30 Oct 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: about your life, all these things, and the body, At the Cross Live, concentrate on today, Corville Peters, do not be anxious, do not worry, halfway home, hands fixed on the plough, He provides, hypothetical problems of tomorrow, I say unto you, inner mental stability, is not life, is the evil thereof, let us rejoice and be glad in it, looking forward, more than food, more than raiment, nor yet for your body, not turning back, one day at a time, outward physical provisions, seek ye first, spiritual priority, sufficent unto the day, take no thought, take sorrow out of tomorrow, takes the joy out of today, thank God, the breath of life, the devil's life school, the hump day, the kingdom of God, the Lord has made, the spirit of a man, the spiritual blessings of God, this is the day, to a glorious future with Jesus, trouble, Wednesday, Wednesday Wail, what ye sahll drink, what ye shall eat, what ye shall put on, where God guides, will be added unto you, worry
Matthew 6:25. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for (do not worry about) your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat (food), and the body than raiment (clothing)?
What a way we’ve reached Wednesday, the hump day of our work week, rather quickly! (smile) And I know that many spirits are now relaxed and looking forward to the weekend. But friends, let’s not look too far ahead, for many things, both good and bad, can happen in the interim time. So please, let’s concentrate on today, and do like Bruh David said: ‘This is the day, the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps.118:24)
That’s the best way to live people, taking one day at a time, and enjoying it too, because God has made the wise decision to only give us one day at a time to live. That’s hard enough to handle, so why bother ourselves too much with the upcoming days eh? As Jesus said: ‘Take therefore no thought for the morrow (therefore do not worry about tomorrow); for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.’ (Matt.6:34)
Yeh mih people, as the scholars explain: ‘When our priority is spiritual, God will take care of the material, for where God guides, He provides. We need not even worry about tomorrow, for sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. This means that each day has its own troubles and challenges to be responsibly handled, without worrying about the hypothetical problems that could arise tomorrow.’
And that brings us to some truths about worry from Pastor Corville Peters of the ‘At the Cross Live’ Television Programme. He says: ‘Worry doesn’t take sorrow out of tomorrow, but it does take the joy out of today. Worry pulls tomorrow’s clouds over today’s sunshine. Worry doesn’t help us get ready for tomorrow because God only gives us strength for today.’
Wow! What words of indisputable truth my fellow saints in Christ! Worry doesn’t help us at all, it just drags us further down into the mire of life. But unfortunately a whole heap of us nowadays, Christians included, go to the devil’s life school of worry, and worry about everything, resulting in no peace and joy in our lives.
It’s true that our world has become a rather formidable place to live securely and without worry, but if you’re a true believer in Jesus Christ, then your worries should be at a minimum after hearing this awesome advice from our Lord and Saviour. ‘Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for (do not worry about) your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat (food), and the body than raiment (clothing)?’ And it is indeed my people!
And I like how the scholars explain that verse. ‘6:25. Jesus now deals with the equally dangerous tendency of those who have few possessions: worry! Take no thought (Gr. me merimnao) means “Do not be anxious.” This word means to be so disturbed about material needs that we distrust God and are distracted from faithfully doing His will.
Anxious care is the direct opposite of faith. Therefore, even the poor are not to worry needlessly about what they should eat, drink, or wear. The question Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? indicates that inner mental stability must come from the spirit of a man and not from outward physical provisions. To set one’s heart on material possessions or to worry about the lack of them is to live in perpetual insecurity and to deprive oneself of the spiritual blessings of God.’
Mama Mia! What words of awesome truth my brethren! Yes, I know it’s hard to not have, and yet to be comfortable and satisfied, but that’s the way it is in Christ’s kingdom. Remember how after our Bit, He points out all the wonderful aspects of nature and its mindless creatures; how they grow and thrive through God’s help, and that we’re much more important to God than them, so why would He not look after us just as well eh? He knows what we need better than we do. (Matt. 6:26-32)
The problem though is that we have to stop worrying about our material needs and possessions, and instead: ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness: and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) Yeh friends, if we make God our Number One Priority, put Him FIRST in our lives, then all that we need will be given unto us. Note, it doesn’t say all that we WANT, but all that we NEED! Remember what we said above? ‘Where God guides, He provides.’
So please, let’s stop all the needless worrying that’s killing our spiritual selves, holding back our maturity in Christ, and instead, concentrate on seeking God and His righteousness, for He’s also promised, that if we seek Him diligently, we will find Him. Now let’s go home declaring (yeh!) our Wednesday Wail, which let’s the world know of our steadfast and faithful position in Christ Jesus.
As one now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And if we stick steadfastly with Jesus, then that future will indeed be glorious, more glorious than we can ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…in Christ’s kingdom…all needs will be met…
16 Oct 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a lamp unto my feet, a light, acclamations, bind them, boost our spirits, Chinese food, christ jesus, empty, enlightening the eyes, eyes fixed straight ahead, fear, glad to be alive, God will supply all my needs, hands on the plough, his riches in glory, judgments of the Lord, keep our faith strong, keep thee, lack of fuel, me and my house, middle frame, more desirable than gold, not looking back, perfect, rejoices the heart, rejoicing the heart, restoring the soul, reverential awe, reward, running low, saints in Christ, stalling, sweeter than honey, tak with thee, Thanksgiving celebrations, the breath of life, the hump, the law of the Lord, this the day the Lord has made, thy word, unto my path, warned, we will follow the Lord, we will rejoice and be glad in it, Wednesday Wail
Psalm 119:105: Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
So it’s the middle frame of the week, or what you call the hump – and I’m still in J.A, enjoying some warmth and sunshine. (smile) I didn’t do much yesterday, mostly rest. A couple of friends dropped by, then we went out in the evening and had some Chinese food. But I know that some of you in chilly Canada are still recovering from all of the hectic Thanksgiving celebrations, and are just dying for Friday to come. But hang in there, it will be here much sooner than you know.
In the meantime, keep giving thanks and acknowledging the Lord’s goodness in acclamations, like: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it.’ ‘God will supply all my needs according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus.’ ‘As for me and my house, we WILL follow the Lord.’ ‘Something good is going to happen TO me today. Something good is going to happen THROUGH me today!’
Yes friends, acclamations of scripture keep our faith strong, keep us going, especially when we don’t have time to get into serious prayer. Those li’l reminders of God’s everlasting goodness and mercy boost our spirits when our spiritual fuel is running low, and keep us from getting down to empty and stalling for lack of fuel. How wonderful is the Lord’s Word! The psalmist said it best: ‘Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.’
How marvellous! The Lord’s Word shines a light on the path we ought to tread and guides our feet therein! Give Him some thanks and praise my people, for being such a wonderful God and Father to us rebellious children of men! How could we believe anything else but that He LOVES us eh? It’s only LOVE that causes Him to care for and consider our frail bodies and souls the way He does.
And re the Lord’s Word, I like how Cousin Sol talks about it in his warning against adultery. ‘My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother. Bind them continually upon thine heart (mind), and tie them about thy neck. When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life.’ (Prov.6:20-23)
Oh my precious saints in Christ, isn’t that just wonderful? The Word of God is all powerful! It leads you on your life journey, keeps you when you’re asleep, and talks with you when you awaken! Mama Yo! It’s so full of everything that we need to do life in a righteous and godly manner; like a lamp giving light to show the way, as well as the instructions and consequences of staying on the path on which it leads us.
And if that doesn’t convince you, then listen to Bruh David from Psalm 19 – The creation and covenants of God. ‘The law of the Lord is perfect, converting (restoring) the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and (the drippings of) the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.’ (Ps.19:7-11)
Ah friends, I ask again, how wonderful is the Lord’s Word eh? It is perfect, restores the soul, makes the simple wise, rejoices the heart, enlightens the eyes, it’s clean and endures forever. But yuh know what? It’s also more desirable than gold, and even sweeter than honey! Brother! Then it warns you and gets you rewards for keeping it! How then can there be anything better in the universe than the Word of the Law then eh mih breddren? Impossible! Because the Lord’s Word is a one-stop shop; there you can get EVERYTHING you need for living this earthly life in a righteous and godly manner. So please, let’s go shop there nuh, for that’s wisdom of the highest order!
And for those of us who already favour that establishment, let’s go home now declaring (steups!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our steadfast position in Christ Jesus. As one now, in all sincerity: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
So let’s keep that up nuh, for if we do, the future will be even more glorious than we can ever imagine! Much LOVE!
…the Lord’s Word…all we ever need in this life…
09 Oct 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, celebrate birthday, computer mouse, consequences, done evil, drunk or sober, enticing, giving much thanks, glad to be alive, God forbid, God's children, halfway home, hands on the plough, hidden sin, I acknowledge my transgressions, in thy sight, is ever before me, justfied, LOVE, made him to be sin, magnanimous, memorabillia, merciful, mind yuh business, my sin, new memories, overly sinful, perish the thought, reminesced, rocking chairs, sensitivity, serve God, sin, taketh away the sin of the world, tender mercies, the breath of life, the Lamb of God, the righteousness of God, we are dust, Wednesday Wail, who knew no sin
Psalm 51:3. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
Ah mih people, who says that life isn’t something else eh? Remember yesterday I couldn’t get the mouse for my computer to work, bought new batteries, but still no dice? Today I had intended to go and buy a new mouse. But lo and behold, half an hour ago I decided to turn on the computer and try my best with the Bit…and who says that the mouse not working like a superstar now eh! Chuh! I don’t know if God or the enemy sent that to test mih spirit nuh, but it surely did a small number on me. Now though, I’m certainly giving much thanks as I can get the Bit done before I go out the street later. Glory be!
So what’s happening out here in J.A? Well nothing much so far nuh. Had a quiet day yesterday resting and fighting up with the mouse scene, then in the evening a few people came over to help celebrate the duchess’ birthday. Ate some food…good J.A. food, reminisced some, partied a li’l – at least I partied to the sweet live strains of the small local band and the female singer, especially when she got into some old reggae music from my time. So we made some new memories to chuckle over when we sit in our rocking chairs somewhere down the line, unable to do much of anything for ourselves. (smile)
Today we’re going up to the campus to register and get some memorabilia, then it’s free time to do whatever I like! Who knows what the duchess and I will get up to eh? We’re in J.A, so any number can play! But we still have to be cognizant of Auntie’s warning; drunk or sober, please mind yuh business, for one can get into all sorts of no no’s while on vacation, falsely thinking that one wrong thing won’t lead to another. But we all know that’s not true, for sin looks so enticing when it’s sweetly beckoning to you to partake of its delights. But hidden underneath all of that are the serious, often life changing and lifetime consequences.
And there’s no better example of that than Bruh David’s illegal liaison with Bathsheba and his consequent problems and troubles. As he says in Psalm 51, when Nathan drapes him over the hidden sin: ‘Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy LOVING-kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, only have I sinned, and done evil in thy sight; that thou mightest be justified (found just) when thou speakest, and be clear (blameless) when thou judgest.’ (Ps.51:1-4)
Yeh friends, the Lord forgave him, but he paid a high price for his sin through numerous family and kingdom problems afterwards. And as the scholars explain: ‘Ps.51: The psalm gives expression to why David was “a man after God’s own heart”: he was not perfect, but he had a sensitivity to sin that few know about.’ Ah my precious people, we will sin, and we will ofttimes pray a price for it, but like Bruh David, once we sincerely repent, we will be forgiven.
And as Bruh David says in Psalm 103 – Thanksgiving for God’s mercy. ‘He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy (LOVING-kindness) toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remebereth that we are dust.’ (Ps.103:10-14)
And all God’s children shouted out in sincere gratitude: ‘Praise the Lord! Give Him thanks for His wonderful grace and mercy towards the sinful children of men!’ Yeh friends, so we ought to be giving the Lord continual thanks and praise, for there is no other supposed god who treats his people like our magnanimous and merciful God treats us! As Isaiah also reminds us, although we have not done right by the Lord, just like Israel did not do back then, nonetheless, the Lord says: ‘I, even I, am he that blotteth out transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.’ (Is.43:25) Glory Hallelujah!
And in keeping with that promise, listen to John as he writes: ‘The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.’ (John 1:29) That’s why Bruh Paul could later write to the Corinthians: ‘For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.’ (2 Cor.5:21) Mama Mia! How our heavenly Father must have LOVED us, and still does, to break His own heart and give His only Son to be a blood sacrifice for us poor, disgusting sinners!
And having said all of that, we now have to look at the other side of the coin. Hear Bruh Paul to the church at Rome, re freedom from sin’s power. ‘What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid (certainly not). How shall we that are dead (who died) to sin, live any longer therein?’ (Rom.6:1-2) That’s true my saintly brethren, if we died with Jesus to sin, (vs.3) and thus are resurrected with Him (vs.5), then we can’t serve sin any longer.
Hear the scholars. ‘6:1. Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? If sin generates grace, should we encourage sin in order to cause more grace to be granted?.’ ‘6:2. God forbid. Perish the thought, may it never be, don’t even think that way. This expression of unthinkable horror occurs in Paul’s epistles more than 60 times. He uses it whenever the thought suggested is too repugnant to entertain. Sin is singular in this verse and throughout this chapter. It refers to the sin nature.’
Yes friends, we will sin…occasionally…because we are a part of this fallen world. However, once we have received Christ as our Lord and Saviour, that sin nature ought to be repressed through the help of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Godliness should then be our continued outlook. Now let’s go home declaring (yeh!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know our serious and wonderful position in Christ Jesus. All together now, in strong voice and sincere sincerity (smile)
‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ And we all though that’s exactly how it will be! Much LOVE!
…we can’t be overly sinful…and yet serve God…
02 Oct 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a human being, be not afraid, cast no away your confidence, children of God, confidence, desolation of the wicked, difficult times, dr robert h schuller, dwells within us, effectual prayer, everything is going to work out, face challenges calmly, faith, flowing through me, for his help, God is behind me, grace, happy is he, hath the God of Jacob, He will help me, He will rescue me, heavenly Father, his breath perishes, holy spirit, Hour of Power Devotional, I am not afraid, I cannot possibly fail, I'm not looking back, if God be for me, in the Lord God, is going to happen through me, is going to happen to me, keep thy foot from being caught, leads and guides us, looking forward to a glorious future, magnanimous god, motivate believers, move mountains, my conscience is clear, omnipotent, peace, prayer of confidence, put confidence in man., recompense of reward, return to the earth, riding shotgun, right decisions, salvation, serenely, something good, spirit of confidence, stand strong and steadfast, sudden fear, surging in my heart, terror, Thank You God, the breath of life, the Lord shall be thy confidence, there is no help, trouble, true colours, trust in the Lord, universe unfurls, we have the Son, Wednesday Wail, who can be against me, whose hope is, with christ, with Him
Psalm 146:5. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord God.
Welcome to another day in the life friends, as God’s great universe unfurls as it should! Yes, however He’s planned it to unfurl, that’s how it will! And it’s unfurling in my neighbourhood as a wet and cloudy morning. Oh, yesterday I saw the prettiest set of rain I’ve seen around here in a long while, powerful and persistent, for almost half an hour, and not the drizzly type of rainfall we’ve been recently getting. But early this morning it did it’s drizzly thing again. (smile)
Anyhow, though we don’t have the sun, we do have the SON; and that’s even better, for He is always riding shotgun with us, if we allow Him to. And in the fateful words of Bruh Paul, may the grace and peace of our marvellous God be with all you precious saints of Christ! And all those saints said a loud and proud and grateful ‘Amen!’
And now to boost our mid-week confidence, let’s say this Prayer of Confidence as drawn up by Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) in his Hour of Power Devotional. Please pray with me. ‘It is flowing into me now, for my conscience is clear. I have made the right decisions. I am not afraid of problems. I will face challenges calmly and serenely. For God is behind me. He will help me.
If I must go through difficult times, He will rescue me. I feel His spirit of confidence surging in my heart now. With Him I cannot possibly fail. “If God is for me who can be against me?” I have a strong feeling that everything is going to work out just beautifully. Thank You, God! Amen!’
And friends, if you said that sincerely, I know that a flow of confidence is now surging through your soul. All thanks be to our wonderful heavenly Father and His powerful Holy Spirit that dwells within us, and leads and guides us inALL situations for our good! And that’s why we can therefore acclaim: ‘Something good is going to happen to me today!’ As well as: ‘Something good is going to happen through me today!’ That’s the confidence we have in our omnipotent and magnanimous God!
And today, all we want to do is to highlight some scriptures on confidence. First, we’ll begin with what we should not do. Hear the psalmist from Psalm 118 – Thanksgiving for the Lord’s salvation. ‘It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.’ (Ps.118:8-9) And just for your info, the scholars tell us that verse 8 above is the middle verse of the Bible.
And all of that flows smoothly into Psalm 146 – The blessedness of trusting God. ‘Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man (a human being), in whom there is no help (salvation). His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord God.’ (Ps.146:3-5) And if you want to hear why the psalmist says so, please read the next five verses. (smile)
Then Cousin Sol wisely tells us: ‘Be not afraid of sudden fear (terror), neither of the desolation (trouble) of the wicked, when it cometh. For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken (caught.) (Prov.3:25-26) What wonderful words of advice my people!
And hear Cousin Sol again nuh: ‘In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.’ (Prov.14:26) Mama Mia! Does that ever boost one’s spirit! Yeh friends, true reverential awe of our great God imbues us with strong confidence!
Meanwhile, the author of Hebrews puts it this way: ‘Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience (endurance), that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.’ (Heb.10:35-36) Yes my people, with God, patience and endurance mean a lot. We show our true colours, our confidence in Him when we do His will, then wait quietly and patiently for any reward that’s forthcoming. And usually there is.
Now hear John from his epistle, re the children of God and righteousness. ‘And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming. If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth (practices) righteousness is born of him.’ (1 John 2:28-29).
And the scholars explain: ‘2:28. Wishing to please the Lord, and not be ashamed before him at his coming, ought to motivate believers to stand firm, to abide in him.’ And so it should be, my fellow believers! If we believe He is righteous and truthful, and will keep all His promises, then that certainly ought to motivate us to stand strong and steadfast in His word!
And finally, more wise words from John. ‘These things I have written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us. And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired (asked) of him.’ (1 John 5:14-15)
And the scholars tell us: ‘5:14-15. Assurance of salvation (vs.13) leads to confidence in petition. Effectual prayer isaccording to His will.’ And so it is my faithful brethren! If our prayers aren’t in accord with God’s will, we’re simply wasting our time praying them. But when we have the confidence that we’re doing His will…oh what a happy day it is!
And today’s just such a day! So please let’s go home now declaring (yeh!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know our position, our great confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ. With loud voice and sincere sincerity (smile): ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And yes, that eternal future with Christ will be more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…faith and confidence in Almighty God…is what allows us…to move mountains here on earth…
25 Sep 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a horse of a different colour, all ye that labour, believe on me, bread form heaven, casting all your care upon him, come out fighting for Jesus, come to our senses, come unto me, complaining, damnation, die on the cross, eternal death, evil enemy, focusing on, foolishness, for he careth for you, gentle in heart, going to hell, gospel truth, halfway home, hardhearted, having a better life with Christ, heavy laden, humble yourselves therefore, I am meek, I am the bread of life, I will give you rest, in a handbasket, in due time, in the desert, intrude in our affairs, Israelites, learn of me, life is a problem, manna, may exalt you, Moses, my burden is light, my hands are fixed, my yoke is easy, not looking back, ole hypocrites, problems, sacrifice, saints of Christ, securely on the plough, shall never hunger, shall never thirst, stubborn, stupidity, take my yoke upon you, the breath of life, the great invitation, the greatest offer, the trash heap, to pay for our sins, under the mighty hand of god, unto your souls, wake up, Wednesday Wail, ye shall find rest
John 11:28. Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Well hello there you beautiful saints of Christ! How goes it this Wednesday morning eh? Hope it all goes well. (smile) Yeh, I know some of you are steupsing and complaining because something, or someone is causing problems in your lives. But what yuh going to do eh? It’s just life! Life in itself is oftimes a problem.
No one said it would be easy or not be problem filled, but as believers in Christ Jesus, we do have the greatest problem solver the world has ever seen! Bless His holy name my people! And He’s invited us to bring ALL our problems to Him, lay them at His feet and He will resolve them, in His own time.
Listen to Him nuh, listen to this Great Invitation, that NO ONE else has ever deigned to offer, or can ever deign to offer because no one else has the parts to do those things, NONE but Jesus Christ! ‘Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:28-30)
Oh my brethren, what’s there not to understand eh? That’s one of the greatest, if not the greatest offer ever made to mankind! But we’re so stubborn and hardhearted, we either don’t believe or are reluctant to let our problems go to some invisible spiritual Being. Peter said it best. ‘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.’ (1 Pet.5:6-7)
Oh friends, that’s gospel truth! How could you ever doubt that Jesus cares for you when He made such a sacrifice on your behalf eh? Why else would He come down from heaven and die on the cross to pay for your sins and mine if He didn’t care? None of us would do anything like that unless we cared for somebody or something! So refusing to take Him up on His most wonderful offer is just pure foolishness and stupidly on our part.
We’re allowing the sinful and evil enemy to intrude in our affairs and keep us from having a better life with Christ. That’s not wisdom is it? I very much doubt it! Listen to Jesus again as He pleads with us to come to Him. I wonder why He’s pleading so much with us, if He doesn’t sincerely care eh? The foolish Israelites refused to believe Him despite all the signs and wonders that He did, and the truth He spoke.
Hear them nuh: ‘Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ (John 6:31) And the sad part is that their forefathers didn’t even appreciate the manna, but complained about it because it was plain tasting and didn’t taste like their food back in Egypt. The ole hypocrites and them!
‘Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven: but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then they said unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.’ (John 6:32-34)
Yuh see friends, like so many of us today, they weren’t interested in the spiritual side of life, but merely wanted the material aspects, like real bread to eat. But Jesus didn’t come to just give them belly-filling victuals for ever, but spiritual food for their souls. ‘And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life; he that cometh unto me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.’ (John 6:35)
Yes friends, Jesus is the giver of life! As the scholars explain: ‘6:35. I am the bread of life means the bread that gives life. The life of which He speaks is spiritual and eternal.’ The fact of the matter is that Jesus also gives and takes physical life! So anyhow you shake it He is the one who controls ALL life!
So why are we so reluctant to accept and follow Him eh? I really don’t know. But we quick to follow the foolish Satan, who gives nothing but eternal death and damnation! We LOVE the glitzy, glamourous things he flashes in front of us, but they have no substance and are soon thrown in the trash heap. Oh my people, let’s wake up nuh, let’s come to our senses and see that Jesus is the ONLY wise and sensible way to go!
Just look at how our world is going to hell in a handbasket under the evil rule of the enemy nuh. Is that what we want for our children and grand-children? Certainly not! So please, please, let’s wake up and come out fighting for Jesus, for our children’s sake! That’s the ONLY way we will ever improve our world and defeat the enemy!
Now for those of us who have indeed received the message and taken it to heart, let’s go home declaring (steups!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our unchangeable position in Christ Jesus. In strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And if you truly believe, then you will know that that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…to refuse Satan’s invitation is one thing…to refuse Jesus’…that’s a horse of an entirely different colour…
18 Sep 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Achilles heel, Air France, all his works, an able somebody, asaph, but god is the strength of my heart, Cape Town, Dyner Restaurant, hands on the plough, hump day, I have put my trust, I may declare, in the Lord God, it is good for me, Joburg, lean not on your own understanding, looking forward, my flesh and my heart faileth, my portion for ever, narrow aisle, not looking back, packed like sardines, physical trials, rear end, relaxing feeling, relieve the pressure, Robben Island, Table Mountain, tax refund, ten-hour flight, the breath of life, the joints crying out, the Lord looks after his own, to a glorious future with Christ, to draw near to God, trust in the Lord, Wednesday Wail, wheelchair, with all thine heart, with the Lord's help, wonder of wonders
Psalm 73:26. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength (rock) of my heart, and my portion for ever.
And after Tuesday comes Wednesday – the hump day of the week! And what a hump that was to climb. We left the hotel in Cape Town around eleven in a taxi headed for the airport to catch a one o’clock flight to Joburg, to catch connecting flights to Atlanta and Paris. Due to some unforeseen circumstances the duchess and I were booked on separate flights back home.
We got to Cape Town Airport where the nonsense began; I was forced to walk to the gates because they said I was not booked for a wheelchair. The porter who accompanied us didn’t tell us that until we were almost at the security entrance, otherwise I would have argued with the lady, because I’ve been travelling to and from the gates by wheel chair ever since my trip began.
But the Lord is good and watches over His people. Thankfully these gates were not as far as some of the others, and I managed it…with the Lord’s help of course. We got on board the Mango Airways flight and took off for Joburg on time; the flight out two days earlier had been delayed for over an hour.
And it’s in Joburg the fun began. Hn! For some reason although Air France is an international airline, its dispatch office is located in the Domestic Section of the airport. So after checking my luggage in the Domestic Section, I had the long trek over to the International section to actually catch the flight. And as always, the Lord looks after His own. I had a wonderful African lady pushing me by wheelchair.
Now this walk, I just would not have been able to make because the joints were already crying out from the traipsing around I did the previous day on Robben Island and Table Mountain. We went up and down and all around, with the poor, tired duchess pushing a trolley with her luggage, as her Delta Airline was ensconced in the International section. Finally she checked her luggage, then we went through security, which though crowded, wasn’t too bad, definitely not as invasive as some of the others around the world.
She then wandered down to one side to collect some tax refund for something she’d bought in South Africa, while the lady pushed me in the other direction, towards the boarding gates. She finally left me at a restaurant aptly named the Dyner, where the duchess would later meet me. I made sure I got a seat right at the front of the restaurant so I could see her, or she me, when she came up. And as my flight was earlier than hers, I ordered a juicy hamburger and vanilla ice cream milkshake.
Remember this was our first meal of the day. By the time the duchess arrived, I was well into my meal. She was none too happy though for the line to get the tax return had been pretty long and what she actually got back didn’t seem worth the wait. And wonder of wonders, before I could even finish my meal, a young fellow showed up with a wheelchair to take me to the boarding gate, which was still some distance away. But like the gentleman he was, he waited for me to finish.
I kissed the duchess goodbye, then we headed for the boarding gate. Brother! I don’t know why these airports have such long distances between where you enter and exit nuh. The problem is that the airports nowadays are simply too large, and if you’re not a young, or rather an able somebody, you’re in trouble to get from one point to the other. We eventually got to the gate where the wheelchair bound were loaded on to a bus and driven out to the plane on the tarmac. The other passengers were also driven out by bus to the plane which was a good distance away from the departure gate.
Then the herding began: we were packed like sardines into the last two sections of the large plane. There were ten seats across; three on the right, three on the left, and four in the middle. The aisle space was so narrow that my hand luggage could not be wheeled down the aisle, but had to be carried. It’s a good thing one of the stewards offered to take it for me. Now Air France is okay, but I still prefer KLM. It just has a more relaxing feeling to it, and the stewards seem friendlier.
But I really can’t complain because the Air France people treated me well. When they began serving the meals, I asked this one lady if she could serve me last because I had just had a big meal at the airport. Her reply certainly surprised me. Although it wasn’t their normal procedure, she would do it because I was such a nice man! Yuh see people, the ole fella’s not as bad as some of you think! (smile)
It took a li’l while for her to come back with my meal, and one older lady next to me kept saying that the stewardess had forgotten me, but I assured her that she had not. And after all the cleaning up had been done, she did come back with my meal. My Achilles heel though throughout the ten-hour flight to Paris was my rear end. Brother! Did it ever hurt from all the sitting down; starting with the two hour plane ride from Cape Town, then the long ride in the wheelchair, and a further ten hours of sitting to Paris!
And surprisingly a white, older gentleman sitting next to me did not get up during the entire flight, not even to go to the bathroom. He just sat there watching Lady Gaga, then Bono, then slept like a baby, and got up to watch more videos, while I kept getting up and walking around just to relieve the pressure on my rear end. (smile)
However, the ole fella did make it through the flight. It wasn’t easy. But here’s why? As Asaph the psalmist said so wisely, so long ago: ‘My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength (rock) of my heart, and my portion for ever.’ Yes friends, without the Lord’s help, I certainly could not have made it through all the physical trials of this trip.
That’s why as Asaph also advised. ‘But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.’ (Ps.73:28) And if you’ve also done that, then it’s time for us to go home declaring (steups!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know our position in Christ Jesus.
In strong voice with sincere hearts: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And what a glorious future it will indeed be! Much LOVE!
…trust in the Lord…with all thine heart…and lean not unto thine own understanding… (Prov.3:5)
11 Sep 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a thousand shall fall, abundantly satisfied, drink of the river, faithful, glad to be alive, how excellent, is thy loving-kindness, Johannesburg, KLM service, magnanimous Lord and Saviour, not focusing on the past, not turning back, of thy pleasures, put their trust, snare of the fowler, South Africa, steadfast love of God, strong position in Christ, thanks to my wonderful dughter, the breath of life, the children of men, true, true success, under the shadow of thy wings, Wednesday Wail
Psalm 36:7. How excellent (precious) is thy LOVING-kindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.
Sorry friends for the dire lateness of the Bit, but the ole fella had some adventures to go on which necessitated not being able to write it before. The long and the short of the story is that the ole fella is in South Africa, Johannesburg to be exact. I didn’t say anything to anyone because I was not sure that the trip would come off. But thanks to my wonderful daughters, as well as the Lord’s goodness and LOVING-kindness, I arrived here about an hour ago.
And believe me it’s not an easy journey; six hours to Amsterdam, then lay over for another five, then another ten hours to Joburg! And both planes were big planes and they were both packed to capacity. But the KLM service was excellent! The hostesses treated the ole fella royally! And did they ever feed us. I got so much food on those two airplanes over the last two days that I’m sure I have put on some pounds. (smile) I’ve reached here now and am not even interested in food.
And did I ever meet a lot of interesting people in those two days, both on the ground and in the air! Made some good memories to last a lifetime, to enjoy in my old age! And that’s what they were made for! The only problem with the Bit now is the time difference; I believe that South Africa is some five to six hours ahead of Toronto and it’s environs. Right now as I pen this, it’s 12.50 a.m. Thursday morning, while back home is something like 6:48. But don’t worry because the ole fella, with the Lord’s help of course, is going to try and stay in schedule, since that’s the ONLY thing I must do every day!
So let’s turn to some scripture nuh. And as I opened the Good Book to look for an appropriate scripture, it opened at this most appropriate verse from Psalm 36, where Bruh David talks about the steadfast LOVE of our great God and Creator. Check it out nuh: ‘How excellent (precious) is thy LOVING-kindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.’ Glory be mih people!
That’s one thing, amongst many others, about our God, He is steadfast, faithful and true! Yeh I know I said one thing, but it just reads better so. (smile) And that’s why the duchess and I are here right now in Joburg; we put out trust in Almighty God to bring us safely here, and carry us back home safely when the time is right! Give Him plenty thanks and praise His holy name my people!
And here are some of the reasons Bruh David made those oh so trusting statements nuh: ‘They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness (fullness) of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light we shall see light.’ (Ps.36:8-9) And there’s absolutely no doubt about that my brethren! Those who are faithful, trusting and true to Him will enjoy the pleasures and blessings that He so generously bestows on those who show those attributes in all sincerity.
And since we’re short on time for Wednesday, let’s get right to one more set of scriptures which say basically the same thing. Hear the psalmist in Psalm 91 – God is a refuge and fortress. ‘I will say of the Lord, he is my refuge and fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler (bird trapper), and from the noisesome (perilous or deadly) pestilence.
He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust (take refuge): his truth shall be thy shield and buckler (small shield) Thou shalt not be afraid for (of) the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth (lays waste) at noon day. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.’ (Ps.91:2-7)
Yes friends, if you truly surrender your complete being, not some portion that you choose, (smile) that’s how He will make your life to unfurl! Wow! No other God does anything like that! So please, let’s get those words indelibly ingrained our souls, bodies and minds today nuh, and then put them into action. Now let’s go home declaring (yeh!) our Wednesday Wail with true sincerity, letting the world know of our strong position in Christ Jesus, our magnificent and magnanimous Lord and Saviour!
All together in strong and sincere voice. ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And as always, let me remind us, that that future will be ever so glorious, that our puny and finite minds can’t comprehend the length, breath, width and depth of it! Much LOVE!
…faithful trust in God…is the only thing that will bring us true success…
04 Sep 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, Abraham Isaac and Jacob, and is, and is to come, believe the promise, beside me, bless the Lord, by your will, cast their crowns, constant joy in heaven, creating the world, day and night, fear ye not, folly, for thy pleasure, full of eyes, god the father, God the son, halfway home, his redeemer, His word is truth, holy holy holy, I am the first, I am the last, I'll worship, joy, looking forward to, lord god almighty, merriment, my hands on the plough, my witnesses, neither be afraid, not looking back, oh my soul, one true God, praises, rest not, saving the world, selfish, setting the stage, sing like never before, stingy, the breath of life, the four and twenty elders, the four beasts, the Good Book, the king of Israel, the Lord of hosts, the One and Only One, the oneness of God, there is no god, they exist, thou art worthy O lord, thou hast created all things, thus saith the Lord, to receive glory and honour, truth, undeniable statement, wake up, Wednesday Wail, which was, worship him that liveth forever, worship his holy name, worship something inanimate, Yahweh, your holy name
Isaiah 44:6. Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.
Ah mih people, I woke up joyfully singing it this morning, even though I did not get much sleep, so I took it as a sign that we should open with some of it. (smile) So please sing with me: ‘Bless the Lord oh my soul, Oh my soul, Worship His holy name. Sing like never before, Oh my soul, I’ll worship Your holy name.’
One more time, cause when it’s so nice, you’ve got to sing it twice. (smile) ‘Bless the Lord oh my soul, Oh my soul, Worship His holy name. Sing like never before, Oh my soul, I’ll worship Your holy name.’ And yes friends, that’s exactly what we should all be doing, or have already done, this glorious Wednesday morning that the Lord has so graciously seen fit to allow us to see.
Bless His holy name my people! Bless and exalt it because He is the ONE and ONLY ONE! He said so Himself in His Word, through His prophet Isaiah, and He does not lie; His Word is truth; the ultimate truth!
Listen to His awesome Word and let your hearts be set free by its amazing truth: ‘Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.’ Mamacita! What a powerful, factual and undeniable statement that is my believing brethren!
And the scholars explain that thus: ‘44:6. In verse 6 the prophet emphasizes the oneness of God by stating that beside me there is no God. Yet at the same time, the prophet distinguishes between the Lord the King of Israel and his redeemer the Lord of hosts. The personal name ‘Yahweh’ is used of both the King and His redeemer, the one referring to God the Father and the other referring to God the Son.’
We can see that even way back then the Lord was setting the stage for coming of His most wonderful Son! And believe me, there’s no better stage manager in all the world than the Lord our God. You just have to read the Good Book and see how He set up everything right to the nth degree from creating the world to saving it!
But getting back to the Lord being the ONE and ONLY GOD, He continues to make His point, reasoning thus: ‘And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, (who can proclaim it? Then let him declare it), and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? and the things that are coming, and shall come, let them show unto them.
Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? Ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.’ (Is.44:7-8)
Oh friends, I don’t know of any other nuh! (smile) They are a lot of pretend ones, but they have no power whatsoever. And how can a man bow down and worship something inanimate that he’s made with his own two hands eh?
And even if you worship the wind, the birds, the sun, the moon, the stars or some other aspect of creation, like you, they were created by the ONE TRUE GOD; He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and none of them can do anything on their own, their apparent power is all wrapped up in what the Lord, the King of Israel gave and still gives to them!
So worshipping any other supposed God is pure folly! And as the Father said it to, and through Isaiah, so did the Son, Jesus Christ, say it to His beloved disciple, John in his vision on the island of Patmos, where he was exiled. ‘I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.’ (Rev.1:8)
And even around God’s throne everlasting praises are being sung spelling out His might and majesty and holiness. ‘And the four beasts had each of them six wings about them; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest (cease) not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.’ (Rev.4:8) Oh my people, heaven is constantly ringing with the Lord’s praises!
As John writes: ‘And when those beasts (living creatures) give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created (by your will they exist).’ (Rev.4:9-11)
Can you imagine that scene mih breddren? A rainbow around the throne of heaven, with the Lord sitting there looking as beautiful as ever, and thunder and lightning, and the beasts singing and the elders worshipping…pure merriment mih people!
So if they can sing the Father’s praises so continuously in heaven, why can’t we lesser mortals sing His praises some too down here on earth eh? Why are we so stingy with giving Him His rightfully deserved praise eh?
Because we are selfish and don’t truly believe that He is who He says He is. But that will only lead to our eventual chagrin my friends. So please, let’s wake up and smell the roses, or the coffee, or whatever will open our eyes, minds and souls to the reality that the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the ONE and ONLY TRUE GOD in this wonderful universe He created!
And having settled that, (smile) let’s go home declaring (steups!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. All together now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And if you sincerely believe it, then please stick steadfastly with it, because one day, we too shall be singing and worshipping the Lord in heaven! Much LOVE!
…our human minds are too small…to fully comprehend…the constant joy in heaven…but if we believe the promise…one day we surely will…
28 Aug 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: A prayer of success, abound, areas of growth, be in you, beloved children of God, brotherly kindness, charity, Christ our Lord, Christian living, David Rudder, diligence, divine power, dr robert h schuller, endurance, escaped the corruption, everlasting kingdom, eyes fixed, failure, faith, glory, God-likeness, godliness, grace, growing in grace, halfway home, hands fixed securely, hanging tight with Jesus, hope, Hour of Power Devotional, if these things, in the knowledge of, in the world, Jesus Christ, knowledge, knowledge of God, lifelong cycle, LOVE, magnanimous god, moral excellence, on the plough, partakers of, patience, peace, perseverance, precious promises, pressure, rough row to hoe, salvation, sanctifies success, self-control, spiritual truth, stimulates success, straight ahead, sunny days, sustains success, temperance, the awesome power, the breath of life, the divine nature, the Holy Spirit, the ring of success, they make you, through lust, to a glorious future with Christ, unfruitful, virtue, walk of faith, Wednesday Wail, what I am. what I do, wisdom, without your power, ye shall neither be barren
2 Peter 1:8. For if these things be in you (are yours), and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Sunny days are here again…Glory Hallelujah! Yeh, let’s hope that today is nothing like yesterday, with rain straight through until late afternoon. Got caught in it going to an appointment some distance from home, and would you believe it was terrible; traffic just crawling, with road construction like everywhere, and the rain itself one minute petering out to a light drizzle, then next picking back up steam again. Good thing that it had stopped by the time I was on my way back home.
And we can’t have no rain today because this evening David Rudder (the Crown Prince of kaiso) is down in the Bandshell in the Ex. And that’s a totally open space. So please pray that David gets a good chance to share his beautiful kaiso (calypso) offerings later. (smile)
Now here’s another prayer, this one from Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) from his Hour of Power Devotional. He calls it: ‘A Prayer for Success.’ Please pray with me: ‘As I become a success with your help, Lord, let me never forget that what I am is more than what I do. Faith stimulates success. Hope sustains success. LOVE sanctifies success. So I cannot and I dare not succeed without your power, peace, and pressure in my life, Jesus Christ. Amen!’
Oh friends, all of that is so true! In the first place we must realize that what we do is not the most important thing in our lives, but who we are; beloved children of God! And that alone gives us a great chance for success. But as Gramps Schuller says, we need these three untouchables and ‘unmeasurables’; faith, hope and LOVE, to even enter the ring of success, much less to achieve it.
And Peter expounds on the subject nicely, and quite at length in his second epistle. Listen to Him as he greets his readers and reminds them of God’s provision for Christian living, past, present and future. ‘Grace and peace be multiplied unto you, through (in) the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord.
According to his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.’ (2 Pet. 1:2-4)
Oh my fellow believers, we see that our most magnanimous God has already given us all the power and grace and promises that we need to succeed in this life, but we have to now raise them up from our souls through the awesome power of the Holy Spirit.
And Peter then continues, re growing in grace. ‘And beside this, (for this very reason), giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance (self-control); and to temperance patience (perseverance); and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity (LOVE).’ (2 Pet.1:5-7)
Ah mih people, that seems like a real rough row to hoe, but hoe it we must, if we want to succeed in this Christian walk of faith and LOVE! And the scholars offer this explanation: ‘1:5-7. In this section Peter urges his readers to grow to spiritual maturity. Add to your faith indicates the areas of growth that follow after salvation. Virtue is moral excellence. Knowledge is spiritual truth. Temperance is self-control. Patience is endurance. Godliness is God-likeness.
Brotherly kindness (Gr. philadelphian) is brotherly LOVE. Charity (Gr. agapen) is volitional LOVE (making a choice or decision to LOVE). This process is a lifelong cycle of spiritual growth for all believers.’ And so indeed it is my fellow saints in Christ! And Peter reason thus for his advice: ‘For if these things be in you (are yours), and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.’
Glory be mih breddren! For there’s nothing better in this life than to have a good knowledge about Christ and produce good fruit in His image! And Peter further explains: ‘But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off (is shortsighted), and hath forgotten that he was purged (cleansed) from his old sins.
Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall (stumble): For so an entrance shall be ministered (supplied) unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.’ (2 Pet.1:9-11) What a wonderful life is being set up in heaven for those of us who place Christ above all else and do our best to honour and obey Him!
Hear how the scholars explain those last verses. ‘1:10-11. Ye shall never fall: The author is not referring to falling from salvation but to failure in Christian living. The everlasting kingdom refers to the eternal realm of God where Jesus is the undisputed Ruler. It is synonymous with heaven. Thus one who acquires the virtues of verses 5-7 will have a rich inheritance in heaven.’
Mama Mia! It couldn’t get any better than that my people! Therefore let’s go home now joyfully declaring (yeah!) our Wednesday Wail which let’s the whole world know of our serious position in Christ, since heaven is our ultimate home. All together now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And if you sincerely believe, then you’ll know that that future will indeed be glorious; so glorious that we cannot even imagine it! Wow! So let’s keep on hanging tight with Jesus nuh friends, for that is wisdom of the highest order! Much LOVE!
…success in anything…means learning and adhering to these three keys…hope…faith…and LOVE…
21 Aug 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adventuresome, an angel of light, bewaare, Christ's gospel, climbed the mountain, confess not, confession, deny the truth, doctrine, eagle eye, false Christs, false prophets, follow their own spirit, Gnostics, God's greatest invention, grey matter, halfway home, have no vision, have seen nothing, hump day, in Christ's name, is come in the flesh, Jesus Christ, know them by their fruits, looking ahead, many deceivers, ministers of righteousness, not easy, not looking back, out of their own hearts, prophesy, pseudo-Christians, psychological ease, repentance, Satan, sheep in wolves clothing, take a refreshing breath, the breath of life, the human mind, the Incarnation, the root of Christianity, the Spirit of God, thus saith the Lord God, to a glorious future with Christ, walking with Christ, Wednesday Wail, whitewash, woe unto the foolish prophets
Ezekiel 13:3. Thus saith the Lord God; woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing (no vision).
It’s hump day friends! Wednesday! The middle of the work week, where we feel a psychological ease as though we’ve finally climbed the mountain, and can now take a refreshing breath as we get ready to go down the other side, meaning we’re in the easy part of the week. What tricks our mind can play on us eh? Or what mental ruses we can use to alleviate the pressure of work? Hn, hn!
Yes my people, the human mind is God’s greatest invention, one that man cannot quite figure out, and I doubt if he ever will, so intricate and complicated is that handful of grey matter that runs the human body and thus the world! And yuh know what? That fact alone ought to make us appreciate and exalt our heavenly Creator.
Look at how we worship and exalt men who do supposedly great things in the world, but the One who created those men and the minds they use to do great earthly things we want to relegate to the trash basket! How foolish! That reminds me of this bit of scripture from Ezekiel:
‘And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts (inspiration), Hear ye the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord God; woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing (no vision).’ (Ezek.13:1-3)
Yeh friends, there are so many false prophets in the world today that it’s becoming ever more difficult to tell the true ones from the false ones. And the sad part is that they think they will get away with their falsehood, but they won’t. The scholars explain it thus: ‘13:3. Woe unto the foolish prophets introduces a curse on false prophets. They were like workmen who tried to cover a severely cracked wall with whitewash (vs.11-12).’
And so are the false prophets of today trying to whitewash away our serious faults. But that’s a fool’s wisdom my faithful brethren, because the Lord’s eagle eye is upon us all and whitewashing our sins is just not going to work. They need sincere confession and repentance in Christ’s name! And it’s not like Jesus didn’t warn us about those false teachers. Hear Him in the Sermon on the Mount after He talks about two ways to live life.
‘Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening (ravenous) wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?’ (Matt.7:15-16) No they don’t! And a substantial price will be paid by those false prophets who distort or deny the truth of Christ’s gospel and teach doctrines that are not in consort with the truth, neither are the actions of their lives in line with it.
Meanwhile Mark poses it thus: ‘And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not. For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall show signs and wonders to seduce (deceive), if it were possible, even the elect (chosen ones). But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.’ (Mark 13:21-23)
And indeed He has my people. But the falsehood will be so strong and so prevalent that through powerful signs and wonders it might even be able to fool the elders, the chosen ones. So if it can fool those who are reputedly strong and wise in the faith, what will it do to those who are not eh?
That’s why we have to be ever so careful about whom we listen to, what we watch and what we read, for the enemy is very devious and with all the tools available in our modern society can put up a very good case for his false prophecy. As Bruh Paul warned the Corinthians against false leaders:
‘For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed (transforms himself) into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.’ (2 Cor.11:13-15) Ah friends, as Jesus said, we shall know them by their fruits, and they shall pay according to their works. There’s no getting away from that!
And John also warns in his epistle: ‘For many deceivers are entered unto the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.’ (2 John 7) And the scholars explain: ‘7. The deceivers seem to have been Gnostics, pseudo-Christian individuals who denied that the Son of God had really taken on human flesh (see 1 John 2:18-27, 4:1-6). John realizes that to attack the doctrine of the Incarnation (Christ’s taking on human flesh) is to strike at the very root of Christianity.’ And so it is people! Once you take away Christ becoming man, there’s nothing left of our faith!
And John also gives us a basic way to challenge the truthfulness of what we hear and see. ‘Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.’ (1 John 4:2-4)
But friends that’s just the basic step in telling whether something is really of Christ, because the enemy is so wise and devious that he can claim in his doctrine that Christ is come in the flesh, which he very well knows, but hook you in some other aspect. So please, please let’s be on serious guard in these very treacherous and deceitful times, for the enemy is always lurking around trying to gain a foothold in our lives.
Now let’s go home declaring (yeh!) our Wednesday Wail telling all and sundry of our wonderful position in Christ! In unison, with power and sincerity: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And if we keep that steadfast and strong position in Christ…Wow! Will our future ever be glorious! Much LOVE!
…walking with Christ is not easy…but it sure is adventuresome… (smile)
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