20 Nov 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a dip in the salt, a glorious future with Jesus, a horse of an entirely different colour, a landslide, accept good, at the hand of God, be the children of your Father in heaven, bite our tongues, blame others for our misfortune, Blessed be the name of the Lord, blessed with rain, bread and shark, busy with traffic, charged God foolishly, deposits us on the carpet, did not Job sin with his lips, endures to the end, faith, flowing through me, God knows what's happening with us, halfway home, hands on the plough, hasty decisions, he makes his sun to rise, holy spirit, icing on the cake, immerse in salt water, in all this, Jesus Christ, Job sinned not, Las Cuevas, LOVE, Maracas, mercy, mountains clothed in fog, naked came I out of my mother's womg, naked shall I return thither, natural hardships affect everyone, not accept evil, not easy to undergo trials, not looking back, on the evil and the good, our wonderful position in Christ Jesus, perseverance, Port of Spain, practice what I preach, praise be to the Lord, salvation, sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust, sincerity in worship, so glad to be alive, steadfast faith, talking tough is easy, thank god for each blessing, the bad news, the best therapeutic remedy, the breath of life, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the good news, The Lord gave and He hath taken away, the winding road, time of tribulation, tired like a dog, tough times, traffic jams, truth, unbecoming language, universal benevolence, visiting family, wisdom
Job 2:10b). ‘What? shall we receive (accept) good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive (accept) evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.’
Well friends, let’s give you the bad news first; (smile) it’s obvious we’re on a late late bus, and we might doing so for the next few days. And the reason for that bad news is this good news; the ole fella is in T&T!
Yes mih bredrin, the ole fella and his family journeyed through the night, with no sleep, to come to the land of mas and kaiso! And then on landing, instead of going to our hotel, we began visiting family for breakfast, which took some time as we had not seen each other for a number of years.
And since their time is an hour ahead of Canada’s, it means that we are operating on a shorter time period than normal. But that didn’t matter for we got to hotel in Port of Spain, booked in, had a short nap, then we were off again to check out the north coast of Trinidad, heading up to Maracas and Las Cuevas beaches, through the hilly and winding road, busy with traffic going in both directions.
At one point because of the rain, we encountered a small landslide which knocked a big tree over the road, but we were able to pass under it, however a bus had to stop and park until the tree could be removed, and by the time we were returning the bus passed us, going its merry way rejoicing, meaning that the fallen tree had been removed.
I had a brief dip in the salt at Las Cuevas…imagine that nuh, it’s been at least some four or five years since I’ve had the heavenly blessing of immersing my aching body in salt water, the best therapeutic remedy for aches and pains and what ever else may ail you. (smile) And that’s no lie!
After Las Cuevas, we went back to Maracas to have some of their famous bread and shark with all different kinds of trimmings. The rest of the family had it, but I didn’t, since I’m not a fish lover, and that delicacy was never one of my favourites.
And were we ever blessed with rain going and coming…not the heavy stuff, but enough drizzle to keep some of the many beautiful mountains clothed in fog. At one time I even thought I was back in good ole Canada by the amount of fog I was seeing. (smile)
And coming back was just like going home after work in the big city…traffic jams. What else is new eh! The roads have been the same size for donkey’s years but the traffic has increased very significantly.
We finally got back to the hotel around four thirty, then I had to begin sorting out my stuff, because we had no chance to do it earlier in the day. So, it’s obvious that the ole fella is tired like a dog, but I’m trying to practice what I preach; perseverance in tough times. I just could not let the day go by without some sort of information to my favourite Script-Bits Family.
So there you have it, the good and bad news, for as Job so rightly said to his frustrated wife in his time of tribulation: ‘What? shall we receive (accept) good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive (accept) evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.’ (Job 2:10b)
And so it ought to be with us my fellow believers. When tough times tackle us, and unceremoniously deposits us on the carpet, we must not rush to make hasty decisions and use unbecoming language, for our God knows what is happening in our lives, and has promised to help us through them if we remain in good and steadfast faith.
Oh, it’s never really easy to undergo trials and not say anything untoward, especially about God, but if we truly believe, we have to bite our tongues and say in all sincerity in worship, like Job did after hearing the awful news about his family and his livelihood.
The Good Book tells us: ‘Then Job arose, and rent (tore) his mantle (robe), and shaved his head, and fell on the ground, and worshipped. And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.’ (Job 1:20-22)
The sad part is that when many of us encounter trials and tribulation we’re quick to blame others for our misfortune, including the Lord. But that’s never the right approach, as Job so wisely and righteously shows.
And Jesus put some icing on the cake on that in His Sermon on the Mount, when teaching about LOVING one’s enemies: ‘That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust.’ (Matt. 5:45)
In other words, as this commentary explains: ‘ The phrase “the rain falls on the just and the unjust” means that natural events and hardships are not selective and affect everyone, regardless of their moral character.
Jesus states that God causes the sun to rise and rain to fall on both the good and the bad to show His universal benevolence. The saying highlights that both “good” and “bad” people will face similar trials and blessings in life.’
And we all know that, so please, let’s try to live our faith as best we can, and admit that the Lord knows what He is doing. ‘Praise be to the Lord God Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.’ Now, let’s go home declaring (chuhhh!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world 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!’
And the important thing about that last statement is that whoever endures to the end with Christ, will enjoy a future so glorious that they can never understand or imagine it. So, let’s keep that in mind and endure to the end nuh, so we can enjoy that more than glorious together! Much LOVE!
…talking tough is easy…but being tough when tough times come a calling…is a horse of an entirely different colour.
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
14 May 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a change of conduct, a change of mind, a complete change of attitude towards God, after John was imprisoned, all are to repent, believe in the gospel, bring so much joy, by God's grace, christianity, Christians, despite the life threatening consequences, discomfort of the noise, endure to the very end with Christ, eternal life, extending into humanity, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, God sent forth his son, God taking a greater interest in humanity, halfway home, hands on the plough, holy spirit, in leading a man to repentance, it will soon be summer, Jesus begins his official ministry, Jesus came into Galilee, Jesus Christ, John the Baptist, lawn mowers, laying the groundwork of the message, LOVE, made of woman, made under the law, make his paths straight, men are born again, mercy, new intensity, not just outwardly, not turning back, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, prepare ye the way of the Lord, putting trust in jesus Himself, putting trust in Jesus' message, repent, salvation, stay the course with Jesus, still flowing through me, summer nemesis, thank God, the BIBLE, the breath of life, the forerunner of Jesus, the forgiveness of sins, the fullness of time, the good news, the kingdom of God is at hand, the kingdom of heaven is at hand, the process of conversion, the promised Messiah, the result of God's mercy, the sphere of God's sovereign rule, the time is fulfilled, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, turning from sin to righteousness, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, with the heart
Mark 1:15. ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand (near): repent ye, and believe (in) the gospel.’
Ah friends, we’re usually on the late bus on a Wednesday because of attendance to my small church group, but today I left there later than usual and had to make a stop before coming home. So, by the time I got home, I was tired and needed a nap. That means we’re on the late, late bus today, (smile) but the important thing is that we’re on the bus! Glory Be!
And sadly my summer nemesis, the noise from lawn mowers have begun. Brother! All hours of the day, the blooming things are running around the neighbour. Even just now, during my nap time one started up and disturbed me. I guess my neighbours don’t consider the discomfort the noise causes the old folks in the neighbourhood, (smile) and even my own lawn maintenance person comes early on a Monday morning and disturbs me. What makes his disturbance even worse is that he does a few houses in the lane, so he’s around for a fairly long time.
But the good news is that it will soon be truly summer, so hopefully that will bring so much joy, that we won’t be as annoyed by the constant lawn mower noise. (smile) Enough of my griping though, let’s see what the Lord wants to tell us today. And the Good Library just opened at the Book of Mark where Jesus was about to begin His official ministry. The scripture says: ‘Now after John (the Baptist) was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand (near): repent ye, and believe (in) the gospel.’ (Mark 1:14-15)
Yes friends, Jesus started out by preaching of the kingdom of God and it’s nearness, as well as the necessity for man to believe what He said. And the scholars offer this explanation. ‘Jesus’ proclamation stresses the importance of that present time. The sphere of God’s sovereign rule is extending into humanity with new intensity. All, even Israel, are to repent, by God’s grace, turning from sin and to righteousness, not just outwardly but with the heart. Along with repenting must come believing, putting trust in Jesus’ message (and thus right from the start, to some extent in Jesus Himself.’
And if we remember, it was the same message that John the Baptist came preaching, as the gospel of Matthew recounts: ‘In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, and saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias (Isaiah), saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’ (Matt. 3:1-3)
Yes my fellow believers, John the Baptist was the forerunner of Jesus, preaching the same message, getting things started for Him. How wonderful to have a cousin like that, putting himself out there to lay the groundwork for your message, despite the danger and life threatening consequences to himself. But that was what he was born for! No wonder we say that God moves in mysterious ways.
Now, let’s check out the meaning of some of the individual words that Jesus used. We’ve already seen that the ‘time is fulfilled’ means that after the many promises made in the Old Testament and then those of John, God was going to take a greater interest in humanity, by now sending His promised Messiah. And the first thing mankind had to do was repent. So what does repent mean?
The scholars tell us ‘that means a change of mind that results in a change of conduct. Repentance is not merely sorrow. It involves a complete change of attitude regarding God and sin and is often accompanied by a sense of sorrow and a corresponding change in conduct. Such repentance does not arise within man himself, but is the result of God’s mercy in leading man to it. (Acts 5:31; Rom. 2:4; 2 Tim. 2:25). Thus repentance involves the very process of conversion whereby men are born again. John’s message of repentance was necessary in order to prepare people for the kingdom of heaven which was at hand.’
I guess because John only emphasized that the time was coming, when Jesus Himself took up the baton, He could say that the time is fulfilled, the time is here. And, as per the scholars, the phrases, ‘kingdom of heaven,’ and ‘kingdom of God,’ can be used interchangeably, but Matthew possibly substituted ‘heaven for God’ because of his Jewish emphasis, and the fact that many Jews considered it blasphemous to refer to God by name. But the phrase ‘kingdom of God,’ is used more frequently by Mark and Luke.
Then there was believing the gospel, which the scholars already told us was putting trust in Jesus’ message as well as in Jesus Himself. And that’s the same thing we’re expected to do today my fellow saints. The Messiah has come, the kingdom of God has come, and we’re required to repent and believe the good news of the gospel, and it is indeed good news. For how else would you characterize forgiveness of sins, salvation and eternal life eh? Nothing else but GOOD NEWS! And who doesn’t’ want good news eh, especially in these deceitful and turbulent times? Only fools!
And since we’re not fools, let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world 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!’
And believe me friends, if we endure with Jesus right to the very end, then that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine. So let’s stay the course with Jesus nuh, so that we can enjoy that most glorious future together! Much LOVE!
…but when the fullness of time was come…God sent forth his son…made of a woman… made under the law… (Gal. 4:4)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
13 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Bible, cast lots upon my vesture, come down from the cross, faith, filled a sponge with vinegar, god, he bowed his head and gave up the ghost, he trusted on the Lord, I will sing praise to thee, id thou be the Son of God, if any man will come after me, in the midst of the congregation, increase my awareness of you, It is finished, Jesus, Jesus Christ, laugh me to scorn, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, let him deliver him, let him deny himself, like a potsherd, LOVE, my strength is dried up, my tongue cleaveth to my jaws, psalms, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, shoot out the lip, show contempt with their mouth, slow my thoughts, take up his cross daily and follow me, the bad news, the coat was without seam, the good news, they part my garments among them, they that passed by reviled him, thou that destroyeth the temple, wagging their heads, wisdom, your unceasing nearness
Psalm 22:18. They part (divided) my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture (for my clothing).
Well, the good news is that the rain has finally stopped. But the bad news is that it’s still cloudy and windy. Oh the wind kicked up a mighty good fuss during the night, and still hasn’t settled down, while the sun seems to be fighting a valiant but losing battle to shine through the dark clouds. (smile) But if you don’t have to go out, it’s a great way to spend a lazy-day Saturday. So to help us do just that, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday prayer with sincere hearts and voices.
As one voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’ And I can feel the wondrous, scintillating but calming presence of our great God shining down on us now, as we asked for something that He most heartily approves of; His awesome presence! Yes friends, that’s a request the Lord will always fulfill.
And contrary to what you might think, I did not forget about the scholarly explanations on Psalm 22, that I promised yesterday, (smile) I just ran out of space and time and quietly decided to share it today instead. So there’s indeed a li’l method to my madness. And now for those scholarly explanations. They say that a Christian cannot read Psalm 22 without reflecting on the use of the first verse by Christ on the Cross found in Mark 15:24, and Matthew 27:46 which state: ‘And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?’
Now that’s the very same thing Bruh David says at the beginning of Psalm 22. In addition to that verse, the scholars point out that verse 18: ‘They part (divided) my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture (for my clothing),’ is also found in the New Testament in Matt. 27:35, Mark 15:34, Luke 23:34, John 19:24.
I think John says it best. ‘Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat (tunic): now the coat (tunic) was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend (tear) it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment (garments) among them, and for my vesture (clothing) they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.’ (John 19:23-24)
Ah friends, by now we should be getting an inkling of what’s going on in Psalm 22. But if you aren’t, let’s get a little more involved with it. The scholars point out that verse 22 of the Psalm also makes it’s way into the New Testament, through Hebrews 2:12. In speaking of the crown of glory and honour of Jesus, the author of Hebrews writes: ‘For both he that sanctifieth (sets apart) and they who are sanctified are all one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church (congregation) will I sing praise unto thee.’ (Heb. 2:11-12)
Yes my brethren, God crowned Jesus with glory and honour and set Him over His creation, mankind. Hopefully we’re getting closer to realizing the prophetic importance of this Psalm 22. (smile) The scholars go on to say, that in addition to the verses quoted above, many of the details of Psalm 22 are reflected in Christ’s cross experience and offer these references: vs. 7 with Matt. 27:39. The former says: ‘All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip (show contempt with their mouth), they shake their head, saying, He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in Him. (Ps; 22:7-8)
The corresponding verses in Matthew say of Jesus standing naked on the cross: ‘And they that passed by reviled (blasphemed) him, wagging their heads, And saying, Thou that destroyeth the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.’ (Matt. 27:39-40) I added the last verse in each case because I thought they made more sense together, (smile) although the scholars did refer to vs. 8 of Psalm 22 with verse 43 of Matthew 27. ‘He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.’ Those verses also fit well together.
The last reference from the scholars is verse 15 of Psalm 22 with John 19:28. Verse 15 says: ‘My strength is dried up like a potsherd (broken vessel); and my tongue cleaveth (clings) to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.’ Meanwhile John’s gospel tells it thus of Jesus’ death on the cross: ‘After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar (sour wine): and they filled a spunge with vinegar (sour wine), and put it upon hyssop (an aromatic herb of the mint family), and put it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar (sour wine), he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost (his spirit).’ (John 19:28-30)
Again, I added the other two verses to help keep the first verse in context, for we quote so many verses from the scriptures, which out of context can carry very different meanings to the ones we desire to share. And we’ve finally gotten the picture. The scholars explain that ‘Jesus’ cry to God, the condemnation of the crowd, His thirst, His crucifixion, and even the gambling for His robe, are all clearly predicted. David’s own experience gives way to a prophetic glimpse of his descendant Jesus Christ.’
And let’s remember as we go home this lazy-day Saturday, that as true believers in Christ we can also expect to receive some abuse and rejection, simply for His name’s sake. But a real disciple accepts that with the sacrificial discipline expected of his meek and humble status! Much LOVE!
…if any man will come after (follow) me…let him deny himself…and take up his cross daily…and follow me… (Luke 9:23)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
13 Jul 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: ascribe or attribute something to someone, Christ's redemptive work, everlasting life, forgiveness of sins, Got Questions website, grace, he hath made him to be sin for us, heading directly for hell, helps you to hold on, hope for a brighter day, I am the beloved of god, in god's eyes, Jesus is Love, Jesus is the power...and the glory, Jesus never leaves nor forsakes you, justification, LOVE, manifested to take away our sins, mercy, neither was guile found in his mouth, no one can take that from me, not what I do, not what I have, not what people say about me, redemption, righteousness., sanctification, sanctified in Christ Jesus, seals you as His child, share His love with the world, spiritual discernment, surrender to Jesus, that we might be made, the doctrine of imputation, the good news, the necessities of life, the One who can heal us, the promise of eternal salvation, the righteousness of God in him, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, ump for joy, who knew no sin, wisdom, with no means of escape
2 Corinthians 5:21. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Now what’s the good news this new Tuesday morning eh friends? Well, let me tell you about it… It’s big, it’s wonderful, it’s exciting and everlasting! Yes my bredrin, the good news this morning is that Jesus is LOVE! Wow! He’s the One whom we can turn to for all the necessities of life! And be assured that He won’t let us down. He’s the One who can heal us, who can lead and guide us successfully through every which kind of storm or problem.
His is the power…and the glory…the joy and the promise of eternal salvation. He’ll pick you up when you fall, heal you when the world’s medics can’t, help you to hold on when you seem to be slipping, and comfort you when the cares of this evil and ungodly world get you down. Now, ONLY Jesus can do all of that my people! ONLY Jesus!
So, if this Tuesday morning, in these pandemic times you need any of that stuff, then the best advice, the best thing you can do, is turn to Jesus; surrender your life to Him, make Him the captain and pilot of your life. I promise you that you will never regret it. In fact, when you look back at your life, you will recognize that it was the best decision you ever made! And you’ll jump for joy and sing His praises loud, while giving Him much thanks for the awesome work He’s done in your life.
You’ll sit down and wonder, how you ever could have lived so long without Him, and bless His holy name that He finally came and found you and scooped you up in His wonderful comforting arms when your whole world was about ready to fall apart. Yes friends, that’s the kind of person our Jesus is! He comes to you when you are at your lowest point and picks you up both literally and figuratively and changes your whole life, brings it into alignment with His heavenly kingdom, providing hope for a brighter day, taking away the negativity that’s all this world offers.
And you know what precious people, the most important thing is, when you accept him as Lord and Saviour, when you surrender your soul to Him, He never, never, never leaves nor forsakes you! Wow! He seals you as His child, as His brother, friend and co-heir in righteousness forever! Now how could the news get any better than that eh?
But it does! In all that Jesus is and does, we find mercy, grace, forgiveness of sins, and everlasting life! And they endure forever, based on the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross of Calvary, where He shed His holy, sinless blood so that we could be forgiven, took ALL of our sin on His shoulders and gave us His righteousness. And it says so right in the Bible, the Good Book, the Word of God: ‘For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.’ (2 Cor. 5:21)
Now what does that verse mean eh? The first thing we need to understand was that Jesus NEVER sinned, as several Bible verses tell us. Hear John in his first epistle. ‘And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.’ (1 John 3:5) He came to take away sin, but had no sin Himself. And Peter in his first epistle, quoting Isaiah 53:9 says of Jesus. ‘Who did no sin, neither was guile (deceit) found in his mouth.’ (1 Pet. 2:22)
Even the demons knew Him, as recorded in Mark when He cast them out of an unclean man. They said to Him: ‘Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.’ (Mark 1:24) So that all points to Jesus as being totally sinless. And furthermore, if He had even had one spot of sin on Him, then He would have ceased being God, and would therefore would not have been able to save us, or pay for our sins, because only a sinless being could do that.
Anyway, I found this interesting explanation on the Biblical website ‘Got Question.’ It says: ‘If He became sin for us does not mean Jesus was sin, or a sinner, or guilty of sin, the proper interpretation can only be found in the doctrine of imputation. This is confirmed by the second part of 2 Corinthians 5:21: “So that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
To impute something is to ascribe or attribute it to someone. On the cross, our sin was imputed to Christ. That is how Christ paid our sin debt to God. He had no sin in Himself, but our sin was imputed (attributed) to Him so, as He suffered, He took the just penalty that our sin deserves. At the same time, through faith, Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us. Now we can stand before God sinless, just as Jesus is sinless. We are not righteous in ourselves; rather, Christ’s righteousness is applied to us.
So, “God made him . . . to be sin for us” means that Jesus, although sinless, was treated as if He were not. Although He remained holy, He was regarded as guilty of all the sin in the world. Through imputation of our sin to Him, He became our substitute and the recipient of God’s judgment against sin. Having saved those who believe, He is now “our righteousness, holiness and redemption.”
So that’s how we are saved; our sins were imputed to Jesus and now, all that He was and is, are imputed to us. ‘But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us (became for us) wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.’ (1 Cor. 1:30)
And the scholars explain: ‘Because of the Father’s work we have become intimate with Christ Jesus. Paul concludes that all of the riches of salvation exist in Christ Jesus. All that the Corinthian believers are (and consequently all believers), they owe to Him. Thus it is not in oneself, or in party alignment, or in supposed human ability that any believer ought to glory. Paul tabulates the qualities that belong to the believer in Christ. Wisdom is not merely the acquisition of intellectual skills but the gaining of spiritual discernment based on the wisdom of God as demonstrated in the cross.
Righteousness is a legal concept and has in mind the righteousness that is applied to the believer’s account the moment he believes (Rom. 5). Sanctification has already been mentioned in verse 2, “sanctified in Christ Jesus.” This contemplates the work of Christ “in” the believer, as opposed to that which he does “for” the believer in justification. Redemption underlies all the above. Christ’s redemptive work opened the way for God to extend His grace to sinful man and to pour out upon him such benefits as wisdom, righteousness, and sanctification.’
Mama Mia! What more can I say eh friends? Christ has done so much for us, that we would be very foolish not accept His selfless sacrifice, for if we don’t, we will, without a doubt, end up eternally separated from God. And that can by no means be a good thing! So, for those of us who are serious about accepting Christ, let’s go home now declaring (yeahhh!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know who and whose we are.
Altogether now: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
Our next step is to now go out and share that awesome LOVE and friendship of Jesus with others, so that they too can come to know him. Much LOVE!
…without Jesus’ awesome sacrifice…where would be eh…heading directly for hell…with no means of escape…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
17 Sep 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a strong will, Christ's sacrificial death, compassionate heart, convinced of victory, Cousin Sol. the Preacher, curse, demoniacal pressure, doing God's work, Ecclesiastes, faithful obedience to His holy will, fear and doubt, fear God, great family, having your loins girt about with truth, he that believes, he that believeth, his commandments are not grievous, holy character, inherent human nature, keep his commandments, let him deny himself, let us hear, lift our spirits, live life to the full, mano a mano, moral conduct, negative word, power to fight the enemy, prayer, prayer is indispensable, put on the whole armour of God, reverence our Creator, saints in Christ, searched after truth pleasure and wisdom, self-discipline, soldiers of the Lord, spiritual armour, stand against the wiles of the devil, stand up for Jesus, take up his cross and follow me, Thanks be to God, that Jesus is the Son of God, the breastplate of righteousness, the conclusion of the whole matter, the good news, the helmet of salvation, the hump of Wednesday, the knowledge of God's Word, the most powerful tool, the shield of faith, the sting of death is sin, the sword of the Spirit, the Word of god, this is the love of God, this is the whole duty of man, through our Lord Jesus christ, Thursday's Blessings, to the best of our ability, two edged sword, we wrestle not against flesh and blood, weighed down in sin and bondage, whatever is born of God overcometh the world, who gives us the victory, who is he that overcometh the world, withstand the fiery darts of the enemy, your labour is not in vain
1 John 5:5. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
Well it’s Thursday! We’ve gotten over the hump of Wednesday and every eye is now focused on Friday; that magical day that just seems to lift our spirits with the thought of the no work weekend just around the corner. So what are our plans for today eh friends? I hope they are to live life to the full, while doing the work God has set out for each of us, to the best of our ability.
For as Cousin Sol, writing as the Preacher in Ecclesiastes so truthfully proclaimed, having searched after truth, pleasure, wisdom and whatever else the world had to offer, as only he had the means and time to pursue: ‘Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.’ (Eccl.12:13)
Yes my fellow saints in Christ, that is all we’ve been called to do down here on this earth; sincerely reverence our wonderful Creator, and do whatever He has asked us to do, in other words, faithful obedience to His holy will. Now is that so difficult to do? Yes, at times, with the state of our world, it is very difficult to accomplish, as the enemy exerts all his pressure on us to follow his will instead. And with our inherent human nature of fear and doubt that evil, demoniacal pressure makes it even harder.
But the good news my brethren is that once we’re walking faithfully with Jesus, we do have the means, the wherewithal to avoid, to throw off the enemy’s evil attempts to keep us weighed down in sin and bondage. Christ, by His most sacrificial death on the cross has set us free! But as Christ so plainly said: ‘If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.’ (Matt. 16:24) Yes friends, we have to take up our own cross, die to self, and follow Him, if we want to be truly free of the enemy and his lying, deceitful ways.
We have to fully embrace Christ and all that He stands for if we want to successfully fight the enemy. And we not talking here about physical war, but a spiritual one, because that’s where the enemy focusses most of his attacks; in our spirits, our souls, our minds, where his manipulative powers can do the most damage. But as we’ve been saying, with Christ in us, and we in Him, we can do anything, because He’s given us the power, the awesome power to fight the enemy mano-a-mano, without fear, and convinced of victory!
Yes my people, John boldly proclaims it: ‘For this is theLOVEof God; that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous (burdensome). For whatever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world even our faith.Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?’(1 John 5:3-5) Mama Yo! What powerful words of assurance and victory my bredrin! Hundreds of years later, after encountering Jesus in person, John agrees with Cousin Sol that keeping the Lord’s commandments are imperative to our well-being.
And Bruh Paul adds his own commentary on the subject in his first letter to the church at Corinth. ‘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. 15:56-58) Ah mih people, victory and rewards are assured, but we still need to fight some battles, especially spiritual ones, and can do so very successfully with all the tools that’s been granted to us by the Lord.
So let’s take a quick look, really a remembrance (smile) of those spiritual tools in our arsenal nuh. Bruh Paul refers to them as spiritual armour in his missive to the Ephesians. ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world (age), against spiritual (hosts of) wickedness in high places.’ (Eph. 6:11-12) So that means we fighting in the spiritual realm, against demons, world rulers and other forces of darkness and evil, including the prince of darkness, Lucifer himself.
And since no true soldier goes into battle without protective gear, this is the armour we, the soldiers of Christ, need to successfully stand up to the enemy. Our loins must be girded with truth; the truth, the knowledge of God’s Word. That would be the belt holding the rest of our armour in place. Then there’s the breastplate of righteousness. We talking here about Holy character and moral conduct; obedience to the truth which produces a godly or righteous life.
And we can’t go into battle without proper footwear, and in our case our feet must be shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. That means a sense of eagerness or willingness to fight, to advance against the enemy, to take the fight to him. For remember the best method of defence is attack! And then mih bredrin, we need the shield of faith, so that we can stop the fiery darts of the evil one and his evil cohorts. That means taking God at His word, using the faith based promises to strengthen us in times of doubt.
And we can’t forget the head gear, protection for our heads is invaluable. There we need the helmet of salvation; that’s the hope, the certainty, assurance of salvation; knowing that we’re saved and can’t lose it. Now we can’t go into battle without some sort of weapon to fight with. And ours is the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God!
Brother! I won’t want to bounce up that sword in battle nuh. For remember what they say about it? ‘For the word of God is quick (living), and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of (able to judge) the thoughts and intents (intentions) of the heart.’ (Heb. 4:12) Now that’s the kind of sword you want to go into battle with!
But yuh know what friends, with all that armour, you still can’t win the battle unless you have the most important and powerful tool in the universe; prayer. As Bruh Paul says: ‘Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.’ (Eph. 6:18) Yeh friends, prayer is indispensable; without it we can never achieve victory!
So having reviewed, rather lengthily, I must say (smile) our earthly job and spiritual protection, let’s go home now declaring (yeahhh!) our Thursday Blessings, wonderful accoutrements that have been endowed on us to help us do God’s work, for He never asks us to do anything without giving us the grace, the power, the anointing to do it.
All together in strong, sure 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 everyday! Amen!’
And the usual corollary is now invoked: let’s go out and share those blessings just as generously as they’ve been shared with us!Much LOVE!
…stand up, stand up for Jesus…you soldiers of the Lord…
P.S. Yeh, it sorta long, but that’s how and where I was led, and I think it’s good. (smile) Hope you do too. Much LOVE!
04 Jan 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a wheelchair, ask the Lord for help, baptism, baptizing, believers, body of Christ, Christ's word, Christian knowledge, do better, doctor's appointments, drain me, education, effective service, evangelism, evil, feeling the feelings, Friday chant, fun, generous help, go ye therefore, God's objectives, him who sent me, humility, I am always with you, I have commanded you, identification with Christ, Lord and Saviour, make disciples of, nature of the human animal, New Year's celebration, no man can work, no spring chicken, observe all things, party, party as hearty, relaxation, rest, rough consequences, sincerity, teach all nations, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the church, the good news, the Great Commission, the Holy Ghost, the name of the Father, the night comes, the SON, the weekend, there is a way, to the end of the world, upheaval, week of work, where there is a will, while it is day, work the works, workingman's song
Matthew 28:19. Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
And then it was the first Friday in the new year; a day every working person was just dying to see, because it was a harbinger of the weekend and they so badly wanted to rest their tired bones, flesh and spirits after all the New Year’s celebrations! Ah mih people, the doctor’s appointments business in the big city have begun again yes. But I’m not sure that I’m keeping this one this morning nuh…
Chuh! The ole fella didn’t sleep well last night and is walking around this morning like an ole fogey. (smile) Easy mih first born easy…(smile) She’s already warned me not to cancel any appointments, but she’s not the one feeling the feelings, nor has to trek umpteen miles in the cold and traffic to hear a doctor say: ‘Oh, everything’s healing well. Just keep on doing what you’re doing!’ And I don’t believe that the duchess is too thrilled having to drive me either. But we’ll see how it shakes out after I’m done with the Bit.
And nobody is more thrilled than the ordinary workingman to see this day as he so enthusiastically informs us: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! I couldn’t work another day even if mih life depended on it! Brother! Them Christmas and New Year’s festivities really drain me yes! Ah guess is time to realize that ah not as young as I used to be…in other words, no spring chicken, so I can’t afford to party as hearty and not feel the resulting rough consequences. Hn, hn! But where there is a will there is a way.
So watch me, come this year Christmas and New Year’s Eve nuh! Ah going to start getting mihself ready from early o’clock…because who want to miss them fantastic celebrations, sitting down like some ole man in a wheelchair and kyar move and go round the place and eat and drink up other people stuff eh? Not me for sure nuh! So thank God for Fridays and weekends yes, that enable me to renew mih soul and body, so that I could get out and party! Party, party, party…!’
Yes mih breddren, it never ceases to amaze me, how we can be so kind and gracious for a couple of weeks, then go right back to the disgusting living we practiced before. But I guess that’s just nature of the human animal. However, since it’s Friday, we need to let our Christian voice be heard in our Friday Chant. It’s not as ebullient and mind chasing as the workingman’s song, but it sure fits our purposes admirably.
So altogether now: ‘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!’
Yeh, it’s not spectacular, but it helps keep us out of the enemy’s reach, and doing Jesus’ work. And that’s the most important aspect of our lives, doing Jesus’ bidding! Remember His last words to the disciples, in what we term, ‘the Great Commission’?
‘Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.’ (Matt. 28:19-20)
There you have it friends, the imperative from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Ours is to spread the good news of His Word around the world, to all and sundry. And note, He assured us, that He would be with us all the time we’re doing His will. What an awesome Saviour we have my brethren! Always thinking of us and our welfare!
And the scholars give us this explanation: ‘28:19. The controlling purpose of the local church is to make disciples of all kinds of people. Those who are evangelized and converted should then be baptized, attesting to their identification with Christ and the local body of believers. The final phase of the Great Commission is to train disciples in Christian knowledge and for effective service. A church cannot choose one aspect of its responsibility and neglect the others.
The Great Commission is a simple command with three steps – evangelism, baptism, and education. Illustration: The Great Commission is the strategy by which the church at Jerusalem saturated its community with the gospel. Application: Every Christian should determine that his ministry for Christ in the church upholds God’s objectives for that institution. (First Ref. Matt.16:18; Primary Ref. Matt.28:19; cf. Phil.1:27).’
Yes friends, our job is to let the heathen know about Christ, and all the wonderful things He has to offer to those who come to Him in humility and sincerity. And each and every Christian has a part to play in this transformation! The question that now faces us, is whether we’re doing what Jesus requires of us, and if we’re doing it to the best of our ability?
And it’s obvious that as the body of Christ, the church, we’re not doing such a great job, otherwise our world wouldn’t be in such a state of upheaval and evil. So I’d like to invite each of us to sit down and seriously ponder our current role in Christ’s church, and then ask the Lord to help us do better, for we can ALL do better. Much LOVE!
…I must work the works of him who sent me…while it is day…the night cometh…when no man can work… (John 9:4)
26 Dec 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: allegiance, an option, anticipate surprises, appreciation, awaken slumbering memories, become human, beheld his glory, believing, beloved of God, blessings, brightly lit trees, cards, care, carols, celebrate, celebrations, Christ's birth, Christ's humanity, christmas day, Christmas morning, colourful explosions, conviction, cookies, darkness, death, drama, dwelt among us, entrust myself anew, eternal damnation, eternal life, every day, evil band, excitement, flesh, fragrance of pine, friend of Jesus, gift, glory, glory to God, Gnostic heresy, good cheer, gratitude, greet the world, Hades, heartwarming, heresy, hold, hope, hug, incarnation, It's Christmas, joy, keeping Jesus first place, laugh, let god create, life, light, LOVE, loving-kindness, Lucifer, manifestation of God, mercies, miracle, open your arms wide, open your heart, peace, peace and goodwill to men, pledge our love, poured down, praise, praise to Jesus, pretnese, push away tears, reconciliation, rejoice, resurrection, revolutionary, Ruth Harms Calkin, sacrificed, salvation, save us, say to god, season, share, share love, shekinah glory, shout, sinful selves, sing, sinless life, smile away fears, stir up, stupendous dreams, tabernacle, thank, thank God, the cross, the empty tomb, the good news, the Lord God Almighty, the manger, the Old Testmant, the One Year Book of Bible Promises, the only begotten, the purists, the reason, the Saviour of the world, the word was made flesh, think, time for candles, time of need, trust, Tuesday Mantra, went out on a limb, white christmas
John 1:14. And the Word was made (became) flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Well friends, the big day has come and gone; the purists got their white Christmas and I do hope that you all enjoyed a wonderful day with friends and families, keeping Jesus first place in your thoughts as He is the reason for all the celebrations.
But yuh know what? Christmas Day might be gone, but the Christmas season is not over as yet, there’s still a lot of peace, LOVE and good cheer yet to be spread. And on this Boxing Day, here is something titled ‘It’s Christmas,’ from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, to bring the Christmas season into true perspective.
Please read with me: ‘It’s Christmas! Sing! Rejoice! Celebrate! Let God create in you Colourful explosions Of joy and excitement. Smile away fears, push away tears. Out with pretense, in with praise. It’s Christmas! Open your heart to light To trust, to LOVE, to hope. Awaken slumbering memories Stir up stupendous dreams Anticipate surprises Open your arms wide.
It’s Christmas! Time for candles and cards For carols and cookies For brightly lit trees With the fragrance of pine. Time to hug and hold To think and thank Time to greet the world With the Good News. It’s Christmas! Thank God for life Thank Him for the manger For the splintered cross For the empty tomb. Thank Him for His only Son The Saviour of the world. Shout! Laugh! Share! Care! And say to God On Christmas morning: “I entrust myself anew To You.”
Oh friends, doesn’t that picture of Christmas sound wonderful? It surely does! And though we may not be in a position to do all that’s suggested there, we can ALL do the most important things, like give God thanks and praise for all that He’s done for us through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and pledge our LOVE and allegiance anew to Him EVERY day!
Ah mih people, the Lord God Almighty certainly went out on a limb for us when in His awesome LOVING-kindness He decided to save us from our sinful selves. The least we can now do is to show some sincere appreciation and gratitude as we enjoy all of the blessings and mercies that He’s poured down on us, especially in this season of Christmas, when we celebrate Christ’s birth, the beginning of the whole beautiful, heartwarming and revolutionary drama.
And all God’s people declared a loud, proud and grateful: ‘Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace and goodwill to men!’
And the Bible Promise for that poem is also our Bit for today. ‘And the Word was made (became) flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.’ How majestic and marvellous for the Son of God to become human and dwell amongst us!
And the scholars offer these explanations: ‘1:14. Made flesh indicated the incarnation (the miracle) of God the Son becoming human yet remaining God, and bringing us into full conviction of Christ’s humanity. The use of flesh contradicts the Gnostic heresy that God could not be united with human flesh, which was seen as evil.
Dwelt among us: John uses the word for “tabernacled,” here translated “dwelt.” The Old Testament tabernacle was where God dwelt among the Jews in the wilderness. In this context, God is dwelling in the person of Jesus Christ. We beheld his glory: Perhaps John refers to the Shekinah glory which appeared in the tabernacle of the Old Testament. The expression signifies the visible manifestation of God. John later uses glory to refer to Jesus’ life (2:11), death, and resurrection (12:23).’
So my people, we could not ask for a greater gift, especially at this time of gift giving. We need to remember that God the Father gave us the greatest gift ever, God the Son, in our veritable time of need; a time when we were headed directly for eternal damnation and darkness. Not that we aren’t still heading for it, but at least now we have an option to avoid it.
Before Jesus came and sacrificed his sinless life on our behalf, we had no option but to go straight to Hades with Lucifer and his evil band. But all praise to Jesus for giving the option of believing in Him and thus having reconciliation with the Father and eventual salvation and eternal life! Wow! If that isn’t the GREATEST my brethren, then I don’t know what is!
Now let’s go home this Tuesday morning, letting the world know whom and whose we are by declaring our Tuesday Mantra with much gumption and truth. As one now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And since we’re truly Christ’s people, then let’s go and truly share His LOVE with the rest of the world nuh! Much LOVE!
…oh…there’s not enough thanks in the world…to truly give to Jesus…for His sacrifice on our behalf…
06 Nov 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a grain of mustard seed, a pain in the butt, assurance, aura of love, blow the trumpet, cacphony, Christians, confidence, contrariness, cursing, enthusiasm, evil, evil cohorts, faith, fearless leader, fight the good fight, folish world, friends, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, God is our refuge and strength, God's sustaining power, gospel truth, hissing of teeth, hope, humble servants, impossible to you, in trouble, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, lies, lift up mine eyes unto the hills, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, man to man, mercy, Monday blues, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, move mountains, my help cometh from God, negative feelings, negative noises, planned properly, prescription, present help, prince of darkness, reap what we sow, refuge, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, righteousness., salvation, sleep, slumber, sound the horn, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, strength, taunts, the good news, the LOVE of God, trust, truth, unbelief, wiles, wisdom
Psalm 46:1. God is our refuge and strength, a very present (abundantly available) help in trouble.
‘Blow the trumpet, sound the horn… And welcome another ‘loverly’ Monday morn!’
Now that just raises a cacophony of negative noises in the background; hissing of teeth, cursing, and complaints like ‘Yuh mad or something boy? Where you ever hear them welcoming Monday as a lovely morn eh? Steups! Monday morning is more a pain in the butt than anything else yes!’
And I respond by saying that’s because we have not planned properly for it. We all know that after Sunday is Monday and we have to get up to go to work. So why don’t we prepare ourselves as needed to do so eh? I guess it’s just the innate contrariness in us. (smile)
But anyway, we have the right prescription for any negative feelings you have this morning. It’s called our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. And when we sing it lustily, it just chases away all those Monday morning blues. So let’s put down a real lusty rendition now nuh.
‘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!’
Wow mih breddren! That was certainly lusty! And yuh see how it drove away all your negative feelings. So let’s get a move on, make hay while the sun shines and the irons are hot and get out into the feckless, fickle, foolish world and spread the good news, the wonderful LOVE of our Lord and Saviour, our fearless Leader, Jesus Christ.
Yes friends, we can go out and battle the enemy mano a mano (man to man) because of the assurance we have in scriptures like our Bit. ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present (abundantly available) help in trouble.’
And if that is not written deep and indelibly in your soul, then you are in trouble. For without the backing of Almighty God we cannot successfully fight the evil prince of this fallen world and his numerous evil cohorts. But with God sincerely entrenched in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, we can move mountains!
Remember how Jesus put it to His disciples when they could not heal an epileptic man? ‘Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence unto yonder place; and it shall remove (move); and nothing shall be impossible to you.’ (Matt.17:20)
Ah mih people, we certainly have to believe, if we want to achieve. Now let’s check out a couple of other scripture passages which reassure us of God’s help and place of refuge in times of trouble. First up are these verses from Psalm 33 – Praise to the Lord for his creation.
‘Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waiteth for the Lord: he is our help and our shield. Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.’ (Ps.33:18-22) Please note the psalmist’s sentiment in the last verse – for God’s mercy to fall on us in proportion to our hope in Him. As we sow, we shall reap.
And we all know the famous words of Psalm 121 – God’s sustaining power. ‘I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved (slip): he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is thy keeper (protector): the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve (keep) thy soul. The Lord shall preserve (keep) thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.’ (Ps.121:1-8)
And all God’s people gave a loud and grateful shout of ‘Glory Hallelujah! What a mighty God we serve and worship!’ And that’s the gospel truth my fellow believers. So with that assurance bubbling up in us, let’s go out now and fight the good fight with Christ, as we battle diligently in His LOVE Revolution, to retake the world from the evil prince of darkness. Much LOVE!
onward Christian soldiers…to fight…to fight…and to keep on fighting…with Jesus at our helm…
02 Oct 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: above all gods, aura of love, battle stations, blessed be the Lord, confidence, conquerors, Corinthians, dead objects, diligence, dilly-dallying, Egyptians, enthusiasm, evil, excellence, fearless leader, friends, Gentiles, glorious kingdom, great is our God, heathen, hoarded, honour, house of god, humble servants, idle boast, idols, inroads, invincible, Jehovah, Jesus Christ, Jethro, lies, living God, LOVE, majesty, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, our father's business, Pharaoh, reconnoitering, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, rise and shine, salvation, sing unto the Lord, steadfast faith, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the good news, the Great Commission, the house I build, the trumpet's call, the wherewithal, the work of man's hands, trust, truth, ungodly world, wisdom
2 Chronicles 2:5. And the house which I build is (will be) great: for great is our God above all gods.
Rise and shine, friends, rise and shine! Hear the trumpet’s call! Battle stations all! Our fearless Leader, Jesus Christ is already at the battlefront reconnoitering the situation, waiting for us to come forward, so He can lead us into battle.
Please, no dilly-dallying this morning, there’s urgent work to be done. So let’s get a move on, let’s be up and about our Father’s business! And if you think you don’t have the wherewithal to do battle today, then join us, as we sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, which gets our adrenaline flowing and kick starts our motors.
All together 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!’
Awright mih breddren! That sounded good! Our choirmaster, Jesus was pleased. Now it’s time for us to get out there and join Jesus, our field General, on the front lines, for that’s where the battle is being fought. That brings us to our Bit: ‘And the house which I build is (will be) great: for great is our God above all gods.’
Ah mih people, what words of absolute truth from Cousin Sol as he set out to build the immaculate and magnificent House of God in the Golden Age of Israel! And this no idle boast, as you’ll realize when you hear the proud declaration of the psalmist from Psalm 96 – A call to praise God. ‘Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; show forth (proclaim the good news of) his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the heathen (gentiles), his wonders among all people. For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord made the heavens. Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.’ (Ps.96:2-6)
Yeh friends, any other supposed deity beside Jehovah, is merely an idol. They are all dead objects, the work of man’s hands, or creatures of his finite imagination. That’s because the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the Only True Living God that there is! And if you don’t believe the psalmist, then listen to Bruh Paul in his first missive to the Corinthians, as he talks about Christian freedom and brotherly obligations.
‘As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and there is none other God but one. For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth (as there be gods many, and lords many,) But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we (live) by him.’ (1 Cor. 8:4-6)
Oh friends, how could there logically be more than ONE God eh? More than one god would never have made such a smooth running, self-sustaining, magnificent universe. It would have been total confusion all over!
Now hear corroboration of that fact from way back when, from Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, when he brought Moses’ wife and children to meet him in the Israelite camp in the wilderness. After Moses told him all that the Lord had done for the Israelites in bringing them out of Egypt, Jethro rejoiced.
‘And Jethro said, Blessed be the Lord, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt (behaved) proudly he was above them.’ (Ex.18:10-11)
Yes friends, our God is above everybody and everything! Give Him much deserved thanks and praise, glorify and exalt His holy name throughout all the earth! Spread His word from one end of the world to the next, so that the heathen can have a chance to experience His never-ending, unconditional LOVE, His healing power and the good news of His salvation!
That’s our Great Commission, so let’s get out there today and do it with diligence and excellence as He desires nuh. Much LOVE!
…the good news of Jesus…was meant to be spread far and wide…not selfishly hoarded…
18 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a big splash for Jesus, a day in the life, a useful purpose, abide with you for ever, adrenaline, ambassadors, another comforter, aura of love, bear witness, Christians, confidence, conquerors, enthusiasm, famine, friends, get a move on, get excited, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, grace, harvest, holy spirit, Holy Trinity, humble servants, in christ, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, lies, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, number one job, our Lord and Saviour, perfect remedy, plan, pray the Father, promise, purpose for our lives, rain, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, salvation, snow, spiritual armour, spreading the gospel, steadfast faith, surrender, taunts, thanks and praise, The Day of Pentecost, the good news, the Spirit of truth, the will of God, truth, ulitmate priority, wiles, wisdom, working for Jesus
John 14:16. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever.
Come on down friends and neighbours, it’s Monday morning, time to get excited about simply living. Time to give some thanks and praise that we haven’t seen our pictures or read our names in the obits this morning. Mama Yo! That means the Creator still has some plan and purpose for our lives down here, otherwise we’d be gone up on high, or down low, already.
So let’s get up and get a move on nuh. It’s going to be another glorious day in the life, regardless of what happens. And how do I know that? Well it’s obvious; because we are in Christ, and He is in us, which means we can handle anything that comes against us with His awesome help. Glory be mih people!
And for those of us who are finding it difficult to get up and get going, we have the perfect remedy for you; our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. It’s guaranteed to put you in the groove. So let’s declare it right now, in loud, harmonious and enthusiastic voice.
‘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 Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Yes mih breddren, yuh see we weren’t lying when we said it would pick you up. So now that the adrenaline is flowing and your engine is purring like a well-tuned and well-oiled machine, let’s go out into the mish-mash world that we currently live in and make a big splash for Jesus, as He desires of us, His earthly ambassadors.
Remember, that working for Jesus is our number one job, our ultimate priority as Christians, and it’s not something we can do when, and if ever we feel so inclined. It’s something we have to be constantly working at. The good news of Jesus, like the mail, has to be declared to mankind each and every day, be it snow or rain, harvest or famine.
For we know not when Jesus is coming back, but whenever He does, those who are not living under his saving grace won’t ever have a chance to do so again. That’s why we have to get moving, get seriously working on Christ’s LOVE Revolution, so that hopefully none will eventually be lost, as our heavenly Father so earnestly desires.
And we are able carry out those desires because of the promise Jesus made to the disciples and also to us as He was getting ready to go back to heaven. ‘And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever.’ And that Comforter was His Holy Spirit which began indwelling ALL believers from the Day of Pentecost.
Jesus knew that His followers would be helpless without Him around, but He, as a man, could only be in one place at any time. However His Spirit could exist in each and every man at the same time. And listen to the end of Jesus’ monologue when He told the disciples about how the world would hate them because they knew not God. (John 15:18-25)
‘But when the Comforter (Helper) is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me. And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.’ (John 15:26-27) And by extension my people, the Comforter , the Holy Spirit, the Helper, sent from Christ, is also beside us as we bear witness of Christ. What a magnificent assurance of God being with us with each breath and step we take in this confused and crazy, strife-filled world!
Now here is some interesting info from the scholars re the Procession of the Spirit. ‘15:26. The action of the word translated “proceedeth” is “in the process” – “continually proceeds.” The eternal procession of the Spirit means that He continually proceeds from beside, not out of, the Father. If the Holy Spirit came out of God, He would be less than God. To be more specific, the Holy Spirit not only proceeds from the Father, but also from the Son. This means the Father and the Son continually send the Holy Spirit.
This in no way suggests the Spirit is less in deity than are the Father or Son. Instead it explains the relationship among the three eternal persons of the Trinity. Illustration: Just as Jesus came to do the will of the Father, so the Holy Spirit is sent to speak not of Himself, but of Christ (16:13). Application: In this sense the Holy Spirit is the Promise of the Father who has been given to every Christian (Acts 1:4; 2:39).’
Ah friends, I do hope that somewhat lengthy explanation clears up some the mystery of the relationships of the Holy Trinity. Nevertheless, let’s go out and do diligent and excellent work in spreading the gospel and the LOVE of Jesus, as we are called to do nuh. Much LOVE!
…without the Comforter…the Holy Spirit…to lead and guide us…Christians would be completely lost…
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