05 Feb 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a blessing, also to be feared, ambassadors, among the heathen, assurance, band our jaw and belly, beautiful replicas of Christ, breath of life, challenging workweek, compassion, covenant, encouraging, exhorts, fear him, fickle nature, forgiveness, frail, get a pass mark, glad to be alive, glory and honour, grace, great is the Lord, greatly to be praised, halfway home, hard slugging, held in reverential awe, holy spirit, Holy Trinity, idols, in beauty and holiness, in his place, in his presence, inherent problem, justification, looking forward, LOVE, magnificent and magnanimous God, marvellous works, mercy, not looking back, plenty eyes water, privilege, remember God's deeds, salvation, sanctification, sincere hearts, strength, strength and gladness, the Master Plan, the reigneth, to a glorious future with Jesus, tremble, Triune Godhead, truth, tumbling tumbleweed, Wednesday Wail, worship the Lord, worthless things
1 Chronicles 16:25. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared (held in reverential awe) above all gods.
And by now, on this bright and sunshiny, but somewhat chilly Wednesday winter’s morn, most of us will have gotten accustomed to the tumbling tumbleweed motion of our lives as we go through the challenging workweek. (smile) Ah, but friends, we believers don’t need to worry about that tumbleweed motion of our lives because our most remarkable Maker has it purposefully planned, right down to the last teardrop, the last breath! And nothing is going to interfere with His plans to work everything out for our good as He grows our faith and matures us into beautiful replicas of His wonderful Son, Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour! Yes, that’s the Master Plan!
Wow! What a blessing and privilege it is to be a replica of Christ! The inherent problem in accomplishing that though, is that such a feat requires a lot of hard slugging, it certainly doesn’t come easy, and we often have to band our jaw and belly, sacrifice a whole lot, cry plenty eyes water just to get a pass mark in the class. (smile) But the wonderful thing about our amazing, magnificent and magnanimous God is that He never asks us to do anything and not give us the tools to do it.
Thus, in our desire to become like Christ, He gives us His grace, His mercy, LOVE, compassion, forgiveness, strength, assurance, justification, sanctification, confidence, and whatever else we might happen to need to do His will! And He does it all through the power of His Holy Spirit, the third member of our Holy Trinity, our Triune Godhead. Oh my people, we certainly couldn’t ask for anything more! However, sad as it is, we ofttimes ask for more; because we’re too lazy, too afraid, or some such human frailty. In other words, we want God to not only give us the tools to do the job, but also to do it for us.
But friends, He’s not going to. We have a covenant, a partnership with Him, whereby He does His part and we do ours. End of story! He will certainly help us accomplish our part, but definitely not do it for us. So let’s not hold out any hope in that regard nuh. We’ve got to stand up on our own two feet sometime or the other, whatever it takes! We’re Christ’s ambassadors down here on earth, His hands, feet, eyes and ears, and He’s depending on us to get His work done, to spread the good news of His gospel all over the world.
Please note the marvellous words of Bruh David in the psalm he gave to Asaph, the cymbals man and band leader, as they celebrated the bringing of the Ark of the covenant to Jerusalem: ‘Sing unto the Lord, all the earth; show forth from day to day his salvation. Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvellous works among all nations. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared (held in reverential awe) above all gods. For all the gods of the people are idols (worthless things): but the Lord made the heavens. Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place.’ (1 Chr.16:23-27)
Oh my people, what awesome truth are contained in those words! And until we fully grasp the truth contained therein, we will not fully realize the awesome position we hold in Christ’s company! Now the bringing of the Ark to Jerusalem was a really big do; a most noteworthy event in the annals of the Jewish people, and Bruh David went out all, both in his activities – dancing and playing before the Lord in the company of his subjects, as well as writing some amazing praise music that a whole big band of established musicians played along with him.
Can you imagine the scene? It must have been like Carnival Tuesday in T&T; the sun shining hot and bright, the big fancy costumes, the bright dazzling displays of colour, the music jamming loud, and people jumping to high heaven! Mama Yo! Who say they didn’t know how to party in them days eh! (smile)
Now hear some more awesome truth from Bruh David on the occasion nuh: ‘Give unto the Lord , ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Fear (tremble) before him, all the earth: the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice: and let men say among the nations, The Lord reigneth.’ (1 Chr.16:28-31).
Oh my people, my people, that is exactly what we ought to be saying in these perilous and troubled times! Unless we believers acknowledge the sovereignty of our omnipotent, merciful and gracious God, and behave like it too, how are the unbelievers going to know about Him and the wonderful life that awaits them with Him eh? They won’t. That’s why it’s ever so important that we sing the praises of the Lord and show His true colours to the unbeliever.
Now here is some interesting info from the scholars on the psalm. ‘16:7. This psalm (with slight variations) is woven into several of the psalms in the Hebrew Psalter (cf. vs. 8-22 with Ps.105:1-15; vs. 23-33 with Ps.96; vs. 34-36 with Ps.106:1, 47-48). It is learned here that those later liturgical adaptations originated with David. The psalm was especially suited for this auspicious occasion.
This particular psalm exhorts the people to praise Israel’s wonder-working God (vs. 8-11), and encourages its hearers to remember God’s deeds (vs. 12-14), and His unfailing covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (vs. 15-22). David then directs all nations to join Israel in its praise of the holy God to whom all the universe is subservient (vs. 23-33), and closes this song with a section of thanks, petition, and praise (vs.34-36).’
Let’s do the same nuh: ‘O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory (triumph) in thy praise. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for ever and ever. And all the people said, Amen, and praised the Lord.’ (1 Chr. 16:34-36) Oh my fellow believers, that’s how it ought to be, every day of our lives! And yes, we’re only humans with a frail and fickle nature, but that’s no excuse for not praising and worshipping and thanking our great God!
And now, for those of us who sincerely try, let’s go home declaring (chuh!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know our true position in Christ. As one body, in strong voice with sincere hearts. ‘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 will that future ever be glorious…more than we can ever ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…O…give thanks unto the Lord…for He is good…for His mercy endureth for ever…
P.S. Yes, it’s a tad long…but it’s ever so nice and encouraging…and I enjoyed writing it! (smile) Hope you enjoy reading it… Much LOVE!
22 Jan 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool believes there's no God, be glad and rejoice, bless the Lord, blessed be the Lord, chaff in the wind, Christ died for us, compassions, daily loads us with benefits, damnation, eternal separation, evil world, eyes fixed straight ahead, fallen angel, forget not all his benefits, free will, get up on the good foot, God demonstrated his love, halfway home, hands on the plough, heavenward journey, hellfire, hie compassions fail not, hunker down, in hell, James brown, Jesus is our everything, Lamentations, LOVE, loving kindness, Lucifer, mercy, not looking back, pay theprice, Selah, sinful creation, thanksgiving, the breath of life, the God of our salvation, the Lord's mercies, the prince of darkness, to a glorious future with Jesus, true believers in Christ, we are not consumed, Wednesday Wail, while we were yet sinners
Psalm 68:19. Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.
Awright mih people, we’ve been granted another wonderful day in God’s great universe, so let’s do the right, wise and sensible thing and rejoice and be glad in it nuh! Or, as Papa James Brown would say, ‘Let’s get up on the good foot people!’ And there’s absolutely no reason why we shouldn’t because we true believers in Jesus Christ are the most blessed people on the face of planet earth! And that’s just cause to rejoice and be glad!
Yuh know how many thousands of people didn’t open their eyes this morning…but the Lord specifically chose us to get on with His work down here in this evil world, so let’s not disappoint Him and do it to the best of our ability nuh. That’s all He asks of us, to do our best, and better still, He helps us to do it, because He gives us all the tools to do what He wants us to do. So all we need to do is hunker down and put it together in His name!
And yuh see, we’ve made it through to Wednesday, the hump day of the work week, so everything’s progressing as it should, and there ought to be big smiles on our faces and joy and gladness in our hearts! Wow! If anybody ever had a reason to be alive and kicking, it’s the true believer in Christ Jesus! As Bruh David so rightly declares in Psalm 68 – God has gone before his people: ‘Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.’ And isn’t that the gospel truth friends!
As Cousin Jerry (smile) rightly says in his Lamentations: ‘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. 3:22-23) And yuh better believe that we ought to be everlastingly grateful that the Lord has compassion on us, generally speaking, and specifically every day, because if He didn’t, we’d be languishing in hellfire with the ole fool, the fallen angel Lucifer, who calls himself the prince of this dark world!
Yes friends, it’s God’s compassion, His indescribable, infinite LOVE that caused Him to send His Only Son Jesus to be offered up on the cross as a sacrificial lamb to pay for our sins. As Bruh Paul told the church at Rome: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated His own) LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 8:5)
Yuh see that people, our wonderful, compassionate, ever-LOVING God didn’t wait for us to come to Him, cause He would have waited till thy kingdom come, (smile) but showed His awesome LOVE for us first, while we were still the mangiest of sinners! That’s why we ought to praise and worship and reverence and exalt and give endless, undying thanks to Him! For without His LOVING-kindness we’d just be blown away like chaff in the wind. But thank God, He had a heart full of compassion for His sinful creation!
And that’s why, as Bruh David says in Psalm 103, there ought to be thanksgiving in our hearts, bodies and souls for God’s unending mercy. Please pray these awesome words of his with me: ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVING-kindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ (Ps. 103:1-5)
Now don’t tell me you can read those awesome words of God’s goodness to us and don’t have a tear fall from your eyes, and a spark of LOVE flame in your heart! If those words don’t touch you, then you’re no child of God! Simple as that! So friends, let’s remember that we owe it ALL to God, our mighty Creator and Redeemer! He first created us with free will, then when we fell out of favour through ungodly sin, He redeemed us through the sacrificial death of His Son, giving us another option, eternal life in heaven with Him, not just eternal separation, damnation and hellfire with Satan.
So if we’re wise, we’d be truly grateful and rejoice and give thanks to Him all the days of our lives, because we’re headed for heaven, not hell. But there again, that’s where the free will He granted us comes in; we’re free to choose who and whom we belong to or work for. And as we go home this morning, as true believers, let’s shout out our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know just whom we serve and our current position in our heavenward journey.
In strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Yes my faithful brethren, Jesus is the only wise choice there is! So let’s keep looking to him nuh, because He is indeed our EVERYTHING, and the future with Him will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…only a fool believes there’s no God…and he will pay the price for it…in hell…
08 Jan 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a swollen head, a white blanket, Blessed be the Lord God, calm and peaceful sensation, doeht wondrous things, glory hallelujah, halfway home, hands fixed securely on the plough, hate evil, his hands formed the dry land, I know that the Lord is great, let the earth rejoice, let us sing unto the Lord, looking straight ahead, make a joyful noise, mankind gets involved, new fallen snow, no need for God, not looking back, one true God, our Lord is above all gods, potent enemies, preserveth the souls of his saints, romanticizing snow, stand steadfast and strong, the breath of life, The God of Israel, the Lord's creations, the only living God, the vanity of idols, the work of men's hands, things turn ugly, to a glorious future with Jesus, too big for his breeches, truth, Wednesday Wail, white like snow, written indelibly in our hearts, ye that love the Lord
Psalm 135:5. For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.
Aye friends, outside white like snow! (smile) Yeh, I saw it fluttering down like crazy when I went to bed around 3. a.m. And the nice, clean, whiteness never stops amazing me. Oh, I definitely don’t want to go trudging or driving through it, but if you like nature and enjoy the Lord’s creations, then you can’t help but admire the calm and peaceful sensation brought on by new fallen snow, covering everything in a beautiful white blanket! I have to laugh though; the ole fella philosophizing on and romanticizing snow, one of our most potent enemies!
But that’s how it is, for our God never made anything bad or not for some useful purpose, it’s only when mankind gets involved that things turn ugly. (smile) And if you claim to LOVE God, then you ought to LOVE, or at least appreciate what He’s made. That’s why the psalmist could sincerely proclaim the greatness of the Lord and the vanity of idols. ‘For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods. Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that he did in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places.’ (Ps.135:5-6) And isn’t that the awesome truth!
Then the psalmist goes on to list some of the amazing and awe inspiring things the Lord has done. (Ps.135:7-12) Then he makes these ever so important statements re idols. ‘The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not; They have ears, but they hear not; neither is there any breath in their mouths. They that make them are like unto them: so is every one that trusteth in them.’ (Ps.135:15-18) More indisputable truth friends! The Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the ONLY LIVING GOD! No ifs and buts about that! He is the ONLY ONE who walks and talks and communicates with His creation!
No wonder another psalmist could truthfully and enthusiastically declare: ‘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 (possession) are the deep places of the earth; the strength (heights) of the hills is his also. The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.’ (Ps.95:1-5)
And yet another psalmist proudly proclaims: ‘The Lord reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles (coastlands) be glad thereof…. The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory. Confounded be all they that (let all be put to shame who) serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship him, all ye gods… For thou, Lord, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods.’ (Ps.97:1, 6-7, 9)
Oh my people, I don’t know why in these most dangerous and difficult times so many of us are turning away from the ONE TRUE GOD nuh, instead of feverishly running to embrace Him with all of our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, since He is the ONLY ONE who can truly help us. But that’s the foolish and illogical way man’s mind operates these days. With his new found prowess and advancement in technological matters, He’s actually gotten a swollen head, gotten too big for his breeches, where he now thinks that he can do it all on his own, he has no more need for God. But that’s a fool’s wisdom my faithful brethren.
Instead, listen to the true wisdom of the psalmist. ‘Ye that LOVE the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked. Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance (for the memory) of his holiness (holy name).’ (Ps.97:10-12) Now that is more like it!
And let me add some more fuel to our godly fire (smile) through the words of Cousin Sol from one of the two psalms he supposedly wrote; Psalms 72 and 127. ‘Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen, and Amen.’ (Ps.72:18-19) Ah mih people, how can we ever go wrong with such truth written indelibly in our hearts eh? No way Jose!
Now let’s go home telling the whole world, all the earth, of our enviable and most precious position in our Lord God, by declaring (ah Lord eh, wrong again) our Wednesday Wail in strong voice, with sincere hearts. ‘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 beyond that, we know that if we stand steadfast and strong in Christ, our future will be even more glorious than we can ask or ever imagine! Much LOVE!
…the Lord God of Israel…He is the ONLY True God that exists…
25 Dec 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abominable sins, awaken slumbering memories, celebrate, colourful explosions, dwelt among us, entrust yourself anew, eternal king, eternity, exalt your holy name, excitement, halfway home, hands on the plough, hope, incarnation of Christ, It's Christmas, light, looking forward, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, magnificent and magnanimous God, Merry Christmas, miracle birth, not looking back, of joy, open your heart, our benefit, politically correct, push away tears, rejoice, sacrificial lamb, Scrip-Bit family, shekinah glory, sing, smile away fears, swaddling clothes, take away all our sins, the breath of life, the empty tomb, the LOVE of Jesus, the splintered cross, the word was made flesh, to a glorious future with Jesus, true beleivers, trust, Wednesday Wail
John 1:14. And the Word was made (became) flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
MERRY CHRISTMAS !
Merry Christmas all you beautiful Scrip-Bit friends and family! We’re rolling out a tad late, due to a small family gathering that began late and continued into the wee hours of the morning. (smile) But the good thing is that we’re rolling out, hale and hearty and giving thanks to our magnificent and magnanimous God who LOVED us so many, that He gave us the greatest gift that He, even as the Almighty Lord of the universe could ever give: His wonderful Son Jesus Christ as the sacrificial Lamb to take away all our sins!
And all God’s children declared a loud and grateful: ‘Thank You Lord! Thank You ever so much for sending Jesus to us this day so long ago as a babe in swaddling clothes, so that He could grow amongst us to eventually be our Lord and Saviour and Eternal King! We give You everlasting thanks and praise for that gift; the greatest gift this sinful and evil world has ever seen. Lord we LOVE You and praise, glorify and exalt Your holy name!’
Mama Mia! The ole fella’s on a roll this Christmas morning mih people! (smile) But even better still, let’s get into the poem for Christmas Day from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings from Ruth Harms Calkin, appropriately titled: ‘ITS CHRISTMAS!’
Please pray with me: ‘It’s Christmas! Sing! Rejoice! Celebrate! Let God create in you Colourful explosions Of joy and excitement. Smile away fears, push away tears. Out with pretense, in with praise. It’s Christmas! Open your heart to light To trust, to LOVE, to hope. Awaken slumbering memories Stir up stupendous dreams Anticipate surprises Open your arms wide.
It’s Christmas! Time for candles and cards For carols and cookies For brightly lit trees With the fragrance of pine. Time to hug and hold To think and thank Time to greet the world with the Good News. It’s Christmas! Thank God for life Thank Him for the manger For the splintered cross For the empty tomb Thank Him for His holy Son The Saviour of the world. Shout! Laugh! Share! Care! And say to God On Christmas morning: “I entrust myself anew To You.”
Oh friends, what beautiful sentiments for this Christmas Day and Season, and even for all year round! As true believers we really should be doing those things year round, because we have them all year to be thankful for. But today though, let’s do as the poem says nuh; let’s entrust our lives, our hearts, bodies and souls and minds anew to God nuh. It’s such a wonderful thing to do. And though the Lord will greatly appreciate it, please be aware that dealing with God is ALWAYS for our benefit!
Let’s remember that today nuh, as we celebrate Christ’s incarnate birth, as we sincerely and seriously ponder on all it means to sinful and evil man. And please, please, don’t let the day be all about gifts and eating and drinking and partying, but let’s find, no let’s MAKE some time to include Jesus in our thoughts, words and deeds today, because remember, He is the reason for the season! That’s why I can’t fathom all the nonsense about ‘Happy Holidays’ etc. etc. If you took Jesus out of the equation, there’d be no blooming holidays!
I’m simply tired with all the nonsense about being politically correct. Don’t other faiths say things like ‘Happy Hanukkah! Happy Eid,’ and all the other rest? So why can’t Christians say ‘Happy Christmas’ without it offending other faiths eh? Don’t they think that we Christians get offended too when we hear other faiths declaring (steups!) their holidays without a blush or fear? Chuh man!! It seems like it’s only Christians who are required to give up their stuff. But we won’t get into that political minefield today. (smile) We’ll keep it light and lovely!
And the Bible verse of promise for our poem is also our Bit today; the momentous words of John! ‘And the Word was made (became) flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.’ Yes friends, God Himself, fashioned as a man came, down from heaven to dwell with us, to give us a more intimate and close up look at who He was, and how He wanted to interact with us.
And the scholars explain that verse thus: ‘1:14. Made flesh indicates the incarnation (miracle birth) of God the Son. The use of ‘flesh’ contradicts the Gnostic heresy that God could not be united with human flesh, which was seen as evil. Dwelt among us: John used the word for ‘tabernacled,” here translated as “dwelt.” The Old Testament tabernacle was where God dwelt among the Jews in the wilderness. In this context, God is dwelling in the person of Jesus Christ. We beheld his glory: Perhaps John refers to the shekinah glory which appeared in the tabernacle of the Old Testament. The expression signifies the visible manifestation of God. John later uses ‘glory’ to refer to Jesus’ life (2:11), death and resurrection (12.23).’
Ah mih people, without a doubt, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob did come to earth and dwell with His human subjects as one of them, but still completely sinless, because that was the only way He could pay for our abominable sins. And please remember friends that Jesus will be coming a second time, as portrayed by John in his revelations; then riding on a white horse called ‘Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war… and his name is called The Word of God.’ (Rev.19:11c, 13b)
Yes fellow believers, when Jesus comes again, He will be coming in victory, to take His rightful place as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The first time He came at Christmas, it was to reveal the LOVE and grace of God, the next time will be to reveal His holiness, justice and judgement. Let’s remember that and continue living the faithful obedient life, as we expound in our Wednesday Wail.
‘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!’
Please have a blessed and joyful Christmas Day my people, being assured that our faith In Jesus Christ will be greatly rewarded in His time! Much LOVE!
…only the LOVE of Jesus…will see us safely through to eternity…
27 Nov 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a doer of the word, a forgetful hearer, a law of liberty, a rainy morning, believing in Christ Jesus, cut down like grass, do good, envious, evildoers, eyes fixed straight ahead, feed on his faithfulness, freedom, fret not thyself, God of Jacob, gospel truth, grin and bear it, halfway home, hands on the plough, immaterial issues of life, in His heart, interpersonal relationships, Judaizers, laws of nature, lead sinners to Christ, maintenance work, moral law, my chariot, none of his steps shall slide, not turning back, paid for our sins, pay me later, pay me now, perfect law of liberty, physical law of God, principles of sin, sacrificial death, saving grace, social law, sovereignty of God, stand strong and steadfast, the Boss, the breath of life, the law of God, the royal law, the workers of iniquity, to a glorious future with Jesus, trust in the Lord, Tuesday Mantra, Wednesday Wail
Psalm 37:31. The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide (slip).
It’s a rainy Wednesday morning… And to make matters even worse, I just got up, and the first thing I heard was that my chariot needs a whole lot of maintenance work, which means a whole lot of money! Chuh! But I guess that’s to be expected since I’ve had the chariot for over a year now and haven’t spent any money on it. And as the repair man in the old Maytag ad would say: ‘Pay me now, or pay me later.’ Hn, hn! Guess I’m paying him later. So I’ll just have to grin and bear it.
And let me apologize for not including our Tuesday Mantra in yesterday’s Bit. Don’t suppose many of you noticed that eh? (smile) I had it at the bottom of my rough copy, just forgot to include it in the finished product. Oh, let me go and get our Wednesday Wail, before I forget that too. (smile) Good! I have it now and made sure it’s not too far down the page, so I won’t forget to include it. Age certainly has a way of playing games with the mind yes! And having said all of that, what shall we talk about today?
Well the Good Book opened today at Psalm 37, and as I perused it, I saw this interesting verse: ‘The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide (slip).’ Yes friends, if the God of Jacob is our God, then that’s gospel truth. For as Bruh David continues: ‘The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him. The Lord will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.’ (Ps. 37:32-33) We just have to believe that, live by faith and not by sight.
Consequently, we need to ‘Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.’ (Ps. 37:34) That’s the Lord’s faithful promise! Remember how Bruh David opened the psalm? ‘Fret not thyself because of evil doers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on his faithfulness).’ (Ps. 37:1-3)
Now we’re supposed to already know all of that, but we need to be reminded of it every so often, so we can actually live by it. (smile) So let’s get back to our Bit. What is this law of God eh? Hear the scholars: ‘37:31. The law of God is the extension of God’s nature and expression of God’s will in His creation. God’s law is expressed in different forms, relating to different areas of His creation.
The physical law of God includes the laws of nature which govern the continuous physical existence of this world (Gen. 8:22; Col.1:17). The moral law, also called “the perfect law of liberty” (James 1:25), governs the immaterial issues of life (2 Tim. 3:17). The social law of God affects interpersonal relationships and can be summarized by “the royal law” (James 2:8). The spiritual law deals with a man’s relationship with God. It is summarized in “the first and great commandment” (Matt. 22:37-38).
Illustration: The purpose of the law is to reveal the sovereignty of God (Ex. 20:2), to place a restraint on the sinner (68:7-8), to show the greatness and reality of sin (Rom. 3:19-20), and to lead the sinner to Christ (Gal. 3:24). The purpose of the law did not change with the gospel. When the Judaizers in Galatia sought to teach their erroneous views of the law, they failed to realize that the law has never been able to save anyone. Application: As Christians, we should be concerned to live decently and orderly. (First. Ref. Gen.2:17; Primary Ref. Rom. 7:7-14; cf. Ex. 3:13.)’
Yes my people, the law of God is a valid instrument in our lives, teaching us how God desires us to live, but we need to remember that it cannot save us. Saving grace only comes from believing in Christ Jesus; acknowledging that His sacrificial death on the cross paid for our sins, and receiving Him into our hearts as our Lord and Saviour!
And since we have a li’l time and space, I’ll spoon feed us with a few of those scriptures. (smile) Re the physical existence: ‘While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.’ (Ex. 8:22) ‘And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.’ (Col. 1:17) Christ holds together and preserves ALL the things He’s made in creation.
Re the moral law: ‘But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the word, this man shall be blessed in his deed (what he does).’ (James 1:25) The scholars tell us: ‘1:25. The perfect law of liberty probably refers to the teachings of Christ and His apostles. This law is perfect since Christ brought to completion the teachings and work of the Mosaic Law. (cf. Matt. 5:17-20; Rom. 10:4). It is a law of liberty because it frees from the principles of sin and death (Rom. 8:2-3; Gal. 5:1-8). And James also describes it as the royal law (James 2:8) for it is the law of the messianic King (cf. Gal. 6:2).’
And what is the royal law? ‘If ye fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well.’ (James 2:8) And we all know the spiritual law is that we LOVE God first and foremost, with all our being! So let’s go home now, declaring (steups!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know our position in Christ Jesus.
All together now: ‘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 it will indeed be glorious, if we stand strong and steadfast! Much LOVE!
…if God created the universe and all therein…then it stands to reason…that He is the undisputed BOSS of it all…
30 Oct 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: about your life, all these things, and the body, At the Cross Live, concentrate on today, Corville Peters, do not be anxious, do not worry, halfway home, hands fixed on the plough, He provides, hypothetical problems of tomorrow, I say unto you, inner mental stability, is not life, is the evil thereof, let us rejoice and be glad in it, looking forward, more than food, more than raiment, nor yet for your body, not turning back, one day at a time, outward physical provisions, seek ye first, spiritual priority, sufficent unto the day, take no thought, take sorrow out of tomorrow, takes the joy out of today, thank God, the breath of life, the devil's life school, the hump day, the kingdom of God, the Lord has made, the spirit of a man, the spiritual blessings of God, this is the day, to a glorious future with Jesus, trouble, Wednesday, Wednesday Wail, what ye sahll drink, what ye shall eat, what ye shall put on, where God guides, will be added unto you, worry
Matthew 6:25. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for (do not worry about) your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat (food), and the body than raiment (clothing)?
What a way we’ve reached Wednesday, the hump day of our work week, rather quickly! (smile) And I know that many spirits are now relaxed and looking forward to the weekend. But friends, let’s not look too far ahead, for many things, both good and bad, can happen in the interim time. So please, let’s concentrate on today, and do like Bruh David said: ‘This is the day, the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps.118:24)
That’s the best way to live people, taking one day at a time, and enjoying it too, because God has made the wise decision to only give us one day at a time to live. That’s hard enough to handle, so why bother ourselves too much with the upcoming days eh? As Jesus said: ‘Take therefore no thought for the morrow (therefore do not worry about tomorrow); for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.’ (Matt.6:34)
Yeh mih people, as the scholars explain: ‘When our priority is spiritual, God will take care of the material, for where God guides, He provides. We need not even worry about tomorrow, for sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. This means that each day has its own troubles and challenges to be responsibly handled, without worrying about the hypothetical problems that could arise tomorrow.’
And that brings us to some truths about worry from Pastor Corville Peters of the ‘At the Cross Live’ Television Programme. He says: ‘Worry doesn’t take sorrow out of tomorrow, but it does take the joy out of today. Worry pulls tomorrow’s clouds over today’s sunshine. Worry doesn’t help us get ready for tomorrow because God only gives us strength for today.’
Wow! What words of indisputable truth my fellow saints in Christ! Worry doesn’t help us at all, it just drags us further down into the mire of life. But unfortunately a whole heap of us nowadays, Christians included, go to the devil’s life school of worry, and worry about everything, resulting in no peace and joy in our lives.
It’s true that our world has become a rather formidable place to live securely and without worry, but if you’re a true believer in Jesus Christ, then your worries should be at a minimum after hearing this awesome advice from our Lord and Saviour. ‘Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for (do not worry about) your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat (food), and the body than raiment (clothing)?’ And it is indeed my people!
And I like how the scholars explain that verse. ‘6:25. Jesus now deals with the equally dangerous tendency of those who have few possessions: worry! Take no thought (Gr. me merimnao) means “Do not be anxious.” This word means to be so disturbed about material needs that we distrust God and are distracted from faithfully doing His will.
Anxious care is the direct opposite of faith. Therefore, even the poor are not to worry needlessly about what they should eat, drink, or wear. The question Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? indicates that inner mental stability must come from the spirit of a man and not from outward physical provisions. To set one’s heart on material possessions or to worry about the lack of them is to live in perpetual insecurity and to deprive oneself of the spiritual blessings of God.’
Mama Mia! What words of awesome truth my brethren! Yes, I know it’s hard to not have, and yet to be comfortable and satisfied, but that’s the way it is in Christ’s kingdom. Remember how after our Bit, He points out all the wonderful aspects of nature and its mindless creatures; how they grow and thrive through God’s help, and that we’re much more important to God than them, so why would He not look after us just as well eh? He knows what we need better than we do. (Matt. 6:26-32)
The problem though is that we have to stop worrying about our material needs and possessions, and instead: ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness: and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) Yeh friends, if we make God our Number One Priority, put Him FIRST in our lives, then all that we need will be given unto us. Note, it doesn’t say all that we WANT, but all that we NEED! Remember what we said above? ‘Where God guides, He provides.’
So please, let’s stop all the needless worrying that’s killing our spiritual selves, holding back our maturity in Christ, and instead, concentrate on seeking God and His righteousness, for He’s also promised, that if we seek Him diligently, we will find Him. Now let’s go home declaring (yeh!) our Wednesday Wail, which let’s the world know of our steadfast and faithful position in Christ Jesus.
As one now: ‘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 stick steadfastly with Jesus, then that future will indeed be glorious, more glorious than we can ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…in Christ’s kingdom…all needs will be met…
03 Jul 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a rollicking ole time, abundance, anathema, and the life, as for me and my house, begins and ends with Jesus, broad is the way, but by me, choose you this day, enter ye in at the strait gate, go marching in, good and godly attitude, halfway home, hands fixed securely on the plough, how good and how pleasant, I am the way, keeping our eyes, keeps the right road, led thee in right paths, looking straight ahead, LOVE, many wrong ways, narrow is the gate, no man cometh to the Father, not turning back, on worthwhile goals, one right way, outstrips the runner, ponder the path of thy feet, remove thy foot from evil, Sir Francis Bacon, speed, that leads to destruction, the breath of life, the Father's face, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the lame man, the only true and living God, the tortoise and the hare, the Truth, the way of wisdom, the way that leads to life, thy paths drop fatness, to a glorious future with Jesus, we will serve the Lord, Wednesday Wail, when the saints of Jesus, who takes the wrong road, whom ye will serve, wide is the gate, won't see heaven
John 14:6. I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Oh how good and how pleasant it is to have only worked one day and yet reached the middle of the week! That’s what a lot of Canadians are saying or thinking this bright Wednesday morning. But many of them are still tired after a hectic weekend of Canada Day celebrations, so there is the trade off. (smile)
But hear these interesting and encouraging words of Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626), English Renaissance philosopher, lawyer, statesman and one time Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of the British Government. He reputedly said: ‘The lame man who keeps the right road outstrips the runner who takes a wrong one. Nay, it is obvious that the more active and swift the latter is the further he will go astray.’
Yeh friends, sticking to the right road is ever so important in these evil and ungodly times. And it’s obvious the more active and energetic we are, the more likely we are to go astray. It’s like the story of the tortoise and the hare. It doesn’t matter how fast you are, if you are on the wrong road you’ll end up going astray. As they say, slow, but sure is the best way to be.
But the word slow is anathema in today’s society, because we want everything quickly, we don’t want to have to wait for anything. Just check out the speed of the computers and cell phones and the other pieces of modern day equipment nuh; each version seeks to be faster than the other. But the problem is that too fast oftimes leads to also being wrong.
But friends, the important thing in this life is not speed, but keeping our eyes on worthwhile goals and getting to them steadily and with a good and godly attitude. And the long and short of this whole story of the way though people, is that it all begins and ends with Jesus! Yes friends, He said it to His disciples in simple but undisputable terms. ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’
Oh my people, my people, it couldn’t be put any clearer and more straightforward than that! If you don’t follow the path that Jesus set, both literally and figuratively, you won’t see heaven or the Father’s face! And His way is not the broad and expansive way, but the straight and narrow one, as He says in Matthew.
‘Enter ye in at the strait (narrow) gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. Because strait (how narrow) is the gate, and narrow (difficult or confined) is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.’ (Matt.7:13-14)
Yes precious people of Christ, there are only two options, two available paths to follow in this life; the broad and boundaryless way, that of the evil one, which leads to death and destruction, and the strait and narrow way with boundaries, that leads through Jesus to eternal life!
And as Joshua so famously informed the Israelites in his last speech: ‘choose you this day whom ye will serve; the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood (the Euphrates), or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell?’
Yeh friends, it’s a choice we all have to make. We’ve all got to bow to somebody, the question is whom shall we bow to? And I’d like to think that all of us will make the right choice, like Joshua did: ‘But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.’ And all of that can be found in Joshua 24:15.
Ah mih people, serving Almighty God, the ONLY TRUE AND LIVING GOD, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the right way to go in these evil times. Hear how Bruh David put it so long ago nuh. ‘I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest (dwell securely) in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell (the abode of the dead); neither wilt thou suffer (allow) thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.’ (Psalm 16:8-11)
Mama Yo! What could be better than that eh mih people? Nothing really! And all of it still holds true to this day! Following the Lord, through Jesus Christ, does lead us on the path to eternal life, with fullness of joy and pleasures for evermore! As Bruh David says in a later psalm: ‘Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness (abundance).’ Oh how true that is, my faithful believers!
And it’s obvious that Cousin Sol must add his two cents worth: (smile) ‘I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened (hindered); and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble… Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.’ (Prov.4:11-12; 26-27)
And with those awesome words of wisdom my brethren, let’s go home declaring (yeah!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know our wonderful position in Christ Jesus! All together now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Yes mih peeps, it will certainly be a rollicking ole time in heaven when the saints of Jesus go marching in! Much LOVE!
…there’s only ONE right way…but many wrong ones…
19 Jun 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a happy tomorrow, a prayer for today, added unto you, all my needs, all sufficency, borrowing from future years, courage to resist, do not worry about tomorrow, do the tasks, faith, gald to be alive, God is able, God will supply, his riches in glory, I shall not want, in all things, is the evil thereof, let us rejoice and be glad in it, looking forward, LOVE, magnanimous god, not looking back, one day at a time, peace of mind, rat-race, real strength of soul, reassuring scriptures, righteousness, say the word, seek ye first, Sermon on the Mount, shall take thought for itself, Silent Unity, stand strong and steadfast, strength, sufficent unto the day, take no thought for the morrow, the breath of life, the kingdom of God, The Lord is my shepherd, the morrow, the urge to worry, think the thought, this is the day the Lord has made, to a glorious future with Jesus, to make all grace abound, trouble, Wednesday Wail, Winnifred Brand
Matthew 6:34. Take therefore no thought for the morrow (therefore do not worry about tomorrow): for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.
Well we’re up to, or down to Wednesday, the middle of the week – anyway you want to put it, and we’re finally into the groove of the weekly rat race. It’s strange how we go to work almost every week, but yet it still takes us a couple of days to get back into the swing of things. Oh, the strange make up of the human animal! It doesn’t take us long to get into the swing of things we like though. (smile)
And I’m chuckling here because today I want to share a prayer posted on the door of my office which I pass several times a day, and did not even know it was there…in fact I happened to read several prayers up there a few days ago, and was I ever surprised to see them there. And I know they’ve been up there for some time, because they all sound very strange and new to me. (smile)
And you might ask, what’s the purpose of putting them up there then if you don’t see them? Now that’s a good question, to which I can’t give a good answer. Now interesting and encouraging stuff is stuck up all around the office, but the truth is, I come in and out of the office everyday and don’t see most of them. And I daresay that many of us face a similar problem, too busy and otherwise preoccupied to notice what’s in front of us.
Anyway, let’s get on with this prayer, titled ‘A Prayer for Today,’ written by one Winifred Brand that I apparently got sometime ago from a Silent Unity Publication. So please pray with me. ‘Lord, give me strength just for today, to do the tasks that come my way, to say the word, to think the thought with which real strength of soul is wrought.
Lord, give me courage to resist the urge to worry or persist in borrowing from future years, trouble unknown or futile tears. Just for today Lord, let me find true strength and faith and peace of mind, and I will tomorrow pray, when it becomes a new today.’
And does that ever make a whole lotta sense my people! All we need is the wherewithal to make it through each and everyday. As the saying goes, ‘take it one day at a time.’ And to tell the truth, you can’t take it any more than that nuh, because we’re only gifted with one day at a time. Thus too the sweet song: ‘One day at a time, sweet Jesus, One day at a time, that’s all I’m asking of You.’
And neither will He give us more than that. And Jesus made that quite clear after telling His listeners in the Sermon on the Mount. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things will be added to you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow (therefore do not worry about tomorrow): for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.’ (Matt.6:33-34)
Ah mih people, right in those two verses we have two most invaluable lessons; the first is that we must seek God’s kingdom first, and the second is not to worry about tomorrow, look after today, because tomorrow will look after itself. Just live one day at a time; today. As the prayer above so wisely says: ‘and I will tomorrow pray, when it becomes the new today.’ And that’s quite right, because in reality, what we call tomorrow never really comes, it’s always becomes today!
So friends, let’s learn to live for today nuh. It doesn’t mean we don’t think about or consider or put aside for tomorrow, but let’s focus most of our concentration and concern on the things of today, because if we don’t do what we need to do today, we might not have a hearty, healthy and happy tomorrow! (smile)
And we really don’t have any need to worry about what happens today, tomorrow or even next week, next month or next year because we have so many wonderful and glorious promises from our magnificent and magnanimous God, re our provisions in this earthly existence.
Listen to a few nuh, beginning with Bruh Paul’s encouragement to the church at Philippi. ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’ (Phil.4:19) Yes my brethren, if we seek God sincerely, and help others, even when we too are in need, then God will gloriously supply all that we need through His unlimited resources through His Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Now hear this other reassuring scripture from Bruh Paul to the Corinthians. ‘And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work. As it is written, He hath dispersed (distributed) abroad; He hath given to the poor: His righteousness remaineth for ever.’ (2 Cor.9:8-9) In verse 9 there, Bruh Paul is quoting from Psalm 112:9.
And in talking about God’s assurance in scripture for His faithful followers, there is no passage as immortal and as widely known as those uplifting words of Bruh David in the opening of the 23rd Psalm: ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.’
Mama Mia! What an impactful and insightful statement! Please note, Bruh David did not see it fit to list any provisos or conditions for his declaration. There are no ifs, ands or buts. It was a simple statement of fact based on his life experience of faithfully following the God of his forefathers, and the same applies to us, if we follow in his august footsteps.
So having all that reassurance, faith and whatever other good and godly thing there is exciting our souls and spirits, let’s go home proudly declaring (steups!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus! As one, in sincere sense of purpose: ‘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 will that future ever be so glorious my people, so glorious that we can’t even imagine what it will be truly like. So please stand strong and steadfast in the Lord if you want to enjoy it nuh. Much LOVE!
…this is the day the Lord has made…let us rejoice and be glad in it…it’s the only thing that makes sense…
07 Nov 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a spoiled child, abundant life, atonement, be my Helper, blood, burning passion, captivating love, challenging, deprivation, disobedient, eternity, exaltation, eyes fixed straight ahead, foolish fears, for our benefit, forgive, full of adventure, glad to be alive, God's blessings, good things, gospel truth, guide me, halfway home, hand in the pie, hands on the plough, heavenly-minded, hold me, I resisted, I struggled, into a song, joy, just deserts, like the eagle's, Lord, magnanimous god, moth rust destroy, mount up with wings as eagles, my Friend, my light in the darkness, my vain grasping, not be weary, not faint, not looking back, obeying God, on a good foot, One Year Book of Bible promises, our sins, overwhelm me, praise, renew their strength, reverence, rewards, rich, run, Ruth Harms Calkin, satisfies thy mouth, seize me, shattered, shenanigans, spoiled brats, staggered, steady me, thanks, the breath of life, the dungeons of hell, there is your heart, thieves steal, thread my tears, thy youth is renenwed, to a glorious future with Jesus, torn with grief, transitory change, treasures in heaven, treasures on earth, unconditional LOVE, undeserving child, wait upon the Lord, walk, Wednesday Wail, where your treasure is, willful pride, with your wisdom, you love to say yes, your counsel
Psalm 103:5. Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Now please don’t blame me for this early Bit, blame my mechanic. (smile) He gave me an early appointment to come and get my chariot fixed, which means I have to get out there and face the early morning traffic shenanigans. But what to do eh? I’ve been waiting to get this particular repair done since before I went away, so I can’t put it off again.
And to get us all off on a good foot, this cold but dry Wednesday morning, here is this wonderful poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. This one’s titled, ‘Lord, You LOVE to Say Yes.’ And does He ever!
Please pray with me: ‘Lord, I asked You for abundant life Rich, challenging, full of adventure And You said yes. I asked You for an undisturbable joy Independent of transitory change And You said yes. I asked You to thread my tears into a song When I was shattered and torn with grief And You said yes. I asked You to steady me when I staggered – To hold me when I struggled To seize me when I resisted And You said yes.
I asked You to forgive my vain grasping My foolish fears, my willful pride And You said yes. I asked You to be my Helper, my Friend My light in the darkness And you said yes. I asked You to guide me all my life With Your wisdom, Your counsel Your captivating LOVE And You said yes. Sometimes Lord I feel like a spoiled child who gets whatever he asks for. You overwhelm me with joy For You just LOVE to say Yes!’
And isn’t that the gospel truth my brethren? We have such an awesome generous, and magnanimous God, that we sometimes indeed feel like spoiled brats. And the great thing about it is that He has no real reason to treat us as generously as He does, because we’re such disobedient and undeserving child, but that amazing, unconditional LOVE that fills His heart towards us, just makes it impossible for Him to give us our just deserts.
Please give Him plenty praise and thanks and reverence and exaltation, because He is such a wonderful God! There’s NONE OTHER LIKE HIM! Glory Hallelujah! Now enough with the praise, because if you give me a chance, I can sing His praises all day long! (smile)
And the Bible Promise for that poem is also our Bit; thankful words of Bruh David as he offers thanksgiving for God’s mercy: ‘Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ Ah friends, sometimes when I sit down and think about all the goodness that the Lord has bestowed on me, tears come to my eyes.
And we have a perfect example of that in my recent vacation to Jamaica. Wow! Was it ever good…and did people ever LOVE on me…! Chuh! It was just amazing the way everything came together. His hand must have been in the pie; otherwise it could not have been so tasty! (smile)
And I’m sure I’m not the only one who enjoys God’s blessings, so I don’t understand why we’re so reluctant to LOVE and obey Him, giving so much of our time and space instead to the evil ruler of this evil world. My fellow believers, Jehovah God LOVES us with a burning LOVE, a passion that knows no end! That we can never dispute after He so sacrificially gave His sinless Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to be the blood atonement for our sins!
And all He’s asking in return is that we obey His laws and exalt His name…Is that too much to ask? Certainly not! But here is the kicker: All He asks us to do is not for His benefit, but for ours. So if we refuse to live according to His will, we are the ones who will suffer, both here on earth and in the dungeons of hell later on.
Please remember these significant words of Jesus. ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break in and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ (Matt.6:19-21)
And that’s indisputable truth friends! Wherever our treasure is stored, there will our hearts be. And the sad fact of the matter is that too many of us are concentrating on storing up treasure here in the world, where it begins to decay from the moment you get it, and everybody wants to take it away from you. So please, let’s be more heavenly-minded nuh. Remember it’s up there we will spend eternity, and we can’t carry anything from down here with us.
And to lift us back up again, after all that admonishment, (smile) listen to this well-known and much quoted verse from Isaiah. ‘But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary, and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is.40:31) More indisputable, gospel truth my brethren! Give God the glory!
Now let’s go home declaring (Steups! Spelled it wrong again!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all the world know our current position in Jesus. As one now: ‘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 do I ever look forward to that glorious future! Hope you do too. Much LOVE!
…the rewards of obeying God…both earthly and heavenly…more than outweigh the deprivation we might suffer doing so…
24 Jan 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abundant, actively involved, adversity, always before me, another one bites the dust, at thy right hand, attitude of the righteous man, back roads of Kingston, calamity, Christ has paved the way, Christian, confidence, conviction, corruption, crazy life, delight in God's people, destiny, dwindling of friends, earthly sorrow, Emmanuel Griffith, free to roam, friends, fullness of joy, glory hallelujah, glory to God, God will preserve him, God's goodness, God's gracious provisions, good memories, gratefulness, hands on the plough, he is at my right hand, hijinks, hindsight, I shall not be moved, idolatrous worship, in thy presence, inevitably crop up, joyful life, judge, lady friend, leave my soul in hell, lime, looking forward, loud, loved life, meet again, Mona campus, my flesh, my glory rejoiceth, my heart is glad, naively, naively a lady friend, night excursions, not looking back, pain, party, path leading to life, Pentecost day, Peter, pleasures, pranks, Psalm 16, rejoices hopeful, revelations, set the Lord, shall rest in hope, suffer, surrender, talkative, that's life, the breath of life, the decay of death, the halls of heaven, the Lord's hand, the path of life, the righteous man, the wild blue yonder, thine Holy One, to a glorious future with Jesus, to see corruption, trust in God, truth, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, worthwhile
Psalm 16:8. I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
And another one bites the dust! Yeh people, another of my associates from university days in Mona, Jamaica, has apparently gone home to the Father. Dr. Emmanuel Griffith M.D. passed away yesterday in a nursing home in South Trinidad. He’s been sick, partially paralyzed for a number of years, initially felled by a stroke, and another stroke carried him home.
One thing’s for sure; Emmanuel Griffith, better known as ‘Griff,’ a Trini South Boy, LOVED life. Tall, dark and full-bodied, with his thick black frame glasses, he was loud and talkative, but friendly, and was always ready for a party or a lime. He was good people. Once he became your friend, he’d do anything for you. Some of you who read the Bit knew Griff, possibly even participated in some of his hijinks, because he also liked his pranks.
But that’s why it is important to make good memories in your young days. And Griff mih brother, we certainly made some good ones back in those youthful times. I can look back now and chuckle at the many nights you had me walking the dark, back roads of Kingston, after the busses had stopped running, trying to get back to the Mona campus, because I had naively allowed you to talk me into accompanying you to see a lady friend.
But in hindsight now, it seems that even back then, the Lord’s hand was actively involved in my life, because it’s on one of those night excursions that I initially got involved with the lady who would eventually become my wife. Brother! I can’t believe I’m talking about 50 years, a half century ago.
I know we lost touch once I left the Mona campus and returned to T&T, and by the time you came back to T&T, I had migrated to Canada. But over the years through a mutual friend, I’d occasionally hear revelations of your still crazy life. But who am I to judge you eh brother? I haven’t been the greatest either.
And now your body will be returned to the dust from whence it came, free of all the pain and earthly sorrow, but thankfully your spirit will be free to roam the halls of heaven. I know that you will enjoy that! Happy roaming my friend! My condolences go out to your family and friends, left behind to mourn and celebrate your life.
Yeh people, it’s a fact that as you get older you find your friends slowly dwindling. Over the last few years I can count at least six of my friends going home to be with the Lord. And just this past week an older friend and I were discussing the situation, because he had just come from the funeral of one of his already few friends.
But that’s life! We’re only here for a short time, and hopefully we’ll all meet up again in the wild blue yonder when Jesus comes back for us. But until then, we just have to grin and bear what ever befalls us on this evil earth.
And the wisest way to do that is by leaning on Jesus, as Bruh David says so eloquently in our Bit, while seeking preservation and blessing. ‘I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.’ And that my friends is not only the absolute truth, but also indisputable wisdom! Glory to God!
Whenever we sincerely look to, partner with Almighty God, we place ourselves in the very best position to have an abundant and joyful life, despite the adversity and calamity that will inevitably crop up on occasion. Nobody faced more adversity than Bruh David, but when he placed his sincere trust in God, after our Bit, he was able to say with great conviction:
‘Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest (dwell securely) in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer (allow) thine Holy One (Jesus Christ) to see corruption. Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.’ (Ps.16:9-11)
What absolute confidence and trust in Almighty God, Bruh David shows there my fellow believers! That’s the kind of trust and surrender and confidence each and every Christian ought to have. And I think I’ll just order the reading of Palm 16, as today’s homework, (smile) so you can understand the scholar’s explanations thereof.
‘Psalm 16. The attitude of the righteous man is described in life (vs.1-8) and death (vs.9-11). In life, his attitude is one of trust (v.1), gratefulness for God’s goodness (v.2), delight in God’s people, (v.3), separation from idolatrous worship (v.4; cf. Ex.23:13; Deut. 12:3), satisfaction in God’s gracious provisions (vs.5-6), praise for the Lord’s counsel (v.7), and steadfastness in spiritual devotion (v.8).
In facing death, the righteous man rejoices and is hopeful (v.9). He is confident that God will preserve him from the decay of death and that death will not result in his corruption (v.10). Rather, he will travel down the path of life, that is, the path leading to life, which will terminate in God’s joyful presence (v.11). David’s confidence in his ultimate destiny is valid for him (and for all believers) only because Christ has travelled down that path and paved the way for all who believe in him (Acts 2:25-28).’
Oh friends, it could not be said any better. So if we’re wise, we’ll try and live that lifestyle, as it’s the optimum one available here on earth. And by the way, Acts 2:25-28 is only Peter’s paraphrasing of vs.9-11 in his big sermon on Pentecost day. Now let’s go home declaring our stellar position with Christ Jesus.
In all sincerity and truth now: ‘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 truly believe, then we know that there is indeed a glorious future ahead with Jesus Christ for all those who believe in and obey Him! Much LOVE!
…to know, know, know Him…is to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Him…
P.S. Yeh, it’s long and late, but nonetheless very worthwhile! (smile)
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