04 Nov 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all things were made by him, alleviate our problems, an accurate perception, atonement for our sins, be filled with the knowledge of his will, being fruitful in every good work, Bible, cease not to pray for you, christianity, cycle of life, disobeyed your word, eternal destination, faith, forbearing the faults of others, fruitful in every good work, giving thanks unto the Father, god, happiness, holy spirit, immorality, in all wisdom, in him was life, In the beginning was the Word, increasing in the knowledge of God, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, joyfulness, logic, longsuffering, LOVE, made us meet, mass confusion, meditating on god's word, mercy, misery, morality, partakes of the inheritance, pateince, perseverance, practical situations, practical ways to apply theory, qualified us, ransom, redemption, sacrifices, sacrificial death, salvation, share in the salvation, sincere repentance, sincerely expressing gratitude to god, sinned, spiritual understanding, strengthened with all might, suffering, the Christian life, the crippling clutches, the darkness comprehends it not, the forgiveness of sins, the God who heals, the grim reaper, the life was the light of men, the light shines in the darkness, the saints in light, the skillful application of wisdom, the true nature of things, the Word was God, the Word was with God, this evil world, trials, tribulations, truth, walk worthy of the Lord, wisdom
John 1:1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
And the cycle continues unabated. Yes friends, the cycle of life never stops, it just keeps rolling along from Monday to Sunday…Monday to Sunday…and back again. It’s like a constantly revolving Ferris wheel that simply keeps going up and down, round and round, but never stopping to disgorge its anxious and fearful passengers.
And the only way you can escape the crippling clutches of that forever cycle is by allowing the Grim Reaper to escort you home to your eternal destination, be it heaven or hell. That means while you’re caught in the vicious cycle of life, you have to learn to handle it with some semblance of hope and fortitude.
And the best way to do that is by accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. And why is that? Because as John puts it in his gospel: ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness comprehendeth it not.’ (John 1:1-5)
Oh my people, logic dictates that if those words are true and Jesus was the Word and He made everything in creation, and life and light came through Him, then He should be the most knowledgeable about life and be the one most able to teach us how to handle it. Now, that sounds all well and good in theory, but how do we put it into practice?
And that’s the beauty of living for and serving Jesus; He doesn’t only give you theory, but also practical ways to apply the theory. And one of the best ways to put that theory above into practice is highlighted by the words of Bruh Paul’s prayer for the Colossians. He writes: ‘For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet (qualified us) to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in (the) light:
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated (transferred) us into the kingdom of his dear Son (the Son of His LOVE): In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:’ (Col. 1:9-14)
So those are some of the things we need to learn to help us handle the vicious cycle of life. Let’s try and break them down nuh. And the first thing we need to do is discern God’s will for our lives, through meditating on God’s Word and through the leading and guiding of His Holy Spirit that indwells us for those purposes. Bruh Paul says that we need to do so with all ‘wisdom and spiritual understanding.
Now what are those things eh? The scholars explain that ‘Wisdom is an accurate perception into the true nature of things, while Understanding is the skillful application of this wisdom in practical situations.’ So basically, they are knowing the truth and knowing how to successfully apply that truth to our lives. And why do we need to know God’s will for our lives? So that we can ‘walk worthy of the Lord,’ or live properly and please Him.
And what does a worthy walk entail? According to the scholars: ‘the believer is (1) fruitful in every good work, productive in Christian service; (2) constantly increasing in the knowledge of God, ever coming to know the Lord better; (3) always “strengthened with all might” or becoming spiritually stronger and stronger; (4) in the habit of giving thanks, sincerely expressing gratitude to God in both the pleasant and unpleasant experiences in life.’
Now, the first thing we must understand about walking with God as a believer in His Son Jesus Christ, is that it’s not easy; it’s filled with sacrifices, and suffering and tough times and just life itself…however, it is the most interesting and rewarding life we can ever live on God’s great earth!
And here we’re talking about things like ‘Patience, which the scholars tell us is persevering through problems, trials and tribulations, and so forth. Also Longsuffering which is forbearing the faults and offences of others.’ And in all of that we still need to be ‘thanking the Father who made us fit to share in the salvation belonging to the saints who are in the light.’
And ‘Light is the ethical condition in which God’s children live, namely that of spiritual understanding, with its accompanying morality and happiness. Then we come to ‘Darkness, which is the religious state in which unbelievers exist, namely, that of spiritual ignorance, with its attending immorality and misery.’
And last but not least, possibly the most important is ‘Blood, the Blood of Jesus, which reminds the Colossians, and also us, of the enormous price and sacrifice paid to secure our redemption. Redemption then, is achieved by the atonement wrought by Jesus’ death.’ His sacrificial death paid the price for our sins, or He ransomed us through His death, thus leading to forgiveness of sins, if one believes in Him. So, as we said before, living the Christian life can be a tough go, but by all accounts, it can’t be beat.
And to help us accomplish our earthly tasks with joy and thanksgiving, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn asking for divine help to do better than we’re currently doing. That’s also one of the big benefits of living for Christ; you can go to Him at anytime to ask for help.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Let’s remember though, that asking for divine aid also includes our sincere repentance and a serious desire to seek God more fully. Much LOVE!
…the cycle of life…can best be lived…in association with its Creator…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
18 Jul 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a change of attitude towards God and sin, a change of conduct, a change of mind, a fearful heart, a sense of sorrow, abundance, be thankful, Bible, born again, clear direction for my life, confirm the feeble knees, courage, curse, divine protection, god, God will come and save you, God will come with vengeance, God's goodness, God's supernatural wisdom, gospel, Jesus, Jesus Christ, LOVE, making preparations, mercy, negative word, promotion, rejecting the world's folly, repent, repentance, salvation, streams in the desert, strengthen ye the weak hands, talent, the abundant life, the church age, the ears of the deaf unstopped, the eyes of the blind, the Great tribulation, the grim reaper, the kingdom of God is within you, the kingdom of heaven is at hand, the lame man leap as a hart, the last days, the Rapture, the result of God's mercy, the tongue of the dumb sing, Thursday Blessings, torrential rain, truth, wisdom
Matthew 4:17. From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (near).
So it’s Thursday, a couple of days after the torrential rain we had in the Southern Ontario area. Clean up is still underway though, and some people are still without power, but I believe most, if not all of the earlier flooded roads are now open to traffic. Ah friends, one never knows what can happen at any given time, so one should try to be prepared for anything. And I know that’s not always possible, for who believed that we would be flooded out…and so quickly last Tuesday morning eh? I don’t think even the meteorologists thought we would have such a deluge. But let’s be thankful, for it could have been worse, as many others have recently experienced.
And talking about preparations for possible disasters, we might not be able to prepare for the physical ones, but we can surely prepare for the spiritual ones…like the grim reaper suddenly showing up and calling your name. With all the natural disasters and man-made strife currently happening in our world, it’s time that we seriously do what John the Baptist preached to the people of Israel. ‘Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ (Matt. 3:2)
Yes friends, the experts say that there are lots of signs pointing to the last days of the church age, and if that’s true, and you haven’t repented and accepted Christ as Lord and Saviour, then things will be real bad with you. When the Rapture happens, you won’t go home with Him to heaven, but remain here on earth to face the Great Tribulation. And believe me, if what the Bible says is true of that period, and I believe it is, then you’re in for one helluva of a rough time here on earth, more terrible than what we’ve ever seen. That’s why it’s so important to know that you wont’ be here for that ghastly period of time.
And John was not the only one to call for repentance. No. Jesus did too, when He began His ministry. The Bible tells us that once Jesus heard of John the Baptist’s imprisonment, and possibly after the attempt on His life in His hometown of Nazareth, He moved to Capernaum and there set up His ministry. And ‘From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of God is at hand (near).’ (Matt. 4:17)
And what does repentance mean? The scholars explain: ‘Repent 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 it is the result of God’s mercy in leading man to it. (cf. Acts 5:31; Rom. 2:4; 2 Tim. 2:25). Thus repentance involves the very process of conversion whereby men are born again (of the Spirit). John’s and Jesus’ message was necessary in order to prepare people for the kingdom of heaven which was at hand (near).’
And it basically means the renouncing of one’s sins that one be united more closely to God and all His ways. As Bruh Paul writes: ‘Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?’ (Rom. 2:4) Yes my people, when we see the truth of God’s goodness, grace and mercy, it leads us to repentance, to rejecting the foolishness and folly of this evil world. We can’t help but repent and acknowledge Christ as Lord and Saviour.
Now what does the kingdom of heaven or of God mean? First, why does Matthew say ‘kingdom of heaven,’ while Mark and Luke say ‘kingdom of God.?’ The scholars theorize that Matthew substituted the word ‘heaven’ for ‘God,’ because of his Jewish emphasis, for many Jews regarded it as blasphemous to refer to God by name. Mark and Luke had no such problems because they were writing predominantly to Greeks and Romans. And when Jesus talks about the kingdom of heaven (God) is at hand, He’s not talking of some future date, but of right then, for His presence on earth, His coming as the Messiah has introduced the kingdom of God to men as the prophets proclaimed, especially this scripture from Isaiah.
‘Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm (make firm) the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart (deer), and the tongue of the dumb (mute) sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.’ (Is. 35:3-6)
Ah mih bredrin, Isaiah there promised the salvation of the Lord and Jesus came to fulfil that promise. He paid the price for all of our sins and gave us a chance to begin anew with the Father, to return to a right relationship with Him, thus allowing us to enjoy heavenly benefits down here on earth. No, we don’t need to get to heaven to live the blessed life, it’s available to us as soon as we sincerely accept Christ as Lord and Saviour. As Jesus said: ‘I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10)
And when answering the Pharisees question about when will the kingdom of God come, Jesus says more clearly: ‘The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! Or, lo there! For behold the kingdom of God is within you (or in your midst). (Luke 17:20-21) No friends, the kingdom of God cannot be seen or placed in a particular spot, for it’s a spiritual movement. And as the scholars suggest: ‘If the Pharisees cared to look around , it was clear that with John the Baptist and Jesus the kingdom was in fact already at hand.’
They were too blind to see that, too full of their own importance to recognize the changes that were taking place right around them. But we know the truth, and have been bestowed with undeserved blessings, we call our Thursday Blessings to help it along. So let’s declare them now so that they can be activated in our lives.
Altogether: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection!
I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having activated those blessings, we are now duty bound to go out and use them for the benefit of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us. Much LOVE!
…without true repentance…one will never enjoy the wonderful kingdom of God…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
13 Nov 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: blowing away the heather, breathed the breath of life, faith, free choice, friendship with the world is enmity with God, giveth grace to the humble, he shall lift you up, heavenly light, holy spirit, humble servants, humble yourselves in the sight of God, I am the vine ye are the branches, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, Jesus is our everything, LOVE, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, nothing without Jesus, on the cross at Calvary, pray and sincerely seek your face, reconciled back to the Father, resist the devil and he will flee from you, sacrificed His sinless life, salty flavour, submit yourselves to God, the earth is the Lord's, the God who heals, the good shepherd, the grim reaper, the Lord giveth thee power to get wealth, the way the truth and the life, truth, wisdom, without me ye can do nothing
James 4:10. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
And we’ve been blessed with a bright sunny Monday to begin our new work week, with double digit temperatures! Please give the Lord some thanks and praise for it, because it could have easily been rain and snow instead! (smile) Ah friends, I do hope that we’re out there blowing away the heathen with our superb salty flavour and blinding them with our heavenly light, so that they can know we’re not just ordinary people, but sincere followers of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the One who sacrificed His sinless life on the cross at Calvary so that our sin debt could be paid in full, and we could thus be reconciled back to our heavenly father. Glory be!
What a wonderful Lord and Saviour is our Jesus! He is the shepherd of our souls: He said it Himself: ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep….I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.’ (John 10:11, 14) And not only is Jesus our good shepherd, but He’s also the way, the truth, and the life, and no man comes to the Father but through him! (John 14:6) Wow! Jesus has the best way for us to live this earthly life! In other words, He’s our EVERYTHING! And we are NOTHING without Him!
Listen as He tells it loud and clear: ‘Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:4-5)
Mama Mia! What a powerful, all-encompassing statement! Without Jesus we can’t do much of anything. And that’s the gospel truth, for the universe and all there is belongs to Him, He created it, for His pleasure. Bruh David said it thus in Psalm 24: ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods (rivers).’ (Ps. 24:1-2)
And likewise friends, the Lord created us in His own spiritual image to honour and glorify Him. He breathed the breath of life into each human being He created and can just as summarily take it away. And we had better learn to respect that li’l piece of info, for it’s why, when the Grim Reaper appears to take us home, we are helpless to say no.
Furthermore, since the earth and everything in it belongs to the Lord, that means it’s also the Lord who allows us to get wealth and live the good and comfortable life. As Moses reminded the Hebrew children so long ago on their way to the Promised Land. ‘But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth.’ (Deut. 8:18) In fact my faithful brethren it’s the Lord who gives us power to get or do anything whatsoever! And physical wealth and abundance is one of God’s great blessings for those who are obedient and follow His divine will.
And since God did not want us to be merely robots, He gave us what we call free choice; the ability to do as we please. However, that free choice does come with serious repercussions if we don’t do His will. He gave us the free choice expecting that we’d be wise enough to use it follow Him not the evil Satan, like so many of us are doing. And that’s why the sin and evil in this world are eating us up and spitting us out like wood chips from a wood factory. We cannot control the evildoers and their evil deeds by our own efforts. No, we need the health and strength and the complete wherewithal of Christ Jesus to do it.
And it’s not always easy to fight off the devil, but as James says it begins thus: ‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted (lament), and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness (gloom). Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.’ (James 4:7-10) Now that right there says it all friends. We need to humble ourselves in God’s sight, not behave proud and arrogant and like we have no need for Him.
As James says earlier on: ‘Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will (wants) to be a friend of the world, is (makes himself) the enemy of God. Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy (yearns jealously)? But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.’ (James 4:4-6)
Oh my people, once upon a time we were complete enemies of God, but when the time was right He sent Jesus to die for us so that we could become His children once again. Now we have the choice, the option of being a child of God or one of Satan. It only makes complete sense to choose the best option, that of being a son of God, for the other option only leads to hellfire and damnation. But that calls for humbling ourselves before Him. So let’s do that right now nuh, approach the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, asking for divine help.
Altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And if we’ve truly learned our lesson, then we’ll turn from our evil ways and humble ourselves before Almighty God! Much LOVE!
…the Lord hates the haughty…they are an abomination unto Him… (Prov. 6:17)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
26 Oct 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a positive outlook on life, bounden duty, but god is the strength of my heart, can add one cubit to his stature, choice of free will, curse, disappointments, faith, favour, God alone is worthy of my trust, God will never leave nor forsake us, God's supernatural wisdom, happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, I have put my trust in the Lord, I place my whole confidence in the Living God, immune to problems and pain, in whom there is no help, it is good for me to draw near to God, Jesus Christ, LOVE, my flesh and my heart faileth, my portion for ever, negative word, nor in the son of man, One Year Book of Bible promises, put not your trust in princes, reversals, rid our society of God, Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, Satan the father of lies, severe drought, sorrow, surrendering to an unseen Deity, tears, the grim reaper, the living God, the prosperity of the wicked, there is none upon earth I desire beside thee, Thursday Blessings, thy word is truth, truth, whom have I heaven but thee, wisdom, worldly knowledge and wisdom
Psalm 73:26. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength (rock) of my heart, and my portion for ever.
And just like Wednesday yesterday, today, Thursday, has opened rainy and somewhat cloudy! Consecutive rainy and cloudy days! But who’s complaining, for we do need some heavenly blessings. Let’s be thankful that we are at least getting a little, some parts of our world haven’t gotten any in a long time and are suffering from severe drought. Let’s pray that they will soon receive some heavenly relief, because there’s nothing worse on this earth than to be without water, both in the human body and on the land.
And it’s been a long time since we’ve shared something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. So, today, let’s check out this piece simply titled ‘The Living God.’ Please pray with me. ‘I place my whole confidence In the Living God. Not because things Are going my way. Not because I understand All the inexplainables Or because I am immune To problems and pain and sorrow. But despite my questions My reversals, my disappointments Despite my sorrow and tears I place my whole confidence In the Living God For He alone can see me through. He alone is worthy of my trust.’
And that’s the gospel truth friends! The One and ONLY Living God, Yahweh, is the ONLY Being in this universe worthy of our total trust! And why is that you ask? Because whether you believe it or not, He is our Creator and Controller, and nothing happens in our lives or this world unless He instigates or allows it. The problem mankind has though is surrendering their entire life to an unseen Deity, and with our God-given choice of free will, it becomes even harder for man to do so as he increases in worldly knowledge and wisdom.
Unfortunately though, worldly knowledge and wisdom don’t recognize Almighty God as the titan that He is, but relegates Him to a minor background role, even foolishly desiring to completely rid our society of His awesome presence. But that’s something that will NEVER happen, because the Lord won’t allow it. I don’t know why man doesn’t wake up and recognize his real puny, powerless self. As Jesus so rightly asked: ‘Which of you by taking thought (worrying) can add one cubit to his stature?’ (Matt. 6:27)
None of us, because we don’t have the power to make any serious increases or decreases to our bodies and our lives in general. Look at how many rich people die despite their wealth and accessibility to the best medical attention the world has to offer. And so many young ones who go home before we think it’s time. And why do some get real sick and don’t pass on, while others are not sick but nonetheless pass over to the other side? If we truly had the power over our lives, wouldn’t we do it differently.
Of course! But the fact is that when the Grim Reaper comes a calling, we don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of refusing or not accepting his invitation. So, it’s about time mankind wakes up and realizes that there are only a very few aspects of life that he can really control. And even those, he controls through the goodness and grace of Almighty God. That’s why it’s wisdom of immense proportions to surrender our lives to the One, True and Living God.
And the Bible Promise for today’s poem comes from Psalm 73, that very significant expose of the psalmist Asaph’s life, where he almost fell captive to the attractiveness of the prosperity of the wicked, but discovered his folly when he went into the Lord’s sanctuary and finally understood the demise God had planned for them. Consequently, he later penned these poignant but oh so true words that Ms. Calkin uses as her Bible Promise for our poem. He writes: ‘Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength (rock) of my heart, and my portion for ever.’ (Ps. 73:25-26)
Now those are very good scriptures on which to base our total surrender to God, because He is truly the Only One both in heaven and earth that we can sincerely and faithfully depend on. The Only One who will never leave nor forsake us, nor deceive us, like Satan, the father of lies and deceit and his evil cronies do.
Please remember these true and uplifting words of another psalmist. ‘Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man (human beings), in whom there is no help (no salvation). His breath goeth forth (his spirit departs), he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God: Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever.’ (Ps. 146:3-6)
Now that is the ultimate in wisdom, my brethren! And please pay particular attention to that last statement: ‘which keepeth truth for ever,’ because it is the indisputable truth! Real truth is only to be found in the Word of God! As Jesus so sincerely stated as He reverently prayed to the Father for the disciples: ‘Sanctify them (set them apart) through thy truth: thy word is truth.’ (John 17:17) And what does that mean? This commentary explains it as simply as possible: ‘God’s Word is truth; what He says is true. We cannot simply discard it because we disagree with it. If we do, we are, in effect calling God a liar.’ And sadly, too many of us do that, or insinuate it every single day.
No wonder our world is in such a mess. But our great God doesn’t take offence because He knows that in the long run we will all have to come running back to Him if we desire salvation and eternal life. In fact, He’s even generous to a fault, bestowing blessings on us that we don’t deserve, but which are necessary for us to do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings, and to activate them, we need to declare (yesss!!!) them aloud. So please, let’s do that right now.
Altogether! ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
Now, having been blessed, it’s our bounden duty to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…it is good for me to draw near to God…I have put my trust in the Lord God…that I may declare all thy works… (Ps. 73:28)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
24 Nov 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a positive outlook on life, acknowledged the sovereignty of God, bless the Lord oh my soul, crowns thee with loving-kindness, curse, dies in the hot sun, divine protection, everything comes from God, executes righteousness, forget not all his benefits, forgives all thine iniquities, free will, from everlasting to everlasting, grows in the dew, heals all thy diseases, LOVE, man's days are as grass, merciful and gracious God, negative word, prosper, redeems thy life from destruction, satisfies thy mouth with good things, slow to anger, succeed, tender mercies, Thanksgiving Day, the flower in the field, the grim reaper, Thursday Blessings, thy youth is renewed like the eagle's
Psalm 103:2. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
HAPPY THANKSGIVING U.S. OF A !
And a Happy Thanksgiving Day to our friends, families and neighbours in the U.S. of A! Today’s their biggest holiday, with monumental celebrations all over the country. Let’s hope that you all have good weather and abundant joy, with peace and good cheer, and that much thanks is truly given where it belongs, to Almighty God, the Keeper and Provider of all your good things. And on this foggy Thursday morning, as the month of November and the unforgettable year of 2022 draw to a close, I believe it will be extremely wise and beneficial to ALL of us to remember who gives us life, health and wealth; Jehovah God!
And on this Thanksgiving Day, there’s no better scripture for us to delve into and write indelibly in our hearts, bodies and souls than Psalm 103 – Thanksgiving for God’s mercy. So please read with me, these awesome words of Bruh David as he opened his heart to the Lord so long ago. ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVING-kindness and tender mercies; who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ (Ps. 103:1-5)
Yes friends, all that we have, all that we are and do, is based on the Lord’s mercy and LOVING-kindness. Everything that we will put into our mouths today, the clothes we wear, the rooves over our heads, and EVERYTHING else in our lives belong to and comes from Almighty God. Unfortunately though, too many of us don’t know and/or appreciate that fact, thus we are not very thankful, and thus our lives are not as joyful and abundant as they could be.
Why do you think there’s so much strife, anger, greed, resentment, hatred, poverty and sickness in our world, despite the highest level of technology, education, medical achievements and other worthwhile inventions we’ve ever attained? Because we have not acknowledged the sovereignty and supremacy of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and shown gratefulness for all He’s done for us poor sinners and frail humans.
Now let’s continue reading those marvellous words of Bruh David from Psalm 103, where he further informs us of God’s goodness and mercy. ‘The Lord executeth righteousness and judgement for all that are oppressed. He made known his way unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous (abounding) in mercy (LOVING-kindness). He will not always chide (strive): neither will he keep his anger for ever.
He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy (LOVING-kindness) toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame (understands our constitution); he remembereth that we are dust.’ (Ps. 103: 6-14)
Oh my people, if many more of us would only realize that fact; that we are dust, created, molded from the dust of the earth by the hands of God, who then breathed His Spirit of life into us. It means we’re not the strong, solid God-like entity we believe we are but, frail and fragile creations who insist on fooling themselves. Please note we have no control over the length and breadth of our lives. Despite all the earthly wealth and power we possess, they can’t save us when the Grim Reaper comes a calling; one moment we’re here, then the next we’re not. That ought to teach us a very important lesson, but sadly it doesn’t, and we keep on seeking and searching for what we’ll never find, at least without God’s help.
And Bruh David hits the nail on the head when he continues: ‘As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more (shall not remember it). But the mercy (LOVING-kindness) of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children; To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.’ (Ps. 103:14-18)
That says it in spades my brethren! The Lord created us for His pleasure and fellowship, and the rewards to those that remember and do His commandments are exceedingly abundant. He casts away our sins, and even gave the life of His Son, Jesus Christ to pay for them. That shows how much He cares for us. So why are we so reluctant to return that LOVE and reverence eh? Because we are stubborn, foolish and hard-headed!
The li’l free-will He gave us has gone to our heads and made us believe that we’re the greatest thing since sliced bread, when in fact, we’re nothing without Him, like a flower in the field that grows up proud and strong in the early morning dew, but then fades and dies when the hot midday sun hits it. When are we going to learn eh, that most of our troubles stem from resisting the call and the power of Almighty God?
I don’t know, because we’re now bent on removing Him completely from our society, which is a total joke and simply shows how much our brains are addled and the enemy has successfully fooled us. Yes friends, Satan knows that He’s lost the war; in fact he never had a chance from the beginning, but he knows our weakness and keeps pounding away at it. You have to give him and A for perseverance in the face of such total defeat. If only we could be as persevering on the Lord’s behalf.
Anyway, let’s hope that during these Thanksgiving Day celebrations, many of us will take a moment to ponder the true reasons for our thanks and gratitude and wake up to the fact that God is indeed Lord, and the devil is a defeated foe. And to help us do His work down here on earth, the Lord has generously bestowed numerous blessings, which we call our Thursday Blessings. But they have to be declared out loud to activate them. So, let’s do that right now nuh.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And if we truly believe that, then we must now go out and use those blessings to teach others about Christ and help them to come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…it’s good to give thanks…but before doing so…one must know…to whom thanks is truly owed…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ
19 Aug 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a means of restoring faith in you, another arduous week of work, bodily exercise profiteth little, breaks the chains of sin, but of power love and a sound mind, doing his ungodly will, enjoyment of worldly pleasures, For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, Friday chant, frighten us, godliness, godliness is profitable unto all things, Jesus- our number one companion, Mother Nature, promise of the life that now is, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, spiritual exercise, TGIF!, the grim reaper, the Holy Spirit, the life that is to come, the mainstay of our lives, unexpected storm, wake up and smell the coffee, work smart
1 Timothy 4:8. For bodily (physical) exercise profiteth little: but godliness (the result of spiritual exercise) is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
TGIF friends! TGIF! Yes, thank God it’s Friday and another arduous week of work is almost over, and a glorious weekend is imminent. (smile) And sadly, instead of living for Christ, a lot of us simply live for the weekend, that’s rest from our earthly labour and enjoyment of the worldly pleasures available. No wonder our lives seem so arduous and out of our control. But when we live for Jesus, our lives are never arduous. They might be hard, difficult, even very trying, but never arduous, because arduous implies a lot of our own energy and strength is put into our daily living.
However, when we make Jesus our number ONE companion, He enables us to work smart, to work with wisdom and not as laboriously as we do on our own. As the song says: ‘With Jesus I know I can make it. No matter what may come my way, I know that I can make it, My life is in your hands.’ And that’s the only way to live this earthly life; with Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, Good Shepherd and Comforter!
When we surrender our lives to Him, His goodness runs after us. He breaks whatever chains of sin and sadness in which we are entangled. We no longer have to run down life or anything in it, because He provides everything we need. He said it very clearly in His Sermon on the Mount. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33)
Yes my people, just as the Lord looks after all the other things He created in Mother Nature, He will likewise look after His greatest creation, the human being. And why wouldn’t He eh, when we’re made in His image, and are filled with His breath of life, and He controls all that we are and do? It just wouldn’t make any sense to just ignore and abandon us to the evil enemy Satan, after taking so much time, energy and pride to create us. The problem though is that in this fallen and sinful world, the enemy wields much power and influence and thus wants to frighten us into doing his ungodly will.
But there again, when we give our lives to Jesus, He imbues us with His Holy Spirit that then fills us with spiritual power to do His will. As Bruh Paul so confidently said to Timothy: ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7).
Oh my fellow believers, that verse of scripture should be one we hold right at the front of our minds and hearts because in these days of constant fear, where fear seems to be bombarding us from all sides, we need it to keep reminding us that fear is not something that we deal in, that we have a spiritual power in Christ Jesus that overcomes fear. And we do need to exercise that spiritual power just like we exercise our bodies.
Why, you ask? Listen to Bruh Paul again as he advises Timothy on the subject. ‘For bodily (physical) exercise profiteth little: but godliness (the result of spiritual exercise) is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.’ (1 Tim. 4:8) And that’s the awesome truth my brethren. Spiritual exercise or godliness ‘has unlimited value, since it brings blessings for both now and eternity.’ And who doesn’t want to have a good life now and in the hereafter eh?
That’s what we all want, but it only comes through strong association with Jesus. However, for any number of reasons, most of them foolish and prideful, and thus sinful, many of us choose not to have an association with Christ Jesus. But that’s the worst decision any human being can ever make, for it deprives them of so many wonderful benefits available under Jesus’ all-encompassing umbrella.
I don’t like to keep harping on it, (smile) but it’s my job to keep reminding us that without Jesus as the mainstay of our lives, neither the abundant life on earth nor salvation that leads to eternal life in heaven are possible. The only other option we have is that of spending the afterlife with Satan in total damnation and death in hell and eventually the lake of fire where all the damned will be destroyed forever. Now, if you believe that the sinful pleasures of the world are worth that kind of end, then go right ahead and enjoy them.
But if you don’t like that kind of ending to your life, then you need to put your trust in Jesus Christ right now, for later might be too late. The grim reaper might just come calling sooner than you expected, or Christ might choose to come back today, and if any of those situations occur without you accepting Him as Lord and Saviour, then crapaud smoke yuh pipe. In other words, it’s too late and Satan’s place is where you’ll automatically be headed for. That’s why it’s ever so important to accept Christ as soon as possible. And that’s the end of today’s sermon! (smile)
Now, let’s turn to the most important and powerful weapon in our arsenal; that of prayer, or communication with our Creator. We’ll do that by declaring (ah Lord eh!) our Friday Chant. As one strong and confident, but humble voice. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means we desperately need your help.
Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks.
And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And now it’s time for us to get serious and show the Lord that we are truly faithful believers by our words, deeds and motives, so that He can positively answer our prayer. Much LOVE!
…Jesus…the only wise and sensible choice in this life…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
02 Feb 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a breath of wind, a wicked spinner, blind like a bat, comfort you in sorrow, don't worry, endure to the end, enter the hallowed halls of heaven, from the storms of life, give you the abundant life, glory hallelujah, God shall wipe away all tears, hands fixed securely on the plough, hold your head and bawl, I am halfway home, I am here with you always, I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, I am the way the truth and the life, it is the power of god unto salvation, Jesus is all we ever need, Jesus' Second Coming, laugh with you in times of joy, lead you home safely, led like a lamb to the slaughter, life is like a vapour, LOVE, more than we can ask or imagine, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my Holy Spirit, neither sorrow nor crying, no man cometh unto the Father but by me, no more death, not looking back, our eternal lives, personally testify, root for Christ, spend eternity with me, thanks God, that's life, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the eternal home of the righteous, the former things are passed away, the grim reaper, the vicissitudes of life, throws you a curved ball, to a glorious future with Jesus, to every one that believeth, to love and protect you, to the mansions in the sky, today tomorrow and forever, trust in me, Wednesday Wail
John 14:6. I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Ah mih people, I believe we might have gone back to the damp, inclement, wet-snow, possibly rain weather yes. Chuh! It’s 3 degrees and cloudy and damp. And I was just getting accustomed to the bright sunshiny and cold days… But that’s life! It never likes you to be comfortable, and just when you are getting there, it throws you a curved ball, a wicked spinner, that causes you to hold your head and bawl. (smile)
However, that’s where our Lord and Saviour Jesus comes in, kisses our brow and says in a most compassionate and caring manner: “Don’t worry my child. I am here with you always to LOVE and protect you from the storms and vicissitudes of life. Just trust in me, and let me lead and guide you through my Holy Spirit that dwells within you.
I will comfort you in sorrow, and laugh with you in times of joy, and give you the abundant life that I died for you to have, and lead you home safely to the mansions in the sky that I have prepared for you, where you will spend eternity with me. When I shall wipe away all tears from your eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”
Oh friends, what a marvellous promise, what a grand scheme to live our eternal lives under! No one else has ever promised anything better than that! Yes, life on earth might be rough, but this life is only a vapour, a short breath of air, while the promise of eternity is forever! What a reward for putting up with the troubles and tribulation of life! It could not get any better than that!
And that’s why it’s so important that we receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour, for it’s ONLY through Him that we can ever reap such a scintillating, life changing, everlasting reward. (smile) Remember what He said while here on earth. ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:6)
And that’s gospel truth my brethren! We cannot enter the hallowed halls of heaven, where the Father resides, unless we are in covenant relationship with Jesus Christ, His Son. The problem here though, is that we all want to go to heaven, but we don’t want to accept Christ as Lord and Saviour. And if we don’t, then we’ll never lay eyes on that marvellous place called the eternal home of the righteous. Instead, we’ll most likely end up in the fiery dungeons of hell, where death and eternal damnation are the order of the day.
Now those are the only two choices available in this universe: heaven through Jesus, or hell through Satan. Which one will it be eh, my people? And one more thing…we have to choose our option right now, because if the Grim Reaper calls your number, or Jesus returns before you can cast your vote for Him, then you will automatically end up in hades, with the enemy. For there’s no choosing after death or Jesus’ Second coming. And since our life is like a vapour, a breath of wind, that’s here one moment, then gone the other, it’s of the utmost importance that we make the wise decision soon, preferably right now, that’s choosing to spend eternity with Jesus.
And if a dogmatic and well-educated Pharisee like Bruh Paul could turn his life around, from being a hater and destroyer of Christ’s church and His people, and become the hardest working apostle of all time, then that must say a lot for the promises of Jesus! And you can see the total change in his mindset by these bold and confident words he wrote to the church at Rome. ‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.’ (Rom. 1:16)
Now, if a man who was previously rounding up Christians to be jailed, and encouraging others to kill them, can have such a change of heart, then Christ and His gospel must indeed be powerful and mighty! And we can see that through his conversion, where, on his way to Damascus to round up more believers for jail, Jesus knocked him off his mount through a blinding light, then basically told him, Saul, which was his name before conversion, why are you persecuting me eh? It’s time to stop, for you can’t win. Now get up and continue on to Damascus, where you’ll be told what to do. You have plenty work to do for me.’
And Bruh Paul blind like a bat, went meekly along, like a lamb to the slaughter, and eventually became the voice of Christ to the Gentiles. And if you don’t like my paraphrase, (smile) then you can read the entire story in Acts 9. But that’s what happens when Christ decides that He needs you to work for Him.
And I can testify to that, on a much smaller scale of course. I always wanted to write, but never had the inclination, knowledge, desire or anything to write about the Good Book. However, when the Lord approached me about it, I laughed and made my excuses. But He never took no for an answer, and kept bothering me until I reluctantly agreed. And it’s been fifteen years now that I’ve been writing the Bit, and the Lord’s been with me every bit of the way. That’s why I can testify to His faithfulness.
I knew nothing much when I began, and still don’t know a whole lot, but the Lord worked with me and encouraged me every step of the way. And that’s how He operates. He never gives you a task without giving you the wherewithal to do it, and is always right by your side offering His help as you do His will. I can’t count the number of times I’ve cried out to Him for help in writing the Bit, and He’s always been there offering it, though not always right away.
So friends, like Bruh Paul, I don’t have much choice either but to root for Christ, to not be ashamed of His gospel. And I do hope many of you will eventually come to the same conclusion, that is, before it’s too late. Now, for those of us who have already voted for Christ, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful and most enviable position in Christ Jesus.
As one strong and confident, but humble 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 I just want to remind and encourage us to endure to the end, because if we do, that future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine. Much LOVE!
…Jesus is ALL we ever need…today, tomorrow…and forever…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
29 Jan 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a recompense be made thee, aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow, brings out the best in you, call the poor, do good to both the lovable and the unlovable, each step of faith, faith is gained by personal experience, he that humbleth himself shall be exalted, how he treats those who can do nothing for him, it takes time and effort to learn about Jesus, judge a man's character, never stop taking steps of faith in Christ, O ye of little faith, our friend Anselm, recompensed at the resurrection of the just, small fish in a big pond, take the first step in faith, that's how we grow in faith, the best of the best, the grim reaper, the lame, the maimed, thou shalt be blessed, thy faith hath made thee whole, we all have limits, whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased
Luke 14:11. For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased (humbled); and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Another bright, sunshiny and cold winter’s day – only about minus 20C. (smile) And with Jesus in our souls, spirits and bodies, we’re laughing all the way to heaven this Saturday morning my fellow believers! Yes, friends, there’s a certain something about being alive and having Jesus as Lord and Saviour that just brings out the best in you, have you shouting, ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ and giving thanks to Almighty God for such a wondrous life! No, I’m not off my rocker, just excited about doing life with Jesus…and so should all supposed believers be excited about the amazing life possibilities that lie within Christ’s plans for us.
But it’s Saturday, that lazy day, so let’s turn to what we do on Saturdays, check out the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And the first quote’s a dilly. It says: ‘You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.’
And that has a lot of truth to it. You can often tell a lot about someone’s character by the way they treat someone who is supposedly lower down the social, economic or spiritual scale than them, people whom they feel can’t help them in achieving their life’s goals. A lot of us condescend to those whom we think are less than us in some way or other.
But that’s not Jesus’ way. His is the humble way, as He teaches in the gospel of Luke about where to sit and whom to invite to your feasts. Choose the lowest seat in the house, so that you can be honoured by the host when he calls you up to a higher table. ‘For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased (humbled); and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.’ (Luke 14:8-11)
And furthermore, ‘When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again (invite you back), and a recompense be made thee. But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed (crippled), the lame, the blind: And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense (repay) thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.’ (Luke 14:12-14)
Oh my people, Jesus isn’t saying to refuse hospitality to our friends and families, but just reminding us that we should do good to both the LOVABLE and the UNLOVABLE! And we must maintain ties to the latter group if we want them to come to know and LOVE Him like we do. Remember one of the things the Pharisees held against Jesus was His associating with what they called sinners. But how can we reach them if we don’t associate in some form and fashion with them eh? The important thing is for us to change them, and not allow them to change us.
Now the next quote is exactly what Christianity is all about. ‘Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step.’ That’s the gospel truth my brethren! We can only learn of, about and from Jesus by taking a positive step of faith, for He does not reveal everything to us all at once. And that’s how we grow, how we mature in our faith. For with each step of faith we take, and we see Jesus’ awesome response, then we are emboldened and reassured to take the next one.
No one is born with strong faith; strong faith is gained by personal living experience, one step at a time. And yes, sometimes we take a step and fail, or realize that we’ve made a mistake, but that’s never the answer or the end. We need to get back up and take another step, possibly in a different direction, just talk to Jesus about it. We learn through making mistakes, but the important thing is to NEVER stop taking steps of faith in Christ!
Remember one of Jesus famous admonishments was to query people’s faith, most of the time about how weak it was. As He said to the disciples in the midst of the storm. ‘Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith.’ (Matt. 8:26) Meanwhile, to the woman with the issue of blood, who pushed her way through the crowd to touch the hem of His garment, believing, having faith that that simple action would heal her. Jesus said: ‘Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be made whole of thy plague (affliction).’ (Mark 5:34) So, faith is basically a continuum, and with each step we take, we move along it a little at a time, and our faith grows the same way.
Now the next quote says: ‘ We all have limits. Almost no one reaches theirs. You definitely haven’t.’ That’s very true friends. We all have limits to what we can do or achieve, but very few of us, for one reason or another, ever reach that limit. Sometimes it’s because we don’t strive hard enough, or we strive through the enemy rather than through Christ Jesus, or we just don’t have enough time on this earth to reach it. But regardless of what tries to hold us back, we ought to be striving to reach those limits, because God put them in us so that we can work towards them for His glory.
And God’s limits are set high for His people because He desires them to be the best of the best! Remember what Jesus said: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…’ (Matt. 16:33) That’s the ONLY way we can ever rise anywhere close to the limits God has set for us!
And this last quote is also an interesting one. I heard it many years ago, but never understood it until I took a moment to think it through. It says: ‘If you want to know how much you’ll be missed when you’re gone, put your finger in a bucket of water and then remove it. The hole that’s left will be how much you are missed.’ Yes, once you remove your hand, the hole will close right back up again. (smile)
Now that’s probably not quite true of your friends and family, but it’s oh so true in the big outlook on things. For most of us are considered small fish in a big pond, and when the Grim Reaper comes a-calling, very few but our closest associates even know that we’re no longer here. But that doesn’t matter so much, once Jesus knows who we are, and that we’ve gone to be with Him. And once that’s true, nothing else really matters!
So please, let’s concentrate on doing all we can to end up with Jesus nuh! Much LOVE!
…to truly learn about Jesus…takes time and effort…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
17 Feb 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a helmet, a time of fasting and praying, as do others, Ash Wednesday, be not found wanting, be prepared, build up each other, children of the day, cometh like a thief in the night, comfort yourselves, God hath not appointed us to wrath, halfway home, hands fixed on the plough, I'm not turning back, I'm so glad to be alive, keep God first place, Lent, Lenten season, let us watch and be sober, life eternal, LOVE, much thanks and praise, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, new mercies and compassions, seek ye first the kingdom of God, the breastplate of faith and love, the breath of life, the day of the Lord, the grim reaper, the hope of salvation, the preparation, the readiness, therefore let us not sleep, time of reflection, to a glorious future with Jesus, to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Wednesday Wail, when the roll is called up yonder
1 Thessalonians 5:6. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober (self-controlled).
Well it’s another new day, another Wednesday, with lots of new mercies and compassion for which we are eternally grateful! Therefore we will give the Lord much thanks and praise and enjoy the day as we sincerely, diligently and efficiently do His holy will! And His children’s voices were raised in a loud, grateful and spontaneous ‘Amen!’
Today is also Ash Wednesday, the day in our religious calendar that begins our season of Lent. And what is Lent, you ask? Basically it’s a time of fasting and praying, of reflection and thanksgiving, of abstinence and self-denial, of desiring to get more intimate with our God, of giving up some of the things that we enjoy, but which keep us from giving our all to Him. It corresponds to the forty days that Christ spent in the wilderness fasting, being tempted by the devil, while preparing Himself for His upcoming earthly ministry. (Matt. 4:1-11)
Likewise, every so often, not necessarily in the Lenten season alone, we ought to empty ourselves, get serious and talk as intimately as possible with our great and wonderful God; go to Him with life changing and puzzling questions and await His faithful answers. Oh friends, it’s only as we sincerely seek God that we can ever get answers. For as Jesus said so plainly: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33).
That’s why we should always endeavour to keep God in first place in our lives, for without Him in that Number One position, we will not be beneficiaries of all the wonderful and immeasurable benefits that He has prepared for us. And one of those immeasurable benefits is life – both earthly and eternal!
Ah mih people, it’s so good when you can wake up another day and don’t see your name listed in the obits. (smile) Yes, heaven might be wonderful and all that, but I’m sure that most of us are not quite ready to go there. There’s something about earthly living; could be the enticing promises of sinful living, (smile) or better yet, the desire to do God’s work here on earth. But whatever it is, in most of our hearts and souls, we’re not ready just yet to give up this tempestuous, troubled, evil, dangerous and uncertain earthly life. (smile)
I pray though, that we’re all ready, just in case the Grim Reaper shows up unexpectedly and calls our name, or Jesus happens to come again to receive His own unto himself. That is all important friends; the preparation, the readiness for heaven whenever it calls. We cannot be found wanting when Christ calls us to come home, whether it be in death or His Second Coming. When either of those times arrive, He must be our Lord and Saviour, or else we will not spend eternity with Him, and that will indeed be a crying shame, with much weeping and gnashing of teeth, but then it will be too late.
As Jesus clearly stated; when He shall return, and when we shall be called home, no man knows it. ‘But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only…Watch therefore; for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.’ (Matt. 24:36, 42) And since ALL options will be off the board when either of those situations occur, it’s of the utmost importance to always be in a state of readiness for either occasion.
‘Be prepared; be ready,’ should be our watchwords and motto in this earthly life, for we don’t want to miss out on the eternal and heavenly one with Jesus. The only other option; hell, eternal darkness and the lake of fire with Satan is unthinkable! So let’s just concentrate on being with Jesus nuh, which means putting Him first place in our lives, and doing whatever He requires of us.
And Bruh Paul spelled it out quite clearly in his first epistle to the Thessalonians. ‘For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night…But ye, brethren are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children (sons) of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober (self-controlled).
For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and LOVE; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.’ (1 Thess. 5:2, 4-10)
Yes my brethren, that’s exactly why we do what we do; so that we can live together with Jesus forever! And one of the ways to ensure that in this evil world, comes from Bruh Paul’s last command. ‘Wherefore comfort yourselves together (encourage each other), and edify (build up) one another, even as also ye do (are now doing).’ (1 Thess. 5:11)
Oh my people, it’s ever so important for the saints of Christ to encourage, teach and build up each other, especially in these times of rampant sickness, evil, loneliness, depression and inhumanity. So like now, when isolation is the norm, let’s try and stay in touch with each other nuh. We have the means and the technology to do it, but we need to dig down deep and find the will, for it’s what Jesus desires of us.
Now let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the 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 let’s not forget that if we endure to the end, that future will be even more glorious than our puny minds can even contemplate. Much LOVE!
…when the roll is called up yonder…will you be there…that’s the most important question…
14 Jan 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: accepted Christ as our Lord and Saviour, alive and kicking, as the days of Noah, be ye also ready, but my Father only, but of that day and hour knoweth no man, children of God, courage, creativity, curse, death is staring us in the face, dislike computers, expletive deletes, for a rainy day, for in such an hour as ye think not, free choice, give Him all the priase, heaven with Christ, hell with Satan, in the name of Jesus, in what watch the thief would come, joint heirs with Christ, justified, layeth up treasure for himself, lead the easy life, like a thief in the night, LOVE, negative word, new-fangled machine, not rich toward God, not the angels of heaven, obedient to Christ's way of living, one day older and closer to death, our eternal destination, put money in the bank, put up treasure in heaven, reconciled, redeemed, sanctified, sealed by the Holy spirit, self-control, shame shall be the legacy of fools, share the blessings, storing up earthly treasure, supernatural wisdom, talent, tearing my hair out, technological society, the coming destruction, the grim reaper, the joy of the Lord is our strength, the Lord moves in mysterious ways, the parable of the rich fool, the return of Christ, the second coming of Christ, the severity and suddenness, the Son of man cometh, the wise shall inherit glory, this night thy soul shall be required of thee, thou hast provided, Thursday's Blessings, to judge the world, to separate the lost from the saved, watch therefore, we have Christ in us, whose shall those things be
Proverbs 3:35. The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion (legacy) of fools.
Let’s get with it nuh friends, for we are now one day older and thus one day closer to death, when we can’t make any changes in our eternal destination!
Yes, death is staring each of us in the face every single moment of every day, and since we know not when our time will be up, doesn’t it make a whole lotta sense to ensure that our eternal destination will be heaven with Christ and not hell and damnation with Satan! It certainly does!
But oh, I forgot that we have free choice and can do whatever we wish, when we want to…but not this immortal and most important decision. That has to be made while we’re still alive and kicking!
Remember the supposedly wise man in Jesus’ parable of the rich fool? He had plenty, and thought he was going to live for a long time, so he planned to build bigger and better, saying: ‘And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.’ (Luke 12:19)
Oh my people, a lot of us are behaving like that rich fool, acquiring earthly treasure and storing it up so we can eventually lead the easy life, but what about our treasure in heaven where so many of us hope to spend eternity eh? Just like we put away money in the bank for a rainy day, likewise we need to put up treasure in heaven for that bright and sunny day when we get there.
And we all know what happened to that rich fool: ‘But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?’ (Luke 12:20) Now that’s a very good question, one we should all ask ourselves.
Yeh friends, the Grim Reaper came calling for him that same night. Now what would happen if the Lord came calling for us sometime today eh, would we be prepared, or would we be caught napping like that rich fool? Would God make this statement towards us as He did towards that rich fool? ‘So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.’ (Luke 12:21)
Friends, are we rich towards God? Are we storing up treasure in heaven, and not only concerned with what’s happening here on earth? I certainly hope not! For Cousin Sol tells us this:‘The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion (legacy) of fools.’(Prov. 3:35)
Oh precious people, I know none of us want to leave a legacy of being foolish, so let’s be wise and take time, RIGHT NOW,to make sure our eternal destination is heaven and not hell nuh!
That means ensuring we have Christ in us, and that we are in Him, we have accepted Him as our Lord and Saviour, and thus are obedient to His way of living, that we are children of God, joint heirs with Christ, have been redeemed, justified, sanctified, reconciled and sealed by the Holy Spirit as God’s own for ever and ever!
Oh what a wonderful and joyful situation to be in my faithful brethren! And that’s what happens when we invite Jesus into our hearts, our lives and allow Him to take control of our eternal destination. We’re flooded with a joy inconceivable to the unbeliever, for the joy of the Lord is our strength. That’s why the enemy works so hard to keep us miserable and unhappy. He knows that’s where our strength lies.
And oh, I forgot, there’s one more constraint on our eternal preparations; the Second Coming of Christ! Yes friends, if Christ comes back before the Grim Reaper comes a calling, then all bets are also off the table. The thing about Jesus’ Second Coming is that we don’t know when that will be either.
As He himself said: ‘But of that day and hour knoweth no man, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.’ (Matt. 24:36-37) Yes mih bredrin, we’ll be eating and drinking and carrying on like they were in Noah’s time, unconcerned about sin and God, when like the flood suddenly came, Jesus will come back, like a thief in the night, unexpectedly.
‘Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman (master) of the house had known in what watch (hour) the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered (allowed) his house to be broken up (into). Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.’ (Matt. 24:40.44)
Those weren’t my words friends, they were Jesus’. So if He took the time to warn us, don’t you think it will be wise for us to heed it? I certainly do. And just in case you don’t understand the seriousness of that situation, listen to this explanation from the scholars.
‘24:39-42.The observation that the people of Noah’s day knew not the severity and suddenness of the coming destruction indicates that the last generation will be totally unprepared for the coming of the Son of man, the return of Christ to judge the world. (See 2 Thess. 1:7-8) The reference to two being in the field or at work at the time of Christ’s return implies the suddenness of His coming to separate the lost and the saved.’
What else can I say eh friends, it’s all there in black and white! All I know that if either the Grim Reaper or Christ comes and we’re not ready, there’ll be much weeping and gnashing of teeth. So let’s get it together right now nuh, and avoid that sad and undesirable scenario. And for those of us who are seriously working on it, let’s go home now declaring (ah Lord eh!) our Thursday Blessings, generously bestowed on us to do Christ’s earthly work.
Altogether now: ‘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 desired consequence of all that, is we go out and share those blessings just as generously with others in need.Much LOVE!
…be wise…be prepared…
Epilogue! And you all wonder why I dislike computers and this technological society that is strangling us. Well over an hour ago, I was almost finished writing the Bit when the one-year-old computer broke down on me in the middle of writing. Steups! Try as I could, I was unable to get it to work. So here I am on my trusty laptop, so much older than that new-fangled machine and still going strong!
And it’s a good thing that I had signed back into OneDrive, only a couple of days ago, else I would have to write over the Bit from start, and would be tearing my hair out and using even more expletive deletes than I am now. (smile) But the Good Lord does move in mysterious ways – give Him all the praise – and we finally finish. Much LOVE!
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