21 Jan 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a warrior king, atonement of Christ, believe in God, believing God's promises, blessed hope, Christ my king, deity of christ, divine power, doubt, eternal damnation, eternity, exalt God's name, exhort, faithfulness, fear, give thanks, glorious appearing, glory in the highest, God's Word, godly, good works, grace, heavy burden, howling storms, human creation, humility, I shall prevail, infallible truth, iniquity, let not your heart be troubled, live soberly, living for Jesus, logic, love touting, love's strong cord, many mansions, mercy, Messiah, my Father's house, overcoming, peaceful, praise, prayer, prepare a place for you, rebuke, redeem, reverence, righteously, Roman rule, sacrifice of praise, salvation, saviour, servitude, sincere hearts, sinful souls, speak, specail people, special time, Standing on the promises of God, strenght, Sunday, the grace of God, the living word of God, the Lord's sanctuary, the Spirit's call, the Spirit's sword, to all men, ungodliness, wisdom, worldly lusts, worship
Titus 2:11. For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.
Sunday, oh Sunday! It’s Sunday my brethren! That means all roads lead to the Lord‘s sanctuary for some special time of prayer and praise, worship and fellowship! What a glorious morning it will be as we gather to give thanks and get strength and mercy in return! The Lord will be just bubbling over with joy this morning as we come to exalt His holy name, show humility and reverence to His majestic Being and renew our faithfulness by believing His promises.
And there is no more appropriate hymn to open our worship session than the old faithful, ‘Standing on the Promises of God.’ It’s a wonder how these old hymns just seem to last forever, but that’s because they are based on the infallible truth of God’s word. So without further ado, let’s offer up the sacrifice of praise with our lips, strong lungs and sincere hearts.
All together now: ‘Standing on the promises of Christ my king, through eternal ages let his praises ring; glory in the highest, I will shout and sing, standing on the promises of God. (Refrain: Standing, standing, standing on the promises of God my Savior; standing, standing, I’m standing on the promises of God.) Standing on the promises that cannot fail, when the howling storms of doubt and fear assail, by the living Word of God I shall prevail, standing on the promises of God. [Refrain]
Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord, bound to him eternally by LOVE’S strong cord, overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword, standing on the promises of God. [Refrain] Standing on the promises I cannot fall, listening every moment to the Spirit’s call, resting in my Savior as my all in all, standing on the promises of God. [Refrain: Standing, standing, standing on the promises of God my Savior; standing, standing, I’m standing on the promises of God.]’
And isn’t that the best place to stand my fellow believers? Yes sir, right there on the faithful and everlasting promises of God, for there is none as faithful as Him! He never makes promises unless He intends to keep them. So any promise you see written in His word, will most definitely be kept. Yuh see how He promised to send the Jewish people a Messiah, a Saviour, and He did!
They just misunderstood the circumstances. They were looking for a warrior king, to lift the heavy burden of servitude from their shoulders under harsh Roman rule. However, the Lord had a peaceful, LOVE touting rabbi in mind; one to save their sinful souls from eternal damnation.
And today we’re going to listen to Bruh Paul’s words to his protégé Titus on the subject of Christian living, how we can prevent the loss of our souls to Lucifer, through accepting the faithful promise of Christ. It starts out with our Bit: ‘For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.’
Yes friends, God LOVED His human creation so much that He could not exclude any from His plan for salvation. And Bruh Paul continues: ‘Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world (age). Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself, a peculiar (his own special) people, zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.’ (Titus 2:12-15)
Absolutely nothing has changed down through the ages friends. It is still the way we ought to live if we consider ourselves believers in, and followers of Christ. Hear the scholars’ explanations on that passage. ‘2:11-15. The salvation that appeared to all men is based on God’s grace that has provided salvation universally for all mankind through the unlimited atonement of Christ.
That blessed hope and glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ refers to His second coming. The use of the definite article “the” with the first noun “God” and the connecting “and” indicates that the first and second “Saviour” (nouns) are one and the same person. Our “great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” is thus one and the same person, clearly proving the deity of Christ.’
Ah mih people, I guess the scholars’ are referring to the Greek text in that last sentence. But we don’t need any evidence or reassurance that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ was deity. It’s evident from all that He did while He was here on earth. Only someone with divine power could have done His miracles, and endured the ‘sufferation’ He did on our behalf without going out of His mind.
But all of that aside, let’s listen to Jesus’ promise to come back for us. ‘Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions (dwellings): if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.’ (John 14:1-3)
So my friends, if we sang about standing on the promises of God earlier on, and then declared that Christ was deity, then simple logic would conclude that we should believe and stand on the promises Christ made in those verses. (smile) So let’s stand strong on them nuh, for He is coming back again, sometime soon, this time in all His glory and splendour, the warrior King that the Israelites first dreamed of.
And He is going to take us home to heaven to dwell there with Him until eternity, if we believe in Him, obey His words and live the lifestyle He desires. So what’s it to be eh friends? Let’s hope we all vote for Jesus, for that’s wisdom at its zenith. Much LOVE!
…there’s nothing as beautiful…as living for Jesus…
12 Nov 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a servant, a song of praise, above every name, adoration, All hail, angels, assurance, believers, blessings, chosen race, confession, confidence, crown him Lord of all, death of the cross, desire, enthused, enthusiastic fashion, equal with God, every knee shall bow, every tongue confess, exalt, excited, extol, gall, gathering of faithful believers, given him a name, glorify, God hath highly exalted him, God incarnate, harmonious living, humbled himself, humbly, in the form of God, in the mood, injustice, Israel's might, Jesse's rod, Jesus christ is Lord, LOVE, lyre, man divine, martyrs, morning stars, no reputation, obedient, only human, penitently, Philippians, praise, prostrate fall, ransomed, reverence, robbery, royal diadem, sacrifice of praise, saves by grace, seraphs, stimulating openings, strength, Sunday, the likeness of men, the Lord's sanctuary, the name of Jesus, the power of Jesus name, this mind be in you, to the glory of God the Father, tongue, tribe, trophies, ultimate purpose, universal song, universal submission, unto death, where two or three are gathered, wormwood, worship
Philippians 2:19. Wherefore God hath also highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name.
Aye friends, I try, but you have to bear with the ole fella, because I’m only human. (smile) I try to have different, interesting and stimulating openings each day, but there are only so many words and phrases, etc. in the language that you can’t always conjure up new ones every day. So sometimes we just have to settle for the same old ones. In other words, I’m trying to say that I don’t know how to begin this Sunday morning’s Bit in an enthusiastic fashion that I haven’t already done. (smile)
But we do know that since it’s Sunday, it means a gathering of faithful believers in the Lord’s sanctuary, or wherever two or three may be gathered, to worship and give Him praise, glorify and exalt His holy name and receive His blessings, confidence, strength and assurance to face the upcoming week. And, as always, we like to begin with a song of praise, to get us excited, enthused and in the mood to worship our heavenly Father.
And if this late 18th century one by Edward Perronet, ‘All hail the power of Jesus’ Name,’ doesn’t move you, then I don’t know what will. So let’s raise our voices in the sacrifice of praise, as we belt out, in harmony and heart-felt sincerity. ‘All hail the power of Jesus’ Name! Let angels prostrate fall; Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown Him Lord of all. Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown Him Lord of all.
Let highborn seraphs tune the lyre, and as they tune it, fall Before His face Who tunes their choir, and crown Him Lord of all. Before His face Who tunes their choir, and crown Him Lord of all. Crown Him, ye morning stars of light, who fixed this floating ball; Now hail the strength of Israel’s might, and crown Him Lord of all. Now hail the strength of Israel’s might, and crown Him Lord of all. Crown Him, ye martyrs of your God, who from His altar call;
Extol the Stem of Jesse’s Rod, and crown Him Lord of all. Extol the Stem of Jesse’s Rod, and crown Him Lord of all. Ye seed of Israel’s chosen race, ye ransomed from the fall, Hail Him Who saves you by His grace, and crown Him Lord of all. Hail Him Who saves you by His grace, and crown Him Lord of all. Hail Him, ye heirs of David’s line, whom David Lord did call, The God incarnate, Man divine, and crown Him Lord of all, The God incarnate, Man divine, and crown Him Lord of all.
Sinners, whose LOVE can ne’er forget the wormwood and the gall, Go spread your trophies at His feet, and crown Him Lord of all. Go spread your trophies at His feet, and crown Him Lord of all. Let every tribe and every tongue before Him prostrate fall And shout in universal song the crowned Lord of all. And shout in universal song the crowned Lord of all.’
Yeh friends, Jesus has been crowned by the Father as Lord of ALL! And why is that eh? Hear Bruh Paul as he waxes philosophical to the Philippians. (smile) ‘Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus; (constant harmonious living – vs. 2-4). Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God. But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ (Phil.2:5-8)
Oh my people, what a wonderful, faithful humble and obedient Son, our Jesus was! That’s why our Bit so gloriously proclaims: ‘ Wherefore God hath also highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name.’ What an honour! A well deserved one too! And is not no joke honour that the Father bestowed on Jesus nuh, but the biggest one available.
Listen to how Bruh Paul describes it. ‘That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of (those) things in heaven, and (those) things in earth, and (those) things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil.2:10-11)
Fellow believers, oh fellow believers, that’s the kind of rewarder our heavenly Father is! You do His will, humbly and obediently, and He will reward you in a just and appropriate manner. For Jesus sacrifice in vs.6-8, the Lord paid Him the highest compliment possible; a name above every other name – that’s JESUS!
And the scholars tell us: ‘There are three purposes for Jesus’ exaltation. (1) That every being in the universe might someday submit to Him. (2) That, in addition to the future universal submission (v.10), there might also be a universal confession that Jesus Christ is Lord. On earth Jesus is recognized by many to be no more than man (v.8), yet in the future ALL will acknowledge Him to be Lord, that is, God. The ultimate purpose for Jesus’ glorification is (3) to the glory of God the Father (v.11) for His honour.’
Yes, Christian saints, that’s the kind of stuff that ought to get us all choked up and filled with true and sincere LOVE, adoration, reverence and praise for our wonderful God! And if you’re not filled with all those things RIGHT NOW, then something is dreadfully and drastically wrong. So please go humbly and penitently to the Lord and ask Him to fix whatever is wrong, so that you can truly delight in Him. Otherwise you are doing yourself an immense injustice. Much LOVE!
…to LOVE…LOVE…LOVE Him…is the believer’s utmost desire for Jesus…
15 Oct 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a hair of your head, a well-lived life, Abraham, be hated of all men, be merry and carefree, charter of salvation, Christians, comfort, consolation, consummation of peace, death, don't play together, don't worship well together, endurance, endured, exaltation, fellow believers, fellowship, followers of Christ, for my name's sake, glorify God, grace, heavenly advocate, hell, high priest, holy bride, holy food, hope, how to have fun, In Touch Magazine, in your patience, indispensable, indisputable, Isaac, Jesus, Jesus Christ her Lord, joyful abandon, laugh, like-minded, LOVE, most joyful people, new creation, of the ages, one faith, patience, persevering, possess ye your souls, rainy day, religious form of play, Rest in the Lord, reverence, Sabbath rest, salvation, secular people, Simon Chan, strife-filled world, Suday, sweet communion, the church's one foundation, the end times, the God of patience, the grave, the Lord's sanctuary, the promise, the Three in One, the Word of god, toil, tribulation, tumult of war, union with God, victorious, wait patiently, waiting, water and the word, wisdom, words of wisdom, worship
Psalm 37:7a. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him:
And this God-given Sunday might just be another rainy day in my area, like the past two days were. However friends, that should not stop us from gathering in the Lord’s sanctuary to worship and fellowship in joyful abandon, while His indispensable and indisputable Word strengthens our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, for that’s what the Lord desires of us.
And just tonight I read this interesting quote in an article titled ‘Fun Challenged’ in the September Edition of the In Touch Magazine that immortalizes what I’m talking about. The quote is attributed to the theologian Simon Chan, who says: “Christians who do not play together do not worship well together either, since worship is a ‘religious form of play.’ Both at play and at worship the Christian community enjoys its Sabbath rest.”
Now isn’t that the God-awesome truth friends? Christians should be the happiest and most joyful people on the planet because of what our great God and our wonderful Saviour have done for us! And I believe, both as Christians and as secular people, we have forgotten how to have fun, to laugh and be merry and carefree, which are all healthy aspects of a well-lived life. We’re taking our messed up, strife-filled world too seriously.
Remember Jesus has already been victorious over hell, death and the grave and we have every reason to rejoice. So, on this the Lord’s Day, let’s lighten up and sing this wonderful old hymn ‘The Church’s One Foundation,’ with lyrics by Samuel John Stone (1839-1900) and music by Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810-1876). Let’s raise our voices to heaven in sacrificial praise and sweet harmony, so that there can be absolutely no doubt of our sincere and everlasting allegiance to Jesus.
‘The Church’s one foundation Is Jesus Christ her Lord; She is His new creation By water and the Word: From heav’n He came and sought her To be His holy Bride; With His own blood He bought her, And for her life He died. Elect from every nation, Yet one o’er all the earth, Her charter of salvation, One Lord, one faith, one birth; One holy Name she blesses, Partakes one holy food, And to one hope she presses, With every grace endued.
’Mid toil and tribulation, And tumult of her war, She waits the consummation Of peace for evermore; Till, with the vision glorious, Her longing eyes are blest, And the great Church victorious Shall be the Church at rest. Yet she on earth hath union With God the Three in One, And mystic sweet communion With those whose rest is won: O happy ones and holy! Lord, give us grace that we, Like them, the meek and lowly, In love may dwell with Thee.’
Ah mih people, what a joy it is to sing praises to our High Priest and heavenly Advocate Jesus Christ, for He has been so wonderful to us, when He did not have to! Now let’s hear some choice tidbits from His Word based on our Bit: ‘Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him:’ Yes my fellow believers, those are absolute words of wisdom! And all the great men and women of faith practiced it and some even wrote about it.
Listen first to Jesus when He described the signs of the end times to His disciples. ‘And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake. But not a hair of your head shall perish. In your patience possess ye your souls.’ (Luke 21:19) As followers of Christ we just have to be trusting and patient and persevering, because that’s what His discipleship calls for.
Now hear Bruh Paul in his treatise to the Romans, concerning ‘Life in the Spirit.’ ‘For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for (it)? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience (perseverance) wait (eagerly) for it.’ (Rom.8:24-25) Yeh friends, true faith in Jesus is all about hoping, waiting and persevering to the very end!
And nobody says this better than the author of Hebrews. ‘Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience (endurance), that after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.’ (Heb.10:35-36) And there’s no better example of waiting on God than the patriarch Abraham. After the Lord promised to bless and multiply him, he waited for 25 years for Isaac, the promise to show up. The author of Hebrews tells us: ‘And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.’ (Heb.6:15)
And we’ll close with these words of Bruh Paul as he talks to the church at Rome about ‘Unity in Christ.’ ‘For whatsoever things were written aforetime (beforehand) were written for our learning, that we through patience (perseverance) and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Now the God of patience and consolation (comfort) grant you to be like-minded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (Rom.15:4-6)
Oh friends, that is exactly my prayer for us today; that we come together in fellowship and worship, and enthusiastically and sincerely glorify and exalt our heavenly Father, for He richly deserves our reverence and exaltation! Much LOVE!
…waiting patiently…and eagerly on God…is wisdom of…and for the ages…
01 Oct 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a majestic morning, awesome wonder, believers, blessings, bow down, burn sacrifice, Carl Gustav Bober, clean hearts, confidence, courage, exalt God's name, fellowship, forest glades, glory, gratitude, great is our God, heartfelt emotions, heaven, heavenly Father, homage, honour, How great thou art, hypocritical, Jesus Christ, kneel before the Lord, living God, LOVE, make a joyful noise, mercies, mountain grandeur, on the cross, praise, psalms, resist the temptation, rhetoric, sacirfice of praise, sing unto the Lord, sings my soul, strength, Stuart K Hine, Sunday morning, take away my sin, thanks, thanksgiving, the birds sing sweetly, the Creator of the universe, the gentle breeze, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the house I build, the Lord God of Hosts, the Lord's sanctuary, the Lord's Word, the mulberry bush, the people of his pasture, the rock of our salvation, the rolling thunder, the sheep of his hand, the upcoming week, truth, unequivocal message, will be great, worship
2 Chronicles 2:5. And the house which I build is (will be) great: for great is our God above all gods.
‘Here we go round the mulberry bush, the mulberry bush, the mulberry bush…Here we go round the mulberry bush on a Sunday morning!’ Oh friends, I could not resist the temptation to begin today’s message with that bit of frivolity, once it came into my mind.
The truth though is that we’re not going round any bush, but we’re on our way to the Lord’s sanctuary this Sunday morning to fellowship with each other, to give praise and thanks for our many blessings and mercies, to hear the Lord’s word and receive His strength and confidence to go out and face the enemy with courage in the upcoming week.
Wow! What a majestic morning it’s shaping up to be! And yuh know what? Only the believers in Jesus Christ can attest to such a wonderful situation in their lives! That’s why I keep reminding us of the amazing and awesome God we serve! And that’s why I chose this most appropriate hymn, ‘How Great Thou Art’ to open our time of praise and worship. It was written in the early 20th century by a Swedish writer, Carl Gustav Boberg and translated into English by missionary Stuart K Hine in mid-century.
So let’s offer up with truthful lips and sincere hearts a genuine sacrifice of praise today, letting our heavenly Father know how much we LOVE and appreciate Him. In loud voice and beautiful harmony now: ‘O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder, Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made; I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, Thy power throughout the universe displayed. (Refrain: Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, How great Thou art, How great Thou art. Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, How great Thou art, How great Thou art!)
When through the woods, and forest glades I wander, And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees. When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze. (Refrain) And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing; Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in; That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died to take away my sin. (Refrain)
When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation, And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart. Then I shall bow, in humble adoration, And then proclaim: “My God, how great Thou art!” (Refrain: Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, How great Thou art, How great Thou art. Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, How great Thou art, How great Thou art! Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, How great Thou art, How great Thou art!)’
And isn’t that the God awesome truth my brethren! No wonder that hymn has been recognized by several polls over the years as the number one hymn in America. Our God is indeed the GREATEST! Please never forget that! And neither is it a new idea, because Cousin Sol stated it quite plainly many many moons ago in our Bit. ‘And the house which I build is (will be) great: for great is our God above all gods.’
Yes friends, that was the unequivocal message he conveyed to Huram, king of Tyre, when asking him to sell him lumber and whatever else he needed to build the Lord’s temple. And I like the verse after our Bit. ‘But who is able to build him a house, seeing the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain him? who am I then, that I should build him a house, save only to burn sacrifice before him?’ (2 Chr.2:6)
Ah mih people, our God doesn’t really need a house to live in, because He is the Creator of the universe and all therein, and as Cousin Sol says, even the great heavens can’t contain Him. The houses we build for God are basically for us to get together to worship Him. And if you don’t believe Cousin Sol, then listen to the psalmist from Psalm 95 – A psalm of praise to the great God.
‘O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto him with psalms (songs). For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand (His possession) are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills (the heights) is his also. The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land. O come let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker. For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.’ (Ps. 95:1-7)
Oh friends, those are words of unalterable truth! The Lord God of Hosts is our God; consequently we need to pay Him homage, to exalt His glorious name to all the world. And that is exactly what we are trying to do today, on this His special day, with all the praise and thanksgiving, the honour and the glory, the sincere and heartfelt emotions of LOVE and immense gratitude we’re sending up to heaven on high, as we gather in His sanctuary.
However friends, let’s be careful now, that our motives are right and our hearts are clean, because God can see right through us, and if we’re being hypocritical, then He’ll just ignore us, despite all our good sounding rhetoric. (smile) Much LOVE!
…the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob…He is the One and Only True Living God…
06 Aug 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a portion, a world that is dying, abundant life, all will be well, assurance, atoning death, bare the sin, believe Him, champion, climax, common sense, conquerors, darkness, Dead Sea Scroll, death, distress, dominion, exaltation, fellowship, floundering, fragile souls, gathering, gift of grace, glorification, glorious song, grow dim, guilt offering, He promised, heavenly intercessor, high priest, holiness, I am the way the truth and the life, in freedom, in the light of his glory and grace, iniquities, intercession, King of Kings, leader, life everlasting, light, look at the Saviour, Lord and Saviour, Lord of Lords, majesty, moral iniquities, no man comes to the Father but by me, our best interest, peace, persecution, pilgrim's journey, pleasure, plunder, poetic license, poured out his soul, praise, prince of peace, resurrection, sacrifice of praise, sense of purpose, sin, spoil, strength, substitutionary death, the Lord's sanctuary, the Sabbath Day, the Suffering Servant, the things of the earth, tower of strength, transgressors, travail, trespass offering, troubled, Turn your eyes upon Jesus, weary, wisdom, worship, worship Almighty God, worship in hiding
John 14:6. Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.
Ah mih people, it’s the Sabbath Day; the day for gathering and fellowship in the Lord’s sanctuary, where His ardent followers praise and worship His holy name! It involves hearing His wonderful word which brings peace, strength and assurance to our tired and fragile souls, while filling His house with glorious song! Oh what a pleasure, a gift of grace it is to be able to worship Almighty God in freedom, with a strong sense of purpose.
However, many believers around the world have to do it in hiding, afraid of serious persecution, but standing strong on His faithful promises, they do it nonetheless. And as we offer up the sacrifice of praise with our lips this Sunday morning, I want us to think about all those who are not free to worship as we are, and pray that the Lord will give them that freedom someday soon, or at least keep them safe from further persecution.
Now let’s raise the roof with loud and harmonious voices, as we sing that blessed hymn ‘Turn your eyes upon Jesus.’
‘O soul, are you weary and troubled? No light in the darkness you see? There’s light for a look at the Savior, And life more abundant and free. (Refrain: Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace.)
Through death into life everlasting He passed, and we follow Him there; O’er us sin no more hath dominion For more than conqu’rors we are! (Refrain: Turn your eyes upon Jesus…) His Word shall not fail you, He promised; Believe Him and all will be well; Then go to a world that is dying, His perfect salvation to tell! (Refrain: Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of the earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace.)’
Oh friends, what words of perfect assurance! If your soul is weary and troubled, and floundering in perpetual darkness, then Jesus is the One to turn to for relief. He died that we might live, might have eternal life, so there is NO ONE better to offer us comfort and safety and light in this tragic world. As the song says: Turn your eyes on Him, look Him straight in the face, and all of a sudden the worries and problems of this world will begin to recede.
What a tower of strength we have in Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, our Prince of Peace, our High Priest, our heavenly Intercessor, our unmatched Messiah! He is the ONE and ONLY ONE my brethren: the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! In Him, majesty and holiness reign supreme! But what is even more important, is that He knows our fears, and can empathize with us on our pilgrim’s journey, because He faced the same things in His brief sojourn here on earth.
That’s why He is such a Champion, such a Leader and could utter the words of our Bit to His doubting disciple Thomas with the utmost sincerity and truth. ‘Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.’
And if you want to see why he could truly say that, then read Isaiah 53, where he describes the ‘Suffering Servant,’ a foretelling of what Jesus would suffer. I’ll just remind us of the last three verses. ‘Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise (crush) him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
He shall see of the travail (distress) of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many: for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil (plunder) with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.’ (Is.53:10-12)
Yes my fellow believers, that’s what Jesus suffered on our behalf, and therefore earned to right to say what He said. Now here are some explanations from the scholars. ’53:10-12. It pleased the Lord to bruise (from daka; “to crush”) him refers to the same condition in verse 5 (utterly crush Him for our moral iniquities). Put him to grief reads “pierce” Him in the Dead Sea Scroll copy of the text. His seed refers to those who will come to believe in Him. An offering for sin (asham, “guilt offering”) involves the trespass offering described in Numbers 5:5-10.
The phrase he shall prolong his days indicates that the Servant’s ministry will not end with His violent death, and certainly implies His resurrection. The pleasure of the Lord refers to God’s ultimate purposes which will be accomplished by the atoning death and resurrection of the Servant. His intercession refers to His high priestly ministry, by which He makes intercession on the basis of His own substitutionary death. The chapter ends with the glorification and exaltation of the Servant of the Lord.’
And so it very well should my people! Hn, hn! I’m chuckling because I used some poetic license there, switching the position of the last two sentences because I thought it a better ending. Christ should be glorified and exalted at the end, that’s the proper climax! (smile)
Anyway friends, that’s just an inkling of what Jesus suffered for us, so we could be set free from sin and receive everlasting life. Shouldn’t we therefore show Him much more appreciation and gratitude? Of course we should. So let’s do better than we doing nuh! All of us can improve in some area(s) of our lives that will exalt and glorify Jesus much more than at present.
Remember it’s in OUR best interest do so, since Jesus doesn’t really need anything from us, but we desperately need lots of stuff from Him! So please let wisdom and common sense abound! Much LOVE!
…He knew NO sin…but was made the bearer of ALL sin…FOR US…
30 Jul 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a gathering of believers, adversities, affliction, all the days of my life, anger, asaph, bitterness, blessings, burdened, calamities, carrying the weight of the world, Christians, comfort, compassion, countless price, dwell in the house of the Lord, flesh, forgiveness, free of charge, gall, gleam of love, goodness, grace, his compassions fail not, hope, humbled, in remembrance, iniquity, Jesus Christ, joyful, lethargic, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, loving-kindness, misery, mistakes, new every morning is the love, on which side his bread was buttered, perfect rest, perils past, praising Almighty God, prayer, rapture, sacrifice, sad, saints, salvation, sins forgiven, stand strong, strength, Sunday, testomony, the common task, the essence of who we are, the Lord is my portion, the Lord's mercies, the Lord's sanctuary, the salvation of the Lord, transgressions, treasures, trials, unconditional LOVE, wait, we are not consumed, wormwood, wrath
Lamentations 3:22. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
Well friends, that joy-filled day called Sunday has rolled around again! And with it, we gather in the Lord’s sanctuary to worship, joyfully sing and praise His holy name. There’s nothing that can compare to a gathering of fellow believers singing and praising Almighty God! That’s because it’s the essence of who we are, why we were so gloriously made.
So let’s not make me a liar (smile), let’s send up to heaven wonderful words of praise and glory, joy and thanksgiving as we sing the beautiful and grateful words of the hymn; ‘New every morning is the LOVE!’ Yes my fellow believers, let’s offer up the sacrifice of praise with heartfelt song,. As an earthly choir, sounding like heavenly angels, let’s sing!
‘New every morning is the LOVE Our wakening and uprising prove; Through sleep and darkness safely brought, Restored to life and power and thought. New mercies, each returning day, Hover around us while we pray; New perils past, new sins forgiven, New thoughts of God, new hopes of heaven. If, on our daily course, our mind Be set to hallow all we find, New treasures still, of countless price, God will provide for sacrifice.
Old friends, old scenes, will lovelier be, As more of heaven in each we see; Some softening gleam of LOVE and prayer Shall dawn on every cross and care. We need not bid, for cloistered cell, Our neighbor and our words farewell, Nor strive to find ourselves too high For sinful man beneath the sky.
The trivial round, the common task, Will furnish all we ought to ask; Room to deny ourselves, a road To bring us daily nearer God. Seek we no more; content with these, Let present rapture, comfort, ease As heaven shall bid them, come and go: The secret this of rest below. Only, O Lord, in Thy dear LOVE, Fit us for perfect rest above, And help us, this and every day, To live more nearly as we pray.’
Yes friends, each and every day the Lord showers down new mercies, blessings, grace, forgiveness, strength…you name it…He provides it free of charge. What an awesome God we serve and worship my brethren! I wonder if we truly realize that eh? No other faith on this earth can truthfully declare the things that we declare.
Neither is any other faith as joyful, sorry, should be joyful as we Christians. And I corrected myself there because too many of us supposed believers walk around sad and lethargic, bowed and bending, as though we are carrying the whole weight of the world on our shoulders. But precious saints of God, two thousand years ago our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ died on the cross at Calvary and took all our burdens, all our sins, all our transgressions on His strong and comely shoulders!
Why? So that we would not have to be sad and miserable and burdened any more, but be filled with His wonderful peace, abundant joy and glorious unconditional LOVE! So why, as a group, are we so unhappy eh? Or rather why don’t we show the true external realities that our internal blessings ought to engender? Because we’re ashamed, afraid, lackadaisical, don’t truly believe…
Who knows eh? But the long and short of the story friends, is as Jeremiah says in his Lamentations, which includes our Bit. Poor Jerry had been battered and beaten and locked up by his fellow countrymen when he preached repentance to them. But when he had time to reflect on it all, this is what he said.
‘Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall (bitterness), My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled (bowed down) in me. This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam.3:20-23)
Oh friends, what a marvellous testimony, based on gospel truth! And think about it nuh, Jerry didn’t have Jesus in the manner that we now have Him, and all the wonderful stuff that He bequeathed us. But yet still he (Jerry) knew on which side his bread was buttered, and despite his calamities, gave God the thanks and the praise He so rightfully deserved.
Listen as he continues. ‘The Lord is my portion saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam.3:24-26) Words of indisputable truth my brethren!
And the scholars tell us that ‘3:26. Jeremiah’s observation resembles those of other saints who have experienced great grief of soul.’ And they reference people like, Habakkuk, Job, Bruh David, Isaiah and Bruh Paul. So friends, serving God is wise, wonderful and right, but not always easy. But we have to remember too that the Lord will never give us a task to accomplish without giving us the wherewithal to accomplish it.
That’s His outstanding modus operandi, as you can see from the records of all the great men of faith we just mentioned. They all had it tough, but they all accomplished their given tasks with flying colours. God never forsook them, even when they were out of step with His plan for their lives, but was instead merciful and compassionate because He knew their human frailties would sometimes lead them astray.
My precious people of God, it’s the same way He behaves with us. But we have to stand strong during our adversities and trials, otherwise we’ll forsake the good things He has in store for us. Hear Asaph tell us about the Israelites plight from Psalm 78 – A reminder of God’s goodness to Israel.
‘For their heart was not right (steadfast) with him, neither were they steadfast (faithful) in their covenant. But he being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time he turned his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath. For he remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passeth away; and cometh not again.’ (Ps.78:37-39) So friends, the Lord knows our capabilities, since He created us, and will not leave us high and dry because we make mistakes.
Bruh David says it best in the closing verse of Psalm 23 – The Lord is my Shepherd. ‘Surely goodness and mercy (LOVING-kindness) will follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.’ (Ps.23:6) And if we refuse to believe that, then it’s to our great detriment my brethren. Much LOVE!
…only the Lord’s mercies…through Christ’s shed blood at Calvary…keeps us from being annihilated for our abominable transgressions…
16 Jul 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a;ll may be as one, anguish sore, bitter grief, Charles Wesley, compose so rich a crown, deliver us from evil, evil, exalt, flow mingled down, for ever, glorify, grace, growing up in Tobago, guidance, I count but loss, I should boast, in the death of christ, in the world, in thy name, isaac watts, joy, Judas, lead us not into temptation, LOVE, Lucifer, mercy, none is lost, pegged for hell, pour contempt on all my pride, praise, ransomed race, richest gain, righteous Father, sacrifice them to His blood, sacrificial deed, sanctify, sinners grace, sorro, St. Andrew's church, strength, temptation, the cross of Calvary, the evil one, the Gentiles, the glory, the Lord's sanctuary, the power, the Prince of Glory, the scripture might be fulfilled, the son of perdition, the upcoming week, the whole realm of nature, the world hated them, thine is the kingdom, thorns, thy truth, thy word, thy word is truth, vain things, when I survey the wondrous cross, worship, worthless sinners
Matthew 6:13. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Ah friends, it’s another glorious Sunday morning and we’re gathered in the Lord’s sanctuary to praise and worship, glorify and exalt Him, as well as receive His awesome grace and mercy, strength and guidance for the new week that’s upcoming.
And as always, let’s open with a song of wonderful praise; ‘When I survey the wondrous cross.’ This is one of my favourite hymns, and it brings back fond memories of a boy growing up in Tobago and St.Andrew’s church in Scarborough during the Easter season, packed to capacity on a Sunday morning, full of young people, all raising their voices in praise.
So let’s raise our own voices in sacrificial praise now my people, let the heavens reverberate with the powerful and sincere sound of our voices, singing these inspirational words penned by Isaac Watts many moons ago, which Charles Wesley, another prominent hymn writer, reputedly said he would have given up all his songs, to be able to say he wrote this one.
‘When I survey the wondrous cross On which the Prince of glory died, My richest gain I count but loss, And pour contempt on all my pride. Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to His blood. See from His head, His hands, His feet, Sorrow and LOVE flow mingled down! Did e’er such LOVE and sorrow meet, Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
His dying crimson, like a robe, Spreads o’er His body on the tree; Then I am dead to all the globe, And all the globe is dead to me. Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far too small; LOVE so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all.
[Added by the compilers of Hymns Ancient and Modern] To Christ, who won for sinners grace By bitter grief and anguish sore, Be praise from all the ransomed race. Forever and forevermore.’
Oh my fellow believers what a magnificent pouring out of praise in words that just touch the heart and truthfully reflect the awesome and sacrificial deed that Jesus so selflessly suffered on our behalf!
Without His sacrificial death on the cross of Calvary, we’d all still be worthless sinners pegged for hell with the evil one Lucifer. But through Jesus’ superhuman efforts we now are bound for glory instead through salvation and eternal life! Oh Glory be my brethren!
Ah friends, as Christians we should be happy like pigs in mud! (smile) And when we check out our Bit, those immortal words of Jesus in His blueprint for prayer, we should get even more joyful – if that’s possible (smile), because it assures us that we have a heavenly Father who is constantly watching over and guiding us, to whom we can turn to for comfort and succour in ALL situations!
Wow! How could we not LOVE Jesus eh, after all He’s done for us? And if you don’t believe me, then please listen to how Jesus prayed to His heavenly Father on our behalf before He underwent His own tough times.
‘I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more (longer) in the world, but these are in the world; and I come to thee Holy Father, keep them through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost (destroyed), but the son of perdition (destruction); (Judas), that the scripture might be fulfilled.
And now I come to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil (one).
They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them (set them apart for your purposes) through thy truth: thy word is truth. And as thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou has sent me.
And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast LOVED them, as thou hast LOVED me.
Father, I will (desire) that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou LOVEDST me before the foundation of the world.
O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the LOVE wherewith thou hast LOVED me may be in them, and I in them.’
Wow mih breddren, what an awesome prayer! I never intended to print it all, but once I got started I just could not stop. I doubt that anyone else has ever prayed so sincerely and fervently for any of us. Jesus even prayed for those that would come after Him, meaning the Gentiles, people like us.
And I have to confess, that though I’ve read those words before, they’ve never meant so much, or made such a difference before. I truly appreciate them now, and so I hope do you my fellow believers. It just goes to show the truth in the saying, the more we read the Word, the more our eyes are opened. Much LOVE!
…Jesus didn’t only die for us…He also prayed for us…
26 Mar 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adore, assured, be glad in the Lord, blessed Trinity, cherubim, cleanse us, compassion, confess our sins, confident, darkness hide thee, deliverance, divine instruction, enthusiasm, evil world, exalt, exaltation, faithful and just, floods, forgive us our sins, forgiveness, glorify, God in three persons, Hades, heavenly Father, holy, human nature, humble ourselves, humility, iniquity, inspiring word, joy, LOVE, merciful, mighty, mind boggling option, my hiding place, perfect in power, personal witness, praise and worship, purity, reform ourselves, refreshed, rejoice, renewed, righteous, saints, Selah, seraphim, shout for joy, sincerity, sins, songs of deliverance, sorrows, Sunday, thanks, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the greatest, the Lord's sanctuary, the wicked, transgressions, truth, unconfessed sin, unrighteousness, upright in heart
1 John 1:9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
And then friends, it was the glorious day of praise and worship; Sunday! The day when we go into the Lord’s sanctuary and exalt and glorify Him as one body, His church, listen to His awesome and inspiring word and leave renewed and refreshed, assured and confident to face another week in this crazy and evil world.
And as always, we’ll begin with a wonderful rendition of one of our wonderful hymns, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy.’ So let’s offer up the sacrifice of our lips to our heavenly Father with enthusiasm, sincerity and truth.
‘Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee; holy, holy, holy! merciful and mighty, God in three persons, blessed Trinity! Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore thee, casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea; cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee, who wert and art and evermore shalt be.
Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide thee, though the eye made blind by sin thy glory may not see, only thou art holy; there is none beside thee, perfect in power, in LOVE, and purity. Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! All thy works shall praise thy name, in earth and sky and sea; holy, holy, holy! merciful and mighty, God in three persons, blessed Trinity!’
Yeh mih people, there’s no other God like ours; merciful and mighty; perfect in power and LOVE, one God in three persons, blessed Trinity! That’s why He is the GREATEST! No wonder we need to offer up our praise and worship, our thanks and exaltation, for He rightly deserves it.
We also need to humble ourselves before Him because He is holy and does not like or overlook sin.
But in His awesome grace has provided us with an option to be cleansed of the natural evil of our human nature, as our Bit so joyfully tells us. ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’
We can’t ask much more than that nuh my fellow believers. He didn’t have to do it, but in His wonderful LOVE and compassion for us, He just couldn’t let us go down to the pit of Hades without giving us a chance to reform ourselves. So here we are with this amazing choice of being able to praise and worship Him and come to Him in humility and ask for forgiveness.
Wow! No other supposed god gives their worshippers such a mind boggling option! That’s why we’re foolish if we don’t accept it and live up to it. Now hear the words of Bruh David as he talks about the blessed of forgiveness from Psalm 32.
‘Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not (does not charge his account with) iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile (deceit). When I kept silence, my bones waxed (grew) old through my roaring (groaning) all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture (my vitality) is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.
I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord, and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come unto him. Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about (surround me) with songs of deliverance. Selah.
I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must he held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee. Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about (surround him). Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.’ (Ps. 32:1-11)
Oh friends, how wonderful it is to be touched by the power of the Lord’s forgiveness! And here is what the scholars have to say about that psalm.
‘Psalm 32. The psalm describes the blessedness of forgiveness as no other does. This is the theme of especially the first five verses, which include the happiness of the forgiven man (vs.1-2); the physical and psychological effects of unconfessed sin (vs.3-4); and the simple remedy of confession to obtain God’s forgiveness (v.5). On this basis David can experience prayer (vs.6-7); divine instruction (vs.8-9); and personal witness (vs.10-11).’
Yeh friends, what a great way to end this series of messages on confession of sin and the Lord’s faithfulness to forgive and cleanse us! So please, let’s not forget the wonderful avenues that are open to us when we sincerely serve and worship the Lord God Almighty, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
Let’s not be foolish and ignore all that He’s provided for us in His grace and tender mercies. Then we can rejoice and shout with joy! So let’s be wise and acknowledge Him nuh, lean on Him and make our way through Him, for that’s the wisdom of the ages! Much LOVE!
…to forgive is wonderful…but to receive forgiveness is even better…
18 Dec 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a goodly heritage, Aaron, adore Him, altar service, asaph, believers, Bethlehem, blessing, born this happy morning, celebrating the Sabbath Day, celebration, Christ the Lord, Christian life, Christmas, confidence, crawl, draw near to God, enthusiasm, faithful voices, fellowship, firstfruits, gifts, go a whoring from thee, God is the strenght of my heart, help, I am thy part, I hope in him, I would keep thy words, ice, in flesh appearing, inheritance, Jeremiah, Jesus Christ's birth, joyful, Lamentations, Levi, LOVE, my flesh and my heart faileth, my portion for ever, O come all ye faithful, O come let us adore Him, passion, payment, perfect harmony, portion, praise, preaching of the word, preservation, prosperous, put my trust in the Lord God, rain, refreshed, rejuvenated, Rock, Sabbath Day, sacrifices, snow, spiritual awareness, thanks, the children of Israel, the Lord God Jehovah, The Lord is good, the Lord is my portion, the Lord's sanctuary, the priests, the salvation of the Lord, the service of the tabernacle, the tenth in Israel, thou art my portion, tithe, tithing, to them that wait on him, triumphant, unfaithful, wait, walk, wickedness, wisdom, word of the Father, worship
Psalm 119:57. Thou art my portion, O Lord: I have said that I would keep thy words.
And then it was rain, mixing up with the snow, and with the lower night time temps, more likely than not turning to ice. Yes friends, that’s what we’re looking forward to this Sunday before Christmas 2016; an icy world.
But yuh know what? That’s not going to stop us from going to the Lord’s sanctuary and celebrating His Sabbath Day. We going to get there, even if we have to walk and/or crawl. (smile)
And when we get there we’re going to have glorious fellowship, with plenty thanks and praise and worship and preaching of the Word, so that we can leave feeling rejuvenated and refreshed, strong and full of confidence to go out and live a good and true Christian life in the upcoming week.
Now let’s begin the praise and worship with this beautiful hymn, ‘O Come All ye Faithful.’ Yes my brethren, please let our faithful voices raise our praise and glory to high heaven in perfect harmony!
‘O Come All Ye Faithful Joyful and triumphant, O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem. Come and behold Him, Born the King of Angels; O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.
O Sing, choirs of angels, Sing in exultation, Sing all that hear in heaven God’s holy word. Give to our Father glory in the Highest; O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.
All Hail! Lord, we greet Thee, Born this happy morning, O Jesus! For evermore be Thy name adored. Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing; O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.’
Ah mih people, this is the season of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ’s birth in the lowly stable in Bethlehem, and we ought to be celebrating it with lots of enthusiasm, passion and spiritual awareness. Remember, Christmas is the occasion that got the whole Christian thing; the ball of salvation, forgiveness of sins, reconciliation, justification and the promise of eternal life rolling.
And if we don’t fully appreciate it, we won’t be able to fully appreciate what it caused either. So please tone down the worldly activities, and instead raise the godly ones, for without Jesus there would be no Christmas, no gifts, no set of food, in fact no celebration at all at this time of year.
And now that I’ve said my piece, (smile) let’s turn to our Bit, a powerful acknowledgement of God’s place in the psalmist’s life. ‘Thou art my portion, O Lord: I have said that I would keep thy words.’ Yeh friends, the Lord ought to be our portion, and we ought to faithfully keep His words if we claim to be believers in His Son Jesus Christ.
Now today I want to look at some other scriptures that uphold, which corroborate the words of our Bit. Let’s begin with something from Numbers. ‘And the Lord spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel. And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance (a possession), for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.’ (Num.18:20-21)
So Aaron and his descendants, the priests, would own no land in Israel. The scholars explain it thus: ‘18:8-20. In recognition of their altar service, the priests were to receive parts of the sacrifices, firstfruits of the harvest, and firstborn animals (cf. Lev.6:14-7:36; 27:26-33). The priests’ families could also eat from these offerings as long as they were “clean.” Their inheritance would be God Himself, who provided for their needs through His people’s gifts. (v.20)
‘18:21-24. Tithing was now provided for the tribe of Levi (Gen.14:20; 28:22: Lev.27:30-33). The tithe was a payment for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation (v.21; cf.31). It also compensated for their lack of an inheritance in land. Later they were given 48 villages which were scattered throughout the land (34:16-35:8).’
That means those in charge of running the tabernacle, had no other duties but looking after God’s house, and the Lord provided food for them from the gifts of the people. Now hear Bruh David from Psalm 16, where he seeks preservation and blessing.
‘The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest (upholds) my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places: yea, I have a goodly heritage (inheritance). I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel; my reins (heart) also instruct me in the night seasons.’ (Ps.16:5-7)
Meanwhile, Jeremiah in his Lamentations boldly declares: ‘The Lord is my portion, saith my soul: therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam.3:24-26) Wonderful advice my fellow believers!
And we’ll end with some more wonderful advice, this time from the psalmist Asaph, from Psalm 73 – The mystery of prosperous wickedness. ‘My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength (rock) of my heart, and my portion for ever. For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee (that are unfaithful). But 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.73:26-28)
Oh friends, the Lord God Jehovah, Creator and Controller of the universe, ought to be a big part of our lives if we truly believe. Now let’s take some time today and consider how big a portion He is in our lives, and as always, ask Him to help us make it bigger. For that’s wisdom of enormous proportions! Much LOVE!
…the bigger the portion of God in us…the better…
17 Apr 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a loud voice, after effects, after one time is two, all is well, Amen, Ark of the Covenant, Babylon, Beres Hammond, blessings, captivity, Christian brethren, circumspect, contrast, cooking, cultures, dance, despised, despising God, dinner, diverse congregation, donating food, everlasting goodness, excuses, fellowship, for He is good, for the life in me, giving thanks, glory to God, health, his mercy endureth for ever, honour, Israelites, joy, leftovers, leggo-beast, levites, lustful lifestyle, material possessions, might, noise, O Give thanks unto the Lord, pockets broken, power, practice what you preach, praise and worship, proportional, reasons not to go to church, shouted for joy, size, splendour, St. Francis, thanksgiving, the day of small things, the foundation, the Lord's Day, the Lord's sanctuary, the Lord's work, waiting for that break, wake up and smell the roses, weeping, West Indian, wisdom
1 Chronicles 16:34. O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.
Ah mih breddren, the ole fella went out and party last evening… the first time in ages too. In fact, the first time since New Year’s Eve! Glory to God! But the ole fella must really be getting old if it takes three and half months between his partying. (smile)
Oh it was nothing spectacular, just our church’s first International Dinner and Dance held in the church’s auditorium. And was it ever well attended, over a hundred beautiful souls. And talk about food; all kinds of food from all the many cultures of our rather diverse congregation.
And would you believe that after everybody had their fill, with seconds and thirds, and people bought food to carry home, there were still loads of food left. And this was no catered affair, just members of our congregation cooking and donating food from their particular culture.
And please note that the West Indian fare was first and foremost – as usual. (smile) Ah can’t help it people, ah just biased towards mih West Indian victuals and way of life. And if is one thing, no two things the St. Francis congregation can do well, is eat and party, led by our inimitable Fr. Jeff.
And the ole fella partied too, to the good music that the D.J. spun, with my natural enthusiasm obviously, but not with my leggo beast antics. It seems that those days are over, and now I have to be more circumspect about my physical activity.
But look at that nuh; the ole fella can’t party as physically and energetically as he used to. I guess, as they say, after one time is two. Hn, hn! And by the grace of God, and some man-made medication, the knees are holding up well this morning. Praise be!
Anyway friends, today is Sunday, the Lord’s Day, and that means we have to get ourselves to church and praise and worship and fellowship with our Christian brethren. I do hope that all of the partiers’ last night can get up and get to church this morning, and they are not suffering from the after effects of the night before. (smile)
Or they don’t use that as an excuse, cause you ever notice how we Christian folks can find all sorts of reasons not to go to church, but none not to go out and indulge in the lustful lifestyle of the world. We just don’t seem to hold going to church as sacred and important as we ought to.
Now enough of my two cents worth, let’s check out our Bit. ‘O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.’
Yes friends, that’s what we ought to be doing this Sunday in the Lord’s sanctuary; giving thanks for His everlasting goodness to us undeserving human beings. That reminds me of the words of the old Beres Hammond song ‘Giving Thanks.’
‘Morning sun rising behind me, Stars at night come out to remind me, To give thanks for all the things that I have. All is well, I’ve got my health and in such good shape, Pockets broken, I’ve got nothing, waiting for that break,
So I’m giving thanks, for all I’ve got, I’m giving thanks, whether or not, I’m giving thanks for the life I’ve got, I’m giving thanks now, Yes I’m giving thanks for all I’ve got, I’m giving thanks, whether or not, I’m giving thanks for the life in me, I’m giving thanks…I’m giving thanks…’
Oh my people, if we’d only give a little more thanks to our wonderful God, our lives would be so much better! I guess we don’t realize that our blessings are proportional to the thanks that we give. Even if we don’t have anything, that’s material possessions, we still have life to be thankful for.
And to remind us that a lot of other folks don’t have even life this morning, just read the obits. So please, let’s wake up and smell the roses nuh, let’s acknowledge the mercy and LOVING-kindness of our awesome Creator. That’s all He’s asking of us yes; to appreciate what He done, is doing, and has promised to do for us.
And we’ll continue checking out instances of our Bit being used in the Good Book. Yesterday we saw it used when Bruh David brought up the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, and when Cousin Sol finished building the Lord’s temple. Today let’s look at how it was also used when the Israelites returned from their captivity in Babylon and laid the foundation for the rebuilding of the Lord’s house.
The book of Ezra describes it thus: ‘And they sang together by course (responsively) in praising and giving thanks unto the Lord; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.
But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted for joy: so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.’ (Ezra 3:11-13)
Ah friends, do we shout with such joy nowadays when we are doing the Lord’s work? I don’t think so. But you can see how happy the Israelites were that they were in the process of rebuilding God’s sanctuary. And we’ll close with an explanation from the scholars on that joyous time.
‘3:12-13. It had been about 50 years since the first temple had been destroyed, and many of the older men (ancient men) who had seen the earlier building, wept now because of the sorrowful contrast in size and splendour.
When the temple was completed later in 520 B.C; there were still some of these old men who wept again. Haggai 2:3 and Zechariah 4:10 relate Zechariah’s challenge to those who “despised the day of small things.”
Oh friends, please, let’s not despise small things, because EVERYTHING, big or small has been made and provided by God. Consequently, it means that we are despising God, when we despise the things He’s made or allowed to be made. That’s certainly not wisdom! Much LOVE!
…Blessing…and glory…and wisdom…and thanksgiving…and honour…and power…and might…be unto our God…for ever and ever…Amen… (Rev.7:12)
P.S. Sorry friends, it could have been earlier, but I had to practice what I was preaching; I had to leave and go to church. And it’s a good thing too, because it’s in one of today’s readings that I heard the afterthought above. Please have a blessed day! Much LOVE!
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