29 Mar 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abundance, as it is written, awesome relationship with God, be sent, belief in Jesus, blessed, bring glad tidings, call on, call upon the name of the Lord, captivity, Christ's cross, Christ's gospel, comapssionate heart, courage, creativity, curse, Daily Bread Devotional, dilemma, essential to belief, expensive price, faith, favour, friends of God, give back, glory to God, God reigns, God sends, God's Holy Will, good news, good things, hear, hearing, Holy Thursday, how beautiful, in the name of Jesus, indisputable truth, iniversal proclamation, Isaiah, knowledge, LOVE, negative word, no better news than the gospel, Old Testament, on our behalf, paid for our freedom, pains my heart, paramount, passe, preach, preach the gospel, proclaims peace, prosperity, sacrifice of Jesus, Salvation is from God, saved, selfless sacrifice, share our blessings, stalwartly endured, success, surrender, tad tardy, take everything for granted, talent, thanks and praise, the bondages of sin, the feet of them, the Son is shining, Thursday Blessings, trust, truth, wisdom, without a preacher, Zion
Romans 10:15. And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
Ah mih people, it’s a somewhat dark and dreary looking Holy Thursday morning, and I’m making my apologies right up front. (smile) I’m a tad tardy today because I went to bed somewhat later than normal last night, or rather this morning.
But not to worry, everything’s in fine shape. The sun might not be shining but the SON definitely is, and no more brighter than on this penultimate day before we celebrate His selfless sacrifice on our behalf some two thousand years ago.
Give Him plenty thanks and praise my fellow believers, for when I think about what He so stalwartly endured for us, it severely pains my heart, although I know that if He hadn’t done it, our lives would not be as wonderful as they are today.
And this quote from a Daily Bread Devotional shows exactly what I’m talking about. ‘Because of Christ’s cross, we can become friends of God.’ Yeh friends, it’s as simple as that. If Christ had not gone to the cross, we would not be able to have the wonderful and awesome relationship we now have with Almighty God!
Mama Mia! How blessed we are but don’t truly recognize or appreciate it! Too many of us just seem to take everything for granted, but that’s not how it ought to be. A serious and most expensive price was paid for our freedom from the bondages of sin, and now we are expected to be grateful and give back something in return.
And we’re talking about things like belief in Jesus, trust, and surrender to His Holy will, living and working diligently for Him. And as another Daily Bread quote tells us: ‘There is no better news than the gospel – spread it.’ Yes my fellow believers, spreading the good news of Christ’s gospel is paramount in our living for and serving Him, because that’s how others will know and understand what He died for and come to also believe in Him.
For as Bruh Paul so plainly wrote in his missive to the church at Rome: ‘For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ (Rom.10:13) But then he puts forth the dilemma inherent in accomplishing that task. ‘How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?’ (Rom.10:14)
Now those are all important questions re the furthering of the gospel: how can people believe and hear and thus call on God if no one tells them about Christ eh? That’s impossible. Thus the next verse in Bruh Paul’s message, which is our Bit for today.
‘And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!’ And that’s the indisputable truth my friends and faithful believers! There’s nothing as beautiful in this whole wide world as the preaching of the good news of Christ’s gospel! Glory to God!
And the scholars offer this explanation: ‘10:14-15. In presenting the universal proclamation of the gospel, Paul presents the reasons why a universal proclamation is necessary: first, because the call must be preceded by faith; second, because faith must be preceded by hearing.
This shows that knowledge is essential to belief. Faith must have a valid content; third, because hearing requires a preacher; fourth, because preaching requires being sent. The One who sends is God. Salvation is completely from God.’
And we all know that indelible truth my brethren! Without God and His great unconditional LOVE and concern for us, there’d be NO salvation whatsoever!
Now here’s a li’l something for those of us who think that the Old Testament is passé, but that’s where Bruh Paul got the basis for his proclamation above. Listen to Isaiah as he reassures his people that the Lord will deliver Zion from captivity.
‘How beautiful upon the mountain are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings (good news), that publisheth (proclaims) peace; that bringeth good tidings of good (good news of good things), that publisheth (proclaims) salvation; that saith unto Zion, thy God reigneth!’ (Is.52:7)
And several thousands of years later my fellow believers in Jesus Christ, that is still the absolute truth! Our God reigns supreme in the universe that He created! And He HAS brought salvation to us through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ! Oh what better news can there be eh? NONE WHATSOEVER! Glory to God my brethren!
Now let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings, that our wonderful God has so magnanimously showered down on us because we believe. With strong conviction now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance!
I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life!
I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
And if we sincerely believe that, then let’s go out and share those awesome blessings with others as Jesus desires. Much LOVE!
…believers lives and words…ought to be all about sharing the good news of Christ…
28 Mar 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a god of judgement, a wonderful God, alleviating my sickness, alter your word, always comes through, blessed, catastrophe, closure, common grind, confident, daily task, dependent trust in God, doubting Thomas, doubts, emotions, encouraged, exalt His holy name, eyes fixed straight ahead, face it honestly, faithful believers, firmly established, forgive me, fortify my will, gain in doubting, glory to God, God can do anything, God is a big God, God is good, God's hand of love, God's time, God's truth, halfway home, hands on the plough, hope, I will wait, in the hospital, invasive surgery, justice, lesson to learn, limiting you, LOVE, major illnesses, make all things right, make me strong, may be gracious to you, may have mercy on you, mind-boggling, miracle, mitigating factor, not looking back, One Year Book of Bible promises, our benefit, our time, our truth, persistent questions, personal choice, praying for a miracle, purify my heart, rely on god's promises, Ruth Harms Calkin, sense God's presence, strange twsiting of my life, strengthen thine heart, testify, the breath of life, the living God, the Lord will be exalted, they that wait for him, to no avail, trust, undeserving children of men, unforgettable night, ups and downs, wait, wait in faith, waiting, Wednesday Wail, will the Lord wait, working in the background, you are good
Isaiah 30:18. And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore he will be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgement (justice): blessed are all they that wait for him.
Well friends, I slept in my own bed last night, and it wasn’t half bad! At least the ole back isn’t aching nearly as much as that unforgettable night I spent in the hospital, and it was much easier to get up from too. Glory to God! So this morning we’re back to the daily task and common grind and I just have to wait and see what the Lord has in mind now.
Over the past year I’ve been trying my best to get some closure on my major illnesses, but all to no avail. And for a moment there, I thought the Lord had finally decided it was time to do what seemed necessary, but obviously I was wrong.
And as He is so famous for doing, He even led me to this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin simply titled ‘I Will Wait.’ Yuh get the message? (smile)
Please pray with me: ‘O Lord Today I must face it honestly with You By pursuing the persistent questions within me. God, is there any gain at all by my doubting? Do doubts make me stronger? Do they purify my heart? Fortify my will? Are my emotions firmly established by my doubts? Are my family and friends encouraged?
On the other hand, God Even though I see no possible way out Of the catastrophe I now face Is there anything more pleasing to You Than my personal choice to trust You? I know it is true, Lord I must rely on Your promises in the end. Would You be glorified, dear God If I trusted You now at the early beginning?
O God, forgive me For so limiting You. Surely you know exactly what you will do. You are God, so You will not alter Your Word. Your power is instantly operative In all the strange twisting of my life. You are God, so You are good. I will hope I will trust I will wait On the living God!’
Yeh mih people, that is a lesson we must all learn if we are to be faithful believers. And I’ve learned it a tad in a hard manner over the last couple days. What seems to be our truth, isn’t always God’s. And what seems to be our time, isn’t always His either. We just have to learn to wait expectantly and with a good attitude until He finally decides to allow whatever He thinks is necessary to happen.
And that’s not always easy, especially when it’s to do with sickness. But from my experiences in this past year, I can definitely say that God is good! I’ve had plenty of ups and downs, but there was always some mitigating factor to ease the downs. He never just left me alone to go through my problems by myself. I could always see His hand working in the background, possibly not as much or how I would have liked, but I could always sense His presence.
And even when He was not alleviating my sickness, I could still feel His hand of LOVE moving as He gave me some of my heart’s desires. They certainly made up for some of the disappointment with the illness. That’s why today, I can testify that we serve such a wonderful God! He doesn’t always do what we want or when we want it, but He ALWAYS comes through in the end!
And though I’ve had this setback with the heart problem, I know that eventually, when He is good and ready, He will make all things right. Give Him thanks and praise, my people, exalt His holy name for He is certainly good to us, sinful and undeserving children of men!
And I have to chuckle here, because I never really intended to testify, but the Lord seems to have drawn it out of me unconsciously. And not only that, but the Lord has just shown me our doubting Thomas’ way, because from the very beginning I’ve been praying for a miracle, where I’d have to go through no invasive surgery, but now that it might have happened, I can’t truly believe or accept it.
And that’s how we are friends; we pray for big things but when they do happen, we find it difficult to accept them. But just remember that our God is a Big God and He can do ANYTHING. So if we pray big prayers, let’s not be surprised when they happen.
And the scripture promise for our poem today is also our Bit; wise and wonderful words of the prophet Isaiah as he appeals to his people to turn to the Lord for help. ‘And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore he will be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgement (justice): blessed are all they that wait for him.’
Yes friends, if God can wait for us, so can we wait for Him. And remember it’s all for our benefit, not for His. The scholars offer this wise explanation. ’30:18-33. Because God is gracious and has been willing to wait for His people to return to Him, He will certainly bless those who wait for him. “Waiting” is a confident and dependent trust in God.’ And so it is my brethren.
Now let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail in strong voice and sincere sense of purpose, letting the world know that we are truly and seriously involved with our God and Friend, Jesus. Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And it will indeed be a glorious future, more mind boggling than we can ever think or imagine! Much LOVE!
…Wait (in faith)…on the Lord…and he shall strengthen thine heart…wait (in faith)…I say…on the Lord. (Ps.27:14)
26 Mar 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adversity, an even keel, aura of love, battlefield of life, confidence, conquered the world, conquering hell, dark door of death, disbelief, doubt, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, excitement, faith, fearful, friends, given us the victory, glory to God, have Jesus in our hearts, humble servants, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, lies, living for Jesus, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, mortal life, nothing is impossible with God, O ye of little faith, peace, push comes to shove, put up or shut up, reams of faith, rebuked, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, sacrificially, salvation, same old, save us, selflessly, shining gate of life, sinful ways, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, struggling, the name that's above all others, trust, truth, ungodly world, waffle, whine, why are ye fearful, wiles, wisdom, with God's help, workweek cycle
Matthew 8:26a. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?
Here we go again friends; one more time around the workweek cycle. I know it’s tiring and otherwise; the same old, same old, but that’s just life. We can only have so much fun and excitement in this mortal life before we get overwhelmed, so the constant work cycle is here to keep us on an even keel. (smile)
But yuh know what, when we’re sincerely living for and in Jesus, that bland, oftimes hard and controversial cycle doesn’t bother us at all, because we know that Jesus has already conquered the world and all its evil, sinful ways, and given us the victory. Glory to God my brethren!
Yeh, so though it’s hard to get up and go out to work every week, it’s just something we have to do, and when we have Jesus in our hearts, it makes it that much easier. And on days like these, when we’re struggling, it’s ever so important to sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, which brings us such solace and encouragement and gets our adrenaline running. So let’s sing it with as much enthusiasm as we can muster.
Altogether 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!’
Mama Mia! Doesn’t that just lift your spirits my brethren! It surely does. Now let’s get ourselves together and join our Leader and Field General, Jesus Christ, on the battlefield of life, as we fight to subdue the unbelieving hordes and bring them to salvation and eternal life, in His name. Amen!
And as we journey through this Holy Week, where Jesus suffered so many trials, moving from His triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, to His crucifixion on Good Friday, and His resurrection on Easter Sunday, here is a li’l something very appropriate for us to remember. It comes from one of the Daily Bread Devotionals, and says: ‘Jesus has replaced the dark door of death with the shining gate of Life!’
Glory be my faithful friends! For that’s exactly what He’s done, through conquering hell, death and the grave, then rising triumphantly back to life, so that we too can have life in the ever after. That’s why we should never give Jesus occasion to ask us this rather embarrassing question, as stated in our Bit. ‘And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?’
Yes my fellow believers, Jesus asked that question of His disciples, men who had been with Him for some time and seen Him do so many miracles. But yet, when they got caught in a storm, aboard a ship, and He lay sleeping quietly in the back, in considerable fright, they awakened Him, saying, ‘Lord, save us: we perish.’ (Matt.8:25).
That’s when Jesus awoke and rebuked them with the words of our Bit. ‘And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea: and there was great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man id this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!’ (Matt.8:26-27)
Oh precious people of Christ, please let’s not allow ourselves to fall into that trap of doubt and disbelief. Remember what we said at the beginning of our Monday Morning Battle Hymn? ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein!’ That means if the Lord created the winds and the seas and everything in the world, therefore He ought to have control over them.
And we keep bleating that nothing is impossible with God, but do we truly believe it when push comes to shove and some circumstance faces us that needs God’s almighty power? That’s where true faith comes in my brethren! That’s when God calls us to put up or shut up!
Oh, it’s never easy to call up great reams of faith amidst adversity, but with God’s help, we can certainly do it. So let’s remember why Christ died and rose again, and keep on fighting the good fight of faith, so that we can faithfully acknowledge all that He’s done so sacrificially and selflessly for us. Much LOVE!
…the true believer…doesn’t whine and waffle in times of calamity…but remembers Jesus’ work…and stands strong and steadfast in His name… the one that’s above all other names……
19 Mar 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living
Tags: almighty god, aura of love, Christians, conquerors, enthusiasm, friends, God's wondrous works, good tidings, grumbling, harbinger, holy spirit, humble servants, humility eager expectation, invincible, Jesus, joy, judgements of his mouth, killing two birds with one stone, lies, LOVE, Love of Jesus, loving kindness, meditate, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my light, peace, raise our spirits, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, remember thy wonders of old, renewed vitality, salvation, seek the Lord, seek ye my face, sing psalms, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, taunts, trust, truth, ungodly world, verve, wiles, wisdom, with all your heart
Psalm 105:4. Seek the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore.
Welcome to the new workweek friends, and its harbinger of good tidings, Monday! (smile) Yeh, Monday is a blessed day; we get to go out and work and make some money and also share the word and LOVE of Jesus. Now what could be more important and blessed than that eh? Nothing really! We’re killing two birds with one stone…
And I hear some of you grumbling that you don’t want to hear no nonsense about Monday being blessed, etc. etc. cause you’re having a hard enough time getting up. Oh I know that it’s not always easy to roll out of bed on a Monday morning, and that all of us suffer the Monday Blues at some time or other, and that’s why we have our Monday Morning Battle Hymn; a most effective antidote for just such occasions.
So let’s raise our voices in song, with as much enthusiasm and verve that we can muster, and simultaneously allow it to raise our spirits. ‘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!’
Now doesn’t that make you feel better? I’m sure it does! Now you do feel more energized and alive, not only ready, but also willing and able to go out and face the cruel and evil world in which we dwell and give them heck, in Jesus name! That’s why we are constantly advised in the Good Book to look to Jehovah God for whatever we need.
Hear this example from Psalm 105 – God‘s wondrous works in behalf of Israel which includes our Bit. ‘O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works.
Glory ye in his holy name, let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. Seek the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore. Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgements of his mouth.’ (Ps.105:1-5)
Ah friends, what great advice! And that’s exactly what we’ve done this morning; we’ve cried out to Him in song, noting His power and LOVING-kindness, and placing our supplications before Him, asking for mercy, LOVE and guidance to do His will and His work diligently and sincerely in the tough situations that we face as we encounter the evil enemy.
And you’ll notice how after singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn our spirits were lifted. That’s the Lord answering our pleas. It’s therefore necessary to keep regular communication with our heavenly Father, if we want to enjoy the fruits of the relationship.
And also of the utmost important my fellow believers, is that last verse we quoted above: ‘Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgements of his mouth.’ (Ps.105:5) By so doing friends, we not only exalt and glorify the Lord, but we also remind ourselves of His might and power and all the good stuff He’s done earlier on in our lives and His promises to keep on blessing and looking after us.
We need to remember that if He’s done it once before, there’s no reason He won’t do it again, and that builds our faith, keeps us strong, gives us confidence to come before Him with humility, but also eager expectation. As the psalmist Asaph declares in Psalm 77 – Who is so great a God as our God?
‘I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders of old. I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of all thy doings. Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary (holiness): who is so great a God as our God?’( Ps.77:11-13) And the emphatic answer to that my people is simply ‘NOBODY!’
And we’ll close with these wise words of Bruh David from Psalm 27 – The Lord is my light and my salvation. ‘When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.’ (Ps. 27:8) Yeh friends, that’s wisdom at its highest, for unless we seek the Lord’s face, all our other plans and efforts will be futile. Much LOVE!
…and ye shall seek me…and find me…when ye shall search for me…with all your heart… (Jer.29:13)
16 Mar 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glowing example, abundantly, afflictions, Beelzebub, body soul mind, bondage of work, cause trouble, choose Jesus, christ jesus, Christians, circumspect, come up higher, common sense, confirm, conscious, damnation, destroy, devour, dominion, each step I take, eternal life, eternal separation, faith dictates, fame, fellowship, fleeting, for me and mine, forgiveness, Friday chant, fun, furthering your glorious kingdom, generous help, glory, grace, have life, have our wits about us, hell fire, in Jesus name, in stride, intent, James brown, jesus army, jig, keep Jesus first place, kill, let our hair down, let the good times roll, LOVE, Lucifer, make you perfect, mercy, mortal life, no contenst, on the lookout, power, purpose, refreshed, relaxation, resist, rest, salvation, seeking whom he may devour, sense of purpose, settle you, sober, soldiers, spirit, spiritual foe, stand strong, stay on the good foot, steadfast, steal, strengthen, suffered, taunts, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the devil, the thief, the workingman's song, trust, victorious, vigilant, walks about, wealth, week of work, weekends, wiles, wisdom, wise provision, with God's help, 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.
Well, well, well, if it isn’t Friday, that much looked forward to day! And a grateful sigh can be heard all over the land. Hn, hn! How we do look forward to our couple of days off eh. And no one gets more excited about it than the ordinary workingman, as he sings his song and does his li’l jig.
‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! The last day of work for this wretched week! The massa and foreman were both in nasty frame of minds, so they come down on us especially hard this week. Hn! But yuh know what? Is my time, we time now! Nobody to give us orders and talk to us rough and ready, like we foolish.
For two whole long big days, we going to do exactly as we want. So as the man says…let the good times roll! Roll on good times…roll on! And thank God for Fridays and weekends, that give us a much needed break from the bondage of work!’
Yeh friends, some weeks of work are definitely harder than others, but as Christians, with God’s help, we are expected to take them all in stride. Our Lord and Saviour expects much more from us than the ordinary workingman. We have to be a glowing example to them of grace, and mercy, of LOVE and forgiveness.
That means we have to come up higher, which isn’t always easy. Consequently, our Friday Chant is so much different to the workingman’s song. We can’t let our hair down completely as he can. We need to be more circumspect and conscious of the world around us.
So let’s chant up a storm now nuh. In unison, with a strong sense of purpose: ‘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.’
Ah mih breddren, our faith dictates, that we, as Brother James Brown said so long ago, ‘stay on the good foot!’ (smile) Yes, we need to be on the lookout for anything that will try to turn us away from Jesus. And believe you me, there are indeed lots of things and people in this evil world that will be only too glad to do so.
But please remember, we are soldiers in the army of Jesus, fighting against the evil spiritual foe, and every soldier is always temperate and cautious, on the lookout for the enemy, especially in the least expected places. That means we can’t go about this life in a willy-nilly fashion, but need to have our wits about us all the time, because the enemy is at work ALL THE TIME!
Thus the call to remember Peter’s serious warning in our Bit: ‘Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.’
Yeh mih people, the ole crook Beelzebub is always on the lookout for even the smallest way to cause trouble in our lives and steal our joy. And as Jesus said: ‘The thief cometh not, but for (except) to steal, and to kill, and to destroy…’ (John 10:10a) And that’s Lucifer’s whole purpose and intent, when he tries to get into our lives.
However, Jesus continues: ‘I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10b) So whom are you going to trust eh; someone who is only out to cause havoc, or someone who comes bringing joy and abundant life? Wisdom and common sense shout ‘Choose Jesus!’
Unfortunately though, a large portion of our world are listening to the evil voices that keep tantalizingly whispering in their ear; ‘Choose Lucifer…and get all the wealth, fame and power in the world!’ But yuh know what friends, those things are fleeting, just like the world is, and they will not last, nor bring you salvation or eternal life.
So what happens to your spirit, when your body departs this mortal life and returns to the dust from whence it came eh? The ONLY thing possible then will be eternal separation from Almighty God and living in hell fire and damnation with Lucifer, whom you chose above Jesus.
Let me remind us friends, that our mortal bodies will soon shrivel up and die, but our spirits will live forever. That means we need to make wise provision for eternal living. That’s all I can say. And we’ll end with the continued warning from Peter.
‘Whom (the devil) resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in (experienced by) your brethren that are in the world. 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. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.’ (1 Pet. 5:9-11)
Yes my fellow believers, we will ALL suffer some in this world, but if we are serious about Jesus, through His grace we will be able to withstand the evil wiles and taunts of the enemy, and come out victorious. So please, let’s hang in there nuh, don’t lose faith, stand strong and steadfast, and keep Jesus first place in our lives. Much LOVE!
…so whom will you choose…as for me and mine….there’s no contest…we choose JESUS…
13 Mar 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a coward, a grain of salt, a loving manner, a snowy morning, all things work together for good, an arduous process, are called to his purpose, backs me in a corner, beautiful faith, become more like Jesus, childlike, Christian living, Christian maturity, christianity, cunning craftiness, curt, disaster, emotional, faithful believer, friend of Jesus, giants, God's promise, grace, grief, grow in grace, growing spiritually, has a purpose, heartaches, hurry, I can see, I want to grow, in Jesus' name, in the image of Jesus, Jesus Christ, long slow process, lonliness, look beyond, Love God, mifget, need help, negative stuff, North Eastern U.S, now and for ever, One Year Book of Bible promises, our Lord and Saviour, pain, physical, pitfalls, positive use, pray, present darkness, put in the effort, reassuring scripture, Ruth Harms Calkin, sarcastic, share jesus' love, sleight of men, sojourners, something positive, sound doctrine, speaking the truth, spring has not sprung, steadfastness, strangers, take heart, takes time, the beloved of God, the knowledge of god, the Lord's second Coming, the present world, thorough instruction, to him be glory, to those who love God, trickery, trust, Tuesday Mantra, unkind, winter, winter storm, worry, worth the waiting
2 Peter 3:18. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever.
And then it was a snowy Tuesday morning…not a whole lot of the white stuff, but certainly sufficient to cover everything and remind us that it’s still winter. Yeh, though we’ve been having some fairly mild temps recently, Ole Man Winter thought it necessary to remind us that spring has not yet sprung. (smile)
And talking about winter; they say things happens in threes, and in the case of the North Eastern U.S. they are probably right, because for the third time in two weeks another winter storm is bludgeoning the area. Ah Lord eh!
Let’s pray for them friends, and do whatever we can to help them otherwise, even if it’s just calling or texting or somehow communicating with those in the affected areas to find out how they are doing. For we never know when we’ll be affected by some disaster and need their help.
And today I want to share something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that points out some of the trauma and drama in our spiritual growth. It’s titled, ‘Worth the Waiting.’
Please read with me: ‘Growing spiritually is such a long, slow process! It’s painful too. Every day at the turn of the road I become acquainted with new pitfalls and heartaches. Sometimes the pain backs me into a corner. For example: There is a woman I know who is so sarcastic, so curt and unkind. Am I ever excused? Is forgiveness always a part of my growth?
So often I feel like a spiritual midget while my husband and friends appear to be spiritual giants. I seem to shrink in my own home. Another thing: I confess I’m a coward about pain. Emotional pain. Physical pain. The pain of loneliness, the pain of grief. Yet, again and again it is true.
What I must learn in my pain is that it’s leading to something positive, something beyond what I can see in the present darkness. I do want to grow! I want to become more and more like Jesus. Even though it takes so long, surely it is worth the waiting.’
And it is indeed worth the waiting my fellow believers! Oh my brethren, growing in anything at all takes time and can be an arduous process, but like it is with Jesus, the end will all be worth it. And I know many of us want to grow spiritually but are having a hard time wading through all the stuff that it entails.
But take heart, everything we go through in being recreated in the image of Jesus has a purpose. God never throws away anything in our lives, even the negative, painful stuff, He always puts them to good, positive use. That’s why Bruh Paul writes this very reassuring scripture in the word: ‘And we know that all things work together for good to those that LOVE God, to them who are called according to his purpose.’ (Rom.8:28)
Yeh friends, if we LOVE God and are called to do His work, then everything will work out good eventually. It’s God’s promise, and as a faithful believer, you are expected to accept it…without a grain of salt. (smile) And the Bible Promise for the reading above is also our Bit for today. But before we get to it, let’s hear what Peter says to the early believers who were living in the hope of the Lord’s coming.
‘Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before (beforehand)…’ And he’s talking about the Lord’s Second Coming and how we’re looking for a new heaven, and all the stuff that Bruh Paul has written, some of which is hard to do. (2 Pet. 3:1-16)
‘…beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.’ (2 Pet. 3:17-18).
Oh my people, Christianity is indeed a beautiful faith; the most beautiful, but it is also time consuming and calls for a lot of effort and sacrifice! But it’s all worth it! As the scholars explain: ‘Peter urges his readers to look beyond the present world to the new heavens and a new earth characterized by righteousness.’
And so should we be looking forward to coming in glory of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Remember this earth is not our home; we are merely strangers and sojourners here. Heaven is our real home. We should therefore look forward to it.
But to do that we have to be strong and steadfast, like Bruh Paul warned the Ephesians in talking about the new life in Christ. ‘That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight (trickery) of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby thy lie in wait to deceive. But speaking the truth in LOVE, may grow up to him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.’ (Eph.4:14-15)
Oh friends, to grow spiritually means we must stop being childlike and put in the effort to grow in all aspects of Christian living. And if we do so sincerely, God will give us the grace we need to become more like Christ, each and every day.
Now let’s go home telling the world who and whose we are. Let’s shout out our Tuesday Mantra as though we really mean it. ‘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!’
Now let’s go out and action those things in Jesus’ name. Much LOVE!
…‘Christian maturity is attained in part…by thorough instruction…in sound doctrine…given in a LOVING manner…’
12 Mar 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a good attitude, armour, aura of love, be ashamed, be strong in the Lord, Calvary, carrying His cross, cast off, chastened, chastised, Christians, complaining, confidence, diligence, drunkenness, enthusiasm, excellence, far spent, figuratively, for our sakes, friends, fulfill the lusts, gave up the ghost, good fight of faith, griping, having done all, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, laziness, licentiousness, lies, light, literally, LOVE, manifest works, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Monday's door, night, pain, power of God's might, procrastination, put on the armour of light, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, revelry, salvation, shame, spiritual armour, stand, steadfast faith, sufferation, surrender, taunts, the day is at hand, the enemy, the whole armour of God, the works of darkness, to labour, trust, truth, under Christ's banner, ungodly world, victorious, walk honestly, wantonness, wiles, wisdom
Romans 13:12. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
Well here we are once more at Monday’s door, my fellow believers in Christ. And we all know what that means; to labour, to labour, and yet to labour! Yes as the Good Book says, if we want to eat and have a roof over our heads, then we must work. (smile)
So let’s get ourselves together to go out and do just that nuh…and with a good attitude too, no griping and complaining. Did you hear Jesus griping and complaining when they were beating and ridiculing Him, or when He was carrying His cross to Calvary, or when He hung there for six hours until He gave up the Ghost?
No way Jose! He endured the serious pain and shame and terrible ‘sufferation’ without a complaining word, all for our sakes. And now, in the midst of prosperity and easy living, we find it hard to get up and do a li’l work so we can eat and glorify His holy name. Chuh mih people! We should be ashamed of ourselves!
And now that we’ve been properly chastened and chastised, (smile) let’s raise our voices, our hearts and spirits in a moving and uplifting rendition of our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. Altogether 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!’
Beautiful mih people, beautiful! I could feel our spirits rising as we got into the meat of the song. Now let’s keep that adrenaline flowing as we head out to fight the good fight of faith in another week of work, under Christ’s everlasting and victorious banner.
That brings us to our Bit: wise words of warning from Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. ‘The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.’
And friends, this morning I want us to take that statement both literally and figuratively. Literally, in the sense that the night is over and daylight has come, that means no more sleeping and hiding out from whatever we have to do, no more laziness and procrastination, but actually getting out into the daylight and being about Jesus’ business.
And we do that by walking in the real light, doing what is right, and letting others experience the true aura of Jesus’ LOVE flowing from us. That’s basically the physical aspect of the situation.
And Bruh Paul spelled out how we ought to walk in the night. ‘Let us walk honestly (properly), as in the day; not in rioting (revelry) and drunkenness, not in chambering (licentiousness) and wantonness (lewdness), not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.’ (Rom.13:13-14)
Yeh mih people, we have to be very careful of all we do in these last days and not give the enemy any leeway into our lives. Now here are some explanations from the scholars. ’13:11-12. Sleep means insensitivity to the demands of Christ on the Christian’s life. Now is our salvation nearer: The coming of Christ to deliver us from this sinful world grows nearer every day.
The night is the time while Christ is out of the world, and the world has been delivered into the control of the prince of the power of the air (Eph.2:2). The day is the reference to the time when Christ will return and establish His reign of righteousness.’
13:14. Make not provision for the flesh. One should not seek opportunities to satisfy the deep-seated desires of the sin nature, but should seek occasion to manifest works that are consistent with the new life in Christ.’
Ah my fellow believers, it is not an easy task we’re called to accomplish, but we CAN DO IT, with the Lord’s help, as Bruh Paul explains: ‘Finally my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil…
Wherefore take unto you, (take up, put on) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand.’ (Eph.6:10-11,13)
Yeh friends, it’s the only way to come up above the enemy and be victorious. So let’s put our all into it nuh…for Jesus’ sake. Much LOVE!
…victory only comes…through diligence and excellence…
09 Mar 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all the way, be disciplined, benefit of Christ's death, boundaries, by faith, call upon, calls to heaven, carnal song, chant up a storm, Christians, Day of Pentecost, deliverance, doing absolutely nothing, drinking, easy, eating, endanger our salvation, enjoy days off, evil enemy, expensively bought, fellowship, free, Friday chant, Fridays, fun, furthering God's kingdom, generous help, God's saving grace, great sermon, guilt, healing, heaven's golden gates, heavenly advocate, higher spiritual level, illicit stuff, in Jesus name, infiltrate our souls, Joel, keep our wits about us, lash we, lessen our Love, let it all hang out, live out God's word, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, lustful, momentous day, never refused, no more slaving, Old Testament, on a different plane, outpouring of God's Spirit, partying, penalty of sin, Peter, preservation, proverbial whip, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, rest, restraints, resurrection, ruin our witness, sacrificed, safety, salvation, shall be saved, sinless life, so great salvation, soundness, step out of bounds, subjective changes, suffer, surrender, tearing up the place, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the Holy Ghost, the name of the Lord, to dwell in believers, trust, turned away, vernacular, week of work, weekends, whosoever, workingman, workweek
Romans 10:13. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Well dear friends, family and fellow believers, we’ve come to the end of another work week. Another enticing and heartily looked forward to Friday is upon us. And with it also comes the workingman’s enthusiastic though somewhat carnal song.
‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! No more slaving for an evil and greedy massa for a couple of days. Wow! And are we ever going to enjoy them days off; eating, drinking, partying, relaxing, doing absolutely nothing if we want to, and also tearing up the place if we so desire.
Is our time to do whatever we want, however we want with no overseer holding the proverbial whip above we heads, ready to lash we, if we step out of bounds! Thank God for Fridays and weekends yes, otherwise I don’t what we’d do nuh!’
Ah friends, how good it would be, if as Christians, we could sometimes just let it all hang out on the weekends, without any restraints or boundaries, do whatever we want, however and whenever we so desire.
But our Lord and Saviour, Leader and King, Friend and Heavenly Advocate desires us to be on a different plane to the ordinary workingman. He wants us to concentrate on rising up to a higher spiritual level, that’s why our Friday Chant is so much different to his Friday song.
And why is that you ask? Because He doesn’t want the evil enemy to infiltrate our souls and spirits and thereby lessen our LOVE for, and trust in Him. That would just ruin our witness and endanger our salvation, which He so expensively bought, sacrificed with His sinless life. So let’s chant up a storm now nuh, declaring our weekend duties and festivities. (smile)
Altogether 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.’
Ah mih people, that doesn’t mean we don’t get to have fun, but just not the carnal, lustful, going all the way, illicit stuff that the world classifies as fun. We need to keep our wits about us, be disciplined, so that we can live out God’s word in the best possible manner. And anything that’s going to prevent us from doing it, is definitely not welcome in our lives.
Oh by the way, let me clarify something I said in yesterday’s Bit. A friend challenged me about the validity of calling the storm in the U.S. ‘a wicked storm.’ He thought I meant the storm was evil, but that wasn’t so at all. In the vernacular, it just meant that it was a strong, terrible, severe, or bad storm. There was no intent whatsoever to classify it as evil. I just wanted to clarify that, in case any other of you readers felt the same way.
Now here is today’s Bit. ‘For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ Simple but strong and truthful words my brethren! Whoever calls upon the Lord’s name and asked to be saved SHALL BE SAVED! No ifs ands or buts about it!
Bruh Paul is here quoting the words of the prophet Joel from the Old Testament, when he talks about the outpouring of God’s spirit; namely the Holy Ghost coming to dwell in believers one day. (Joel 2:28-32) And we know that happened on the Day of Pentecost. (Acts 2:4) And on that momentous day, in his great sermon, Peter also quoted the words of Joel above. (Acts 2:17-21)
Yeh friends, salvation is fairly easy, and free too. You just have to believe that Jesus died on the cross to pay for your sin, and then surrender your life and entrust it to Him to lead and guide you as He desires. But unfortunately for some, that’s too easy. Unless they have to suffer and sacrifice they figure they can’t attain heaven’s golden gates.
But then you ask what exactly is salvation? Listen to the scholars. ‘10:13. Salvation is the most common biblical expression used to identify the subjective changes in people’s lives, when by faith they have received the benefit of the Christ’s death and resurrection. The term implies deliverance, safety, preservation, healing, and soundness.
It occurs in Scripture in three phases. First, the Christian has been saved from the guilt and penalty of sin (Eph.2: 5,8). Second, the Christian is being saved from the habit and dominion of sin in this life (Gal.2:19-20). Finally, when the Lord returns, the Christian will be saved from all the physical results of sin and of God’s curse on the world (8:18-23).
Illustration: Although Jesus used this word only once (Luke 19:9), He used many other expressions to describe salvation. The dramatic change in Zaccheus was proof of his salvation. Application: The Christian today should also demonstrate a change in his life to confirm this “so great salvation.” (First Ref. Gen.3:15; Primary Ref. Romans; cf. 2 Cor.5:19).’
Ah mih breddren, I do hope that explanation gives us a better understanding of what salvation is all about. And to reinforce it, one should take a moment and read the scripture references given there. I just did, and they do enlighten you as to our situation under God’s saving grace. Much LOVE!
…no sincere calls to heaven are ever refused…or turned away…
22 Feb 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a Christian, a journey, a piece of gnarled barked, a positive outlook, a process, abides for ever, abundance, acceptable, aimless, apostle Paul, as a man thinks, awesome light of the Son, be born again, being obedient, blessing, christianity, clear direction, compassionate heart, conformed to the image of Christ, conformed to this world, courage, crashing breakers, cultivate us, curse, drifting back and forth, enemy of God, enmity, favour, fence sitting, follow God's direction, friendship with the world, from glory to glory, get to know Christ, glory to God, going to school, good, grow in Christ, grow spiritually, Grow Up, heresy, hold back, immature Christian, jump from church to church, let go, life journey with Jesus, love not the world, lust, made no effort, more than sufficient, negative word, no set purpose, one goal, One Year Book of Bible promises, only one way, perfect, play second fiddle, praying, put in the effort, root us, Ruth Harms Calkin, share blessings, shining brightly, single minded, soaring, spiritual puttering, spoken over someone, studying God's Word, success, talent, the battle is in our minds, the renewing of your mind, the will of God, things of the world, Thursday's Blessings, to meet our needs, tossed to and fro, total commitment, transformed, trust, undisciplined, unsteady, wading in self-pity, water us, wet weather, will of God, willingness, wisdom, wishy-washy Christians, ye may prove, yearn for change
Romans 12:2. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Good news friends; after about three days of wet weather, it’s cloudy but dry in my neighbourhood! Wow! Let’s hope the sun comes out later to make it an even more pleasant day. But even if it doesn’t, we still have the awesome light of the SON shining brightly in our lives, and He is more than sufficient to meet ALL of our needs! Glory to God!
And without further ado, let me share something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. I don’t know if I’ve ever shared it before, but is it ever so appropriate for our currently trying and troublesome times. It’s simply titled ‘Grow Up.’
Please read with me. ‘Picture it with me: a piece of gnarled bark tossed to and fro over the crashing breakers. First one direction, then another, back and forth, over and under. Aimless. No set purpose. Drifting…always drifting. What an accurate picture of an immature Christian. Nothing but spiritual puttering. Up and down, in and out.
One study group for a few weeks, then another. One church for a while, then another. Undisciplined, unsteady, one day soaring, the next day wading in self-pity. No consistency. The apostle Paul tells us to grow up! Not grow older, but grow up into Christ.
What we are today is more important to God than what we were yesterday. Our life journey with Jesus is now – this very day, this very hour. Why yearn for change if we’ve made no effort to follow the direction God has already given us?
To grow spiritually we must be single-minded. Our one goal? To be conformed to the image of Christ. He longs for our willingness to let Him root us, cultivate us, water us. Above all else, God wants our total commitment. He will take anything we give Him except second place.’
And isn’t all that the gospel truth friends? It surely is! God wants our total commitment, but we’re not prepared to give it. We want to hold back stuff from Him. But that won’t work. As I said yesterday, God doesn’t play second fiddle to anyone! Only one fiddler in His band; that’s Him!
And what we don’t seem to realize is that being a Christian is a process, a journey, like going to school; you begin in ABC (kindergarten) and work your way up through elementary, secondary and tertiary levels. But you must put in the effort required at each level if you wish to be successful and proceed to the next.
Christianity is exactly the same; you get to know Christ and become more like Him by first putting your entire trust in Him, then studying His word, being obedient, sincerely and constantly praying (communicating) and thus gradually growing in His image; slowly – from glory to glory.
But unfortunately today we have a whole lot of wishy-washy Christians, who talk a great talk, but don’t know the real Christ. We jump from church to church, apparently seeking what we want to hear, and not what the word really says. And the sad part is that plenty churches seem to preach that heresy.
But friends, there is ONLY ONE WAY to truly grow in Christ, and that’s the one advised by Bruh Paul to the church at Rome, our Bit for today. ‘And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.’
Yes my brethren, it all begins and ends in our minds. The battle between a true relationship with Christ and one with the world is fought primarily in our minds. That’s why they say, as a man thinks so is he. Therefore, if we want to be born again and grow in Christ, we have to let go of the things of the world, we have to stop conforming to what the world wants us to be.
As James so blatantly puts it: ‘Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of (with) the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be (wants to make himself) a friend of the world is the enemy (makes himself the enemy) of God.’ (James 4:4)
John though puts it a little nicer: ‘LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in Him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.’ (1 John 2:15-17)
That’s it in a nutshell friends; we can’t be friendly with world and be friendly with God at the same time! So let’s stop trying to do it nuh. Now let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings, that the Lord has so graciously bestowed on us who truly believe and are obedient to His will.
In sincerity and truth 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!’
Remember, a blessing is not a blessing until it’s spoken over someone. So let’s go out and generously speak those blessings over others nuh, for that’s why God gave them to us. Much LOVE!
…sitting on the fence is not an option…you’re either FOR God…or AGAINST Him…
09 Feb 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a command, a measly pittance, believers, bleak and cloudy day, boundaries, carnal attitude, Christians, common sense, confidence, depart from evil, direct thy paths, do our own thing, enjoy yourself, epitome, fellowship, finite minds, Friday chant, fun, generous help, glory, glory in God, glory in wisdom, guidelines, health to thy navel, hear attentively, Jeremiah, Jesus authority, justice, knowledge of God, lean not unto, lives of His followers, LOVE, loving-kindness, massa work, might, milk the juice, no sun, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, on fire, party time, physical aspects, refreshed, rejoicing, relaxation, renewed, responsibility, rest, riches, right living, righteousness, shining brightly, sincerity, stale drunk, strength to thy bones, subservient, surroundings, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the ends of the earth, the SON, the weekend, the workingman, this is the day the Lord has made, tired, trust, trust in the Lord, truth, we will rejoice and be glad in it, week of work, wherewithal, wisdom, with all thine heart, worry, your own understanding
Proverbs 3:5. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Ah friends, it looks like it’s going to be a bleak and cloudy day in my neighbourhood, with very little, or no sun at all… But thank the Lord, the SON is always on fire, always shining brightly in the lives of His followers, so we don’t have to worry about the physical aspects of our surroundings.
That’s why, like the psalmist of old, we can confidently proclaim: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’
And not only believers are rejoicing in the day, but also the ordinary workingman, as he sings his Friday song: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! Wow! The weekend’s here at last, and party time has begun! It’s going to be party time right through until Monday morning…Who cares if we go to massa work tired and stale drunk eh?
Massa doh really care about we, he just wants to milk the juice out of our bodies, in return for a measly pittance, so why should we care about him and his work eh? Look nuh man…just thank God for Fridays and weekends yes, and enjoy yuh blooming self, because nobody else is going to do it for you!’
And my people, there is a whole lot of truth to that last statement. Nobody is going to enjoy yourself for you. That is your responsibility. However, we Christians differ to the workingman in how we enjoy ourselves. They go to the fleshly extreme, but we do not. Under Jesus authority, we have guidelines and boundaries to respect. That’s why when we chant our Friday Chant, it sounds so much different to the workingman’s song.
So let’s sing it now nuh, in all sincerity and truth. ‘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.’
Now it’s obviously more difficult to adhere to that state of affairs than the workingman’s easy, carnal attitude, but with God’s help we can certainly do it. Remember, our wonderful God does not ask us to do anything that He does not give us the wherewithal to do it. So though it might seem difficult, and indeed be difficult, under His auspices we will certainly be able to perform any task that He asks of us.
That’s why our Bit, in the words of Cousin Sol, so strongly advises us to: ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.’ And if you are a serious and sincere believer in Jesus Christ, then that is indeed the epitome of wisdom and common sense! No matter what organization you belong to, you must exhibit confidence and trust in your leader, otherwise you’re wasting your time in being a member of that organization.
No wonder the psalmist also tells us in Psalm 37 – God’s works and wisdom: ‘Hear attentively the noise of his voice (thunder), and the sound that goeth out of (the rumbling that comes) out of his mouth. He directeth it under the whole heaven, and his lightning (light) unto the ends of the earth.
After it a voice roareth; He thundereth with the voice of his excellency (his majestic voice); and he will not stay (restrain) them when his voice is heard. God thundereth marvellously with his voice; great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend.’ (Ps.37:2-5)
And isn’t that the gospel truth my people! Our omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent God does numerous things that our puny, finite minds cannot dream to understand. That’s because His ways and thoughts are higher than ours. That’s why He is God and we are mere mortals. Therefore we’re not to get presumptuous and try to do our own thing if we claim to be subservient to Him.
And after our Bit, Cousin Sol continues his wise advice. ‘In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth, straight) thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones. (Prov.3:6-8)
Oh friends, there isn’t a wiser piece of scripture in the entire Bible. If we simply follow those four verses (Prov.3:5-8) we will never go wrong. But let’s end with these words from the prophet Jeremiah as he talks about the knowledge of God being man’s glory.
‘Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise LOVING-kindness, judgement (justice), and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.’ (Jer. 9:23-24)
Ah mih people, words straight from the Lord’s mouth to us. So please, in our wisdom, let’s try and live the way He desires of us nuh. Much LOVE!
…to live a godly life…LOVING-kindness…justice…and right living…must be essential aspects of our lives…
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