19 Jun 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a spiritual superman, action in in your life, be actively involved in the word, Bible, change the world through Christ, Christian faith, christianity, didn't know if I was coming or going, dormant faith, endure to the end, eye opening and hair raising stuff, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, god, halfway home, hands on the plough, harder to live in prosperity than in adversity, how to abound, how to be abased, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, I have learned, I speak in respect of want, in poverty or prosperity, in whatsoever state I am, Jesus, Jesus Christ, later will be greater, LOVE, not looking back, one sacrifice at a time, our wonderful position in Jesus, pay me now or pay me later, practical life experiences, rejoiced in the Lord, shortchanging yourself, steadfast believers, thank God, the breath of life, the foundation pillars of our faith, the Lord looking after me, the skill for successful living, the strengthening hands of Christ, therewith to be content, to a glorious future with Jesus, to be full, to be hungry, tough times, Wednesday Wail, wisdom
Philippians 4:13. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
And Wednesday, the middle day of our work week has opened like the last two, hot and humid, but somewhat cloudy. It might therefore be a tad difficult catching your second wind. (smile) But let’s remember, as staunch and steadfast believers in Jesus Christ, we can do any and everything that He desires of us. The scriptures themselves promise us that, where they say, very unequivocally: ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ (Phil. 4:13)
And unless you sincerely believe that, and put it into action in your own life, you will be dreadfully shortchanging yourself and your Christian faith, for that’s one of the foundation pillars of our faith! However to properly understand that quote, one must first know why Bruh Paul said it. Immediately before those words, he had written these to the church at Philippi.
‘But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last your care of (concern for) me hath flourished again (revived); wherein ye were also careful (though you surely did care), but ye lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in respect of want (in regard of need): for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know how to be abased (live humbly), and I know how to abound (live in prosperity): every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ (Phil. 4:10-13)
Now the gist of the story is that apparently the Philippians had earlier sent Bruh Paul some financial aid, and although they still cared very much for him, they never had the opportunity to do so again. And he’s telling them that he knows they care, and although he was glad for any gifts they sent him, he had however LEARNED to live contentedly in any state in which he found himself, be it in poverty or prosperity. But the crux of the matter is that he’s only able to do it with Christ’s help. It’s Christ who strengthens him to live successfully in any situation. And I emphasized LEARNED because one doesn’t just acquire that skill.
As the scholars explain: ‘The Greek here suggests that contentment is a lesson learned neither in a classroom or overnight, but through many practical life experiences.’ And that’s the gospel truth my people! We can’t learn to live sincerely and successfully for Jesus until and unless we go through a lot of eye opening and hair raising stuff and apply the tenets of our faith to help us get through them.
And here’s another interesting explanation from the scholars, re Bruh Paul’s ability to live a contented life. ‘They say: ‘Paul has acquired the skill required for successful living with little and with much, the latter probably being harder: “For one man who can stand prosperity, there are a hundred that will stand adversity” (Thomas Carlyle -Scottish Essayist, Historian and Philosopher 1795-1881).’ Now isn’t that an interesting supposition – that it’s harder to live in prosperity than to go through adversity? For some that might be true, while for others it might not. But that’s another philosophical question for another time. (smile)
And, for our further enlightenment, let’s look at the scholars’ explanation of Bruh Paul’s remark about being able to do all things through Christ who strengthens him. According to them: ‘The apostle’s ability of knowing how to live skillfully on little or in prosperity does not mean that he is a spiritual superman. The reason he can live in such extremes is not owing to his own ability. Rather he can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth him, thus enabling him to adapt to his various situations, and God gives him the strength to be content in them all, trying and perplexing though they may be.’
That means my fellow believers that we can do the same thing; live like Bruh Paul, successfully in any state in which we find ourselves, because the ability to do so doesn’t come from us, but from the strengthening hands of our wonderful Lord and Saviour. And I can personally attest to that, because I’ve gone through some really tough times in my life, where I didn’t know whether I was coming or going. But the wonder is that in some of those early times of want, I was not into Christ as much as I now am, but somehow I was able to be contented in them.
But what’s even more interesting is that in many of those tough times, after suffering for a while, some miraculous event always occurred to get me out of them. And I now realize that it was the Lord looking after me, although my faith was somewhat dormant. That’s why I can’t stop believing!
Ah mih friends, the Bible says a lot of things, gives a lot of promises, but to access many of them we have to be actively involved, or we will lose out on plenty marvellous stuff. It’s never easy… sorry, let me rephrase that. Whenever it seems too easy, remember there will usually come a time when we will have to pay for it, and the longer the time of repayment, the more expensive it will be. As the man says: ‘You can pay me now or pay me later…but later will be greater…’
And that’s the gospel truth my brethren! So please, let’s wake up to the reality of the situation, let’s see that our world is quickly sinking into the mire of evil and ungodliness and make a solid and faithful promise to do our best to stop that terrible slide, and sincerely believe that we can do it, through Christ who strengthens us! And we can…if we truly believe and are willing to work at it. Now let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus.
As one 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!’
Now, if we endure to the very end with Christ, then it’s been promised that that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine. so let’s be wise and plan to meet that every end nuh! Much LOVE!…
we believers can change the world through Christ…one sacrifice at a time…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
29 May 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Bible, blue in the face, chastening is always for our benefit, christianity, confession, conviction, despise not the chastening of the Lord, endure to the end, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, fall flat on our faces, give in to temptation, god, God cannot act contrary to his nature, God is forever faithful, God will never let us go, God's reliable faithfulness, guilt, halfway home, hands on the plough, he cannot deny himself, Jesus, Jesus Christ, lead me forward on a firm footing, lead me into the land of uprightness, learn through hard personal experience, LOVE, neither be weary of his correction, not looking back, nothing can separate us from the Love of God, One Year Book of Bible promises, Renewed Commitment, resist until we feel exhausted, Ruth Harms Calkin, surrender our lives to god, teach me to do thy will, teach us the proper paths, thank God, the breath of life, the breath of life is still flowing through me, thou art my God, Three Discoveries, thy spirit is good, to a glorious future with Jesus, Wednesday Wail, whom the Lord loveth he correcteth, wisdom, yet he abideth faithful
Psalm 143:10. Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.
And then it was Wednesday…and the Bit is somewhat late, as usual. (smile) However, that should not happen for the next couple of months because my priest will be on a sabbatical and holidays for that time period. That means there will no Wednesday mid-morning church services to attend, and hopefully no errands to run afterward, so that I won’t have to come home tired from all my running around and have to nap before I can start writing the Bit. And all God’s people said a loud and grateful ‘Amen!’ (smile)
Enough idle chatter though, let’s get down to the Lord’s business. And today we’ll check out an interesting poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, titled ‘Three Discoveries.’ And this one I am sure I’ve shared before, but I believe it’s very necessary to share it again in these trying and troubled times. So please read with me: ‘I have made three overwhelming discoveries regarding God’s reliable faithfulness: The first: God will NEVER let us go – NEVER! We may fall flat on our faces. We may resist until we feel exhausted, but nothing can separate us from His matchless LOVE.
The second: God will NEVER let us down – NEVER! He is forever faithful, even when we are faithless. He cannot deny Himself. He will NEVER leave us nor forsake us. The third: He will NEVER let us off – NEVER! Whenever we give in to temptation, when we determine to have our own way – He says with all the LOVE of His Father-heart, “I LOVE you too much to excuse disobedience.” Whom He LOVES, He chastens. God is determined to bless us. He is eager to show us His kindness. He is glad to teach us the proper paths; but He MUST have access to our hearts. He will allow guilt to become a burden until conviction comes, then confession, and finally renewed commitment! May David’s prayer be our prayer:’
And what you ask was David’s prayer. ‘Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.’ Or as the New Living translation puts it at the end: ‘May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing.’ (Ps. 143:10) Yes friends, that’s the prayer of Bruh David our poem is referring to, and it’s the Bible verse associated with it. By the way, all the bold capitalizations are mine, done to provide a li’l more emphasis (smile)
And what do we learn from the poem? Three basic things. The first is that once we surrender our lives to God, He will NEVER let us go! No NEVER! Even if we resist till we’re blue in the face. The Bible greatly reassures us of that through Bruh Paul’s words to the Romans. ‘For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Rom. 8:38-39) Oh my people, it could not be any clearer or more reassuring than that!
And the second thing we learn from the poem is that God will NEVER let us down! And that’s the gospel truth my brethren! Our God is everlastingly faithful! As the poem says, He is faithful and cannot deny Himself. And Bruh Paul wrote that exact thing to Timithy in his second letter. ‘If we believe not (are faithless), yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.’ (2 Tim. 2:13) And you ask, what does cannot deny himself mean? This commentary explains it quite nicely.
‘God cannot go contrary to his word; that would be to act contrary to his nature and perfections, and would be a denying of himself, which is not possible; wherefore his faithfulness will never fail, even though, the faith of his people does, as to the exercise of it.’ So although we might fail and fall and become faithless, our great God will NEVER fall to such depths, will NEVER be faithless. We can count on it with all our heart, minds, bodies and souls. And if that doesn’t reassure you, then listen to the scripture from Hebrews.
The author writes: ‘Let your conversation (conduct) be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he (God) hath said, I will NEVER leave thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Heb. 13:5) And if that still does’nt satisfy you, then try this other scripture from Hebrews. ‘Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)’ (Heb. 10:23) And if all of those scriptures don’t reassure you of God’s faithfulness, then I don’t know what else to say, but that you will have to learn it through hard experience in your own life. (smile)
And the third lesson we’ve learned from our poem is that God will NEVER let us off. No. He will NEVER let us get away with sin and rebellious behaviour, because He LOVES us too much to see us go down the wide path that leads to destruction and allow us to continue down it unimpeded. No. He will be like a dog constantly nipping at our heels, reminding us of our inappropriate behaviour, until we finally confess, repent and turn away from that sinful activity. And why is that eh? Simply because of His great LOVE for His prized human creation.
And you can find scripture that attests to that in Proverbs 3, where Cousin Sol writes: ‘My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of (detest not) his correction: for whom the Lord LOVETH he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.’ (Prov. 3:11-12) And the Lord is simply behaving like our earthly father’s do; correct us when we go astray. If He didn’t do that, He would not be the LOVING and caring God He claims to be. Now, the author of Hebrews also has some invaluable words on the topic of the Lord’s chastening, but we don’t have time to go through it, so please read it for yourselves in Hebrews 12:5-11, and hopefully you’ll understand it better. Let’s remember though that the Lord’s chastening is ALWAYS FOR OUR BENEFIT!’
Now, let’s go home declaring (steups!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. As one 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 if we endure to the very end, then it’s been promised that the future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine. So let’s be wise and plan to meet there nuh! Much LOVE!
…our God is exactly whom the Bible says He is…a faithful, LOVING, kind, caring and compassionate God…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
17 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a house full of sacrifices with strife, a positive difference, a word fitly spoken, a world of iniquity, artificial intelligence, Bible, bitter envying, christianity, death and life are in the power of the tongue, defileth the whole body, demonic, disciples of Christ, don't boast, easy to be intreated, endure to the end, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, fight the good fight, fraudulent world, gentle, glory not, god, gossip, hands on the plough, hard work, he that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life, he that openeth wide his lips, in peace of them that make peace, in settings of silver, Jesus, Jesus Christ, keep the door of my lips, lawlessness of our tongues, lie not against the truth, lies, like apples of gold, LOVE, my God will supply all your needs, peaceable, scriptural tidbits, sensual, set a watch O Lord before my mouth, set on fire of hell, setteth on fire the course of nature, shall eat the fruit thereof, shall have destruction, sown in peace, strengthening our backbones, strife, thank God, the breath of life, the fruit of righteousness, the tongue is a fire, they that love it, through His riches in glory, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, wisdom is earthly
Psalm 141:3. Set a watch (guard), O Lord, before my mouth; keep (watch over) the door of my lips.
And just like that, the sunshine has disappeared, and a rainy day has foisted itself upon us. But because we have Jesus, we roll right along with whatever punch the world, or the devil chooses to throw at us! And helping us to do so are some more of those scriptural tidbits we call acclamations, like this one: ‘My God will supply all of my needs through His riches in glory through Christ our Lord and Saviour!’ (Phil. 4:19) And indeed He will, if we live the life He desires of us. And this one is oh so necessary for so many of us: ‘Set a watch (guard), O Lord, before my mouth; keep (watch over) the door of my lips.’ (Ps. 141:3)
Yes friends, in this talkative, lying, fraudulent, gossipy world, believers most definitely need to watch what they say, as our words can get us in very serious trouble. Remember what Cousin Sol says in Proverbs: ‘Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that LOVE it shall eat the fruit thereof.’ (Prov. 18:21) Oh my fellow believers that’s the gospel truth, those of us who LOVE to blabber will certainly suffer for it. Remember too that old saying, you shall eat those words? And all of us have seen it come to pass in our lives when we’ve spoken some unkind or unnecessary words.
And again, Cousin Sol reminds us in Proverbs: ‘He that keepeth (guards) his mouth keepeth (preserves) his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.’ (Prov. 13:3) And no, it’s not easy to control our tongue, for as James so wisely discourses: ‘And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members; that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature (our existence); and it is set on fire of hell.’ (James 3:6)
And as the scholars explain: ‘The tongue is a system (world) of iniquity that sets on fire the whole course of life, and is even set on fire by Satan (cf. 3:15) That means the tongue causes a whole lot of problems in our individual, lives as well as our world. What causes wars and rumours of wars, etc. etc. talk and the lawlessness of our tongues. And that reference above there is important enough for us to take it up from verse 13. James writes, concerning earthly and heavenly wisdom: ‘Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge (has understanding) among you? let him shew out of a good conversation (conduct) his works with meekness of wisdom (that his works are done with meekness of wisdom).
But if ye have bitter envying and strife (self-seeking) in your hearts, glory not (don’t boast), and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish (demonic). For where envying and strife is (self-seeking exist), there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated (willing to yield), full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.’ (James 3:13-18)
Yes my fellow saints, our tongues can be used for good or evil, but it all depends on which one we choose to use them for. Yuh see what happens when we allow Beelzebub to use our tongues; strife and envying, bitterness and boasting take place. But when we allow the Lord to set a watch upon our lips, His heavenly wisdom comes down to us and we seek peace, goodness, righteousness without partiality or hypocrisy. Now isn’t that the better way? It certainly is! But unfortunately in this current version of our world, one that’s so evil and ungodly, Satan has the upper hand when coming to the tongue, for so many lies, deceitful practices, strife, hypocrisy and partiality are present that it’s brought our world into a total scene of chaos and disaster.
And social media and the new darling of the public AI (Artificial Intelligence) are just encouraging the lies and misdirection that’s already so widespread on the earth. Then, unfortunately, those of us who know better, Christians, are not pulling our weight, not helping to reduce the garbage that’s circulating in our world, but some of us even add to it by spreading gossip and stories that we know nothing about, instead of trying to limit the foolishness that’s been so easily spread abroad, and also flourishes, or as the word says, goes viral within seconds.
Oh my people, my people, we have a big task ahead of us, trying to sow peace and righteousness on the earth, and we might never accomplish it until Jesus returns, but the important thing is that we try; we try to turn things around as best we can. But therein lies the problem, not enough of us are willing to try. We just want to sit back and enjoy the fruits, the entitlement that we can get from doing nothing. And to a certain point I can understand that reasoning, because trying to make a positive difference means hard work, sacrifices and other stuff our flesh detests.
But what about our spirits eh? What about the power, wisdom and LOVE we have from our great God? What about the sacrifices our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ made for us? Are we just going to allow them to be in vain? I certainly hope not. That’s why I’m pleading with us to begin making a difference, strengthening our backbones so that we can sacrifice some of our pleasure and leisure to fight the good fight of peace and righteousness in Jesus’ name. Now it’s up to us to get out into the world and be shining beacons of light and salty and tasty elements of peace and righteousness, as Jesus desires and expects of us. Remember, that’s our bounden duty as disciples of Christ!
Now, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our amazing and invincible and position in Christ Jesus. as one 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 for good measure, if we endure right down to the very end with Jesus, then that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine. So let’s be wise and plan to meet at the very end nuh, so that we can enjoy that glorious future together! Much LOVE!
…a word fitly spoken (spoken at the right time)…is like apples of gold…in pictures (settings) of silver…(a timely and fitting word is precious and pleasing)…(Prov. 25:11)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
03 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a great cloud of witnesses, as in Adam all die, be born again, believe, christianity, comfort one another with these words, despise not the chastening of the Lord, Easter, Easter Sunday, endure to the end, eternal separation from Almighty God, faith, forgive others, forgiveness of sins, god, Good Friday, halfway home, hands on the plough, hellfire and damnation, in Christ shall all be made alive, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ our Anchor, Jesus defeated hell the death and the grave, Jeus's triumphant resurrection, lest ye be wearied and faint, LOVE, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, not turning back, our redeemer, our rock, ramifications of Easter, resurrection, run with patience, salvation, sealed the deal, set down at God's right hand, thank God, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, the breath of life, the dead in Christ shall rise, the firstfruits of them that slept, the race set before us, the Rapture, the trump of God, to a glorious future with Jesus, Wednesday Wail, whom the loveth he chasteneth, wisdom
1 Corinthians 15:22. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
It’s a wet, windy and cloudy Wednesday! And it’s not just some spring showers, but the effects of a North American wide storm moving all the way from California, across the continent dropping snow and rain in its path in unusual proportions. This rain has been falling in my area since yesterday, and has attached to it the potential for some wet snow. So there’s reason to be careful, either through flooding or slipping and sliding if the snow materializes. What a good thing it is that we have our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, our Anchor, our Rock, our Redeemer, to help us in all and any situations! All praise to His holy name!
And since the Lord has spared life today, let’s keep the promise we made yesterday and turn to the second part of our discourse on the ramifications of Easter. Now, yesterday we saw the great benefit Jesus’ death on Good Friday wrought for us; that’s the forgiveness of our sin debt. However, we need to first believe, be born again, and forgive others of their trespasses against us, if we want the Father to forgive us our trespasses. And if there was any doubt, Jesus’ triumphant resurrection on Easter Sunday, sealed the deal! Yes, He defeated Satan and his negative domain, that’s hell, the death and the grave!
Wow! And because Christ rose from the dead, all those who believe in Him are promised eternal life, that’s the continued living of their soul with Christ, wherever He is. As Jesus said so clearly: ‘And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. and as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.’ (John 3:13-15) There you have it friends, because Christ was raised from the dead and ascended into heaven, so too shall those who believe in Him be raised from death into eternal life with Him!
As Bruh Paul writes to the church at Corinth: ‘But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits (the anticipated harvest) of them that slept (have died). For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.’ (1 Cor. 15:20-23) Ah my fellow believers, that’s just so wonderful! Because Christ rose from death, so shall we. And that last verse promises that when Christ comes for the church at the Rapture, believers, all those who died believing in Christ will also experience resurrection. And the scholars offer these references for that that situation: (cf. 1 Thess. 3:13: 4:14-18).
And that second reference reads thus: ‘For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent (precede) them which are asleep (have died). For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump (trumpet) of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever (always) be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.’ (1 Thess. 4:14-18)
Now, let’s hope we all sincerely believe that promise, find sure comfort in it, take it to heart very seriously, and consequently live the earthly life that will make it come through for us, because it’s not going happen automatically; not unless we believe and live according to Christ’s desires. And what are Jesus’ desires you ask? I believe this passage from Hebrews explains it perfectly. ‘Wherefore seeing (since) we also are compassed about with (surrounded by) so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (ensnare) us, and let us run with patience (perseverance) the race that is set before us.
Looking unto Jesus the author (originator) and finisher (perfector) of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction (hostility) of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint (discouraged) in your minds (souls). Ye have not yet resisted unto blood (bloodshed), striving against sin. And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children (sons), My son, despise not the chastening (discipline) of the Lord, nor faint (be discouraged) when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord LOVETH he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.’ (Heb. 12:1-6)
Yes, my fellow saint. We have a whole lot of others to look to, who testified or witnessed to the benefits of our faith, but the chief one for us to emulate is our founder and finisher, Jesus Christ! And like Him, to run the race required of us, we have to drop all the stuff that weighs us down; sins, clothes, personal baggage, whatever, and endure all that comes against us, like Jesus, for the joy of spending eternity with Him! That means even enduring the Lord’s discipline without too much complaining, because if the Lord LOVES you, he will discipline you, just like we discipline our children, because we LOVE them and don’t want to see them go astray.
And with those ramifications of the Easter occurrences in mind, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus! As one 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!’
Then there’s this promise; that if we endure to the end with Jesus, then we’ll experience a future so glorious that we cannot ask or imagine it. Now that’ certainly something to look forward to eh. Hope to see you then! Much LOVE!
…without the awesome happenings of Good Friday and Easter Sunday…we’d be headed straight for hellfire and damnation…eternal separation from God…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
27 Mar 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adding fuel to the enemy's fire, As God for christ's sake forgave you, be ye kind one to another, Christ died to pay for our sins, Christian actions, Christian talk, draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, Easter Sunday, endure to the end, enquired early after God, eternal life, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, for all this they still sinned, forgiving one another, gave them their own desire, glad to be alive, God was their rock, greed, grieve not the holy Spirit of God, halfway home, hands on the plough, holy spirit, Holy Week, honoureth me with their lips, Jesus Christ, LOVE, make the Spirit sad, not looking back, quench not the Spirit, resurrection, sacrifice, sealed until the day of redemption, selfishness, talk is cheap, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men, tenderhearted, thank God, the breath of life, the high god their redeemer, the wrath of God came upon them, their days did he consume in vanity, their heart is far from me, their years in trouble, to a glorious future with Jesus, Wednesday Wail, while their meat was yet in their mouth, wisdom, ye hypocrites
Matthew 15:8. This people draweth nigh (near) unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
And Holy Week keeps rolling along. It’s Wednesday; only two more days before the sadness and pain. But as we all know the good goes with the bad, and if we don’t have the negative, we won’t appreciate the positive; in other words, if we didn’t have the Good Friday ‘sufferation’ we would be able to have the triumphant Easter Sunday resurrection! And believe me, in most cases, especially this one, the good far outweighs the bad. For Jesus’ death and resurrection are the very foundation of our Christian faith! He died to pay for our sins, then rose from the dead so that we could have eternal life! And all God’s people said a loud and grateful ‘Thank You Jesus!’
The problem though is that we mostly talk the gratitude but don’t walk it as we ought. And that’s why our world is in such a dreadful state of strife, hatred and all the negative attributes; there’s not enough true Christian ministry to repel the evil. As Jesus said to the Pharisees: ‘Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias (Isaiah) prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh (near) unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.’ (Matt. 15:7-10)
Yes friends, Isaiah prophesied about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees in Is. 29:13, where the religious leaders only worshipped with their mouths but not their actions, and merely taught the rules and traditions of men and not of God. Unfortunately, life hasn’t changed that much and today we’re doing the very same thing; we talk a good Christian talk, but our hearts and our walk are far from God, more set on the cares and material things of the world. There is still so much poverty and insincerity in our world, with more than enough to satisfy everybody’s needs, but the greed and selfishness, jealousy and envy of our current society, prevent the haves from sharing God’s provision with the have nots.
The result being all sorts of strife, sickness, despair, economic uncertainty and poverty. And in Asaph’s great Maschil or Contemplation, Psalm 78, titled, ‘Teach the Children God’s Law,’ he recounts the words of Isaiah, and Jesus. The Jews were ungrateful for God’s provisions of water and food in the wilderness and turned away from God. And speaking of the quail avalanche they received for their desire for meat, (Num. 11), Asaph writes: ‘So they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire; They were not estranged from their lust (deprived of their craving). But while their meat was yet in their mouths, The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest (stoutest) of them, and smote down the chosen (choice) men of Israel.
For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works. Therefore their days did he consume in vanity (futility), and their years in trouble (sudden terror). When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and enquired early (sought diligently) after God. And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer. Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues. For their heart was not right (steadfast) with him, neither were they steadfast (faithful) in his covenant.’ (Ps. 78:29-37)
Ah friends, as supposed believers in Christ Jesus we are doing the same thing right now, we’re guilty of supreme hypocrisy in our Christian walk, merely talking the Christian talk, but not walking the Christian walk. And we all know what we’re guilty of, but we harden our hearts and move on in our unchristian way, despite the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit that indwells us, and desires to lead us to do the good works of the Lord. As Bruh Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus: ‘And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed -unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.’ (Eph. 4:30-32)
And what do we mean by grieving the Holy Spirit? Basically it means making the Holy Spirit feel grief and sorrow by doing what He tells us not to do. As this commentary explains: ‘In short, believers can make the Spirit sad by our sinful actions. This ties together several critical ideas. First, it means saved Christians are still capable of sin. Second, it means that God does, in fact, care about how we live our lives once we are saved.’ This brings up another question concerning the Holy Spirit; quenching it, which Bruh Paul talks about in 1 Thess. 5:19: ‘Quench not the Sprit.’
And what does that mean? This commentary gives us an example of quenching the Holy Spirit. ‘One way to quench the Spirit is to treat with contempt the message that the Spirit delivers to us, either through people or the Scripture. Treating that message with contempt would essentially be to reject it. To say that it was not from the Spirit. Or by choosing to ignore it.’ And what’s the difference between grieving and quenching the Holy Spirit? ‘We grieve the Spirit by what we do to Him. We quench the Holy Spirit by what we refuse to let Him do through us.’
Oh my fellow believers, sadly, in this evil age, we are both grieving and quenching the Holy Spirit by our ungodly talk and behaviour, and that’s just adding fuel to the enemy’s fire. So please let’s stop it nuh. Let’s return to a true covenant relationship with our heavenly Father, for that’s the only way for us to see good days and long life. Now, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus!
As one 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 if we desire to see an even more glorious future than we can ever think or imagine, then we need to endure right down to the end with Christ. It’s truly going to be marvellously splendiferous (smile) when Jesus comes in all His glory and splendour! Let’s hope we’ll be there to see it together. Much LOVE!
…talk is cheap…but Christian actions require sacrifice…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
20 Mar 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a light unto my path, be good examples of love and light, be not afraid, be strong and of a good courage, Bible, birds singing, by them is thy servant warned, christianity, endure to the end, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, God's narrow path, groundhogs, hands on the plough, have good success, how I love your law, how sweet are thy words unto my taste, I am come that they might have life, I believe in the freedom you promise, I hate every evil way, in keeping of them is great reward, In Touch Devotional, it is my meditation all the day, Jesus, Jesus Christ, LOVE, make thy way prosperous, may your word be sweeter than honey to me, more to be desired than gold, neither be thou dismayed, not turning back, O how I love thy law, our guidebook for earthly living, psalms, reshape my misguided desires, shout with David, spring, sweeter than honey to my mouth, thank God, the abundant life, the breath of life, the judgements of the Lord are true, the Lord thy God with thee whithersoever thou goest, the power to get wealth, the sun's shining, the thief comes only to steal rob and kill, this book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, thou shalt meditate therein day and night, through thy precepts I get understanding, thy word is a lamp unto my feet, to a glorious future with Jesus, Wednesday Wail, wisdom
Psalm 119:97. O how I LOVE thy law! it is my meditation all the day.
And it’s like we’re not talking about spring, with the birds singing their joyful tunes, and the trees putting out some early buds, for it flurried all day yesterday, and some last night or early this morning, but not enough to make any worthwhile difference. And though the sun’s shining, and it’s not too chilly out there, the computer is advising a weather alert, with more snow in the forecast. Brother! That’s what we get for listening to those fake groundhogs and their shadows. What early spring did they see eh! Chuh! This is the kind of contrary weather that get’s people sick; mentally expecting one type of weather and dressing for it, only to experience the unpleasant reality of a different kind.
But enough of the weather and it’s eccentricities, let’s turn to this prayer from the ‘Let Us Pray’ section of this month’s In Touch Devotional. As one voice: ‘God, I admit – I don’t always want to follow You. Some days, Your way seems narrow and lifeless. Yet I believe in the freedom You promise. Show me, Father, the abundant life found in keeping Your wisdom. I want to shout with David, “How I LOVE Your law!” But my heart is not there yet – I need Your help. Reshape my misguided desires, Lord. May Your Word truly be sweeter than honey to me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.’
Yes friends, we all have those times, when we don’t feel so into God and His narrow path, but nonetheless we know that He is the right way to go, if we sincerely want to find the abundant life that Jesus died for us to have. And Jesus made it quite clear that’s what He was about, when he said. ‘The thief cometh not but for (except) to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have life more abundantly.’ (John 10:10) What a magnificent statement my people! Jesus came that we might have a decent life down here as well as eternal life with Him in the other world! What can be better than that eh? Nothing!
But to enjoy that abundant life, we have to sincerely seek the Lord and His righteousness, and do His holy will. It doesn’t just fall into our laps automatically, even when we believe. Jesus has already done His part; sacrificed His sinless life for ours, and risen from the dead, so that we could also rise in due time, we now have to do our part, follow His lead and be good examples of LOVE, light, salt and righteousness in this evil and ungodly world. And keeping God’s law ought to be our number one priority. For as the psalmist says in Psalm 119: ‘O how I LOVE thy law! it is my meditation all the day.’
And that’s exactly what the Lord commanded Joshua to do with the Israelites, as they were about to cross the Jordan river and enter the Promised Land. ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth (shall be constantly in thy mouth); but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh. 1:8) Ah mih people, that is the very genesis of success; meditating on God’s law and then following it, putting it into action in our own lives. That’s the ONLY way we will ever have success in this world and the one to come!
And I just LOVE this next verse, where the Lord pounds it into Joshua’s head, and hopefully ours today too. ‘Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.’ (Josh. 1:9) Now those same words still apply to us today, my fellow saints, and until we sincerely believe them and act accordingly upon them, we’ll never have the success that the Lord intends for us to have. For remember who gives us the power to get wealth? The Lord God Jehovah! And the major way to do that is by concentrating on the Lord’s Word.
Then, further down in that section of Psalm 119 that speaks of the LOVE of God’s law, the psalmist further proclaims: ‘How sweet are thy words unto my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every evil way.’ (Ps. 119:103-104) Oh, how I wish that we could all say those words with utter sincerity! For then we would be able to truthfully say the next verse: ‘Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.’ (Ps. 119:105) Now that’s exactly what the Lord desires His Word to be for us, a light and lamp to guide our feet and show us the right path to tread.
And Bruh David said it thus of the Lord’s word in Psalm 19: ‘The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear (reverence) of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgements 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 honeycomb (the drippings of the honeycomb). Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.’ (Ps. 19:8-11)
Now that last verse says it all friends. The Lord’s Word serves as a warning for us, and when we follow it, we are well rewarded, both down here on earth and in heaven above. And that’s the indisputable truth. So, having those words of godly wisdom written indelibly in our hearts, lets’ go home now, declaring (steupsss!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful and most marvellous position in Christ Jesus.
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 there’s a rather important proviso to that proclamation: If we endure right to the very end with Jesus, then that future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine. So let’s be wise and plan to meet at the very end with Christ nuh! Much LOVE!
…the Word of God…is our Guidebook for earthly living…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
07 Mar 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, accumulation of earthly wealth, Baby Boomers, become unfruitful, choke the word, curse, eternal life, every day I will bless thee, faith, fear, forgiveness, god, God's Unsearchable Greatness, grace, great is the Lord and greatly to be praised, he that heareth the word, he who hath ears to hear let him hear, I will bless thy name for ever and ever, I will extol thee my God, Jesus, Jesus Christ, LOVE, mercy, my neck of the woods, my thoughts are higher than your thoughts, my thoughts are not your thoughts, my ways are higher than yours, my ways are not your ways, negative word, no deep roots, no deepness of earth, one generation shall praise thy works to another, persecution, praise, promulgated by satan, psalms, receives it with joy, repentance, self-control, some seed fell on stony places, stumbles, success, sunshine, supernatural strength, the breath of life, the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, the parable of the sower, Thursday Blessings, tribulation, wisdom, withered away
Psalm 145:1. I will extol (praise) thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.
And it’s a beautiful Thursday morning in my neck of the woods; sunshine and fairly warm temperatures! What more can one ask eh? All praise to God who looks after His people with LOVING care! (smile) And for the first time this week I don’t have anywhere to go or anything to do out the street. Glory Be! So I can just take my lazy ole time and do whatever I want to do here at home. So what shall we talk about today eh? Hang on a sec, let’s see where the Good Library opens…
Voila! It opened unto the Book of Psalms! And we will look at Psalm 145, a Psalm of Praise by Bruh David, titled – God’s Unsearchable Greatness. And is He ever great, and His greatness not understandable or appreciated by the puny minds of His most important creation. But Bruh David had some inclination of the Lord’s greatness, that’s why he writes: ‘I will extol (praise) thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day I will bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.’ (Ps. 145:1-2)
Yes mih people, that’s what we need to do each and every day that we draw breath on God’s great earth; praise Him, bless His holy name! And why is that you ask? Bruh David tells us as he continues: ‘Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: and his greatness is unsearchable.’ (Ps. 145:3) And though we might not know exactly how great our God is, because of our finite minds, we ought to know that He’s much greater than us, because He made us, with His own hands, and breathe the breath of His life, His Spirit into our bodies, and still controls our every move down here on planet earth.
And if we cannot comprehend the Lord’s greatness on our own, then He’s told us about it in no uncertain terms through the prophet 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) Now that’s telling us! But some of us still foolishly refuse to believe Him and try to go our own way, but eventually fall so low that we can no longer help ourselves and have to turn to Him in frustration, fear and repentance and ask for His forgiveness, grace and mercy.
That’s why it’s so unwise to turn away from Almighty God, for when we’re flat on our faces, through disobedience and the tribulations of the world, He is the ONLY One, capable of, and ever-willing to lift us up from the mire and restore our fallen selves and broken dreams. That’s why Bruh David writes for our edification: ‘One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare (steups!!!) thy mighty acts.’ (Ps. 145:4) Now that’s how the Lord’s greatness is supposed to be passed down from one generation to another, and has finally reached us.
Unfortunately though, our generation, Baby Boomers, or whatever we’re called, is certainly not doing a good enough job in passing it down to our children, the next generation, for too many of them have become ungodly. And why is that eh? Many of us parents have turned away from God, through the many foolish beliefs and ideas that are currently permeating our world, all promulgated by his satanic majesty, and even many of us who claim to believe, are too busy with the things of the world, accumulating earthly wealth and power and whatever, so that the truth of God and His word consequently falls by the wayside.
It’s like Jesus’ parable of the Sower, where ‘Some (of the seed) fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith (immediately) they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth (no deep roots): And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had not root, they withered away. And some (of the seed) fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up and choked them. (Matt. 13:5-7)
Or as explained by Jesus: ‘But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon (immediately) with joy receiveth it. Yet hath he not root himself, but dureth (only endures) for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended (he immediately stumbles). He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care (cares) of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.’ (Matt. 13:20-22)
Yes friends, unfortunately, those two kinds of believers form a large part of our Christian brotherhood today. While what we desperately need are many more where seed fell on good ground and brought forth fruit.’ (Matt. 13:8) Please pay attention though to how Jesus ends the parable, with the warning ‘He who hath ears to hear, let him hear.’ (Matt. 13:9) And per the seed that fell on good ground, Jesus explains: ‘But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth (produces), some an hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.’ (Matt. 13:23)
Oh my my, that is exactly what these turbulent and unconventional times call for; sincere believers who are helping others to come to Christ and thus be able to enjoy the abundant life that He sacrificed His sinless life for us to have here on earth, with the eventuality of eternal life with Him. And the first step in it all my fellow saints, is to praise God’s name, then live the life that will show the unbelievers that we’re serious and sincere, not the hypocrites that many of them so rightly takes us for. Now let’s go home declaring (yes!!!) our Thursday Blessings, so we can activate the generous blessings that the Lord has bestowed on us to do His earthly work.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And now that we’ve activated those undeserved blessings, it’s our bounden duty to go out and use them to benefit others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…even if you don’t know Him personally…it’s wise to praise who ever created this awesome universe and all therein…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
06 Mar 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a man after God's heart, be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, Bible, blessed is the man, bringeth forth its fruit in his season, catch our second wind, choose life, christianity, confident trust, endure to the end, eternal death and damnation, eternal live, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, fulfill my will, god, halfway home, hands on the plough, his delight is in the law of the Lord, Jesus, Jesus Christ, keep God first place in our lives, like the chaff which the wind driveth away, LOVE, meditate day and night, not looking back, obedience will bring blessings, obey God's Word, places future in God's hands, psalms, regardless of the cost, remain steadfast in God, sit on the fence, sitteth in the seat of the scornful, standeth in the way of sinners, the breath of life, the congregation of the righteous, the man God honours, the ungodly shall persih, to a glorious future with Jesus, totally committed to God, walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, Wednesday Wail, wisdom
Psalm 1:1. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly (wicked), nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
Ah mih people, unfortunately, this middle day of our work week, Wednesday, has opened somewhat dark and damp. But please don’t allow the gloomy weather to stop us from catching our second wind, as we must, if we want to get through the rest of the week in good shape. Sadly too, the Bit will be somewhat late today, because I soon have to leave and go to church for our Wednesday morning small gathering, but then I also have a church meeting after that, so it will be awhile before I get back to finish my early work. But don’t worry, it’s all in the Lord’s service! (smile) And as always, He will reward us with some excellent words of wisdom when we continue. Soon come!
Well we’re finally back two and a half hours later… but with a good word, as it relates to ‘The Man (& Woman) God Honours.’ That’s a poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. Now, it specifically talks about men, but I’ve also included women, because all the things men do these days women do it too, and we wouldn’t want to be labelled sexist. (smile) And to make it more concise and more easily read, I’ve also taken the liberty of changing the pronouns ‘He and His,’ to ‘They and Theirs.’ Furthermore, I don’t know if I’ve shared this one before, because it doesn’t sound familiar, but if I have, it’s certainly interesting enough to share again. (smile)
So please read with me: ‘There are thousands of men and women in the world. Men and women come in assorted sizes – tall and short, wide and lean. There are bankers, salesmen, politicians, mechanics, lawyers, teachers. But the man or woman that God honours is marked by at least five characteristics: FIRST: They are totally committed to God, and their concern is that they will obey God’s Word, whatever the cost. SECOND: They are persons whose faith can be defined as confident trust. Their high priority is prayer, knowing that a supernatural God works in supernatural ways.
THIRD: They rest their past, present, and future in the hands of an ALL-LOVING God, even in times of turbulence, uncertainty, agony, misunderstanding, and pain, assured that their times are in God’s hands. FOURTH: They believe with all their heart that, as they keep steadily traveling along God’s pathway, God will honour them with every blessing. FIFTH: They have one consistent desire: “God, make me a person after your own heart.”
Yes friends, those are the five basic characteristics a believer ought to have. And we surely can’t find fault with any of them, since that’s the way the Lord has outlined His plan for mankind. Being totally committed and obedient, regardless of the cost; with strong faith and belief in the efficacy of prayer; placing their whole lives in God’s hands, surrendering their all to Him, in spite of the circumstances; assured that if they follow God’s plan, He will eventually honour them with blessings untold; and above all, to be called a man or a woman after God’s own heart.
Now that is one of the most important honours God can bestow on us. And we don’t have to be perfect to get it, but our hearts have to be right with God, like Bruh David’s was, although he was by no means perfect, but very fallible like all of us. As it says in Acts 13:22: ‘And when he had removed him (Saul), he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom he also gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfill my will.’ And the original scripture can be found in 1 Sam. 13:14.
‘A man after mine own heart’ relates to two things; first that Bruh David was God’s choice for king, and not the people’s, and secondly that at first Bruh David’s character morally was exceptional, and though He faltered with his murder of Uriah and adultery with Uriah’s wife Bathsheba, he never moved away from God, like so many others. His faith and trust always remains steadfast in the God of his forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And I believe that’s what the Lord wants to see from His people, more than anything; despite our shortcomings, we never move away from Him, always keep Him first place in our hearts and lives, always trying to do His holy will.
And some of us must be wandering what’s the Bible verse for today’s writing? Well here it is finally. It comes from our well known Psalm 1. And reads thus: ‘Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly (wicked), nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate (ponder) day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers (channels) of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgement, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. for the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.’ (Ps. 1:1-6)
Ah friends, that first Psalm says it all in a very neat and concise form. If you follow the Lord’s dictates, learn His law and obey it, you will live a blessed life. If you don’t, then your life will be miserable and eventually you will perish. It’s simple math’s, not rocket science; obey and live eternal life, disobey and die eternal death. And it’s up to each of us to decide which option we’ll choose…and we have to choose one or the other, for trying to sit on the fence is counted as disobedience. (smile)
And for those of us who are endeavouring to live right, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our marvellous position in Christ Jesus! As one 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 there’s a further promise to look forward to: if we endure with Jesus right to the very end, then that future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine. So please, let’s make plans to meet at the very end and together enjoy that more than glorious future nuh! That’s wisdom at its zenith! Much LOVE!
…we’ve been offered life or death…let’s be wise and choose life…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
07 Feb 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a gift from God, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, A Listening Heart, a peculiar treasure, a small minded mentality, a trace of impatience, Be still and know that I am God, disobedience, endure to the end, enjoy good in his labour, exalted in all the earth, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, from the hand of God, good examples of salt and light, halfway home, hands on the plough, hear and your soul shall live, holy spirit, I will be exalted among the heathen, if my people would only listen, if ye will obey my voice, in whom I am well pleased, incline your ear and come unto me, Jesus Christ, keep my covenant, lack of faith, lack of faithfulness, listen to Him, LOVE, not turning back, nothing better for a man, thank God, the breath of life, the god of jacob is our refuge, the joy of the Lord is our strength, the Mount of Transfiguration, this is my beloved Son, this is the day the Lord has made, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, we will rejoice and be glad in it, Wednesday Wail
Psalm 46:10a. Be still and know that I am God:
A blessed Wednesday my people, as we rise and greet this new day, and assert with faith and thanksgiving: ‘This is the day the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps. 118:24) And if we’re wise, we’ll do just that because it’s our heritage, our gift of God. I like how Cousin Sol says it in Ecclesiastes. ‘There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour (his soul should enjoy good). This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.’ (Eccl. 2:24)
And the scholars explain: ‘When a man toils in his own strength, he is bound to suffer pain and grief. The answer then is to enjoy his work by receiving it as a gift from God.’ And isn’t that the awesome truth! When we look at what we have and do as gifts from God, a sense of peace and rightness comes over us and we labour in a much more joyful spirit than otherwise. So, on this middle day of our workweek, when we catch our second wind, please, let’s listen to the voice of the Spirit of our great God, and allow Him to bring us that joy of the Lord that’s our strength, that we might do His work with sincerity and truth, and be good examples of salt and light in this dark and evil world.
And I believe that this piece from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin will help us do just that. It’s titled ‘A Listening Heart,’ and I’m sure that I’ve shared it already, but it’s good enough to share again. (smile) So please read with me: ‘I remember vividly the lesson I learned from my husband one day as he came home from his office weary and depleted. It had been a difficult day. He needed to talk. My day had been difficult too. Countless interruptions, phone calls, guests coming for brunch the next day. I wanted to listen, so I suggested that he follow me from room to room while I dusted furniture.
We tried it. while I dusted the piano, he talked. When I cleaned the clanging piano keys he continued, but with a trace of impatience. Next the stereo, then the tables. When I moved, he moved. Suddenly he grabbed my shoulders. ‘Please listen to me!’ Frankly I was shocked. “Honey, I heard every word you said.’ ‘I mean listen with your heart!’ I dropped the dust cloth. We sat down, and I gave my full attention. No body signals, no folded arms, no finger tapping. I was again aware of the tremendous responsibilities my husband carried. He needed my understanding. He thanked me profusely for listening.
That night I remembered how often God had said to the children of Israel. ‘If my people would only listen.’ I thought of God’s yearning for an intimate relationship with us. He waits for our response to his still small voice. He longs for our listening hearts, How we must grieve him when we don’t listen.’ And is that ever the gospel truth my fellow believers! It certainly grieves the heart of our wonderful and ever-LOVING God when we don’t listen to Him, because He knows that the good He has in store for us will bypass us, and we’ll suffer the pangs of this world unnecessarily.
Now, here are a few scriptures that prove the point. The Bible tells us of the Lord’s warning to the Israelites: ‘And Moses went up unto God and the Lord called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say unto the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare (sustained) you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar (special) treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine. And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.’ (Ex. 19:3-6)
What a blessed message friends! Straight from the mouth of the Lord their supposed God! But did they listen and obey His voice? No! And you’re asking why the Israelites didn’t listen to God? This commentary gives us some idea of the basic reason. ‘Why did the Israelites continue to disobey God, even when they always would be punished for their actions? Disobedience comes from lack of faith and lack of faithfulness. Their mentality was often that of a weak God, a God who couldn’t do much for them or who they didn’t want to serve.’
And, unfortunately that is the basic reason why so many of us today still refuse to listen to the voice of God; our faith is small, and we don’t consider God to be the true omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present Deity that He is. And we refuse to serve Him too because we like the evil lusts and pleasures of the world rather than the things of God. Then there’s this marvellous invitation from God to the Israelites again, this time through the prophet Isaiah.
‘Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me (listen closely), and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness (abundance). Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.’ (Is. 55:1-3)
Yes friends, another instance where the Lord invited the Israelites to listen to Him, and they again refused. And He also pleads with us in the New Testament. That day on the Mount of Transfiguration, where ‘Jesus’ face did shine as the sun and His raiment (clothes) was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them (Peter, James, John) Moses and Elias (Elijah) talking with him (Jesus). Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias (Elijah). While yet he spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye (listen) to him.’ (Matt. 17:2-5)
But yet we still don’t listen, because we find the discipleship of Jesus, the narrow path, is too onerous, compared to the wide open, but very destructive path of the world. But please my faithful brethren, it’s to our benefit to listen. And as the psalmists, the Sons of Korah so wisely advised in the Bible Promise for our reading: ‘Be still and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in all the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.’ (Ps. 46:10-11) Please, let’s remember that and listen to the still small voice of God speaking to us through His messenger, the Holy Spirit.
Now, let’s go home declaring (steups!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. Altogether: ‘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 endure right down to the very end with Jesus, that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine. So, see you there! Much LOVE!
…to spend eternity in heaven rather than hell…one must listen and obey…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
17 Jan 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a different perspective on life, a no brainer, a prisoner of myself, all of life turned right side up, all of life upside down, as for me and my house, at the end of my rope, be of good cheer I have overcome the world, christ is the winner every time, christianity, come unto me all ye that labour, come without feeling, defenseless, don't climb, don't compete, don't cringe, endure to the end, eternal life, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, find rest unto your souls, glorious sunshine, halfway home, hands on the plough, I am meek and humble, I called upon the Lord in distress, I came, I will give you rest, Jesus Christ, Lord look at me just look at me, LOVE, mercy, never hunger, never thirst, not turning back, Reversal, see without eyes, set me in a large place, spiritual bread, take my yoke upon you, thank God, the BIBLE, the bread of life, the breath of life, the Lord answered me, the Lord set me free, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, walk without feet, we will serve the Lord, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, without merit or hope
Psalm 118:5. I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large (broad) place.
Oh my people, there’s glorious sunshine in my neighborhood It’s also pretty cold…but who cares eh? The sun’s shining brightly, that’s all that matters! And yesterday, despite the cloudiness and snow, we also had some sunshine for a part of the early afternoon, so we can’t complain. Now that’s what winter is supposed to be all about!
And having said all of that, I just discovered a wonderful poem in our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, simply titled ‘REVERSAL.’ As usual, I don’t know if I’ve shared it before, but if I did, it’s certainly worth sharing again, (smile) especially in these rough and ungodly times, when we’re all experiencing serious problems.
So please read with me: ‘I said: Lord, look at me Just look at me All of life upside down – Tangled emotions smeared with fear Guilt Despair Disgust A prisoner of myself. The hopeless thing is that It’s all decided. I’m defenseless At the end of my rope Locked in And I’ve tried, Lord Tried desperately. But how does one see without eyes Or walk without feet? How, Lord? You said, Come unto me. You need not cringe Nor climb Nor compete Nor change Come even without feeling without tokens Without merit or hope… But come. Come now. I came And all of life Turned right side up.’
Wow! I just LOVE that poem, for it’s the gospel truth and I can certainly testify to it, as many of you my fellow believers also can, because that’s exactly what happens when we sincerely turn our attention to Christ and surrender our all to Him. Our lives are inexplicably turned around. And although our circumstances might not change very much, we are able to bear them much better than before.
The thing is, that with Christ in our lives we develop a completely different perspective on life; one that promotes positivity and the concept that any and everything is possible with God. So we no longer feel alone and disgusted with ourselves because we are not living up to whatever standards we think we ought to. Oh friends, it’s important to go to Christ just as we are, broken and disgruntled. As the poem says: ‘there’s no need to cringe, or climb, or compete, or change. Just come; even without feeling, without tokens, without merit or hope…but just come.’
And that’s exactly how Jesus expects and welcomes us. Regardless of our position, He just wants us to come…come as we are, and He will fix us up. It’s as the psalmist says in the Bible Promise for our poem. When talking about God’s mercy, he confidently states: ‘I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large (broad) place.’ (Ps. 118:5) One translation says ‘he set me free.’ And that’s what He will do if you entrust your heart, mind, body and soul to Him.
And you cannot get a better scripture that encompasses it all than Christ’s Great Invitation! No friends, how can you ever top this bold and compassionate invite? ‘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 unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt. 11:28-30) Oh my people, what an invitation! And you’d be really foolish and unwise not to take Jesus up on it, because no one else has such an invitation to offer. Certainly not the evil one, Satan.
Now, it doesn’t mean that your life will then be all peaches and cream. No! For in this evil, ungodly world you will always have trials and tribulation, but as Jesus said: ‘These things I have spoken unto you that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) That’s the important part my brethren; to know and believe that Christ has overcome the world, so there’s no need for us to fear what man or beast can do to us.
Unfortunately though, in this world, it’s imperative we bow to somebody, and we only have two serious options, Satan or Christ. But since Christ’s yoke and burden are much lighter and have many more good rewards than Satan’s, especially the forgiveness of sins and life eternal in heaven, it only makes sense to accept him as Lord and Saviour. It’s the wisest decision you’ll ever make. And besides, your worst day with Christ, is going to be better than your best day with Beelzebub! That’s for sure!
Now listen to Jesus as He again offers what no one else can offer. He said to the crowd that followed him: ‘I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth in me shall never thirst.’ (John 6:35) Yes mih bredrin, the people were looking for physical bread and drink to quench their physical hunger, but Jesus was talking about the spiritual bread, the bread which gives eternal life. And for sure, NO ONE ELSE can make that kind of offer in all sincerity and truth! Jesus is the ONLY ONE who can make and keep it!
So there we have it; two options in life: Put your trust in Satan and end up in hell with eternal separation from Almighty God, or put your trust in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and end up in heaven with eternal life to look forward to. And there is no doubt or hesitation on my part as to which is the better option. I’m going to do like Joshua and say: ‘as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.’ (Josh. 25:15) That’s my unalterable position. And for those of us who feel the same way, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus.
Altogether: ‘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 there’s a further promise that if we endure with Jesus right down to the very end, then that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine. So, let’s plan to meet at the very end and enjoy that glorious future together nuh! Much LOVE!
…the choice between Satan and Christ…it’s a no brainer…Christ is the winner… EVERY TIME…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
Previous Older Entries Next Newer Entries
SCRIP-BITS 