16 Nov 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a chance of rain, a cloudy day, a conscious decision, alive and kicking, Alpha, associated with the Saviour, Be All, believers in Jesus Christ, comforting power, confident, contentment, create happiness, day of trouble, defense, deliverance, deliverer, end all, eternal life, evil, fortress, glory to God, halfway home, happiness, healing, his anointed one, howl, I am helped, I will love thee, invalids, joy, let your light so shine, meaning, meat, mercy, Most High God Jehovah, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, my heart greatly rejoiceth, my heart trusted in him, my high tower, my rock, No one is guaranteed happiness, not looking back at the past, Omega, passion, pay for our sins, peace, refuge, rooted in Christ, sacrificed, salvation, saved from mine enemies, shining in our lives, shining like a light, sincerity, sing aloud, sinless life, solace, straight furrows, strife-filled world, stronghold, thank God, thanksgiving, the breath of life, the cross at Calvary, the foot of the cross, the horn of my salvation, the light of Jesus, the Lord is my strength and shield, the Messiah, the rich and famous, the right path, the saving strength, the spiritual Son, their own peril, time and space, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, ungodly world, wander up and down, Wednesday Wail, worthy to be praised
Psalm 28:7. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.
Well friends, it looks like it might be a cloudy day in my area, with a chance of rain, but just because we can’t see the sun, doesn’t mean that it’s not up there behind the clouds.
And thankfully, contrary to the physical sun, the spiritual Son is always shining His light brilliantly in all His believers’ lives! Glory to God!
Without the light of Jesus shining in our lives we’d be little more than invalids in an evil and ungodly world. But through His awesome power and Spirit living in us, we can do any and every thing! What a joy to be associated with the Saviour!
Now here is an interesting quote from my ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU’ Poster. It tells us: ‘No one is guaranteed happiness. Life just gives us time and space. It’s up to us to fill it with joy and meaning.’
And isn’t that the indisputable truth! Even the rich and famous don’t just find happiness because of their wealth and fame. They too have to make a conscious decision to create happiness in their lives.
And as believers in Jesus Christ, we know that the best way to find happiness and joy is through His healing and comforting power. Constant companionship with Him, through reading His word and following His dictates gives us the wherewithal to find peace and contentment in this angry, strife filled world.
Now who wouldn’t want that eh? Apparently a lot of people don’t because they are turning away from Jesus, at their own peril.
Our job is to stop them from doing that. And for those who have already done it, to help bring them back to the foot of the cross of Jesus, where they can find solace, find joy, find eternal life and salvation.
But we can’t do that until we ourselves are fully rooted in Christ and are shining like a light in this dark world. And to help us do that today, let’s declare our Wednesday Wail with true sincerity and plenty passion.
Wailing: ‘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!’
Yes friends, that’s how we ought to be today; thankful that we’re alive and kicking. And having taken up our cross to follow Jesus, we’re focused on what’s before us, looking straight ahead so we can plough straight furrows in His name, keeping in mind the awesome future He’s promised us. Wow! What a beautiful picture my brethren!
No wonder Bruh David could confidently declare in our Bit: ‘The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.’
Oh my fellow believers, anytime we can declare that with sincerity, means we’re on the right path! It’s not always easy to do, but the more we cling to Jesus and His ways, the more we see the truth in that declaration, the more it comes to pass in our lives, and the more confident we become.
Listen to Bruh David as he declares in the verse after our Bit. ‘The Lord is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed (the Messiah, the commissioned One). (Ps.28:8)
Without a doubt friends, the Most High God Jehovah is our saving strength through His Son Jesus Christ, who sacrificed His sinless life on the cross at Calvary to pay for our sins. Now how caring and LOVING is that eh! More than enough for us to desire to shout it from the rooftops!
Now let’s look at a couple of scriptures that reinforce our Bit. Bruh David says in Psalm 59 – A prayer for deliverance. ‘Let them wander up and down for meat (food), and grudge (howl) if they be not satisfied.
But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning; for thou hast been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble. Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing: for God is my defense, and the God of my mercy.’ (Ps.59:15-17)
Oh precious people of Christ, I do hope that that is the way we all feel, otherwise we’re in a whole lot of trouble!
Now let’s end with one of Bruh David’s most famous declarations; that from Psalm 18 – Thanksgiving for deliverance.
‘I will LOVE thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler (shield), and the horn (strength) of my salvation, and my high tower (stronghold). I will call upon he Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from my enemies.’ (Ps.18:1-3)
Ah mih breddren, what joy and peace fills our hearts when we reach that stage where we can truly trust and believe in our magnificent and magnanimous God! There’s nothing else in this world that compares to it!
So today, as we go out into the world, let’s stand tall, hold our heads high, with our shoulders thrust back, proud that we are followers of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the Alpha and Omega, our Be All and End All. For that’s what He expects of us. Much LOVE!
…let your light so shine…that others will come to believe…
P.S. Please excuse the lateness of the Bit, it was just one of those late hockey nights. (smile) And please remember to pray for Scotty, our Scrip-Bit family member, sick in the hospital with blood pressure and diabetes problems. He desperately needs our prayers. Much LOVE!
24 Oct 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: atonement, aura of love, blessed, born again, born of God, care, compassion, complaining, confidence, death, energy, enthusiasm, everlasting life, faith, faithful, frailties, friends, fun, get with the programme, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, God's LOVE, grateful, Hades, hell, His only begotten Son, holy spirit, humble servants, in all things, invincible, Jesus Christ, Jesus' business, jobs, joy, lies, LOVE, Love makes the world go round, Lucifer, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, muttering, nay, negative actions, our Lord and Saviour, perish, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, sacrificing, salvation, sense of purpose, serve a useful purpose, shield, son of god, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, surrender, the cross at Calvary, the fray, the grave, the propitiation for our sins, the shed blood of Jesus, the trumpet is calling, through him that loved us, time to be up and about, trust, truth, ungodly world, we are more than conquerors, wisdom
Romans 8:37. Nay, in all things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.
Awright friends, it’s Monday, so let’s get up and get a move on nuh. There’s no time for pushing the snooze button and rolling over. The trumpet is calling out yonder: It’s time to go to work! Time to be up and about Jesus’ business!
Yes my people, there’s no time for muttering and complaining. You weren’t muttering or complaining last night when you were up till all hours of the night having fun. So let’s cut out the negative actions now and get with the programme.
And to help us do that, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with plenty enthusiasm, energy and sense of purpose. As they say, fake it until you make it.
So let’s sing: ‘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!’
Oh friends, that rendition of our Battle Hymn was barely passable! How can such a lacklustre vocalization ever inspire anybody to go out and fight bravely eh? It’s obvious that our choirmaster, Jesus, wasn’t pleased. But as always, knowing our frailties, and having that great LOVE for us, He forgives us.
Nonetheless, now that our motors are running, let’s pick up the tempo and get ourselves into the fray of this new workweek, with Jesus, beside, behind and before us; in other words, all around us as a protective shield. That’s why we can so audaciously declare in our Bit: ‘Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.’
Yes precious people of God, once you are spiritually born again through the shed blood of Jesus on the cross at Calvary, then you have indeed become a conqueror through His having conquered hell, death and the grave. The same options are open to all who sincerely believe in Him and truly surrender their souls to His leading and guidance.
Now the last couple of days we have been talking about the conquering aspect of our Bit, today however, I want to talk about the LOVE portion. And isn’t that word LOVE, the greatest word in any language on planet earth? It certainly is! Why eh?
Listen to the most important verse in the God’s word. ‘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.’ (John 3:16)
That’s the major purpose behind it all my faithful brethren. God’s LOVE was so great for us, His sinful creation, that He just could not live with Himself to see us all go down to Hades with Lucifer without some option for deliverance. ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:17)
And all those words were spoken by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the SON of God! So they just had to be true, since God cannot lie. That’s how blessed we are my people! Our Creator’s care and compassion for us was so strong, that He broke His own heart, by sacrificing His only Son, that we could be set free from the ravages of sin and death.
Now doesn’t that touch a soft spot in your heart, make you everlastingly grateful? It ought to. And it also ought to raise up your own LOVE for God, His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit in thankful appreciation for all that they’ve done for you. But such is the ungratefulness and foolish pride of man that many of us just couldn’t care less about what the Holy Trinity has done, is doing, and will do for us.
Now let’s further develop this theory of LOVE. We have a saying that ‘LOVE makes the world go round,’ and if we follow and believe what John says in his later writings, then it might just be true.
Hear John theorize. ‘Beloved, let us LOVE one another: for LOVE is of God; and every one that LOVETH is born of God, and knoweth God. He that LOVETH not knoweth not God; for God is LOVE. In this was manifested (shown) the LOVE of God towards us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation (atonement) for our sins. Beloved, if God so LOVED us, we ought also to LOVE one another.’ (1 John 4:7-11)
And that’s the crux of the disastrous situation right now in our world; we don’t LOVE one another!
And we not talking about no big setta LOVE nuh, with plenty hugging and kissing etc; (smile) but just simple brotherly kindness, goodwill, care and compassion for each other. Now that’s what will make our world go round!
Ah friends, if we want to see our world become a better place, both for ourselves and our descendants, then I implore us to start showing that goodwill, that brotherly LOVE to each other. It’s not too late, and with God’s help we can certainly do it. So let’s begin today nuh; there’s no better time than right now! Much LOVE!
…without more basic LOVE…our world WILL NOT survive for much longer…
29 Apr 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: assurance, confusion, defeat sin, descendants, died on the cross, difficult times, dissipation, evil cohorts, faith, fear not, fellowship, Friday chant, fun, generous help, glorious kingdom, God champions, he shall stand at the last day, hear the birds singing, hell, hold thy right hand, holy spirit, I know that my Redeemer lives, I will help thee, in Jesus' name, Isaiah, Jesus Chirst, licentiousness, live and reign forever, live victoriously with Jesus, Lucifer, Old Testament, omnipotent god, orphans, our redeemer, out of the mouth of, promises of God, refreshed in soul body and mind, relaxation, renewed, rest, restoration of Israel, set the tone, strangers, stress, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the cross at Calvary, the demands of our body, the end of the work week, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the Holy One of Israel, the lake of fire, the Lamb that was slain, the mansions of heaven, the only true God, the weekend, the word of the Lord, week of work, widows, wisdom
Job 19:25. For I know that my Redeemer (lit. Kinsman) liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter (last) day upon the earth.
Ah friends, yesterday was another busy and frustrating day, which eventually led to a rather late night, or should I say early morning to bed. I had to laugh when I heard the birds already singing their morning praises to our wonderful God as I got into bed.
Consequently, the tired old body refused to get up this morning until it was good and ready. Sometimes we just have to be wise and simply adhere to the demands of our body, because it knows best, what is good for it.
And as I got up, the raucous, joyful shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here!’ reminded me that it was the day that so many of us look forward to, because it heralds the end of our work week and brings on the much needed weekend.
But don’t forget my brethren, that how we use our weekend is very important, since it sets the tone for the way our next week of work will unfurl. If we use it wisely, then our week will go much more smoothly than if we use it in total dissipation and licentiousness. Hn!
And by using it wisely, I mean along the lines of our Friday Chant, which we shall now declare. As one chanter: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes friends, that is definitely the wisest way to use our weekend, especially in these trying and difficult times, times of great stress and confusion. We don’t need Lucifer and his evil cohorts to drag us further down into the mire of sin than we already are.
So when they approach us with sinful actions that seem so innocent and pleasant, but are in fact devious and dangerous, just tell them to go back to hell where they belong! (smile)
Because, as Job so boldly proclaims in our Bit: ‘For I know that my Redeemer (lit. Kinsman) liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter (last) day upon the earth.’
Ah mih breddren, that is such a powerful statement of faith, especially under the disastrous circumstances that Job declared it.
And today we know for a fact that our Redeemer Jesus Christ lives, since He died on the cross and rose again to defeat sin, death and the grave, so that we could all live victoriously ever after with Him in the mansions of heaven!
And all God’s people declared a loud and grateful: ‘All praise, power and glory to the Lamb that was slain for us on the cross at Calvary! May he live and reign forever!’
And believe me friends, He WILL indeed live and reign forever!
And with that sure assurance (smile), let’s continue looking at some scriptures from the Old Testament that testified to the truth of our having a redeemer, beginning with these welcome and encouraging words from Isaiah as he prophesies about the final restoration of Israel.
‘For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.’ (Is.41:13-14)
Yes friends, how could they ever beat the strong and ever faithful promises of our magnificent, majestic and omnipotent God eh? NEVER!
And Isaiah seems to have been well attuned to his Redeemer as he mentions it several times in his writings. Listen to him once more, re the folly of idolatry. ‘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.
And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it (can proclaim it), and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? and the things that are coming, and shall come, let them show unto them.’ (Is.44:6-7)
Ah mih people, there’s no one who can do and say the things our God can, because He is indeed the first and last, and the ONLY true God that exists!
Now hear what Cousin Sol has to say about the Redeemer. ‘Remove not the old landmark (boundary); and enter not into the fields of the fatherless: For their redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with (against) thee.’ (Prov.23:11)
And that’s for certain sure my fellow believers! We all know how our God champions the widows and orphans and strangers, so we had better make sure we don’t run afoul of them, because the mighty God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will fight tooth and nail on their behalf.
And we’ll end with some more Isaiah, as he declares that deliverance will be from the Lord. ‘And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord. As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put into thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed’s seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever.’ (Is.59:20-21)
Oh friends, there’s no better way to end than with that reminder about the Lord’s Spirit which indwells us and the necessity for us to keep the Word of the Lord constantly in our hearts, minds, souls, bodies and proceeding from our mouths, and those of our descendants.
So today, let’s ponder both our individual and family situation on that matter nuh, then ask the Lord to bring us and our family up to scratch on it. For that is indeed wisdom at its fullest! Much LOVE!
…without Jesus…our wonderful Redeemer…we’d all be heading for hell and the lake of fire with Lucifer…
28 Mar 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: achieve victory, alive and kicking, aura of love, battered and bruised, children of God, cleansed, confidence, corruptible, Creator of the universe, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, Easter Monday, enthusiasm, eternal life, eternity, every knee bow, every tongue confess, evil, footstool, friends, funeral, futile, glorious kingdom, glory to God, godless, groaning, Hades, hissing of teeth, holy spirit, immortality, in Christ's precious blood, incorruptible, invincible, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, Jesus is Lord, joy, lies, LOVE, Lucifer, moaning, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, mortality, Mustang sports car, o death where is thy sting, o grave where is thy victory, our labour is not in vain, Praise the Lord, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, the cross at Calvary, the last trump, to the glory of God, trust, ungodly world, ungrateful sinners, useful purpose, washed, wisdom, world of darkness
1 Corinthians 15:57. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Well mih people, it’s the big day, Monday! And ah hear a lot of moaning and groaning and hissing of teeth in the background. But that’s only coming from those unlucky ones who have to go to work this Easter Monday. (smile)
Many of us though have the day off, which we’ll most likely spend in celebration with friends and family, giving thanks and praise to Almighty God for burying our sins with Jesus in hell, then raising Him from the dead, clean and whole, alive and kicking, ready to rule the world till eternity, bringing all His enemies under His footstool, having every knee bow to Him, and every tongues confess that He is Lord indeed to the glory of God! (Phil.2:9-11) Praise the Lord!
And the good news is that once we become associated with Jesus, we’ll become children of God and will also embrace eternal life as heirs and joint heirs with Him! Mama Mia! What could be sweeter eh? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!
Me, I won’t be able to do any celebrating until in the afternoon though, when I return from the funeral of a friend’s son. Last year he bought his seventeen year old son a vintage Mustang sports car with a ridiculous amount of horse power, and apparently a week ago, the lad ran into a guard rail and met his unfortunate demise.
Ah Lord eh! There’s nothing worse than a parent losing a child, especially one just on the verge of adulthood. So you can imagine the heartache Jehovah God must have felt seeing His beautiful Son all battered and bruised on that wooden cross on Calvary Hill, all on behalf of a bunch of ungrateful sinners.
But that was the only way to pay for the sins of humanity, and He LOVED us so much that He was willing to sacrifice His only Son, Jesus Christ. Oh glory to God my people! And I don’t think we truly appreciate the Lord’s magnanimous gesture nuh, else we wouldn’t be behaving as sinfully and godless as we are.
Anyway, since it’s Monday, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to encourage those who have to go out and labour today. And friends, please, please let this be a wonderful, wonderful rendition, because it’s Easter Monday, and our Lord and Saviour has just defeated Lucifer and his world of darkness, all for our sake, rising triumphantly from the grave, so that we could be set free, be washed an cleansed in His precious blood.
So as one, glorious choir of angels 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!’
Oh my fellow believers, that was magnificent! It was truly a glorious choir of angels because all heaven sang along with us! And you could see the proud fire in Jesus’ eyes and the bright smile that lit His handsome face as He energetically swung His choir director’s baton. The Father even gave us a standing ‘O’! Wow!
So now, having pleased heaven with our song, let’s go out and please them with our actions in the evil and ungodly world that surrounds us. Now friends, let’s get into some serious scripture, detailing our victory in Christ.
Listen to Bruh Paul lay it down. ‘Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump (trumpet): for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave (Hades), where is thy victory?
The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain (futile) in the Lord.’ (1 Cor.15:50-58)
Yes friends, that’s how it’s going to be! Our mortal and corruptible bodies will be changed into immortal, incorruptible ones and then Isaiah’s prophecy will be fulfilled. (Is.25:8) The world of darkness will be defeated, and victory will be ours through Christ Jesus.
And all God’s people sang out a joyful and grateful: ‘Thank You Jesus! Thank You Father God! Thank You Holy Spirit! Thank You for giving us victory, over, hell, death and the grave! We LOVE You, and will faithfully serve and worship you till eternity…and even after!’ (smile)
Now let’s close with some info from the scholars. ‘15:52. At the last trump: This is not the last trumpet of Revelation 11:15, but the last trumpet of 1 Thessalonians 4:16. It is so designated because it signals the end of the present age. Two groups are distinguished. The dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed: The term dead refers to those who have died in Christ. The term we refers to those who are still living at the time of the Rapture.’
So my people, this Easter Monday let’s go out and celebrate the Risen Christ in whatever we do, not forgetting though, Granny’s sage advice: ‘Sonny boy, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business.’ Now that is wisdom of the ages! Much LOVE!
…in the battle for the world…Christ is the runaway victor…bless His holy name…
23 Jan 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a relationship with God, advice, any man should boast, beloved followers, better understanding of God, blessings, by grace you are saved through faith, care, Christ's atonement, compassion, created in Christ, divine grace, easy yoke, Ephesians, faith, foolish pride, for God so loved the world, for good works, forgiveness, free choice, glory hallelujah, God's goodness, God's purpose, going his own way, grace, grow in Christ, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, holy spirit, Jesus, lead and guide, leftovers, life-changing words, light burden, logic, loving kindness, maturity, meat and potatoes, menu, mercies, not of works, read and spell, recreated by Christ Jesus, rocket science, running back for more, salvation, sample God's wares, sinful nature, spiritual birth, surrender your life to God, the cross at Calvary, the gift of God, the greatest gift ever given to man, the kindness of God, the long and short of the story, understanding God's Word, unmerited favour, whoever believeth in him should not perish, workmanship
John 3:16. For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
And the people sang: ‘Saturday, oh Saturday, what do you have in store for us today?’
And the Lord replied likewise in song: ‘For my beloved followers, today I have brand new blessings, brand new mercies, etched with forgiveness, grace, care, compassion and LOVING-kindness. That’s my constant menu, except they are freshly prepared each and every day. I don’t do leftovers for those I sincerely care about.
And I have the best server in the world, My Holy Spirit. He will lead and guide you through the entire day, giving you good advice as to what to do and say.
So if you like what I’m offering, come on down and sample my wares. I guarantee that once you’ve sampled them, you’ll never go away; you’ll just keep running back for more. So see you soon. All my LOVE! Your heavenly Father.’
And that’s exactly how it is friends! Our magnificent God prepares His menu of delights afresh for us every day. As he says, He doesn’t do leftovers. But the only way you can truly sample His wares is by surrendering your life and soul to Him, so that He can set up His Holy Spirit in your soul.
The Holy Spirit is the server, so if you don’t surrender and allow Him in, then you won’t be able to sample the menu. No rocket science my brethren, just simple logic!
And all of that is borne out in the marvelous words of our Bit. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’
Oh precious people, how can we doubt or disbelieve those life-changing words eh? It’s been historically proven that Jesus did die on the cross at Calvary, and if He was indeed whom He claimed to be, and there’s no reason to doubt it, then that’s the greatest gift that has ever been given to mankind! Glory Hallelujah!
We should all be shouting and praising and thanking God for His wonderful gift of salvation through Christ, and be ever so willing to live under His easy yoke and light burden.
But mankind is a different animal, possessing free choice, foolish pride and a sinful nature, so he doesn’t always make the wisest decisions. And even when you read and spell for him, like I’m trying to do here, he still insists on going his own way.
However, let’s turn to the scriptures for more facts on the subject. Yesterday we were looking at Bruh Paul’s message to the Ephesians, concerning faith and grace and how they work in a believer’s life. We ended up where he declared that God’s purpose was to demonstrate His goodness to them through Jesus Christ so they could have a better understanding of Him. (2:7)
Today, we’ll continue from there. ‘For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and not that of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship (creation), created in Christ Jesus unto (for) good works, which God hath before ordained (prepared) that we should walk in them.’ (Eph.2:8-10)
Now friends, those are three of the most important verses concerning our faith! The first thing we need to realize is that we are saved by God’s grace, His unmerited favour, and nothing that we have done ourselves.
The scholars explain that verse thus. ‘2:8. For gives the reason for this future demonstration of divine grace. It is because man owes his salvation to this grace or undeserved divine favour.’ Then they go into all sorts of explanations about the different tenses and genders of the Greek words which I will leave out.
The long and short of the story though is: ‘This means that no part of salvation is “of yourselves” or due to what we do – the whole of salvation is the gift of God. Man is saved “by grace” that is, by the kindness of God in having Jesus die for our sins. But this grace is appropriated through faith, that is, man believes what God has done for him and relies upon Christ’s atonement to blot out his sins and bring him into a proper relationship with God.’
In other words, NONE of our good works can get us into heaven. We can ONLY get there by accepting God’s LOVING-kindness and having faith, believing In Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour. Unfortunately though, a lot of people still misguidedly believe that good works will get them into heaven. I sincerely hope that they smarten up before it’s too late.
As for ‘2:9. The reason in part, that salvation is not achieved by good works is to prevent men from bragging of having earned a place in heaven by themselves.’
Yuh think the Lord stupid? He made man, and He knows what we are capable of. Can you imagine the bragging and boasting that would have gone on if we could get to heaven through good works!
‘2:10. For verifies the assertion of man’s good works having no part in obtaining salvation. Workmanship refers not to our original or physical birth, but to our spiritual birth: what we are spiritually in the good sense is due to God, not ourselves. Created in Christ Jesus unto good works means “having been (morally) recreated by Christ Jesus for good works;” that is, Jesus remade our spiritual lives so that we could then do good works.
The apostle’s thinking is this: since the Christian has been given spiritual life for the purpose of doing good works, there could have been no good works by him prior to conversion that would merit salvation. Good works follow – do not precede – salvation.’
There you have it friends, Bruh Paul’s treatise on grace and faith. I know I’ve shared most of this stuff before, but it’s such an important part of our belief system that we can never hear it enough.
So today let’s spend some time pondering on the meat and potatoes set before us nuh. It’s time we stop drinking milk and eating baby food and gain some maturity, moving on to a higher understanding of God’s Word (smile). Much LOVE!
…we can only grow in Christ…by gaining a deeper understanding of His Word…
08 Nov 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: ambassadors of Christ, cleansed from sin, compassion, disharmony, disunity, encouragement, forgiveness, gathering of believers, give thanks and praise, glory, Glory be to God, grace, great is the Lord, Greetings in the name of Jesus, honour to God, I will bless thy name for ever and ever, I will extol thee my God, in the congregation of the saints, justice, let everything that hath breath praise the Lord, live in harmony, LOVE, loving kindness, lukewarm, mercy, one generation shall praise thy works to another, our Father in heaven, peace, pride, reaching up to high heaven, resentment, reverence, righteousness., shout Hallelujah, shouts of praise, sing unto the Lord a new song, thanskgiving, the church of Christ, the cross at Calvary, the god of Jacob, the gospel of christ, the Psalms, walking with Jesus, washed clean, witness for Christ, working for Jesus
Psalm 145:1. I will extol (praise) thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.
Greetings my Friends, in the holy name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who sacrificed His sinless life on the cross at Calvary so that we could be made whole, be washed clean, cleansed from our abominable sins and be reconciled to our Creator, our Father in heaven!
What a mouthful! (smile) But it’s all true. And from that selfless sacrifice came forth the best gifts ever bestowed on mankind; salvation and eternal life! Oh, glory be to the wonderful Deity that we serve and worship!
That’s why on this Sunday morning in November, we ought to be filling the Lord’s sanctuaries to give Him thanks and praise for His continued LOVING-kindness to us undeserving sinners. All over the land, shouts of praise and glory and thanksgiving ought to be reaching up to high heaven in true reverence and honour to our majestic God!
Yes my people, the gathering of believers in Jesus Christ is of the utmost importance, for that is one of the major ways in which we build and also express our faith; worshipping together, encouraging and edifying each other. As the church, the body of Christ, we are expected to be as one, to live in harmony and unity, with the gospel of Christ as our true foundation and guide.
And just like if one part of our physical body malfunctions, it causes problems for the whole body, likewise, if one part of Christ’s church doesn’t live up to expectations, the entire body will malfunction; there will be disharmony, disunity, selfish pride and resentment, amongst other things, bringing dishonour to Christ.
And that’s one thing we certainly don’t want to do! We are His ambassadors, that means we ought to be doing good things in His name, setting a good example, living true to His godly principles, not to negative or evil ones. Unfortunately, these days negative and evil principles are taking a stranglehold on our world. War, hate, anger and strife are paramount in today’s world, while peace, LOVE, justice and righteousness are running a poor second.
That’s not right Friends, that’s not how it’s supposed to be. The good ought to be overpowering the bad by a sizeable majority, not the other way around. That is why in these difficult and dangerous end times we believers have to seriously increase our witness for Jesus if we want to save our world.
We can’t afford to do like Jesus said of the people back in His time, re John the Baptist. “He was a burning and a shining light (lamp): and ye were willing for a season (time) to rejoice in his light.’ (John 5:35)
Oh my brethren, we cannot rejoice just for a season in Christ! We have to be doing it continuously, until whenever He returns to claim His throne. But sadly, that is one of the downfalls of believers; we’re not consistent in our walk with Jesus, most of the time we’re just lukewarm, no real pep in our witness. How then can we encourage others to come to Jesus eh?
Unless we’re enthusiastic and sincere about walking with and working for Jesus, we’re doing His cause more harm than good, not being very worthwhile ambassadors. That is why the Psalms are full of encouragement to praise and worship God. Let’s hear some of those scriptures so that our spirits can be boosted this Sunday morning.
We’ll begin with our Bit from Psalm 145 – The Lord is Gracious- Bruh David’s psalm of praise. He boldly proclaims: ‘I will extol (praise) thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.’ Yes my brethren, that’s the kind of stuff we have to envision then put it into action.
As Bruh David continues: ‘Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable (beyond our understanding). One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. I will speak of the glorious honour (splendour) of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible (awesome) acts: and I will declare thy greatness.’ (Ps.145:2-6)
Oh my fellow believers are we praising God’s name as conscientiously and enthusiastically as we should? Are we passing on His greatness to the next generation? Are we continually speaking of His splendour and majesty, of His awesome works? Hn! I don’t think so really – at least not as much as we should, otherwise our world would not be in such an evil mess.
Now listen to Psalm 146 – the blessedness of trusting God: ‘Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah). Praise the Lord, O my soul. While I live will I praise thee Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have my being… Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God.’ (Ps.146:1-2, 5)
Then Psalm 147 – Great is our God and of great power- begins: ‘Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah): for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant, and praise is comely… Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God.’ (Ps.147:1, 7)
Meanwhile Psalm 149 – The Lord taketh pleasure in his people –boldly declares: ‘Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah). Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise in the congregation of the saints…Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp. For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek (humble) with salvation.’ (Ps.149:1,3-4).
And we’ll end appropriately with Psalm 150 –Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. ‘Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah). Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in the firmament of his power (mighty firmament). Praise him for his mighty acts; praise him according to his excellent greatness… Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord (Hallelujah!)’ (Ps. 150:1-2, 6)
Oh my people, my people, I do hope that we’ve gained some measure of insight into the need for praising and glorifying our great God on a continual basis. So today, please let’s hear His praise in the congregation of His saints and in His sanctuary as we gather to worship and give thanks for His undeserved mercy, LOVE, grace, compassion forgiveness and LOVING-kindness, for that’s wisdom at its wisest! Much LOVE!
…when we sing the praises of God…our hope, faith, belief and trust are increased…
15 Sep 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a make work programme, a meaningful day, a sense of urgency, a time for every purpose under heaven, accept with calmness, almighty god, an excuse for laziness, and rest awhile, busyness, calms my inner muddle, come aside into a deserted place, compassion, crumble under pressure, cuts through the confusion, distractions of life, faithfulness, God in the flesh, grin and bear it, have fellowship with God, health and well being, I am more patient, I needn't condemn myself, indolence, Jesus, Jesus was moved with compassion, laziness, like sheep without a shepherd, longevity, Moments of Leisure, more loving, more understanding, multiple demands, obedience, peaceful solitude, plan more wisely, prayer, purge our sins, rat-race, rest and recuperate, Ruth Harms Calkin, sloth, stress, thankfulness, the cross at Calvary, the multiple demands imposed upon me, the One Year Book of Bible Promises, there's no glory in a rat race, wisdom, work out for our good
Mark 6:31. And he (Jesus) said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart (aside) into a desert (deserted) place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.
Aye mih Scrip-Bit family! Welcome to a bright, beautiful and bountiful Tuesday in God’s great universe! All the elements are present for it to be another meaningful day in our lives.
So let’s make it one nuh, with prayer, obedience, faithfulness and thankfulness to Almighty God, who LOVES us so much that He sent His only Son to die on the cross at Calvary so that He could purge our woeful sins and allow us to have fellowship with Him once again. That ought to count for something now my people.
Unfortunately though, the noise persists outside of my house, for it seems as though they are finally digging up and paving the main road in my area. Oh what a miserable spring and summer it’s been with noise and all sorts of big machinery in the area supposedly fixing drains and culverts and lanes and what have you.
To my way of thinking, some of it didn’t seem necessary, and some people are of the opinion that it’s only a make work programme… What you say? You thought it was only in the West Indies we had that stuff! Well apparently not! And every so often the house vibrates from the noise outside. Ah chuh!
But like the tests the Lord puts us through, we just have to grin and bear it, knowing that it will all eventually work out for our good with well paved roads etc.etc. There it goes again, the shaking, the vibrating of my poor house. This time it only lasted for a few seconds though. Oh glory to God. I spoke too soon though, it’s back again.
Anyway, listen to this interesting poem from the One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. This one’s titled ‘Moments of Leisure.’
And it says: ‘Lord, thank You For the moments of leisure And peaceful solitude I can legitimately snatch Here and there Without apologizing. Thank You for assuring me That I needn’t condemn myself When I spend some time Reading or resting Or shopping just for fun. Thank You for convincing me That there’s no glory In a rat race.
I’ve discovered, dear Lord That an hour or two “Away from it all” Calms my inner muddle And cuts through the confusion. Without a driving sense of urgency I think more clearly – I plan more wisely. I am more patient, more LOVING More understanding with my family.
I even accept with calmness The multiple demands imposed upon me. Thank You so much, dear God For the certain knowledge that Jesus (Who always obeyed the Father) Went apart from the crowd to rest. So must I!’
Oh Friends, is all of that ever so true! We do need to take some time apart from the crazy rat race that our society, our world has become in the last generation or so. If we don’t, the busyness and the numerous demands on our time and energy will certainly drive us crazy and bring us to our grave much earlier than we want to.
Notice how the stress factor has soared off the charts in the last couple decades. Before that stress was not a well-known, or rather an unknown entity, because people had lots of free time and other endeavours to relieve and release it. But with the coming of this communication and technological age it’s just become our worst enemy.
One very important proviso in this story though, is that we don’t use rest and leisure as an excuse for laziness and its other cronies. Rest if you must, but don’t abuse it.
And the Bible promise for that poem is also our Bit for today. ‘And he (Jesus) said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart (aside) into a desert (deserted) place, and rest a while; for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure (time for themselves) so much as to eat.’
Oh my brethren, we all know about those oppressive times, because we all have experienced them at some time or another! But sadly some of us are still experiencing them too often, and that is definitely not good for our health and well-being.
And you see Jesus‘ wisdom in calling His disciples apart to rest. They had just come back from a missionary journey and people were milling all around them, so that they had no time to rest, not even to eat. Yes Friends, sometimes we have to do that too today in our overly busy and zealous society, otherwise we’d just crumble under the pressure.
And the Good Book continues: ‘And they departed into a desert (deserted) place by ship privately (by themselves). And the people (multitudes) saw them departing, and many knew him (Jesus), and ran afoot thither out of all the cities, and outwent (arrived before) them, and came together unto him (Jesus).
And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people (a great multitude) and was moved with compassion towards them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.’(Mark 6:32-34)
Oh Friends, yuh see that? Even though Jesus tried to get away from the multitude for some rest, they followed Him from all over, and even came to His disembarking point before Him! And Jesus, with a heart ever so filled with compassion had no other choice but to minister unto them, because they looked so lost and frail and feeble, like sheep without a shepherd.
However my fellow believers, let’s remember that that was Jesus, God in the flesh, and He had more parts than us, who are merely flesh, and when the busyness and distractions of this life bombard us, as they will do, we don’t always have to embrace them.
Sometimes it is necessary to show compassion, but then it’s also necessary for us to rest and recuperate, otherwise we won’t be able to deal successfully with the circumstances that surround us. Now that’s the wisdom of longevity! Much LOVE!
…there’s a time for every purpose under heaven…so rest if you must…but be careful it doesn’t turn into laziness…indolence…or sloth…
06 Sep 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a man lay down his life for his friends, a righteous man, Christ died for the ungodly, come to God for succour, comfort, condemn the world, Creator, Daily Meditations, dilly-dally, do whatsoever I command you, doubt, emotional humans, faith, fellow believers, foolish pride, for God so loved the world, for His great love, fragile, friends, give thanks and praise, God who is rich in mercy, greater love hath no man, have everlasting life, Havelock Ellis, he gave his only begotten son, heavenly Father, human sexuality, LOVE, lukewarm, mercy, No faith is our own that we hare not arduously won, our Higher Power is constant, provider, regeneration of our spirit, renewal of faith, sacrifice, save the world, self-pity, shout joyfully, sinners, spirituality, struggle alone, substitutionary sacrifice, succour, surrender, the cross at Calvary, the Lord's Sabbath, the rock of ages, the same yesterday today and forever, trust, vicarious death, wherewith He loved us, while we were yet sinners christ died for us, whoever believeth in him should not perish, without strength
Ephesians 2:4. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great LOVE wherewith he LOVED us.
Aye mih Christian breddren, it’s that most wonderful day we call Sunday, when most of us celebrate the Lord’s Sabbath! It’s supposed to be a day of peace and rest and preparation for the upcoming week. But it also means that we ought to be heading out to the Lord’s sanctuary to meet and greet fellow believers and sing and dance and shout joyfully, and give thanks and praise to our heavenly Father, our Creator and generous Provider!
It’s called regeneration of our spirit! So let’s not dilly dally and come up with all sorts of feeble excuses not to go eh. Let’s get ourselves off to church!
And to buoy that directive, we have a rather pertinent quote from (Henry) Havelock Ellis, (1859-1939), an English physician, writer, progressive intellectual, social reformer and student of human sexuality. Hn! Havelock was really into life sir! (smile) Anyhow, he is reputed to have said that ‘No faith is our own that we have not arduously won.’
And that my people has a whole lot of truth in it, because as my One More Day Daily Meditations for People with Chronic Illness points out: ‘Everything that touches our lives influences our level of trust and spirituality.’
We are all fragile and emotional humans, so there will obviously be times when our faith rises and falls due to the circumstances that surround us. We all have rough times when doubts tend to creep in, especially when we lose things or people that we always expected to be around.
But, as my One More Day Daily Meditations further reminds us: ‘We can begin to regain that faith by remembering that our Higher Power is constant, even when our faith is not. We humans fluctuate between doubt and trust, but that doesn’t diminish the care that is always available to us. We need only surrender to that truth, and we find comfort.’
And isn’t that the gospel truth Friends! Our God is totally constant; the same yesterday, today and forever! Like the rock of ages, He’s always there ready to help and comfort us! But we have to come to Him to get that peace and comfort and renewal of faith. And that’s where so many of us fall down, because of foolish pride, self-pity or whatever, we refuse to come to God for succour.
But here again, the Daily Meditations reminds us that: ‘My faith – in myself and in my Higher Power – is built upon my awareness that I don’t have to struggle alone. I am strengthened when I admit to my spiritual needs.’
More indisputable truth Friends! There is absolutely no need for us to struggle alone when we have our heavenly Father always there to comfort and care for us.
Oh Friends, by refusing to go to God in faith and trust, we are only making our lives much more difficult than is really necessary. When we have a Bit like ours, we’re supposed to be running to God, not away from Him. ‘But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great LOVE wherewith he LOVED us.’
Yuh hear that mih people, our God is rich in mercy and has such a great LOVE for us! We should be embracing that fact with all our hearts, minds, bodies and souls; just wallowing in His mercy and LOVE, instead of ignoring it, or just being lukewarm towards it. Remember how Jesus promised to spew out the Laodicean church because they were only lukewarm? (Rev.3:14-16) Well it’s the same thing He’s liable to do with us, if we’re not enthused about Him and all that He stands for.
Now today I want to look at some scriptures that corroborate our Bit. And we’ll begin with these immortal words of Jesus that every believer ought to know. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosever 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 world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:16-17)
Tell me people, after hearing those words from Jesus, and then seeing Him fulfill the act of saving us by sacrificing Himself on the cross of Calvary, how could we not believe the Father’s great LOVE eh? I just can’t understand it.
Now listen to Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. ‘For when we were yet without strength, in due (at the right) time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure (perhaps) for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth (demonstrates) his LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom.5:6-8)
Oh Friends, how can we even think about doubting God’s great LOVE for us after all of that eh? Chuh!
And the scholars’ words on that last verse might bring home the situation to us more forcefully. ‘5:8. Christ died for us: His death was vicarious. That is, He did not die merely for our benefit but in our place. His was a substitutionary sacrifice.’
Yeh mih people, we should have been the ones dying, but Christ died in our place. Doesn’t that make you feel grateful and appreciative? It should, because the Good Book says that the wages of sin is death. (Rom.6:23a) That means, we, the abominable sinners, are the ones who should be dying, not Jesus. But in God’s great LOVE for us, He placed all our sins on Jesus and had Him pay our sin debt in full. Oh glory to God!
So my brethren, if we doubt anything at all, which we shouldn’t, please DON’T EVER DOUBT Jehovah God’s amazing LOVE for us, His most wonderful, but also most ungrateful creation!
And we’ll end with these powerful and true words of Jesus. ‘Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends’ (John 15:13). Then He went out and laid down His holy and sinless life for His friends.
What more can I say eh? Not a whole lot. I can only ask, are you Jesus’ Friend? Much LOVE!
…and Jesus’ definition of friends…ye are my friends…if ye do whatsoever I command you… (John 15:14)
06 Aug 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a doubleminded man is unstable, appreciation, appreciation for life, blessings, Christian, enamoured of Jesus, esteem, eternal life, eternity, glory to God, God's grace, good news of Jesus, Grenville Kleiser, he that hath seen me hath seen the Father, I am inthe Father, I am the way the truth and the life, I will come again and receive you unto myself, if I go and prepare a place for you, Jesus Christ, Jesus' debt payment, John, Johnny Reid, lack of faith, LOVE, mercies, no halfway point, no man comes to the Father but by me, no sitting on the fence, noblest qualities, one day at a time, only believe, prayers of thanksgiving, pro-action, procrastination, procrastinators, salvation, spending eternity with Jesus, stepping up to the plate, take hold of Jesus, thanks and praise, the breath of life, the cross at Calvary, the Father is in me, the Light, today I'm going to change the world, volunteering, wavering, wisdom
John 14:6. Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Aye Friends, welcome to another somewhat cool, but otherwise beautiful summer’s day in God’s wonderful universe!
New mercies and blessings specially prepared for today, this terrific Thursday in August 2015, have already been flooding our space. The most important being the breath of life that’s still flowing through our bodies, which allows us to enjoy the salvation and eternal life offered by Jesus’ debt payment on the cross of Calvary.
Wow! Glory to God! Have you given Him thanks and praise for those two things as yet? As soon as we rise and greet each new day, we ought to float prayers of thanksgiving up to heaven on them. For without them, we either won’t be rising to greet a new day, (smile) or spending eternity with Jesus. And that last option is the most important for a Christian soul.
Now here’s an interesting and rather appropriate quote from Toronto born, North American writer Grenville Kleiser (1868-1935). He says that ‘Today is the day in which to express your noblest qualities of mind and heart, to do at least one worthy thing which you have long postponed…’
And my people that is indeed a worthwhile decision, for over the last decade or so, we have become such great procrastinators, even about things that we consider important.
But what better way to show our appreciation for life and God’s grace and mercies than by stepping up to the plate today and doing something that we’ve been putting off, whether it’s volunteering or simply cleaning up stuff that needs to be cleaned up.
That reminds me of the Johnny Reid song that we shared with you sometime aback which declared: ‘Today I’m going to change the world…One day at a time…’
Yeh Friends, we desperately need to change our world, but the reality is that we can only do it one day at a time. And there’s no better time to start than the present. So let’s make today that day nuh. Let’s override procrastination with pro-action, and with Jesus’ help we can certainly do it.
For as our Bit wisely informs us: ‘Jesus saith unto him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ And I like to add to that, He’s also the Light of this darkened world.
So if Jesus Christ is indeed all those things, why aren’t we more enamoured of and interested in Him and His doings eh Friends? Our general behaviour and actions certainly don’t seem to indicate the esteem and appreciation that He truly deserves from us.
It’s also definitely instructional to see how that statement of Jesus came to be made. He was telling His disciples about His going away and preparing mansions for them. ‘And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?’ (John 14:3-5)
Ah mih people, even those who were closest to Jesus in His earthly sojourn didn’t appear to pay serious attention to His words. Jesus then declared our Bit to Thomas, before continuing with this admonishment. ‘If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
Philip saith unto him, Lord show us the Father, and it sufficeth (will satisfy) us. Jesus saith unto him, have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, show us the Father?
Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of my self (of my own authority): but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.’ (John 14:7-10)
Oh my brethren, so sadly, a couple thousand years later, the Lord Jesus Christ is still asking those questions of too many supposed believers! Granted that if Thomas and Philip who actually walked with Jesus had doubts and didn’t fully understand, who are we to be so well informed and enlightened?
But that argument doesn’t hold any water, for we have had two thousand years of much better information and time to understand and ingest the Good News of Jesus. So just like Jesus reproached the disciples back then, He is today also reproaching us for our unbelief, our lack of faith and understanding when it’s all clearly spelled out in His Word and the times of His earthly life.
Friends, it’s either we believe or we don’t believe! There is no halfway point, no way to waffle, no sitting on the fence, being double minded and/or constantly wavering from one position to the other. For as James tells us: ‘A doubleminded man is unstable in all his ways.’ (James 1:8)
So please my people, today, let’s get off the fence nuh, let’s stop procrastinating and wavering. Instead, let’s truly take hold of Jesus and all that He so wonderfully stands for and represents and believe with all our hearts, souls and minds that He is indeed the Way, the Truth, the Life and the Light! Now that is true wisdom! Much LOVE!
…only believe…that He is who He says He is…that’s all Jesus asks of us…
09 Jul 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a doddering old man, aches and pains, affirm, attribute of God, batting my gums, blessings, Bruh Paul, bubbling broth of love, comfort zone, communicative, communion, compassion, confession, confidence, Corinthians, count for something, deceitful enemy, faithful, faithful is He that calls you, faithfulness, fellowship, for he is faithful that promised, forgiveness, friends, God is faithful, God's Word, grace, heartrending, help of the Holy Spirit, hobbling, holy spirit, hope, it's found, Jesus Christ, jesus christ our lord, keep you from evil, kindness, leading and guiding, let us hold fast the profession of our faith, LOVE, love is like wildflowers, loving kindness, mercy, on the lookout for love, on the winning end, our sins forgiven, P.S. I Love You, patient waiting for Christ, promised to redeem us, shaking it rough, souls washed clean, Spread God's Word, temptation, that's life, the cross at Calvary, the Holy One of Israel, the Lord is faithful, the LOVE of God, the most unlikely places, trials and tribulations, troubled world, understanding, ungrateful sinners, union with Christ, what's cooking, winter years, wisdom, without wavering
Hebrews 10:23. Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
Aye Friends, what’s cooking on this terrific though cloudy looking Thursday morning eh? I do hope that it’s a bubbling broth of LOVE, grace, mercy, blessings, kindness, compassion and forgiveness, because that is exactly what our topsy-turvy, troubled world needs right now.
Unfortunately though, the ole fella’s shaking it a bit on the rough side this morning, walking around like a doddering old man, (smile) with all the aches and pains choosing to act up at the same time. I don’t know nuh, but I went to bed early last night, planning to get a decent night’s rest…
Hn! That was only in my imagination. I got up several times during the night unable to find a comfort zone, and then when it was really time to get up, I fell asleep, then got up hobbling. Hn, Hn! But that’s life folks, especially in the winter years.
But yuh know what my brethren? The aches and pains are not holding back the ole fella, that’s for sure! They might slow me down some, but they are definitely not going to stop me from doing the work that’s been laid out for me by the Almighty! And I’d like all you old geezers out there, who are similarly wracked by aches and pains to affirm the same thing.
All together now: ‘Aches and pains are not going to stop us from doing the work Jesus desires of us in this life!’
What a way to go mih people! Remember we can overcome anything that comes our way with the help of the Holy Spirit which indwells us. We might not be as quick and physically supple as in our youth, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with our minds.
So let’s not give in to the temptation thrown at us by the deceitful and wily enemy, we can still be very useful and productive members of society.
And I have to laugh here Friends, because I don’t know where all of that is coming from. I surely hope it’s the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit.
Now here is a li’l something from my ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU’ poster. Some of you long time readers might remember it. And it reminds us that ‘LOVE is like wildflowers. It’s often found in the most unlikely places.’
And isn’t that the awesome truth Friends? We often find LOVE in places that we never dreamed of finding it. That means that wherever we are, we should always be on the lookout for LOVE since it can appear anywhere, at any time, under any circumstance! It’s the attribute of God, so wherever God is, LOVE ought to be there too.
Now let’s turn to our Bit, which is a terrific piece of scripture, filled with godly assurance and encouragement. ‘Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)’
And for those of you paying attention, you’ll notice that I have the dates right on both headings today. That is what comes from laziness, but it also lessens the pain of having to transcribe the same Bit everyday.
Anyway Friends, it is a proven fact that the Holy One of Israel, whom we worship and adore, is undeniably, unconditionally and extremely faithful! We’ve seen it in the lives of His servants, as well as the most heartrending act of sending His Son Jesus to die on the cross at Calvary, so that our sins could be forgiven and our souls washed clean.
He promised to redeem us way back when, and ever so faithfully, He did it through Jesus. Now I don’t know what else He has to do to prove His faithfulness. I doubt that any of us would give up our only son to be sacrificed for a bunch of ungrateful sinners. But the Lord God Jehovah did! And that ought to count for something – in fact count for a lot.
But enough of me batting my gums, (smile) let’s look at some scripture that enhances my contention. And we’ll begin with Bruh Paul stating it blatantly to the Corinthians in the introduction to the first epistle. ‘God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (1 Cor.1:9)
And the scholars offer this explanation of that verse. ‘1:9. Unto the fellowship of his son: The term ‘fellowship’ includes both union and communion. The Corinthian believers had been brought into union with the Lord Jesus Christ. Accordingly this great truth implies that they had been brought into communion with one another. Here in a nutshell is the theme of this epistle.’
And Friends, that still holds true, even to this day. We believers have been brought into union with Jesus Christ as well as communion with each other. That means we ought to be more into Jesus than we currently are, as well as being more understanding and communicative with each other.
Then in 1 Thessalonians, Bruh Paul again states the faithfulness of God without any doubt or concern. ‘Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.’ (1 Thess.5:24) And who should know about God’s faithfulness better than Bruh Paul eh? All the trials and tribulations he went through to spread God’s Word, but he always came out on the winning end.
And we’ll wrap up this morning with another word from Bruh Paul to the Thessalonians, this one from his second epistle to them. ‘But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish (establish) you, and keep you from evil (the evil one).
And we have confidence in the Lord touching (concerning) you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you. And the Lord direct your hearts into the LOVE of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ (patience of Christ).’ (2 Thes.3:3-5)
Oh my people, I wish the exact sentiments on all of us today; that the Lord will direct our hearts into His wonderful and unconditional LOVE, and give us the patience of Christ, to wait patiently and work diligently until His return. That my brethren is wisdom of the highest level! Much LOVE!
…thy mercy (LOVING-kindness) oh Lord…is in the heavens…and thy faithfulness reaches unto the clouds… (Ps.36:5)
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