05 Jun 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, Abide in me, adult in the faith, analogy of a grapevine, and i in him, bringeth forth much fruit, building our faith, burdensome, cast them into a fire, Christian babies, Christian-like, constant movement and growth, contrary weather, cooperation with Almighty God, dr robert h schuller, drinking milk, eat solid food, exciting life, failure to success, free will, from boring death, glad to be alive, grow, hands on the plough, he purgeth, he that abideth in me, Hour of Power Devotional, I am the true vine, I am the vine, I will move, in you I come alive, in your pardon, in your power, in your promises, in your providence, looking forward to, mature, move from discouragement, my Father is the husbandman, not looking back, Ottawa, partnership, prunes, shame to glory, tests, Thank You Lord, the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, the breath of life, the christian thing, the true way of life, times of adversity, to hope, walking with Jesus, weakness to strength, Wednesday Wail, without me ye can do nothing, ye are the branches, your heart to be in my heart
John 15:5. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Well it seems like another ‘riney’ day is in the offing! Brother, when is it going to stop eh? Doesn’t look like anytime soon. But who cares eh? Oh, how I dislike that term that’s so popular in our current parlance! Because we all ought to care, since too much rain means flooding and a whole set of other problems. Some places up around the nation’s capital of Ottawa are still flooded, and some parts up there recently received a telling blow from a powerful tornado!
So why don’t we care eh? Because we’re selfish and greedy and not truly Christian-like! Let’s try and change that nuh by praying for those who are suffering from the recent ravages of the unpredictable and contrary weather, while helping in any other capacity that we can. That’s the Christian thing to do. And to help us do that, here is a prayer from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional titled, ‘I Will Move…’
Please pray with me: ‘Lord, I want your heart to be in my heart. For in you I come alive, moving ahead from boring death to exciting life! In your promises, I will move from discouragement to hope. In your pardon, I will move from shame to glory. In your power, I will move from weakness to strength. In your providence, I will move from failure to success! Thank you Lord! Amen!’
Oh friends, therein lies the true way of life…in sincere partnership and cooperation with Almighty God, our Creator and Provider! Without Him in our lives we’re absolutely nothing! He made us, with a plan for every life, and He still controls them even though we have free will. Nothing happens in our lives without His knowledge and acceptance.
Granted, some of the things He allows to happen are tough and burdensome, but those things are just tests and ways and means of building our faith, since we only grow during times of adversity. So if He didn’t allow adversarial things in our lives, we would just stay as Christian babies, forever drinking milk and not being able to eat solid food. (smile)
And that’s not His plan. His plan is to have us all become strong and mature and adult in the faith – as Christ-like as His Son. But in keeping with that desire, our God is so wonderful that He never gives us more than we can bear, or if it seems so, He is always there to help us bear it. That’s why it’s ever so important to have meaningful and constant communication with Him through His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Listen to Jesus tell it nuh: ‘I am the true (genuine) vine, and my Father is the husbandman (vinedresser). Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth (prunes) it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through (because of) the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.’ (John 15:1-4)
Oh friends, don’t you like how Jesus just puts it out there, without any fuss or fancy! And then He rubs it in further: ‘I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’
And that’s oh so true my brethren! Without Jesus first and foremost in our lives we are incapable of producing much, if any positive fruit. But with Him taking a meaningful part in our lives, we abiding in Him, and He in us, oh, we’re capable of producing enormous amounts of good and wonderful fruit!
And Jesus does not leave us wondering about what happens if we don’t abide in him, and He in us: ‘If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.’ (John 15:6) And the scholars tell us that that verse ‘refers to the judgement of believers at the judgement seat of Christ (2 Cor.5:10).’
So basically speaking, ‘Jesus explains the divine-human relationship by the analogy of a grapevine. Jesus is like the main vine. The disciples are compared with branches. The Father tends the branches like a gardener. At that time of year, branches of grapevines would be budding in Jerusalem.’
So the disciples would have understood exactly what He meant. That’s another wonderful things about Jesus; His analogies are always about things that we can understand, things that are prevalent in our lives, so we don’t have to go wondering what He’s talking about.
The long and short of the story friends, is that walking with Jesus involves constant movement and growth, no sitting on one’s laurels admiring one’s earlier successes. If you’re not bearing good fruit, then the Father will cut you off and throw you away. But even if you’re bearing good fruit, He will prune you occasionally so that you can bear even more fruit! So you’re in a no win situation! Damned if you do, and damned if you don’t! (smile)
The Father requires constant growth and the bearing of much fruit, and He pursues His plan with great conviction and sense of purpose, therefore we need to pull up our britches and get with the programme, if we say we are, or want to be true believers! Now let’s go home declaring (right ho!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the world 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!’
Oh my people, let’s be wise and keep our eyes fixed steadfastly on Jesus nuh, and know that the future with Him will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…oh Jesus…oh Jesus…what would we do without you eh…
29 May 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: being his counselor, boredom, directed the Spirit of the Lord, emptiness, God's ways higher than ours, hands fixed securely on the plough, harnessed the power of patience, hath taught him, his thoughts higher than ours, how unsearchable his judgements, I am halfway home, impatient dreamers, knowledge, laziness, looking forward, Lord chesterfield, never late, never put off for tomorrow, not looking back, past knowing, patience, perseverance, personal experience, primrose path, procrastination, shame, shortcuts, the breath of life, the depths of the riches of God, timing, to a glorious future with Christ, Wednesday Wail, what you can do today, win in life, wisdom, work so slowly
Romans 11:33. O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgements, and his ways past finding out!
Yes, it was a ‘riney’ day yesterday! It drizzled all day long into the evening hours. And the way it looks damp and gloomy out there, it looks like it just might be another ‘riney’ day today! And the ‘riney’ is just my way of trying to copy the accent – it seems like Scottish brogue – of the man in the radio ad. ‘It was a riney day…blah, blah blah!) (smile)
But enough blather, we have plenty of interesting and wise info to share today…not like I don’t share plenty good and interesting info every day! (smile) And the first set of info is this quote from Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773). ‘Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, KG, PC was a British statesman, diplomat, man of letters, and an acclaimed wit of his time.’
These wonderful words of advice are attributed to him. ‘Know the true value of time; snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness, no laziness, no procrastination, never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.’ Oh me oh my! What awesome words of wisdom! And I’m sure they will resonate with many of us this Wednesday morning!
With me for sure, as I look back at the desk behind me cluttered with unopened mail and all sorts of other paper work that I should have taken care of some time ago. Ah mih people, laziness and procrastination are the work of the devil! Every moment that we’re alive is so precious that we ought to endeavour to use each one productively for Jesus.
And having said that, here is this interesting and wise poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s short and sweet, and titled, ‘Never Too Late.’ Please pray with me: ‘Sometimes, dear Lord You work so slowly!’ And the answer to that childish, faithless complaint comes back ever so simply but most provocatively: ‘Tell Me, dear child Have I ever been too late?’
And who says I don’t admire the Lord’s wit eh! Because that’s the gospel truth! I know it from personal experience because that’s the only problem I have with Him; His timing just seems to be so different from mine. But then I do have to admit, like many of us ought to; though He too often comes just in the nick of time, He’s NEVER late!
And to tie that all together, let’s turn to Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) from His Hour of Power Devotional, something appropriately titled ‘Impatient Dreamers.’ Please read with me: ‘What is the single quality that more than any other identifies those who succeed? It is patience. Impatient dreamers will look for painless shortcuts and cheap discounts on the price of success.
And failing to spot the expedient paths, unknowing, impatient dreamers will too often, too easily, and too painfully turn away from the divine dream. Later, when it’s too late, they will discover that in choosing the painless, easy road they were in fact going down a primrose path to boredom, shame, emptiness, failure, poverty. If only they had not been afraid of the discipline that the dream demanded!’
Oh friends, what gospel truth all of that is, especially in these times of everybody looking for the easy life, where laziness, and procrastination abound in times of plenty! Where discipline is a much dreaded and very seldom invoked word! I’m sure all of us can attest to some of Gramps Schuller’s harsh admonitions, because working and living for Jesus does desire a whole lot of patience and perseverance, of taking the high, difficult road, and not the low easy one, of going the extra mile when it all seems futile!
Our current society is a now for now one! We want everything in a rush, like even yesterday! No one wants to wait for anything. But the truth of the matter is my people, that the ones who have a li’l patience and perseverance are the ones who get the best deal, not the ones who rush headlong into life without proper thought. Yes, we must be prepared to take advantage of opportunities that come along unexpectedly, but rushing into stuff is not Christ like. (smile)
And our Bit for today is the Bible Promise of our poem: ‘O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgements, and his ways past finding out!’ Yes friends, the wisdom and knowledge of God, and of Him are so deep and unfathomable, that our puny minds can never attain to understanding them!
As He so eloquently puts it in the mouth of His servant Isaiah: ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ (Is.55:8-9) Matter fix mih people! (smile) I just like how the Lord doesn’t beat around the bush, and simply tells it like it is! You either LOVE it or lump it!
And now, please listen carefully to the corollary to all that we’ve spoken about this morning from Gramps Schuller on ‘Impatient Dreamers.’ ‘The people who win in life are the people who have harnessed the power of patience. You can move a mountain, Christ said – but He didn’t say how long it would take.’ End of story!
So then, let’s go home declaring (right ho!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our unbeatable position in Christ! Altogether 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 just a reminder that if we stay the course, that future will be even more glorious and remarkable and amazing than we can ever ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord…or being his counselor…hath taught him…? (Is.40:13)
01 May 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all things work together for good, an action word, as for me and mine, benefits of the working class, Book of the Law, C.E.O of Disney, called to his purpose, catching their nen-nen, claw back, Daily Bread Devotionals, dance the maypole, day of judgement, do according to all therein, exorbitant remuneration, faith, faithfulness to God, fourteen thousand times more, greedy, halfway home, hands on the plough, hard won rights, have good success, in the darkest hours, Labour unions, life hands us lemons, looking to the future with christ, LOVE, loving hand of God, make lemonade, make thy way prosperous, Management Class, May Day, meditate day and night, not looikng back, out of thy mouth, pass through the fire, pass through the water, power hungry, profit margin, promises of God, shall not depart, the bottom line, the breath of life, the eyes of faith, the righteous judge, to them who love God, true success, we will follow the Lord, Wednesday Wail, wet Wednesday
Joshua 1:8. This book of the law shall not depart out of (shall constantly be in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Welcome to a dark, wet Wednesday first of May in my neighbourhood friends! Hn! And just the day I have to go out the street and do some stuff. But as the old people would say, ‘a li’l rain never hurt anybody!’ I really don’t want to get caught up in it though, since I haven’t fully recovered from this cough and cold that’s been harassing me for the last ten days or so.
And speaking about coughing, would you believe a bout of that seemingly unrelenting cough just took me by surprise? Ah Lord eh! But we all have to do what we have to do. Unfortunately the May Day Parades, if any, and the dancing of the Maypole will be wet affairs.
But look at how things can go out of style eh? When I was growing up dancing the Maypole was a big thing, and May Day Parades were plentiful and well attended. But now most people don’t know what dancing the Maypole means, and May Day Parades are smaller and less plentiful because Labour Unions are weaker, as the greedy and power-hungry Management Class steadily claw back hard won rights and benefits of the Working Class.
Nowadays very few work places have any real meaningful benefits, and oftentimes the workers have to pay a healthy amount into them. But it’s all about the bottom line, the profit margin and the exorbitant remuneration of the executive class. I read recently where the C.E.O. of Disney made something like 14,000 times the amount of the ordinary working person in that company. Yes fourteen thousand times, something like sixty something million!
By whatever standards friends that is ridiculous! I don’t believe that any C.E.O. anywhere does that much more work than the ordinary people in the company, and thus deserves so much more. Meanwhile a lot of the folks working there are catching their nen-nen to make ends meet. Long time I haven’t heard that term. (smile) ‘Nen-nen’ is jut an old term for ‘Aunt,’ but used thus, means finding life difficult.
Whatever happened to social justice eh my people! Steups! I don’t see how you can be living high on the hog and see others just scratching and scraping to get by and feel comfortable! But friends, please remember that the Lord is THE righteous judge, and He will have His day of judgement and the wicked will pay for all their wrongdoing!
Meantime, let me remind us of two very important details of this earthly life, as described by Daily Bread Devotionals. The first is that in the darkest hours of life, only through the eyes of faith can we see the true and LOVING hand of God. And secondly, Faithfulness to God is true success!
Ah mih people, there’s no doubting those two things! When life is really throwing us lemons, the only way we can make lemonade is by having true and strong faith, knowing that our wonderful God is riding shotgun with us even through those rough times and He will eventually turn them around and bring us out even better than before.
That’s why we have and hold on tightly to promises like this: ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are called according to his purpose.’ (Rom.8:28)
And don’t forget this immortal promise given through Isaiah: ‘When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned: neither shall the flame kindle upon (scorch) thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee (in thy place).’ (Is.43:2-3)
Oh friends, it’s only with true faith can we accept those promises and live by them. And yuh notice that the Lord wasn’t only talking figuratively there, but also literally, as we see in the annals of Daniel where the three Jewish boys, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were rescued from the fiery furnace in Babylon because they refused to bow down to any other God but Jehovah.
The Good Book says they came out of the furnace that had been heated seven times hotter than normal, not even smelling of smoke! (Dan.3:8-30) Mama Yo! All glory and power and exaltation to our great God, who created this wonderful universe and still controls it from His heavenly throne! So there’s no need to be afraid of what man can do to us, because man is just a creation of Almighty God, and He has both the first and last say in all matters!
But friends, we do have to believe and stand strong in our beliefs. And the only way we can do that is by continual reading of God’s Word, meditation upon it, and serious and sincere communication with the Father Himself. That’s what He expects of us, as He so plainly said to Joshua when he made him leader of the Israelites after Moses’ death.
‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (shall constantly be in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’
Oh my brethren, those aren’t my words, but the Lord’s, and if you don’t believe Him, then that’s your funeral, but I know that as for me and mine, we WILL follow the Lord. And for all of those who are in heady agreement with me, let’s go home declaring (right ho!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know our wonderful position in Christ Jesus!
Altogether in strong voice and sincere belief: ‘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 just to remind us…that future will be even more glorious than we can even imagine with out puny, finite minds. So please hang in there! Much LOVE!
…like LOVE…faith is an action word…so please…let’s action it nuh…
24 Apr 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sigh of relief, after the flesh, after the Spirit, anxieties of the world, can't serve God and mammon, cannot please God, carnal mind, carnally minded, death, enmity against God, eternal damnation, eternal life, fleshly matters, from the law of sin and death, god's own Son, good works, halfway home, heaven, I'm looking straight ahead, in the world, influence of the Holy spirit, law of the spirit, life, live life in the Spirit, made me free, no condemnation, not looking back, not of the world, obedience, of life in Christ Jesus, peace, righteousness of the law, set their minds, sin, spiritually minded, the believer's life, the breath of life, the flesh is weak, the law of sin, the likeness of sinful flesh, the spirit is willing, the things of the flesh, the things of the Spirit, those in the flesh, to a glorious future with Christ, truly human, walk not after the flesh, walk of faith, Wednesday Wail, where your treasure is, your heart will be
Romans 8:5. For they that are after the flesh do mind (set their minds on) the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
And then it was Wednesday…and everybody breathes a small sigh of relief, for Monday and Tuesday are now past, and it’s just Thursday to get through before the big day of Friday!
Ah friends, so many of us waste our time looking towards the weekend that we don’t get to enjoy the weekdays! The Lord gave us seven days in a week, why only enjoy two or three eh? That way we’re wasting the majority of them and not realizing our full potential of joy and joyfulness that the Lord has made available to us.
By now, most of us should be mature enough, both in age and faith to realize that work is inevitable, and if so, we should just get with the programme! Furthermore, if we truly have Jesus in our hearts, souls, bodies and minds, then we ought to be glad to have the chance to go out everyday and share Him and His Good News with others. Remember, that’s our earthly bounden duty.
The long and short of the story is that the day of the week should not really matter, we ought to just get up and do what we have to do with a warm and LOVING spirit, even though the body might feel otherwise. Yes, the spirit is usually willing but the flesh is often weak!
Remember too that we’re no longer carnal, living just to glorify our fleshly needs and wants, but spiritual beings, living now to glorify spiritual desires. That means we’re to live life in the Spirit rather than in the flesh.
And this is how Bruh Paul describes living life in the Spirit to the church at Rome. ‘There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.’ (Rom.8:1) Glory be my people! If we’re walking in the Spirit, then the law of sin, the law of fleshly matters no longer condemns us!
Why? ‘For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.’ (Rom.8:3) Yes friends, that ‘law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus,’ is basically ‘the influence of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s life to obedience and good works.’
Yes, it’s all about the Holy Spirit of Christ moving and working successfully in our everyday lives, our everyday walk of faith! ‘For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for (on account of) sin, condemned sin in the flesh.’ (Rom.8:3)
And the scholars explain that thus: ‘8:3. Law…was weak: There is nothing inherently wrong with the law. The presence of sin renders the believer powerless to do what the law demands. The likeness of sinful flesh: Christ was truly human but not a sinner. (2 Cor.5:21).’
And all of that happened ‘That the righteousness (righteous requirement) of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind (set their minds on) the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.’ (Rom.8:4-5)
Yes friends, it’s as simple as that…note I didn’t say easy! (smile) But if the things and problems and anxieties of the world are what drive our engines, then we will obviously be more concerned about them.
However, if the things of the Spirit, the things of God, are our driving force then we will walk more appropriately in the Spirit and not fulfill the carnal lusts of the flesh. ‘For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.’ (Rom.8:6)
Ah my faithful brethren, it could not be put any plainer and more straightforwardly than that! Why? ‘Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can it be.’ (Rom.8:7)
More simple logic friends! Carnality, or death, is not, nor can it be of God, because it involves sin, and God does not deal in Sin. Thus this conclusion: ‘So they that are in the flesh cannot please God.’ (Rom.8:8)
Neither is trying to sit on the fence, having one foot in both worlds the answer, for as Jesus so rightly said: ‘Ye cannot serve God and mammon (at the same time).’ (Matt.6:24) You can’t serve both the world and God at the same time. Plus we ought to be in the world, but not of the world, and wherever our treasure is stored, there will our hearts be.
Meaning that if we’re seeking the things of the world, then our hearts will be in the world, but if we’re seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness, then our hearts will be looking heavenward.
And the last word on the subject is: ‘For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify (put to death) the deeds of the body, ye shall live.’ (Rom.8:13)
So for those of us who are truly trying to look towards heaven, to live in the Spirit and not in the flesh, let’s go home now defiantly and sincerely declaring (Steups! wrong again!) our Wednesday Wail letting all and sundry know our esteemed position in Christ, so that they too can work towards it.
All together in strong 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 what an amazing and glorious future it will surely be! Much LOVE!
…LOVE for the things of the world…brings death and eternal damnation…LOVE for the things of God…assures us of heaven and eternal life…
17 Apr 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a graven image, absolute truth, artifacts of man, ashamed, back burner, baked bread, beside me there is no God, blind eyes be opened, blinded our eyes, coals, criticism, deaf ears hear, deafened our ears, eateth flesh, eyes fixed straight ahead, folly, gathered together, glorious future with Jesus, golf greens, halfway home, hands on the plough, his redeemer, I am the first, I am the last, idolatrous society, idolatry, idols, Israel, mere men, Mother Nature, not looking back, pagan gods, profitable for nothing, Satan, stormy day in Paradise, taunting, the BIBLE, the breath of life, the king of Israel, the Lord of hosts, thus saith the Lord, ungodly lifestyle, Wednesday Wail, worshipping
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.
Well it looks like another dark, cloudy, rainy, windy and stormy day here in Paradise! (smile) Yeh, it rained for much of yesterday, even through the night, and has begun again this morning, just when I have things to go out the street and do! Chuh! First time since I’m here I’ve seen so much rain fall. We’d get the li’l ten seconds drizzle or the two minutes showers, but not continuous stuff like this.
But the land badly needed it because it was dry and brown everywhere. Can imagine the joy of the golf course owners up the street. You couldn’t use the golf vernacular of ‘greens,’ about it because it looked more like ‘browns.’ (smile) Even the sea is acting up some, as I watch the white capped frothing waves break over the nearby reef, then hurtle onwards, only to dash themselves against the rocky shore! But that’s Mother Nature, and try as we want, I doubt we’ll ever tame her, because she’s of God’s own making!
That brings us to another important thing we can’t do; create gods for ourselves, or as Isaiah puts it, the folly of idolatry! Yes friends, we’re living in a rather idolatrous world, not so much the worshipping of pagan Gods, but of worldly things, places and people. We’re talking about the cult of celebrity that’s now dominant in our world; people who don’t’ know their A from their E, but we’re flocking to follow their insipid, eccentric lifestyles and ungodly ways.
And social media is only enhancing the foolishness! We waste so much time on the nonsense, but have no time for the real, One True God, except to try and leverage Him out of our idolatrous society. Yes, these things have some useful purposes, but not when we become addicted to them as we are and place Almighty God on the back burner of our lives, if we even have Him on our stove at all!
But please listen to the words of the Lord to the idolatrous society of Israel, through the mouth of the prophet Isaiah. ‘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.’ Oh my people, those are words of absolute truth, as the nation of Israel found out to their utter detriment, when they refused to stop worshipping idols and other pagan gods.
Listen further to the words of God: ‘They that make a graven image are all of them vanity (useless); and their delectable (precious) things shall not profit; and they are their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed. Who hath formed a god, or molten (molded) image that is profitable for nothing? Behold all his fellows (companions) shall be ashamed: and the workmen they are of men (mere men): let them all be gathered together, let them stand up; yet they shall fear, and they shall be ashamed together.’ (Is.44:9-11)
Yeh friends, Satan has blinded our eyes and deafened our ears so that we can’t see or hear the nonsense, neither are we ashamed and regretful of the evil and ungodly lifestyle we’re living! And after that passage above, the Lord goes on to vilify the blacksmith, the carpenter and the tree cutter. And as to the tree cutter, the wood he provides, the Lord declares (right ho!): ‘
Then shall it be for man to burn: for he will take thereof, and warm himself; yea, he kindleth it, and baketh bread; yea, he maketh a god, and worshippeth it; he maketh a graven image, and falleth down thereto. He burneth part (half) thereof in the fire; with part (half) thereof he eateth flesh; he roastest roast, and is satisfied: yea, he warmeth himself, and saith, aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire:
And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image: he falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith, deliver me, for thou art my god…And none considereth in his heart, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burned part (half) of it in the fire; yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh, and eaten it: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? Shall I fall down to the stock of a tree?’ (Is.44:15-17,19)
Ah my people, that’s the exact same way we are behaving today, not literally, but figuratively! Now listen closely to the scholars take on those verses. ‘44:9-20. This expose of idolatry is the most taunting in all of the Bible. The prophet Isaiah, serving as the spokesman of Yahweh, reveals the utter foolishness of polytheistic pagan idolatry. The graven image (carved idol) is called vanity (nothing). Delectable things refers to the adornment of the idols with gold, silver and precious stones.
The prophet announces that the idols themselves are their own witnesses. They see not, nor know. Therefore these inanimate objects are profitable for nothing. Isaiah then berates the workmen (artisans) for designing and constructing their idols in the figure of a man. He exposes the basic fallacy of idolatry, a god made in the image of man. Thus the prophet’s criticism of one who would worship and idol carved from the same tree that he would use for firewood is that he feedeth on ashes.’
Ah mih breddren, I can’t add a whole lot more to that nuh, except to remind us that we are spending too much time involved with the artifacts of man, and not enough with our Creator, our God, and that can only bring serious repercussions in the end. Now let’s go home telling the world about our safe and secure position in Christ by declaring (right ho!) our Wednesday Wail.
With sincere hearts and a strong sense of purpose: ‘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 believe me, that future sure will be glorious! Much LOVE!
…only through the acceptance of Jesus…will blind eyes be opened…and deaf ears made to hear…
10 Apr 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 21st century, a glorious future with Jesus, a sound mind, Abel, Abraham, according to your faith, be it unto you, David, disciples, do their own thing, eagerly, enemy's false fire, enoch, expectantly, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, Gentiles, Gideon, glad to be alive, glory hallelujah, God is the same, grace, halfway home, hands on the plough, hebrews 11, immortal words, impossible to please God, Isaac, Jacob, Jesus, Jewish people, Joseph, lived and died by faith, LOVE, mercy, Moses, not by sight, not looking back, O ye of little faith, power, Samson, second wind, the breath of life, the Good Book, the Roman centurion, the spirit of fear, walk by faith, Wednesday Wail, wherefore didst thou doubt, without faith, your faith has made you whole
Matthew 9:29. According to your faith be it unto you.
And so we come to Wednesday…the mid-week catch yuh breath, second wind day! Everybody feeling refreshed now, having gotten back into the work week routine, and looking forward with much expectancy to the big day of Friday, so they can do their own thing.
Ah mih people, I wish we could look forward with the same amount of expectancy to the things of Christ, to the things that concern our faith! Yuh remember how Jesus kept complaining about the faith of His people…’O ye of little faith!’
He said that several times. Even to His disciples who had been with Him for years and saw all the miracles He had done. When the storm arose on the Sea of Galilee and He was asleep in the back of the boat, they woke him up scared to death. Only to be rebuked after He calmed the storm, by His lashing words: ‘O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?’ (Matt.14:31)
And remember too what He said when He healed people. ‘Go, your faith has made thee whole!’ Even when He healed the Roman Centurion’s slave from afar, He commented: ‘Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.’ (Matt.8:10) Yeh friends, in several circumstances Gentiles, or people of other nationalities showed more faith in Him than His Jewish people. But overall people were not being buoyed by their supposed faith.
And I believe the same thing is also happening now. A lot of us talk a good talk about faith, but when it comes to putting that supposed faith into action we sadly fall down and start thrashing about and looking for other avenues instead of first turning to God and waiting on Him. But friends, it’s ALL about our faith, our sincere trust and reliance on the powers and mercy and grace of Jesus!
Remember what He said to the two blind men who came to him to have their sight restored? ‘Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. And their eyes were opened…’ (Matt. 9: 28-30)
And nothing has changed since then my people, for our God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. So why do we think that our faith won’t get us through these rough and difficult times like it did those people of old eh! We have numerous examples of how faith propelled people, armies and nations to victory. Just check out that great chapter of the Good Book, Hebrews 11, where it tells you of all kinds of people who lived and died by faith.
Think about Abraham leaving his homeland at seventy five to journey into an unknown land just because God told Him to and promised Him great things. That could only come through faith. His wife Sarah also had a son in her old age when she lived up to the faith expected of her. Look at the stories of Isaac and Jacob, of Bruh Joseph and Moses, of Abel and Enoch, of Gideon and Samson, of Bruh David and Bruh Paul, and even of Jesus.
It was faith by which all of them traversed this evil world. Though Jesus was God, He was also man in the flesh and He too had to have strong faith in His Father else He would not have been able to do all those amazing things He did! Yuh think He just suffered all the abuse and pain of the cross just so? No! The Father enabled Him to go through it all!
And God hasn’t stopped working in believers lives just because this is the 21st century and mankind is on top of His technological and greedy wealth seeking game! In fact we need faith even more now with all the distractions and lies and falsehood and wiles that are now coming against us.
We need faith to help us discern the sense from the nonsense that is so prevalent in today’s evil and ungodly world. And faith isn’t something we can just pick up or set down anytime we want to! It’s a process, like sowing a seed and watching and waiting for it to grow. And the Lord has done many good things for many of us over our lifetimes, but yet when the rough times come, we forget about those fulfilled promises and cower and fear and doubt under the onslaught of the enemy’s false fire!
But remember too friends, these precious and immortal words of Bruh Paul to his protégé Timothy. ‘For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.’ (1 Tim.1:7)
And what is this thing called faith you all ask? The Good Book tells us that ‘Faith is the substance (realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction) of things not seen.’ (Heb.11:1) Yeh friends, simply put faith is what we don’t see now, but which we hope for and believe that we will get later on. We never seen Jesus, but we believe in Him. We never seen God create the world or us, but we believe it.
All of that is done through faith! For as Bruh Paul told the Corinthians: ‘For we walk by faith, not by sight.’ (2 Cor.5:7) That’s it plain and simple my brethren! In God’s economy and universe He expects us to believe His Word and the promises contained therein and walk expectantly and eagerly with faith, knowing that they will all come to pass in His time!
And if we can’t do that, if we need to see everything before we believe, like the world proposes, then our faith is small or even non-existent, and we won’t receive ALL the wonderful benefits we can from our wonderful God. Nuff said!
So for those of us who say we believe and have faith, let’s go home now declaring (right ho!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know our enviable position in Christ. With much fervor and sense of purpose: ‘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!’
Now don’t forget, that future will be even more glorious than we can ask or even imagine…and it’s all based on our faith! Much LOVE!
…without faith…it is impossible to please God… (Heb.11:6a)
25 Mar 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a joyful time, a living soul, a roof over our heads, adrenaline, antidote, atone for our sins, aura of love, choice scriptures, Christians, condemn the world, confidence, corroborate, Creator of the universe, destiny of Monday, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, faith, fondness for man, friends, glorious kingdom, glory to God, God created, God so loved the world, grace, hate, have everlasting life, holy spirit, honour, humble servants, in the beginning, invincible, Jesus Christ, Jesus redeemed us, jobs, joy, let everything that hath breath, lies, LOVE, LOVE to hate, man fell from grace, miraculous act, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, negativity, power, power in the Word, Praise the Lord, put food on the table, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, salvation, shall not perish, sinless life, spiritual armour, spoke into being, steadfast faith, taunts, the breath of life, the heaven and earth, the Word, thou art worthy O lord, to receive glory, to save the world, trust, truth, ungodly world, unto him that sitteth on the throne, unto the Lamb for ever, whosoever believeth in him, wiles, wisdom
Revelation 4:11: Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are (by your will they exist) and were created.
Awright friends, the work cycle has come full circle again! (smile) Yeh, unfortunately it is that famous day that we all LOVE…LOVE to hate…Monday! What a sad way to spend a lifetime eh, being disliked by the many you try to help! But that’s the destiny of Monday! When you’re first, the majority of the negativity falls on you, especially when it has to do with humankind going to work after a short respite. (smile)
But in this life we have to do what we have to do, and going to work on a Monday is paramount amongst those have to do things! That is if we’re lucky or blessed enough to have a job, and we desire to put food on the table and have a roof over our heads. And if we don’t, then there’s absolutely no reason to work! Enough with the philosophy though, it sounds good, but it doesn’t bring home the bacon! (smile)
We all know we’ve got to go, so let’s get ourselves together and do it afraid and/or unwillingly nuh, many other lives are depending on us. And as always, to help boost our spirits, let’s summon up some confidence and enthusiasm and declare (steups – wrong, wrong, wrong) our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, our wonder antidote for whatever ails us on a Monday morning.
As one now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
And we can both see and feel it working right away by the rush of adrenaline now coursing through our bodies and the sudden spring in our step. So let’s just keep it going and get out there and do our thing for Jesus! Glory to God! And does our God ever deserve much glory! As the Good Book proclaims: ‘Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are (by your will they exist) and were created.’
Now if you ever want to know what truth really is, then you can use that passage as a definition, because that’s just what it is – TRUTH! And we’re using the same Bit as yesterday because I want to touch on some choice scriptures that corroborate those words.
And in the very first words of the Good Book, we discover the biggest truth: ‘In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.’ (Gen.1:1) And from nothing too – through an instantaneous and miraculous act! What power, what absolute and marvellous power that signifies! And then He spoke everything else except mankind into being! That’s why there’s such awesome power in the Word and we believers ought to make much more use of it than we currently do.
And even when He formed man’s physical body out of the dust of the ground, He had to breathe the breath of life into him before he could become a living soul. (Gen.2:7) That shows another extension of God’s amazing power! First He created the heavens and the earth from nothing, then He spoke the rest of the stuff into existence, and finally He breathes the breath of life into man! Wow!
Please note His fondness for man in the fact that He didn’t just talk him into existence, but took the time and effort to personally mould him with LOVE and affection and attention to detail, for man is the most complex of His creations. And even when man fell from grace through his addiction to sin, God did not give up on Him. Listen to these momentous words from the Son of God, who eventually gave His sinless life to pay for our sins.
‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:16-17) Oh my people, in these troubled and turbulent times, those are words for us to live by! No others will get us through!
No wonder John saw in his vision of the new heaven, where the beasts and elders fell down before the Lamb: ‘And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book (the Book of Life) and to open the seals thereof, for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred (tribe) and tongue and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.’ (Rev.5:9-10)
Yes friends, that’s what Jesus did for us. Consequently, John continues: ‘And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.’ (Rev.5:13)
And that’s how it ought to be…and how it will be my fellow believers! So let’s stand strong and steadfast in faith nuh, if we want to be numbered amongst the thousands and ten thousands witnessing that wonderful spectacle at some time in the future! What a joyful time it will be! Much LOVE!
…let everything that hath breath…praise the Lord…praise ye the Lord… (Ps.150:6)
20 Mar 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better person, a glorious future with Jesus, a house built on sand, a house built on the rock that's jesus, a mother hen, a thousand days, abandoned, airtight plan, always comfort us, Beauty for Ashes, begun a good work, being confident, believe, Christian's eternal security, completes what He begins, conversion, covenant, crushing, divinely continued, every hidden crevice, faithfully promised, God's nature, Gods thoughts and ways are higher than ours, grace, grin and bear it, halfway home, hammering, hands on the plough, hold steadfast, holy spirit, how long will it last, hurry a little, joy for mourning, keep us safe, last forever, life's storms, like one day, looking forward to, lurking enemy, make me something, make something out of nothing, man's demarcation of time, Martin Luther King, Mother Nature, never leavenor forsake us, not turning back, of this very thing, on the ball, partners, Philippians, physically, protects her chicks, reduce me to nothing, reshape and remake me, spiritually, spring, Spring Equinox, the Boss, the breath of life, the Renovator, under his mighty wings, unrealized, until the day of Christ Jesus, walk obediently to god's will, Wednesday Wail, What is your schedule God, will perform it, work of grace, work out all things for good
Philippians 1:6. Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.
‘It’s spring! It’s spring! Springtime is here! Thank God it’s spring!’ Hn, hn, hn! Yeh friends, the Spring Equinox has finally reached the North Country, but please don’t be deceived by the ebullient nature of that statement because that’s just man’s calendar. Mother Nature however, doesn’t hold to man’s demarcation of time, she does her own thing, so the temps will not always be above freezing, and some of that white stuff is possible in the next month or so.
And having set the record straight on that topic, let’s move on to this interesting poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, titled ‘What is Your Schedule, God?’ The first time I read it, I had to laugh because it applies so appropriately to my present position and no doubt to some of you readers also.
So please pray with me: ‘Lord Many years ago Martin Luther King said “It is God’s nature To make something out of nothing. That is why God cannot make anything Out of him who is not yet nothing.” In ways I had never anticipated, Lord Slowly but persistently You continue Your hammering and crushing In every hidden crevice of my life.
You seem determined To reduce me to nothing In order to make something. I wonder… What is Your schedule, God? As You creatively continue To reshape and remake me How long will it last? Lord, could You hurry a little’
My sentiments exactly my people! It’s taking a rather long time for Him to complete His renovations in me! Oh I know that I will be a much better person, both physically and spiritually when He’s done, but did I need so much work, that it’s taking so long? (smile) I guess He seems to think so. And He’s the Boss, the Renovator, so there’s not much I can do but grin and bear it, knowing that He’s faithfully promised that He eventually will work out all things for our good.
Even the bad stuff, He’ll make eventually work in our favour. And there’s also this other important and incomparable promise found in the Bible verse for today’s poem, which is also our Bit for today. In the immortal words of Bruh Paul to the Philippians: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’
Ah mih people, our God is not a wishy-washy deity, who just does things vikey-vie, but an outstanding and upstanding Father figure who has an airtight plan and completes what He begins! That means that though I’ve been going through some rough times as He renovates me, and it seems to be taking a rather long time, I can yet be assured that he will finish those renovations in His own timing.
We all know that His timing and ours very seldom coincide; (smile) we want it done now for now, but He’s in no rush whatsoever. That’s why He gives us His powerful grace to bear up under such tough and unwanted conditions.
Now hear what the scholars say about our Bit. ‘1:6. Will perform it is said “will finish it.” Paul is convinced that the work of grace that God began in the Philippians at conversion will be divinely continued until the day of Jesus Christ. That is, the Lord will keep working in these believers until Jesus returns to earth, at which point He will finish His work, bringing it to completion. This speaks of the Christian’s eternal security. For God had a purpose in view when He began His saving work in the Philippians, and that purpose will neither be abandoned nor unrealized.’
Give our great God some thanks and praise my brethren, because He also has a purpose in saving us, and that purpose will neither be ‘abandoned nor unrealized!’ Wow! You can bet your bottom dollar on that! The Lord will continue working in and on each of us until Jesus comes back to claim His birthright! Isn’t that good news? Yes, it sure is wonderful news, to know that our heavenly Father is on the ball, even though we may not like what His work entails in our earthly days.
But we’ve just got to hang on to those promises of His, the many promises found in His awesome Word, like those above and like He’ll never leave nor forsake us, will always comfort us, give us beauty for ashes, joy for mourning, keep us safe under His mighty wings from the always lurking enemy and life’s inevitable storms, just like a mother hen protects her chicks! And the list goes on and on my faithful followers of Christ!
Remember, we are partners in this life with our Maker; that means He has a part to do, and we also have our part to do. And as Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) likes to say: ‘God will not do our part, and we can’t do His part, though we often try to!’ And that’s gospel truth friends! So our part of the covenant is to hold on tightly to the promises of the Almighty, and walk obediently to His will, regardless of the circumstances, and just let Him get on with His renovation and renewal of our lives.
Remember His thoughts and ways are higher than ours and a thousand days in His sight is like one in ours, so we will very seldom see eye to eye. (smile) But all will turn out well if we just believe and hold steadfast to His Word! It’s not always easy to do, but He’s also given us the grace and the help of His Holy Spirit do it. So let’s stop complaining and just get with the programme nuh! Jesus didn’t have it easy, so why should we have it so eh? No reason whatsoever!
So let’s smarten up, and with the Lord’s strength and joy in our hearts, let’s go home declaring (steups – wrong again) our Wednesday Wail, telling the whole world our wonderful and enviable position in the Lord Jesus Christ, our most wonderful Leader and Saviour!
Altogether 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 please remember, that future will be even more glorious than we can think or imagine! Way to go mih people! Much LOVE!
…a house built on sand will not stand…but one built on the rock that’s Jesus…will surely last forever…
P.S. Yuh see what happens when you all get the ole fella excited…he just keeps on writing…(smile) Much LOVE!
13 Mar 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: as every man had need, believing us easy, by what you can obey, Christian, come and follow me, communal living, cuts right to the quick, equalization, fight one more round, getting is dependent on giving, give to the poor, had all things common, halfway home, hands securely on the plouch, have eternal life, if thou wilt be perfect, inward nature, Jesus said to him, John Hagee, keep the commandments, looking forward, Love thy neighbour as thyself, loved his possessions, materialistic situations, measured not by what you believe, medical appointments, Moses, Mt. Sinai, none good but one, not looking back, obeying, outward duties, parted them to all men, poverty, prosperity, purpose of the church, rich young ruler, self-righteousness, sell all that thou hast, shall I do, sinful hearts, sold their possessions, spiritual strength, thank God, the body of Jesus, the breath of life, the Good Book, the seriousness, the Ten Commandments, to a glorious future with Christ, treasure in heaven, true discipleship, Wednesday Wail, welath, what good thing
Matthew 19:21. Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be (want to be) perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
What did the man say? ‘Fight one more round…just one more round…before giving up!’ Ah friends, that’s exactly what the ole fella’s doing; fighting one more round, as in going into the big city of T.O. for another medical appointment, and that’s also why he’s up so early writing the Bit! Aren’t you proud of him? I know you are! (smile)
Yeh, it’s a pain in the rear end to be always going into the city for these medical appointments, but the long and short of the story is that they are for my benefit, not the doctors. So if I don’t go, who’s going to suffer eh? They might not even make less money since there are oodles of people lining up to see them.
And today, in this season of Lent, where we all aspire to get more spiritual, (smile) we’ll look at an interesting situation in Jesus’ time that still holds good even today, and possibly more so than ever. It all begins with this quote from Uncle John (John Hagee), which says: ‘Your spiritual strength is measured not by what you can believe, but in what you can obey.’ Living truth that my people! Believing is easy, but obeying cuts right to the quick of our sinful hearts and desires!
And we have a great example of that in the rich young ruler who came to Jesus asking about eternal life. The Good Book reports it thus: ‘And behold, one came and said unto him (Jesus), Good Master (Teacher), what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
And he (Jesus) said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt (want to) enter into life, keep the commandments. He (the man) saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: And thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself.’ (Matt.19:16-19)
Now that’s standard fare for us all, the basic dictates of the Ten Commandments that the Lord gave to Moses on Mt. Sinai, for the Israelites and all those who believed in Him to follow. And the Good Book continues: ‘The young man saith unto him (Jesus), All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be (want to be) perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.’ (Matt.19:20-22)
Ah friends, yuh see what we talking about? Spiritual strength is so much more than just believing! That young rich ruler believed, but he just couldn’t obey. Selling his many possessions and then giving away the resultant funds to the poor was just too much for him to handle. And so it is for many of us in today’s very materialistic society. We believers who are supposed to be in the world but not of the world, are too often caught up in those same very materialistic situations like that young man of old.
And the scholars offer this insightful explanation. ‘19:18-22. This list of commands in verse 18 centres on outward duties, rather than inward nature, which was the young man’s real problem. He protests that he had kept these outward demands. His luxurious wealth and self-righteousness had blinded him to his real weakness. To expose this, Jesus orders, go and sell all your possessions and give to the poor…and come…follow me (v.21).
This he would not do and went away sorrowful. Jesus thus shows him that he had not kept the commandments at all. He LOVED himself more than he LOVED his neighbour (the poor), and he LOVED his possessions more than he LOVED God (“me”). This passage teaches the seriousness of true discipleship, but it in no way teaches the average man that he must sell his possessions in order to be a Christian.’
No friends, the average Joe does not have to give away all his stuff, but I’m sure that we’d all agree that there is certainly too much poverty in our society, when overall there is immense prosperity. This therefore means that too few have too much, and too many have too little. Consequently there needs to be a touch of equalization, where some of us who have a lot, give to those who don’t have much.
And that was the original purpose of the church; to help those in need, as we see from Acts 2:44-45. ‘And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted (distributed) them to all men, as every man had need.’
Yes friends, I know the church was much smaller then and they could do that kind of communal living, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that the church today, meaning all of us believers, is definitely not as sympathetic and giving to the needy as Jesus would like us to be, because we are too attached to our earthly possessions.
Remember we are the hands and feet, the body of Jesus down here on earth, and whatever we do will reflect on Him. So for Jesus’ sake, my fellow believers, please, I implore us, let’s try and do better nuh. In this way, the world will have a much more accepting disposition to our Lord and Saviour and thus less souls will be lost to the enemy.
Now let’s go home wailing our Wednesday Wail, telling all and sundry our sure-fire position in Christ. As one strong voice 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!’
Now that’s a future that none of us should want to miss! Much LOVE!
…getting is very dependent on giving…you’ll get…as you give…
06 Mar 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Christ, Ash Wednesday, Carnival, Christ's humanity, command these stones, contemplate the things of God, could not sin, divine nature, do the Father's work, every word of God, fasting, finite minds, forty days, forty nights, frivolities, give up things, glad to be alive, God's victory, God-man, halfway home, hands fixed on the plough, human nature, hungry, impeccability of Christ, into the wilderness, it is written, Jesus was led up of the spirit, Lent, looking forward, man does not live by bread alone, not looking back, praying, rebuke the tempter, Satan's rebellion, Satan's temptation, self-examination, sinfulness, spiritual succour, strong and steadfast, temptation, the breath of life, the Son of God, the tempter, ungodly purchase, virgin born, Wednesday Wail
Matthew 4:1. Then Jesus was led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
Well friends, the ole fella is up much earlier than he would have liked, but that’s because I have to go into the city to check on this ole heart of mine, to keep the appointment I missed during the big snow storm last week. And since I don’t want leave you all bereft of spiritual succour for too long, (smile) I had to get up earlier to write the Bit and get out on time. Last week it was an afternoon appointment, so I had time to palaver, but this week it’s in the morning. That’s how much the ole fella cares about you! Glory to God!
So what shall we talk about this Wednesday morning, this Ash Wednesday morning, when all the frivolities and sinfulness of Carnival finish eh? I don’t have a clue! (smile) Hope those of you who participated in the festivities, wherever in the world, had a good time and didn’t go too much overboard and thus give the enemy some ungodly purchase in your souls, because it’s very easy to do that when you let your hair down, as so many of us do, at Carnival time.
But now it’s the season of Lent in the Christian calendar; forty days and forty nights, a reflection of Jesus forty days and nights in the wilderness before He began His ministry and was tempted by Satan, but stood strong in His resolve to do the Father’s work. It’s a time where we hopefully get more spiritual, contemplate the things of God more, get into Bible Studies and spend more serious time with God.
It’s when fasting and praying and self-examination become a larger part of our lives. The popular action is to give up things we enjoy for Lent. I don’t know if it really makes a difference to most of us, who just do it because it’s the norm, but if it helps to bring us closer to God, then so be it. Now let’s look at what happened to Jesus in the wilderness and how He handled it all.
The Good Book says: ‘Then Jesus was led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.’
And the scholars have a long, involved explanation which I’ll share. ‘4:1. Following His public baptism, Jesus was led up of the Spirit into the wilderness referring to the elevation of the Judean wilderness. The historical setting of the temptation, which was directed against Jesus’ human nature, indicates that this was a literal experience, which He really conquered, not merely a mental victory over His own thoughts.
That Jesus was tempted of the devil is clearly presented as a fact. The attack against Christ’s humanity was a genuine temptation that would have overcome any ordinary man. However, Jesus was no mere man. As the virgin-born God-man, His divine nature could not sin (cf. 1 Sam.15:29), and this held His human nature in check. Some have objected that the impeccability of Christ (that He was not able to sin) denies the reality of Satan’s temptation.
Such an objection is meaningless when one remembers that Satan’s rebellion against God has already been defeated in Christ’s atonement, but his rebellion is nevertheless real, even though the outcome of God’s victory is certain. The same is true of the temptation of Christ. One may attack a battleship with a canoe. The outcome of the attack will be certain defeat for the canoe, but the attack is nonetheless real.’
Yes my fellow believers, Jesus was indeed tempted of the devil, but did not succumb to that temptation, as the Good Book tells us. ‘And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterwards an hungered (hungry). And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.’ (Matt.4:2-4)
Yes my people, that temptation was real, and Jesus was there quoting Moses’ words of Deut.8:3, where he reminded the Israelites how the Lord humbled them in the wilderness and made them eat manna so that they could know that He was God, and that bread was not the most important thing in their lives, but His Word. As the scholars put it: ‘The source of bread, is more important than the bread itself.’ Oh so true my fellow believers!
Before we close today though, I want to share some more of the scholars’ insight into Jesus fasting. ‘4:2-3. Jesus had fasted forty days and forty nights, a remarkable feat of human endurance, indicating the physical strength of the former carpenter. While the three major tests followed this period, other tests evidently had occurred throughout the 40 days (Luke 4:2).
His real physical hunger serves as the setting for the first temptation by the tempter (Satan). The conditional clause, If thou be the Son of God, indicates Matthew’s purpose for including this record of Jesus’ victory: it proves that He is, in fact, the Son of God.’
Yes friends, He was indeed the Son of God, and Satan knew this to be a fact, that’s why He tried to break down His hungry human nature with the temptation of bread, knowing that a great victory would be his if Jesus succumbed. But instead Jesus stood strong and steadfast and rebuked the enemy and won the victory! All praise and honour to our wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
Now friends, it’s our turn to stand strong and steadfast against the evil enemy! We don’t naturally have all the parts and power that Jesus had, but He’s faithfully promised that through His Holy Spirit, He will empower us to rebuke the tempter when He comes a calling in our earthly lives. And He’ll do just that if we sincerely turn to Him for help!
Now let’s go home declaring (steups – wrong again) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know our wonderful position in Christ Jesus! Wailing 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!’
Ah mih people, it will indeed be so very wonderful in those future times, that our finite minds can’t even begin to comprehend it! Think on it, and let Jesus warm the cockles of our hearts this Ash Wednesday morning! Much LOVE!
…Lent…a time of personal introspection…and a closer look at the kingdom of God…
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