27 Jun 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a miserable sinner, a saint, a wave of the sea, all or nothing at all, all thine heart soul and might, area of obedience, beloved of God, carnal, christianity, Christians, compromise, devotion, disturbed, Divided Heart, double minded, easy row to hoe, far country, fleshly universe, half-motivated, half-satisfied, holy spirit, hurry, invade our space, jump rope, lack of clear direction, lead and guide us, love God first and foremost, love not the world, Love the Lord thy God, Lucifer, mix weeds with seeds, Moses, personal loyalty, reminiscent of the weather, rock her doll, Ruth Harms Calkin, share His love, side trips, spiritual world, strobe lights, surrendered to christ, the love of the Father, the One Year Book of Bible Promises, the rains, the things of the world, Thor's hammer, thunderstorm, tormented, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, vagaries of the climate, walk a straight path, wavereth, wet mentality, worry
1 John 2:15. 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.
And it’s a cool, wet Tuesday morning in my area. Summer seems to have come in with a cool, wet mentality, for we haven’t had any real hot days as yet, and the rain’s been fairly plentiful.
Oh we had a doozy of a thunderstorm yesterday afternoon, with all the glorious effects of Thor’s hammer and the beautiful strobe lights of his fellow god. (smile)
But would you believe that thereafter, it turned into a wonderful day of sunshine and warm weather. And then around four o’clock this morning the rains came cascading down again.
Oh the vagaries of the climate these days eh! Let’s hope that this doesn’t morph into a rather hot and dry summer as time goes by. But here is something that’s reminiscent of the weather, and also of too many of us supposed Christians.
When I read it I chuckled because a lot of us behave this way. It comes from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin and is simply titled ‘Divided Heart.’
Please pray with me. ‘Lord I am so often tormented By my lack of clear direction – So often disturbed By my divided heart. I am like a little child Who wants to rock her doll And jump rope at the same time. I want to obey You in part If I can choose the area of obedience.
I want to be real except at those moments When compromise is more appealing. I want to be half-motivated And half-satisfied with things as they are. I want to walk a straight path If now and then I can enjoy A few side trips into the far country.
I don’t want to be a miserable sinner But neither do I feel excited About being a saint. I want to be partly Yours And partly my own. But in the secret chamber Of my divided heart I am so often disquieted By the pointed question: “Why do you so foolishly Mix weeds with seeds?”
And that’s a question many of us need to ask ourselves my believing brethren, since we apparently haven’t really and truly surrendered our souls to Christ. We want to have one foot in the spiritual world and when it suits us, one in the carnal, fleshly universe.
But that’s not wise my people, and our God won’t put up with it. He wants ALL of us, or nothing at all. We can’t run to Him when we choose, and then run to Lucifer when it’s convenient for us.
In effect we still have too much of this evil world in us, as the Bible Promise associated with that poem and our Bit for today declares. ‘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.’
Yes, I know friends, that true Christianity is not an easy row to hoe, but if we truly surrender our all to Christ, He will, as He has promised, give us the wherewithal to hoe it.
Why do you think He put the third Member of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit to dwell in us eh? As we saw yesterday, it’s to lead and guide us along the straight and narrow path that leads to the Father.
But as we also saw yesterday, the Holy Spirit won’t invade our space unilaterally, He waits to be invited to sincerely lead and guide us. And right within our Bit, lies the crux of our problem: We still LOVE the fleshly, carnal things of the world too much.
And as the scholars explain: ‘2:15. LOVE not the world is a command implying that action now in progress must cease: “Stop LOVING the world!” There is, of course, one sense in which Christians should LOVE the world, since God Himself did and does (John 3:16).
But in the sense of pledging personal loyalty and devotion of one’s whole being and means, Christians are to “LOVE” God first and foremost (Deut. 6:5; Mark 12:30).’
And just to further bring home the point to us, we’ll quote the immortal words of Moses to the Israelites way back when. ‘’Hear O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.’ (Deut.6:5)
Now that hasn’t changed at any time down through the ages my people. And when Jesus’ detractors facetiously asked Him what was the greatest commandment, He reiterated the awe inspiring words of Moses, as you can read in Mark 12:29-30.
So I don’t see how we expect the Lord to approve our fence-sitting, for that is being double-minded, and James warns us that ‘He that wavereth (is doubting) is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.’ (James 1:6-8)
Good Christians, we need to forsake the things of the world and cling to the things of God, if we truly want to see the abundant blessings of God in our lives. That’s all there is to it!
So let’s go home in truth and in spirit declaring our Tuesday Mantra. With one sincere voice now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And if that’s truly whom we are, then let’s go out and let the world know it nuh my brethren, as Jesus so dearly desires of us. Much LOVE!
…one simply cannot LOVE God and Lucifer…at the same time…that’s a true impossibility…
20 Jun 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a blessed joy, a corn cob, able to stand, anger, be able to withstand, Christians, cock-a-doodle-do, communicating with God, demons, denonic onslaughts, fallen angels, fear, formidable foe, furrowed brows, give a stranger one of your smiles, God's armour, hand to hand combat, hatred, hear yourself think, humanity, in high places, Jesus Christ, keep away from me, Love of Jesus, Lucifer, ministry, negativity, our Lord and Saviour, powers, principalities, put on the whole armour of God, Satanic assaults, share His love, sipping a ting, spiritual warfare, spiritual wickedness, stand, stressful day, strife, sunshine, the beloved of God, the evil day, the good news of Jesus, the only sunshine he sees all day, the rulers of darkness, the wiles of the devil, the work of the enemy, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, upper echelons of power, we wrestle not against flesh and blood, wicked spiritual beings, witness
Ephesians 6:11. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.
Aye mih people, what a blessed joy it is to be able to sit down on my porch at minutes to four in the morning, without much clothes on, munching a corn on the cob and sipping a ting!
Hn! And I see the furrowed brows on some of you, wondering, ‘what’s a ting, how can you sip a ting? Well friends, a ting is just the name of a carbonated, grapefruit based drink from T&T.
Oh, I know some of you have the joy of doing that sort of thing all year round, but we in the north country don’t, so when we do have the opportunity, to us it’s a big deal. And the morning was nice and quiet and cool; just right for silently communicating with God and nature.
That, to me, is the best time of the day; when most of the world is sleeping, and you can even hear yourself think. We’re talking about those quiet moments before the macho cock stridently crows ‘cock-a doodle-do, cock-a-doodle-do,’ and awakens the universe to another loud and stressful day.
And believe you me, the days are getting louder and more stressful, as the strife and hatred and anger proliferate around our world. But here’s a li’l something from my ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU Poster that will help us defeat some of the negativity on our planet.
It says: ‘Today, give a stranger one of your smiles. It might be the only sunshine he sees all day.’ And surprisingly, my faithful brethren, there is a whole lot more truth in that statement than some of us are willing to believe.
That’s because we’ve become such sour and negative people, and refuse to share even a simple pleasantry with another human being, and not only because of their race, creed, colour or class, but simply because of the stern, serious, keep away from me look that so many of us present to the world today, a lot of it simply rooted in fear.
And all of that is simply the work of the enemy. That’s why, today, I believe it’s ever so necessary for us to consider the words of our Bit. ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.’
Yeh mih people, as we read yesterday, without God’s strength and His protective armour, we are unable to resist the enemy’s negative fear-mongering schemes. Now it’s time we have a refresher course in what God’s armour consists of, and how to use it successfully.
Firstly, let’s remember that as Christians, we are engaged in serious warfare, warfare of the spiritual kind. As Bruh Paul informed the Ephesians. ‘For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world (age), against spiritual wickedness (spiritual hosts of wickedness) in high places.’ (Eph.6:12)
Yes friends, you’d be amazed to know the amount of spiritual wickedness that resides in the upper echelons of power in this world. And the scholars offer this explanation on that verse.
‘6:12. Wrestle, used of hand-to-hand combat, emphasizes the personal and individual nature of spiritual warfare waged against each local church and Christian. Flesh and blood refers to humanity. Such is not the church’s adversary.
Instead she opposes principalities (rulers), powers (authorities), rulers (world rulers), spiritual wickedness (wicked spiritual beings), that is, fallen angels, demons, and Lucifer himself.’
So you see, precious people of God, it’s a mighty force of evil that is lined up against us, and it will take an even mightier force to defeat them. And that mightier force is our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Glory to God!
But friends, just like it would be foolish to go into flesh and blood warfare without some protective clothing or amour, likewise, we need protection in this spiritual war in which we’re currently engaged.
Consequently, Bruh Paul has wisely advised us: ‘Wherefore take unto you (take up) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.’ (Eph.6:13)
And what does all of that mean? Listen to the scholars. ‘6:13. Wherefore means “because of this,” that is, because we face such a formidable foe, we must avail ourselves of God’s provision lest the enemy destroy our Christian witness and ministry.
The evil day refers to the periodic demonic onslaughts and Satanic assaults. Having done all includes both dressing oneself in God’s armour and resisting Satan. Having done all these, be ready, for the Devil will attack again and again.’
Of that we can be sure my brethren! Lucifer will keep attacking us until Jesus returns and completely obliterates him. In the meanwhile though, we definitely need to be prepared; clothed in God’s protective armour and filled with His fighting strength so that we can STAND!
And having decided to do just that, let’s go home now with joyful hearts and spirits, joyfully and sincerely declaring our Tuesday Mantra.
‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And if we truly meant it, then let’s go out and share the beautiful, awesome, soul inspiring LOVE of Jesus with others, as He expects of us. Much LOVE!
…sharing the good news of Jesus’ LOVE…is what the Christian is all about…
13 Jun 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a follower of Jesus, a miracle is happening, a wasted life, be fed, be thou envious, bring it to pass, Christians, come into my life, commit thy ways to the Lord, common sense, cut down like the grass, David, delight thyself in the Lord, divine destiny, do good, dr robert h schuller, dwell in the land, encouraging scripture, evil doers, faithful children, fret not thyself, frined of jesus, glory, glory to God, God controls everything, God's ways are higher than ours, great god, have faith, hectic riddim, I want to improve, iniquity, insignificant, Israel's greatest king, lost passion for God, LOVE, loving-kindness, miracles, obedient, obey, our heavenly Father, passion, praise, problems, serve, Something Beautiful, something good is happening, strong belief, thankful, thanks, the beloved of God, the desires of thine heart, the Good Book, the Holy Spirit, the storms of life, the true state of the wicked, the workers of iniquity, trust, trust in the Lord, Tuesday Mantra, unified voice, wisdom, wither as the green herb, worship, zest for life
Psalm 37:1. Fret not thyself because of evil doers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
Well friends, yesterday I finally had to turn on my a/c for the first time this year. It was the first of many truly hot days I believe we’ll have this summer. But what amazes me is that though it was hot, the wind was also blowing at a brisk pace, the poor trees were dancing all day to its hectic riddim.
But then this morning, around 3.a.m, I was outside on my porch, and though it was somewhat cooler than during the day, there was not a breeze to be had.
I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, but in the last year or so, I’ve noticed that regardless of the season or time of day, in my area, the winds have been much stronger and more persistent than before.
Who knows what our great God is doing eh? He controls everything, and His ways are so much higher than ours, that even if He explained it to us, we would not be able to comprehend it. So we just have to have faith, and trust and obey.
And to help us do that, here is a li’l something from Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) from his Hour of Power Devotional titled ‘I want to Improve.’
Please pray with me. ‘O God, how thankful I am that you have come into my life through the Holy Spirit. I’m willing to say: “I’m not perfect, Lord! I want to improve. Show me where I can.” So, Father, I sense that a miracle is happening in my life right now. You are doing something beautiful in my heart this very moment. I thank and praise you! Amen.’
Yeh friends, if we sincerely and faithfully prayed that prayer, then I’m sure something good is happening in our hearts right now.Wow! What a great God we serve and worship!
Now it might not be a huge miracle, or manifest itself right away, but I’m sure that sometime down the line you’ll suddenly realize what’s changed, what’s improved, and then you’ll want to give even more praise, thanks and glory to our heavenly Father for His extraordinary LOVING-kindness to His undeserving but oh so faithful children! Glory to God my brethren!
One of the problems we Christians suffer these days is that we’ve lost our passion for God, lost our zest for life, lost our faith in miracles. Chuh!
Even worse, we expect miracles to be always big and uproarious! But the truth is that the Lord doesn’t do that many big and uproarious miracles, but He does plenty small and seemingly insignificant ones, which we either don’t notice at all or simply ignore.
Ah friends, please remember that once we truly surrender our lives to Christ, He works continuously in them, and not everything is big and monumental.
So please, let’s start regaining our passion for Christ nuh, which brings with an increased zest for life in general, and let’s also begin looking for and appreciating the small but still important ways He works in our lives. We are missing out on a whole lot of wonderful stuff by only looking for big, eye-catching things. End of sermon! (smile)
Now don’t blame me, if we don’t have much space and time for our Bit, because that’s where the Lord led me. And being obedient, I had no choice. (smile)
And is it ever an encouraging and reassuring Bit. ‘Fret not thyself because of evil doers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.’
Yes friends, that’s the amazing opening advice from Bruh David from that amazing Psalm 37- The true state of the wicked.
And Bruh David certainly knew what he was talking about because he stuck with the Lord through thick and thin, and likewise, the Lord stuck with him. His life wasn’t easy, a lot of it because of his mistakes, but he never lost his passion for the Lord God of his fathers.
Now, as I’ve said above, lost passion for God is one of our major problems today, that’s why we’re so tossed and upset by the storms of life, by how the wicked seem to be increasing and the righteous decreasing.
Bruh David ran from his enemies, Saul and his son Absalom for many years, but the Lord always kept him safe and secure, then finally brought him to his divine destiny; the greatest king that Israel ever knew. That’s why he could confidently open the psalm with our Bit, and then continue with that same confidence.
‘For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on his faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.’ (Ps.37:2-5)
Oh friends, there’s no more encouraging scripture than those few words in the Good Book, and that from a man who truly lived them and thus knew exactly what he was talking about.
Today I implore us to take his words to heart and put them into practice, so that we too can be led to our divine destiny. Common sense and wisdom dictate it!
Now let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra with the passion and strong belief that it ought to engender in us. In one, strong and unified voice now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And the best way to show that passion is to go out now and share the LOVE of Jesus! Much LOVE!
…a life lived without passion…is a wasted life…especially if you’re a follower of Jesus…
P.S. Yes, it’s late, but it’s very worthwhile. (smile)
06 Jun 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a conscious decision, a son of Abraham, abundant life, abundant love, believed, beloved of God, boring death, born again, brand new, company of Jesus, discouragement, dr robert h schuller, evil world, exciting life, exquisite, failure, faithful brethren, forgiving, friend of Jesus, generous, glory, God sent not His Son, guiding light, hope, Hour of Power Devotional, humble, I come alive, I will move, kind, Love of Jesus, loving, merciful, might be saved, pardon, power, promised never to leave nor forsake us, ready access, saving grace, separated from God, shame, shield, spiritual mystery, strength, success, sweet, tax collector, thanks and praise, that which was lost, the best thing, the only begotten Son of God, the providence of God, the saving power of Jesus, the world through him, to condemn the world, Tuesday Mantra, unique, walking with Jesus, walks beside before behind, weakness, wherewithal to face, wise guidance, Zaccheus
John 3:17. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Ah friends, on this somewhat damp and dreary looking June morning, it’s ever so important for us to have the unique and exquisite LOVE of Jesus flowing sincerely, briskly and securely in our hearts, so that we can have ready access to the wherewithal to face whatever may befall us today.
Yes my faithful brethren, only the overwhelming, the ever abiding and abundant LOVE of Jesus has the power and the spiritual mystery to carry us through each and every day of our lives.
Therefore, as we open our eyes to greet each and every new day, we ought to give Him thanks and praise and ask for his wise guidance as He accompanies us on our earthly journey.
And that He does friends! Having promised never to leave nor forsake us, He walks beside, before and behind us each and every minute of each and every day, once you accept Him as your Lord and Saviour.
As the psalmist says, He’s our shield and guiding light. NEVER forget that!
Now here is a simple but stirring and heart-moving prayer from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr, Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional. It’s also simply titled; ‘I Will Move…’ I’m sure I’ve shared it before, but it’s one of those prayers that are certainly worth sharing again and again.
Please pray with me. ‘Lord, I want your heart to be my heart. For in you I come alive, moving ahead from boring death to exciting life! In your promises, I will move from discouragement to hope.
In your pardon, I will move from shame to glory. In your power, I will move from weakness to strength. In your providence, I will move from failure to success! Thank You Lord. Amen.’
Oh friends, that is ALL so true! It’s only with the promises, the power, the pardon and providence of Almighty God that we can truly move from death to life, abundant life that is, and have lasting success in this evil world.
That brings us to our Bit: ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’
And if you believe that with all your heart, soul, body and mind, then you’re on your way to a great life in the wonderful and unique company of Jesus!
Wow mih breddren! It couldn’t get any better than that! Hanging out with Jesus is the BEST THING that can ever happen to a human being! And if you already know Jesus, you’ll know that what I’m saying is absolutely true!
Oh, I’ve just got to say it again: ‘Wow, mih breddren! Walking with Jesus is the BEST THING that can ever happen to a human being!’ (smile)
He’s so sweet, and kind, humble, LOVING, generous, forgiving, merciful and gracious…etc…etc! And once you truly get to know Him, every so often, you’ll sit down and ask yourself, ‘how ever did I live before He came into my life eh?’
Well you simply weren’t living before that, just existing. But once Jesus entered your life, He made you a brand new person, regenerated you, made you to be born again spiritually…and everything changed…your mindset, your view of life, your habits and behaviour, all began to change for the better. That’s the saving power of Jesus friends!
As our Bit says, He didn’t come to condemn but to save. However, it doesn’t happen automatically; we need to accept His saving grace, that free gift of God.
As Jesus says after our Bit: ‘He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.’ (John 3:18)
So you see friends, it’s a conscious decision that every one of us has to make; to either believe or not believe in Jesus, the only begotten Son of God!
And the scholars offer this explanation. ‘3:18. This verse answers the question, “Why do people go to hell?” It is because they do not believe in Jesus.’
That’s straight and to the point people! It couldn’t be any simpler. Believe and you’re saved; don’t believe, and you spend eternity separated from God, the worst thing that could ever happen to a human soul.
And we’ll give one more example of the saving grace of Jesus, His words after He had lunch with the tax collector Zaccheus.
After Zaccheus repented of his sins, ‘Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.’ (Luke 19:9-10)
And the scholars tell us: ’19:10. The words seek, save, and lost all appear elsewhere in Scripture in a shepherd context. This verse may be taken as the kernel statement of the central theme of Luke: Jesus is the compassionate, searching Herdsman who seeks to save those who can by no means save themselves.’
Truer words were never written friends! And since we believe it all, we can go home joyfully and sincerely declaring our Tuesday Mantra.
All together now, in strong voice and confident humility: ‘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!’
All glory and honour to our most kind and LOVING Saviour! Now let’s go out and share His LOVE and friendship as He desires of us. Much LOVE!
…when Jesus comes into our hearts…His light and LOVE…will faithfully lead and safely guide us…
30 May 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a daydreamer, a faith that saves is never alone, a pleasant person, aim of all Christians, be ye warmed and filled, blessings, christianity, common task, daily grind, dalvation, daly food, destitute, dreams, empty vessels, eternal life, exciting, faith, faith alone saves, faithful, fallen brethren, feeble attempts, friend of Jesus, good works, gospel truth, government abuse, growing in Christ, have no works, heavenly Father, John Calvin, John Maxwell, lacking works, Memorial Day holiday, mental and physical problems, money to honour the dead, naked, new, no progress, pomp and ceremony, positive attitude, post-conversion works, potential, professing faith, saving faith, share His love, talents, the beloved of God, the freedom of our countries, the living suffer, thou good and faithful servant, Tuesday Mantra, unlimited possibility, well done, what does it profit, wounds suffered
James 2:14. What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
So friends, it’s Tuesday! What’s new and exciting in our lives eh? And most of us say nothing really; just the same old, same old daily grind and common task. Hn!
And that’s the way it’s always going to be my brethren, because we really couldn’t handle something new and exciting every day. We are just not made that way.
And our U.S brethren are going back to work today after the Memorial Day Holiday – hope they’re not too tired and bedraggled after all the celebrations.
But friends, it hurts the ole fella’s heart to see all the pomp and ceremony that both the U.S and Canada put on in respect to celebrating their fallen brethren, while the majority of the ones who participated in the conflicts and are still alive are suffering immensely from government abuse, mismanagement and simply being ignored. Steups!
So many of them suffer from mental and physical problems and either can’t get any help, or find it extremely difficult to get help for the wounds suffered for the freedom of our countries.
Financially, they and their families are also suffering great need, but our governments only make feeble, if any attempts to help them. Yet on those days, those days of remembrance, they can find money to honour the dead, while the living suffer so seriously.
Steups! What a hypocritical society we are! But that’s all a story for another day. Today though, I want to share some words of wisdom attributed to John Maxwell (1947), the celebrated American author, speaker and pastor.
And here John talks about dreams. ‘A dream without a positive attitude produces a daydreamer. A positive attitude without a dream produces a pleasant person who never makes any progress. A dream together with a positive attitude produces a person with unlimited possibility and potential. ‘
Mama Mia! How true is that eh my friends? How many of us dream big but do nothing about it eh? And how many of us have positive attitudes but no dreams to be positive about? Too many of us I declare!
It’s just like Christianity that calls for both faith and works. One without the other is of no use. And I guess that’s why a lot of us aren’t growing in Christ either; because we have either faith or works and not both.
But friends, to be good, solid and true Christians we need to believe sincerely, and then work that belief to the glory of God through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
Otherwise we’re just empty vessels without any real use. And all of that leads us to our Bit. ‘What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?’
Ah mih people, that’s a passage of scripture that has caused controversy down though the ages. Now according to the scholars, Bruh Paul’s doctrine teaches of ‘salvation by faith alone.’
For him ‘faith practically equals salvation. James, however, sees two kinds of faith: saving faith and professing faith (much like the usage today). For Paul, justification is by faith (Rom.4:5). For James, justification is by a faith that works – by a genuine faith that manifests itself in post conversion works.’
Oh friends, what unnecessary confusion! It’s obvious that we can only be saved by faith, but that faith ought to lead us to work the works of Jesus which He so clearly commanded us to do; teaching and making disciples of others, helping the sick and needy, etc. etc.
And as the scholars quote the famous Protestant Pastor, John Calvin: ‘Faith alone saves, but a faith that saves is never alone.’ Gospel truth that my brethren!
Therefore as James continues: ‘If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food. And one of you say unto them. Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body, what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.’ (James 2:15-17)
The sad truth of the matter friends is that our faith these days is sadly lacking works. Oh we will go to heaven with our faith, but where will be our rewards? When the Lord asks us ‘what have you done with the talents and blessings I gave you,’ what will we reply?
Will our reply be like the fella with one talent who buried it? Or will we declare like the one who had five talents: ‘Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.’ (Matt.25:20)
Now that’s what we ought to be saying on that judgement day my people! So that the Lord can say to us: ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.’ (Matt.25:21)
Yes friends, the quintessential aim of all Christians should not just be going to heaven, but receiving a joyful welcome to eternal life by our heavenly Father!
And with all of that in mind, let’s declare our Tuesday Mantra with sincere belief and enthusiastic enthusiasm! (smile) ‘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 having said that, let’s now go out and put it into action, as Jesus desires nuh. Much LOVE!
…true faith…ought to make us want to do…plenty good works…
23 May 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a child of God, a decision, a dream, a gift, be strong and of a good courage, be thou dismayed, Canadian, choose courage, Christian brethren, courage, do what we have to do, dr robert h schuller, end of life, end times, eternal life, fear, fear not, followers of Christ, freedom, friend of Jesus, glory, glory to God, God is a refuge for us, greater than he that's in the world, He that is in us, Hour of Power Devotional, Jesus Christ, kill the body, LOVE, mortal bodies, of whom shall I be afraid, our Lord and Saviour, pour out your heart, power to cast into hell, presence of a calling, pulls you beyond yourself, put it into action, salvation, Selah, share His love, the absence of fear, the beloeved of god, the Lord is my light and salvation, the Lord is the strength of my life, traffic, trust Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, walking in fear, wherewithal, whom shall I fear
Psalm 27:1. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Well my Canadian friends, I hope the getting up and going back to work this Tuesday morning wasn’t too onerous, after a long weekend of celebrating Queen Victoria’s long reign over the British Empire! (smile)
Oh I know it was hard for me to get up, and many of you had to get up long before I did and make your way through the mean traffic. But that’s why we’re so proudly Canadian; we have the courage, the wherewithal to do what we have to do! Glory to God!
Now, rather appropriately, here is a li’l something on ‘Courage,’ from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional, where he emphatically states:
‘The truth is that courage isn’t a gift. Courage is a decision! Courage is not the absence of fear. It is the presence of a calling – a dream that pulls you beyond yourself. Hence it is something you can never lose. It is always something that you can choose. So choose it today!’
Yes my brethren, I’m pleading with us to CHOOSE courage over fear today, because it’s ever so necessary in our faith walk with Christ, especially in these fearful end times.
Walking in fear is not acceptable in a child of God, for Christ died that we might have freedom, freedom from fear and all its associates. And to have freedom, one must have the courage to trust Jesus, as well as to handle whatever you need to handle.
That’s why Bruh David was able to so boldly proclaim in our Bit: ‘The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?’
And the resounding answer from a follower of Christ, is simply: ‘ABSOLUTELY NOBODY!’ Yes friends, we ought not to be afraid of anybody or anything in this world.
Listen to Jesus on whom to fear. ‘And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.’ (Luke 12:4-5)
Oh my Christian brethren, those are words straight from the mouth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and as His followers, we ought to listen attentively to what he says and put it into action!
And here are two simple explanations from the scholars on those verses. ’12:4. The body’s death is not the end of a person’s life’ ’12:5. God is the One with this power (James 4:12).’
Yeh precious people, the death of our mortal bodies doesn’t mean the end of life, rather, it is the beginning of eternal life with Jesus! Glory to God!
And ONLY God has the power to cast any of us into hell with the evil one. So once you’re living under His mighty umbrella, there’s nothing to fear.
And hear how Moses put it to the Israelites many, many moons ago. ‘Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Deut.31:6) Words of absolute truth my brethren!
And furthermore, listen to how often God warned Joshua about not being fearful when He anointed him leader of the Israelites after Moses’ death. ‘There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Be strong and of a good courage… Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do all the law which Moses my servant commanded thee… Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.’ (Josh.1:5, 6,7,9)
Yeh friends, within four verses, God warned Joshua three times to be strong and courageous and not be afraid. The same advice goes out to us today my people, so let’s take it to heart nuh, since it’s only the courage and strength we get from God that will see us successfully through this earthly life.
Now hear Bruh David wrap it up, from Psalm 62: ‘In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.’ (Ps.62:7-8)
Yes, let’s ponder that for a moment nuh, before we move on to declare our Tuesday Mantra, boldly proclaiming to the world, whom and whose we are.
In strong voice now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And if we sincerely believe all of that deep down in our hearts, then let’s go out and put it all into action nuh, as our Leader, Jesus desires of us. Much LOVE!
…the fear of man…can never outweigh the courage of God…for Him that is in us…is greater than he that is in the world…
16 May 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a time of hope, abundant in goodness and truth, alive with God's grace, avoid evil, beloved of God, better late than never, between friends, Bob Colaresi, clean out hearts, cleanse, concentrate on good, consequences, death and resurrection of Jesus, deceits, dying, forgiveness of sin, forgiving iniquity, freedom, friend of Jesus, glory hallelujah, God of hope, God's will, goodness, grace, gracious, hope, human drama, iniquity, Jesus Christ, junk, kindness, lies, long-suffering, merciful, mercy, Moses, new beginnings, new future, new possibilities, prince of darkness, raised us up, reflection, renewal, renewed life, rich in mercy, right relationship with God, rising, selfless sacrifice, shining brightly in our hearts, Society of the Little Flower, spring, spring thinking, St. Therese, the goodness of God, the gospel, the Lord God, the Lord passed by, transgressions, trust, truth, Tuesday Mantra
Exodus 34:6. And the Lord passed by before him (Moses), and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.
Aye mih people, my sincerest apologies for the Bit’s tardiness today, (smile) but I had one of those real late early mornings, and the ole bod simply refused to get up when I asked it to. But as they say, better late than never.
And though a light drizzle is falling in my area, making it a somewhat grey morning, we know that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is shining brightly in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls! Glory Hallelujah!
And today, I want to share with us some exciting and reassuring words from Father Bob Colaresi’s opening remarks in the Spring Edition of ‘Between Friends,’ the newsletter of the Friends of the Society of the Little Flower (St. Therese of Liseux).
He is talking about hope and renewal: ‘Spring is a time of HOPE. God is our God of HOPE. The Gospel is about HOPE – Renewed Life. The celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus speaks to the human drama of dying and rising – always rising to new possibilities, sometimes beyond our imagining.’
And isn’t that the indisputable truth my fellow followers of Christ? It surely is! For it was HOPE that our glorious Lord and Saviour was born, died and rose from the grave for us to have; so that we can embrace a new future filled with good things.
And as the article in the Between Friends Newsletter also says: ‘Spring is a time to reflect on what we need to let go of so we can be alive with God’s grace, possibilities and freedom.’
Oh what a profound and true statement my brethren! Spring is not only the time to clean our homes and garages and get rid of unnecessary junk, but it’s also a time to clean our hearts, bodies and souls of the worthless stuff that’s gathered there, and is keeping us from having the true and right relationship with our heavenly Father that we so desperately need to have.
So I invite us to day to have what we shall call ‘spring thinking,’ where we endeavour to cleanse ourselves of anything that’s not moving us towards God’s will for our lives.
And one of the ways we can do that is simply by concentrating on the goodness of our God, as enshrined in our Bit. ‘And the Lord passed by before him (Moses), and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.’
Yeh friends, one of the easiest ways to avoid evil, is to concentrate on good; so that the mind has no place for the lies and deceits of the prince of darkness. But listen to what the Lord told Moses after our Bit.
‘Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and fourth generation.’ (Ex.34:7)
Now the end of that statement sounds somewhat harsh, but with the coming of Jesus that was somewhat mitigated, for everybody now has to bear the consequences for their own transgressions.
But Glory to God, there’s still mercy and forgiveness of sin! And nowhere is God’s goodness spelled out more succinctly than in Bruh Paul’s words to the Ephesians on the terms of grace and faith.
‘But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great LOVE wherewith he LOVED us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us (made us alive) together with Christ, (by grace ye are (have been) saved;)
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might show his grace in his kindness toward us through (in) Christ Jesus.’ (Eph.2:4-7)
How magnanimous is that eh my precious people! Our wonderful God LOVED us so much, that even when we were dead in our transgressions, He gave us an option to be lifted out of the mire, to rise godly and righteous, through the selfless sacrifice of His most adorable Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
Wow! I can’t help saying it friends: ‘What a wonderful God we serve and worship! There’s NONE else like Him in all the world! Praise and Bless His Holy Name!’
Now let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, extolling who and whose we are. With strong conviction now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
So if that’s what we are about my brethren, then let’s go out now and share it with the rest of the world, as our friend Jesus desires of us. Much LOVE!
…spring…the time of resurrection…of cleansing…of new beginnings…
09 May 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a father's wisdom, adversity, advice, almighty god, beloved of God, calamity, Christian maturity, decisions, disaster, doctrine, failure, final, friend of Jesus, from glory to glory, giving thanks, Glory to God! flooding, hear ye children, heartfelt thanks, in Jesus' name, instruction, know understanding, knowledge, Law, logic, LOVE, Missouri, my thoughts are higher than your thoughts, my thoughts are not your thoughts, my ways are higher than yours, no giving up, on the move, seek first the kingdom of God, seeking, slaving, success, the broad and destructive path, the heavens are higher than the earth, the instruction of a father, the words of my mouth, this is the day the Lord has made, times, trials, tribulations, true, Tuesday Mantra, understanding, valuable, water damage, we shall rejoice and be glad in it, work, your ways are not my ways
Proverbs 4:1. Hear ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.
And then the rains stopped… Glory to God! And the bright sunshiny, though still not so warm days returned! But thankfully, we didn’t experience the flooding and extensive water damage that the people in the U.S. state of Missouri experienced last week.
Another day of that awesome rain would certainly have put us up to the flooding level. But all thanks to our wonderful God, we did not reach it. And thus we are bold to say: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we shall rejoice and be glad in it!’
Oh friends, we never know how truly blessed we are until we see disaster and calamity happen to others nuh, and only then do we give some heartfelt thanks. But it ought not to be so. We ought to be giving thanks continually, both in the good and bad times.
Oh, we all know that it is difficult to give thanks when things are going awry, but that aspect only comes with Christian maturity, and Christian maturity only comes with adversity, with trials and tribulations, which serve to make us stronger in our faith.
Yes friends, it’s a vicious cycle that we cannot get around, if we want to grow in our faith, in our likeness to Jesus. That brings me to this quote from my ‘P.S. I LOVE You,’ Poster. ‘No failure is ever final – nor is any success.’
And as Christians we ought to strongly believe that and diligently put it into action. For remember, in Jesus’ world there is no giving up, so when we fall, we need to get back up, dust ourselves off and get back in the race; that awesome race of life in which we’re involved.
And when we are successful, we cannot afford to rest on our laurels, but continue moving upwards and onwards in Jesus. As the Good Book tells us; from glory to glory!
So as true believers, we ought always to be on the move, in some form and fashion, never standing still, never just sitting on our fannies and ‘narcissistically’ admiring, being absorbed only in our own lives, for there is always work to be done in Jesus’ name!
And thus we come to today’s Bit: ‘Hear ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.’
Ah mih breddren, instruction and understanding are ever so important in our Christian walk of faith! If we don’t receive good instruction, and then don’t understand it properly, we’ll most likely go astray, down the broad and destructive path.
Now a father’s job is to impart proper knowledge and instruction to his children, which unfortunately many fathers aren’t doing today, thus many children are going astray. But let’s listen as Cousin Sol continues his treatise on a father’s wisdom.
‘For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law. For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments and live.
Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline (turn away) from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: LOVE her, and she shall keep thee.’ (Prov.4:2-6)
Oh my people, what wonderful words of advice from Cousin Sol on the getting of wisdom and understanding! And it’s not really rocket science nuh, but pure and simple logic. If we have wisdom and understanding, then we’ll make wise and intelligent decisions in our lives. And what more can we ask but that eh!
The only problem though is whose or what wisdom and understanding are we seeking – that of the world, or that of Almighty God? Obviously they are both different, hold different things valuable and true.
But since we claim that God is our Creator, Controller and Provider, then it would seem that we should be seeking His wisdom and understanding, since it is higher than man’s.
As the Lord so plainly tells us through Isaiah: ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ (Is.55:8-9)
So why would we want to follow man’s wisdom eh? Because it is more attuned to the lusts and desires of our flesh! Simple as that!
God’s wisdom needs us to first seek His kingdom, and His righteousness, and then all the things we need would be given to us. We don’t have to go seeking and slaving after them, like we have to do, if we follow man’s wisdom.
Now doesn’t it make more sense to follow God, rather than man eh mih breddren? It certainly does! God might have more restrictions, but believe me, they are all their for our benefit. So with all of that in mind, let’s go home now declaring our Tuesday Mantra, which tells us who and whose we are, without a shadow of doubt.
As one solid group now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
How wonderful it is to be the beloved of God and the friend of Jesus! Now let’s go out and show the world that LOVE and friendship of Jesus and our heavenly Father, like we’re supposed to. Much LOVE!
…as for me and mine…we will serve the Lord…
P.S. Please excuse the lateness of the Bit. It ‘s just one of those days. (smile) Much LOVE!
02 May 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: as with a shield, be weary, bless the Lord oh my soul, bless the righteous, blessings, blustery, chilly, Christians, comapss, crowns thee, defend, earthly pilgrimage, ever-faithful God, faint, fall, false conclusion, favour, flying colours, fog, forget not his benefits, forgiveness, fullness of joy, glory to God, good, gospel truth, grace, grateful to be alive, He gives power to the faint, in thy presence, incessant rains, increases strength, Isaiah, Jesus Christ, like the eagle's, LOVE, loving-kindness, mercies, mount up with wings, my friend Jesus, One Year Book of Bible promises, our Lord and Saviour, persevere, pleasures for evermore, redeemeth thy life, rejoice, renew their strength, run, Ruth Harms Calkin, satisfies thy mouth, share His love, surrender, the beloved of God, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the path of life, the Promise of Abundant Life, thy right hand, thy youth is renewed, trust, Tuesday Mantra, wait upon the Lord, walk and not faint, weak, weather forecasters
Psalm 103:2. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.
Well friends, at least we’ve begun today better than we did yesterday. Yeh, there is no fog clouding up the place, though it’s still a tad chilly and blustery.
Let’s hope though, that the incessant rains that plagued us through most of the later day-time hours and evening don’t return, as promised by the weather forecasters, because I need to go out the street and do some stuff today, and I really don’t feel like trampling around through the rain. (smile)
But be that as it may, I’m still glad, excited, enthusiastic and ever grateful to be alive on this spring morning of 2017! Glory to our Most High God!
Now here is a li’l something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s short and simple and titled ‘The Promise of Abundant Life.’
Please declare with me: ‘Lord, you always bring ultimate good to those who LOVE you. May I never surrender to the false conclusion that you have no more for me than what I already have.’
But unfortunately that’s something a lot of us Christians feel and believe. However friends, I’m here to tell us today, that our God’s great mercies and blessings and grace and forgiveness have not even begun to truly flow upon us, so vast is His storehouse of those things.
And the verse associated with that promise comes from Psalm 16, where Bruh David seeks preservation and blessing and faithfully declares: ‘Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.’ (Ps.16:11) And isn’t that the gospel truth my fellow believers? It surely is!
And that flows very nicely into our ongoing Bit: ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.’
And again, we need to remember that there are numerous benefits to one’s association with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
Now we’ve been reviewing some of the benefits listed by Bruh David after our Bit. Today we’ll move on to verse 4: ‘Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVING-kindness and tender mercies.’ (Ps.103:4)
Wow! What an awesome verse of promise and assurance friends! And we know that our wonderful God did eventually provide redemption for us through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, an act of such outstanding, amazing and awesome LOVE; one that has never been, and can never be matched!
But listen to how Bruh David saw it in his time, and how he engraved it in everlasting words for us from Psalm 5 – A prayer for protection.
‘But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that LOVE thy name be joyful in thee. For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass (surround) him as with a shield.’ (Ps.5:11-12)
So why are we supposed believers not much more joyful than we are in these trying times eh? With such a promise, and many more like that, none of us should be walking around with sad, droopy, poor-me-one attitudes and countenances.
But we’ll leave that for another day, because I want to finish this Bit today…and I hear a sigh of relief from some quarters. (smile)
Now let’s move on to verse 5, which tells us of these benefits. ‘Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ (Ps.103:5)
And we all know the immortal words of Isaiah on this topic. ‘He giveth power to the faint (weak); and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is.40:29-31)
Oh my fellow believers, today I’m imploring us to firmly grasp and hold tight to the many promises of our wonderful God, because in them we find the strength and wherewithal to fight the many battles we encounter in our earthly pilgrimage.
It won’t always be easy, but if we believe and persevere, we will come through with flying colours, because our ever-faithful God has promised it!
Now let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra in true belief and sincerity. ‘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!’
Glory be my people! Now let’s go out and share that awesome LOVE of Jesus with each and every one we meet today, for that’s what He desires of us. Much LOVE!
… the benefits of being associated with God…are so amazing and so plentiful…that our finite minds can’t conceive even half of them…
P.S. Please let me apologize for my typo at the end of yesterday’s Bit, where I said that everything in this world belongs to God, ‘let’s forget it.’ Obviously it should be ‘let’s NOT forget it.’ I’m sure you all realized that, but please forgive the ole fella anyway. (smile) I corrected it in the Blog later. Much LOVE!
25 Apr 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a dunghill, a golden idol, Abednego, action, assurance, babylonian king, Beelzebub, Calvary, Christians, come to God, defeating Lucifer, Easter Sunday, faithfully serve God, fellowship, glory and honour, Hades, hate evil, he delivers them, he preserves the souls of his saints, hell death and the grave, I am with thee, insincere prayers, invincible power of God, Israel, Jeremiah, Jesus Christ, light, LOVE, merciful God, Meshach, Nebuchadnezzar, nourish our physical bodies, our Lord and Saviour, out of the hand of the wicked, precious, redeem thee, repent, shadrach, share His love, singed, spring rains, stampede, thanks and praise, the beloved of God, the friend of Jesus, the grip of the terrible, the Lord God of Abraham Isaac and jacob, the only true way, the smell of fire, the SON, the Son of God, true faith, truth, Tuesday Mantra, under the weather, vile, ye that love the Lord
Psalm 97:10. Ye that LOVE the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.
Oh friends, welcome to a wet and dreary Tuesday morning in my neck of the woods! But the spring rains are doing their job; rejuvenating the cold, dry, dead, winter earth, getting it ready for the planting of food to nourish our physical bodies. Just another one of God’s marvellous and miraculous ways of looking after us!
And though the sun might not be out, the SON is certainly shining in all His brilliant splendour; guaranteeing us, LIGHT, LIFE, LOVE, and the ONLY TRUE WAY to the Father’s heavenly kingdom!
All Glory and Honour be to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who sacrificed His sinless life for us on Calvary, then rose triumphantly from the dead on Easter Sunday, totally destroying and defeating Lucifer’s kingdoms of hell, death and the grave! Give Him much thanks and praise my people, for He certainly deserves it!
Unfortunately, I’m a bit under the weather myself, though I can’t understand why, since I went to bed at a reasonable hour and got up late. But I know that as I keep on writing, the strong and invincible power of our great and wonderful God will eventually permeate my body and soul and bring me the energy that I need to do His wonderful will.
Wow! What a mighty, generous and merciful God we serve my brethren! That’s why I can’t understand why people, and I mean a lot of supposed Christians are so reluctant to faithfully serve Him!
They will spontaneously serve Beelzebub, who can’t do anything worthwhile for them, only drag them down into Hades, but answering their Creator’s call takes a whole lot of contemplating. Steups!
Then we wonder why He doesn’t answer our hurried, insincere prayers in times of trouble. Chuh friends! The Lord our God is not our servant, just there to lavish us with the sinful desires of our hearts!
We were made to serve and honour, glorify and have good fellowship with Him. That means sticking with Him in both the good and bad times. As our Bit so wisely advises us: ‘Ye that LOVE the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.’
And all of that is indisputable truth! So why the current stampede away from God eh? I really don’t know nuh. Anyway, let’s check out some scripture that corroborates the last part of our Bit: ‘he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.’
Hear the Lord’s assurance to the people of Israel through the prophet Jeremiah if they repent and turn back to Him: ‘Therefore, thus saith the Lord, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt stand before me; and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them (the heathen).
And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brazen (fortified bronze) wall: and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the Lord. And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand (grip) of the terrible.’ (Jer.15:19-21)
Oh friends, what more do we need eh, but to turn from our wicked ways and once more magnify and sincerely worship the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? We have His sincere promise, that should be ALL we need!
But if you’re not into promises, then listen to an actual saving grace of our mighty God; that of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from the fiery furnace of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar.
The king had ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than normal, to destroy the three Jewish young men who had refused to bow to a golden idol the king had made. And what happened?
The fire consumed the men who went to throw them into the furnace. But when the king went to check out the Jewish lads, he was most surprised because they spoke to him, and he in astonishment declared: ‘Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no (are not) hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God (a son of the gods).’ (Dan.3:25)
And we all know that when the lads came out, ‘upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was a hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed (garments affected), nor the smell of fire had passed on them.’ (Dan.3:27)
Oh my people, if the Lord did that way back then, why do we think He cannot do it now eh? Because our faith is not strong enough! And this miracle even caused the heathen Babylonian king to later declare:
‘Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed (frustrated) the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.
Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses made a dunghill (an ash heap): because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort (like this).’ (Dan.3:28-29)
There’s nothing left to say friends, except that we need to seriously check the level of our faith and see how it compares to those Jewish lads. Now let’s go home, enthusiastically declaring and believing our Tuesday Mantra.
‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And if we believe, then let’s put it into action, as we ought to. Much LOVE!
…without true faith…one cannot come to God…
P.S. Sorry for the lateness of the Bit, but in between I had to go out the street and pick up my tech, for today is music day. Glory be! Much LOVE!
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