25 Oct 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fertile killing ground, a misnomer, a rainy morning, a state of continual turmoil, baptizing them in the name of the Father, conundrum, curiosity, dwelling on differences, empathy, empower me to abide in you always, endure to the end, evangelistically aggressive, find ways to respect differences, go ye therefore and teach all nations, halfway home, hands on the plough, heaven on earth, help me to be understanding, hold Satan in higher regard than Christ, holy spirit, humility, I need your help Lord, In Touch Devotional, Jesus Christ, keep arrogance and judgement from my heart, lack of focus on similarities, LOVE, made in God's image, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, not looking back, of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, quandary, ramp up our evangelism of the world, salvation, spiritually militant, teach me to focus on similarities, thank God, that your love flows through me, the all-encompassing love of God, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the Great Commission, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, Wednesday Wail
Matthew 28:19a. Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations,
It’s a rainy, cloudy Wednesday morning in my area, but the temperature is supposed to be above seasonal, all week, so we can’t complain. But I’m here chuckling because when I say it’s a rainy morning I’m being somewhat facetious, for if what I heard falling this morning was the only rain that fell, then a rainy morning is certainly a misnomer.
I was lying in my bed awake, around seven thirty a.m. when I heard the rain coming down. If I heard it, then it must have been a good shower for my windows were closed. However, by the time I could mentally say, ‘some rain at last,’ the rain was done. I don’t know if it even lasted for a minute. Hn, hn! I guess though, that the important thing is not how long the rain fell, but that some rain fell and watered the land, and since outside still seems wet, then some rain did fall. And that’s my conundrum, my quandary or difficult question for this 25th day of October 2023! (smile)
But let’s turn to a place where there’s no conundrum or quandary whatsoever; that’s to prayer! And I want to share the prayer in this month’s In Touch Devotional. So please pray with me: ‘Father, help me to be understanding – to approach everyone with empathy, humility, and curiosity. Please keep arrogance and judgement far from my heart and lips. Teach me to focus on similarities and find ways to respect differences. Lord, I want to practice this kindness and grace in the world, but I need Your help. Empower me to abide in You always, so that Your LOVE flows through me. Amen!’
Oh my people, if we could ever truly live that prayer then our world would certainly be heaven on earth! Can we ever learn to focus on similarities and respect differences? That would be awesome because it’s exactly what is causing all the upheaval in our world today, the total opposite; that of dwelling on differences and lack of focus on similarities. We’re all alike, made in God’s image, with hands, feet, arms, legs, mouth, ears, etc. etc. The only variations being in the colours of our skin and some facial differences. However those two differences plus the differences in culture and creed have made our world a fertile killing ground down through the ages.
The differences have been over emphasized in every age, and caused more hate, resentment, anger and wars than we can ever count. The similarities, on the other hand, seem to be non-existent from the way we ignore them. The fact that Almighty God LOVES us all is irrelevant, since many of us do not worship the same God. But until we somehow or the other learn to focus on the similarities and not the differences, our world will be in a state of continual turmoil. And that’s where Christians come in. We’re expected, through the Great Commission to carry the all-encompassing LOVE of Jehovah God to ALL the world, so that the good news of Christ’s salvation can be heard and accepted by all and sundry!
And just in case we’ve forgotten what the Great Commission is, let’s review it right now nuh. (smile) Amongst Jesus’ last remarks to the disciples were these commanding words. ‘All power (authority) is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:18-20)
Yes my fellow believers, that’s what our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ expects each and everyone of His followers to do; spread the good news of his gospel both in their own neighbourhoods and to all the nations of the earth! But strangely enough, in this time of almost instant communication with technology in its many forms, the spreading of the gospel has not been ramped up as much as it needs to be, else we wouldn’t be having all the wars and rumours of wars that we’re having. In fact, that same increase in technology and information might just be causing the incessant wars that are troubling our world, and the gospel needs to be spread even more now than ever before.
In times gone by, it would take days, weeks, even months for supposed offences and detractions to reach the offended and the world at large. But now, that news is flashed around the world almost the instant it happens, and the angry rebuttal is flashed back just as fast. Thus there’s very little time, if any, for cooler heads to prevail. And that’s a big reason why there’s so much anger and resentment, quarrelling and antagonism existing, both internally and externally, between governments and people today. And the only way for those negative emotions to be lessened, note I didn’t say removed, because I doubt they ever will be completely suffocated until Jesus returns, is for believers, Christ’s church to ramp up our evangelism of the world.
And the scholars give us an interesting note on the Great Commission. They say: ‘Christ’s promise of His presence, I am with you always, guarantees the success of the church’s mission because it is really His mission carried out by His called-out disciples. The phrase unto the end of the world means until the end of the “age.” Therefore Christ’s empowerment of the church to evangelize the world is available in every age, even unto the end of the church age. In comparing the Great Commission with Jesus’ promise to continually build His church (chap. 18), we must conclude that He intended His church always to be spiritually militant and evangelistically aggressive as we take His claims of lordship to the entire world of our generation.’
Now that’s how Christ’s church is supposed to be; spiritually militant and evangelically aggressive! For that’s the only way we can ever pull off the Great Commission! And there’s no doubt whatsoever that the church falls anywhere close in any of those two categories! Rather, we’re more in tune with the desires of the world than with those of God and our evangelizing is running a poor second to many of the other faiths of the world, and consequently too many people hold Satan in higher regard than Christ Jesus.
Now that’s a situation we need to rectify as soon as possible. But we can only do that if we unify and declare (chuh!!!) one gospel, not several different versions, which will only make the heathen more confused than they already are. Thus my fellow believers, we are calling on all the denominations of Christ’s church to get serious and come together so that we can truly do Christ’s bidding and take the Great Commission to all the world! Now let’s go home declaring (steups!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our marvellous position in Christ Jesus.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘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 then there’s this codicil, this side agreement that assures that if we stick with Jesus right down to the very end, then the future will be even more glorious that we can ask or imagine. And since Jesus doesn’t make empty promises, let’s vow to meet down at the end times with Him nuh! Wow! What a future that will be! Much LOVE!
…we cannot call ourselves true disciples of Christ…if we aren’t sincerely and seriously spreading His gospel…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
24 Oct 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: crush our spirits, deny himself, faith, gain the whole world but lose his soul, get thee behind me Satan, grow right where we are planted, Haman, he shall take nothing of his labour, hell fire and damnation, holy spirit, hurry, if you don't stand up for something you're standing for nothing, in god's eyes, Ithe beloved of god, Jesus Christ, LOVE, Mordecai, naked came I out of my mother's womg, naked shall I return thither, running our Christian race, share His love with my neighbours, steal our joy, stepping up to fulfill God's purpose in our lives, still at each other's throat, take up his cross and follow me, the bright light shining through our dark world, the greatest waste of life, the salty flavour of the earth, the wisdom of heaven, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Manrta, what is a man profited, what shall a man give in exchange for his soul, where your heart is there will your treasure be also, whether thou art come for a time as this, which he may carry away in his hand, who knows, whoseover will lose his life for my sake shall find it, whosever will save his life shall lose it, wisdom, worry
Esther 4:14b. and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
So what’s new on this Tuesday morning in late October eh friends? Not a whole lot nuh. All the disasters that are currently enveloping our world are still there; none of them have faded away during the night, which means that mankind is still at each other’s throat, behaving like wild animals instead of the civilized human beings we’re supposed to be.
Our only hope is to remember that the Lord is still on His throne, still controlling things, and in His time, when He is good and ready, that He will settle the problems in His own way. Until then, we need to be strong and steadfast in our faith, do our best to promote His Name and Word in our li’l area, like He expects of us, running our Christian race to the best of our ability with God’s grace and mercy leading and guiding us through the auspices of His Holy Spirit!
We can’t all be big powerbrokers of the world, but we can all be true believers doing our small part in the big picture. And truthfully, that’s all the Lord is asking of us yes. He doesn’t expect us all to get up and run the world, but just to do the li’l bit that He’s asked of each of us. Like the Jamaicans say; ‘one one cocoa full a basket.’ And it’s the truth; every li’l contribution grows the whole structure. So please, let’s just concentrate on doing our parts nuh, and don’t allow the untold disasters to steal our joy and crush our spirits, for if we are not the strong, salty flavour of the earth and the bright light shining through our dark world, what will become of it eh?
As these famous words of Mordecai to his guardian and cousin Esther, when the Jews were about to be slaughtered in Babylon by official proclamation through the cunning of Haman the Agagite so vividly remind us. ‘For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time (remain completely silent), then there shall enlargement (relief) and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?’ (Esth. 4:14)
Yes friends, who knows whether we were all born for this time, so that we can make a significant difference in the lives of those around us.? And what does it all mean eh? As one commentary puts it: ‘it speaks to stepping up to fulfill the purpose God has for each of us, even if it could cause our earthly death.’ The Lord has a plan for each of our lives and we haven’t been just placed in these trying times by accident. No! Our God does NOTHING by accident; He always has a plan for every move He makes. Consequently, we are expected to grow and mature right where we are planted.
And yes, like Esther we can fear for our lives, but if we claim to be true believers in Christ Jesus then we simply have to do whatever is necessary to promulgate His kingdom, though it costs us our earthly lives. Let’s remember these very important words of Jesus to the disciples, after telling them about His upcoming demise, and Peter took Him aside and rebuked Him, then Jesus in turn rebuked Peter, telling him, ‘Get thee behind me Satan.’
Jesus then continued: ‘If any man will (desires to) come after (follow) me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?’ (Matt. 16:24-26)
And those are some very good questions raised by Jesus, my fellow believers! What shall we give in exchange for our souls eh? Unfortunately, a lot of us, too many, are selling our souls to Beelzebub for the perishable and foolish riches of this world, none of which we can carry with us when we leave this world.
As the patriarch Job says when he was struck down by terrible tragedy: ‘Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.’ (Job 1:21) And as Cousin Sol so eloquently but plainly puts it in Ecclesiastes: ‘As he came forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.’ (Eccl. 5:15)
Please my fellow saints, let’s take that verse of wise scripture to heart today nuh and stop running down the destructible wealth of this world, which moth and rust corrupt, and thieves steal, and furthermore, none of which we can carry with us when we depart to the other side. But instead, let’s sincerely seek the indestructible wealth of God’s kingdom, His awesome righteousness, and all that goes with it, where moth nor rust nor thieves can get into steal or corrupt it. That’s the wisdom of heaven my people! And as Jesus so rightly says: ‘For where your treasure is there will your heart be also.’ (Matt. 6:21)
So if our eyes are steadfastly fixed on the wealth of the world, how can we have any time for the things of heaven? It’s just impossible. And the sorry thing about selling your soul to Satan for worldly wealth, is that you can also get worldly wealth through heavenly sources and not lose your soul in the process. Remember all the things in the universe belong to God, and He is the One who enables us to get wealth. So why run to Beelzebub who can’t do a bloody thing for you, but bring you down to hell fire and eternal damnation, when you can get all the same things and more from Jehovah God eh?
Please friends, let’s sit and ponder those questions today and see how they line up with the current situations in our lives! It’s high time we take stock of ourselves! Now let’s go home declaring (steups!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong lock, stock and barrel.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
Now, we ‘re bound by our words to go out and share that awesome LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…if you don’t stand up for something…especially Jesus…you’re standing for NOTHING…and that’s the greatest waste of a human life…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
20 Mar 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a momentous occasion, a perfect recipe for disaster, all the days of my life, anointest my head with oil, blessings run you down, divine help, dwell in the house of the Lord for ever, eternal life, faith, free will, he maketh me to lie down in green pastures, he restoreth my soul, heal our Lnad, humble servants, I am the good shepherd, I will fear no evil, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the only way to go, joy, leadeth me beside the still waters, live for Christ, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, monumental news, my cup runneth over, one truth from the Bible, promised to hear and answer our prayers, salvation, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, sincere repentance, still fresh through all the ages, the Bible is God's word to us, the fly in the ointment, the God who heals, the good shepherd gives his life for his sheep, the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want, the valley of the shadow of death, thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me, to demonstrate commitment, truth, unwise in an unwise world, victory, wisdom, wisdom at our finger tips, worth more than all man's wisdom
Psalm 23:1. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Oh friends, on this sunny but chilly Monday morning, we want to open with some monumental news! Yes, it is a momentous occasion! One where we hear and understand that The Bible is God’s Word to us. That it is still fresh through all the ages, and if we read it, we will find God’s exceptional wisdom on its pages! Wow! What magnificent news that is my people! Because it means that all of us who are sincerely seeking wisdom just have to read the Bible, God’s Word to find it.
Yes friends, wisdom is right at our finger tips, no further than the Bible that sits looking pretty on your desk or table, but is truly gathering dust, since you don’t read it. And by the way, here’s this other piece of monumental information: One truth from the Bible is worth more than all the wisdom of man! That’s worth another Wow! Yes mih bredrin! Imagine that nuh. One li’l truth from God’s Word is worth more than all of man’s wisdom! Meaning to say that man’s wisdom is not worth very much, especially when compared to God’s.
So why then do we all insist on learning and spouting the wisdom of man and not God’s eh? If man’s wisdom is worth so little, we should all be hungry and thirsting for the wisdom found in God’s Word. But to get that means reading God’s Word, the Bible, which so many of us claim to be too busy to do. That’s why so many of us are unwise in an unwise world, because the world doesn’t value God’s Word and His immortal and infinite wisdom.
And it’s the basic answer to all of the earth’s problems. If you ignore the Word of the Creator of the universe and all therein, and the amazing truths it contains, how can you ever live a successful life, either individually or communally? No way Jose! The fly in the ointment here is that in addition to His Word, God also gave us free will to do as we please, sincerely hoping though that we’d be wise enough to read His Word and then follow His plan for our lives. But unfortunately, too many of us are trying to do it our own way without God’s help, and that is a sure and perfect recipe for disaster.
Jesus Christ. God’s Son, whom He sent to earth to help us see the light said it quite simply and clearly. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) Now that’s one of the essential truths of God’s Word. If we seek His kingdom and His righteousness before anything else, then we will have all our needs fulfilled. How did Bruh David put it in that marvellous psalm that we all know and revere with our mouths but not our hearts: ‘The Lord is my shepherd: I shall not want.’ (Ps. 23:1)
And what does a shepherd do for his sheep eh? ‘A shepherd is committed to a flock and the one responsible for guiding the sheep, protecting them, and attending to their needs. So, to serve as a shepherd means to demonstrate commitment to the well-being of other people. It involves watching out for them, helping them, and teaching them.’ Therefore, that means if the Lord God Almighty is our shepherd, then He is thoroughly committed to our well-being. And His Son Jesus Christ said it in so many words. ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’ (John 10:11)
And that’s exactly what He did; gave His sinless life on the cross of Calvary so that we, His sheep could be saved, could have victory, salvation and eternal life. So why is it so difficult to follow him eh? So hard to read God’s Word, believe it and then live it, despite all the marvellous examples of great men of God laid out in that Good Library, we call the Bible? I truly don’t know. Instead, we’re all going crazy for the things of the world and its evil doings, which don’t truly satisfy, and therefore we have to continually run them down, regardless of how much we have already accumulated.
But friends, here is another word of wisdom for us. When you live for Christ, you don’t have to run down anything because God’s favour, grace and blessings run you down! But I guess we all have to find out the uselessness in running down the things of the world for ourselves before we believe. Meanwhile, here are the words of Bruh David, who as we all know personally lived them, and consequently experienced the joy of God’s favour. Hopefully, hearing them again will light a spark in our own souls and lives and wake us up to the reality that God, through Jesus Christ is the ONLY WAY to go.
Please read with me: ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me: thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil: my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.’ (Ps. 23: 1-6)
Oh friends, if we look at all the things Bruh David wrote there, we will see that he experienced it all. His life wasn’t easy, but God never promised us an easy life. He promised us a full, abundant and interesting one. And that’s a big part of our problem as believers. We think that because we’re following Jesus, life should be easy. But that’s the furthest thing from the truth, because Jesus said it quite clearly. ‘If any man will come after (follow) me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) That doesn’t mean easy living my brethren, but rather a sacrificial sense of purpose, because Christianity was not made for cowards.
So now that we’ve acquired some godly wisdom, (smile) let’s go to God, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn and place all our problems before Him, as He’s said in His Word that we ought to do. Altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And having said all of that, it now behooves us to turn our words into sincere action, so that the Lord can do His part. Much LOVE!
…if you’re seeking wisdom…why go anywhere else than to the fountainhead…Almighty God…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
27 Aug 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: attitude, be strong and of a good courage, bind up the broken-hearted, criticism makes you strong, empathy, God hates wrong doing, God is a God of justice, have good success, I am the way the truth and the life, I the Lord love justice, Jesus defeated Satan at his own game, Jesus-the author and finisher of our faith, justice, lazy day Saturday, liberty, life is never easy, make thy way prosperous, negative circumstances are positive opportunities, no man comes to the Father but by me, obligations to be met, preach good tidings unto the meek, shalt not depart out of thy mouth, the Lord hath anointed me, the secret to success, the ups and downs of life, this book of the law, thou shalt meditate therein day and night, to proclaim liberty to the captives, truth, trying times, when life hands you lemons - make lemonade
John 14:6. I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
So it’s lazy day Saturday, and we welcome it with open arms! Yes, this one day in the week when some of us can just do as we please, with no pressures from life or jobs or other people around us. For some unfortunate ones though, it’s also a busy day of housework, grocery shopping and other things they cannot do during the already crowded work week. They have my utmost empathy, (smile) for I remember those trying times in my own life, with children to look after, etc. etc.
And the sad part is that in my time there were definitely not as many amenities as they are now. But with faith and perseverance my generation made it through, and now we can simply enjoy lazy Saturday mornings without any outside pressures. Glory be! But chuh! I still have to get myself together though and do the Lord’s work, writing the Bit, based on the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
So here goes. The first quote tells us: ‘Life is never easy. There is work to be done and obligations to be met – obligations to truth, to justice, and to liberty.’ Now what can we say about that eh? In the first place I won’t say that life is never easy, because it can be very rough and tough at times, but if you’re a believer in, and follower of Jesus, then you will be able to handle the ups and downs of life much better than if He’s not your Lord and Saviour.
Why? Because He gives you all the tools you need to handle the vicissitudes of life. And though there is work to be done in His name – obligations to truth, to justice, and to liberty – with His awesome help we can handle them in a good and timely fashion. It does take faith, perseverance and a tough skin though to live and work for Jesus. But He is indeed the God of truth, of justice and of liberty. As He said in this famous proclamation: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:6)
And then we have this awesome verse from Isaiah on the topic of justice. ‘For I the Lord LOVE judgement (justice), I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.’ (Is. 61:8) Yes friends, our God is a God of justice, He hates robbery and wrong doing, and did as promised, made a covenant with His people Israel.
And as per the subject of liberty, listen to Isaiah again. ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek (poor); he hath sent me to bind up (heal) the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty (freedom) to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.’ (Is. 61:1)
Wow mih bredrin! What a marvellous God we serve! And He did keep that covenant by sending His Son Jesus, who said it thus: ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world though him might be saved.’ (John 3:17) And Jesus did come to save the lost, the sick, the needy, to set us free from the sin and dark rule of Satan, and He did just that when He died on the cross, then rose triumphantly from the dead, defeating Satan at His own game.
That finally brings us to the next quote. (smile) ‘Life imposes things on you that you can’t control, but you still have the choice of how you’re going to live through this.’ Now that’s totally true. Life does its own thing in our lives, much of which we cannot control, but we do have the ability to decide how we handle them. Basically, it’s called our attitude. We can have a good or bad, right or wrong attitude about those uncontrollable things. But when you’re living for Jesus, you will always have the strength and wisdom to know how to handle them, have the right attitude, so that they don’t inflict more damage than is necessary.
That’s what Jesus gives us friends, that’s what He showed us by example with all the suffering, the rejection, the injustice He suffered for our sakes down here on earth. He never complained, just went about His business, trusting in His heavenly Father to make straight His path. And so too, we need to look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, when life comes against us, as it most certainly will. Look to him for comfort and strength, wisdom and perseverance to handle the problems. That’s a major benefit of being a member of His fold.
Then we come to this interesting quote: ‘I like criticism. It makes you strong.’ I certainly don’t agree with the first part, (smile) but the second part is very true! Oh, none of us like criticism, especially when we know we’re doing the right thing, but it’s a fact of life, just ask Jesus about it. Not everyone will agree with our moves or motives, and will turn on us, even when we’re trying to help them, like they did with Jesus. But criticism makes us strong, that is if we don’t fall down and stay down because of it.
The first rejection, like the first failure is always the toughest one to handle. But once you get accustomed – oh, I don’t know if we ever get accustomed to rejection nuh, because each rejection hurts, but with Jesus as our foundation and backbone, we’re better able to handle it. And this next quote amplifies that situation. ‘Everything negative – pressure, challenges – is all an opportunity for me to rise.’
Yes my brethren, whatever negative thing happens to us, we must look at it as a positive opportunity to improve ourselves and our circumstances. That’s the only way to rise to higher levels of life. We can’t just wait for positive things to happen because they oftentimes won’t, while negative ones will always show up. It’s like the old cliché; when life hands you lemons, make lemonade. Whatever life throws our way, there is always something positive we can learn from it. Even if it’s simply not making the same mistake again. And with all the tools that Jesus gives us, we can certainly take advantage of any negative occurrences that pop up in our lives.
That brings us to this last quote: ‘You never really learn much from hearing yourself speak.’ And that’s only true if you’re a fool and like to talk a lot. However, if you’re a true believer in Christ Jesus, then you can learn even more from hearing yourself speak than listening to others. I’m talking about knowing the Word of God, having it hidden in our hearts, so that when the world or the devil or whoever or whatever tries to come against us, we can speak it and be reassured.
Sometimes too, we can just speak it for no good reason, simply because we want to hear it, or because we LOVE it, because it always makes us feel good, feel strong and reassured. But to do that, we first have to constantly read and meditate on the word, so that it seeps into our subconsciousness, because we can’t speak something we don’t know. And the best way to end today, is with this marvellous scripture that always brings a chuckle to my spirit.
It’s the Lord talking to Joshua when He made him the Israelites’ leader after the death of Moses. He said to Joshua, in no uncertain manner: ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.’ (Josh. 1:8-9)
That’s it in a nutshell my fellow saints! That’s the secret to success in this world! And if we’re true followers of Christ, and if we are wise, we will follow it and be successful, for our God does not lie nor lead us astray. Much LOVE!
…in Christ alone…is true success found…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
21 Oct 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bright sunshiny day, a fearful heart, all for our benefit, all the prophets witness, be strong, better not to vow, but after this the judgement, Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalme, commanded us to preach, defer not to pay it, egg all over my face, endure until the end, even God with a recompense, ever-faithful God, fear not, fear ye not the reproach of men, give you all the praise, glad to be alive, grace mercy forgiveness loving-kindness, guiding and taking care of us, halfway home, hands fixed securely on the plough, hang in there, he hath no pleasure in fools, he will come and save you, he will save us, hellfire and damnation, I should not reign over them, in whose heart is my law, it is appointed unto men, like a garment, lo this is our God, look like a walrus, looked foolish, LOVE, lowly, much deserved thanks and praise, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my righteousness shall prevail for ever, my salvation from generation to generation, neither be ye afraid of their revilings, not looking back at the past, once to die, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, paid the price for our unfaithfulness, Palm Sunday, pay that which thou hast vowed, promise to try and do better, rejoice greatly O daughter of Zion, rewards, riding upon an ass, see the error of our ways, shall receive remission of sins, suffer not thy mouth, sufficient in Himself, than to vow and not pay, Thank You Lord, the breath of life, the foal of an ass, the Holy One of Israel is our King, the Lord is our defense, the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our king, the Lord is our lawgiver, the moth shall eat them up, the Preacher, the rain is fickle and faithless, the watchwords of the believer, the worm shall eat them like wool, there is one lawgiver, they have rejected me, to a glorious future with Jesus, to be the judge of the quick and dead, to cause thy flesh to sin, to testify, truth, undeserving sinners, unfailingly generous, ungodly times, upon a colt, we have waited for him, we will rejoice and be glad in his salvation, Wednesday Wail, what a wonderful God we serve and worship, when thou vowest a vow unto God, whosoever believeth in him, ye that know righteousness, your God will come with vengeance
Isaiah 33:22. For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us.
Oh friends, today I’m not going to say anything about the rain falling outside nuh, because yesterday after penning the spiel on it, it made me look like such a walrus. Yes, I looked foolish, because by the time I got upstairs there was no sign of the rainy day that was supposed to be in the offing, but it had turned into a bright, sunshiny day. Steups!
And there I was, with egg all over my face. Hn! Well today it can fall or not fall, do whatever it wants, and I couldn’t care less, because the rain is rather fickle and faithless, like so many of us human beings, including believers. And that’s my spiel for this morning. (smile)
So instead of focusing on the faithless rain, this morning we going to focus on our ever-faithful God, who is so many things to us, re this passage of scripture from Isaiah. ‘For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us.’ (Is. 33:22).
Oh my people, what a wonderful God we serve and worship; one who is all things to us! One who is sufficient in Himself, and unfailingly generous to provide everything that we can ever need or want in this great universe that He’s so wisely created! Please give Him some much-deserved thanks and praise nuh.
And all God’s children gave a mighty shout of: ‘Thank You Lord! Thank You ever so much for being our be all and end all! Thank You for your grace, your mercy, your forgiveness, and LOVING-kindness to such fickle, faithless and undeserving sinners like us! We promise to try and do better in the upcoming days, but You know that we can’t do anything worthwhile without Your help, so we plead with You, to keep LOVING and guiding and taking care of us, although we don’t deserve it. We thank You and give You all the praise. We pray this in the name of your glorious Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour! Amen!’
Ah my fellow saints in Christ, let’s hope that we have not just made an insincere vow to our God to be better behaved and obedient in the upcoming days, for you know what Cousin Sol says in his role as the Preacher in Ecclesiastes: ‘When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer (delay) not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin…’ (Eccl. 5:4-6a)
And yes my people, those statements hold true even today. It’s best that we not vow at all, than to vow and not pay, an attitude that is rampant in our current world. Oh, how does our mouth cause our flesh to sin in these ungodly times! And the worse thing we can ever do is make a pledge to God and not keep it, although we have been doing it from the beginning of time….but we have also paid the price for our unfaithfulness. No wonder our world is in such an inglorious uproar, with no sign of any improvements soon.
So let’s take our pledge this morning seriously, and with God’s awesome and most generous help, try to do better nuh. Remember, it’s all for OUR benefit, not His! Now let’s check out some scriptures surrounding our Bit: ‘For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us.’
And the first scripture , re ‘the Lord is our judge,’ comes from Acts, where Peter is preaching to the Gentiles. ‘And he (Jesus) commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission (forgiveness of sins).’ (Acts 10:42-43) Yeh mih people, Christ will be our judge on that fateful day. For let’s not forget the immortal words of Hebrews: ‘And it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement.’ (Heb. 9:27)
Now don’t get all upset and scared, for this judgement will not be about hellfire and damnation, but one for believers, who will give account of their lives before Christ, and receive, or lose rewards for the way they used their God-given talents and gifts down here on earth.
Now, per ‘the Lord is our lawgiver,’ hear Isaiah. ‘Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings. For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation,’ (Is. 51; 7-8)
Yes friends, it’s the Lord’s law that will prevail. As James says when he talks about our consideration for a brother. ‘There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy; who art thou that judgest another?’ (James 4:12). Good question that my brethren. (smile)
And finally, re ‘the Lord is our king; he will save us,’ there are several wonderful scriptures depicting just such a situation. Listen first to Ethan the Ezrahite, from Psalm 89 – God’s sure promises to David. ‘For the Lord is our defense; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.’ (Ps. 89:18)
Remember God’s disappointment when the Israelites asked the prophet Samuel for a king, like all the other nations. Hear God’s words to Samuel. ‘And the Lord said unto Samuel, hearken (heed) unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.’ (1 Sam. 8:7) God gave them what they wanted, as He ofttimes does, just so that we can see the error of our ways.
Now hear Isaiah in the song of praise by the redeemed. ‘And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will rejoice and be glad in his salvation.’ (Is. 25:9) And more Isaiah (smile): ‘Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you.’ (Is. 35:4)
And finally this awesome scripture from Zechariah, re Zion’s future king, to which we can all relate. ‘Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just (righteous), and having salvation; lowly (humble), and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.’ ( Zech. 9:9) And we all know that that prophecy was fulfilled when our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Wow! What a mighty God and King and Saviour we serve!
Now let’s go home declaring (steups!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful, unchangeable, everlasting position in Christ Jesus. In strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And we know God’s faithfulness; if we endure until the end, our future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine. So please hang in there!Much LOVE!
…faithfulness and truth…the watchwords of the believer…
24 Jun 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: be of good cheer, broken down the middle wall, Christian behaviour, cool and crazy wind, dangerous and contrary times, essential truth, exciting, find His wisdom on its pages, for he is our peace, fresh, fundamental principle, Gentiles, God the Good Omnipotent, halfway home, hands on the plough, i have overcome the world, in me ye might have peace, in the world, Jesus' sacrifice, Jews, Joyce Meyer, lack of adherence, legacy, let not your heart be troubled, light of the world, made both one, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my peace I give unto you, neither let it be afraid, never repay the debt, not as the world giveth, not looking back, one power one presence, pagan corruptions, Peace i leave with you, read study meditate on God's Word, reality of the weather, relevant, saints in Christ, salt of the earth, shame shall be, stand up and be counted, sufferation, thank God, the Bible is God's Word, the breath of life, the Prince of Peace, the promotion of fools, the wise shall inherit glory, to a glorious future with Jesus, Top o' the morn, tribulation, true living God, truth, Wednesday Wail
John 14:27. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Top O the morn my people! A cool and crazy wind is blowing through my area this morning, making it feel more spring-like than the summer time it’s supposed to be. But that’s the current reality of the weather in these dangerous and contrary times! More importantly though my friends, today I’ve been asked to inform us, to remind us of three of the most salient facts in this our earthly lives.
And these cardinal truths are: ‘There is only ONE Power and ONE Presence here – God the Good Omnipotent! And the next essential truth decrees: ‘The Bible is God’s Word to us! Furthermore, it is still fresh, exciting and relevant. It has been thus down through all the ages and will continue to perform it’s God given function till the end of time. No ifs and buts about that! And if we read, study and meditate on it, we WILL find God’s wisdom on its pages. And the third maxim, or fundamental principle is this: ONE Truth from the Bible is worth more than all the wisdom of man!’
Glory be mih bredrin! Now I don’t want to preach, (smile) but I’m sure that if we sincerely embraced those three truths our earthly lives would be oh so much better than they currently are. And I am willing to bet that a lot of our ‘sufferation’ stems directly from our lack of adherence to those three great, fundamental and foundational truths.
And as I look at a page of that same Bible, God’s mighty Word to us, that’s open in front of me, my eyes confront this amazing and oh so true statement from the wisest man who ever lived; Cousin Sol. And it says: ‘The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion (legacy) of fools.’ (Prov. 3:35) Oh friends, never were truer words spoken!
And just for argument sake, (smile) let’s consider who made Cousin Sol, not only the wisest but the richest man ever; the ONE and ONLY, TRUE, LIVING GOD of his ancestors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! What does that tell us eh? That the God we worship, the God who gave us the Bible, is indeed a powerful, magnanimous and magnificent Being! There is none other like Him in all the world, in all creation! And until we, finite fools that He created in His own image and gave breath and life to through the inbreathing of His Spirit, take those facts seriously and bow down and worship and obey Him the way He deserves, our lives will be filled with unnecessary pain and hardship.
That’s not to say if we humble ourselves and live the way He desires, that there will be no pain and troubles, because in this world of evil and sin, those things come automatically, as Jesus said: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) And that, basically, is why it’s so sensible, so wise to sincerely believe in Jesus. Despite all the troubles and torment of this world, through Him we are able to stay peaceful and joyful and deal positively with whatever situations come against us.
But because so many of us think that believing in Jesus will curtail our sinful behaviour and opportunities – and it will to a certain extent – we shy away from embracing Him as our Lord and Saviour. But friends, as, I believe it’s Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) I heard say: ‘The worst day with Jesus is better than the best one without Him!’ And that’s gospel truth my brethren! Supposedly good days without Jesus just don’t compare favourably with any kind of day in His fold.
And why is that you ask? It’s simple. As Bruh Paul explained to the church at Ephesus: ‘For he (He Himself) is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition (division) between us. Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make (create) in himself of twain (the two) one new man, so making peace.’ (Eph. 2:14-15)
And the scholars offer this insightful explanation: ‘2:14-15. Who hath made both one: Jesus has formed the two antagonistic groups of Jew and Gentile into a single new party, the Christian Church. He did this by removing the middle wall of partition, that is the Mosaic Law. The law was meant to protect Jews from pagan corruptions, but by misconstruing the purpose of the law, the Jews felt superior to Gentiles, who were incensed at this arrogance. So Jesus abolished this enmity (hatred), caused by an abuse of the law, by making the law invalid for His church. Of twain one new man: As above, Christian Jews and Christian Gentiles now compose this “one new man” or Christian church.’
Ah friends and fellow believers, we can never repay the debt, the sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf. And He doesn’t want or expect us to. He made the sacrifices so we can sincerely follow Him, if like so many of us claim, we want to live in peace and have eternal life. For He is our peace; NO ONE and NOTHING ELSE serves that wonderful purpose! Listen to him nuh, as He reassures us: ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27)
Oh friends, how can those sincere sentiments not grip your heart eh? His peace is not peace like the world offers, but an eternal, everlasting peace which the world doesn’t know, and will never know until and unless they accept Him as Lord and Saviour! That’s why He is called ‘THE PRINCE OF PEACE!’ And having established all those truths this morning, let’s go home now declaring (yeahhh!) our Wednesday Wail, telling the world of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus!
As one strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘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!’
Oh my fellow saints in Christ, in these turbulent and troubled times, we need more than ever to manifest, to show the world true Christian behaviour, because that’s the ONLY thing that will truly bring our world together! Much LOVE!
…right now… Christians need to stand up and be counted… be the true salt of the earth…and light of the world…
27 May 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a God of truth, a lodging place, a perverse and crooked generation, accurately shaped, adulterers, agree with the Good Book, all his ways are judgement, an assembly of treacherous men, bend their tongues, bring forth iniquity, brings God's judgement, buy the truth, chloroquine, chosen the way of truth, conceive mischief, confusion, consequent suffering, Coronavirus, corrupted themselves, corruption, deceive their neighbour, describe our world to a T, different kinds of truth, disinformation, disobedience, draw your own conclusions, empty words, endure, enlarge my heart, evil, eyes fixed straight ahead, false news, glad to be alive, hands on the plough, he is the rock, his work is perfect, in accordance with fact, in the wilderness, indisputable truth, injustice, instruction, Jesus Christ, just and right is he, lies, like a bow, lockdowm, natioanl corruption, none calleth for justice, not fake or erroneous, not looking back, not the spot of his children, not valiant for the truth, our Lord and Saviour, pandemic, pandemodium, persist to the end, put me not to shame, quarantine, sell it not, speak lies, thank God, the absence of real truth, the breath of life, to a glorious future with Jesus, trouble, trust in vanity, truth, understanding, unvarnished truth, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, withouth iniquity
Deuteronomy 32:4. He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgement: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.
And so the confusion, the lies, disinformation, false news and whatever continues! I just saw a trailer video of a film supposedly released in 2003, 17 years ago, that talks about all the things that have happened and are happening today: the Coronavirus, lock down, quarantine, chloroquine, etc. etc. And rather astutely, the brown-skinned guy, dressed in a priest’s collar, does not say a word about it, except it was made in 2003 not today. He leaves you to draw your own conclusions.
So what is one to make of that eh? Is it a man-made plan, an accident, or who knows what? And that is what’s driving the pandemonium in the pandemic – the absence of real truth, too much supposition and theories! But that shouldn’t surprise us when there are supposedly so many different kinds of truth around in these troubled times. I thought there was only one kind of truth; the truth, and there couldn’t be more than one kind, else one would be false, not the truth. If you follow my logic. (smile)
As the old Oxford dictionary describes it: ‘Quality, state, of being true or accurate or honest or sincere or loyal or accurately shaped or adjusted… in accordance with fact or reality, not fake or erroneous.’ So, apparently, with all the varying info on the same subjects, one can theoretically have several different kinds of truth nowadays. But friends, I’m here to tell us that there is ONLY ONE PLACE one can find TRUTH; real and unvarnished TRUTH! That’s in the Good Book; the Lord’s Law, that was written ages ago and never changes. The Lord God of Israel is the embodiment of TRUTH!
Moses said it in His song: ‘Because I will publish (proclaim) the name of the Lord: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgement: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he. They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children (they are not his children because of their blemish): they are a perverse and crooked generation.’ (Deut. 32:3-5)
And believe me, with all the current havoc and confusion, it’s only in the God of Israel, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that real truth can now be found, through the person of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! He said it as plain as day: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:6) Yes friends, no one comes to the Father, the One real, true and living God, but through the Son, Jesus Christ!
And that’s where our truth begins! Anything else that doesn’t correlate with that is a lie! And it’s strange how down through the years many of the writers of the Bible spoke about truth, or even more about the lack of it. Cousin Sol in Proverbs advised us to: ‘Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.’ (Prov. 23:23) That’s how important those things are in our lives. We’ve got to get them and not lose them because they are the things that lead to a rich and fulfilling life. But our world, since way back when, has always seemed to resist truth.
Hear Isaiah as he talks about national corruption and consequent suffering. ‘None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity (empty words), and speak lies; they conceive mischief (trouble or evil), and bring forth iniquity.’ (Is. 59:4) Oh my people, my people, is it possible that Isaiah is alive and well today? One could be led to think so since all those things he talks of in olden Israel are also rampant today. Injustice, corruption, lies, evil doing, as well as empty words and promises describe our world to a T!
But please remember what Isaiah was talking about; national corruption, and consequent suffering. And if you don’t think the consequential suffering has begun with this pandemic thing affecting the whole corrupt world, then good for you. And if you don’t believe Isaiah, then perchance you might belief Jeremiah, as he declares (yeahh!) that disobedience brings God’s judgement…
Ah Lord eh friends! The computer might be a God-send, but it’s also a tool of the enemy. Some forty five minutes ago, I was going along quite well and was typing Jeremiah’s opening statement when something made me look up. And lo and behold I saw just four inverted commas on the page and nothing I had typed about Jeremiah. Then I couldn’t delete them or type anything else. I called my young daughter for help, but she couldn’t help me either. She suggested shutting it down, but that didn’t work. And when I shut it down a second time I could not even type in the password to get on. Steups!
So finally, I had to come up and resort to my lonely and hardly used laptop, so I could continue. Satan truly knows how to get under one’s skin yes. But thankfully I didn’t lose my cool. Yes, I was annoyed, but with God’s help, kept my peace, cause the devil’s purpose was obviously to steal my joy since I was talking about so much truth. (smile) So let’s hear, finally, what Jeremiah has to say nuh: ‘Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfaring men; that I might leave my people, and go from them! For they be all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men.
And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the Lord. Take ye heed every one of his neighbour (friend), and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour (friend) will walk with slanders. And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity.’ (Jer. 9:2-5)
And it is indeed sad that all that stuff is still happening in our world. Consequently, we have to be ever so careful of whom we associate with, what we watch and listen to. It’s a full time job just to winnow the chaff from the grain nowadays. Instead friends, we must do like the psalmist did in Psalm 119, cry out to God for help.
‘My soul melteth (weeps) for heaviness (grief): strengthen thou me according unto thy word. Remove from me the way of lying: and grant me thy law graciously. I have chosen the way of truth: thy judgements have I laid before me. I have stuck unto thy testimonies: O Lord, put me not to shame. I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart.’ (Ps. 119:28-32) And friends, if we’re sincere in all we say and do, then the Lord will help us, not put us to shame and enlarge our hearts!
So let’s go home this Wednesday morning declaring (yeahh!) our Wednesday Wail nuh, letting all the doubters and unbelievers know of our safe, secure and truthful position in Christ Jesus. As one strong voice now; ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And we know with indisputable truth, that if we persist and endure to the end, those words will indeed come true! Much LOVE!
…it cannot be truth…if it doesn’t agree with the Good Book…
31 Mar 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a continuation of life, antidote for fear, assured of a resurrection, chaos, Christ as Lord and saviour, Christ once offered, confusion, Coronavirus, curfew, faith, fearless voices, ghastly sins, hope, Hope in Jesus, horse of a different colour, I am the beloved of god, I don't have to hurry, I don't have to worry, in god's eyes, in God's time, in the spiritual plane, it is appointed unto men, let not your heart be troubled, LOVE, my peace I give unto you, neither let it be afraid, not as the world giveth, not what I do, not what I have, not what people say about me, once to die, peace, Peace i leave with you, penchant for late nights, prisoners of hope, promise of salvation, response of the unbeliever, Second Coming of Christ, share His love with the world, sincere hearts, stand strong and steadfast, the grim reaper, the truth will set us free, then the judgement, to bear the sins of may, too late precautions, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra
John 14:27. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
And another day has bitten the dust…But our world is still alive, though somewhat discombobulated; scarred and scared by the ole Coronavirus, since not enough good, but still too much bad and ugly is happening. And is it ever a good thing that we believers know the Truth, and that the Truth will set us free! Glory to God! A few places are holding their own, but many, like the U. S. are now exploding because of too late precautions. And I understand that mih people in J.A will be under lock and key from tomorrow…
Hn! Ah talking about a curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. And believe me, I know what that is like, having experienced it way back in 1970 with the Black Power Riots in T&T. The voluntary stay at home now is bad enough, but when you can’t be seen in the streets at all during certain hours, that’s a horse of a different colour, especially if the military and the police are out looking for curfew breakers. But not to worry mih bredrin, our good God has it all under control. We just have to obey our leaders, stay home and practice safe routines, and come to Him in sincere prayer with heartfelt repentance for our myriad number of ghastly sins.
And as He has promised, eventually, everything will be worked out for our benefit. Remember though, that it will all happen in His time, not ours, and that’s the cut-tail part of it all. We hate to wait, and the Lord doesn’t hurry! And if yuh doh believe me, then just try it and see nuh! (smile) Oh my people, this virus business is indeed a serious matter, but too many of us are letting it get us too afraid, depressed and daily losing hope. But now is the time when we believers ought to be on the ascendance with our strong and wonderful faith!
It’s not the time for us to wilt like faded and dying roses, as so many of us are doing, because the world needs that awesome faith we have more than ever now! Now is the time for us to stand up and really show our true colours; be the amazing salt and light of the world that Jesus desires of us! And yuh know what? If, we believers, with all of our supposed faith in, and awesome promises of God, become fearful and lose hope, what will be the response of the unbeliever be eh, of the rest of the world, who don’t have what we have? Utter chaos and confusion!
That’s why, as a group, Christians need to stand strong and steadfast, take the matter seriously, but don’t panic and give assurances to the unbelievers. It’s at times like these when we can do our best evangelical work, bringing others to Christ, by the staunch and steadfast examples we set. Jesus knew that we’d face trials and tribulations, thus His encouraging and reassuring words. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In this world ye shall have tribulations: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)
And a lot of us quick to quote those words, but when the time comes to put them into actual action, like now, too many of us falter and fail. If we falter now friends, it means that we don’t have sufficient faith and trust in our God, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit that’s supposed to dwell in us and lead and guide us in godly righteousness. We obviously don’t hold Jesus’ many assurances of ‘FEAR NOT!’ in high regard. Remember, courage is not the absence of fear, but of doing stuff while afraid, with the power of the Holy Spirit assisting us.
And what about these words of Jesus eh? ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27) It doesn’t seem as though we are taking those words seriously either. And what if some of us die? We all have to go sometime. As the Good Book says: ‘And it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement.’ (Heb. 9:27) Now don’t get me wrong, very few of us are ready to, or want to die right now, including me, but the truth is that none of us have the power or authority to prolong our lives, so when the Grim Reaper comes a calling, we just have to go, whether we want to or not.
The one proviso necessary though before that time comes, is that we go with Christ as our Lord and Saviour tucked away safely and deeply in our hearts. So once you truly have Jesus as the Light of your life, there’s no need to fear death, for what we call death, the physical aspect, is merely a leaving of our physical body behind, with a glorious continuation of life on the other side, in the spiritual plane, with Jesus. Oh friends, just like Christ died once, on our behalf, we can only die once, but with Him in our hearts, we are assured of a resurrection just like Him.
And thus let’s hold on tight to this somewhat obscure and unknown verse of scripture: ‘So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look (eagerly wait) for him shall he reappear the second time without (apart from) sin unto salvation.’ (Heb. 9:28) So my faithful brethren, instead of dwelling on the worst case scenario in these trying times, let’s instead focus on the big picture nuh; the Second Coming of Christ with the beautiful promise of salvation in His wings! That’s the wise way to handle this current situation, and it will help us to stand strong and steadfast as prisoners of divine hope.
Now let’s go home showing our mettle nuh, by declaring (yeahhh!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know who and whose we are. In strong, fearless voices, with sincere hearts: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And now, the natural consequence of that declaration (steups!) is to action it in whatever safe way we can. Much LOVE!
…sincere HOPE in Christ…is the ONLY antidote for fear…
P.S. Yeh, it’s somewhat late, due as usual to my penchant for late nights, (smile) but I like it…and I hope you do too. Much LOVE!
06 Feb 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, cat-scan, curse, dominion over the earth, extremely dangerous, faith, favour, fulfillment, generously share, give, hoarded, in our own strength, in the name of Jesus, it will be given unto you, lean not, LOVE, make a wise decision, man's scheming and planning, negative word, Pituitary gland, prosperity, rob the Lord, stewards, success, technologically intelligent, the Lord is sovereign, the Lord loves a cheerful giver, the morning commute, Thursday Blessings, trust in the Lord, truth, unto thine own understanding, wisdom, with all thine heart
Proverbs 3:5. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Oh friends, the weather forecasters got it right this time! It’s out there, in decent enough proportions; white and cold and beautiful, but extremely dangerous! (smile) We talking about a snow storm that hit the area last night and has most likely made and is still making a mess of the morning commute. But what to do eh? It’s all a part of the life scene in the northern climes, so we just have to grin and bear it and ask the Lord to help us get through it safely.
And would you believe this is the day that I have to go into the city for a cat-scan on my head? Steups! I haven’t quite made up my mind if I’m going, but it’s not until late afternoon, so we still have time to make a decision. Cancelling it though could mean another couple of months to get another appointment. And it’s all for my benefit, to make sure the tumour they removed from my pituitary gland almost two years ago is not growing back. But not to fear, the Lord will help me to make a wise decision. (smile)
And talking about wise decisions, this most appropriate scripture just came to me: ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.’ Oh my people, wiser words were never spoken! It ought to be a no-brainer to trust securely in the One who made the universe and all therein, but unfortunately it isn’t! Mankind feels because his Maker gave him dominion over the earth and all within it, that his own wisdom is sufficient to handle all his affairs. Heifer dust!
And as he’s grown more prosperous and technologically intelligent, so has his foolish pride in his own superiority increased. But what he’s foolishly not realized is that although the Lord gave him free will, He stills holds the reins, though somewhat loosely, and still controls the bit in his mouth. (smile) And Cousin Sol reminds us of that in two verses of Proverbs: ‘The preparations (plans) of the heart in (belong to) man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord.’ (Prov.16:1) And the scholars explain that thus: ‘16:1. The Lord is sovereign, even over a man’s thoughts and words.’
And later in the same chapter, Cousin Sol tells us: ‘A man’s heart deviseth (plans) his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.’ (Prov.16:9) And the scholars explain: ‘16:9. The Lord is sovereign over man’s scheming and planning.’ So yuh see friends, our God whom we consider omnipotent and can do anything, is in reality the ruler of our thoughts, words, schemes and plans. He just allows us to make them, but He does the final directing. And until we wake up and realize that awesome truth, and stop trying to make decisions in our own strength, we will never really enjoy all that the Lord has prepared and planned for mankind. End of story!
And the next few verses after our Bit are probably some of the most important and wisest in the Good Book, meaning that if we follow them sincerely, we will never go too wrong, or fall off the straight and narrow path. Listen to these amazing words of truth and wisdom nuh from the writings of Cousin Sol. ‘In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth or straight) thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear (reverence) the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones.’ (Prov.5:6-8)
Oh mih people, yuh see the awesome benefits to our health and strength from listening to the Lord, from asking for His direction and guidance! And then there are these two amazing verses that deal with our prosperity: ‘Honour the Lord with thy substance (possessions), and with the first fruits of all thine increase. So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses (vats) shall burst out with new wine.’ (Prov.3:9-10) Mamacita!
Friends, it’s all laid out right there for us in black and white: Give to the Lord of the first fruits of your bounty, and He will enlarge you! But for some foolish reason(s) we refuse to give to the Lord what is actually His. Yes, ALL that’s in the heaven and earth and sea belongs to Him! We are only stewards of His business. That’s what we forget, or don’t know. And how often do the scriptures recommend that we give eh? Very often!
The Lord even complained that the Israelites robbed Him by not giving their tithes like they should, and that led to a lot of their ‘sufferation.’ However if they did, He would open the windows of heaven and pour down a blessing that they wouldn’t have room for. (Mal.3:8-10) And friends the same direction applies to us nowadays. But like the foolish and greedy Israelites, we too refuse to give to God what’s His rightful due.
And precious people, all He asks for is ten percent of what we make so that He can have provision in His house for those who do His work and those who come to them for help and succour. And so many of us wonder why our earthly means are so measly…because we don’t give enough and give generously from the heart. Remember the Good Book says the Lord LOVES a cheerful giver! (2 Cor. 9:7)
And sadly, that’s one of the important factors in churches going belly up these days; many of the congregants are not giving sufficient funds to keep the churches running. They all want to come to church and see everything looking good and hear an uplifting sermon from the pastor, but they don’t think that pastor needs to be paid a living wage, just like them, and the church has bills just like their houses.
Ah friends, enough for today! (smile) Let’s go home now declaring (yeah!) our Thursday Blessings, blessings that the Lord has provided for those of us who are seriously interested in doing His work. Remember, He doesn’t give us work to do without the tools to do them.
Altogether now, in strong voice with sincere hearts: ‘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 as always, the corollary to that, is for us to go out and generously share those blessings with others, just as the Lord has generously shared them with us. They are definitely not to be hoarded! Much LOVE!
…true wisdom comes from the Lord…give…and it will be given unto you…
05 Feb 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a blessing, also to be feared, ambassadors, among the heathen, assurance, band our jaw and belly, beautiful replicas of Christ, breath of life, challenging workweek, compassion, covenant, encouraging, exhorts, fear him, fickle nature, forgiveness, frail, get a pass mark, glad to be alive, glory and honour, grace, great is the Lord, greatly to be praised, halfway home, hard slugging, held in reverential awe, holy spirit, Holy Trinity, idols, in beauty and holiness, in his place, in his presence, inherent problem, justification, looking forward, LOVE, magnificent and magnanimous God, marvellous works, mercy, not looking back, plenty eyes water, privilege, remember God's deeds, salvation, sanctification, sincere hearts, strength, strength and gladness, the Master Plan, the reigneth, to a glorious future with Jesus, tremble, Triune Godhead, truth, tumbling tumbleweed, Wednesday Wail, worship the Lord, worthless things
1 Chronicles 16:25. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared (held in reverential awe) above all gods.
And by now, on this bright and sunshiny, but somewhat chilly Wednesday winter’s morn, most of us will have gotten accustomed to the tumbling tumbleweed motion of our lives as we go through the challenging workweek. (smile) Ah, but friends, we believers don’t need to worry about that tumbleweed motion of our lives because our most remarkable Maker has it purposefully planned, right down to the last teardrop, the last breath! And nothing is going to interfere with His plans to work everything out for our good as He grows our faith and matures us into beautiful replicas of His wonderful Son, Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour! Yes, that’s the Master Plan!
Wow! What a blessing and privilege it is to be a replica of Christ! The inherent problem in accomplishing that though, is that such a feat requires a lot of hard slugging, it certainly doesn’t come easy, and we often have to band our jaw and belly, sacrifice a whole lot, cry plenty eyes water just to get a pass mark in the class. (smile) But the wonderful thing about our amazing, magnificent and magnanimous God is that He never asks us to do anything and not give us the tools to do it.
Thus, in our desire to become like Christ, He gives us His grace, His mercy, LOVE, compassion, forgiveness, strength, assurance, justification, sanctification, confidence, and whatever else we might happen to need to do His will! And He does it all through the power of His Holy Spirit, the third member of our Holy Trinity, our Triune Godhead. Oh my people, we certainly couldn’t ask for anything more! However, sad as it is, we ofttimes ask for more; because we’re too lazy, too afraid, or some such human frailty. In other words, we want God to not only give us the tools to do the job, but also to do it for us.
But friends, He’s not going to. We have a covenant, a partnership with Him, whereby He does His part and we do ours. End of story! He will certainly help us accomplish our part, but definitely not do it for us. So let’s not hold out any hope in that regard nuh. We’ve got to stand up on our own two feet sometime or the other, whatever it takes! We’re Christ’s ambassadors down here on earth, His hands, feet, eyes and ears, and He’s depending on us to get His work done, to spread the good news of His gospel all over the world.
Please note the marvellous words of Bruh David in the psalm he gave to Asaph, the cymbals man and band leader, as they celebrated the bringing of the Ark of the covenant to Jerusalem: ‘Sing unto the Lord, all the earth; show forth from day to day his salvation. Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvellous works among all nations. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared (held in reverential awe) above all gods. For all the gods of the people are idols (worthless things): but the Lord made the heavens. Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place.’ (1 Chr.16:23-27)
Oh my people, what awesome truth are contained in those words! And until we fully grasp the truth contained therein, we will not fully realize the awesome position we hold in Christ’s company! Now the bringing of the Ark to Jerusalem was a really big do; a most noteworthy event in the annals of the Jewish people, and Bruh David went out all, both in his activities – dancing and playing before the Lord in the company of his subjects, as well as writing some amazing praise music that a whole big band of established musicians played along with him.
Can you imagine the scene? It must have been like Carnival Tuesday in T&T; the sun shining hot and bright, the big fancy costumes, the bright dazzling displays of colour, the music jamming loud, and people jumping to high heaven! Mama Yo! Who say they didn’t know how to party in them days eh! (smile)
Now hear some more awesome truth from Bruh David on the occasion nuh: ‘Give unto the Lord , ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Fear (tremble) before him, all the earth: the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice: and let men say among the nations, The Lord reigneth.’ (1 Chr.16:28-31).
Oh my people, my people, that is exactly what we ought to be saying in these perilous and troubled times! Unless we believers acknowledge the sovereignty of our omnipotent, merciful and gracious God, and behave like it too, how are the unbelievers going to know about Him and the wonderful life that awaits them with Him eh? They won’t. That’s why it’s ever so important that we sing the praises of the Lord and show His true colours to the unbeliever.
Now here is some interesting info from the scholars on the psalm. ‘16:7. This psalm (with slight variations) is woven into several of the psalms in the Hebrew Psalter (cf. vs. 8-22 with Ps.105:1-15; vs. 23-33 with Ps.96; vs. 34-36 with Ps.106:1, 47-48). It is learned here that those later liturgical adaptations originated with David. The psalm was especially suited for this auspicious occasion.
This particular psalm exhorts the people to praise Israel’s wonder-working God (vs. 8-11), and encourages its hearers to remember God’s deeds (vs. 12-14), and His unfailing covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (vs. 15-22). David then directs all nations to join Israel in its praise of the holy God to whom all the universe is subservient (vs. 23-33), and closes this song with a section of thanks, petition, and praise (vs.34-36).’
Let’s do the same nuh: ‘O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory (triumph) in thy praise. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for ever and ever. And all the people said, Amen, and praised the Lord.’ (1 Chr. 16:34-36) Oh my fellow believers, that’s how it ought to be, every day of our lives! And yes, we’re only humans with a frail and fickle nature, but that’s no excuse for not praising and worshipping and thanking our great God!
And now, for those of us who sincerely try, let’s go home declaring (chuh!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know our true position in Christ. As one body, in strong voice with sincere hearts. ‘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 will that future ever be glorious…more than we can ever ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…O…give thanks unto the Lord…for He is good…for His mercy endureth for ever…
P.S. Yes, it’s a tad long…but it’s ever so nice and encouraging…and I enjoyed writing it! (smile) Hope you enjoy reading it… Much LOVE!
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