18 Dec 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fallen world, action, anger, as God, basic foundation, be kind, bitterness, change, Christians, clamour, corrupt communication, effective, ever learn, fervent prayers, for Christ's sake, forgive men, forgive your trespasses, forgiving one another, fretful patience, grieve my attitude, grieve not, hath forgiven you, help the needy, hurry, immortal words, impatience, in god's eyes, intolerant, labour, LOVE, loving, malice, members one of another, more flexible, need to grow, negative traits, one to another, One Year Book of Bible promises, past mistakes, practical ideas, put away lying, put on the new man, renewed, righteousness, Ruth Harms Calkin, sealed, share His love, sincere hearts, sink into our consciousness, Slow Growth, so slow, speak truth, steal no more, strong voice, support, talk, tenderhearted, the beloeved of god, the Big Day, the day of redemption, the Holy Spirit, the Lord's time, the spirit of your mind, tolerant, treasure trove, true believers in Christ, true holiness, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, understanding, what I do, what I have, worry, wrath
Ephesians 4:32. And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
And so it’s Tuesday, the day before the next Big Day. Steups! Let’s hope it happens as planned now yes, and no more silly postponements! That means friends, many prayers bombarding heaven for the ole fella’s safe and productive surgery tomorrow. Glory be! That is if you want him to be around for a long time writing these interesting and provocative Bits! (smile)
And I sincerely thank you for all the support I’ve gotten so far, and I know that the effective and fervent prayers of you righteous people will be heard and positively answered in heaven. So I’m not worried, just a li’l skeptical that something might happen to put it off again. Let’s hope that this is now the Lord’s time! Amen!
And with that, let me share a most appropriate poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. This one’s titled ‘Slow Growth!’ Please pray with me: ‘In my fretful patience I am so often inclined to ask “Why can’t she change?” “Why is he always so slow?” “Will they ever learn from their past mistakes?”
And then You begin to impress me With my own slow progress upward. I see Your stretched-our patience. I remember how long you’ve waited for me. And I grieve that my attitude Is so often intolerant. O God, keep fresh the imprint Of my own need to grow And make me more flexible More understanding And always more LOVING.’
Ah mih people, not one of us can truly say we don’t see ourselves in that picture, because impatience and intolerance with the attendant hypocrisy are big parts of our society today. We all show some of those negative traits at some time or the other because we are human and live in a fallen society. But as sincere Christians, true believers in Christ, we ought to show those negative characteristics on as few occasions as possible.
Instead my faithful brethren, we ought to let these momentous words of Bruh Paul sink into our consciousness and lead us on a more Christ-like path. Hear him to the Ephesians, re the new life in Christ: ‘And be ye renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.
Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place (an opportunity) to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.’ (Eph.4:23-32)
Oh my people, what a treasure trove of practical ideas for godly and righteous living! If we’d only adopt a few of them, our lives would be oh so much better. And it’s not like they are so difficult to put into practice. Once we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, His Holy Spirit comes to live within us and seals us forever. Consequently our behaviour ought to change, granted, not all at once, but there must be some newness in our behaviour otherwise Jesus is not truly dwelling within us.
And hear these oh so practical options nuh: No more lying, but truth speaking to everybody, because we are all members of Christ’s body, His church. No keeping of anger after sundown, because it destroys our sleep and we wake up angry the next day. As best we can, don’t give the enemy any opportunities to invade our souls. Like no more stealing, but productive work, so that we can share with the unfortunate.
No cursing and corrupt communication, but words that can edify and uplift those who hear them. And put away all the negativity of vs. 31, which tend to be Satanic in nature. But instead, we ought to be kind, tenderhearted, forgiving, showing grace and mercy to others, just like our heavenly Father has showered down all that stuff on us.
Remember these immortal words of Jesus, the basic foundation upon which our faith has been founded and still rests: ‘For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.’ (Matt.6: 14-15)
Friends, it couldn’t be any simpler or plainer than that! So please, let’s seriously get ourselves together and begin treating each other the way we ought to nuh. Remember, it’s all for our benefit, not God’s! Now let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know who and whose we are.
In strong voice with sincere hearts: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And if we truly believe it, then let’s go out and action it! Much LOVE!
…true Christianity places much more emphasis…on action…than on talk…
25 Jan 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bride, a compassionate heart, a new day, a positive outlook, abundance, adorned for her husband, all will be well, are passed away, as a thief in the night, be diligent, be prepared, blamesless, created the universe, creativity, crying, curse, dire toll, don't give up, Erwin Raphael McManus, everlasting peace, every moment of the day, faith, faithful and true, fallen, favour, fear, fight the good fight, friends, god, God shall wipe away all tears, greetings, habitation of the saved, hang in there, holy spirit, home free, I make all things new, in living colour, in peace, Jesus Christ, Jesus is right there with us, John the Revelator, joy, keep on believing, limit your freedom, lose hope, Mosaic church, negative word, no more death, no more sea, not to hoard, our Lord and Saviour, pain, ploughing straight furrows, power in the Word, promises, reassuring message, redeemed people, righteousness, self-control, self-discipline, share with others, sinful world, sorrow, success, talent, tears, the bride of Christ, the day of the Lord, the effects of sin, the Father, the former things, the holy city, the Last Arrow, the Milennium, the new Jerusalem, the obstacle to our future, the pain of life, the second coming, the tabernacle of God, Thursday's Blessings, treasure trove, we will succeed, weekend break, what a joyful day, with His help, without spot, your future
Revelation 21:4. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Greetings friends, from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! He wants us to know that this Thursday morning we are only one day away from our weekend break, and that we have done a good job so far this week, we’ve been ploughing straight furrows, so we should not give up or lose hope, because He is right there alongside us, every moment of the day, and with His help, we will certainly succeed.
So just hang in there, keep on fighting the good fight, and all will be well! What a reassuring message my people! And Jesus is nothing, if not a ‘reassurer.’ And His promises are ever-faithful and true. So please keep on believing.
And I have an interesting thought to share from one Erwin Raphael McManus, author, futurist, designer, filmmaker and Pastor of a Los Angeles church called Mosaic. He apparently says in his book, ‘The Last Arrow,’ that ‘The pain of life is the obstacle to our future. Do not let fear and pain limit your freedom to your future.’
What wise and truthful words my brethren! In this fallen and sinful world of ours, it is fear and pain that take a dire toll on our freedom to enjoy this earthly life. If we didn’t have fear or pain, we’d be home free. (smile) But we know that that situation will only be rectified after the Second Coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, when Almighty God births the new heaven and earth. What a joyful day that will be my people!
And we have that on good info from John the Revelator, who writes, after seeing a vision: ‘And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.’ (Rev.21:1-5)
Wow mih breddren, what an awesome promise and time we have to look forward to; living in the New Jerusalem where there will be no night or day, no pain, sorrow, or death and Jesus and the Father and the Holy Spirit will dwell amongst us in living colour! Mama Mia! I can’t wait for that day when there will be no more pain! (smile)
Now let’s check out some explanations from the scholars’. ’21:1-2. Chapters 21 and 22 are a description of the eternal state (following the Millennium and the final judgement), centering in the new Jerusalem as the eternal habitation of the saved (cf. Heb.11:10; 12:22-24).
The first heaven and the first earth are replaced by a new heaven and a new earth, predicted by Isaiah (cf. Is.65:17; 66:22). The present universe will thus be cleansed from all the effects of sin (cf. 2 Pet. 3:7, 10-13). Since there will be no more sea, the increased land space will be fully capable of handling large numbers of redeemed people from all ages.
The New Jerusalem is fully described in 21:10-22:5. It is a holy city, totally separate from sin (cf. vs, 8, 27; 22:15). It is being prepared (cf. John 14:3) as the habitation of the bride of Christ (cf. v.9). From God shows its divine purpose, and out of heaven its divine origin.’
Yeh mih people, a new day is coming, we know not when, that means we have to be prepared and constantly on the lookout for it. As Peter warns: ‘But the day of the Lord will come as a thief (robber) in the night…Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.’ (2 Pet. 3:10a, 13-14)
Yeh friends, we have that awesome promise of Jesus that after He’s wrapped up, destroyed all the sin and evil in the world, He will bring us to a place of everlasting peace and joy to dwell with Him forever. But it’s imperative that we make the necessary preparations RIGHT NOW, because Jesus can come back at ANY time. Oh, and please read the references in the scholars’ explanations, for they are a treasure trove of scripture. (smile)
And having read and digested all of that, let’s go home loudly and sincerely declaring our Thursday Blessings. As one 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 please remember that those blessings were granted to us not to keep and hoard for ourselves, but to share with others, so let’s go out and share them now nuh. Much LOVE!
…there is awesome power in the word of Jesus…because that’s what created the universe and all therein…
03 Jan 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abject fear, as for me and my house, as he is, assurance, awe-inspiring love, believe on His son, bless the Lord, blessings, boldness, casts out fear, Christians, comforts of home, confess, convinces, don't need to fear, dread, dwelling in love, eternal, fatherly care, fear, fear hath torment, focusing on what's before me, forgiveness, glorious future with Jesus, glory hallelujah, God's promises, halfway home, hands on the plough, herein is our love, hypocrisy, hypocrites, if we love, Jesus Christ, Joshua, just as we are, kindness, leggo beasts, LOVE, made perfect, mercy, miraculous situation, new every morning, no questions asked, not looking back, perfect love, punishment, reassures, reconciliation, rejection, reverence, sacrifice, saving grace, serve him, sinful children of men, sins, so are we, the breath of life, the children of God, the clay of the ground, the coming judgement, the day of judgement, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the one true living God, the Year of Love, to know Jesus, treasure trove, truth, unconditional, undeserving men, violate God's trust, washes away, way of life, we will serve the Lord, Wednesday Wail, wholesome heart, wisdom
1 John 4:17. Herein is our LOVE made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgement: because as he is, so are we in this world.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, for His bountiful kindness to the sinful children of men! Bless Him for the indescribable mercy that’s new every morning to undeserving men! Bless the Lord, O my soul, for the saving grace, the reconciliation He has provided for us through the awesome sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ, so that we can believe on His Son and be called the children of God!
Oh bless His holy name people, for the breath of life that He breathed into us when He so tenderly formed us from the clay of the ground! That was His awe-inspiring LOVE that He placed in us. And even though we’ve turned away from Him, He has not turned away from us, because that LOVE is unconditional and eternal, needing nothing from us, but to come to Him, just as we are, in whatever shape we’re in, and we’ll receive, with no questions asked, His fatherly care and all the comforts of home.
And finally, bless the Lord, O my soul, for that amazing thing called forgiveness! That miraculous situation where the Lord forgives and washes away my awful sins numerous times per day, once I sincerely confess them and try not to repeat them. Oh bless the Lord, O my soul for the wonderful God we serve! The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! The God who made heaven and earth, and all therein! Bless His holy name, and serve Him with a wholesome heart, for therein lies true and eternal wisdom!
Ah friends, whether you like it or not, that is how I was guided to open today’s Bit. (smile) And it’s all true! No other faith has anything that comes even close to our Christian way of life. And if you add them all up, you’ll see what a treasure trove of blessings we enjoy, even though we don’t deserve them. So for the life of me, I can’t see why we so steadfastly refuse to faithfully serve and worship the ONE true and living God of this universe!
But friends, all I can do is give you the truth, we each have to make up our individual minds on the path we’re going to follow. Let’s hope that like Joshua, we all sincerely declare: ‘but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.’ (Josh.24:15)
And our Bit for today just reassures and convinces us that when we follow the Lord we don’t need to fear anything. ‘Herein is our LOVE made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgement: because as he is, so are we in this world.’
And the scholars tell us: ‘4:17. Herein points back to verse 16 (dwelling in LOVE). By dwelling in LOVE, and thus having God dwelling in him, the believer gains the priceless assurance that he need not fear the coming judgement. This is our assurance, IF we LOVE in this world as He does.’
Please notice that big ‘IF’ there mih people! At some stage of the life hereafter we WILL be judged, whether we believe it or like it. However, ‘IF’ we live in LOVE in this world, we won’t have to fear that judgement. And John explains further. ‘There is no fear in LOVE; but perfect LOVE casteth out fear: because fear hath (involves) torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in LOVE.’ (1 John 4:18)
Yeh friends, if we sincerely live in LOVE, then there’s no need to be afraid, because there’s NO fear whatsoever in LOVE. Listen to the scholars: ‘4:18. Fear hath torment: abject fear of God is based on dread of punishment. But God’s LOVE for us renders such dread obsolete.
Fear is still part of the Christian walk, in the sense of profound reverence, the unwillingness to violate God’s trust in us. (See Acts 10:35; 13:26; 2 Cor.7:1; Eph.5:21; Phil.2:12; 1 Pet.1:17). Believers need not fear eternal rejection as a result of God’s judgement (John 5:24), but this does not mean a Christian’s approach to God is to be casual and flippant.’ Please read the references, I just did, and they are interesting. (smile)
Yes my faithful breddren, not because we don’t have to be afraid of God’s judgement, means we have to live like leggo-beasts. We still need to reverence Him, give Him the honour and glory He deserves. For as John tells us: ‘We LOVE him, because he first LOVED us.
If a man say, I LOVE God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that LOVETH not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he LOVE God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who LOVETH God LOVE his brother also.’ (1 John 4:19-21)
And the scholars declare: ‘4:19-21. Our LOVE, if it exists and mirrors God’s LOVE at all, is not our own, but God’s doing. The epitome of hypocrisy is the claim to LOVE God while withholding LOVE from others. For Jesus Himself commanded that he who LOVES God is to demonstrate this through LOVING others.’
Unfortunately though friends, that hypocrisy is very rampant throughout Christ’s church. We talk the LOVE but don’t walk it. That’s why so many unbelievers just look at Christians, shake their heads, laugh and declare ‘Hypocrites!’ But this year we going to change that my fellow believers, because 2018 is the year of real and true godly LOVE!
And to cement that promise, let’s go home by letting the world know our sincere and secure position in Christ, as we declare our Wednesday Wail with strong conviction, in loud voice. 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 since all God’s promises are true, we know that the future with Jesus will indeed be glorious! Much LOVE!
…to truly know Jesus…is to certainly LOVE Him…
28 Dec 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: advice, becoming more Christ-like, big fashion, courage, creativity, critical importance, curse, day to day things, deal bountifully, declare thy mighty acts, divine promotion, eagerly utter the memory of thy great goodness, falls into place, for our finite minds, get a stranglehold in our souls, glorious honour, go overboard, hide not thy commandments from me, I am a stranger in the earth, in the Good Book, knowing God's word, Lucifer, make me, meditate, meditate on, mercy, my thoughts, my ways, my ways higher than your ways, negative word, New Year's Eve, one generation, open mine eyes, ponder, praise thy works, prosper, resolutions, right reasons, seek God, self-confidence, self-control, self-discipline, sing of thy righteousness, so shall I talk of, spend more time with God, splendour, succeed, the birth of Jesus, the heavens are higher than the earth, the presence of Christ, the way of thy precepts, Thursday Blessings, thy wondrous works, to understand, too high, treasure trove, understanding, walk steadfastly with God, walking closer with Christ, walking with Jesus, well rounded, with thy servant, your thoughts, your ways
Psalm 119:27. Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of (meditate on) thy wondrous works.
Oh friends, don’t worry, this week is almost over; it’s already Thursday, and by tomorrow we’ll be getting ready to participate in another big celebration, New Year’s Eve.
What a way we celebrate in big fashion at this time of year eh! Let’s just hope that we understand and abide by all the right reasons for those celebrations, mainly the birth of Jesus, and don’t go overboard and allow Lucifer to get a strangle hold in our souls.
Now as the New Year looms large, I guess a lot of the talk turns to New Year resolutions. But as I’ve been saying for the last couple of years, there is ONLY ONE New Year resolution we need to make, and that is walking closer with Jesus, talking to Him more and becoming more Christ-like.
And why is that you ask? Because candidly walking with Jesus will allow you to do all the other day to day things you need to do, like loose weight, go to the gym, spend more time with God, volunteer your services more, be a better overall person. Christ will guide you into the things you need to change and do.
That’s why I say we only need ONE New Years resolution. The greater presence of Christ in our lives will keep us well rounded and on top of all that we need to be on top of. That’s the beauty of seriously walking with Christ; everything falls into place on it’s own.
And that’s why we chose today’s Bit from Psalm 119. ‘Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of (meditate on) thy wondrous works.’ Yes my fellow believers, it is ever necessary to ask God to give us understanding in matters that pertain to Him, for a lot of it will be too high for our finite minds.
How did Isaiah put it on the Lord’s behalf? ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ (Is.55:8-9)
So it’s obvious then, if we want to learn some stuff about God, we will have to seek Him and ask for His mercy and understanding. Isaiah also said: ‘Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near.’ (Is.55:6) And friends, there is no better advice in the Good Book than that. Just like we go to school to learn stuff, we have to go to God to learn about Him.
And earlier on in Psalm 119, the psalmist cries out to God: ‘Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live and keep thy word. Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me.’ (Ps.119:17-19)
That means we have to walk steadfastly with God and seek sincere understanding of His commandments, His statutes and His precepts. And not only that, but we have to meditate on them, ponder them in our hearts and souls, then tell them to all the world, so that they too can understand and come to LOVE God, the way we do.
As Bruh David boldly declares in Psalm 145 – The Lord is gracious. ‘I will extol (praise) thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable (beyond our understanding).
One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. I will speak of (meditate on) the glorious honour (splendour) of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible (awesome) acts: and I will declare thy greatness. They shall abundantly (eagerly) utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.’ (Ps.145:1-7)
Oh my believing brethren, are we eagerly uttering the memory of God’s goodness and greatness? Are we singing of His righteousness so that the next generation will know how great a God He is? Not as much as we should. And if we don’t, the Word stands a great chance of being lost during these evil times.
How do you think we know about the Word? Other generations passed it down to us, and we need to do the same, but we can’t pass down what we don’t know and or understand. That’s why knowing and understanding God’s word is of such critical importance.
Friends, I implore us, let’s make 2018 a banner year for Christ nuh. Let’s raise up His LOVE Revolution like it’s never been raised up before, so that many others will come to know and LOVE Him, like we do. Now let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings, the tidal wave of grace and mercy that the Lord has showered down on us.
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!’
Wow! What a treasure trove of blessings my people! They just boggle my imagination! Now let’s go out and share them with others as Jesus desires of us nuh. Much LOVE!
…whatever Jesus gives us…He expects us to share it…
20 Nov 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a tree of life, age after age, angels, at rest, be sober, Christian dedication, circumstances, cleaving the sky, darkness, draw close to God, emotions, encouragement, faith, fellowship, gird up, grace, griefs, hearts, heaven, hope deferred makes the heart sick, hope to the end, importance of hope, Jesus Christ, joyful wing, LOVE, mercy, my dreams, my Father's home, my rest a stone, my Saviour's love, nearer my God to thee, negative, patience, perseverance, positive, praise, prisoners of hope, rejoicing in hope, rejuvenation of spirit, Sabbath Day, safe, salvation, saved by hope, Second Advent, service of love, sincere song, situations, Sunday, thanksgiving, the loins of your mind, the longest rope have an end, the Lord is my portion, the Lord's House, the sun gone down, the wanderer, treasure trove, Trini, upward I'll fly, voices, waking thoughts, when the desire comes, wisdom, woes, worship
Proverbs 13:12. Hope deferred maketh the heart sick, but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.
Well, well, well, if it isn’t another Sunday, another Sabbath Day! That means it’s also time for praise, worship, fellowship, thanksgiving, rejuvenation of spirit and encouragement in the Lord’s house! So without any preamble, let’s get into some worship, raising our voices and our hearts in sincere song to heaven with this 19th century hymn by Sarah F. Adams.
‘Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee! E’en though it be a cross that raiseth me, Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee. (Refrain) – Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee! – Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down, Darkness be over me, my rest a stone; Yet in my dreams I’d be nearer, my God, to Thee. (Refrain)
There let the way appear, steps unto Heav’n; All that Thou sendest me, in mercy giv’n; Angels to beckon me nearer, my God, to Thee. (Refrain) Then, with my waking thoughts bright with Thy praise, Out of my stony griefs Bethel I’ll raise; So by my woes to be nearer, my God, to Thee. (Refrain)
Or, if on joyful wing cleaving the sky, Sun, moon, and stars forgot, upward I’ll fly, Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee. (Refrain) There in my Father’s home, safe and at rest, There in my Savior’s love, perfectly blest; Age after age to be nearer, my God, to Thee. (Refrain 2).’
What a song of hope and faith my brethren! Regardless of our circumstances, our most prominent thought is to draw close to our wonderful God. And that’s really wisdom of the highest order, for He is the ONLY One who can make everything right from every and anything wrong.
Oh, and before I forget, let me apologize for a typo in yesterday’s Bit. I gave the scripture passage for my favourite phrase, ‘prisoners of hope’ as Zechariah 12:2, when it should have been 9:12. Don’t know where my mind was nuh. It must have been lost in the prison of hope. (smile)
Anyway, let’s turn to our Bit now, the same one as yesterday: ‘Hope deferred maketh the heart sick, but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.’
And we all know that there’s plenty truth in that statement, because all of us have experienced situations where our hope was non-existent, or at a pretty low level, and consequently, our emotional state became very negative. However, once our hope returned, our emotions became positive again.
Now it’s time to get into some scriptures which show the importance of hope in our lives. But before we do that here is an interesting parochial, or patois quote on the subject from my Trini friend.
Trini Quote Of De Day. ‘De longest rope have ah end.’ Generally said to someone who is going through rough times, letting them know that bad conditions must come to an end.’
In other words, have hope, this too will pass, things will get better. And they say our old people weren’t wise… Chuh! Foolishness that! (smile)
And my Trini friend concludes his message by saying: ‘Have a GREAT day, every DAY!!!! Watch your thoughts: They become words Watch your words: They become actions Watch your actions: They become habits Watch your habits: They become your character.’
Gospel truth my fellow believers! We need to watch those things very closely, beginning with our thoughts, for as a man thinks, so is he.
And the first scripture we are going to check out on hope is Bruh Paul’s famous words to the church at Rome. At the end of his lecture on Life in the Spirit, he tells them: ‘For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience (perseverance) wait (eagerly) for it.’ (Rom.8:24-25)
Yeh friends, what’s the use in hoping for something we can see eh? Hope is only alive and involved when we can’t see what we want. And then, we ought to wait patiently and eagerly for it.
Now listen to Peter in his call to Christian dedication. ‘Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind (prepare your mind for action), be sober, and hope to the end for grace (rest your hope fully upon the grace) that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.’ (1 Pet. 1:13)
And the scholars explain that verse thus. ‘1:13. The exhortation to set one’s hope involves an inward resolution. Gird up the loins of your mind: The imagery is that of personal discipline and outward conduct. Be sober (Gr. neophontes): Be free of every sort of mental and spiritual intoxication. The revelation of Jesus Christ is the Second Advent when Jesus returns to earth to set up His kingdom.’
And Jeremiah puts it beautifully in his Lamentations. ‘The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam.3:24-26) Those are indeed words to live by my fellow believers!
And the scholars say this about that verse. ‘3:26. Jeremiah’s observation resembles those of other saints who have experienced great grief of soul (Hab.2:20; 3:17-19; cf. Job 40:3-5; Ps.37:7; 73:23-27; Is.26:3; 2 Cor.1:7; 2 Thess.3:5).’
Oh friends, there’s an interesting exercise for you all; checking out those scriptures! It will only take a few minutes, and will be to your benefit. You’ll discover that some of them you already know. I checked them all, and they are indeed very valuable, a veritable treasure trove to a believer.
Now let’s end with this simple but wonderful exhortation of Bruh Paul’s to the Romans, as he tells them about the service of LOVE to all. ‘Rejoicing in hope…’ (Rom.12:12a) Simple, but to the point precious people of God. So let’s go out today and see if we can’t put that into action nuh. Rejoicing in hope will surely boost and brighten our day. Much LOVE!
…it’s only hope… that allows us to contemplate a better day…
09 May 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: almighty god, as for me and mine, as fruitful as a vine, aura of love, blessed, Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, children, common sense, compassion, confidence, countenance, Creator of the universe, darkness, delights in His commandments, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, faith, faithful, faithfulness, friends, fruit of thy labour, glorious kingdom, gospel truth, grace, Hallelujah, happy, holy spirit, humble servants, impregnable fortress, invincible, iron sharpens iron, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, lies, light, LOVE, mighty upon the earth, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, New Testament, obedient, Old Testament, olive plants, our Lord and Saviour, pass the test, peace, Praise ye the Lord, priority, proud, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, rest, rest my case, rewards, righteousness., salvation, seek ye first the kingdom of God, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, test our faith, test our mettle, the church of jesus, treasure trove, true believers, trust, ungodly world, useful purpose, we will follow the Lord, wiles, wisdom
Psalm 112:1. Praise ye the Lord (Hallelujah). Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.
Ah mih people, once again the big day called Monday has come around … It’s come once more to test our mettle, our faith, to see if we have what it takes to successfully make it through this earthly pilgrimage!
But yuh know what friends? As true believers in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, we do have the necessary parts, and we WILL pass that test of faith with flying colours! For our mettle is strong an impregnable as a fortress manned by God!
As the Good Book declares, in the wise words of Cousin Sol: ‘Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.’ (Prov.27:17) Yes my brethren, that’s how the body, the church of Jesus Christ operates!
And the scholars offer this explanation. ’27:17. As the proper tool shapes and sharpens iron for its desired use, so a man sharpens his friend morally and intellectually by their personal friendship.’
Now I do hope we are all doing that, today and every day, and you’re not making me a liar when I proclaim it. (smile) But nonetheless, it’s Monday, meaning it’s time to rise and shine and make our way to our places of labour, wherever it may be.
And I know we’re only human, so we’re not always up to scratch on this the first day of the new work week, that’s why we have our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to wake us up, to raise our adrenalin levels and get us going to face the world with faith and courage. So let’s put down a good rendition today, make our choirmaster, Jesus, and all the hosts of heaven proud of us.
All together now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Glory be, mih breddren, that was magnificent! As Jesus enthusiastically twirled His baton, He looked back at the Father with a big smile on His handsome face and winked. As if to say: ‘That’s my people, and I’m oh so proud of them!’
Now friends, let’s go out into the evil and ungodly world that surrounds us and make Jesus really proud of us by being obedient to His will, being living examples of His gospel, salt and light to the world, so that others will see our joy and prosperity and come to Him for salvation and eternal life!
And today we have a wonderful Bit that holds awesome promises from our awesome God. ‘Praise ye the Lord (Hallelujah). Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.’
And those words are ever so true my fellow believers! The righteous person; the one who holds our God in great awe and reverence and delights in His commandments will be truly blessed! Glory to God!
And the psalmist continues: ‘His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth (stands, lasts) for ever. Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.’ (Ps.112:2-4)
Oh my precious people, you see what is in store for the righteous person and for his descendants? Wealth and power, as well as the godly attributes of grace and compassion. Brother, what a treasure trove a man can reap by being obedient and faithful to our ever-faithful God!
And if you think that that isn’t true because it comes from the Old Testament, then listen to Jesus declare the very same thing in the New Testament. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33) Yes people, when we make God and His kingdom our first priority in this life, then we’ll want for nothing!
Now that doesn’t necessarily mean that life will be all wine and roses, but it will be certainly better, with true peace and joy in our hearts and souls than if we were to follow the foolish fallen angel Beelzebub!
Now listen to a couple of other scriptures which declare the same thing, starting with the longest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 119. ‘Blessed are the undefiled in the way (the blameless), who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.’ (Ps.119:1-3) More gospel truth friends!
And we’ll end with these awesome words from Psalm 128 – The rewards of faithfulness. ‘Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands (fruit of thy labour): happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.
Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides (in the heart) of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord.’ (Ps.128:1-4)
I rest my case people! Much LOVE!
…but as for me and mine…hn!…we will definitely follow the Lord…for that’s not only common sense…but wisdom from on high…
25 Jun 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: A for effort, accept Jesus, accomplish that goal, broad is the way that leads to destruction, bumps and bruises, Christ, Christ-like, Christian life, destruction, difficult is the way that leads to life, enjoy a blessed day, enter at the narrow gate, eternal life, eternal separation, evil, exciting, find, forgiveness, friends, goodness, gospel truth, greetings, Hallelujah, interesting, irony, Jesus Christ, lead and guide, life gets rockier, live life the best way you can, live life to the fullest, living for Jesus, LOVE, Matthew's gospel, mercies, mess up, mistakes, modus operandi, narrow is the gate, narrow pathway that leads to Christ, personal experience, personal Lord and Saviour, plethora of stuff, Praise the Lord, required effort, Rowland Hill, salutations, salvation, Scrip-Bit family, seek, Sermon on the Mount, special relationship with Jesus, strive, surrender, tests, the irony of it all, the joy and strength of the Lord, the Lord moves in mysterious ways, this is the day the Lord has made, treasure trove, treasury of goodies, trials, tribulations, ungodly world, walk proudly and faithfully, we will rejoice and be glad in it, wide is the gate, wisdom, wise, words of wisdom
Luke 13:24. Strive to enter in at the strait (narrow) gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
Greetings and salutations my wonderful Scrip-Bit family! May we all enjoy a blessed day as we walk proudly and faithfully in the joy and strength of our omnipotent God, while He showers us with His goodness and LOVE, His abundant mercies and forgiveness, all prepared new and special for this Wednesday morning.
And all God’s people declared a loud and thankful: ‘Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!’ And furthermore Friends, let’s proclaim and acclaim our faithful intentions: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’
Oh my people, of that there is no doubt, because we’ll strive valiantly to accomplish that goal. And speaking of striving, a funny thing happened on the way to the forum. (smile)
Seriously though Friends, I have an almanac from my Insurance Agent tacked up on the wall on the right side of my desk, a fairly large one too, and if I turn my head to the right, I ought to see it. But it seems like I haven’t turned my head to the right for almost six months…that is until last night. Would you believe it’s still on January? Hn, hn!
Now there are other smaller almanacs on my desk that I use most of the time. But that is certainly ridiculous, especially since I always have a calendar in that position. Now I’ve been known to miss a couple of months, but this is surely the worst. Can you imagine that – not seeing a calendar, a big enough one too, that’s right beside you, for almost six months?
And coming to think of it, the whole plethora of stuff on that wall; acclamations, pictures, etc, I pass by them everyday and don’t even notice them! Chuh! And yet that was my studied purpose for putting them there… that I would notice them whenever I passed by. Oh the irony of it all!
But anyway, when I went to change the calendar last night, to my great surprise, I discovered that it contained a whole lot of quotes on different subjects from different people; a virtual treasury of goodies. Ah Lord eh! But I’m sure that such situations happen to all of us. We go searching for stuff far and wide, when there’s a treasure trove of valuable stuff right in front of us.
Sorry about that Leo (my Insurance Agent), but the Lord does move in mysterious ways. He knew that come June, I’d need some words of wisdom to share. (smile)
Anyway, the first item is titled ‘STRIVE!’ And the quote is attributed to Rowland Hill. Now I can’t say much about him, because there were several people by that name – a preacher, a viscount and a postmaster – when I looked it up. But the quote wisely advises us to: ‘Strive to live your life to the fullest and don’t let one day go by without trying to live it the best way you can!’
And that surely is gospel truth my Friends! Everyday we ought to try and live our lives the best way we can. Some days we will mess up and make a whole lot of mistakes, but the important thing is that we at least get an ‘A’ for effort. And that’s sadly where a whole lot of us Christians fall down. We don’t put in the required effort, and then we wonder why we can’t get ahead.
Oh my brethren, I’m here to tell us that living a truly Christian life takes mucho, mucho effort! And even then, there will be bumps and bruises along the way. Not because we’ve entered into a special relationship with Jesus means that our lives will be easy. His definitely was not easy.
On the contrary, when you accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour, life tends to get rockier, because of the tests, the trials and tribulations the Lord allows or puts us through in order to refine us into a more Christ-like individual. That’s why, when we’re living for Jesus, we have to pay greater attention to how we walk, talk and behave, so that it conforms to His modus operandi.
No Friends, the truly Christian life is not an easy one, especially in this evil and ungodly world that now holds sway. But I can assure you, from personal experience, that it is indeed and interesting and exciting one! Oh my brethren, there’s no life like the one you experience when you truly surrender to God and allow Him to lead and guide you!
That’s why Jesus cautions us in our Bit: ‘Strive to enter in at the strait (narrow) gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.’ If Jesus says so my people, then it must be so!
Meanwhile, Matthew’s gospel relates it this way. ‘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)
Now hear are some explanations from the scholars: ‘7:13-14. The closing section of the Sermon on the Mount presents two choices to the listener. These are presented in a series of contrasts: two ways (vv.13-14); two trees (vv.15-20); two professions (vv.21-23); and two foundations (vv.24-29).
This was a common method of teaching in both Jewish and Greco-Roman thought. Enter ye in at the strait gate (narrow) means that one must come through the narrow gate in order to reach the path that leads to eternal life.
Though many are on the broad…way, that leadeth to destruction (eternal separation from God), the gate that leads to life is so narrow that few there be that find it. Christ Himself is both the gate and the way (cf. John 14:6), and God enables men to find that gate (cf. John 6:44).’
And that my Friends, is what this life is all about; striving to find the narrow pathway that leads to Christ, to salvation and eternal life! Please, I implore us, let’s be wise and seek it nuh. Much LOVE!
…the highways are straight and wide…easy to find…but not so the narrow and winding byways…those we must diligently seek to find…
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