The Best Life Possible – Living and Working for Jesus!

25 Aug 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

1 Corinthians 1:26.       For ye see (consider) your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

And it’s another Sunday! A glorious looking one indeed! Made just for visiting the Lord’s house on His day, to fellowship with other believers and bring joy to both the Lord’s heart and ours. Nothing could be better than that my people, except entering the pearly gates of heaven. But we’re not quite ready for that. (smile) 

In the meanwhile, let’s get to our song of worship for today, a Christian Contemporary tune titled, ‘I’m just a Nobody.’ I don’t know the author(s) of the song, but the lyrics describe how God uses ordinary people to spread the Gospel of Jesus! We are all flawed, yet the Lord has a purpose for us. In our joy of having been forgiven, we excitedly point to the forgiver, Jesus Christ!   

And we’re going to do a raunchy, rocking, scintillating version, as that done by the Casting Crowns, featuring Matthew West. There will be lots of clapping, dancing, and of course singing! (smile) So, let’s begin with some handclapping, in three fourths time, sing the first line of the chorus three times acapella, then get into the full chorus as the music comes up. So here goes: clap, clap: ‘I’m just a nobody…clap, clap: I’m just a nobody…clap, clap: I’m just a nobody…’ Now the music, and everybody goes crazy: 

(Chorus: ‘I’m just a nobody, trying to tell everybody, all about Somebody, who saved my soul. Ever since You rescued me, You gave my heart a song to sing. I’m living for the world to see…Nobody but Jesus! I’m living for the world to see…Nobody but Jesus!) Why you ever chose me, has always been a mystery. All my life, I’ve been told I belong, at the end of the line. With all the other “Not Quites” with all the “Never-Get-it Rights” But it turns out, they’re the ones you’ve been looking for all this time, 

(Chorus: I’m just a nobody…) Moses had stage fright, and David brought a rock to a sword fight, You picked twelve outsiders, nobody would have ever chosen, and you changed the world. Well the moral of the story is, Everybody’s got a purpose. So when I hear that devil start talking to me saying, “Who do you think you are?” I say, (Chorus: I’m just a nobody…)  So let me go down, down, down in history, as another blood-bought faithful member of the family. And if they all forget my name, well, that’s fine with me. I’m living for the world to see…Nobody but Jesus… 

So let me go down, down, down in history, as another blood-bought faithful member of the family…That’s all I ever want to be… And if they all forget my name, well, that’s fine with me. I’m living for the world to see…Nobody but Jesus… Cause I’m just a nobody, trying to tell everybody, all about Somebody, who saved my soul. Ever since You rescued me, You gave my heart a song to sing. I’m living for the world to see…Nobody but Jesus! I’m living for the world to see…Nobody but Jesus! I’m living for the world to see…Nobody but Jesus!’ 

Oh what sweet sacrifices of praise friends! And Jesus blushed all the way through, while the Father and the rest of heaven sang along with us, giving our wonderful, selfless Lord and Saviour the hearty praise He so rightfully deserves! And strangely enough it’s the ones that world casts aside and looks at in scorn, the “Not Quites”, and the “Never-Get-it Rights” that Jesus seems to pick to do His selfless, sacrificial work. 

As Bruh Paul writes: ‘For ye see (consider) your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound (put to shame) the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound (put to shame) the things which are mighty.’ (1 Cor. 1:26-27) 

That’s exactly like the twelve outsiders, or disciples whom Jesus chose, that no one else would have chosen to do such important, painstaking work. But Jesus knew that although they were nobodies in the eyes of the world, they had the qualities of strength and tenacity that He needed in His followers. ‘If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) How many rich, comfortable and well-educated people are willing to live such a sacrificial and self-denied life eh? 

Not many, as can be seen in the example of the rich young ruler who came to Jesus seeking what he must do to have eternal life. Jesus told him about keeping the commandments, but he said that he’d done all that from his youth and enquired what else he lacked. ‘Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt (want to) be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.’ (Matt. 19:21) But the young man went away sad, because he had lots of possessions. 

And in any case, when Jesus calls you into His employ, He moulds and shapes you into the vessel that He desires, like a potter does to clay.  And once you get in with Jesus, you only have eyes and ears for Him. Your divine destiny is to tell the world about Him and His good news gospel. As He said to the disciples in what we call the Great Commission: 

‘All power (authority) is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:18-20) 

Oh my fellow believers, as the song says, ‘Everybody’s got a purpose.’ And that’s our purpose! To help Jesus and those twelve outsiders, twelve disciples change the world. And the good thing about working for Jesus is that He’s always with you through the indwelling of His awesome Holy Spirit, and He always gives you the wherewithal to do whatever He asks you to do. You cannot find a better Boss than Him! 

That’s why all who come to Him don’t seek their own advancement and don’t boast about their doings, but in the work of Jesus. That’s why Bruh Paul writes: ‘But he that glorieth (boasts), let him glory (boast) in the Lord. For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.’ (2 Cor. 10:17-18) 

And in closing, let’s remember that whatever our original background, we are now, all ONE in Christ, for by His work on the cross, He has broken down the wall between us, bringing both Jews and Gentiles into ONE body, His church. And our job is simply to do His work to the best of our ability! Much LOVE!

…living and working for Christ…is the best life possible…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit   20 November 2023 Luke 9:23.

20 Nov 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Luke 9:23.       If any one will come after (follow) me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Oh Chuh! Another Monday, another day of work!’ we complain. But let’s look at it from another perspective nuh. In the first place we should be thankful we do have a job to go to, for many of our fellow citizens don’t have one, and would gladly trade your situation for theirs. Then what about this perspective: I have a job and thus I am able to keep a roof over my head, and put food on my table. My family is not homeless or starving. We might be finding things a bit rough in this unstable and directionless economy, but we are amongst the blessed few. 

And that ought to be fuel enough for our fire, for our passion for life and Jesus Christ, under whose safe umbrella we are sheltered and looked after in good style. But sadly, that’s one of the major downfalls of our Christian society; we think we should be entitled to an easy life, what with all the amenities in our technology driven world, and as soon as something doesn’t go the way we believe it should, we throw up our hands and complain from now till next never, and threaten to give up. 

Oh, we Christians today are such wimps, it isn’t funny! As the body of Christ, His church, we’ve gotten both individually and collectively frail and feeble, forgetting the tough, but interesting and rewarding things we experienced with Christ at the helm of our earlier lives. But now, the words giving up something for Christ, sacrificing for His benefit, have become anathema to us. Yes, truly living for Christ has become repugnant and hateful to His believers, who only want to live the abundant life without having to lift a finger to enjoy it. 

And I hope it will be of benefit to remind us here of what we signed up for when we became disciples of Christ. Jesus said it thus: ‘If any one will come after (follow) me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) Now that is explicit as it can get. One commentator explains it thus: ‘Jesus called those who wish to be his disciples to discipline themselves in their everyday life by living in a way that is honoring to him and others.’ There is no hemming and hawing about it. You either are willing to sacrifice on behalf of Jesus and others or you are not, and it’s a lifelong process. 

And that’s why believers are the laughingstock of our community. We talk a great talk, but our walk is far from credible. Now here are a few more commentaries on discipleship. This one says: ‘A disciple of Jesus is someone who is following Jesus, being changed by Jesus, and is committed to the mission of Jesus.’ How many of us supposed believers can say we are truly committed to the mission of Jesus by the works that we do eh? Not a whole lot.  For, ‘Being a disciple is more than just being a follower. In the time of Jesus, the relationship between a disciple and master (teacher) was deep commitment and loyalty by both the teacher and the disciple.’ 

Nowadays though, you certainly don’t see too many of us showing that deep commitment and loyalty to Jesus. What we are these days are more like fans of Jesus, rather than disciples, as this commentary explains. ‘In contrast to a disciple is what many call a fan. This is best illustrated by comparing the fan of a sports team with one of the players on the field. A fan sits on the sideline and cheers on their team. They may invest some time in learning about their team. And they may invest in purchasing some of the appropriate swag so that they can fly the team colors. 

But the fan watches the performance from the stands or watches the game on TV. But they do not get directly involved. And if their team disappoints them, they may switch their allegiance to one they find more satisfying.’ Now that’s what so many of us do; watch from the sidelines and offer up glib, empty promises, and move from church to church seeking to satisfy our inner lusts. However, that’s not how true disciples operate. 

‘Disciples are those who are not content to watch from the sidelines. Their commitment to the Savior means they are actively engaged in the kingdom even if it is inconvenient, or difficult, or even if they don’t fully understand what Jesus is asking of them. For example, when the angel Gabriel told Mary that she would be the mother of the Son of God, even without perhaps knowing all that would be required of her, she nevertheless responded with faith and declared, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word” (Luke 1:38)

Yes friends, those are the realities of the true disciple. Yuh see the different responses to Jesus calling Peter, Andrew, James and John, and that of the young rich man. Jesus said to the first four: ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.’ (Luke 4:19-20) They left lucrative business simply to follow a rabbi they didn’t know. But the pull must have been very strong for them to just walk away from everything they had spent their whole lives building. But that’s the kind of obedience and loyalty Jesus desires from His followers. 

Meanwhile the rich, young ruler’s response to Jesus’ words was entirely different. When Jesus told him: ‘One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up thy cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved, for he had great possessions.’ (Mark. 10:21-22) Who knows if Jesus really expected the fellow to sell all his possessions and give away the proceeds to the poor, but He was surely testing the level of his devotion to God. And unfortunately, that’s how many of us react to God’s challenges; with a sad, grieved countenance. 

But please friends, although none of us wants to go through the fiery furnace, let’s remember what we signed up for: just that, if the Lord deems it necessary. Now let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, asking for grace and mercy to live up to our promises. As one voice: ‘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!’ 

Now the seed we need to sow to get divine help is ingrained right there in our prayer…turn from our evil ways. Please, it’s high time we begun doing that! Much LOVE!

…being a disciple of Christ…is not cheap or easy…but the price is surely worthwhile… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ      

Today​’s Scrip-Bit 13 March 2019 Matthew 19:21.

13 Mar 2019 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Matthew 19:21.   ​Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be (want to be) perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
 
What did the man say? ‘Fight one more round…just one more round…before giving up!’ Ah friends, that’s exactly what the ole fella’s doing; fighting one more round, as in going into the big city of T.O. for another medical appointment, and that’s also why he’s up so early writing the Bit! Aren’t you proud of him? I know you are! (smile) 

Yeh, it’s a pain in the rear end to be always going into the city for these medical appointments, but the long and short of the story is that they are for my benefit, not the doctors. So if I don’t go, who’s going to suffer eh? They might not even make less money since there are oodles of people lining up to see them. 

And today, in this season of Lent, where we all aspire to get more spiritual, (smile) we’ll look at an interesting situation in Jesus’ time that still holds good even today, and possibly more so than ever. It all begins with this quote from Uncle John (John Hagee), which says: ‘Your spiritual strength is measured not by what you can believe, but in what you can obey.’ Living truth that my people! Believing is easy, but obeying cuts right to the quick of our sinful hearts and desires! 

And we have a great example of that in the rich young ruler who came to Jesus asking about eternal life. The Good Book reports it thus: ‘And behold, one came and said unto him (Jesus), Good Master (Teacher), what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? 

And he (Jesus) said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt (want to) enter into life, keep the commandments. He (the man) saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: And thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself.’ (Matt.19:16-19) 

Now that’s standard fare for us all, the basic dictates of the Ten Commandments that the Lord gave to Moses on Mt. Sinai, for the Israelites and all those who believed in Him to follow. And the Good Book continues: ‘The young man saith unto him (Jesus), All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? 

Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be (want to be) perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.’ (Matt.19:20-22) 

Ah friends, yuh see what we talking about? Spiritual strength is so much more than just believing! That young rich ruler believed, but he just couldn’t obey. Selling his many possessions and then giving away the resultant funds to the poor was just too much for him to handle. And so it is for many of us in today’s very materialistic society. We believers who are supposed to be in the world but not of the world, are too often caught up in those same very materialistic situations like that young man of old. 

And the scholars offer this insightful explanation. ‘19:18-22. This list of commands in verse 18 centres on outward duties, rather than inward nature, which was the young man’s real problem. He protests that he had kept these outward demands. His luxurious wealth and self-righteousness had blinded him to his real weakness. To expose this, Jesus orders, go and sell all your possessions and give to the poor…and come…follow me (v.21). 

This he would not do and went away sorrowful. Jesus thus shows him that he had not kept the commandments at all. He LOVED himself more than he LOVED his neighbour (the poor), and he LOVED his possessions more than he LOVED God (“me”). This passage teaches the seriousness of true discipleship, but it in no way teaches the average man that he must sell his possessions in order to be a Christian.’  

No friends, the average Joe does not have to give away all his stuff, but I’m sure that we’d all agree that there is certainly too much poverty in our society, when overall there is immense prosperity. This therefore means that too few have too much, and too many have too little. Consequently there needs to be a touch of equalization, where some of us who have a lot, give to those who don’t have much. 

And that was the original purpose of the church; to help those in need, as we see from Acts 2:44-45. ‘And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted (distributed) them to all men, as every man had need.’ 

Yes friends, I know the church was much smaller then and they could do that kind of communal living, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that the church today, meaning all of us believers, is definitely not as sympathetic and giving to the needy as Jesus would like us to be, because we are too attached to our earthly possessions. 

 Remember we are the hands and feet, the body of Jesus down here on earth, and whatever we do will reflect on Him. So for Jesus’ sake, my fellow believers, please, I implore us, let’s try and do better nuh. In this way, the world will have a much more accepting disposition to our Lord and Saviour and thus less souls will be lost to the enemy. 

Now let’s go home wailing our Wednesday Wail, telling all and sundry our sure-fire position in Christ. As one strong voice 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!’ 

Now that’s a future that none of us should  want to miss! Much LOVE!

…getting is very dependent on giving…you’ll get…as you give…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 4 May 2017 John 6:38.

04 May 2017 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

John 6:38.   Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom (pocket). For with the same measure ye mete (use) withal (with that) it shall be measured to you again.

Welcome friends to a somewhat cloudy and chilly Thursday morning in my area; no brilliant sunshine like yesterday. And if that isn’t bad enough, we’re supposed to be having a sizeable amount of rain today and over the next few spring days. 

Hn! Spring days you say? Well in the next few days of May, our friendly province of Ontario is forecasted to be hit with cold spells that haven’t been seen around this time for decades. The temps are not even forecasted to reach double digits. Yeh! 

And some northern parts of the province might also see a few fluttering flakes of the white stuff. (smile) Yes friends, snow in May! These days anything is possible yes! Meanwhile, they are having problems up in the Arctic with stuff up there melting too fast. 

And yet, there are still people who adamantly refuse to believe that something is seriously wrong with our weather patterns. But until the big boys, those in government and industry, stop being greedy and shortsighted, and truly decide to look into the problem, it will just continue to get worse. 

The sad part is that it might not affect us in this generation, but our children and their children will surely inherit another problem caused by our shortsightedness and greed. 

Ah mih people, unfortunately there’s not much most of us can do about the big aspects of the problem, but we can all make a contribution by doing the little we can, diligently and sincerely. That’s all Jesus asks of us. 

Now let’s turn to our Bit; immortal words of Jesus that ought to be making a big positive splash in our world, but unfortunately are not. 

‘Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom (pocket). For with the same measure ye mete (use) withal (with that) it shall be measured to you again.’ 

Oh friends, if we’d only follow those simple but true principles, our world would be such a wonderful place! 

But instead we concentrate on greed and accumulation of earthly wealth, which only breed strife, anger, hatred, resentment, war and a host of negative repercussions. Steups! But that’s how mankind uses the choice that the Lord his Maker has given him. 

Anyway, let’s look at some scriptures that highlight the act of giving, beginning with the words of Bruh David from Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked. ‘The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again (does not repay): but the righteous showeth mercy, and giveth.’ (Ps.37:21) 

Yeh friends, that’s just the way the righteous operate; according to the principles of Jesus! Now hear Cousin Sol. ‘He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.’ (Prov.19:27) 

Remember my faithful followers, that Jesus came to save the lost, the sick, the poor, the prisoners and those in bondage, so anytime you help any of those lost souls, you are helping the Saviour, and He will always repay your help. 

And then there are these fateful words of Jesus, as He sends out the disciples on a missionary journey. ‘Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils (demons): freely ye have received, freely give.’ 

Ah mih breddren, please let us pay serious attention to those last two instructions, for many of us receive free stuff, but refuse to give freely, instead wanting to hoard it all for ourselves. That’s not Jesus’ way my people, that’s Lucifer and the greedy world’s way! 

And we have a most vivid example of how difficult it is to give of our earthly wealth. Listen to Jesus’ reply to the young, rich ruler who wanted to know what he had to do to enter heaven. 

‘Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be (want to be) perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.’ (Matt.19:21-22) 

Yeh friends, we all want to have much treasure stored up in heaven, but right now we’d much prefer to have it here on earth. We can’t have it both ways people. Now hear this last scripture, one from Bruh Paul, as he addresses the Ephesian elders. 

‘I have showed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than receive.’ (Acts 20:35) Gospel truth friends! 

And with that quote of our Saviour Jesus Christ, we can now go home sincerely declaring our Thursday Blessings. All together now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! 

I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! 

I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’ 

And since a blessing is not a blessing until it’s been spoken over someone or something, let’s go out and bless others, as we have been blessed nuh! Much LOVE!

…sincere giving…brings generous blessings…

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 March 2017 Matthew 6:19.

17 Mar 2017 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Matthew 6:19.   Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal.

Well a Happy St.Patrick’s Day to you my brethren! I do hope that you all enjoy the luck of the Irish in all that you do today, with your green clothes and green food and drink! (smile) 

And you know what? St. Paddy’s day could not have fallen on a better day than a Friday for the working populace because it gives them even more reason to sing: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! St. Paddy’s day to boot! Going to wear me green clothes and drink up me green beer and have a real good time this St. Paddy’s weekend! 

No slave driver to tell me what to do! Just me and mih shamrocks, and mih li’l leprechauns partying all weekend long! Who say we shouldn’t thank God for Fridays and weekends eh?’ 

Ah mih people, can you imagine the raucous behaviour today all over the world, and not only by the Irish diaspora, in celebration of St. Patrick, Ireland’s Patron Saint, credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland? 

What I mostly remember about St.Patrick’s Day growing up in T&T is that it was the one day during Lent we heard calypsos on the radio and you could eat and drink and party hearty. Otherwise, Lent was drink dry and calypso non-existent on the radio. 

I guess to a certain extent that’s why the binge drinking of alcohol is so popular on St. Paddy’s Day. Anyhow friends, regardless of what day it is, binge drinking is never a good idea. So let’s chant our Friday Chant and show them the kind of behaviour that’s most appropriate for the weekend nuh. 

As one now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. 

Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’ 

Yes mih people, the best way to handle the weekend is with ‘a modicum of circumspection,’ as Jeeves the Butler in the P.G. Wodehouse books would say. 

It’s obvious we can’t take the licentious behaviour to the limit every weekend or else we’d soon waste away and be good for nothing at all. 

But as true believers, we are expected to do God’s work here on earth, which means we cannot let our bodies and minds go to waste by carnal and lustful behaviour. 

That brings us to our Bit, Jesus’ words of everlasting wisdom from His Sermon on the Mount. ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal.’ 

But sadly friends, despite that serious warning of Jesus, a lot, too many of us, including Christians, still fall for the lure of worldly wealth and oftimes kill ourselves trying to accumulate it. 

That’s definitely not a wise path to follow my people, for it only leads to death and destruction. Yes my brethren, the purposeful accumulation of worldly wealth can sometimes lead to physical death, but it ALWAYS causes spiritual death, since we can’t serve God and mammon at the same time. 

Listen to these wise words of Cousin Sol from Proverbs. ‘Labour not (do not overwork) to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.’ (Prov.23:4-5) 

And that’s the gospel truth my brethren! It’s much easier to accumulate earthly wealth than to keep it. 

Now let’s look at the interaction between Jesus and a young, rich ruler. He came to Jesus and asked: ‘Good Master (Teacher) what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he (Jesus) said unto him, why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt (want to) enter into life, keep the commandments.’ (Matt.19:16-17) 

The fellow asked Jesus which one? Then Jesus listed the Ten Commandments. ‘The young man saith unto him, all these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? 

Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be (want to be) perfect, go and sell all that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.’ (Matt.19:20-21) 

Oh friends, don’t look down scornfully on the young man, because most of us would have behaved the same way. Just look at how much material wealth there is in our world today, but yet the great amount of need and poverty. 

If the rich would just give up a little of their wealth for the benefit of others, there’d be little or no poverty in our world. But the mantra of this world is ‘me, myself and I.’ Steups! It’s all first person singular! 

Anyway, that’s the sermon for today. (smile) But please, let’s ponder on all that we’ve discussed, then ask God for help to come up a little higher each day nuh. That’s the only way to improve our spiritual maturity. Much LOVE!

…be careful…earthly wealth can ruin your heavenly life…

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 4 August 2015 Ecclesiastes 5:7‏

04 Aug 2015 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ecclesiastes 5:7.   For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities (futility abounds): but fear thou God.

Ah Friends, it was Caribana Monday, so the ole fella had to celebrate, which meant a late night – early morning scenario! Well it wasn’t any real celebration, just doing my family thing a little later than usual.

Anyway, Caribana Monday did turn out to be a beautiful summer’s day after all! Glory to God! That means most of the festivities planned for the day were able to go ahead and the day wasn’t spoiled for the many out of town visitors and our residents who look forward so much to the weekend, and the Monday holiday in particular.

However, as the song says, ‘The party’s over my friends, time to call it a day,’ time to get up and go out and labour on this fine Tuesday morning that has been specially prepared for us with many new blessings, and mercies. Give God a shout of praise and thanks for His wonderful goodness to us undeserving children of men!

And all God’s children loudly declared: ‘All praise and glory to our great and wonderful God who makes a way for us when there seems to be no way, and who provides for our every need, when we come before Him in humble obedience! Amen.’

Now here’s a li’l something from Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) from his Hour of Power Devotional. He calls it ‘POSSIBILITIES UNLIMITED.’

And it goes like this: ‘I can count the seeds in an apple. But, Lord – you alone can count the apples in one seed! Some things are impossible, Lord! It’s impossible for me to see immeasurable, unlimited possibilities in one fertile idea. Praise the Lord. Amen.’

And that’s solid truth my people. We can see the small, finite stuff, but only Almighty God who created the heavens and earth, in His great wisdom and foresight, can see the unlimited possibilities in any given idea. Glory to God!

Consequently, we need to come before Him in sincere prayer and humble obedience for Him to point out the numerous possibilities in each fertile idea with which He has blessed us.

Oh, we can possibly envision a few in our own strength, but to get the real gist and gumption, (smile) of what He desires of us, we have to have serious communication with our heavenly Father.

In all of that though Friends, we still need to consider the wise words of our Bit. ‘For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities (futility abounds): but fear thou God.’ Everlasting truth that my people!

And the scholars explain this section about hasty vows thus. ‘5:1-7. The emphasis on the passage is on the folly of an empty religious profession before a sovereign God: God is in heaven, and thou upon earth. God expects sincerity and meaningfulness in worship. He is not impressed with foolish vows…’

And believe me Friends, we do make a lot of foolish vows to God, especially when we are caught up in the heat of a moment’s anguish and concern. But long, long ago, Moses exhorted the children of Israel with the Lord’s desires.

‘And now Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to LOVE him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul. To keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day, for thy good (benefit or welfare)?’ (Deut.10:12-13)

Yes my brethren, we need to ALWAYS remember that whatever our God commands, in the long run is for OUR benefit and welfare, not for His. I think we often lose sight of that most important fact, and thus murmur and complain unnecessarily when He asks us to do certain things.

Please remember that the Good Book is OUR lifeline to God, our guidebook, so that we can walk the straight and narrow path and eventually come to the throne of the Most High, reconciled and headed for salvation throughout eternity.

In His great and unconditional LOVE for us, He designed it so that we could find answers to whatever questions we might have down here on this frail and fallible earth. And many of us have problems we can’t solve because we don’t, we simply refuse to read that awesome Guidebook of Life!

But how can we know what God desires of us eh friends, if we don’t read His Word eh? We simply can’t. That’s why so much emphasis is placed on personal reading of the Bible. But as usual, too many of us are too proud, stubborn and arrogant to read it, preferring to decipher the whys and wherefores of life in our own strength.

However my people, that is undoubtedly a fool’s wisdom. What better way could there be to understand the ups and downs of life than through the words of the One who created life in the first place eh? None whatsoever!

And these words of Micah from times bygone, aptly paraphrase what the Lord expects of us. ‘He hath showed thee, O Man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to LOVE mercy (LOVING-kindness), and to walk humbly with thy God?’ (Mic.6:8)

Yes Friends, it’s that simple; not rocket science or any other great mind exercise; do good and righteous deeds and walk in humble obedience before Him.

What’s so difficult to understand about that eh? It might not be always easy to put into action, but we do need to understand what is required of us before we can consider doing it. And I believe that’s where many of us fall down; we simply don’t understand, or refuse to understand God’s requirements for this pilgrim’s journey called earthly life.

And we’ll give the last word to Cousin Sol in his capacity as the Preacher. ‘Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.’ (Eccl.12:13-14)

That says it all Friends! So please, let’s be wise nuh, and go out and do just that, so that we may glorify our Great God and lay up storehouses of treasures in heaven for us to enjoy at a later date. That is true and simple wisdom. Much LOVE!

……be not hasty…consider thy words and thy works…before a just, holy and righteous God…

P.S.  Would you believe that just when I was ready to send out the already late Bit, my trusty sidekick, my desktop computer froze on me, and I had to reboot it? Ah Lord eh! The trials and tribulations we have to endure in this life eh! (smile) Much LOVE!

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 February 2015 Deuteronomy 16:17‏‏‏‏‏

17 Feb 2015 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Deuteronomy 16:17.    Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee.

Ah Friends, the big day of bacchanal is here at last – Carnival Tuesday! And at 9.15 in the morning mas is already hopping across the Main Stage at the Queen’s Park Savannah in Trinidad. The duchess is inside watching it while I’m outside on the verandah overlooking the pool and the sea writing to you.

The mas doesn’t really thrill me because it’s mostly the same nonsense; a bikini with a headpiece or wings of feathers, except possibly the king and queen of the band. I guess the days when most of the revelers had serious costumes are over. Even then I was never a big mas fan, but those costumes were usually intriguing and had you going; ‘Wow!’ at some of them.

There’s supposed to be a mas parade in Scarborough today too, don’t know if I’m going though, what with the hot sun, the parking and walking situation. (smile)

Last night I went down to Scarborough to see what they call ‘Pan on D Road.’ Hn! I went expecting to see some pan beating on the road, so that I could catch a little jump. But it was merely a group of pan sides set up along the grassy shoulder at the junction of Milford and the old Orange Hill Road, competing for some prize or the other.

I got there about 8.30, after the bands had already played their first tune, so I was just in time to hear the second. It wasn’t the greatest though, for the sides were small and the members were obviously tired from the hectic activity of the Carnival season, and you could hear and see it from their lack of intensity. I obviously saw several people I knew and hung out with a couple till the show ended.

After that, we walked up Milford road towards the town, stopping at Mr. Gomes watering hole to talk to a group of ole-timers who were sitting there imbibing a few. Then we walked a little further up the road to a judging point for some night mas.

On the other side of the road a temporary stand had been erected for onlookers, so we sat there for about half an hour, watched a few small bands come down the road and parade before the judges. But it was nothing really spectacular.

After that I came home, watched a little World Cup cricket from Australia; West Indies versus Ireland, where some of the West Indian batsmen were taking advantage of the lowly Irish bowling. Hopefully when they come up against the cricket powers, like Australia, England, India, Pakistan and South Africa they can do the same.

Earlier this morning I went for a walk along the shoreline of the property. Would you believe that I’ve been here for three weeks and it’s the first time I’ve done that? It’s beautiful along the rocky shoreline, with the white surf breaking in a line against the reef a little further out to sea.

Oh, I actually discovered a better looking water hole up the shoreline, which seems to have sand and not rocks. I’ll try it out sometime later. And that’s my report on the simple life on Crusoe’s Isle, as a lawn mower nearby disturbs the tranquil, serene, idyllic scene. (smile)

Now turning to our Bit – the last day – and I hear some sighs of relief. (smile) ‘Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee.’

And again Friends, I want to impress on us the grave and great importance of giving; of giving generously and freely, for if we don’t give in that manner, we will NOT receive in that manner. As Jesus said, whatever measure you use to give, the same measure will be used to give back to you. (Luke 6:38) So it’s left up to each of us as individuals to make our own decisions. 

And we turn to Jesus again, this time when a rich young man came and asked Jesus how he could gain eternal life? (Matt.19:16) However, when Jesus told him: ‘If thou wilt (want to) be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.’ (Matt.19:21)

The young man hung his head and went away sad because he had a lot of material wealth. And so it is with us Friends; there’s nothing wrong with having material wealth, but you have to share it generously and with a good heart to gain God’s blessings.

For as Bruh Paul wrote in his second letter to the Corinthians: ‘As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; He hath given to the poor: His righteousness remaineth for ever. Now (may) he that ministereth (supplies) seed to the sower both minister (supply) bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)

Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness (liberality), which causeth through us thanksgiving to God. For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want (needs) of the saints, but is abundant (abounding) also by many thanksgivings unto God.’ (2 Cor.9:9-12)

Yes Friends, it all comes from Almighty God, according to His purpose and plan! Now hear these explanations from the scholars.

‘9:9. His righteousness (prosperity) remaineth for ever: Neither Paul nor Psalm 112:9, cited here, advocates “prosperity theology,” that is, that every generous believer will be financially wealthy. Both experience and the context (c.f. 8:2) deny this.

This statement only says that the generous believer will always prosper in two ways: (1) financially, all his needs will be met, so that he will be able to keep giving (vs.8); and (2) spiritually, he will increase in everything (vs.12).

9:10. This verse may be translated; “Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread to eat will supply and multiply your seed and will increase the harvest (yield) of your righteousness (prosperity).”

9:11. Being enriched is better translated, “You will be enriched.”

And we’ll end this series of messages on giving with these immortal and most appropriate words of Bruh Paul to the Galatians. ‘Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth the Spirit shall of the Spirit real life everlasting.

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not (do not lose heart). As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.’ (Gal.6:7-10).

Ah mih people, that hits the nail right on the head! It all comes from God in the first place, and as we share what we have, we will never suffer from want for the Lord will increase us, give us enough for our own needs as well as left overs to give to others.

Let’s get that basic law planted firmly in our souls nuh, so that we can follow it and thus live a prosperous and generous life. That’s truly heavenly wisdom! Much LOVE!

…Jehovah Jireh…the Lord our Provider…the Lord our Giver…is one of the many names of our wonderful, majestic and magnanimous God…