has to stay all week in Toronto with her daughter and be away from the rest of her family because what’s available is now too inconvenient.
And to top it all off, the mighty city of T.O. doesn’t want people driving into its congested, under construction and badly paved roadways, but yet they are allowing convenient, profitable bus routes into the city to be discontinued. As the man would say, ‘beat me down yes!’ (smile) But that’s my rant for today. Now let’s see what the Lord has to say about it all. And the Good Library opened today unto the Book of the prophet Daniel at this particular spot where he was about to pray for His people Israel during their seventy year captivity in Babylon.
It states: ‘And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful (awesome) God, keeping the covenant and mercy (LOVING-kindness) to them that LOVE him, and to them that keep his commandments. We have sinned and committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgements: Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings and princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.’ (Dan. 9:3-6)
Now my fellow believers, unless we are the devil’s own children, we will agree that our society is very reminiscent of the one Daniel was referring to way back then in Israel! For we have indeed rebelled against the rules of God and committed such iniquity, iniquity that’s never ever been seen before in all the days of mankind on the earth. And I just have to sadly shake my head when I think of some of the stuff that routinely goes on in our most wonderful and enlightened society. Steups! I hope you caught the sarcasm.
Like mankind is just going out of his way to search for the worst kind of iniquity possible. Instead of seeking for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, we’re adamantly seeking for the kingdom of Satan and his evilness. It seems like the most depraved, vile, nefarious, pernicious and corrupt situations are what we are consistently after. It must be, if we have no place for God in our hearts and are demanding He be driven out of our society.
But as the Good Library and I keep saying, that’s a fool’s wisdom, something that will NEVER happen, because the Lord God Almighty, Creator and Controller of this mighty universe, will not allow himself to be kicked out of what He created. Now, He might allow a lot of sinful and iniquitous nonsense to go on for a time, like how a cat plays with a mouse before it finally delivers it from its torture, but the day of the wicked and its purveyor of wickedness Satan are numbered.
The Good Library tells us in the Book of Revelation, that after the Millennium reign of Christ, during which time the devil will be locked up and unable to tempt anyone, he will be released and continue with his stupid actions, causing the wicked to fight the saints of God. But then, after the last battle, here’s what happens. ‘And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.’ (Rev. 20:10)
Oh my people, however you want to put it, the simple fact is that Satan and his minions, any who are foolish enough to follow his deceitful and evil ways, will eventually be destroyed. That’s the long, short and in between of the story. And it’s been repeated over and over throughout the whole of the Good Library. So, I don’t understand how we can continue with the foolish and unwise action of listening to Satan and doing his evil deeds, when certain destruction is in the offing for evil doers.
And as Daniel said way back then: ‘As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth.’ (Dan. 9:13) Yes friends, despite all the evil both in and around us, we still refuse to take our problems to the God of the universe who has faithfully promised to help us in every and any way necessary, so that we can live righteously, for Him and His kingdom.
Apparently, the lure of Satan and his fake and fancy baubles and bangles are greater than the imperishable rewards that will be stored in heaven for the righteous. As usual, with our greedy lust of the eyes, we want to see it before we believe it. But I definitely don’t want to be there when those who fall for Satan’s lies and deceptions see their promised destruction coming upon them. Now, let’s hope that what we’ve said has gotten home to all of us, and will deter us from turning away from Almighty God and keep us revelling in His awesome grace and mercy.
And for those of us who are intent on doing just that, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong lock, stock and barrel. As one 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 my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
Now let’s get out into the evil and ungodly world and share that awesome and amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with all we meet, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…it’s time for Christians to stop talking…and instead get to doing some serious action for Christ…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
04 Jul 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: bring people closer together, can two walk together unless they are agreed, for such is the kingdom of God, Happy 4th of July, heaven is about pairing love with music, hurry, in God's eyes, Jehovah God has been forgotten, keep preaching and living the good news of Christ, LOVE, marred by shootings, natural disasters, never give up, share His love with my neighbours, suffer the little children to come unto me, the awesome power of love, the beloved of God, the God-given characteristic of love, the music of love, the sad state of our world, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, we cannot do it alone, we make beautiful music together, when we foll God's instructions, with God's grace, worry
Amos 3:3. Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY U.S.OF A!
Well, the Canada Day festivities are finished for another year now, but the Fourth of July Celebrations are running full steam ahead in the U.S, as they celebrate their country’s birthday. And yes, it’s already been marred by several shootings and much unnecessary partisan political activity, but hopefully it will not detract too much from the overall celebrations and, with God’s grace, might even serve to bring people closer together.
It’s a truly sad state our world’s currently in my people; pure antagonism, rebellion, dissatisfaction, hatred, greed, selfishness, personal aggrandizement and ungodliness seem to rule the roost. The great God Jehovah, the Creator and Controller of the universe and all therein seems to be a forgotten or passed over Being in all the fury and anger that’s lately erupted in our world. And when we add the many natural disasters to our man-made ones, we get a sad and sorrowful picture of our world and consequently our lives.
Is that what Christ came to earth and died for, that we could live in more distaste, aversion, and distrust than the wild animals who have no brains and reasoning power? I doubt it. But the most important thing we need to remember, despite all the negative activities, we, especially believers in Christ, must NEVER GIVE UP! We must never stop preaching and living the good news of Christ’s gospel, the basic foundation of which is the greatest emotion and sentiment in our world, LOVE!
Now, here’s a poignant and heart-touching story about the awesome power of LOVE, from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s simply titled, ‘Stephanie.’ Please read with me. ‘More than anything else she wanted to play the piano. Her mother called to ask if I would give her lessons. “But I must tell you one thing. Stephanie is fighting an advanced malignancy. Her left arm has been amputated. Her future is critical.” I was startled. How could I teach a little girl with one arm to play the piano? Her mother’s words kept echoing… “More than anything else she wants to take lessons from you.”
God, please help me to teach her the music of LOVE. On her first lesson, she came with her shiny red book. Her eyes sparkled. She could hardly wait! Week after week we sat at the piano learning notes, playing melodies – she with her right hand, I with my left. “I am Mrs. Treble,” she told me. “You are Mr. Bass.” It was a happy joke between us. “We’re really good together,” Stephanie said one day. “But you know what? I could never do it alone.” Stephanie taught me an incredible lesson: When I follow God’s instructions, we make beautiful music together. But I could never do it alone! Stephanie is with Jesus now. What joy it must be for her to play with both hands!’
Oh my fellow believers, what a beautiful and heart-warming story that is! And one that we can, and should learn a lot from. The basic gist of the whole story is that we cannot live this life by ourselves, we have to do it together, and in harmony, not in hate. For as the Lord in His awesome wisdom, asked through the prophet Amos: ‘Can two walk together, except they be agreed?’ (Amos 3:3) And the obvious answer is NO! Two of anything cannot live in harmony unless they are agreed on the basics of their association.
And that’s the sad reflection on today’s world, very few of us agree on anything, so it’s virtually impossible to get a large number of people to walk in harmonic agreement. But as the story we just read so poignantly pointed out, we cannot live this life alone, or in hatred, distrust and enmity with others around us. That’s simply a no brainer. But yet we strive to prove otherwise with all the ridiculous, nonsensical arguments we keep putting forth. And the one thing that’s oh so necessary, the ONE and ONLY thing that can ever improve our lives and circumstances is if we truly learn ‘the MUSIC of LOVE!’
Yes friends, that’s the phrase in the story that hit me right between the eyes, right in the core of my heart, of my very being! Wow! What an awesome society we could be if we only learned the Music of LOVE! But nowadays, LOVE seems to be the furthest thing from human minds, when it definitely needs to be the uppermost thing! And this story from sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) sort of proves the fact that humans are not interested in LOVE, in what’s good for them, in what they need. She says she’s written over a hundred books and the worst selling ones were those based on LOVE!
That says a whole lot right there my people; that we don’t value LOVE as much as we ought to. No wonder our world and all the societies in them, regardless of colour, creed or race, are in such terrible upheaval. We don’t value the emotion, the attribute, the God-given characteristic of LOVE that brings together. We seem to value more the satanic attribute of hate that tears apart. Consequently, we’re reaping the fruit, the harvest of that crop of hate we’ve been sowing for the last generation or so.
And the scripture promise for our story today, were the telling words of Jesus, when children were brought to Him to be blessed, but the disciples turned them away. He decreed: ‘Suffer (allow) the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.’ (Mark. 10:14-16) That ought to resonate very powerfully in our hearts, my fellow saints.
And now, a couple of acknowledgements from the scholars. They say that ‘Mark often stresses Jesus’ showing of strong feeling. (See 1:41, 43; 3:5; 7:34; 8:34; 9:19)’ Please check out those references. I just did, and they are interesting. The scholars also tell us that ‘Few of history’s religious leaders have shown much concern for children. Jesus however breaks this tradition. And children are highly receptive and incapable of having produced good works to merit heaven. Jesus implies that to such, who are open to His teaching and do not depend on their own presumed goodness, belongs the kingdom of God.’
Unfortunately, the crazy state of our world and our self-dependence presupposes our openness to Christ and His teaching. But for those of us who are still dependent on Jesus, let’s go home declaring (steupsss!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong lock, stock and barrel.
As one sincere 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 my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
Now, let’s go out and generously share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with all we meet, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…the pairing of LOVE with music…is what heaven’s all about…and what earth should be following…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
27 Jun 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a city set on a hill cannot be hid, a drizzle of heavenly blessings, be thankful for what we have, despising the shame, dire seasons of drought, distracting quality of social media, endured the cross, flood our souls with your spirit, for the joy that was set before him, glorify your Father which is in heaven, hurry, in God's eyes, judgement day, Let your light so shine before men, looking unto Jesus, LOVE, mano a mano, Mother Teresa, not by words but by our example, our compassionate and caring example, preach without preaching, Satan's negative influence, see your good works, set down at the right hand of the throne of God, share His love with my neighbours, shine as to be a light to others, shine through us, spread your fragrance, St. Therese of Lisieux, terrified of our own shadow, the author and finisher of our faith, the beloved of God, the catching force, the evident fullness of the Love our hearts bear for jesus, the Little Flower, the sympathetic influence of what we do, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, worry, Ye are the light of the world, ye are the salt of the earth
Hebrews 12:2a. Looking unto Jesus the author (originator) and finisher (perfector) of our faith;
And it seems like Tuesday is going to be just like Monday, drizzly and cloudy. (smile) But let’s not quibble over a little rain and cloud, for in many other parts of our troubled world, our fellow humans are facing dire seasons of drought and famine and would be overjoyed to receive even a drizzle of heavenly blessings. So, let’s be thankful for what we have. Amen!
And to show our thankfulness, let’s pray this Fragrance Prayer that Mother Teresa of Calcutta adapted from one by St, Therese of Lisieux, better known as the Little Flower, and had her Sisters of Charity pray each day after communion. Please pray with me. ‘Dear Jesus, help us to spread your fragrance everywhere we go. Flood our souls with your Spirit and Life. Penetrate and possess our whole being so utterly, that our lives may only be a radiance of yours. Shine through us, and be so in us, that every person we should come in contact with may feel your presence in our soul. Let them look up and see no longer us, but only Jesus.
Stay with us, and then we shall begin to shine as you shine; so to shine as to be a light to others; the light, Jesus, will be all from you. None of it will be ours. It will be you shining on others through us. Let us thus praise you in the way you LOVE best, by shining on those around us. Let us preach you without preaching: not by words, but by our example, by the catching force, the sympathetic influence of what we do, the evident fullness of the LOVE our hearts bear for you. Amen!’
Mama Mia! What a beautiful prayer my people! And it says all that needs to be said! Let Jesus flood our souls with His radiant light, so that we can reflect that awesome light to all we meet! So that others can see only Jesus in us, and thus wish to follow Him. And I certainly like the part about preaching without words, but by our compassionate and caring example, the ‘sympathetic influence of what we do, the evident fullness of the LOVE our hearts bear for Jesus!’
Yes friends, that’s the most important aspect of our discipleship; letting others see the LOVE of Christ showing out in us, shining out of us, through the caring deeds we do! There’s no stronger influence in discipleship than that my faithful brethren! And that’s why Jesus said it so simply but powerfully and radically: ‘Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour (flavour) wherewith (by what) shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden underfoot of men.
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle (lamp), and put it under a bushel (basket), but on a candlestick (lampstand); and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:13-16)
Oh my fellow believers, salt of the earth and light of the world, are two of the most important aspects of walking with and living for Jesus! We must have integrity and compassion like Jesus did, and even more so, show it to the whole wide world, also like He did. Remember He is our great example, the one we ought to look to and try to copy, to emulate. As the Bible tells us: Looking unto Jesus the author (originator) and finisher (perfector) of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down on the right hand of the throne of God.’ (Heb. 12:2)
And yes, it’s not easy to emulate Jesus, in fact we will never become as faithful and trustworthy as He was to his Father, because we don’t have the godly parts that He had, but we certainly do have enough of Him to give it a good and worthy try and to make a significant difference, a most positive one, in our world if we so desire.
But I believe that’s where we most often falter, in the effort, the giving of ourselves, the sacrificial aspect of living for Jesus, because as our society has grown prosperous and laid back, we believers have also become fat and lazy, and are no longer willing to give up any of our good life to serve Jesus and the many others who still need serving and saving.
And that’s why our world is becoming mucky, dark and distasteful; there’s not enough salt and light from Christ’s followers in it to make it tasty and bright! Satan’s negative influences are shrouding it over in darkness and evil, because we are not standing up strong and fighting him mano a mano, since we are either scared, terrified of our own shadow, or just selfish and couldn’t care less about what happens to our world and our fellow human beings.
But friends, there are two things we should be very cognizant of, or keep uppermost in our minds. The first is that whatever happens down here on earth is liable to have some adverse effect on you too; like wars and all the hate that’s currently inflaming our universe, and being quickly spread by the demonic tool of social media. Yes, social media, although it has some good uses, it’s being used as a tool for the devil and his evil cronies way too much. So if you just sit around and do nothing to improve the state of our world, the negativity it now spurns will very likely come back and bite you, where and when you don’t want it to.
And the next important thing for us to remember is the day of judgement, when we will ALL be called to stand before God and give an account of our lives. And when He asks why we didn’t do much more with what He had gifted us, what’s going to be our answer? We were afraid. That won’t hold any water, because He’s going to say that He gave us faith and strength enough to do our duty. And if we’re boldfaced enough to tell Him that we simply didn’t care. Then He’s going to shoot back that He cared enough to send His ONLY Son to die for ingrates like us, so we should have cared enough to make the effort to improve our world.
Oh my fellow saints, please, let’s admit that there are no good reasons, excuses or lies for our not doing better with what God has given us. And let’s stop fooling ourselves that we will get away with our lack of effort and discipleship, because we certainly won’t. Now, for those of us sincerely trying to do our best, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong lock, stock and barrel.
As one strong and sincere 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 my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
Now, let’s get out there and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with all we meet, so that they too can come to know, serve and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…there’s absolutely no excuse for Christians…not to show their magnificent salt and light to the needy world…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
06 Jun 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all the days of my life, chickens have finally come home to roost, claiming God's help through the wilderness, climate patterns compromised, excessive amounts of rain causing floods, for His name's sake, God come through all the time, God is never late, God will never leave you in the lurch, goodness and mercy shall follow me, he leadeth me beside still waters, he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness, he maketh me to lie down in green pastures, he restoreth my soul, help me not to despair, hurry, I am weak weary and worn, I shall not want, I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever, I will fear no evil, in the presence of mine enemies, LOVE, man should pray and not faint, no heavenly blessings of rain, share His love with my neighbours, stop climate change from getting worse, the 23rd Psalm, the beloved of God, the faint of heart, The Lord is my shepherd, the promise, thou preparest a table before me, though I walk through the valley of death, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me, Tuesday Mantra, waiting with bated breath, wildfires from coast to coast, worry, you are true to your word
Psalm 23:1. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Welcome to Tuesday my people, more sunshine, cool weather and polluted air, but no heavenly blessings. Several times yesterday, the skies darkened as though getting ready to release some precipitation, but nothing happened; those dark clouds eventually drifted away with the promise of rain unfulfilled. Our once steady and reliable climate patterns have been thoroughly compromised, so much so that nowadays we don’t know what to expect weatherwise.
And the wildfire season has certainly began with a bang, all over North America. I thought it was somewhat early for that to start, but apparently not, (smile) as they are burning from one coast of the continent to the other. However, in some other places there’s a plethora, excessive amounts of rain, that’s causing deadly flood situations. As they would say, it’s either feast or famine.
The fine balance of God’s weather setup has eventually been thrown out of sync by mankind’s selfish and greedy methods of living and producing. Hundreds of years of putting carcinogens and other deadly stuff in the atmosphere, the earth and the water, those chickens have finally come home to roost, as we were warned that they would. But man’s stubborn pride and greed, particularly those of the rich and powerful class, made him ignore those warnings, and now we’re all paying the price.
And unbelievably, some of us are still denying the existence of climate change, when its many tentacles are showing up all around our world. Thankfully though, some of that message is finally getting through to some of the rich and powerful as they suffer the consequences, and at last, they are trying to do something to clean up the sordid mess we’ve made of God’s wonderful planet. Let’s hope it’s not too late, and even if we cannot reverse the situation, that we can at least prevent it from getting worse.
But thankfully, as with all the troubles and calamities that we believers in Christ Jesus are forced to go through on this evil and sinful earth, we are assured that we ought not to fear. Yes, we ought to pray and not faint or give up, because we have the many faith-filled promises of our omnipotent God to hold on to. And though that’s not always easy to do, most of us find a way, with God’s help obviously to do it. Today, I want to share a poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that’s associated with our faith and trust in Almighty God, and most appropriately, it’s simply titled ‘The Promise.’
So please read and inwardly digest with me. (smile) ‘O dear God, I continue to believe Your personal promise still stands Though every quivering emotion within Shouts that it will be broken. I am claiming Your help through the wilderness Despite every frightening shadow and vale. Often You do the most When You seem to do the least. Sometimes secretly Sometimes quietly Often slowly But always most certainly You are true to Your word. And so, my Lord Though I am weak, weary, and worn Help me not to despair. You see me, You hear me. You know I am depending utterly Upon Your unblemished integrity Surely You will keep Your word.’
Most assuredly He will my faithful brethren! The Lord has not failed one person as yet who has put their unmitigated trust in Him…and He NEVER will! The problem usually lies with us, we either don’t fully trust Him, or because we don’t see quick and obvious results, we figure He’s not around and not working. But as the poem says, when God seems to be doing the least, He’s actually doing the most, but we just can’t see what He’s doing in the background to set up the answers to our prayers and petitions.
And, as He sometimes works secretly, He also moves quietly, with no fanfare, and we all know that He very often moves slowly. That’s the bane of our existence, the plague and ruination of many of our best laid plans and desires. (smile) Waiting on God’s timing is possibly the biggest drawback that many of us believers face. And I can tell from personal experience that as the time is drawing near for the bottom to drop out the bucket and the Lord hasn’t shown up as yet, it’s one of the worst feeling we can ever go through.
But, until you believe that He’s NEVER late, and will NEVER leave you in the lurch, you’ll always be plagued by His less than early entrances. Sadly though, you can only learn that most important lesson by going through the fire of waiting with bated breath several times, until you see that He comes through EVERY time. It’s like most things in this life, you only learn by experience, by going through them more than once, until you get accustomed to them. And strong faith in our great God is one of those things we can only learn by experiencing the hard times and seeing Him come through for us, though often right at the very end.
That’s the Lord’s style, and unfortunately we can’t do anything to change it. I guess He just likes to test our faith to see if we’re truly the believers we claim to be. And what’s the Bible Promise for today’s poem you ask? You won’t be surprised to know that it’s none other than these marvellous sustaining and reassuring words of Bruh David found in the 23rd Psalm. Let’s say them together to give our faith a big boost. ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.’ (Ps. 13:1-3)
Yes friends, that’s as far as the promise for the poem goes. But even in those three short verses oodles of wonderful promises are to be found. For example, the wise guidance of the shepherd, and lack for nothing under His careful watch. And what about lying down in green pastures beside quiet waters eh? Wow! I could certainly use some of that right now! Then the restoration of one’s soul, and the leading of one in paths of righteousness. Where can we ever find better promises than those eh? NOWHERE!
And that’s not the end of it either, there’s much more to come. So, let’s read the rest of that most invigorating and uplifting psalm. ‘Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy (LOVING-kindness) shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.’ (Ps. 23:4-6)
Oh mih people, what wonderful words of reassurance in God’s bountiful kingdom! Yuh know if Bruh David had never written another word, that poem, that mantra to the faithfulness of God would have been sufficient to make his name great, for I believe it’s the most well-known and prayed prayer after the Lord’s Prayer. And now, having had our faith replenished and renewed, (smile) let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, proudly letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel.
As one strong and sincere 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 my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
Now, it’s time to go out and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with all we meet, so that they too can come to know and LOVE him like we do! Much LOVE!
…believing in Christ is not for the faint of heart…but if you believe…He will strengthen your heart…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
02 May 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new commandment I give unto you, as I have loved you that ye also love one another, as touching brotherly love, bear any grudge against the children of thy people, being born again, by this shall all men know that ye are my disiciples, convinced of the law as transgressors, God first loved us, have respect to persons, heirs of the kingdom, hurry, if ye fulfil the royal law, in God's eyes, it's easier for man to hate than to love, Jesus' Millennial kingdom, love one another with a pure heart fervently, man's inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn, not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible, obeying the truth trough the Spirit, purified your souls, share His love with the world, taught of god to love one another, the beloved of God, there is nothing new under the sun, thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, thou shalt not avenge, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, unfeigned love of the brethren, worry, ye do well, ye love one another
James 2:8. If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well.
And isn’t it strange that on this Tuesday morning the second of May 2023, after celebrating Labour’s victories over the establishment down through the ages, that we’re still embroiled in one of the biggest labour battles and strikes, in Canada, that between the Federal Government and it’s hundred thousand plus public employees, a strike now moving into its second week. It’s affecting all the stuff that the Federal Government is responsible for, like visas and passports, food inspection, and even income tax.
And by the way, yesterday was the last day for submitting your 2022 income tax filing without being hit with the onerous interest that the Revenue department charges on late filings. Hn! What a joke! Filing tax returns without anybody to deal with them! But the high possibility of earning interest from the government’s poorer base must not be negated. NO! And believe me, it is the poorest classes that do pay the majority of the Income Tax, since the government employees are either afraid to touch the rich and powerful, or that class has a phalanx of lawyers at the ready to dispute any tax arguments, and thus avoid paying their fair share.
And, in a way, I’m glad that the Tax department people are feeling the heat now, because they are the worst people to deal with, for they don’t give an inch, are always eager to get their pound of flesh from the ones least able to pay it. They are worse than the bad-mouthed moneylenders. I can tell from hard experience that as soon as you can’t pay their exorbitant demands, they are quick to threaten to garnishee your wages and sell your house for the few dollars you supposedly owe them.
But what else is new eh? Nothing! For as Cousin Sol says so wisely in Ecclesiastes: ‘The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is nothing new under the sun.’ (Eccl. 1:9) Yes friends, the more powerful has always taken from the less powerful, and that’s the way it will be until Jesus returns and sets up His Millennial kingdom. No wonder this saying unfortunately exists and is gospel truth. ‘Man’s inhumanity to man, makes countless thousands mourn.’
None of God’s other creations behave in such a warlike and greedy manner towards each other as human beings do. And would you believe that we are supposedly God’s greatest creation! But I beg to differ, for in reality, we’ve become lower than the supposedly lowest with the inhumane and ungodly manner in which we react to each other. Why do you think the Father sent Jesus to die on the cross for us eh? So that our heinous sins could be forgiven and we could have a new start.
And Jesus pleaded with all His heart to us, when He said: ‘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) But have we taken Him seriously and tried to do His will. No way! Even supposed believers are amongst the most inhumane and ungodly in these evil and ungodly times!
Now, to tell the truth, Jesus’ command there was not really new nuh, because as far back as Leviticus, Moses warned the wandering Israelite’s of God’s desire: ‘Thou shalt not avenge (take vengeance), nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.’ (Lev. 18:19) But we’d been doing the opposite thing for so long that Jesus realized that they had to be a new way for us to show others that we belong to Him, thus His commandment to LOVE each other, following His example of unconditional LOVE for us.
And all through the Bible, the Good Library, that theme of LOVE for each other has been repeated time after time, because it’s the greatest attribute of our Triune God, and thus ought to be one that we show in spades. Please listen to a few of the verses we’re talking about nuh. Bruh Paul wrote this to the church at Ephesus. ‘Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in LOVE, as Christ also hath LOVED us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour (aroma).’ (Eph. 5:1-2)
Oh my people, Jesus gave His sinless life as a LOVING sacrifice for us. How can we do anything less than follow the example that He set us eh? Meanwhile to the Thessalonians, Bruh Paul wrote: ‘For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. He therefore that despiseth (rejects), despiseth (rejects) not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit. But as touching (concerning) brotherly LOVE ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to LOVE one another.’ (1 Thess. 4:7-9)
What else can I say eh friends? It’s God who teaches us to LOVE each other, and if we don’t listen to Him, whom then are we going to listen to? And James, Jesus’ brother, adds his two cents worth, when he writes to the believers. ‘Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich (to be rich) in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that LOVE him?
But ye have despised (dishonoured) the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgement seats (into the courts)? Do they not blaspheme that worthy (noble) name by the which ye are called? If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well. But if ye have respect (show partiality) to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced (convicted) of the law as transgressors.’ (James 2:5-9)
Yes my brethren, the royal law is to LOVE another as thyself, and we’re doing well, only if we are fulfilling it. And Peter rightly and wisely exhorts us: ‘Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned (sincere) LOVE of the brethren, see that ye LOVE one another with a pure heart fervently. Being born again not of corruptible (perishable) seed, but of incorruptible (imperishable), by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.’ (1 Pet. 1:22-23)
And last but not least, John tells us in his first epistle: ‘He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that LOVETH his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of (no cause for) stumbling in him.’ (1 John 2:9-10) Ah mih people, what’s so difficult to understand in all those scriptures eh? The main purpose for us being on this earth is LOVE! God first LOVED us, and He expects and deeply desires that we would LOVE Him back, as well as to LOVE ourselves and our neighbours. That’s the ONLY way that our world will flourish the way He intended it to.
And, for whatever it’s worth, the outcome is all in our hands now my brethren! So, for those who are doing our best to follow that royal law, lets’ go home declaring (awright!!!) our Tuesday Mantra letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere 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 my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
Now let’s go out and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…why is it so much easier for humans…to hate each other…than to LOVE each other…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
18 Apr 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a rushing mighty wind, a taste of summer, and share His love with the world, baptism of the Holy Spirit, be filled with the Spirit, be not drunk with wine, began to speak with other tongues, cloven tongues like as of fire, Comforter, filled with the Holy Ghost, from the least unto the greatest, hurry, I can trust my friend Jesus, I will be their God, I will forgive their iniquity, I will put my law in their inward parts, in God's eyes, Intro to Holy Spirit 101, John truly baptized with water, LOVE, no more teach every man his neighbour, Pentecost day, remember their sin no more, saying Know the Lord, the abundant life, the beloved of God, the Holy Spirit indwells each believer, there came a sound from heaven, they shall all know me, they shall be my people, Tuesday Mantra, worry, write it in their hearts, ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost, ye shall be witnesses unto me, ye shall receive power when the Holy ghost is come upon you
Acts 1:5.For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
Ah chuh! It’s a chilly, windy, cloudy Tuesday morning in mid-April! The bout of summer weather we had last week has disappeared just as quickly as it came, and now we’re back to regular spring temps, with much wind and rain. But let’s look at it from a positive angle nuh, we’ve gotten a preview taste of summer, and it looks like it’s going to be fine! Glory be! We’ll take a week of hot weather anytime. The important thing though is that we’ll be joyful with whatever we get, and handle it with aplomb, knowing that the Lord’s presence, His grace and mercy are with us, through His Holy Spirit.
And that brings us back to our refresher course, Introduction to Holy Spirit 101, that we were doing yesterday. Then, we mentioned two prophecies of the Holy Spirit coming upon men at a later date, which happened when Jesus came and then returned to heaven. We quoted the prophecy from Ezekiel, so let’s see what the one from Jeremiah says. ‘Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord:
But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts (minds), and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and will remember their sin no more.’ (Jer. 31:31-34)
And all of that happened when Jesus came and did His thing, then returned to heaven. Glory Hallelujah! Yes friends, that New Covenant was made with Israel and with us Gentiles, so that we could be a part of the salvation story. And the major differences there was that animal sacrifices were no longer required to relieve the sins of the people, because Christ’s death had paid for ALL sins, and then the Holy Spirit, which hitherto had only appeared to or dealt with men on a one by one, every so often basis, is now, as the Lord promised, indwelling each believer, and allowing each one to know Him personally.
That’s the beauty of this new Comforter or Helper that Jesus prayed the Father to send. And it’s interesting to note that before ascending back to heaven, He told the disciples not to depart from Jerusalem, ‘but wait for the promise of the Father, which saith he, ye have heard of (from) me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.’ (Acts 1:4-5)
Now that must have been hard for the disciples to understand, because the Good Book tells us that ‘When they therefore were come together, (at the Mount of Olives) they (the disciples) asked him, saying, Lord, will thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times the Father hath put in his own power (authority). But ye shall receive power, after that (when) the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both from Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.’ (Acts 1:6-8)
Then Jesus was taken up into the clouds and they saw Him gradually disappear. Not like the other times after His resurrection when He suddenly appeared and then disappeared. This was an intimation that it was final. Although they might not have understood that at the time. But He would not show up to them again until His Second Coming. And like obedient disciples, they went back to Jerusalem to wait for the fateful moment, for the power of the Holy Ghost to fall on, to baptize them.
And we all know that this happened on the Day of Pentecost, when the whole church, about a hundred and twenty of them were in an upper room, ‘all with one accord (one purpose or mind) in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues (languages), as the spirit gave them utterance.’ (Acts 2:1-4)
Wow! What an occasion that must have been; a baptism of enormous significance in our Christian faith. That’s because prior to the coming of the Holy Ghost to indwell those first believers on that Pentecost Day, the Holy Spirit’s work had been done from without, (the Spirit came upon), and it was temporary, and only fell for exceptional reasons. However, after that Pentecost Day, the Holy Spirit automatically indwells each and every believer. Once they come to faith, every believer receives the baptism of the Spirit.
But there’s an important difference we should all note, that’s between the baptism and the filling of the Holy Spirit. The scholars explain that ‘the baptism is permanent, happening once and for all. But the filling is not received by all believers and thus is ongoing, occurring continuously as seen in the present tense imperative of Ephesians 5:18: ‘And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (dissipation); but be filled with the Spirit.’ Yes my brethren we are to be filled with the Holy Spirit, that’s allow the Spirit to fill us with God’s own character, life and values, and not allow the devil to fill us with wine, so that we can live a godly not a dissipated life.
And that concludes our refresher course in the Introduction to Holy Spirit 101! Thanks for coming, but please note that that’s just an introductory course, (smile) now you have to do some studying on your own, first to assimilate all that we’ve spoken of, then reach the point where you can move on to a higher class on the subject. (smile) Now, for those of us truly interested in living for Christ, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel.
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 my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
Now let’s get out there and do just that; share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others! Much LOVE!
…don’t be contented with mere baptism of the Holy Spirit…but seek to be continually filled with the Spirit of God…for that’s where the abundant life is at…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
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