27 Nov 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a helping hand, a holy calling, A Prayer for Hope, adversity, all things work together for good, appearing of our Saviour, beloved of God, called according to His purpose, Christ-like, dr robert h schuller, dramatist, dreary, easy row to hoe, faint, faith, friend, friend of Jesus, give up, gloomy, going to happen through me, going to happen to me, good times, grace, Hour of Power Devotional, hurry, I will trust in him, immeasurable, immortality, incessant drizzle, innumerable, Jesus Christ, Job, Joyce Meyer, joys, life, long-suffering, lose heart, loving Jesus, made manifest, more than we can handle, never leave his fold, pain, patient, persevering, purpose, rainy, sad, saved us, serving Jesus, share His love, something good, spinning wheel spins, the called, the elect, the flood, those who LOVE God, Though he slay me, through the fire, through the gospel, to light, trials, truth, Tuesday Mantra, undying fervour, unquenchable faith, wait on God's timing, worry
Romans 8:28. And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
And the spinning wheel spins…but no one knows where it’s going to stop! And isn’t that the awesome truth friends! But thankfully our spinning wheel has stopped on Tuesday…and hooray! The rain seems like it’s finally stopped too! Praise be!
Brother! Yesterday this area was as dreary and gloomy and rainy as I’ve seen it in some time! I went out in the morning in rain…came back in rain. Went out in the evening in rain…came back at midnight in rain!
Chuh! And it wasn’t even like it was good showers but a puerile, incessant drizzle, which is more annoying than a big shower, which just comes down and stops.
Today has opened dark and cold, let’s hope it’s not more SAD weather. (smile) Anyhow, to conquer all of that negativity, here is an interesting prayer from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional. He calls it, ‘A Prayer for Hope.’ And do we ever need hope in these trying times!
Please pray with me: ‘I have a strong, serene feeling that God is planning something good for me today. I cannot explain it, but I have a deep feeling that wonderful things are in store for me. I am expecting God to surprise me with His tender mercy. He will turn my hurts into halos. He is guiding my life in such a way that whatever happens to me will prove to be a beautiful blessing. Thank You, Lord. Amen!’
And that’s what hope is friends, a positive expectancy that God is working on our behalf! Bless His Holy name. As Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) likes to say: ‘Something good is going to happen TO ME today…Something good is going to happen THROUGH ME today!
That’s how we need to feel each and every day my fellow believers. I know it’s not always easy to be upbeat and positive, but the more we are, the better our lives will be.
And please remember that great promise of the Lord’s that gives us eternal hope. Bruh Paul reminded the Romans of it: ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.’
Yeah friends! What a mighty promise that! And if it’s one thing we’re very sure of is that our wonderful God keeps ALL of His promises! Glory be! So let’s ride on that sure wave nuh, like a surfer seeing a big one coming and just dying to ride it. Once we LOVE the Lord and are called to do His work, He will eventually work out everything for our benefit. The catch there is that oftimes backbreaking word ‘eventually.’
The Lord does His work in His time, and nothing is really going to change that. His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts, wisdom and knowledge are greater than ours, so we just have to be patient, persevering and long-suffering and wait for Him to work His work. It’s not an easy row to hoe, but in the end it will work out magnificently, if we don’t lose heart and faint or give up.
And the only way to overcome all the heartache, trials and pain my people, is to have the attitude that it’s all for our benefit, to grow and mature us, to make us more Christ-like. Remember we can’t grow unless we face some adversity, since we don’t truly grow in the good times.
But the Lord NEVER gives us more than we can handle, and even when it seems so, He’s ALWAYS there with a helping hand to take us through the flood and the fire! Oh my brethren, what a wonderful God we serve and worship! Give Him some much deserved praise and thanks nuh!
Ah friends, when we are the called, the elect, the saints of God, we LOVE Him with such a fierce and undying fervour, that no matter what happens we’ll NEVER leave His fold! As Job said so magnificently so long ago: ‘Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways (defend my ways) before him.’ (Job 13:15)
What a powerful statement my people! Like the scholars declare, those first words of that verse ‘express the unquenchable faith of one who lives by faith, not by sight. Even when it appears that God Himself has turned against Job, he will still trust God.’ Oh my faithful brethren, can we say those words and mean them? We ought to be able to as true believers in Christ.
And as Bruh Paul explains to Timothy: ‘(God) Who hath saved us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world (time) began. But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:’ (2 Tim.1:9-10)
Yuh see friends, our omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent God has it all planned out: from day one to the last day, it’s only a matter of waiting on His timing. And believe me, there’s no better dramatist than our God! If you haven’t observed that in your own life, then you’re not truly involved with Him, you’re not paying proper attention. End of sermon! (smile)
Now let’s go home declaring (Yay, spelled it right!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know who and whose we are. In powerful unison now and strong sense of purpose:
‘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 mean it, then let’s go out and do it nuh! Much LOVE!
…oh…the innumerable and immeasurable joys…of LOVING and serving Jesus…they can’t ever be quantified or qualified…
06 Nov 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a faithful keeper, a refuge, a sincere heart, a soul that's been saved, a willing mind, adversity, ancient seals, beloved of God, born again, calamity, came to their senses, cast thee off for ever, cry out for help, disobedience, dr robert h schuller, experience the joy, fell my heart opening, forsake him, friend of Jesus, God is good, great man of faith, greatest commandment, hear old chains break, His promise, Hour of Power Devotional, hurry, I've awakened, in god's eyes, in time of need, Jeremiah, know thou the God, know thy name, learn to know God, life's not fair, like a heavy door, listen to you, LOVE, Love the Lord thy God, love thy neithbour, Moses, narcissistic nihilistic, not what I do, obits, Pharisee, Praise the Lord, pray unto me, put their trust in thee, respond positively, seek the Lord, seeking their maker, sense the footsteps of jesus, serve him, share His love, sinful times, Solomon, spiritual and emotional walls crack, stronghold, sun-filled day, the children of men, the Lord searches all hearts, the oppressed, thou shalt find him, trials, tribulations, Tuesday Mantra, understands all the imaginations, undeserved goodness, ungodly, walking into my life, welcomed them back, with a perfect heart, with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with opened arms, worry
Deuteronomy 4:29. But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.
Oh brother! What is it eh? I’ve been back from sunny Jamaica for a week now and so far I’ve only awakened to one bright and sun-filled day! I believe that was Sunday. Man o man! That sure doesn’t do wonders for the spirit nuh. But nonetheless, I am thankful that I can say that I’ve awakened…Glory be!
Every time I read the obits and don’t see my name, I send up a grateful, ‘Thank You Lord!’ Oh, I know that one day I will read it there, but just not yet.’ (smile)
And to help us on this cold, dark, wet and cloudy day, I’ve been led to share this poem from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional, titled, ‘Learn to Know God.’ So let’s do just that nuh.
Please pray with me: ‘Dear Jesus, I’ve got to get to know You better. Please help me! I can feel my spiritual and emotional walls crack. I can hear old chains break. I can feel my heart opening like a heavy door whose ancient seals have just begun to break. I can sense the footsteps of Jesus walking into my life. I am beginning to experience the joy of a soul that is being saved, a life that is being born again. Thank You Lord! Life’s not fair, but God is good. Amen.’
And that’s the gospel truth: ‘Life’s not fair, but God IS good!’ Ah friends, whenever we come to God, sincerely cry out to Him for help in time of need, we can be sure that He will hear our plea and respond positively to it! That’s’ His promise, and He’s a faithful keeper of ALL His promises! But we first have to seek Him, to get to know Him.
And every great man of faith has made that admonishment, as we will see as we go through the Good Book. We’ll begin with out Bit; Moses’ wise and true advice to the Israelites: ‘But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.’
Yes friends, whenever we seek the Lord with a sincere heart, we shall find Him. It doesn’t matter what we were doing before. And we have perfect examples of that in the many times the Israelites turned from God and suffered, but when they came to their senses and returned to Him, He welcomed them back with opened arms.
Likewise, in these evil and sinful times, if we turn back to God, seek Him with all our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, He will hear us and relieve the trials and tribulations, which we are suffering from disobedience to His holy will. And doh fool yuh fat nuh, we are undergoing adversity and calamity because of our sinful, ungodly way of life. But enough of my preaching, (smile) let’s see what some other great men of faith said on the subject.
Hear Bruh David now, as he admonishes Cousin Sol on the matter. ‘And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart, and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.’ (1 Chr.28:9) And that my brethren holds good for all of us, be we prince or pauper!
And on an even more important note, how many of us parents admonish our children with that information eh? Too few! Otherwise we would not have raised such an ungodly, narcissistic and nihilistic (rejection of beliefs in religion and morals) generation. Our parents taught us about seeking God, possibly more than we liked, but our generation have certainly not taught this current one enough about seeking their Maker.
Come the judgement day, we will have a lot to answer for in that regard. But moving right along, listen to Bruh David again, this time from Psalm 9. ‘The Lord also will be a refuge (stronghold) for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.’ (Ps.9:9-10)
And all God’s people broke out in a loud and grateful cheer: ‘Praise the Lord for His undeserved goodness to the children of men!’ Yes my brethren, we all know that the Lord NEVER turns His back on any one who comes to Him with a sincere and humble heart!
Now hear that lamenting prophet, Jeremiah. (smile) ‘Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer.29:12-13) It couldn’t get any more forthright than that!
Now listen to the Master tell it like it truly ought to be. This is His response to a foolish Pharisee lawyer trying to provoke Him, by asking which is the greatest commandment? ‘Jesus saw through the ruse and simply quoted the Old Testament words to him, (Deut.6:5) which as a leader of the people, he ought to have known. ‘Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.’ (Matt.22:37-38)
And as a (langniappe, or brawta) a little extra thrown in for good measure, Jesus then informed him. ‘And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ (Matt.22:39-40) And that was only a reiteration of Leviticus 19:18, which the Pharisee lawyer also would have known.
But friends, just like how they were not living those two great commandments back in the times of Jesus, likewise we are not living them in these end times. That’s why our world is such an evil mess. And it’s only if we believers improve our LOVING, both for God and man, will it ever improve. It’s as simple as that.
Now let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know who and whose we are. In strong voice and sincere hearts now: ‘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!’
Our next move then is to go out and share that LOVE! Much LOVE!
…only as you seek the Lord…and with a sincere heart too…will you find Him…
31 Aug 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: afflictions, as a roaring lion, back to school, be sober, be vigilant, believers, benefits, brave resitance, Cedric Layton Harper, celebrating, christ jesus, confirm, dominion, don't judge the book by its cover, drink, eternal glory, eternally grateful, experienced by your brethren, fellow believers, fellowship, food, Friday chant, fun, glory, God's glorious kingdom, greedy, hard-hearted, in Jesus name, in the faith, Irvine Hall, knight in shining armour, Labour Day, long in the tooth, LOVE, Lucifer, make you perfect, marching, Mona campus, music, obituary, ole crook, push come to shove, relaxation, resist steadfast, responsible, rest, seeking whom he may devour, serious demeanour, settle you, singing, slave master, songs of freedom, strengthen, subdued, suffered, testing, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the devil, the God of all grace, trials, tribulation, University of the West Indies, vacation cottage, walket about, workingman, your adversary
1 Peter 5:8. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
Ah friends, one never knows what each passing moment of each day will bring nuh! Here I was planning to come down and write about the bright and stunning day that was happening in my neighbourhood and the upcoming long Labour Day weekend. But as it recently seems to be too often the case, I open my e-mail and find news of an obituary. Steups!
Now this one isn’t for a personal friend of mine, but someone who played an important part in my life some fifty years ago…boy some of us are sure getting long in the tooth. (smile) The gentleman I’m talking about is H.E. Cedric Lanyon Harper, St. Kitts and Nevis High Commissioner to Jamaica (1930-2018).
My association with him took place when he was the Warden of Irvine Hall, the Hall I was associated with on the Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies in Jamaica. He was a big man, both in girt and height, and good be gruff at times. His bristling moustache also lent an air of intimidation to his naturally serious demeanour. A lot of the students, including me, didn’t like him and his rules for the Hall.
But you know what? When push came to shove, he turned out to be white knight in shining armour. Hn! I’m talking about when I could not pay my tuition fees in my last year, which meant I couldn’t take my final exam, he lent me the money from the Hall’s coffers. And for that I will be eternally grateful, so should you all be too, because then you might have never known me. (smile)
Ah mih people, just another example to show that we should not judge the book by its cover. My condolences go out to all of Mr. Harper’s family and friends as they mourn his passing, but hopefully celebrate his apparently generous and giving life as a teacher and able representative for his country of St.Kitts and Nevis.
But the workingman is not going to let us forget that it’s Friday, as he joyfully belts out: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! And a long weekend too – Labour Day! Mama Yo! All the people who labour and work hard will be celebrating the few benefits we have because of the brave resistance of so many who’ve gone before us. Yeh breddren, we have to stand up for we rights, slavery done long time ago, otherwise the greedy and hard hearted slave master going to push we right back into it.
But he can’t stop we from celebrating how we want to on we time though. So on this last weekend of the summer, we going to throw the biggest party of the summer; nuff food and drink, music, marching and singing songs of freedom! Oh brother! What a party it going to be! Thank God for Fridays and weekends yes, especially the long ones and them!’
Yeh friends, it is the last long weekend of summer, which means closing up the vacation cottage up north! Come next week it’s back to school and back to work for those who took vacation with their children. And as believers, we too will celebrate the Labour Day long weekend, just not as boisterously and lasciviously as the ordinary workingman. And our Friday Chant is also much more subdued and responsible than his song.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t get enthusiastic about it, so let’s chant up a storm nuh! All together 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.’
Yeh friends, when we work and live for Jesus, it just means that we’re a tad more responsible, more heavenly minded than earthly minded, but not so heavenly minded that we’re no earthly good. (smile) We have to be careful not to give the enemy any room to come into our lives and corrupt them.
That means we always have to be on our p’s and q’s, constantly on the look out for his sly, deceitful and reasoned approaches, like the one he used on Eve in the Garden of Eden. That’s why Peter so forcefully reminds us in our Bit: ‘Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.’
And that’s no lie my brethren! The ole crook Lucifer is always on the lookout for any toe or finger hold he can get in our lives. So continuing in the admonition of Peter: ‘Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in (experienced by) your brethren that are in the world.’ (1 Pet.5:9)
Oh, I know some of us are going to say, knowing that others are also experiencing temptation doesn’t help me any. And that might be true. But hear this: ‘But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish (confirm), strengthen, settle you.’ (1 Pet.5:10)
Yes my fellow believers, that’s exactly what will happen. After a bit of sufferation, to prove and strengthen our faith, the Lord of all grace and mercy will bring us out strong and steadfast. You can bet on it. Therefore: ‘To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.’ (1 Pet.5:11) Much LOVE!
…trials and tribulation…they are simply God’s way…of testing and strengthening our faith…
21 Aug 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a high priest, a matter of faith, a name above every name, a prayer for solutions, a rewarder, a sucker, action our declaration, after the order of Melchizedek, agony, an addict, an easy row ro hoe, as a man, assuring me, atoning for sins, bearing God's wrath, by the things which he suffered, cleansing our sinful souls, consequences, death of the cross, difficulties, diligently seek him, dr robert h schuller, Eternal Friend, eternal life, every knee should bow, every tongue confess, experiencing tough times, faith, Father, found in appearance, gently falling rain, God's tools, grace, he humbled himself, heaven's economy, heavenly blessings, help soothe, Helper, holiness, Hour of Power Devotional, hurry, Jesus christ is Lord, learned he obedience, LOVE, lured back to sleep, made perfect, making the right decisions, my commitment, obedience, obedient unto death, over my destiny, perks, persevered, physical pain, salvation, share His love, solve the problems, sombre looking morning, son of god, soothing sounds, spiritual hurt, strife filled souls, sufferation, take command, the author of eternal salvation, the Father's love, the living truth, this fallen world, though he were a Son, to grow in Christ, to the glory of God the Father, trials, tribulation, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, weight of the world's sins, why hast thou forsaken me, worry
Hebrews 5:8. Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.
Hello there my fellow believers! Grace and the Father’s LOVE to you! It’s a wet and somewhat sombre looking morning in my area, but I guess the Lord felt we needed some heavenly blessings. I don’t know when the rain began, but it had to be late because I did not get to bed until 3.30 this morning.
And I’m sure you can guess the resultant consequences… when it was time to get up, I got lured back to sleep by the soothing sounds of the gently falling rain. Hn! I guess I’m just a sucker, an addict to the siren-like call of falling rain. (smile) But I can think of plenty worse things to be a sucker for, or and addict to than soothing rainfall. I look at it as one of God’s tools to help soothe our disturbed and strife filled souls and spirits. Good excuse eh! (smile)
Anyway, here is something I think we need this Tuesday morning. It comes from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional. I’m pretty sure I’ve shared it before, but it’s one of those things that we need to hear over and over again before it truly takes root in our souls. It’s called ‘A Prayer for Solutions.’
Please pray with me: ‘Lord thanks for assuring me that you’ll solve the problems if I’ll exercise the faith and make the right decisions! Forgive me for waiting for all difficulties, real or fanciful, to be resolved before deciding to make my commitment. I confess I have too often allowed problems instead of possibilities to take over leadership of my life – to make my decisions – and take command over my destiny. I know, now, what faith is, Lord! It’s making the right decisions before I see solutions to all the problems! Increase my faith! Amen.’
Ah friends, that’s the living truth! In this fallen world, we’re too often driven to wait and see what happens before we make a decision, when in heaven’s economy, we’re supposed to feel and believe it before we see it. As Gramps Schuller indicates, it’s all a matter of faith. And the more faith we have, the better we’ll be at making right decisions at the right times.
But the tough part of the situation is that faith only comes by experiencing tough times. And though we all want more and better and stronger faith, very few of us want to experience the tough times to get it. But unfortunately to grow in Christ, we must undergo some of the trials and tribulations He went through. That brings us to our Bit, a scripture passage that just touches my heart. ‘Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.’
Yeh friends, though our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ was the Son of God, as a man, He still had to learn obedience, and the only way he could do that was by ‘sufferation’. And on that subject, Bruh Paul told the Philippians: ‘And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ (Phil.2:8)
Ah mih breddren, our Saviour didn’t have an easy row to hoe in atoning for our sins, in cleansing our sinful souls with His shed blood and finally bringing us to salvation and eternal life. But He persevered in the Father’s plan, though it meant He had to suffer a lot, taking ALL the sins of the world, past, present and future, on His shoulders on the cross. No wonder He cried out on the cross at the ninth hour: ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? Which is being interpreted (translated), My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?’ (Mark 15:34)
And it was not so much from the agony of the physical pain that Jesus cried out, but more so of the spiritual hurt, the separation from His Father. It was the first and only time that they had ever been separated, but with the whole weight of the world’s sins on His shoulders, the Father, in His supreme holiness, could not very well cozy up to Him.
And the scholars offer this interesting explanation. ‘15:34. Mark preserves the Aramaic form of Jesus’ outcry, which calls Psalm 22:1 to mind. (Bruh David’s cry of the same words). Some mistook His (Jesus’) words, (v.35) (thinking He called Elijah). Even in the midst of bearing God’s wrath for sin, Jesus still calls Him, my God. His agony does not overcome His faith.’
Oh my people, is our faith strong enough to overcome whatever trials and tribulation we go through and still consider God our Father, Helper and eternal Friend? I certainly hope so for all of our sakes. Because that’s the only way we will learn obedience, and God will do wonders in our lives!
And we have the magnificent example of what the Lord did in Jesus’ life for His obedience, even unto death on the cross. The author of Hebrews continues after our Bit: ‘And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto ALL them that obey him. Called of God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.’ (Heb.5:9-10)
And Bruh Paul takes it one step further, when he declares: ‘Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of (those) things in heaven, and (those) things in earth, and (those) things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil.2:9-11)
Yuh see friends, our wonderful God is indeed a generous rewarder of those who diligently seek Him and are obedient to His will. Will you seek Him today and be obedient to whatever He asks of you? I sincerely hope so. Now for all of us who have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know who and whose we are.
In loud and proud voice now: ‘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 were sincere in that declaration, then we now have to go out and action it, like Jesus desires. Much LOVE!
…being obedient to God’s will isn’t always easy…but the rewards are always worth it…just look at the example of Jesus…
P.S. Hearing the rain falling on the window behind me. Can’t wait to get breakfast and go back to bed. One of the perks for being obedient. (smile) Much LOVE!
14 Jun 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sheep before shearers, afflicted, as a lamb to the slaughter, atonement, charitable organizations, Christ's sacrifice, church, come unto me, compassionate heart, complaint, courage, creativity, curse, Daily Bread Devotionals, damage, disasters, do God's will, down and out, dumb, electricity, faithful believers, floods, Florida Keys, for the sake of another, generously, give, give God thanks, given unto you, giving up, glory hallelujah, God's economics, good measure, government, great invitation, greatest sacrifice, greedy, heavy laden, hoard, humility, hurricanes, I will give you rest, in a positive manner, labour, measured to you again, money, motivates us, nature of man, needy, negative circumstances, negative stuff, negative word, no one understands like Jesus, opened not his mouth, oppressed, personally testify, pressed down, Puerto Rico, running over, sacrifice, sacrifice ourselves for others, same measure you mete, self-control, self-discipline, selfish, shaken together, share with others, stingily, succour, sunny days, supposed neighbours, talents, the living truth, the Love of Christ, thunderstorm, Thursday's Blessings, time, tornadoes, trailer parks, trials, tribulations, trying conditions, urgent, volcanoes, wildfires, windstorm, wisdom
Isaiah 53:7. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
‘Sunny days are here again! Glory Hallelujah!’ Yeh friends, it’s sunny and beautiful once again, although yesterday did turn out nicely, except that in the afternoon a mild thunderstorm swept through the area leaving a devastating windstorm in its wake.
Ah Lord eh! The thunderstorm wasn’t bad, but the wind provoked the region all evening, late into the night, blowing down stuff and causing a fair amount of damage. Thankfully my property didn’t seem to suffer any damage this time, as the last windstorm we had blew down a part of my fence.
And if that’s the extent of our disasters, then let us give God much thanks and plenty glory yes, because so many others are undergoing much worse disasters, like floods, volcanoes and wildfires, and the tornado and hurricane seasons will soon be upon us in full force, so we have a lot of negative stuff to look forward to.
And I was just reading that a lot of people in Puerto Rico and the Florida Keys are still living in very trying conditions, without electricity, in rundown trailer parks etc, nine months after the last hurricane devastated their areas. How sad is that eh friends? Where is the government…and the church…and we, the supposed neighbours… and the many charitable organizations that are constantly collecting money from us eh?
I don’t know the answers nuh friends, but I do know that in the LOVE of Christ, our fellow men and women should not be living in such trying conditions through no fault of their own. And to help alleviate our concerns, I have two seminal quotes from the Daily Bread Devotionals. The first says ‘No one understands like Jesus.’
And isn’t that the living truth my people! Nobody understands our trials and tribulations like Jesus because He experienced them too in His earthly sojourn. So in times when our small, finite understanding fails us, He is the One we need to go to and just lay all our burdens before Him.
Remember what He said in His Great Invitation: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ (Matt.11:28) And He was not joking my brethren, but being very serious. There’s no other Being in man’s history who has ever made such a declaration! That’s because no other has ever had the parts to fulfill it. But Jesus does my people.
So whenever we’re down and out and don’t know what to do, please turn to Him, that’s the wisest thing to do, and He will give you succour. I can personally testify to that. He might not drive away the negative circumstances, but He will certainly give you the wherewithal to bear them in a positive manner. And sometimes that’s all we really need if we are true and faithful believers.
And the second quote is: ‘Christ’s sacrifice of Himself, motivates us to sacrifice ourselves for others.’ Or at least it ought to. Unfortunately though in too many cases it does not. In fact, the word ‘sacrifice’ is not one that’s used much in our everyday lives. Some people don’t even know it, or know what it means.
And for our information, here is how the dictionary defines it. ‘Sacrifice: Giving up of thing for the sake of another that is higher or more urgent, thing thus given up, loss thus entailed.’ Yeh friends, it means giving up something, losing something for somebody else’s sake, because their need is more urgent than ours.
And what’s the greatest sacrifice ever made on the face of this earth? That of Jesus giving up His sinless, holy life for our sinful, disgusting one, so that atonement could be made for our sorrowful, sinful state. The Good Book declares: ‘He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.’
Yeh friends, that’s how Jesus died on our behalf; without a word of murmur or complaint. So why is it so difficult for us to give up much simpler stuff for others eh? Why are we so greedy and like to hoard stuff for ourselves, even when we sometimes have no use for them?
I guess that’s the natural nature of man, especially in today’s selfish and greedy world, and the LOVE and sacrifice of Jesus have not yet truly infiltrated our hearts and souls so that we can become more like Him, generous to a fault. But we LOVE to get, to receive. Oh brother do we ever!
But please remember these immortal words of Jesus: ‘Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give unto your bosom (pocket). For with the same measure that you mete (use to give) withal it shall be measured to you again.’ (Luke 6:38)
Yeh friends, that means if you give stingily, you will be given back stingily. However if you give generously, you will receive generously. That’s just the law of God’s economics. So please let us start giving generously nuh, of our time, talents and money, so that we can receive generously from God and man too. It’s only wisdom friends.
Now let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings, that the Lord has so generously bestowed on us, although we don’t deserve many of them. But that’s the kind of God He is! So 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!’
Now please note that the Lord didn’t give us all of that to hoard for ourselves, but to go out and share with the less fortunate. So let’s do His will on that nuh, so that He can bless us even more. Much LOVE!
…it is so much better…to give than to receive…but we must also learn how to receive…in humility…
15 May 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a broad grin, a complaining word, a godly mother, a mother's work, a virtuous woman, a warm hug, a woman of God, an endurance contest, awesome task, backbone of the family, batting an eyelash, beloved of God, blaring television, born again, breathe through my nostrils, broken dishes, call her blessed, cherish, chocalate cookies, compassionate, confusion, constant, dentist appointments, discipline, distasteful, duty-conscious, enterprising, ever an end, faltering steps, far above rubies, for Mom, God-hunger, good seamstress, heaven, her children rise up, her husband praises her, high temps, humour, hurtful words, independence, industrious, kind, like a new man, LOVE, marreid to a leader, midst of turmoil, monotonous work, Mother's Day, motherhood, my friend Jesus, nasty taste, not swayed by circumstances, nurturing, One Year Book of Bible promises, our tail would be grass, parched mouth, patience, praiseworthy, pressures, priceless treasures, principles of wisdom, rebellious tears, rewards, riddim of the falling rain, ringing phone, Ruth Harms Calkin, school conferences, self-starting, share His love, sleep better, struggles, Thank You God, the good and bad of it, the heart of her husband, thrifty, treasure, trials, trust, trustworthy, Tuesday Mantra, willing to do hard work, wise, work with God, worth
Proverbs 31:28: Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.
‘I’m in heaven, yes heaven, cause I can once more breathe comfortably through my nostrils!’ Glory to God my breddren! I feel like a new man, after I went into the city yesterday afternoon and the medic took out some stuff left there after the surgery. The nostrils still aren’t perfect, but they are a whole lot better than they were.
Boy! Does it ever feel like a new world! Like I’m born again! And believe me, it took a little while for me to get accustomed to breathing through my nose again. (smile) But unfortunately that cloying, chalky, nasty taste from constantly breathing through my mouth for the last two weeks is still there. I guess it will take a while to go away…Let’s hope so yes, because it’s rather distasteful!
And I can certainly sleep a li’l better. I don’t have to wake up every hour or so to moisten my parched mouth. And talking about sleep, I did get lulled away by the beautiful riddim of the falling rain this morning, that’s why the Bit is somewhat late. (smile)
And in keeping with our promise not to just celebrate our mothers on Mother’s Day, I know some of us have already forgotten it, here is this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings By Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s simply titled ‘Motherhood.’
Please read with me: ‘Motherhood is now! The good and bad of it. The rewards and the trials. Tremendous pressures are placed upon you as a mother, for you have been chosen to work with God in the awesome task of nurturing the priceless treasures God has given you.
As a mother, you accept your children’s faltering steps toward independence with discipline, humour, patience, and a tremendous amount of trust. At times the struggles almost become an endurance contest. You wonder if you can handle all the confusion another day: the ringing phone, the broken dishes, the blaring television, the hurtful words. High temperatures, school conferences, dentist appointments, rebellious tears. Is there ever an end?
But suddenly in the midst of turmoil you catch a broad grin. You feel a warm hug. At bedtime somebody prays, “Thank you, God, for Mom and for the chocolate-chip cookies…and for LOVE.” You renew again your deep desire to create a genuine God-hunger in your children. God has chosen you for such a task as this.’
Wow mih people! What an accurate account of a Mother’s harried life! And surprisingly, most of them do it without batting an eyelash or offering a complaining word. What towers of strength they are! That’s why I encourage us to cherish and treasure and LOVE them much more than we currently do! For without them, as they say, ‘our tail would be grass.’ (smile)
And the Bible Promise for that poem is also our Bit for today. ‘Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.’ Yeh friends, that’s the reaction of a godly mother’s family. It all comes from the last chapter of Proverbs which sings the praises of a virtuous woman.
As it says: ‘Who can find a virtuous woman (wife of valour)? For her price (worth) is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil (lack of gain). She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.’ (Prov.31:10-12) And I don’t know if I have enough space, but I will endeavour to describe the qualities of a godly mother, of an excellent wife, as set out in these last verses of Proverbs.
‘She is rare (v 10); trustworthy (v.11); constant in her LOVE (v.12); industrious (v.13); thrifty (v.14); self-starting (v: 15); enterprising (v.16); willing to do hard work (v.17); willing to work long hours (v.18); willing to do monotonous work (v.19); compassionate (v.20); prepared for the future (v.21); a good seamstress (v.22); married to a leader (v.23); an entrepreneur (v.24); not swayed by circumstances (v.25); wise and kind (v.26); duty-conscious (v.27); blessed by her family (v.28); not satisfied with the mediocre (v.29); a woman of God (v.30) ; and praiseworthy (v.31).
She is a woman of means (vs.15, 22) and a woman of great skill and ability who lives in an agrarian economy. She is a woman of God who is enterprising and dedicated to her home. Perhaps this acrostic on the excellent wife is placed at the end of the book because she, above all others, will be most able to demonstrate the principles of wisdom in the home.’
Ah friends, what more can I say about mothers eh? Nothing really. Yuh see the many varied tasks and problems she has to deal with. She is indeed the backbone of the family! So let’s try and do more to appreciate and LOVE her nuh, that’s our bounden duty.
Now let’s go home declaring who and whose we are through our Tuesday Mantra. ‘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 were sincere in our words, then let’s go out and share all we have with others as Jesus desires of us. Much LOVE!
…truthfully…a mother’s work is never done…
02 May 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future, Adam, advanced civilization, adversity, all voices cry Lord, asap, be ye holy, blessed, boost his ego, by one man's disobedience, by the obedience of one, celebration for mMay, conforming to former lusts, dance the maypole, devoured with the sword, disobedience, drowning in, eat the good of the land, eternal life, example of obedience, found in appearance, Garden of Gethsemane, God is awesome, gospel truth, grace, greed, halfway home, hodgepodge, hope to the end, humbled himself, I am holy, Israelites, keep his word, looking straight ahead, many shall be made righteous, many were made sinners, Matt Chandler, midway point, mire, my hands are on the plough, not my will, obedience, obedient, obedient children, obedient unto death, pestilence, poor relationships, poverty, prepare your mind for action, quicksand, rebel, refuse, salvation, sickness, sin flooded the world, sky high, smarten up, sober, suffering, the bondage of sin, the breath of life, the cross at Calvary, the death of Jesus, the fat of rams, the Garden of Eden, the highest position, the mouth of the Lord, the revelation of Jesus, to hearken, to obey is better than sacrifice, to whom all knees will bow, too macho, total obedience, trials, Village chruch, Wednesday Wail, willing
Isaiah 1:19. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land.
And then it was Wednesday; the midway point of the work week… And we’re getting a li’l bit earlier everyday with the Bit. (smile) Hope within the next few days we’ll be back to an early morning Bit. And when are we going to dance the Maypole eh people? Wonder if some of the young people even know what that is.
It’s a celebration for the month of May. You have a tall decorated flagpole with long ribbon streamers attached at the top, and then everybody takes a ribbon and dances around it to form an intricate pattern all the way down the pole. I remember going to May fairs as a boy in High School, but usually thinking myself too macho to dance the maypole. That was something for girls.
Now here is a li’l something from Matt Chandler, lead Pastor of the Village Church, a Southern Baptist Church in Texas. He tells us that ‘God is awesome. He doesn’t need us to be awesome. He needs us to be obedient.’ And isn’t that the gospel truth friends?
All our magnanimous and magnificent God really wants from us is obedience to His law. If we’d only practice greater obedience, we’d be surprised at how blessed we’d truly be. But we insist on choosing our own areas of obedience. However my brethren, our God wants total obedience from His people. Not some obedience here, and some obedience there, like a hodgepodge of obedience and disobedience.
And friends, the Lord made His intentions clear a long time ago to the Israelites through the prophet Isaiah in our Bit. ‘If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land.’ That’s fairly simple and straightforward eh my fellow believers.
And the corollary to that is the next verse: ‘But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.’ (Is.1:20) And it’s not like the Israelites, who were found to be disobedient several times did not suffer by the sword and all kinds of pestilence.
I don’t know why we think that the Lord isn’t going to keep His word. He kept it with the Israelites and He’s going to keep it with us too, as our disobedience level is riding sky high. Can’t we see all the unusual things that are happening in our society? And even though we’re the most advanced civilization ever, we’re still flailing along in a mire of poverty, sickness, greed and poor relationships.
A lot of our trouble stems from our disobedience. The Lord is not going to allow us to continue the way we’re currently going forever, so we need to smarten up as soon as possible, if we want to get out of the quicksand that we’re slowly drowning in.
Now let’s look at some important scriptures that tell us about obedience. And we’ll begin at the beginning, with the words of Bruh Paul to the Roman church. ‘For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.’ (Rom.5:19).
Yeh friends, by Adam’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden, sin flooded the world, likewise by the sacrificial death of Jesus, on the cross at Calvary, grace, salvation, and eternal life were provided by our Lord to overcome the bondage of sin.
And more words from Bruh Paul, this time to the Philippian church, pertaining to Jesus. ‘And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ (Phil.2:9)
Oh my people, there’s no better example of obedience than our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Though He was God Himself, once He took the form of man, He didn’t try to boost His ego or importance here on earth, but gave total obedience to His heavenly father. Even when He tried to get out of going to the cross in the Garden of Gethsemane, He finally gave in and said, ‘not my will, but thine,’ acknowledging the Father’s supremacy.
As Hebrews tells us: ‘Though he (Jesus) were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the author of salvation unto all them that obey him.’ (Heb.5:8-10) Yeh people, Jesus learned obedience just like all of us do, through suffering, through adversity and trials. That’s the only way to learn it. And that’s why the Father elevated him to the highest position there is; the one to whom all knees will bow, and all voices will cry Lord to the glory of the Father.
Now listen to this last scripture from 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 the grace (rest your hope fully upon the grace) that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
As obedient children, not fashioning (conforming) yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance. But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation (conduct). Because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy.’’ (1 Pet.2:13-16)
I can’t say anything more friends, except to lead us in our declaration of our Wednesday Wail, which tells the world our strong and obedient position in Christ.
As one now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And we can’t even imagine how glorious that future will be, because our minds are too small and finite! Much LOVE!
…to obey is better than sacrifice…and to hearken than the fat of rams… (1 Sam.15:22b)
17 Feb 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, abject failure, admonitions, anger, Anselm, ascended Israel's throne, aspires, baptized with water, be of good courage, carnal, cease from anger, cyclone Gita, Day of Pentecost, different roads, disaster recovery, dispensation of the gospel, eagles, earthly lifetime, earthquake, evil system, FBI, Florida, forever, forsake wrath, friend, fulfill your dream, fulfillment, go haywire, God's realm, God's timing, Hades, Holy Ghost, hope, housework, Isaiah, joy, lazy time, life is too short to wait, limitations, lost, Lucifer, Mexico City, mount up with wings, not be weary, not faint, on the right track, quietly wait, reach the top, realm of the world, recompense evil, rejoice in his salvation, renew their strength, Rest in the Lord, revenge, run, Saturday, seeking happiness, sensible, set the table, Sheriff's Department, shooting rampage, song of the redeemed, strengthen thine heart, the promise of the Father, to inspire, Tonga, tongues of fire, trials, tribulations, wait on the Lord, waiting is everything, walk, walking the road to happiness, wicked schemes, wise, with Jesus
Psalm 27:14. Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.
Awright friends, it’s Saturday…lazy time for some, but lots of housework for others… and then there’s disaster recovery for others.
Yes, our good friend, natural disaster has reared it’s ugly head again, at least twice this week; earlier on when cyclone Gita, a category 4 storm, tore through the Polynesian island nation of Tonga, and yesterday when another major earthquake of some 7.2 magnitude and an aftershock of 5 point something, hit the area around Mexico City. Luckily the damages weren’t nearly as bad as the one they experienced last year.
They say disaster usually comes in threes; and of course we had the shooting rampage at the High School in Florida earlier on this week too. And what’s heightened the anger down there is that the Sheriff’s Dept. reportedly had numerous calls about the shooter over the last few months.
The FBI also apparently had a tip on their Hot Line about him recently, and yet nothing was done by either agency to both remove and help him. And then we wonder why these things happen. Ah Lord eh! But ours is not to wonder why, but to do and hope not to die!
Now since it’s Saturday, let’s take a look at the quotes our friend Anselm graced us with this week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And the first one says: ‘The most successful people reach the top not because they are free of limitations, but because they act in spite of their limitations.’
And there’s a lot of truth to that, for if you look at many successful people, they overcame a whole lot of limitations to make it to the top. And if you truly want to be successful, you can’t afford to let limitations stop you, otherwise you’ll never fulfill your dream.
And the next one says: ‘People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they’re not on your road doesn’t mean they’ve gotten lost.’ Now that can be a bit contentious, because if you’re talking about fulfillment and happiness through the world’s carnal and evil system, then your are definitely lost!
However, if you’re walking on the road to happiness and fulfillment with Jesus…oh my brethren, then you’re definitely on the right track! Because only through Jesus can we ever find the joy and fulfillment that lasts and earthly lifetime…and then forever…
And the last quote is also one that provides room for some contention. All it says is: ‘Life is too short to wait.’ Well to a certain extent that’s true, but more so in the physical realm of the world, where haste and speed is everything. But in the spiritual realm of God’s world, waiting is everything my people!
It’s essential that we wait on God’s timing, for if we don’t, our whole life can go haywire in no time at all. That’s why there are so many admonitions in the Lord’s word about waiting on Him, one of the most famous being our Bit. ‘Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.’
Oh friends, what marvellous advice from Bruh David! And nobody knew better than him, about waiting on the Lord. Look at how long after he was anointed to be king, and the number of trials and tribulations he went through before he finally ascended to Israel’s throne.
He could have tried to make it happen in his own schedule, but I assure you, it would either have never come true, or been and abject failure, but definitely not the glorious reign he enjoyed under God’s timing.
And today, I just want to remind us of a few of the many scriptures that advocate waiting on God. Let’s begin with this one from Cousin Sol, on the matter of revenge. ‘Say not thou, I will recompense (repay) evil; but wait on the Lord, and he shall save thee.’ (Prov.20:22) In the first place we should not be seeking revenge, for the Lord has said that’s His job.
Now hear Isaiah in his song of the redeemed. ‘And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.’ (Is.25:9)
And we all know the famous scripture from Isaiah 40. ‘But they that wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is.40:31) Plenty of us quote it, but not enough live by it.
And then there is this astute reminder from Jeremiah in his Lamentations: ‘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.3:25-26)
And we have this command from Jesus to the disciples re waiting in Jerusalem. ‘And being assembled together with them (Jesus) commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.’ (Acts.1:4-5)
And some fifty days later the Holy Ghost baptized them with tongues of fire on the Day of Pentecost. Yuh think if they had disobeyed Jesus and moved on they would have received the Holy Ghost and been able to set the table for the dispensation of the gospel all over the world?
Not on your life. If they hadn’t obeyed, we would probably never have heard of Christ and His wonderful, free offer of salvation and eternal life, and thus been forced to associate with Lucifer and his evil cohorts in Hades. What an awful and frightening thought!
And though it’s getting pretty long, (smile) I still want to throw in this gem from Bruh David, because it covers all bases. ‘Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass.
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (it only causes harm). For evil doers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps.37:7-9)
Yeh friends, it’s not always easy to wait on the Lord, but it is the wise and sensible thing to do. Much LOVE!
…the Lord is NEVER late…His timing is always…PERFECT…
15 Jan 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brisk wind, a follower of Jesus, adrenaline, angels, any other creature, as One, aura of love, be of good cheer, believe in their cause, Bob Marley, bombarded, buffeted, build your faith, Christian, comforting words, confidence, conquerors, conviction, cruel world, dangerous, death, depth, difficult, distress, don't be no drag, doubt, earth shattering, enthusiasm, evil, faith, famine, for thy sake, from the love of Christ, further your glorious kingdom, get ahead, gospel truth, Guide, heavenly advocate, height, heights of service, high priest, humble servants, I can do all things through Christ, i have overcome the world, in me, in the world, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, labour, lead, lies, life, lively up yourself, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, meet the enemy in battle, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, nakedness, no hesitation, no midle ground, northern climes, not afraid, peril, persecution, powers, principalities, put it into action, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, separate us, servants, sheep for the slaughter, sink into our consciousness, spiritual armour, spoken to you, surrender, survive, sword, tests, these things, things present, things to come, trials, tribulation, unfair, united, useful purpose, verve, weary souls, wicked taunts, wiles, willing to fight, workers of iniquity, ye might have peace
John 16:33. These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
Here we go again friends, getting up to go and labour on a Monday morning; a rather chilly one in the northern climes, with a brisk wind blowing to liven it up. (smile) As Bruh Bob (Bob Marley) would say: ‘Lively up yourself and don’t be no drag…’
Yeh mih people, unfortunately we’ve got to get a move on if we want to survive, much less get ahead in this evil and cruel world. And to help inspire us, let’s sing out our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with as much verve and enthusiasm as we can muster.
In strong voice 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!’
Ah friends, when we’re dressed in the Lord’s spiritual armour, we are invincible. So with the adrenaline raised by the valiant proclamation of our Battle Hymn (smile) let’s get a move on nuh, get into the world and fight the good fight of faith in Jesus’ name, for that is what we were created to do. Being a Christian is not easy, because you have to undergo tests, trials and tribulation, to build your faith, so you can grow and be promoted in God’s kingdom. And the fact that a large proportion of the world will be against you for just being a follower of Jesus, makes it even more difficult.
But listen to these amazing, astounding, reassuring and comforting words of our Lord and Saviour, our fearless Leader, High Priest and heavenly Advocate; Jesus Christ, as He declares in our Bit. ‘These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’
Wow friends! What an earth shattering statement! And there was no hesitation or doubt in Jesus’ voice when He said it. He was one hundred and ten percent sure of what He was saying. That means that we too can be one hundred and ten percent sure of all that He said. He opened His heart to the disciples and consequently to us, to give us His peace that’s like no other peace; the one that passes all human understanding. And though He knows that tribulation will be our lot in life, He assures us to be of good cheer.
And some of us will sneer at that statement, complaining that those two things are mutually exclusive. Not if you are a follower of Christ, because He has overcome the world and all the tribulation therein. Therefore, with His help, we can handle anything that comes against us. Please remember that my people. With God and us working in tandem, we are a majority, capable of defeating anything and anyone that dares to challenge us.
Remember that verse from Philippians? ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ (Phil.4:13) Well that’s the gospel truth friends! But you have to believe it, have the faith to put it into action. And though I’ve recently quoted these upcoming verses to you my brethren, I believe I have to quote them again because they are so relevant to our Bit, and the more often we hear them, the deeper they will sink into our consciousness. (smile)
Hear Bruh Paul elucidate and expound to the Roman church nuh. ‘Who shall separate us from the LOVE of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Rom.8:35-39)
Oh my fellow believers, until we all feel that way, espouse that same conviction, we won’t be able to reach the heights of service that the Lord has planned for us. The workers of iniquity sincerely believe in their cause, and are more than willing to fight for it. Christians also need to sincerely believe and be willing to fight for our righteous cause, if we want to defeat them.
Oh my brethren, the long and short of the story then is; if we want Christ’s LOVE Revolution to succeed, then we have to come together as ONE, and fight our battles as ONE, in Jesus name. There is no middle ground. Much LOVE!
…Christ died that His church should be united…not divided…
05 Jan 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 2018, a bomb Cyclone, anchored in the word, angel of the Lord, be not afraid, beady eyes, blessed be the Lord, buckler, carnal appetites, Christians, cold and snowy, consequences, contrary to, deep freeze, deliverer, enemies, faithful promise, fiery furnace, fires, fortress, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's kingdom, generous help, go overboard, goal, good cheer, heard my supplications, heartache, hell no, horn, hot toddies, I am helped, I will trust, in Jesus' name, in the world, Jesus Christ, like a lion, Lord and Saviour, my god, my heart greatly rejoices, my heart trusted in him, my shield, overcome the world, partying, peace, play, play in the snow, prayer for deliverance, preincarnate Christ, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, resilience, rest, roaring, rough times, salvation, saved, Shadrach Meshach Abednego, shield, slave labour, snowbirds, strength, surging sea tides, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the East Coast of N. America, The Lord is my rock, The Lord is my strength, the North Country, the spirit of the Lord, the weekend, the workingman's song, times of need, trials, tribulations, trouble, truth, twinkle, unscathed, weather, week of work, will I praise him, winter in Florida, winter storm, with my song, working for Jesus, workingman, worthy to be praised
Psalm 28:7. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.
Ah mih people, 2018 has certainly come roaring in like a ravaging lion with a wicked winter storm mashing up the East coast of North America, after we’ve already been in a deep freeze for the past two weeks.
Boston is apparently a mess from snow and flooding caused by surging sea tides. Places in Florida that have not seen snow in decades have certainly seen it now. All the snowbirds that left Canada to winter in Florida must be pretty annoyed.
They’re calling this extraordinary winter storm a ‘Bomb Cyclone!’ Why I don’t know, but it’s certainly living up to its name. Let’s hope that my li’l area doesn’t get any of it, because all we’ve been seeing and feeling recently is white and cold! Hn!
But I must say that the ordinary workingman does have an extraordinary resilience to this type of weather, for it has not stopped him from boldly declaring his song: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday and the weekend reach at last! So it cold and snowy, so what? Is winter in the north country, that’s what it’s all about!
We not going to let a li’l bit of snow and cold stop our partying, stop us from enjoying we two days off from slave labour! Hell no! We going to go outside and play in the snow, then come inside and warm up with some hot toddies! (And his beady eyes twinkle at the thought) What a wonderful weekend it’s going to be! Thank God for Fridays and weekends yes!’
Ah Lord eh! I daresay that not all of us are feeling that way. Definitely no playing in the snow…but the hot toddies…well…maybe… (smile) Now let’s chant our Friday Chant, which runs somewhat contrary to the workingman’s song, because our emphasis is not on play and our carnal appetites.
‘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.’
Oh friends, it’s not that we Christians don’t or can’t have fun, but fun is not our goal; working and living for Jesus is. And though that includes having fun, it also means being more focused and cautious about overstepping certain boundaries that can get us in serious trouble. And some of that trouble can have serious lifetime consequences. So it’s not advisable for believers to just go overboard in their leisure time.
Anyway, enough preaching; (smile) here is our Bit: ‘The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.’ And that’s the awesome truth my brethren, as Bruh David found out during his rough times. Who else are we going to turn to in our time of need and trouble eh? Obviously the One who made us and still cares for us!
Bruh David said before our Bit: ‘Blessed be the Lord, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications.’ (Ps.28:6) And it only makes sense to turn to someone who hears your cry for help. And we’ve seen throughout the Good Book that it was to the God of his forefathers that Bruh David turned when the enemy came a calling.
Hear him from Psalm 18 – A prayer for deliverance. ‘I will LOVE thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength (rock), in whom I will trust; my buckler (shield), and the horn (strength) of my salvation, and my high tower (stronghold). I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.’ (Ps.18:1:3)
What powerful sentiments my people! But that’s because Bruh David didn’t only turn to God in times of need, he kept Him in his heart ALL the time! And that’s why the Lord saved him from his enemies. Oh friends, it’s the same thing the Lord desires of us; to be with Him all the time, not just when life gets rough to remember Him and cry out for help and expect it to come right away.
Please note that Bruh David was not exempt from trials and tribulations, he had more than his fair share, but the Lord made sure that he came through them safely. Likewise friends, we will experience trouble and heartaches in our lives, but if like Bruh David, we stay anchored in the Word and faith of our great God, then He will also bring us through the fires of our lives unscathed.
Remember how he brought out the three Jewish boys, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from the fiery furnace, without them even smelling of smoke. And more importantly, while they were in the furnace, king Nebuchadnezzar saw four people in there. Obviously the fourth was either the preincarnate Christ who often appeared in the Old Testament, or an angel of the Lord sent to protect them. (Daniel 3)
So my faithful brethren, it only makes good sense, it’s eternal wisdom to place our trust in the One who created us and still cares for us. And there’s no better way to end today than with the ever-faithful promise of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) Words to live by my people! Much LOVE!
…with the Spirit of the Lord dwelling in us…there’s absolutely no need to be afraid…
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