23 Sep 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a tender planta man of sorrows, always abounding in the work of the Lord, an offence unto me, ascension, be of good cheer, be steadfast, Bible, borne our griefs, bruised for our iniquities, christianity, confidence, death, death is swallowed up in victory, faith, fellowship, fighting against oppression, freed from the agony of death, generous, get thee behind me Satan, god, God raised him from the dead, human rights, humble ourselves, humble servants, i have overcome the world, immortality, in me ye might have peace, in the world, in the world ye shall have tribulation, incorruption, inequality, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, justice, LOVE, mass confusion in our world, merciful, mercy, merry-go-round, o death where is thy sting, o grave where is thy victory, peace, pray, Redemption Sound steelband, resurrection, salvation, sincerely seek your face, smitten of God, Thanks be to God, the chastisement of our peace, the God who heals, the Prince of Peace, the Rapture, the sting of death is sin, the strength of sin is the law, the things of God, the things of men, the throne of grace, the zeal of the Lord of hosts, these things I have spoken unto you, through our Lord Jesus christ, to God the Father, truth, turn from our evil ways, unto us a son is given, victorious over death, who gives us the victory, wisdom, with his stripes we are healed, worship, your labour is not in vain
1 Corinthians 15:57. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
And the weekly merry-go-round of workdays, begins again with another Monday on our plate. But we’re not afraid, worried or anxious about it in the least, for we have been well rested and renewed in the strength of our faith through worship and fellowship. That means we have every confidence that we can handle Monday and whatever it brings against us, like the rainy and cloudy start to the day! And Jesus reminds us of that awesome power when He says: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)
And so He has! His death, resurrection and ascension assure us of victory over the world. And this commentary gives us a brief, insightful look into what that means. ‘Jesus proved then and there that He was victorious over death. The grave could not hold him. Acts 2:24 says it this way: “But God raised Him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him.” No one should be surprised. Jesus had been saying this all along.”
Yes, He had been telling the disciples that He must die, then rise again, although they did not fully understand His meaning, and Peter quite boldly told Him that that would never happen. Then Jesus famously rebuked Peter: ‘Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not (are not mindful of) the things that be of God, but those that be of men.’ (Matt. 16:21-23)
Then there are these famous words of Bruh Paul to the Corinthians re Jesus’ victory over death. ‘So, when this corruptible (body) shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal (body) shall have put on immortality (through the Rapture of the church), then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain (futile) in the Lord.’ (1 Cor. 15:54-58)
Yes, my fellow believers, that victory of Christ over hell, death and the grave ought to encourage and reassure us to stand strong and steadfast in Christ, doing His work with all diligence and excellence! That’s sacrificing where necessary, being generous, merciful, compassionate, LOVING and kind, fighting against oppression and inequality, for justice and human rights, because when we live that way, when we allow the fruit of the Spirit to flourish in us, then are we true disciples, and will be well rewarded in due course of time.
And just to show how Bruh Paul was a master of putting scriptures together to suit his purpose, that verse above ‘Death is swallowed up in victory,’ comes from Isaiah 25:8. And the one about ‘O death, where is thy sting?’ comes from Hosea 13:14, which simply means that in many cases, the New Testament is a reflection of the Old Testament, except that in the former, Jesus is formally introduced to fulfill the Old Testament Prophecies.
One of which was to conquer sin and death. As Isaiah so confidently tells us of Jesus’ birth: ‘For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgement and with justice from henceforth for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.’ (Is. 9:6-7)
And the zeal of the Lord certainly gave us the incarnate Son of God, the Messiah, when the time was right! And Isaiah also prophesied of Jesus tough earthly days and His excruciating death characterizing Him as a Man of Sorrows. ‘Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm (power) of the Lord revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form (stately form) nor comeliness (splendour); and when we shall see him, there is no beauty (appearance) that we should desire him.
He is despised and rejected of (forsaken by) men; a man of sorrows (pains), and acquainted with grief (sickness): and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs (sickness), and carried our sorrows (pains): yet we did esteem (reckon) him stricken, smitten of (struck down by) God, and afflicted. But he was wounded (pierced through) for our transgressions, he was bruised (crushed) for our iniquities: the chastisement (correction, discipline) of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes (the wounds he suffered) we are healed.’ (Is. 53:1-5)
And we know that all of that was fulfilled in Jesus’ life, as well as the other verses that we don’t have time for, that explained Him being like A Lamb to the Slaughter (Is. 53:6-9), and An Offering for Sin, verses 10-12. So, from the beginning of the Bible, right to the very end, it’s all a Testament to Jesus and His marvellous work on mankind’s behalf. Therefore, with that in mind, let’s go to the throne of grace seeking divine aid.
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!’
And as our prayer reminds us, the necessary requirements for divine aid are humbling ourselves, praying, sincerely seeking God’s face and turning from our evil ways! Much LOVE!
…to God the Father be the glory…for giving us redemption through Christ Jesus…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
24 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a child is born, a fool's wisdom, actively seek peace, as much as lieth in you, become more mature Christians, Bible, catch our second wind, depart from evil and do good, endure to the end, faith, follow peace with all men, god, halfway home, hands on the plough, Jesus, Jesus Christ, let not your heart be troubled, let peace begin with me, live peaceably with all men, LOVE, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my peace I give unto you, neither let it be afraid, no man shall see the Lord, not as the world giveth, not looking back, nothing happens without action, peace, Peace i leave with you, pray for justice, prayed for peace, prayer, prayer can change us, Reflections for Peace, seek peace and pursue it, strife-filled world, talk a good talk, thank God, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the Prince of Peace, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, unto us a son is given, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, with God's help, work prayerfully for justice, work prayerfully for peace, Yael Splansky
Psalm 34:14. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
So friends, Wednesday, our mid-week, catch our second wind day has rolled around, though somewhat cloudy and chilly. But that won’t stop us from doing whatever we have to or need to do in Jesus’ name. Consequently, I went to my Wednesday morning church group, where we usually read some scripture, say some prayers and have communion, nothing very elaborate, but short and sweet. (smile) And believe me, sometimes I think I get more out of the little group, about seven or eight people, than in the big Sunday service, because the small group is much more personal and not as solemn and impersonal as the larger Sunday gathering.
Today though, we did something a li’l different, we prayed for peace in our world. There were a couple of prayers, but mostly silence as we sat and communed with ourselves and God about the strife-filled world we currently live in and how we can ever get it to be much more peaceful. While doing that, we were supposed to jot down, or journal any thoughts we had on the subject on the mostly blank pamphlet, we had in our hands. To tell the truth, all the pamphlet had on it were these words. A prayer titled ‘Reflections for Peace’ by one Yael Splansky.
It says: ‘If we pray for Peace. Let us work prayerfully for Peace. If we pray for Justice. Let us work Justly for Justice. Prayer may not change the World, but Prayer can definitely change us, and we with God’s help can change the World, or at least our corner of it.’ And that’s the gospel truth my people. Most of us cannot make any real worldwide changes, but through prayer, faith and God’s help, we can change ourselves and the small bit of the world directly around us. And yuh know that’s all that’s really expected of us; to change ourselves into better, more mature Christians, and help those we come into contact with to do the same.
However, many of us don’t even want to do that relatively small task, but yet we expect peace and justice to flourish in our homes, our neighbourhoods and our world. That though is a fool’s wisdom, for nothing, no change happens, be it good, bad or indifferent without somebody or somebodies raising their voices and taking action. And I’m chuckling here because when Father Jeff handed out the empty pamphlets and said we should write down our thoughts, I laughed, figuring that I wouldn’t be writing down anything. But lo and behold, I found myself writing a whole lot of stuff that came to mind. And I want to share some of the stuff I jotted down on the subject of peace.
The first thought was, whatever we pray for, it must begin with us. As Yael Splansky says, whatever we pray for, we must prayerfully work for it. And some wise person once said, if we pray for, or want peace, then peace must begin with us. And it’s oh so true. However, we all talk a good talk about peace, but how many of us, beginning with ourselves, are seriously working for it eh? Obviously not enough, otherwise our world surely would not be as strife-filled, evil and ungodly as it is.
Then the next jotting was that the Bible also tell us in several scriptures, in no uncertain terms, that peace is essential for Chrisitan living. Bruh David says it thus in Psalm 34: ‘Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.’ (Ps. 34:14) Yes friends, peace is something we must actively seek and pursue. We have to work at it, for it doesn’t come naturally. Bruh Paul meanwhile wrote thus to the Romans: ‘Recompense (repay) to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest (have regard for good things) in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in (depends on) you, live peaceably with all men.’ (Rom. 12:17-18)
Later in Romans, Bruh Paul also wrote: ‘Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify (build up) another.’ (Rom. 14:19) And there’s yet this scripture from the pen of the Hebrews author which categorically tells us: ‘Follow (pursue) peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.’ (Heb. 12:14) So there are oodles of scripture which categorically state that believers ought to pursue peace as much as they possibly can.
Then my next note was, ‘You can’t have peace without Jesus, who is the Prince of Peace.’ Now that’s another glorious truth, for how can you have peace in your life when you don’t know or have the Prince of Peace involved in your very life eh? It’s impossible! As Isaiah so wisely prophesied of Jesus: ‘For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, The everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.’ (Is. 9:6) There you have it friends, if you don’t know the Prince of Peace, then you can’t have true peace.
And in between the silence we recited these purposeful words of Jesus on the subject. ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you, Let not your heart be troubled; neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27) Now my brethren, please note that the peace Jesus grants is not the same peace that the world speaks of. Jesus’ peace is way different and certainly more peaceful. It allows us to go through hard and disturbing circumstances in the world without being too afraid or troubled by them. We are concerned, but not worried or afraid.
And I put it to us, that the peace of Jesus is the first kind of peace we need in this ungodly world. That’s where all peace ought to begin, for without it, no other kind of true or real peace is possible. Unfortunately though, our world is filled with darkness and strife, and so many who don’t know the Prince of Peace, nor the Light, LOVE and Joy He brings to those who accept Him as Lord and Saviour. That brings me to my last jotting; that we who are not physically involved in the strife, don’t care to get involved and thus disrupt our comfortable lives.
And that’s another gospel truth, even among Christians. So how do we expect to get peace eh? We won’t, unless a majority of us work persistently and sincerely together to achieve it. That’s the long and short of the story. Now, let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our marvellous 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 if we endure right down to the end with Christ, then it’s promised that the future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine it. so please, let’s be wise and make plans to see that future together! Much LOVE!
…to gain true peace…one must pursue, persist and persevere in attaining it…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
02 Mar 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sensation that draws us to light, ambassadors of Christ, christianity, divinely bestowed peace, faith, fellowship, god, grace, greater is he that is in you, holy spirit, in me ye might have peace, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus' peace surpasses all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, let my muscles relax, let not your heart be troubled, LOVE, mercy, my breath deepen, my peace I give unto you, neither let it be afraid, not as the world giveth, omnipotence, peace, peace be unto you, Peace i leave with you, peace of mind to their hearts, peace that passeth all understanding, quiet my soul, sincerity, slow my thoughts, speak rest to their souls, surrounded by darkness, than he that is in the world, the eternal light of Jesus, the peace of God, the Prince of Peace, the still small voice of the Holy Spirit, wisdom, your love both surrounds and fills me, your unceasing nearness
Philippians 4:7. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Well friends, this lazy-day Saturday looks like it’s going to be wet and cloudy, but with decent temperatures. So it’s up to us to make the best of it, either by cuddling up under the covers and enjoying some more sleep time, or getting up and just generally lazing around, after a hard week’s work. (smile) But before you do either of those things, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, in all sincerity and truth.
As one voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
Now how can we ever go wrong with a sincere prayer like that eh? And you know friends, sometimes these kinds of wet and cloudy days are the best kind to cozy up, to cuddle up to our wonderful God, in the sense that it’s a quiet and dark time, and when we are surrounded by darkness, there’s a powerful sensation that keeps drawing us to light; hopefully the fulfilling and eternal light of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. So now might just be the ideal time to get involved in reading and studying the Lord’s Word, listening to it, or even just spending some quiet time conversing with Him. I’m sure our spirits will be lifted and our souls rest quietly in His peace.
And there’s no greater consolation we can ever have down here on this turbulent and eccentric earth than the peace of Christ. Please note His two famous speeches on peace; His peace in particular. When speaking to the disciples about the coming of the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, He tells them: ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27)
Yes my fellow believers, Jesus’ peace is a different kind of peace to what the world offers. As Bruh Paul writes to the church at Philippi: ‘And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:7) Oh how wonderful that is, Jesus’ peace surpasses all human understanding!
The scholars tell us: ‘The peace of God is that tranquility of mind freeing the believer from fear and worry. “Peace” which passeth all understanding means (1) peace divinely bestowed in times of anxiety, so wonderful that it exceeds one’s ability to understand it; and (2) God’s peace far surpassing one’s own understanding of the problem, and His ability to cope with and solve it. Shall keep means “shall guard.” This is a military term for a sentinel standing guard duty. As Philippi was guarded by a Roman garrison, and its citizens were accustomed to seeing soldiers protecting the city, this word would be especially appreciated by the readers.’
So you see the power and compassion with God’s peace, guarding us from all worry and anxiety, even in the most difficult and overwhelming times in our lives! And it’s not that Jesus didn’t know we’d face tough times, for He spoke of it in His second message on peace to the disciples. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) And I like how Jesus talks about the trials and tribulations we will find in the world, but there’s no need to be worried or afraid of them because He has already overcome the world!
Wow! What assurance my people! And remember in the first speech on peace, He also warned us not to be troubled or afraid. That’s the beauty of being in fellowship with Jesus; though we might face tough times, we don’t have to worry or be afraid, because we have His omnipotent power, LOVE, grace and mercy surrounding us all the time!
But we need to sincerely believe it, if we expect to see and feel His peace. And that’s where so many of us are lacking. We talk about it, but when those tough times come, we apparently forget Christ’s words, or our faith just isn’t strong enough to put them into action, and thus quell what ever worry or fear that’s in our spirit. And remember that in Isaiah’s famous verse on Jesus’ birth, one of His many titles was ‘The Prince of Peace.’ (Is. 9:6) So Peace is definitely one of His strongpoints!
Remember also that Jesus’ greeting to the disciples after His resurrection, was ‘Peace be unto you.’ He said it to them three times, twice when He appeared unto them without warning. (John 20:19, 21, 26). And why did He greet them thus. I like this commentary on the subject. ‘The reason Jesus said ‘peace be with you’ as more than a platitude, was because he had to settle and calm all the emotions that were raging inside of them. He had to speak rest to their souls and peace of mind to their hearts. He also had to do this more than once.’
And it’s the same way with us today my fellow saints. Jesus needs to quiet our worried and anxious souls, in these times of excessive strife and confusion in our world. That’s why He keeps saying to us: ‘Peace be unto you,’ whenever He sees us frustrated and lacking in the faith that we need to overcome our many earthly problems. But as always, we need to pay serious attention to His still, small voice emanating from the Holy Spirit that dwells within us, if we are to find that peace that passes all human understanding. And remember too that since the Holy Spirit doesn’t shout, we need to be listening very closely, if we want to hear His words of wisdom and godly advice.
Now, hopefully, all that we’ve said today will stir us up, motivate us to be better, stronger and more faithful believers in Christ Jesus, so that we can get out into the evil and ungodly world and be the good ambassadors He desires us to be! Much LOVE!
…greater is he that is in you…than he that is in the world… (1 John 4:4)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
22 Dec 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a modicum of circumspection, chaos, Christmas, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, disaster, divine help, embrace your love and compassion, Friday chant, good and acceptable in the sight of the Lord, in all goodness and honesty, incompetent and corrupt leaders, Jesus -the reason for the season, Jesus Christ, lead a peaceable and quiet life, LOVE, man's inhumanity to man, mercy, omnipotent help, one God, one mediator between God and men: Jesus Christ, prayer, prayer be made for all men, respect for governmental authority, stand strong and steadfast, strife, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the example we faithful believers set, the Prince of Peace, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee
1 Timothy 2:8. I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
And you have to block your ears for all the voices around the world shouting, ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! The Friday of Christmas weekend!’ Yes friends, it’s going to be a marvellous time, with celebrations galore! Sadly though, there will be many places that won’t have any celebrations because of the serious strife and chaos existing in those places…too many places my people! The birth of Jesus ought to be celebrated all over the world with very few, if any, exceptions. But it’s certainly not going to be like that this year, for, unfortunately, this year will mark the most places without Christmas celebrations, because it’s the year, outside of the years of the two world wars, that we’ve had the most strife, disaster and chaos ever in our world. How ghastly!
There’s so much unnecessary strife and suffering on the earth at a time when we should all be celebrating the birth of the Prince of Peace. But there’s not much that most of us can do about it,, except celebrate with a modicum of circumspection, and pray for those who are experiencing the unfortunate miseries of man’s inhumanity to man. Pray, that the Lord in His awesome wisdom and mercy will soon bring most, if not all, of those inhumane activities to a peaceful end, for He’s the ONLY One who has the power and wisdom to mitigate those tragic circumstances.
And what a weekend this will be, with many people taking today off from work and not having to return until next Wednesday, making it a truly long weekend. (smile) But whatever the length of our weekend, please, let’s remember that it’s come about all because of the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. Let’s try and keep that fact uppermost in our minds, as we rush around to finish our Christmas shopping and the many other preparations we plan to accomplish before the big day on Monday.
Yes, you might be tired hearing me say that Jesus is the reason for the season, but it’s ever so necessary to reinforce that fact because the commercial and ungodly world is fast forgetting it, and so it’s up to us faithful believers to keep reminding them of it, or else in another few years it’s totally possible that no one will remember the real reason behind the celebrations of Christmas, and consider it just another holiday period. Amen! End of Sermon! (smile)
And friends, I’m not only smiling, but also chuckling,. Why? Because we were just talking about prayer, and as I opened the Good Library, it miraculously opened unto the first Book of Timothy, where Bruh Paul exhorts him to prayer. Now is that a coincidence or what? (smile) It might be, but I’d prefer to look upon it as a moment of divine guidance. And if that’s true, then we’ve got to engage in that particular scripture. So please read with me, Bruh Paul’s instructions to Timothy on the subject of prayer.
‘I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayer, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority (a prominent position); that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all goodness and honesty (reverence). For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour. Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not:) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity (truth). I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.’ (1 Tim. 2:1-8)
Oh my fellow saints, those exhortations of Bruh Paul are ever so important if we truly desire to live a peaceful and reverent life. We need to pray for all of our leaders, from those in the lowest to the highest positions. And the scholars offer some good explanations on the passage. ‘A quiet and peaceful life: The word quiet means “not troubled from without”, that is, intercessory prayer enables good government to ensure that its citizens are not troubled by enemies or forces outside its borders. “Peaceable” means “not troubled from within”, that is, the church’s prayer also aids competent government in maintaining law and order within its own borders.’
And if that is truly so friends, then it’s obvious that we have not been praying, or not praying enough for our leaders because there’s lots of strife and violence both outside and within our borders. And the scholars further explain: ‘The translation godliness and honesty is unfortunate, for the exercise of these virtues is not dependent on good government; they can be cultivated even in poor political management and persecution. The text should read, “That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life with the utmost reverence and respect.” This respect is for governmental authority. Respect can best be realized when rulers are competent and rightly discharging their duties. Otherwise, it is difficult to respect rulers when they are incompetent and unjust.’
Now, is that ever saying something, for there is absolutely no respect for most of our leaders these days because so many of them are incompetent, unjust and also corrupt! I don’t believe I’ve ever seen so many incompetent and corrupt leaders as we have today. And sadly, that’s an avowed fact all over the world. But yuh know what, as Bruh Paul says, prayer is ever so important, and it’s also our biggest privilege, as well as our chief method of communication with our heavenly Father. So please, let’s use it wisely nuh, by going to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant and laying it all out to the ONLY One who can help us turn things around.
As one voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And as our prayer implies, if we want divine help, then we first have to set a good example of being faithful believers. It’s as simple as that! Much LOVE!
…three of the most important things in a believer’s life…prayer…prayer…and more prayer…because prayer is basically communicating with our heavenly Father…and we can never have too much of that…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
15 Dec 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: backsliders, became obedient unto death, being in the form of God, chaos, Christmas, disaster filled world, do as I have done to you, faith, Friday chant, grace of God, I have given you an example, if I wash thee not thou hast no part of me, Jesus Christ, Jesus humbled himself to serve His disciples, LOVE, made of himself no reputation, man's inhumanity to man makes millions mourn, mercy, new believers, only one leader in Christ's church, simmering unrest, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the act of service, the Prince of Peace, the Son of man came not to be served, tlak the talk, to give his life a ransom for many, to minister (serve), truth, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee, walk the walk, whosoever will be great among you let him be your minister, wise guidance
Mark 10:45. For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto (be served), but to minister (serve), and to give his life a ransom for many.
At long last Friday is here and the joyful shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ have been heard all around our chaotic and disaster filled world! It doesn’t matter that there’s war and rumours of war prevailing in numerous places, the start of the weekend is ever so important, especially as we prepare to celebrate Christmas, the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. And doesn’t it seem somewhat ironic that He is called the Prince of Peace, but so many of His supposed followers are actively engaged in war and untold evil deeds?
And I’m sure it hurts Jesus’ heart to see that those for whom He left His heavenly splendour and took on the fleshly human body and came to earth to save are now such warmongers. The sacrifice of His sinless body and soul obviously didn’t mean all that much to mankind, for brother is still fighting brother, while the inhumanity of man to man is still making countless millions mourn. When are we going to learn eh my brethren, that the constant fighting, anger, hatred, bitterness, resentment and atrocious deeds that are currently so prevalent in our world, are not helping any of us, just making us more satanic and less godly?
Right now, it’s much easier to count the places where some sort of peace prevails, than those where upheaval and chaos are running riot. Doesn’t that say something awful about us when the attributes of his satanic majesty, instead of those of Almighty God are much more prevalent in our world? It certainly does! It tells us that our sinful, warmongering nature has finally come to the forefront, while the compassion, grace and mercy of God have taken a sad backseat in our society. And many of us who still claim to be such devoted Christians are among the biggest haters, warmongers, evildoers and hypocrites in the world!
How then can Jesus’ church sincerely flourish under such ungodly situations eh? It’s certainly a difficult task to execute, but definitely not impossible. It just means that those of us who are sincere in our beliefs will have to make a greater effort to keep Christ’s church on an even keel, growing even under the worst of circumstances. And that’s made even more difficult because of the numerous divisions and dissensions among Christ’s people. And the sad part is that so many of those divisions and dissensions have come about over petty human jealousies, greed and everybody wanting to be the leader.
But friends, there’s ONLY ONE LEADER in Christ’s church, that’s Christ Himself! The rest of us are merely stewards, glorified servants of Christ, but we do exactly what He’s told us not to do, that’s exalt ourselves. Remember Christ’s words when His disciples were arguing who would be the greatest amongst them. Jesus specifically warned: ‘Ye know that they which are accounted to rule (are considered rulers) over the Gentiles exercise lordship (lord it) over them; and their great ones exercise authority over them. But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be (desires to be) great among you, shall be your minister (servant): And whosoever of you will be the chiefest (desires to be the first), shall be the servant of all. For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto (be served), but to minister (serve), and to give his life a ransom for many.’ (Mark 10:41-45)
But to this day, we all still rush to be the first, to be seen as leaders, although our servanthood doesn’t qualify us for leadership. Unlike us friends, Jesus didn’t just talk the talk, but He also walked the walk. Remember His conversation with the disciples when He washed their feet, a job that was usually done by the lowliest person in the household, so much so that at first Peter refused to let Him wash his. But Jesus stopped him in his tracks by saying. ‘If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.’ (John 13:8) As simple as that; if you won’t allow me to stoop and wash your feet, then you have no part in my organization.
And after Jesus had washed the disciples’ feet, He explained His philosophy on the subject. He first asked: ‘Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master (Teacher) and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master (Teacher), have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord (master); neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.’ (John 13:12-17)
Oh my fellow believers, it couldn’t get any more straightforward than that! But, unfortunately, how many of us in today’s church are truly willing to serve, even in the upper echelons, much less in some low capacity eh? Too many of us supposed believers just want to enjoy the perks of the church without contributing in any way to them. But that’s not what Jesus taught or exemplified. This commentary tells it like it is: ‘He (Jesus) was a servant because He dedicated his life to setting people free. He set them free by healing them, delivering them, and by teaching them. His life was a ransom; He lived in such a way that when He encountered people they would be set free in some way. Even though Jesus was God in human form, He humbled Himself to serve His disciples. This act of service showed His humility and LOVE for His followers.’
And these words of Bruh Paul written to the Philippians highlight the servanthood of Christ. ‘Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus (think like Jesus did); 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 (emptied Himself of His godly privileges): 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)
Now that’s the picture of a true servant! And I know that in this evil and ungodly world it’s difficult to model Jesus’ servanthood, but with the help of God, it’s not impossible. So, please, through our Friday Chant, let’s go to the throne of grace right now, to find the help we need to be a good example like Christ. As one voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help.
Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And having said all of that, our first priority now should be to truthfully and sincerely become and behave like faithful believers and set a good example to the world! Much LOVE!
…the world can only see Jesus nowadays…through the lives of His followers…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
09 Dec 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a city in Galilee, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, be it unto me according to thy word, Bethlehem, blessed art thou among women, call his name Immanuel, faith, fear not, for with God nothing shall be impossible, God cannot be contained, God orders our steps, God's peace and love are present, I know not a man, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, LOVE, Nazareth, of his kingdom there shall be no end, our God moves in mysterious ways, quiet my soul, reacquaint ourselves with life, slow my thoughts, the angel Gabriel, the handmaid of the Lord, the Prince of Peace, the season of Advent, the Son of God, the throne of his father David, the zeal of the Lord of hosts, thou shalt call his name Jesus, thou that art highly favoured, truth
Luke 1:37. For with God nothing shall be impossible.
Oh, I do hope this lazy-day Saturday turns out like yesterday! Yesterday they promised that it would be mostly cloudy, but by lunchtime bright sunshine was engulfing the whole area, and we had sunshine for a few hours in the afternoon. Today, the forecasters are again calling for cloudy conditions, although with temps in double digits, but let’s hope the good Lord proves them wrong again, at least for a li’l while. (smile) In the meanwhile, as we slowly get up and reacquaint ourselves with life, let’s lift up our Lazy-Day Saturday prayer to heaven in all sincerity and truth.
As one voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’ And hopefully that prayer brought to our souls, bodies and minds the peace, LOVE and quiet awareness of God’s Spirit that we asked for, and will enable us to live all the more for Him.
And today, as we are going through the season of Advent, in quiet but exciting expectation of the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, I want us to look at how it all began, at how our magnificent God does move in mysterious and miraculous ways. Jesus’ birth was foretold by an angel. The Bible tells the story like this: ‘And in the sixth month, (of John the Baptist’s mother Elisabeth’s pregnancy) the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city in Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused (betrothed, engaged) to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail (rejoice), thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind (considered) what manner of salutation (greeting) this should be.’ (Luke 1:26-29)
And that’s a normal response, or perhaps a better than normal response, for I’m sure, many of us, if as we’re going about our daily chores, we’re suddenly greeted by this spiritual apparition with that abnormal greeting, we’d be scared out of our skins and probably go running out the door. But Mary’s quiet and patient reaction speaks loads about her maturity and faith, though she was only a teenager. She did not react with fear, anger or any other negative emotion, just quietly sat and waited out Gabriel’s message.
‘And the angel said unto her, fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest (Most High): and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.’ (Luke 1:30-33) Now can you imagine this young girl, whose life had only just begun, sitting there listening to this spiritual being tell her all those remarkable things that were going to happen to her. Most of us would have been overwhelmed with fretting and worry, but not Mary. She was confused about how such a thing could happen, but did not show any angry or negative reactions.
The Bible tells us of her simple response. ‘Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man (I am a virgin)? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest (Most High) shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing (One) which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin (relative) Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible. And Mary said, Behold the hand maid (handmaiden) of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.’ (Luke 1:34-38)
And all I can say to that is Wow! Just imagine that simple, unquestioning response nuh from a young girl who had been probably sheltered all of her young life. No tears, no tearing out of her hear, no apparent fear nor anger or whatever such an important announcement would usually bring. And to make matters worse, she had just recently been engaged and to have a child without being married, especially if it was not her betrothed’s, that would have been certain disaster to all concerned. But Mary was quiet and accepting of her fate, whatever turmoil it might cause in her life.
And yuh know what, something just occurred to me that’s never really occurred to me before, re Mary’s simple acceptance of God’s outstanding favour. It’s obvious that God vetted all the young women very carefully to see who would and would not cause a scene, and even more likely had Mary in that time and place especially for that purpose, since the prophecy said that the Son of God would be born of a virgin, and had to be of the line of Bruh David. So let’s check out a few of those prophecies nuh, beginning with this one from Isaiah, where he talks about a sign from God.
‘Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel (God with us).’ (Is. 7:14) Then in chapter nine Isaiah gets a little more explicit, when he writes of the birth of the Prince of Peace. ‘For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called, Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgement and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.’ (Is. 9:6-7)
And perform it He did my brethren through the incarnate birth of Christ to the virgin Mary in the city of Bethlehem as prophesied by the prophet Micah. ‘But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be the ruler in Israel: whose goings forth have been from old, from everlasting (the days of eternity).’ (Mic. 5:2)
Ah mih people, our Lord isn’t like us, He doesn’t do stuff in a vie-ke-vie (T&T slang) or careless, unplanned manner. His stuff is always well ordered and prepared, so that things fit together like a hand in a glove. And such was the birth of Jesus foretold hundreds of years before his actual birth and it all went as prophesied. Now, isn’t it a wonderful thing that our God isn’t vie-ke-vie like us, (smile) else we’d be in even more trouble than we currently are! Much LOVE!
…when God orders our steps…He knows what He’s doing…so stop fighting Him.
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
27 Apr 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: author and finisher of our faith, curse, discunity in the church, faith, favour, given him a name above every other name, God hath highly exalted him, good freinds, great family, insufficient financial rewards, jobs that we dislike, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, LOVE, negative word, our shining example, self-aggrandization, share them generously, stress, stress the number one killer, the accumulation of profits, the everlasting Father, the indisputable truth, the mighty God, the penultimate day of our work week, the Prince of Peace, the welfare and benefit of workers, Thursday Blessings, Wonderful Counsellor
Philippians 2:9. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
And now it’s Thursday, the penultimate day of our workweek, and we’re looking forward ever so much to tomorrow, that’s Friday, because for two days, we cease the tiring and unpleasant act of travelling back and forth to a job that many of us despise and dislike, and only perform it, or rather endure it because of the insufficient financial rewards we receive and so badly need if we’re to survive in this rat race we call our civilization! And if that isn’t a Bruh Paulian sentence, then I don’t know what is. (smile)
Ah friends, that statement might seem somewhat degrading and unfair, but it’s the indisputable truth. Many more people dislike their jobs than like them, and many would not go to them if they could find another way to make a living. And can you imagine the drudgery and resentment that so many of us put up with for two or three decades in a job that we dislike and thus don’t do to the best of our ability. I guess that’s because of the way the formulators of commerce and industry have set up our economic system without much thought to the welfare and benefit of the workers, but more so to the accumulation of profit for themselves.
But as I recently said, our current system is so backward and not truly engineered for making the best use of our talents and efforts, as well as being psychologically and emotionally very draining. You’d think that a society that’s been to the moon and various planets around our solar system, could come up with a better system of labour than one that has hordes of people languishing in vehicles morning and evening, not going anywhere fast. It’s no wonder they end up drained and stressed out, and that the new age disease of stress is the number one killer in our society.
Our forefathers didn’t even know the meaning of the word, but today it’s on everyone’s tongue, because we’re always so busy, but in reality going nowhere. We don’t have time to call or visit each other these days, because we’re so busy. But ask us what we’re busy doing, most of us can’t tell. Nevertheless, it’s the number one excuse nowadays for lack of family participation, camaraderie and true friendship. Imagine the sad situation where we have the best means of communication ever, almost instant messaging, but yet we’re possibly the most alone and loneliest generation the world has ever seen.
And the great amount of oppression, suppression, violence, lawlessness, greed, deceit and fraudulent activities that now permeate our world don’t lend themselves to trust and friendship. The recent pandemic and the current upheaval in our political systems, where everyone is fighting for power by any means necessary, doesn’t help the situation either. So, what’s the answer to it all eh? And there can only be one answer; that’s to make Jesus our true Lord and Saviour, our King and Ruler!
Why, you further ask? Because He’s the ONLY ONE who can handle the crazy, negative situation that exists in our world. Check it out nuh: He’s the Prince of Peace, the Wonderful Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father! (Is. 9:6) Now who else has all those marvellous attributes and talents eh? Nobody! That’s what makes Him fit to rule the world! And when you add some of His other names like the Lion of Judah, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Rose of Sharon, the Calmer of Storms, the Best Guide and Pilot ever, on land, sea or air, etc. etc. there’s absolutely no one else more qualified to run our lives and our universe.
Then, when you get down to brass tacks and recognize the truth of the Bible, God’s inspired Word, where it says that because Christ was ‘found in fashion (appearance ) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 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 every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the Gory of God the Father.’ (Phil. 2:8-11)
Now friends, with all of that going for Jesus, who else is better qualified to run our world and our lives eh? Again I say: NOBODY! But yuh think people are running to Him in droves despite the adversity and tribulation we’re experiencing. No! A lot of us are in fact running away from Him! Why is that eh? One big reason is because the body He formed, called His church, is not doing enough to bring people to Him, but is sadly doing a lot to drive them away, with all the infighting, disunity and scandal that’s currently plaguing it.
And we, as induvial believers aren’t doing such a hot job either, because we’re not living the way Jesus commanded us to live, like brothers and sisters, LOVING each other, treating each other with kindness and compassion. That’s one of the reasons there’s so much sickness, poverty and economic stagnation and depression in our world. The church and its members are not doing as much as it ought to stem the woes and the travesty of our society. Remember Jesus said that He came to save those who were lost, the sick and the suffering, the underprivileged and the prisoners, the widows and orphans.
And if He is to be our shining example, our bright LIGHT, the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God: (Heb. 12:2) then it’s obvious that we must make those things that He came and died for our priorities as well. And He’s such a wonderful Saviour that, knowing of our frailty, fragility, and finite shortcomings, He’s generously bestowed on us, all His followers, what we call our Thursday Blessings, to help us do His earthly work. Remember, He never asks us to do something without giving us the power and the tools to do it.
So, this bright and sunshiny Thursday morning in late April, let’s declare (ah Lord eh!!!) our Thursday Blessings, so that we can activate them in our lives. As one strong 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!’
Now, let’s take those blessings and go out and share them, use them just as generously in the care and compassion of others, as Jesus used them with us! Much LOVE!
…there’s no getting away from it…ONLY JESUS…is truly qualified to rule the world…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
21 Apr 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a means of restoring faith in you, all or nothing at all, be of good cheer I have overcome the world, carest thou not that we perish, disregarding our present situations, even the wind and the sea obey him, Friday chant, highway parking lots, how is it that ye have no faith, in the world ye shall have tribulation, introduce a new flock of believers, Jesus said unto them, LOVE, our obedience to God is wholly inadequate, peace be still, peace that passes man's understanding, restructure our society, return backsliders to your fold, seek new frontiers, simmering discontent, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the error of their ways, the Master of Peace and Calm, the Prince of Peace, wake up and smell the coffee, what manner of man is this, why are ye so fearful
Mark 4:40. And he (Jesus) said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how it is that ye have no faith?
And all around the world this Friday morning, the shout was heard: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here at last!’ It leads us to wonder if there isn’t a better way we could set up, or restructure our society, without us all dying to get through the work week, only thinking about the coming of Friday and the two days off the job. And I think about all the traffic jams every morning and evening, the loss of numerous man hours spent in the highway parking lots, then the tiredness when one gets to work, and also when one finally arrives home, only to be expected to prepare for the next day.
For people who can go to the moon and mars and wherever we now go in outer space, it’s somewhat archaic the way our society is designed. Do we all need to get to the same point at the same time and leave at the same time five days a week. That only causes more confusion and consternation than is necessary. Just take a look at the highways and byways, and the train and bus stations in the early morning and the late afternoon. People are rushing around like crazy to catch a bus or a train, and those on the crowed highways just sit and stew or move a few feet at a time because of the congested roads.
But I guess that’s just the nature of man; we constantly seek new frontiers while disregarding the sad realities of our present situations. We all want to go to new places, while our current places leave so much to be desired. But fortunately for us, we have Jesus, who is the Master of Peace and Calm as so vividly noted in the Gospel of Mark. He writes that Jesus and his disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee in a convoy of ships, when ‘There arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship so that was now full (filling with water),
And he (Jesus) was in the hinder part (stern) of the ship, asleep on a pillow: (what confidence) and they awake him, and say unto him, Master (Teacher), carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he (Jesus) said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, (who can this be) that even the wind and the sea obey him?’ (Mark 4:37-41)
Ah friends, the wind and the sea obeyed Jesus, and still obey Him, because He is the one who created them in the first place. Yes, He is also the Master of the wind and sea! Please note the words of John in his gospel where He describes Jesus as the Word. ‘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.’ (John 1:1-3)
So it ought to come as no surprise that the wind and the sea obey Christ. In fact, everything that He’s made, sadly except mankind, obeys Him. And that’s why we’re in the rut we’re currently in, filled with evil and darkness, headed straight for the dungeons of hellfire and damnation! Our obedience to the God of our supposed creation is woefully inadequate at this point in time. And only if we return to the fold of the One who created us, will our situation ever improve.
Haven’t we learned anything from Jesus’ sojourn here on earth? Apparently not. He calmed the raging wind and sea, and can also calm the storms that are in all of our lives, because He is the Master of the storm. But we first have to acknowledge that fact, then give our lives over to him, so that He can work His miracles in us. And not only a part of our lives, but our entire life, from pillar to post. He can’t work, or rather, He won’t work in bits and pieces. It’s ALL or NOTHING at ALL!
As Cousin Sol so wisely say in Proverbs. ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make straight) thy paths.’ (Prov. 3:5-6) It couldn’t be any clearer than that. And another thing, we are all crying out for peace, but who is known as the Prince of Peace eh? None other than Jesus! It’s listed right there in the book of Isaiah, amongst his many names: ‘He shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.’ (Is. 9:6)
And if you don’t believe Isaiah, then listen to Jesus himself while He was down here on earth. When He tells the disciples of the coming of the Holy Spirit to replace Him, He says to them: ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you: let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27) And if that still doesn’t satisfy you, then listen to Jesus again as He tells the disciples of His returning to heaven. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)
And if you’re a true believer in Christ, then you ought to rest secure in His promises and assurances. Oh my fellow believers, in this world, individually we can’t do a whole lot to change it, but with the peace and calm that is found in Christ Jesus, we can certainly make a good and positive difference in our own li’l corner. And as His church, if we get together in one unity, we can certainly turn this evil and ungodly world around. But before we do anything at all, we first have to come to terms with Jesus individually and accept the peace and calm that He and no one else offers.
And having said all of that, let’s go to Him now in prayer, through our Friday Chant, sincerely asking for His divine help, to calm our storms and bring us His peace, the divine peace that passes all man’s understanding. As one voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the confusion and anxiety caused by the pandemic and our many other serious problems. We can’t fix them on our own Lord, so 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 the simmering unrest in our land. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, without further serious setbacks. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe.
And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to return backsliders to your fold, show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic, the bubbling discontent and dissatisfaction in our land, as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Now, it’s time for us to do as we promised, so that God’s answer can be positive. Much LOVE!
…seeking true peace and calm…the ONLY place to find them is in Christ Jesus…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
09 Mar 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sinless soul, acquainted with grief, all we like sheep have gone astray, an unblemished lamb, blessing and cursing, blossomed forth with sunshine, borne our griefs, by the death of his Son, choose life, curse, dampening our lives and spirits, despised, divine promotion, esteem him stricken smitten of God, eternal damnation, eternal separation from God, God commendeth his own love toward us, I am the vine ye are the branches, life light and resurrection of Jesus, LOVE, made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, negative word, prosper, quell our enthusiasm, reconciled to God, rejected, saved by his life, self-control, so that you and your seed might live, succeed, the chastisement of our peace, the iniquity of us all, the Lord hath laid on him, the Prince of Peace, the way the truth and the life, Thursday 's Blessings, turned every one to his own way, we esteemed him not, while we were yet sinners christ died for us, with his stripes we are healed, without me ye can do nothing
Isaiah 53:6. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
And it’s another sunshiny day to give thanks for! Glory to God my brethren! Thursday has blossomed forth with sunshine and blue skies under the watchful eyes and hands of our wonderful Creator! That’s about four sunshiny days in row now. Wow! I can certainly handle that! (smile) Enough of the dark, damp, dreary weather which only tries to quell our enthusiasm and passion by dampening our lives and spirits.
It’s certainly time to accept the light, life and resurrection that’s so generously offered by Jesus Christ. Nowhere, and from no one else can you get all the good stuff He has to offer. He’s the light of the world, the way, the truth and the life, the good shepherd, the lion of Judah, the Prince of Peace and numerous other things that we don’t have time to venture into today. But just those few ought to give us a sense of how important Jesus is to mankind.
Most importantly though He is our Saviour: the One who gave His sinless life so that we could be saved from our abominable sinful situation! The One who took our sins on His sinless shoulders and gave us His righteousness! Mama Mia! It couldn’t get any more wonderful than that my fellow believers! As Bruh Paul wrote to the church at Corinth in his second missive: ‘For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.’ (2 Cor. 5:21)
Meanwhile, the prophet Isaiah said it this way long ago, when talking about a man of sorrows and a lamb to the slaughter. ‘He is despised and rejected of (forsaken, scorned by) men; a man of sorrows (severe pains), and acquainted with grief (sickness, injuries): and (because of his severe personal suffering) we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs (spiritual sickness), and caried our sorrows (severe pains): yet we did esteem (reckoned) him stricken, smitten of (struck down by) God.
But he was wounded (pierced through) for our transgressions, he was bruised (crushed) for our iniquities: the chastisement (correction, discipline) of our peace (with God) was upon him: and with his stripes (the blows that cut into His body) we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.’ (Is. 53:3-6)
Yes friends, the Lord made Jesus to suffer for our sinfulness. Someone had to suffer, to pay for our sins if they were to be justly and righteously forgiven like the Lord desired. And only an unblemished lamb, a sinless soul could do that. And it just so happened that Jesus was the only sinless soul in existence. Thus, His sacrificial, but majestic and selfless role in our salvation. What amazing obedience Jesus showed in doing the Father’s bidding. But even more amazing is the LOVE the Father showed to us, His unworthy creation, by placing all our sins on the shoulders of His only Son, then imputing His righteousness to us.
Wow! As Bruh Paul puts it in his letter to the church at Rome: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated His own special) LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now (having been) justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more being (having been) reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement (reconciliation).’ (Rom. 5:8-11)
What a Man! What a Saviour! What a God! And that’s why we say, why we consistently maintain, we’re absolutely nothing without Christ! And He confirmed it when He declared (yesss!!!) ‘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 15:5)
Truer words were never spoken my people! For without Jesus, we’re just a bunch of reprobate sinners bound for eternal damnation in the fires of Hades. And, unfortunately, although we have Jesus and the marvellous options of heaven and eternal life with Him, many of us are still choosing hell fire and Satan. Now, you don’t have to consciously choose the devil, but once you reject Jesus, the Saviour, you are automatically bound for eternal separation from God, which I’ll remind us again, is the worst fate that can ever befall a human being.
So please, I plead with us to wise up and do what Moses told the Israelites. ‘I call heaven and earth to record (witness) this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed shall live.’ (Deut. 30:19) And now, for those of us who have chosen life, have accepted Christ as Lord and Saviour, and are doing our best to live for Him, it’s time to go home declaring (awright!!!) our Thursday Blessings, which the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work.
So as one strong and sincere voice let’s loudly declare (yesss!!!) them, so that they can be activated. ‘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 said all of that, let’s go out now and action those declarations (oh yesss!!!) just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that others can be gladly and joyfully shepherded into His wonderful fold. Much LOVE!
…if it wasn’t for Jesus…where would we end up eh…in hellfire with Satan…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
28 Jan 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow, be of good cheer, for with what judgement ye judge, grin and bear it, how to abound, how to be abased, I have learned, i have overcome the world, in me ye might have peace, in the world ye shall have tribulation, in whatsoever state I am, judge not, lazy day Saturday, let go of things that don't bring happiness, let not your heart be troubled, Life is not perfect, LOVE Revolution, Love the Lord thy God, Love thy neighbour as thyself, neither let it be afraid, not as the world giveth, Not that I speak in respect of want, only one way to get true peace, Peace i leave with you, snow in the forecast, social media, thankful for what I have, the Prince of Peace, therewith to be content, w ith all thy heart soul and mind, ye shall be judged
Philippians 4:11. Not that I speak in respect of want (in regard of need): for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
So, it’s our lazy day Saturday, but unfortunately I couldn’t stay in bed and be lazy like I desired, because I was just fresh like a daisy, rearing to go. (smile) Imagine that nuh! And what was I so excited to get up and see? Another cold and cloudy day with snow in the forecast.
Well, if we are expecting more of the white stuff, and we still have plenty left over from the last bout, then apparently winter has finally reached my area. But that’s what we are all about at this time of year anyway, so we just have to grin and bear whatever comes our way. Therefore, let’s get our act together, and, as 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 this first one is rather interesting. It says: ‘I am letting go of things that don’t bring me happiness or peace.’ Wow! What a novel idea! (smile) And it would be ever so good if many of us in today’s busy and pressure-filled society would do that; just let go of the things that don’t bring us peace or happiness. And some of us might have to let go of a lot of things because we have so many things in our lives that are not bringing peace or happiness to our blighted souls.
But the truth be known, there is ONLY ONE WAY to get true peace on this sinful and fallen earth, that’s by accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. And why is that? Well because He is the Prince of Peace and His peace is far different than what the world offers. Listen to Him tell it: ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27)
Glory Hallelujah my faithful brethren! What an awesome promise! And if you still don’t believe that Christ can bring you peace amidst the world’s troubles, then listen to this other affirmation of His. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) And that ought to sober us up and stop our flagrant, wasteful worrying because it’s the undeniable truth!
Then there’s this quote: ‘My life isn’t perfect, but I am thankful for what I have.’ Now that’s the declaration (yesss!!!) of a mature believer! One who has peace in Christ and knows that life isn’t perfect, in fact it will never be perfect, but they are nonetheless thankful for whatever they have.
Like Bruh Paul wrote to the Philippians: ‘Not that I speak in respect of want (in regard of need): for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know how to be abased (live humbly), and I know how to abound (live in prosperity): every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengetheneth me.’ (Phil. 4:11-13) There again friends, it’s our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who strengthens us and allows and helps us to endure whatever circumstance we encounter, and to do so with a thankful spirit. Isn’t He just great! He surely is!
That brings us to this next quote: ‘No matter how good you are, people will judge you according to their mood and needs.’ And isn’t that the gospel truth! Especially in today’s selfish and fraudulent society! It’s sad, but people are so needy and unstable, more so since almost three years of the Covid pandemic, that they are liable to turn on you for no good reason, on a whim and fancy, although you are doing your best to help them.
So that’s the unfortunate state to which our society has fallen. It’s every man for himself, regardless of what that selfishness and greed causes. And in getting there, through the revered auspices of the social media, we’ve become a rather judgemental society. Yes, it’s now the custom for us to expound on matters that we know absolutely nothing about. And the sad part is that through the social media we can do that anonymously, without being taken to task for our atrocious behaviour and comments.
But that’s the new world we live in. Jesus’ admonition on the subject has now been completely thrown out the window. Do we even remember that He said: ‘Judge (condemn) not, that ye be not judged (condemned). For with what judgement (condemnation) ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete (use), it shall be measured to you again.’ (Matt. 7:1-2) But too many people are getting away with unfair judgement because of the anonymity provided by social media.
However, as the old people would say, we all get our comeuppance at some time in some way. The Lord is a just God and He will judge rightly and justly. And because of all the above, we come to this last unwise quote. ‘LOVE yourself first and everything else falls into line.’ Now that’s not what Jesus teaches, but with the sorry state of our world, you really can’t blame people if they behave thus. It takes a strong, confident and mature believer to put others before themselves.
And how does Jesus desire us to live? He says: ‘Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ (Matt. 22:37-40) That means we ought to LOVE God, ourselves and our neighbours with all of our being. It’s of supreme importance in our faith walk.
One of the many problems we face though is that too many of us don’t LOVE ourselves, and that’s not meaning in a narcissistic, vain or self-absorbed manner, but just genuinely caring for and liking ourself. When we look in the mirror, we must see someone whom we like, someone whose company we don’t mind being in, someone we’re willing to treat kindly. But until we can do that for ourselves, we’ll never be able to like our neighbours, because you can’t give away what you don’t have. So today, I’m pleading with us to get serious about LOVING God and ourselves, so that we can LOVE our neighbors and bring about the kind of world that Jesus desires. Much LOVE!
…in a world filled with hate and evil…only true LOVE and goodness…can make an appreciable difference…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
Previous Older Entries Next Newer Entries
SCRIP-BITS 