27 Jul 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: an inheritance, at heart, awesome words, be anxious, be strong, close communication, dread, encouragement, faithful, fear, fear not, fellowshipping, for our benefit, forgiven, frail, fret, go adrift from God's will, God is faithful, He will not fail, I am halfway home, I'm not looking back, in all your ways acknowledge Him, Israelites, Joshua, joyfully declare, lean not unto thine own understanding, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms, lift the spirit, meditation, Moses, moving, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, neither forsake thee, nor be afraid, of a good courage, our best interests, possession, powerful, praise, prayer, promises, reading God's Word, reneges, rough times, sins, soulful anthem, stand up and be counted, Thank You Lord, the breath of life, the eternal God is our refuge, the everlasting arms, the Good Book, the Holy Spirit, the Lord thy God goes before you, the middle of the workweek, to a glorious future with Jesus, to stand before thee, trials, tribulations, trust in the Lord, very courageous, Wednesday Wail, words of strength, worry, worship
Deuteronomy 31:6. Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee nor forsake thee.
And then it was Wednesday; the middle of the workweek, when we get our second wind and then just hustle to the weekend!
Yes mih people, the universe is progressing as it should, under the plan and control of our heavenly Father, the Creator of all therein! We therefore need to understand how He works so that we don’t go adrift from His will.
And that can only be accomplished by reading His word, fellowshipping with other believers and staying in close communication with Him through prayer, meditation and worship.
Now here is a soulful anthem I heard the Hour of Power choir singing last night. It touched me so much that I had to write it down to share it with you. It’s an amalgamation of different important and interesting scriptures. Please sing it with me.
‘Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be afraid. For the Lord your God will be with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you. The eternal God is our refuge. And underneath are the everlasting arms. (Chorus) Be strong and of good courage, fear not nor be afraid…
Trust in the Lord with all your might. And lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him. And he will direct your paths. (Chorus)
What have I to dread, what have I to fear? Leaning on the everlasting arms. I have blessed peace with my Lord so near. Leaning on the everlasting arms. Leaning…leaning, Safe and secure from all alarms. Leaning…leaning, Leaning on the everlasting arms. Be strong and of a good courage…Fear not!’
Ah friends, those words of praise and worship just lift the spirit and give us encouragement to carry on!
So we’ve had worship, now let’s have prayer. (smile) And since this is Wednesday, it’s only right that we should declare our Wednesday Wail with much sincerity, enthusiasm and truth. So let’s wail!
‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Ah mih people, every week we declare that, it just touches something deep in me. I am awed and amazed at the breath of life that courses through my body. Though it sometimes seems frail, it is in fact powerful and very moving.
And when I stop looking back at the past and instead look to the glorious future that Jesus has promised those who believe in Him, the Holy Spirit just rises up in me and causes me to joyfully declare a loud and sincere ‘Thank You Lord!’
But unfortunately, not all of us react that way. Many of us are still locked in the past, in the trials and tribulations that we’ve endured, and it scares us to think about the future, because there may be more of those negative problems involved.
But friends, once we’ve trusted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, there’s no need to look back, because all our sins have been forgiven, and the Lord has promised to be with us, even through the trials and tribulations that come our way. That’s why I figured those powerful and encouraging words of Moses to the Israelites should be our Bit today.
Just listen to these awesome words nuh, my brethren.‘Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee nor forsake thee.’
Oh friends, oh friends, what awesome promises! And if you’re a believer, then one thing you’re positive of is that our God is not only great and powerful, but He’s also faithful, faithful to a fault! He NEVER reneges on a promise. So if He promises to go with us and never leave nor forsake us, then that’s exactly what He will do.
That means we don’t have to worry and fret and be anxious about anything, for even the rough times He will eventually turn to our benefit. Another great promise of His!
So my people, this Wednesday at the end of July 2016, I’m asking us all to take courage, to be strong in the might and power of our God! Remember it’s He who created the universe and all therein, so He is not exactly a weakling.
And I know that it’s not always easy to be strong and courageous in this dangerous and disgusting world, but we have to stand up and be counted if we want to survive and succeed.
Oh my fellow believers, all throughout the Good Book our magnificent God has planted words of strength and encouragement, so that we can take heart and continue undeterred under His banner. And there is none more encouraging than God’s words to Joshua when He appointed him leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses.
Listen up: ‘There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance (you shall give as a possession) the land which I sware unto their fathers to give them.
Only be thou strong and very courageous… Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.’ (Josh.1:5-6, 7a, 9)
Oh friends, in four verses, the Lord commanded Joshua to be strong and courageous three times! In like manner He is commanding us to do the same today, because He knows what tests and trials will beset us in this life, but He also knows that He WILL have our best interests at heart and eventually work it all out for out good!
So please be strong and very courageous today my people! It will work miracles in our lives! Much LOVE!
…the wonderful promises of God…imbue and inspire His people with strength and courage…
24 Jul 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: acrostic psalm, Ahimelech, archangels in glory, at all times, be glad, bled, blessed is the name of Jesus, boast in the Lord, carries them all day long, crown him, deliverance, died, exalt His name, excellent greatness, faith, faithful, faithfulness, fellowship together, gave up on God, God sits at the conference table, Goliath, great expectations, greedy, guard his children, hail him, hallowed, hear his word, his praise shall continually be in my mouth, his sinless life for us, honour, hope, hope of eternal salvation, hounds, I will bless the Lord, in his arms, in our lives, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, Jesus our Blessed Redeemer., joyful song, like a shepherd, lose faith, LOVE, loverly days, magnify the Lord, no peace, Nob, our rock, peaceful agreement, power hungry, praise, priest, proclaim, prophet, reassurance, reinvigorated, revitalized, sacrificed, Saul, showbread, sincerity, sins, soul body mind spirit, strengthened faith, strife filled, suffered, testimony, the crucified, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the humble, trials, tribulations, truth, victorious, walking with Jesus, war mongering, wisdom, worship
Psalm 34:1. I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
Aye mih breddren, loverly days are here again… as if they ever went anywhere eh. (smile)
That’s because every day is a loverly day when our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is in our life. Especially on a Sunday, when we get to fellowship together in great numbers, to praise and worship Him in sincerity and truth, to hear His word and be revitalized and reinvigorated in soul, body, mind and spirit, so we can face the new work week with great expectations, strengthened faith, and reassurance that we will be victorious walking with Him.
And all God’s people loudly and proudly declared: ‘Blessed is the name of Jesus, who sacrificed His sinless life for us! Praise His holy name!’
Now let’s continue in praise mode by singing this beautiful hymn written in His honour by Fanny Crosby. In one, strong and harmonious voice now: ‘Praise Him! praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer! Sing, O earth, His wonderful LOVE proclaim! Hail Him! hail Him! highest archangels in glory, strength and honor give to His holy name! Like a shepherd, Jesus will guard His children; in His arms He carries them all day long:
{Refrain :} (Praise Him! praise Him! tell of His excellent greatness! Praise Him! praise Him! ever in joyful song!)
Praise Him! praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer! For our sins, He suffered and bled and died; He our Rock, our hope of eternal salvation, Hail Him! hail Him! Jesus the crucified. Sound His praises! Jesus who bore our sorrows, LOVE unbounded, wonderful, deep, and strong: [Refrain]
Praise Him! praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer! Heavenly portals loud with hosannas ring! Jesus, Savior, reigneth forever and ever; Crown Him! crown Him! prophet and priest and King! Christ is coming, over the world victorious, power and glory unto the Lord belong:
[Refrain] Praise Him! praise Him! tell of His excellent greatness! Praise Him! praise Him! ever in joyful song!’
Yes friends, what a joyous hymn of praise to Christ Jesus! That ought to have lifted our spirits considerably and opened up our hearts, made us totally receptive to the reading of His word. But before we get into that, let me share something I heard on the radio yesterday. It was an old song by the Chi-lites titled ‘There will be no peace until God sits at the conference table.’
Oh precious people, I never knew the song in its heyday, but when I heard it yesterday I was consumed by both joy and sadness. Joy, because someone long ago realized the seriousness of the situation and turned it into a song. And sadness, because it is just the God awesome truth!
We WILL NEVER have peace on this fallen earth until we bring Almighty God, our Creator and Provider back into the equation, for He is the ONLY ONE powerful enough to bring all the dissenting, strife-filled, greedy, selfish, foolish, war-mongering, power-hungry leaders and nations to a sensible and peaceful agreement! And until that time comes, there’ll be no peace…just constant war.
Anyhow, enough of the negative vibes. It’s Sunday and we’re supposed to be praising and thanking and worshipping and glorifying our heavenly Father, so let’s get back to a more positive and joyous state nuh. (smile) Let’s introduce our Bit; wise, powerful and faithful words of Bruh David. ‘I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.’
Oh friends, that’s wisdom to the nth power! For who else is there for us to look up to, to praise and worship eh? NOBODY but Jehovah God!
And what we have to realize here is that Bruh David has just escaped death at the hands of his nemesis King Saul, and is running from Saul for his very life without food or weapons. He arrives at Nob, to the priest Ahimelech, who is suspicious of Bruh David’s sorry state and enquires of it.
Bruh David spins him a nansi story about being on secret business for the king and didn’t have time to get bread nor weapons. Whether Ahimelech believed him, we’ll never know, but he’s obviously scared that Saul finds out about his liaison with Bruh David, and finally gives him the showbread (hallowed bread) because that was all he had, as well as Goliath’s sword.
I like Bruh David’s remark when Ahimelech told him that Goliath’s sword was in the temple. ‘And David said, There is none like that; give it me.’ (1 Sam.21:9) Yeh friends, that sword must have brought back long ago memories to Bruh David, as he took it and hightailed it away from the hounds of Saul, baying hungrily at his back. (smile)
Ah mih people, Bruh David didn’t have an easy life, but he NEVER gave up on the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, because over the years, despite his trials and tribulations, the Lord had proven faithful to him.
The scholars tell us thus about Psalm 34 – The Lord hears the righteous. ‘Psalm 34. The historical background of this acrostic psalm is related in 1 Samuel 21:10-15. It bears all the marks of the testimony of one who narrowly escaped death, just as the passage in Samuel describes. As such, it contains the praise and testimony of the one who was redeemed (vv.1-10) and the seasoned instruction that can stem from such deliverance (vv.11-22).’
Yes my brethren, it was only because of the Lord’s faithfulness to him over the years that Bruh David could declare the words of our Bit, and the ones following. ‘My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.’ (Ps.34:2-3)
Oh friends, those are also my sentiments this Sunday morning. So please, magnify the Lord with me, and let’s exalt His holy and righteous name together, for that is indeed wisdom at its zenith! Much LOVE!
…despite the troubles that come with life…believers ought never to lose faith in Jehovah God…
23 Jul 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a run for his money, a word of warning, adulterous realationship, advice, anointed king of Israel, Bathsheba, be wise, believers in Jesus Christ, best employer, blessed day, bondage, bring my soul out of prison, busy society, Christian, common criminal, complaint, couch potatoes, Creator, David, deal bountifully, deceitful world, defeated, deliver me, devil, diligence, doesn't play favourites, down the garden path, dwelling in us, ego, enticing, eternal life, eye-opening, fears, foolish, fraudulent, fresh, giant killer, give heed to my cry, glory in the name of Jesus, health, heavenly Father, I cried unto the Lord, I made my supplication, indisputable truth, junk food, led astray, live for, long-lasting, Lucifer, mad, material asset, miraculous, on which side his bread was buttered, pay careful attention, persecutors, plea for help, pride, Psalm 142, quality of advisers, refuge, release our souls, rewards, rich, salvation, screen watchers, sickness, sincerity, sinful world, stimulating, stress, take a page, talk about Jesus, testomony, tests, thanksgiving, the Holy Spirit, the land of the living, the righteous compass me about, the state of our health, Thou art my refuge, to die for, trials, tribulation, troubles, truth, untested chemicals, unto the Lord, wisdom, with my voice, working for Jesus, worries
Psalm 142:1. I cried unto the Lord with my voice; with my voice unto the Lord did I make my supplication.
O glory be friends! Another blessed and wonderful day of working for Jesus is upon us! Hn! Without a doubt, He is the best employer there is! Working for Him is so stimulating, eye-opening and ofttimes miraculous, plus His rewards are to die for; salvation and everlasting life in His company! Wow! Nothing could be better than that my people.
Oh I know tests, trials and tribulation will often beset us in this sinful world, but when we have the Holy Spirit of Jesus dwelling within us, we can withstand anything that comes against us. That’s His promise, and we all know that He is ever-faithful where promises are concerned. So what say you that we give the foolish, defeated devil a run for his money today eh?
Let’s just glory in the name of Jesus and do His will with diligence and sincerity. There’s nothing that gets Lucifer madder than having people truly live for and talk about Jesus. So let’s talk up a Jesus storm today friends, and rile Lucifer for a change, instead of him always trying to rile us. (smile)
Now here are this week’s two quotes from our friend Anselm, who always aspires to inspire us. The first one is plain, simple and straightforward. ‘Health is your greatest material asset; if you’re healthy, you are rich.’ And that my brethren is indisputable truth, especially in this sickly society of ours today!
One would think that in our supposed advanced society, sickness would not be as prevalent as it is, but unfortunately it is, and all of us would be wise to carefully guard and look after our health. But sadly it’s not that easy to do with the busy society we live in, plus all the junk food we’re eating, with all the untested chemicals that are being put in even the simplest things nowadays.
Just try reading the label of one of your favourite snacks nuh, you’ll be amazed at the amount of stuff that’s in it, most of them you’ve never even heard about before. But they need something to keep it fresh and long-lasting, while making it look enticing. So please friends, let’s pay careful attention to our health, especially that giant killer stress, which doesn’t play favourites, and will knock you down with the same intensity whether you sixteen or sixty.
And the opposite of that is also true; we have too many couch potatoes and inactive screen watchers. And sadly that lifestyle begins from young, so what will they turn out to be as adults eh? Anyway, they say that a word of warning to the wise is sufficient. You have been warned… so please be wise. (smile)
And the second of Anselm’s quotes tells us: ‘Never discuss your problems with someone incapable of contributing to the solution because those who never succeed themselves are always first to tell you how.’
Now there is also truth in that my people. Everybody and their brother have good advice to give. Meanwhile some of them can’t even spell the word. That’s why so many people are being led astray in today’s supposedly wise, but really fraudulent and deceitful world.
And my Christian brethren, please pay special attention to that, because the first person we’re to go to for advice is our Creator and heavenly Father, not the last, after everybody else have led us down the garden path. Then if God so desires, He will lead you to another human being for help.
So there are two things for us to ponder today; the state of our health, and the quality of our advisers. And then ask God to help us improve them. You know He’ll never refuse our sincere requests, once they fall into line with His will.
And we have a wonderful testimony of that from Psalm 142- Thou art my refuge – a contemplation of Bruh David, when he was hiding in the cave from his enemies, who wanted to take his life. Listen to our Bit. ‘I cried unto the Lord with my voice; with my voice unto the Lord did I make my supplication.’
Yes friends, as I keep saying Bruh David knew on which side his bread was buttered. Most of the time he sought the Lord’s help and guidance; the main exception being his adulterous relationship with Bathsheba. But nonetheless, the Lord heard him and kept his pursuers from harming him.
And Bruh David continues: ‘I poured out my complaint before him; I showed (declared) before him my trouble. When my spirit was overwhelmed (fainted) within me, then thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they privily (secretly) laid a snare for me. I looked on my right hand, and beheld, there was no man that would know (acknowledge) me.
I cried unto thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my refugee and my portion in the land of the living. Attend unto (give heed to) my cry; for I am brought very low: deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I. Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall compass me about (surround me); for thou shalt deal bountifully with me.’ (Ps.142:2-7)
Ah friends, can you imagine the magnitude of Bruh David’s situation. There he was, the anointed king of Israel, running and hiding like a common criminal. But he never allowed his faith in the God of his fathers to waiver. His pride and ego did not prevent him from crying out for help to his heavenly Father.
Likewise my fellow believers, in times of trouble, we should never let pride and/or ego prevent us from crying out to Almighty God for help! It’s the wisest thing we can do, for our wonderful God never turns away a sincere plea for help. And please note the last verse. Bruh David believes that God will save him, and promises to offer thanksgiving when it occurs.
Oh friends, today we need to take a page from Bruh David’s book and cry out to God! With a sincere heart, let’s lay all our troubles, fears and worries before Him, so that He can release our souls from the bondage that Lucifer’s trying to keep it in. There’s no greater wisdom that that my fellow believers in Jesus Christ! Much LOVE!
…it’s not wise to put your trust in fallen, finite man…but in the risen, infinite Being called Jesus…
20 Jul 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future, a LOVING Father, alive, almighty god, Amen, anarchy, breath of God, brethren, Carrying a grudge, chastening, complaining, discipline, do our best, errors, exercised, expectant faith, faith, forgiveness, friends, fruit, geeks, glad to be alive, glory hallelujah, God loves us, God's children, gospel truth, grace, grateful, grievous, grudge, halfway home, hates his son, hope, horrors, human, hungry hope, I'm not loking back, Jesus, joy, joyous, Laodicea, looking ahead, LOVE, mercies, Microsoft, mistakes, my hands are on the plough, obedience, obedience to god, P.S. I Love You, peaceable fruit, plough, promises, rebuke, repent, righteousness., selfishness, sense of purpose, simpleminded, spare the rod, steal my joy, summer's day, take it to heart, the answer, the breath of life, the present, trained, trials, tribulations, troubles, truth, undisciplined, walk the straight and narrow path, Wednesday Wail, whining, wisdom, zealous
Hebrews 12:11. Now no chastening (discipline) for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised (trained) thereby.
Oh friends, another glorious summer’s day seems to be in the offing! Let’s give thanks and praise for it and ask for guidance to do our best, as we walk the straight and narrow path that leads to Jesus!
Sometimes though, the road just gets frustrating and annoying, especially when you are just an innocent victim, as I was yesterday with all the new changes in Outlook.
Yuh know, as I told some of you last night, after finally figuring out how to do my thing, I then went to send out the Bit, but I got all sorts of horrors in trying to do that. They kept telling me that there was an error message and the Bit couldn’t be sent, to try later.
Well the later trying didn’t do anything and I eventually had to send them out in smaller groups. Now all they had to tell me was the groups were two large. Steups! But that was too simple for the simple-minded geeks who run the show.
Chuh! So last night I spent a whole lot of time making my groups small enough to fit their new scheme. And they didn’t even make that easy to do.
However, it’s a new day, with new mercies and promises and grace and forgiveness, and all the other good things our wonderful God has planned for us, so I won’t let Microsoft Outlook steal my joy, as I allowed them to do yesterday! (smile)
And I have the perfect antidote for that in a quote from my ‘I LOVE YOU’ Poster, which says: ‘Carrying a grudge is like a run in a stocking – it can only get worse. Forgiveness is the answer.’ Gospel truth friends, gospel truth!
So, regardless of the troubles they cause me, I’ll just forgive Microsoft Outlook (smile) and continue to enjoy this glorious day the Lord has blessed me to see. And all God’s children declared a loud and grateful ‘Amen!’
And since today is Wednesday, it’s only appropriate that we declare our Wednesday Wail. So with expectant faith, hungry hope and a strong sense of purpose, let’s wail. ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Ah mih people, there’s not a day that goes by that I’m not thankful for that beautiful breath of God that courses through my ole bod! I surely hope that you feel the same way, because in truth, that’s the ONLY way for God’s redeemed and sanctified children to feel! Glory to God!
It’s so great to be alive, despite the numerous trials and tribulations that come against us! And we can say that with the utmost confidence and truth because our hands are securely on the plough and we’re looking forward to the glorious future that Jesus has planned for us! Oh what a future that will be my believing brethren!
But at the same time, since we’re only human and thus liable to make serious errors and mistakes, we also need to be able to accept God’s discipline without too much whining and complaining. Our God LOVES us, there’s no doubt about that, but like a LOVING Father, He also disciplines us when we go astray.
Unfortunately though, as our Bit so rightly points out, discipline makes us unhappy in the short term, but in the long run, it works significantly on our behalf. ‘Now no chastening (discipline) for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised (trained) thereby.’ Yeh friends, chastening has never been a well-liked human characteristic.
And most of us old fogies can remember those days of some serious chastening when we re growing up. Plenty of us ran and hid when we knew that it was in the offing, but oftimes that made no difference. We still got it whenever we showed up.
But you know what friends, that chastening, that sense of discipline, usually benefited us in the long run. It made us the fine, godly people we are today. Sadly though, too many of us, as parents refused to administer any chastening and discipline to our children, that’s why they are the undisciplined way they are today.
Now we didn’t need to go to some of the lengths that our parents did, but by going to the other extreme, we did them a great disservice. Because, if there’s one thing a society needs to grow peacefully it’s discipline, otherwise anarchy, a free for all and total selfishness is what we get, something like what we have today.
Enough preaching though, let’s look at some scriptures that corroborate our sentiments. First up are these words of wisdom from Cousin Sol. ‘For whom the Lord LOVETH he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.’ (Prov.3:12)
More Cousin Sol: ‘He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that LOVETH him chasteneth him betimes (promptly).’ (Prov.13:24)
And we’ll end with this one from Jesus in the Revelation of John. It’s contained in the message to the church at Laodicea. ‘As many as I LOVE, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.’ (Rev.3:19)
Yes friends, it’s all there in black and white in the Good Book! Please let’s take it to heart and do our best not to complain too much when we are rightfully chastened of anybody, especially Almighty God. That’s wisdom of the highest heights! Much LOVE!
…obedience to God…is the highest form of discipline…
10 Jul 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abuse, action, ask in prayer, ask of God, at the last day, attitude that makes sense, barren, be thou removed, being obedient to His word, belief, believe only, believing in jesus, Bethany, carry the day, cast into the sea, caterwauling, celebrate, circumstances, cleanse our sinful souls, complain, complaints, crucified, cry, dead, died to save us all, doubt not, eternal life, faith, fear not, fig tree, followers of Christ, forgiveness, gifts, God's plan for us, grace, hang nail, hung and suffered there, Jairus, Jerusalem, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the ONLY ONE, joyful, Lazarus, let us rejoice and be glad in it, live, LOVE, love Him too, LOVE in action, loved, Martha, mercy, method to God's madness, our Lord and Saviour, pain, pains he had to bear, pampered people, pay the price of sin, planet earth God's marvellous creation, praise, reconcile us to the Father, redeeming blood, sacrifice, salvation, selflessly, she shall be made whole, sinless, suffering, synagogue ruler, talk a good talk, thanks, the beginning of time, the glory of God, the resurrection, There is a green hill far away, this is the day the Lord has made, trials, tribulations, trust, truth, try his works to do., unlock the gate of heav'n, walk, withered away
Luke 8:50. But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.
Ah friends, once more we have been blessed with another wonderful day on God’s marvellous creation called planet earth! And believe me, there’s method to God’s madness for allowing us to see another day. It means we still have things to do in the great plan that He’s mapped out for us since the beginning of time.
So let’s be joyful and declare as the psalmist did: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps.118:24) Yes my fellow believers, under the circumstances, it’s the only attitude that makes sense.
And furthermore, since the psalmist wrote those words, we have even more reason to celebrate because our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ died to cleanse our sinful souls, reconcile us to the Father and offer us the magnificent gifts of salvation and eternal life by simply believing in Him and being obedient to His Word! Wow! What a Saviour!
And this summer Sunday morning I’d like us to sing an old hymn, a favourite of mine in my youth, which tells of Jesus’ great sacrifice on our behalf. It’s called, ‘There is a green hill far away.’
Please sing loudly and lustily with me. ‘There is a green hill far away, Without a city wall, Where the dear Lord was crucified, Who died to save us all. We may not know, we cannot tell, What pains he had to bear, But we believe it was for us He hung and suffered there.
There was no other good enough To pay the price of sin. He only could unlock the gate Of heav’n and let us in. Oh, dearly, dearly has he LOVED! And we must LOVE him too, And trust in his redeeming blood, And try his works to do.’
Oh precious people, it is so good to offer up praise and thanks to our God after what He’s done for us. Just look at it nuh; Jesus was the ONLY one who could unlock heaven’s’ gate so that we might enter because He was sinless! And he did it so selflessly, enduring the horrendous pain without any complaints!
Meanwhile, we soft, pampered people today, cry and complain so much if we have even a li’l hang nail. (smile) I don’t think many, if any of us, could have borne even one tenth of Jesus’ suffering without going crazy from the abuse and the pain.
However, thankfully, we’re not called on to do that, but we are called on to bear some trials and tribulations in this earthly life, which we should try to do without too much caterwauling and complaining. And the formula for doing that is given at the end of the hymn above. ‘LOVE Jesus, trust in His redeeming blood and diligently try to do His work.’
It’s all right there in a nutshell friends, just waiting for us to put it into action. And that’s exactly where we as supposed followers of Christ fall down. We talk a good talk, but can’t match it with our walk. And that’s not right, because the only way others will want to come to Jesus is by seeing His grace and truth, mercy, forgiveness and LOVE in action in our lives.
And it’s high time we start doing better, if we want to carry the day for Jesus. But we need to first believe that it’s possible and then that we have the necessary parts to do it.
Listen to Jesus’ admonition to Jairus the synagogue ruler when he heard that his daughter had died. ‘But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.’
Yes friends, the starting point for everything is BELIEF! If you don’t believe, generally speaking, it won’t happen. Now let’s look at a couple of other instances where Jesus invoked belief.
Let’s begin with His early morning journey from Bethany to Jerusalem. He was hungry and approached a fig tree expecting to find figs because it was fig season. However the tree was barren of all fruit. Jesus then declared to the fig tree: ‘Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.’ (Matt.21:19)
Obviously the disciples were amazed at the fig tree’s sudden demise. ‘Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.’ (Matt.21:21-22)
And friends, please note that the important word in that last sentence is ‘BELIEVING!’ If you don’t believe, all your prayers are useless.
Now let’s turn to our final example, that time when Jesus heard that His friend Lazarus was deathly ill, but He stayed where He was for another two days before returning to Bethany. By then Lazarus had died and his sister Martha met Jesus on the way and criticized Him.
‘Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead (may die), yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.’ (John 11:21-27)
Ah friends, Martha surely believed, but she did not understand Jesus’ intention to raise her brother in the current time. Thus when they took Him to Lazarus’ tomb and He ordered them to roll away the stone from the mouth, ‘Martha saith unto him, Lord by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. Jesus saith unto her, said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? (John 11:39-40)
And we all know that after Jesus spoke to His Father, for the people’s sake, He ordered Lazarus to come out and he came out, alive and well and many of those who saw Jesus’ work, believed.
I ask us now friends, do we believe that strongly so that we can see the glory of God? For all of our sakes, I sincerely hope so. Much LOVE!
…without belief…not much is possible…
24 Jun 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a spring of water, a watered garden, Abraham, abyss, Always there, anger, believers in Christ, blessed be God, comfort, compassion, confusion of face, conviction, cry out, Daniel, deity, despair, dregs, drought, fellowship, fires of Hades, forgiveness, forgiving, Friday chant, fun, generous help, God is ever-faithful, God's glorious kingdom, Hades, helplessness, I call your name, impoverished, iniquity, Jacob, leggo beast, LOVE, loving kindness, mankind, massa, mercies, merciful, mercy, Micah, One Year Book of Bible promises, pardons, partying, perspective, promise, rebelled, rebellion, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, repentance, rescue, rest, rock bottom, Ruth Harms Calkin, satisfy thy soul, self-sufficiency, shame, sinned, slain for our benefit, spotless Lamb, strengthen thy bones, taste the dregs, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the bottom of the abyss, the depths of despair, the depths of the sea, the Father of mercies, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the God of All Comfort, the redemptive work of Christ, the working class, transgression, trials, tribulations, truth, umbrella of love, vanish, work soon done
2 Corinthians 1:3. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort.
And then it was Friday; that day the working class holds so dearly, because it heralds the upcoming weekend, the couple of days off from work when they can do their own thing.
That’s why they continually declare, ’TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and massa work soon done! The weekend is upon us, and the time will be fine, partying and carrying on like leggo beast! Thank God for Friday and the weekend!’
Ah friends, as we keep on saying, some partying on the weekend is fine, but the overdoing and leggo beast thing is definitely not. The weekend is made for a sensible mixture of rest and otherwise. So let’s chant our Friday Chant nuh, so we that can get a better perspective on how to use the couple days off we have.
As one now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes my people, that’s putting the weekend to much better use! The important thing there is that we’re healthy, rested and ready to undertake next week’s work in the proper manner befitting a child of God, so that our work, character and attitude will glorify Him. Anything less than that is not good enough!
Now here is an interesting poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, which many of us can no doubt attest to in our own lives. It’s simply titled ‘Always There.’
And it says, in all sincerity and truth: ‘So often, Lord I reach the bottom of the abyss. So often I taste the dregs Of my own helplessness. Yet it is there, exactly there That you come to my immediate rescue. When I feel totally impoverished Of all self-sufficiency When I want to vanish into nowhere From the depths of despair I call your name And you are always there for me.’
And isn’t that the awesome living truth my fellow believers in Christ? It surely is! For many of us don’t call to God until we reach rock bottom and the searing fires of Hades are burning all around us. But our God is such a wonderful Deity that whenever we do cry out, in sincere conviction and repentance, He will come to us and bring us safely through our trials and tribulations.
Oh, what a majestic, magnanimous and magnificent God we serve my brethren!
And the Bible promise attached to that poem comes from Isaiah. ‘And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought (dry places), and make fat (strengthen) thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.’ (Is.58:11)
Oh what a beautiful promise precious people of God! And we know that God is ever faithful, and will keep every promise that He’s made, so there’s absolutely no need to worry if we’re travelling under His umbrella of LOVE!
And that ties in ever so nicely with our Bit. ‘Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort.’
Yes friends, our God is indeed a God of mercy and comfort! He showers us with mercy and comfort so that we can go out and share it with others who desperately need it. So through us, He accomplishes His holy desire.
Now let’s turn to some scriptures which complement our Bit. Listen first to the prophet Daniel. ‘O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face (shame), to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee. To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against him.’ (Dan.9:8-9)
Yes my brethren, yuh see the vast difference between our God and us? We are rebellious, but He is merciful and forgiving, in spite of that rebellion! How can we ever want for a better Deity eh?
Now hear Micah, as he extols the wonders of our great and mighty God. ‘Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by (over) the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy (LOVING-kindness)?
He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast their (our) sins into the depths of the sea. Thou wilt perform (give) the truth to Jacob, and the mercy (LOVING-kindness) to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.’ (Mic.7:18-20)
Now what can be more assuring and uplifting that that eh friends? Nothing really! So as we go about doing the Lord’s work today my brethren, let’s remember these promises, keep them throbbing in our hearts, so that we can be confident in all that we do and say.
And let us never forget, as the scholars tell us: ‘7-18. The forgiveness and pardon of a merciful and gracious God toward sinful mankind is declared by the Scriptures to be based on the redemptive work of the Saviour.’
And all Christ’s followers declared a loud, proud and hearty shout of ‘All praise, honour and glory be to the innocent, spotless Lamb that was slain for our benefit, for our forgiveness of sins. May He live and reign forever!’ Much LOVE my people!
…oh, what would we worthless sinners do….without a merciful, forgiving and compassionate God eh…
P.S. Just one of those days. (smile) Much LOVE!
19 Jun 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a godly turnaround, a taste for, abuse of authority, admonition, anger, asaph, ban' our jaw, bring them up, child support, children, clothing, commandments, complexities of life, cruelty, difficult times, discipline, discouraged, divorced, education, Father's Day, financial support, food, formative years, fulfilling our mandate, guiding light, have a good time, he will not depart from it, hope, injustice, instruction, knowledge of Jesus, look after, loss of temper, LOVE, love for the Lord, mandate, moulding a child's life, necessities of life, nurture, parental training, parents, provide for, provider, provoke not your children, rebellion, responsibility, ridicule, sarcasm, see eye to eye, set their hope in god, shelter, shirk, single mothers, sole parent, spiritual education, spiritual head, sufferation, suffering, suppression, the biblical pattern, the chief teacher, the ideal setting, the palate, the things of God, titular head, train up a child, training, trials, tribulations, undue severity, unfortunate things, with the Lord's help, wrath
Ephesians 6:4. And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture (training) and admonition of the Lord.
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY !
Aye mih fellow fathers, welcome to another Father’s Day! I hope it is a pleasant and happy one for all of us, but knowing the complexities of life, undoubtedly some of us will not enjoy the day. For one reason or another, things will not go the way we want them to, but like so many other unfortunate things in this life, we will just have to ban’ our jaw and accept them.
Anyway fathers, a lot of what is happening in these sad, trying and difficult times is either directly or indirectly our fault. We have to do a much better job than we’re currently doing.
There are too many fine women and children out there bearing our genes, who are suffering real ‘sufferation’ because of our foolish, casual, doh care, irresponsible attitudes and behaviour. We are certainly not fulfilling our mandate to provide for and look after the many children we sire.
Tell me nuh, how do you think the women and children that we’ve used and abused will get the necessities of life eh – food, shelter, clothing and the knowledge of Jesus Christ, if we don’t help them to do so eh?
Now there are many good and excellent fathers in the world, but on the other hand, there are way too many bad ones, who are out to simply have a good time and consequently shirk their responsibility that proceeds from that good time. Remember friends that the father is the titular, the spiritual head of the household and as such he is responsible for setting godly parameters and living up to them by his example.
That’s why our Bit so staunchly declares: ‘And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture (training) and admonition of the Lord.’
Yes friends, the father is supposed to be the guiding light of the household! But if he isn’t around, or around and not doing his duty, then the rest of the family suffers. We have way too many single mothers, whether divorced or never married who are having to raise children by themselves, both as sole parent and provider when there is a father available to help.
Now listen to how the scholars break down our Bit. ‘6:4. Fathers can provoke their children to wrath by injustice, loss of temper, undue severity, cruelty, favouritism, suppression, sarcasm, ridicule, and misuse or abuse of authority. Nurture basically means “training,” here denoting spiritual education.
Admonition is instruction that points out one’s responsibilities and duties. Of the Lord is in Greek a subjective genitive. This indicates that behind the parents’ rearing and instruction of their children stands the Lord as the chief teacher in child education. Parents do not raise children alone.’
So you see my people, the great demands placed on a father. It’s not an easy job, but with the Lord’s help we can accomplish it. I haven’t been the best father at times, and haven’t always led by example, but my children never wanted for the basic necessities of life, and I tried to instill in them LOVE for the Lord and a sense of responsibility.
The problem though today, is that sense of responsibility is fading from the entire world, which includes fathers. Now I was raised by a single mother, who worked two jobs from the time I was old enough to know what was happening, so I know the trials and tribulations of those situations. However, although my father and I didn’t see eye to eye, he at least helped with some financial support.
Many fathers today who can afford it don’t even do that small part of their duty, and the poor women have to take them to court for child support, and even then they don’t pay it. But when the child or children happen to turn out good and successful, they are the first ones to talk and boast about ‘my children!’
Steups! When left to them alone, the children would be eating ‘wind pie and nothing chops.’ Friends, I’ve seen it happen too often, and it sickens me.
Now here is a li’l something from Cousin Sol re the situation. ‘Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.’ (Prov.22:6)
And the scholars give us some good info here. ’22:6. Train up a child refers to the total process of moulding a child’s life. The word ‘train’ (chanak) comes from the root word meaning to “put into the mouth” and implies the idea of conditioning the palate. Thus parental training should help children develop a taste for the things of God. The biblical pattern of effective parental training emphasizes a balance of instruction and discipline (cf. Eph.6:1-4).
The ideal parent is to be neither overly authoritarian nor overly permissive. Rather, he must balance LOVE and discipline so as not to “provoke” his child to rebellion. When he is old means simply, “when he is grown up,” or a mature adult. It does not refer to his elderly years. The verse stresses the simple principle that education in the home forms the man throughout his lifetime.’
And isn’t that the living truth my people! The home is where our formative years are spent, and there is where we learn the things that make us who we basically are.
And we’ll close with these words from Psalm 78, where the psalmist Asaph is reminding Israel of God’s goodness. ‘For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children:
That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born, who should arise and declare them to their children: That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments.’ (Ps.78:5-7)
Unfortunately fathers, we have not done that very well, consequently our children are not setting their hope in God, but rather in the things of the world, and are totally lost where the commandments are concerned.
However, where there is life, there is always hope; hope in God. So today on this Sunday, the Lord’s Day, as well as Father’s Day, let’s try an improve the situation nuh, possibly by going to church with our children, that would be the ideal setting for the much needed godly turnaround. Much LOVE!
…fathers…provoke not your children to anger…lest they be discouraged… (Col.3:21)
18 Jun 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a smooth ride through life, a way to escape, able to bear it, all things work together for good, appreciation, attitude, basic goal, be of good cheer, belief, blessed, boost our faith, called according to His purpose, calling, Christ-like, Christians, circumstances, common to man, deceitful, disservice, doting parents, dross, earthly goals, endure, evil times, faith, fires of refinement, followers of Christ, God is faithful, godless, gospel truth, he that endureth to the end, I shall come forth as gold, Job, LOVE, overcome the world, patience, perseverance, promise of victory, puts us through our paces, refining fires, righteous, sappy, sin, soft, spiritually strong, storms of life, struggle, struggling, suffering, temptation, test, the divine perspective, the human perspective, though he saly me, to them that love God, trials, tribulations, unquenchable, victory, yet will I trust him
Romans 8:28. And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are called according to his purpose.
Well a blessed day to all you my Scrip-Bit family and friends! And I know that some of us will be quick to say what’s so blessed about it eh? Just look at my circumstances, look at how I’m suffering and struggling. I certainly wouldn’t call that blessed.
I understand that friends, but it’s all in our attitude toward those circumstances and struggles. Too many Christians expect to just have a nice smooth ride through life without any problems simply because they are followers of Christ. But it doesn’t work like that. Unfortunately, the greater our calling from God, ofttimes the greater the struggle in our lives.
Look at all the great prophets, Bruh Joseph, Moses, Bruh David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Bruh Paul, and finally Jesus Christ Himself; they all went through many trials and much tribulation to accomplish their earthly goals. Jesus even warned us: ‘In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33b)
And furthermore, the Lord uses these trials and struggles to test us, to build and grow our faith; to see if we truly believe and are willing to rely on Him and His promises. As Job, another righteous man who suffered great tribulation declared during his time of trial. ‘But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.’ (Job 23:10)
And the scholars have an interesting take on that verse. ’23:10. I shall come forth as gold: His friends maintained that Job was full of dross, but Job is confident that no dross, or sin, would be revealed in the fires of refinement.’
Yes friends, the Lord puts us through our paces like we put metals through fire to purify them. And believe me, when you go through some of those refining fires, you will come out as bright and beautiful and strong and faithful as gold!
And we don’t even have to go to the Good Book to learn about struggles; listen to these quotes from our friend Anselm, who always aspires to inspire us. He says first: ‘Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.’ And the corollary to that is; ‘Where there is no struggle, there is no strength.’
Gospel truth all of that my fellow believers! That’s why so many of this young generation are so soft and sappy and whiny, because they have had most everything given to them by us doting parents. They never had to struggle or work hard for something, so therefore there is no real appreciation of anything they have or get.
In their minds the world owes them a living. And that’s a big disservice we’ve done to them. No wonder most of them have no belly or backbone, and are quick to throw in the towel as soon as hard times show up.
Oh my people, everybody goes through struggles and hard times, whether you’re rich, poor, black, white, Muslim, Jew, or whatever, but where we believers win out over the others is that we have the rich and faithful promises of our God to depend on.
We know for instance that as Bruh Paul told the Corinthians in his first letter: ‘There hath no temptation taken (overtaken) you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able to bear, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.’ (1 Cor.10:13)
Yes my struggling and suffering fellow believers, our God promises never to give or allow us to bear more than we can handle and will either make a way out for us, or give us the wherewithal to endure it. He doesn’t always make us escape it, but more often than not He brings us safely through it. Another way to boost our faith and make us spiritually strong, more Christ-like, which is the basic goal for all believers.
That brings us to our Bit, another crucial promise from our ever-faithful God. In the momentous words of Bruh Paul: ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are called according to his purpose.’
Oh my brethren, what a wonderful promise! Only we Christians are assured that our omnipotent, ever-LOVING God will work out everything in our favour eventually, according to His timetable! It’s all a matter of faith, of belief, of patience and perseverance my people!
And this is what the scholars have to say about that verse. ‘8:28. To them that LOVE God is the human perspective. God is working all things together for good, but those who LOVE God are best able to appreciate that fact because they LOVE Him no matter what (cf. Job 13:15) To them who are called is the divine perspective. Scripture often refers to believers as “the called” or “the elect.”
And for those of us who want to know what Job 13:15 says but are too lazy to look it up, let me spoon feed you. (smile) Job defends his integrity before his condescending and self-righteous friends by declaring of God: ‘Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine (defend my) own ways before him. He also shall be my salvation: for a hypocrite shall not come before him.’ (Job 13:15-16) Just thought I’d throw in verse 16 for good measure. (smile)
And the scholars say of ’13:15. Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him expresses 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 in God.’
Oh friends, oh friends, in these godless, deceitful and evil times, that is the kind of faith we believers need to have, an unquenchable kind, if we’re going to see it through to a victorious end!
And we’ll conclude with these fateful words of Jesus: ‘And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.’ (Matt.10:22) Much LOVE!
…Christians have to understand that struggles are a part of human life…but we have the certain promise of victory in the end…to see us through life’s storms in the middle…
09 Apr 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: A journey of love, a man after God's heart, a man of God, a second cahnce, an integral part of our lives, anger, basking in the Father's presence, be of good courage, blessed be the Lord, Christian's desire, climate change, cold, compromise, courage, disobedience, doubt, fear, hate, he shall strengthen your heart, how great is thy goodness, I will give thee rest, Jonah, LOVE, loving kindness, mercy, Moses, my presence shall go with thee, negativity, Nineveh, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, pray, prayer, prophet, provider, rainy, repenting, reproach, responsibilities, rewards the proud doer, Saint of the Little Flower, secret of thy presence, seek God's face, shame, snowy, spring, St. Therese, strife, the Alpha and Omega, the Creator, the First and the Last, the irony of it all, the Lord preserves the faithful, the Lord's presence, trials, tribulations, troubled times, trust, vocation, walk in your steps, wet, winter, wisdom
Exodus 33:14. And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.
And then it was Saturday, and the next couple days in my area are supposed to be cold and snowy and wet and rainy. Steups! Whatever happened to that thing called spring eh? In winter we didn’t get any snow, and now in what’s supposed to be spring, it’s too often cold and snowy! Chuh! And yet they insist that climate change is not real.
But anyway, whether it is real or not, we believers in Jesus Christ don’t have to let it worry us. Oh yes, the weather will become irascible like many of us, (smile) but we can’t afford to allow that to dictate our lives, that ought to be done by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
So to help us handle all the unwanted stuff we have to handle, let’s pray this prayer taken from a Devotional titled ‘A Journey of LOVE. Walking with St. Therese of Liseux’ – The Saint of the Little Flower. I’ve shared it before, but in these troubled times, times of hate and anger and doubt and all the negative stuff that’s predominant in our world, we need something to counteract that negativity.
And the only thing able to do that is LOVE, and we have been assigned the vocation of LOVE. So let’s pray for help in our vocation. Please pray with me: ‘Jesus, I desire above all else to centre my life in you. Only you can give me the courage to face up to my responsibilities, to be compassionate and forgiving, to let go of what is not important and to embrace what is important.
I am called to accept and to cherish your LOVE for me and to allow your LOVE to go out from me to all your people, Help me to walk in your steps without compromise and to be open to your presence in all of the people I meet. I make my prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.’
Yes friends, the irony of it all is that we cannot do God’s work without God’s help! And the most effective way to receive that help is through prayer. The Lord has promised that when we diligently and sincerely seek Him, He will be found by us. That’s why prayer is so important in a believer’s life.
That’s also why Bruh Paul told the Ephesians to pray ALWAYS; (Eph.6:18) the Thessalonians to pray WITHOUT CEASING; (1 Thess.5:17) and his young protégé Timothy to pray EVERYWHERE. (1 Tim:2:8) So to all intents and purposes, prayer MUST BE an integral part of a believer’s life, because in doing so we will always be in the presence of God, which is ever so important for our earthly journey.
Moses, one of God’s greatest prophets was adamant about not continuing the journey through the wilderness if the Lord’s presence was not going to be with him. That is even after God promised in our Bit: ‘And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.’
Ah mih people, without God’s wonderful presence in our lives, innumerable trials and tribulations will come our way, from which we’ll have little or no leeway to escape. However, when we are basking in the Father’s presence, we are assured of His help to get through the difficulties, though not necessarily complete escape.
That’s because He has promised to work everything out for the good of those who LOVE Him and are called according to His purpose. (Rom.8:28) And if there’s one thing we can rest comfortably on, is that our ever-faithful God NEVER reneges on His promises.
Now let’s look at some scripture that exalts the glory and wisdom of being in God’s presence. And we can’t talk about that without including words from Bruh David’s heartfelt declarations. This comes from Psalm 31 – In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust.
‘Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence (secret place) from the pride (plots) of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion (shelter) from the strife of tongues. Blessed be the Lord: for he hath showed me his marvellous kindness in a strong city.
For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes: nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee. O LOVE the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart.’ (Ps.31:19-24)
And we can’t argue with Bruh David because in spite of his mistakes, he was still considered a man after God’s own heart, so intense was His longing for Him.
Meanwhile, in Jeremiah, when the Lord is dealing with the false prophets, He promises: ‘Therefore, behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you, and I will forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and cast you out of my presence. And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.’(Jer.23:39-40)
Yes friends, that’s the kind of thing that happens when we are cast out of God’s presence. Please pray that it never happens to us. And we’ll end with this great example from the prophet Jonah.
The Lord had said to Jonah: ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry (out) against it: for their wickedness is come up before me. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.’ (Jon.1:2-3)
Now how foolish was that eh my brethren? As a prophet, a man of God, Jonah should have known better than that. And we all know the story of the terrible storm that arose, due to Jonah’s disobedience, and how he was thrown overboard and spent three days and nights in the belly of a great fish, before coming to his senses and repenting. And the Lord in His great mercy and LOVING-kindness forgave him and gave him a second chance.
Oh my fellow believers, fleeing from the Lord is not easy if He doesn’t want us to flee. But why should we want to flee from Him anyhow eh, when He is the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Creator and Provider of all? That’s certainly not wisdom. So please, let’s be wise today and seek the Lord’s presence rather than try to flee from it. Much LOVE!
…the Christian’s desire ought to be…to continually seek God’s face…and to continually bask in His presence…
26 Mar 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brighter day, arrest, betrayal, by His precious blood we are saved, by His stripes we are healed, Calvary, circumstantial evidence, condemn him to death, cross, denied Jesus, desire, disappointment, dreams, Easter Sunday, fearful sheep, for unto you it is given, fuelled their hearts, Gentiles, get down and dirty, glorifying, Good Friday, guidance, guilt, in behalf of Christ, interloper, Jerusalem, Jesus, Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, John, Joseph of Arimathea, Judas, lies, LOVE, magnifying, meaning, miracles, mock, mock trial, Nicodemus, objective, Palm Sunday, Passover, persecution, Peter, philosophy, purpose, remorse, salvation, scattered to the four winds, scourge, sermons, serving, shepherd, suffering, the disciple Jesus loved, the Son of man, threat, to believe on him, to die is gain, to live is Christ, to suffer for his sake, total disaaray, trials, tribulations, troublemaker, wine and rose
Philippians 1:29. For unto you it is given in behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake.
Well friends, all the Good Friday hoopla is finally over. The feast of the Passover is in progress. The Romans and the ruling Jewish class are happy that Jesus the interloper, troublemaker and very possible threat to their power and political status is dead. They are exhaling a big sigh of relief and resting satisfied in the culmination of their most heinous and criminal act; causing Jesus to be crucified on lies and circumstantial evidence.
Thanks to Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, His lifeless body is now lying in a new tomb sealed by a big rock, with soldiers guarding it, so that there is no chance of any mischief from His rag tag band of followers.
Meanwhile, in reality, that group of followers have fled hither, thither and yon, fearful for their own lives, because of their association with Jesus. Sincere disappointment also clouds their spirits, because they had had such high hopes for and in their leader. All His great sermons and miracles and wonderful philosophy had fuelled their hearts and minds with dreams of a much better and brighter day.
But now, in the blink of an eye, after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem some six days earlier, (Palm Sunday) everything had suddenly been turned topsy-turvy by His sudden betrayal, arrest, mock trial and death on that wooden cross at Calvary. I guess, like any of us mired in a similarly difficult situation, they were wondering what would become of their lives, since they had given up everything to follow Jesus.
Judas, His betrayer, has gone and hung himself, remorse and guilt having gotten the better of him. Then Peter, who had denied knowing Jesus three times, was tearing out his hair, wondering how he could have done something that stupid and cowardly. Mary, Jesus’ mother, per His dying directive, had gone to live with John, the disciple whom He LOVED. And the once solid band of believers was now in total disarray.
It had all happened so suddenly that they had all been taken by surprise, although Jesus had tried to warn them of His impending troubles. As they were going up to Jerusalem, to celebrate the Feast of the Passover, Jesus had tried to tell them what was about to happen.
‘Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles (Roman rulers): and they shall mock him, and shall scourge (flog) him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again.’ (Mark 10:33-34)
But obviously none of them were paying serious attention to His words. Even the night of the Last Supper, when He informed them that one of the group would betray Him, they still didn’t take it seriously, although they all wondered and asked if it was them. But now things had come to up bump; the Master was dead, and they were like lost, fearful sheep scattered to the four winds, without the LOVE and guidance of their shepherd.
Yes friends, that was the general state of affairs in Jerusalem, come Saturday morning. I guess it taught that first band of believers a serious lesson; namely that being associated with Jesus could be a dangerous endeavour, entailing suffering and persecution.
I sincerely hope it has also taught us that too, some two thousand years later, as our Bit details. ‘For unto you it is given in behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake.’
It’s not all wine and roses my people, we ofttimes have to get down and dirty and also suffer some on Jesus behalf. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great life, and I wouldn’t trade it for any other, but like life itself, there are problems and difficulties to encounter, bear and overcome, obviously with Jesus’ help.
As Bruh Paul declares earlier in the chapter: ‘For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.’ (Phil.1:21)
And the scholars tell us: ‘1:21. For explains why Paul is just as happy to magnify the Lord by death as by life (v.20). It is because to him, to live is Christ. He means that living consists of serving and glorifying the Son of God; apart from this, his life has neither meaning nor purpose.
But why is Paul just as content to magnify Christ by death? Because to him to die is gain; that is even though living and serving God are good, death is a graduation to something better: it is a promotion to the heavenly presence of Christ and perfect fellowship with Him.’
Now friends, all of that is perfectly true, but like most of you, I don’t think I’m ready for that heavenly promotion just yet. I still have a lot of serving and magnifying and glorifying to do down here on earth. (smile)
But seriously though my people, like Bruh Paul, our main objective, whether down here on earth, or in heaven on high should be to seriously magnify Christ. That ought to be our basic desire; whatever we do or say should have God’s glorification as its number ONE objective.
Yuh see all the really rough times Bruh Paul went through fearlessly for Christ’s sake! And Christ brought him safely through them all! Now most of us won’t have to go through anything like that, but we will meet opposition and even persecution, if we become and behave like serious followers of Christ.
Now that is the number ONE question: how many of us are willing to go through trials and tribulation in Christ’s service?
And what better day to ponder and consider that question my people, than on the Saturday between Good Friday, when Christ sacrificed His life on the cross, and Easter Sunday, when He rose triumphantly from the grave?
Please, let’s all do that today nuh. And hopefully we’ll all come up with the same resounding answer: ‘Yes! We will go to the grave magnifying our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! After what He’s done for us, we can do nothing less!’
Now let’s go out and put that promise into action this Easter Saturday nuh, before we have time to think about it and change our minds. (smile) Much LOVE!
…by His stripes we are healed…by His precious blood shed on the cross we are saved…thank You Jesus for salvation…
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