27 Sep 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: bold, children, choose the best, Christians, commitment to excellence, confident, deliverance, disappointments, energy, enthusiasm, excellence, faith, faithful and true, fortress, foundation, friend of Jesus, give his angels charge over thee, gladness, God's ever-faithful promises, godly intentions, habitation, harm, heavenly intercessor, honour, I will say of the Lord, if God is for us who can be against us, in him will I trust, Jehovah, joy, kingdom living, long life, LOVE, mediocrity, misfortunes, Mover, never leave nor forsake ua, no evil befall thee, out of step, out of sync, pitfalls, plague, Praise the Lord, presumptuous, price tag, ramps up our faith, reassuring, refuge, rejoicing, salvation, Satan, security, set him on high, set his love upon me, Shaker, share His love, shrivelling up enthusiasm, shun mediocrity, source of energy, spoon feed, steadfast, strike they foot, strong, test me, the beloved of God, the goodness of God, the Most High God, the will of God, this is the day the Lord has made, trample under feet, tread upon the lion, trust, try me, Tuesday Mantra, unconditional LOVE, we will rejoice and be glad in it
Psalm 91:2. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
Ahoy there me ole shipmates! (smile) Monday’s in the books…Glory be! So let’s begin Tuesday on the right foot nuh by declaring our wise and godly intentions. ‘This is the day the Lord hath made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps.118:24)
Yes friends, that’s the only sensible way to greet this new day of life that we’ve been granted; in joy and gladness! All other ways are filled with numerous pitfalls and disappointments.
At least when we are rejoicing in the goodness of our God, we can be strong and steadfast in times of misfortunes, standing on His ever-faithful promise to never leave nor forsake us.
Now let’s bolster all of that by declaring our Tuesday Mantra with supreme belief and overwhelming faith and trust. As one 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!’ Ah mih people, what a beautiful and reassuring declaration!
Wow! Knowing that I am the beloved of God and a true friend pf Jesus is just the ‘mostest’! (smile) There isn’t even a real word to truly convey the importance and satisfaction of those situations.
And to be true followers of Jesus we must base our lives on what Jesus says about us, rather than how the world beholds us. That is ever so important to kingdom living my people!
And let’s not forget the last part of our Mantra: ‘share His LOVE with the world,’ for that’s one of our basic purposes on planet earth.
In Jesus’ world, we need to both believe and do, otherwise we’re out of sync, out of step with our Lord and Saviour. And that surely won’t do.
Now here’s a li’l something that ties in with our Leader’s expectations. I’m not sure where I got it from, or if I’ve ever shared it before, but it does hit the nail right on the head in today’s message.
It says: ‘Choose the best; shun mediocrity. Mediocrity has a way of shrivelling up enthusiasm. But commitment to excellence taps an incredible source of energy. Elect the best, no matter what the price tag!’
Oh friends, those are certainly words of truth for anyone to live by, but more so for Christians, because our heavenly intercessor, Jesus, expects us to live by a definite standard of excellence.
And though it’s not an easy motto to live by, we can successfully attempt it through our station as beloved children of the Most High God, Jehovah!
Especially when we have the faith to declare like the psalmist in our Bit. ‘I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.’
What wonderful words for a believer to both hear and declare my brethren! It just ramps up our faith, encourages us to be bold and confident in all that we do, knowing that God is on our side. And as the scripture says: If God is for us, who can be against us eh? (Rom.8:31)
NOBODY my people, NOBODY! That’s because our God is the greatest Mover and Shaker in the entire universe!
And all God’s children gave a loud and grateful shout of ‘Praise the Lord! Bless His Holy Name!’
And we have a great example of all that in the unique style of the psalm from which our Bit is taken. Yesterday we saw where the psalmist was declaring God’s wonderful attributes of strength and protection; today we’ll hear where God declares His side of the story.
Listen up: ‘Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear (lift) thee up in their hands, lest thou dash (strike) thy foot against a stone.
Thou shalt tread upon the lion and the adder (cobra): the young lion and the dragon (serpent) shalt thou trample under feet. Because he hath set his LOVE upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation.’ (Ps.91:9-16)
Oh friends, what glorious promises from the Creator of the universe for those who sincerely believe in Him and surrender their lives to Him with absolute trust and faith!
Listen though, to these words of caution from the scholars. Psalm 91: An important caution is necessary here. The great promises of verses 3-13 should not be taken in an absolute sense. One may not be presumptuous in applying them – Satan has already suggested that (Matt.4:6-7).
Rather, the believer must recall that deliverance still has to do with the will of God and that even if harm should come, he can still be secure (cf. Luke 21:16 with 21:18 and Rom.8:28 with 8:35).’
All the scholars are saying friends is that we don’t take everything literally. Harm can still come to us, but even then, we can still be secure in the Lord our God.
Please read those scriptures (that’s your homework) to get a better understanding of what the scholars are talking about. I can’t spoon-feed you all here, (smile) because it’s just too much, and we don’t have the time or space to do it.
Now let’s go home with a feeling of joy and gladness, based on the strong and true foundation of God’s word, filled with promises of security and deliverance and unconditional LOVE, for that’s the wisdom of the ages! Much LOVE!
…try me…test me…says the Lord Jehovah to the unbeliever…and you’ll find me faithful and true…
02 Jul 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a mustard seed, affection mind, Anselm, aspires to inspire, attributes of God, believe, bread, brethren, cast out a demon, character, christ lives in me, Christian, circumstances, Colossians, crucified, depressed, desires, disarray, doubts, downcast, earthly things, faith, faithfulness, fellowship, fine spirits, forefathers, forgiveness, freed, Galatians, God's Word, grace, heavenly things, hid in Christ, holy spirit, hope, impossible, inaudible, incredible, intimate with God, invisible, Jews, justification, knowledge, live by faith, live in the flesh, magnanimous, magnificent, majestic, medicine, meditating, mercy, miracles, move mountains, nothing shall be impossible, pandemic, power, prayer, reading, Redeemer, signs, sin, sinful life, son of god, spiritual realm, starve to death, strife, Supreme Being, taking care of, the bread of life, the law, truth, unbelief, unbelievers, unconditional LOVE, virtues, watching over, wilderness, wisdom, wonders, work wonders
John 6:48. I am that bread of life.
Welcome to another Saturday morning on God’s great earth my friends! Hope it finds us all in fine spirits, and if not, by the time we are finished here, I know those spirits will have miraculously been lifted by the Holy Spirit that indwells us, as we talk about God; His holy word, His unconditional LOVE, His freely offered grace, His undeserved mercy, His never-ending forgiveness, and His eternal faithfulness!
Now that alone should lift our spirits this Saturday morning my people! Wow! What a majestic, magnificent and magnanimous God we serve my fellow believers! I don’t see how any of us can stay depressed and downcast for very long with such a Supreme Being watching over and taking care of us.
It’s just not possible if we concentrate on all the wonderful attributes of our God, instead of the prevailing unfortunate or uncomfortable circumstances surrounding us.
And my Christian brethren, I have the right medicine for what we’re talking about. It’s contained in a recent quote from our friend Anselm, who always aspires to inspire us. And this time I think he’s done a heck of a job.
Listen to this quote. ‘When we do what we can, the LORD will do what we can’t. FAITH hears the inaudible, sees the invisible, believes the incredible, and receives the impossible!!! Feed your FAITH, and your doubts will starve to death.’
Oh my people, my people, what glorious, indisputable, gospel truth! Faith is that good my brethren. That’s why they say it can move mountains and work wonders. What did Jesus say to His disciples when they asked why they were unable to cast out a demon?
‘Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove (move); and nothing shall be impossible unto you.’ (Matt.17:20)
Yes friends, it only takes a little faith to do plenty things, and just as that little mustard seed grows into a big tree, so can our faith, if we’ll allow it do so by reading and meditating on God’s word, through fellowship with other believers and personal prayer…but first we have to believe.
Without belief nothing happens in the spiritual realm of Jesus. And that is borne out by our Bit. ‘I am that bread of life.’
It’s a simple, but true statement, but Jesus had a most difficult time getting His people to believe Him. In spite of all the signs and wonders and miracles He did, they still refused to believe. But they certainly wanted the physical bread they thought He was offering them.
Steups! Those long ago Jews, especially the leaders, were certainly a hard-headed, stubborn bunch of people. Just look at how their forefathers behaved in the wilderness although the Lord was looking after them.
Sadly though, we have a lot of unbelievers around today too. In fact too many of the world’s population are unbelievers, that’s partly why our world is in such complete disarray and strife is pandemic.
Anyway, let’s look at a couple of scriptures that corroborate our Bit. First up is this verse from Bruh Paul’s epistle to the Galatians, where he is saying that justification is not of the law.
He solemnly declares: ‘I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of (by faith in) the Son of God, who LOVED me, and gave himself for me.’ (Gal.2:20) Yes friends, Bruh Paul was not living by the law again, but through faith in Christ.
Listen to this explanation from the scholars’. ‘2:20. To be crucified with Christ means the believer has been freed from the law and from the ruling power of sin that was aroused by the law. Nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me is interpreted: “And I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” Since the believer has been freed from the law and sin, the old sinful life no longer asserts itself as formerly.
Instead, “Christ liveth in me,” that is, Jesus cultivates within the believer (Paul) His own desires, virtues, character, and power, thus morally transforming him and working through him in others. Paul lives his current Christian life by the faith of (in) the Son of God, that is, by depending on Him for strength and all necessities.’
And so should we my people, if we are true believers in Christ. Now hear how Bruh Paul tells it to the Colossians. ‘Set your affection (mind) on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.’ (Col.3:2-4)
Ah my fellow believers, it’s truly time to stop concentrating on, and being preoccupied with earthly things and look to things in heaven instead, since we have been reborn in Christ, who now sits in heavenly places.
And the scholars’ explain. ‘3:3. Your life is hid with Christ in God (or, “Your life is deposited with Christ, who is in intimate relation with God.”) As all wisdom and knowledge reside in Christ (2:3), so the believer’s new life is stored up in Him.
This means that the Christian life belongs to the spiritual or heavenly real. Jesus is in intimate relation with God; so are His followers. Since the Colossians now belong to the heavenly realm and are intimate with God, they should seek those matters and interests pertaining to heaven and not to earth.’
So friends, what’s it to be eh? Are we going to live our lives in and for Christ, as a new creation, or are we going to let the law and its sinful attributes turn us back to our former ways?
I do hope that we’ll ponder all that we’ve said and then make the wise decision to live in and for Christ! Much LOVE!
…glory be…our Redeemer lives…and we live in Him…and through Him…and for Him…
24 May 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a child of God, a friend of Jesus, a summer's day, adversary, apologies, armour, be able to stand, beauty of the day, belief, caring, celebrations, Christians, compassionate, deep down inside, eternal life, faith, fallen angel, flesh and blood, focused on God, foe, forgiveness, glad to be alive, glory to God, god, God's armour, God's protection, God's provision, grace, having done all, he that is in the world, He that is in us, how good god is to me, humanity, I've got a joy, Iam, inspiration, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, just one of those days, LOVE, loving, Lucifer, makes me want to shout, mercy, ministry, miserable, my friend Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, overwhelmed with joy, planet earth, powers of darkness, practice what we preach, put on the whole armour of God, rebelled, reggae riddim, resisting Satan, sacrificial death, salvation, schmes, share His love, shout, sincerity, spirit, spiritual warfare, the beloved of God, the happiest people, the Holy Spirit, the whole armour of God, the wiles of the devil, tiredness, to stand, trust, truth, Tuesday Mantra, unconditional LOVE, unhappy people, witness, wrestle
Ephesians 6:11. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (schemes) of the devil.
Oh friends, oh friends, my sincerest apologies for the lateness of the Bit, but it’s just been one of those days. Hn! One of those days when my body rebelled, refused to get up before it was good and ready.
Believe me, I had no idea that the ole bod was so tired nuh, since I didn’t do anything tiring yesterday, and the celebrations didn’t cause me to get to bed any later than usual. I guess though that it was just a residual tiredness from my earlier activities.
Anyway, though I’m still physically groggy, when I went outside just now and experienced the wondrous beauty of the day – like a perfect summer’s day – my spirit was overwhelmed with joy. It made me feel truly glad to be alive.
And consequently, it brought to mind one of my favourite songs that I heard yesterday. It’s an easy lover’s rock reggae riddim that I’ve shared before, but as they say, these gems are never too tiring or old to be heard again and again, because they lend great inspiration to our souls.
It’s a song titled ‘I’ve got a joy,’ sung by a lady named Mounia Sahara. Please sing this very inspirational chorus with me. ‘I’ve got a joy deep down inside, that makes me want to shout, how good God is to me! Yes, I’ve got this joy deep down inside that makes we want to shout how good God is to me!’
And isn’t that the awesome truth my brethren! All Christians ought to feel that way because our wonderful God has indeed been exceedingly good to us all!
Yuh know, Christians ought to be the happiest people in the world because of all that we have; God’s unconditional LOVE, mercy, grace and forgiveness, plus salvation and eternal life paid for by the sacrificial death of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
But unfortunately we are some of the most miserable and unhappy people on planet earth. Steups! Ah Lord eh, when are we going to learn to practice what we preach eh?
Anyhow, it’s a beautiful Tuesday, God is still on His heavenly throne, and still in control of His world! So let’s sing our Tuesday Mantra with true sincerity, strong faith and total belief.
All together 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.’
Oh isn’t that just wonderful my fellow believers? It surely is! What can be better than being a beloved child of God and a friend of Jesus eh? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!
And we certainly don’t have to worry about what the world says about us or how it defines us, because greater is He that’s in us – the Holy Spirit of Jesus – than he that’s in the world – the foolish, fallen angel Lucifer. (1 John 4:4)
And to help us prove that, let’s turn to our Bit, that remarkable verse of scripture, which so rightfully declares: ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (schemes) of the devil.’
And that my people, is indisputable truth! When we are wearing the whole armour of God, we are invincible! Glory to God! And please note that it requires the whole armour, all of it, not bits and pieces.
And before we get to what that armour consists of, I’m going to repeat a couple verses from yesterday because there are some interesting and important explanations from the scholars that I did not get to share.
After our Bit, Bruh Paul declares: ‘For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world (age), against (hosts of) spiritual wickedness in high places.
Wherefore take unto you (take up, put on) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.’ (Eph.6:12-13)
Now here are the scholars’ explanations of those verses. ‘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.’
Yes friends, a lot of powerful spiritual enemies are lined up against us. And per ‘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 that’s no lie friends! The evil powers of darkness will continue to come at us, time after time, wave upon wave, trying to gain serious entry to our souls.
However, once we are clothed in God’s protective spiritual armour, and our minds are focused on God, rather than the world, those evil spirits won’t be able to harm us. And on that upbeat note, we’ll close today. (smile)
Now let’s put on that spiritual armour of God and walk strong, tall and proud, caring, compassionate and LOVING, about God’s great earth, because that’s what He expects of us. Much LOVE!
…as Christians in an evil world…God’s protection is ALWAYS necessary…
04 Sep 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living
Tags: a miserable experience, another week of work, Beelzebub, befuddled mind, corrections, dead in trespasses, divine punishment, ethnic groups, evil, faith, fellowship, for His great love, Friday chant, fulfilling the desires of the flesh, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, Gentiles, God who is rich in mercy, God's power, going down the wrong path, going to bed early is for the birds, grace, grin and bear it, hostile to God, in Jesus' name, Jews, labouring for massa, lifestyles, LOVE, Lucifer, made alive, mercy, opposed to God, philosophies, preparing for a fantastic time, pull up our bootstraps, quickened, relaxation, renewed and refreshed in soul body and mind, rest, right perspective, Satan, sinful children, sinners, stubborn, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the children of disobedience, the children of wrath, the course of this world, the dictates and wishes of Satan, the gift of God is eternal life, the long and short of the story, the lusts of our flesh, the prince of power of the air, the rules of God, the straight and narrow path, the wages of sin is death, the weekend's here at last, the world system, through Jesus Christ our Lord, time for thought, unconditional LOVE, ungodly, values, walking in disobedience, wherewith God loved us, wicked, wisdom, with God's help, with the help of Jesus
Ephesians 2:4. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great LOVE wherewith he LOVED us.
Oh Friends, this going to bed early business is truly for the birds yes! Steups! I tried it last night – not that early, but earlier than my usual time – and was it ever a miserable experience.
Ah Lord eh! I got up several times during the night, turned and tossed, trying to find a comfortable position, but all to no avail. And being stubborn, I refused to get up, claiming I needed the rest as an excuse. Hn, hn! Well I got the rest, but I woke up feeling lousy, more tired than when I went to bed.
Ah mih breddren, what yuh going to do eh? Just grin and bear it and move on with the help of Jesus. And that’s my gripe for today. (smile) But wait nuh, today is Friday, isn’t it?
And the response to that question assured me that it was indeed Friday. ‘But what’s wrong with you boy? How come yuh don’t know today is Friday eh? Can’t you hear everybody shouting ‘TGIF. Thank God is Friday, and the weekend’s here at last? You’re possibly the only one not shouting that and preparing for a fantastic time! But later for you yes, we have preparations to make!’
And the throng moved away loudly mouthing ‘TGIF! Thank You Father God for Friday’s yes!’
Well I have been told, haven’t I? (smile) And I lay it all at the feet of going to bed early and getting up late with a befuddled mind. Anyway, to bring everything back into right perspective, let’s chant our Friday Chant with much enthusiasm and true sincerity.
‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Ah mih people, that ought to give us pause, time for a little thought on how we’re going to spend our weekend, the valuable couple days off from labouring for massa.
That brings us to our Bit, a simple sentence, but one chocked full of meaning and glorious importance. ‘But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great LOVE wherewith he LOVED us.’ Yes Friends, it all comes right down to God’s unstinting and unconditional LOVE for us sinful children.
The earlier verses of this chapter, which deal with grace and faith, have us looking real terrible. ‘And you hath he quickened (made alive), who were dead in trespasses and sins. Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world (age), according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.
Among whom also we all had our conversation (conducted ourselves) in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath. (Eph.2:1-3)
And what does all of that mean eh my people? Listen to the scholars. ‘2:1. Quickened means “made alive.” In 1:19 Paul prays for his readers to recognize what God’s power has done in them. As part of the answer to this prayer, verses 1-10 inform them of some of the effects divine might has accomplished in them.’
‘2:2. Ye walked means “you lived.” The course of this world: The word course signifies the tendencies, thoughts, pursuits, deeds, and so on, that characterize the present period of history. “This world” (kosmos) means “world system,” that is, those philosophies, values, and lifestyles that are opposed to God and hostile to Him.
Before conversion the Ephesians used to conduct themselves in accordance with such ungodly values. The prince of the power of the air may be read “the ruler of the kingdom in the air.” They also used to live by the dictates and wishes of Satan.’
‘2.3. We all had our conversation means “we all conducted ourselves.” In contrast to “ye” in 2:2 which refers to Gentiles, note the “we” of this verse, which refers to Jews. In essence Paul admits, “We Jews were no better than you Gentiles – both ethnic groups were sinful.” Children of wrath refers to people subject to divine punishment.’
Oh Friends, I know that some of those explanations can be a bit taxing, but the long and short of the story is that before God shone His wonderful LOVE on us, we were all a bunch of unworthy and terrible sinners, regardless of our ethnic situation.
However, and very sadly and disappointing too, two thousand years after God showered His LOVE on us through Jesus, we are reverting to that same position, worshipping the ‘prince of the power of the air,’ Lucifer, Satan, Beelzebub, whatever you choose to call him.
And right now our world can again be termed as ‘children of wrath,’ because we are so wicked and evil and ungodly and deserving of divine punishment. It’s definitely not a nice picture we paint today my brethren, and we have to pull up our bootstraps very soon, if we don’t want to be victims of that divine punishment.
For believe it or not, divine punishment ALWAYS comes to those who insist on thwarting the rules of God and walking in total disobedience to His Holy will, as we are currently doing. History proves it.
So as we end today, please, let’s make it our first priority to check our individual lives and see where we may be going down the wrong path, the wide and unfortunate one, instead of the straight and narrow one that leads to Jesus, and make any corrections that are necessary, with God’s help of course. For that my brethren, is the true meaning of wisdom. Much LOVE!
…for the wages of sin is death…but the gift of God is eternal life…through Jesus Christ our Lord… (Rom.6:23)
28 Aug 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a modicum of circumspection, be strong and of a good courage, clears our paths, confidence, do the Lord's will, ever-faithful, evil thoughts, faith, fear not, fellow believers in Christ, fellowship, Friday chant, friends, fun, garrulousness, generous help, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, glory to God, grace, He will not fail thee neither forsake thee, heirs with Jesus, in Jesus' name, invade your soul, Jay Douglas, jehovah god, Jesus carried me on His shoulders, Leroy Sibbles, let your guard down, let your hair down, LOVE, Lucifer, makes straight our ways, Merry Ole England, my grace is sufficient for thee, my Saviour, my strength is made perfect in weakness, nor be afraid of them, on the Lakeshore, perspective, Reggae music, relaxation, rest, smile, strong loving arms, tempestuous world, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the C.N.E, the Canadian National Exhibition, the fight is the Lord's, the fight's not ours, the Lord goes before us, the Lord thy God, the Lord thy God goes with thee, the Lord's bidding, the weekend's here, trust, unconditional LOVE, ungodly world, wicked ways
Deuteronomy 31:6. Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Well Friends, at last it’s Friday… And that statement, as usual, is greeted by joyful shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday, and the weekend’s here! Glory Hallelujah! The heavy labouring is done for two days. Now it’s my time to let my hair down and do my own thing. Thank You again Lord for Friday!’
Yes mih people, it’s our time to do what we want now, but please be careful, for when you let your hair down, you also let your guard down, which gives the ole crook Lucifer a possible avenue to invade your soul with his evil thoughts and wicked ways.
And we definitely don’t want that to happen, so let’s chant our Friday Chant which gives us a somewhat better perspective on how to spend our weekend.
Please chant with me. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yeh Friends, a small modicum of circumspection – not a big one (smile) is necessary when we consider how we’re going to spend our short but oh so valuable weekends.
But let me let you all into a li’l secret here. For many people in Toronto and the surrounding area, the weekend actually began last night; yes Thursday night, with some rocking Reggae music down on the Lakeshore.
Yeh mih breddren, last night was Reggae Night down at the Ex; the C.N.E; the Canadian National Exhibition, that big, annual country fair that happens during late August and early September. I’m sorry, but to me it has always been just a big country fair, with hucksters of every nature and rides of different kinds. To me it’s always been more about children. I’ve only been to it about two or three times in my entire Canadian sojourn.
However Friends, with an interesting evening of Reggae promised down by the Bandshell of the Ex, the ole fella put on his brand new knee supports – bought them a couple weeks ago when my knees were acting up, but never used them – and along with my trusty ole cane – which just hangs up on my stairs for most of the time – I boldly and confidently ventured down to the Exhibition grounds, via the Go Train with the Duchess and a young cousin from Merry Ole England.
Now the walk from the Go Train Station to the Bandshell was indeed plentiful, but with my props I had no problems. And it was indeed a very rewarding evening, for local boy Jay Douglas and once upon a time Torontonian Leroy Sibbles of Heptones fame mash up the place with some lively and lovely roots music, such that I haven’t heard in many a day.
Reminded me of the times back in the seventies and eighties when T.O was a real Reggae Town, with numerous local Reggae bands, possibly the biggest and best outside of J.A.
Now that I believe was also my first real outing for the summer, and most likely my last. (smile) But it was certainly worth it, as me and my trusty ole cane partied down the place. Obviously not as heartily as once possible, but heartily enough to satisfy my soul.
The fairly large crowd was rocking – everybody stood up when Leroy came on – and sang boisterously to all the old songs from way back when. What better way to spend a somewhat cloudy summer evening down by the lake eh Friends? None really!
The rough part though began on the walk back to the train station. But as always my fellow believers in Christ, when my Saviour saw that it was getting a tad difficult for the ole fella, He just took me up in His strong, LOVING and comfortable arms, placed me on His broad shoulders and carried me safely back to the station. O Glory to God!
And you all wonder why I LOVE Him so much! That’s why; because He NEVER let’s me down, NEVER leaves me in the lurch, NEVER allows me to carry more than I can bear. Praise His Holy and ever-faithful name Friends!
And you’d think that my knees would be a mess this morning, but they’re not. It’s my back that’s acting up, because I laid in bed for too long. Steups! Explain that to me nuh.
Now I guess with all that garrulousness, it doesn’t leave much time nor space for our Bit. (smile) And it’s rather an appropriate one. ‘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.’
Yes my brethren, in this extremely tempestuous world, it is indeed necessary for us to be strong and of a good courage, because it’s rough out there. But thankfully the fight’s not ours, it’s the Lord’s. He it is who goes before us and clears our paths, makes straight our ways and imbues us with His strength and awesome grace.
So we don’t have to be afraid of anything or anybody, once we’re in thick with the Lord God Jehovah, once we’re one of His heirs with Jesus, to His heavenly kingdom.
Now I could have said yesterday that the walk and otherwise would be too long and difficult, and just stayed at home and be disappointed about missing the show. But the Lord caused a strong faith and strength to rise up in me, and I went merrily along my way, confident that He would enable me to do whatever was necessary.
Oh my people, please let that same confidence and faith and trust in our wonderful and omnipotent God be in us today, as we obediently go out to do His bidding and His will, bringing His Word and His unconditional LOVE for ALL to this ungodly world. Do not be afraid or anxious, for He WILL enable us to do whatever He desires of us. ALWAYS remember that. Much LOVE!
…my grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power)…is made perfect in weakness (weaknesses)… (2 Cor.12:9)
22 Aug 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fresh box of strawberries, a pillar of salt, all things are possible with Jesus, blessings, Bruh Paul, but this one thing I do, compassion, culled, die to sin, discipleship, don't dwell on the past, experiences, experiencing His power, fond memories, forgetting those things which are behind, forgiveness, glorification, goodies, gospel truth, guilt, hampering the present, I count not myself to be apprehended, is fit for the kingdom of heaven, knowledge, Laura Palmer, look to the future, looking back, Lot's wife, LOVE, loving kindness, made like Jesus in death, magnanimous, magnificent, majestic, memories, mercies, mercurial, newness of life, no man having put his hand to the plough, obedience, One More Day Devotional, perseverance, Philippians, praise, pressing towards the mark, reaching forth unto those things which are before, resurrection, rinsed of debris, room for improvement, Secret diary of Laura Palmer, served in small portions, sharing His sufferings, shortchanging the future, sweetened judiciously, thanksgiving, the good old days, to know Christ, Top o' the morn, twin peaks, unconditional LOVE, walk with jesus, wisdom, worship, zeal
Philippians 3:13. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.
Top o’ the morn, mih breddren! A glorious day lies ahead of us, filled with all sorts of wonderful goodies prepared by our wonderful God, especially for this Saturday in August 2015. Glory to God!
He is so good to us that there are no words to truly do Him justice. Magnificent, majestic, magnanimous, mercurial, come close, but still leave something unsaid. His unconditional LOVE, and the undeserved blessings, mercies, forgiveness and compassion poured out on us, especially the sacrifice of His only Son Jesus…
Oh Friends, they are indescribable. (smile) And the least we can do is return His LOVING-kindness with that of our own, to the best of our ability, through obedience, praise, worship, thanksgiving and glorification.
And having said all of that, here is an interesting quote from Laura Palmer. It seems that she was a character on the 1990 hit TV. show Twin Peaks, which apparently is being revived. I guess there is also a book called the Secret Diary of Laura Palmer with a number of her quotes.
This one says that, ‘The past should be culled like a box of fresh strawberries, rinsed of debris, sweetened judiciously and served in small portions, not very often.’
And isn’t that the gospel truth my people. The past should not be dwelt upon, as so many of us do, thereby hampering the present and shortchanging the future. Like Laura says, we ought to just wrap it up nicely and occasionally trot out the good parts.
And my One More Day Devotional for People with Chronic Illness, from which I got the quote, further states. ‘Fond memories are healthy when they remind us how our lives are formed and shaped by our experiences. Memories reveal our development into the productive people we are today. Life does get better every day because we have both the joys of the present and some sweet memories of the past.’
But Friends, we MUST NOT LIVE IN THE PAST, but rather concentrate on each day as something new and alive with lots of wonderful promise. Too many of us look to the past too often and either dredge up the distasteful bits, or talk too much about the good old days.
Certainly the old days were good, but believe me my people, our best days are still out in front of us. And until we realize this, our days will be gloomy and miserable reminiscing too much on what’s already past, and not making new and wonderful dreams for today and tomorrow.
That brings us to our very appropriate Bit from Bruh Paul to the Philippians. ‘Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.’
Yuh see that Friends, though Bruh Paul had reached some glorious heights in his ministry and walk with Jesus, he still maintained that he hadn’t reached where he really wanted to be. His objective is to know Christ as fully as can be; ‘experiencing His power, sharing His sufferings, being made like Jesus in death, and experiencing resurrection from the dead.
At this point in his life the apostle does know Christ, but not to the full extent possible. He has experienced His power, but not to the degree he desires. He has been made like Jesus in His death, but can still die more to sin and self. He does “walk in newness of life,” but there is room for improvement.’
And so is there for all of us my fellow believers. Those are some explanations from the scholars on verse 12. Therefore since Bruh Paul has not attained his objective, he’s intent on putting everything behind him, so that he can concentrate on what is coming on the next wave.
The scholars explain verse 13. thus: ‘3:13. Forgetting those things which are behind refers both to his religious credentials (vs. 5-6), now counted “as loss” (v.7), and to his past Christian achievements and successes. In ever pursuing his goal to know Christ, (v.10), he refuses to let past guilt pull him down, or to rest on past laurels. Either could spell spiritual disaster.’
Oh my fellow believers are we pursuing the things of Christ, pressing on towards the mark, reaching out to those things which are in front of us, not letting the past distract us from the future, wanting to know Christ so badly that we can think of nothing else?
Oh, I know that not all of us can have Bruh Paul’s zeal, knowledge and perseverance, but we can all do much better than we’re currently doing. If we are truthful with ourselves, many of us are not really concentrating on maturing in our Christian walk, but are just ambling along, without any real zeal or purpose. That certainly is not good enough Friends.
As believers in Christ, we have to have a hunger for Him, for the things which pertain to Him. ‘That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable to his death.’ (Phil.3:10) That’s what Bruh Paul desired, and what we should also be desirous of; that strong feeling to get to know Christ as well as we possibly can.
It’s not easy, as Bruh Paul certainly found out, but he never gave up on his quest, and neither should we, for as we know, all things are possible with Jesus who strengthens us. (Phil.4:13)
So today my brethren, please let’s stop living in the past and look to the glorious future that Jesus has in store for us. Remember too what He said way back when, in talking about the tests of discipleship. ‘No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of heaven.’ (Luke 9:62)
Yes Friends, anyone who puts other matters before God’s work, is of little use to Him. Please don’t forget that, for it’s the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
…but his wife (Lot’s) looked back…and she became a pillar of salt… (Gen.19:26)
04 Aug 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's wisdom, a shout of praise, a sovereign God, almighty god, an empty religious profession, arrogant, beautiful summer's day, benefit, blessings, but fear thou God, Caribana Monday, celebration, communication with our heavenly Father, count the apples in a seed, count the seeds in an apple, Cousin Sol, created the heavens and the earth, every secret thing, evil, family thing, fear God, fear the Lord thy God, fertile idea, festivities, foresight, futility abounds, give God a shout of praise, glorify God, glory to God, God makes a way for us, God provides for our every need, God shall bring every work into judgement, good, Gramps Schuller, humble obedience, in the multitude of dreams and many words, judgement, keep his commandments, keep the commandments of the Lord, LOVE, Love the Lord thy God, loving kindness, meaningfulness, mercies, Micah, Moses, our lifeline to God, pilgrim's journey, proud, reconciled, rocket science, salvation, sincere prayer, stubborn, the BIBLE, the children of Israel, the conclusion of the whole matter, the Good Book, the Guidebook of Life, the party's over, the Preacher, the ups and downs of life, the whys and wherefores of life, time to call it a day, to do justly, to love mercy, treasure in heaven, truth, unconditional LOVE, unlimited possibilities, vows, walk humbly with God, walk the straight and narrow path, welfare, what doth the Lord require of thee, when there seems to be no way, wisdom, wise words, worship
Ecclesiastes 5:7. For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities (futility abounds): but fear thou God.
Ah Friends, it was Caribana Monday, so the ole fella had to celebrate, which meant a late night – early morning scenario! Well it wasn’t any real celebration, just doing my family thing a little later than usual.
Anyway, Caribana Monday did turn out to be a beautiful summer’s day after all! Glory to God! That means most of the festivities planned for the day were able to go ahead and the day wasn’t spoiled for the many out of town visitors and our residents who look forward so much to the weekend, and the Monday holiday in particular.
However, as the song says, ‘The party’s over my friends, time to call it a day,’ time to get up and go out and labour on this fine Tuesday morning that has been specially prepared for us with many new blessings, and mercies. Give God a shout of praise and thanks for His wonderful goodness to us undeserving children of men!
And all God’s children loudly declared: ‘All praise and glory to our great and wonderful God who makes a way for us when there seems to be no way, and who provides for our every need, when we come before Him in humble obedience! Amen.’
Now here’s a li’l something from Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) from his Hour of Power Devotional. He calls it ‘POSSIBILITIES UNLIMITED.’
And it goes like this: ‘I can count the seeds in an apple. But, Lord – you alone can count the apples in one seed! Some things are impossible, Lord! It’s impossible for me to see immeasurable, unlimited possibilities in one fertile idea. Praise the Lord. Amen.’
And that’s solid truth my people. We can see the small, finite stuff, but only Almighty God who created the heavens and earth, in His great wisdom and foresight, can see the unlimited possibilities in any given idea. Glory to God!
Consequently, we need to come before Him in sincere prayer and humble obedience for Him to point out the numerous possibilities in each fertile idea with which He has blessed us.
Oh, we can possibly envision a few in our own strength, but to get the real gist and gumption, (smile) of what He desires of us, we have to have serious communication with our heavenly Father.
In all of that though Friends, we still need to consider the wise words of our Bit. ‘For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities (futility abounds): but fear thou God.’ Everlasting truth that my people!
And the scholars explain this section about hasty vows thus. ‘5:1-7. The emphasis on the passage is on the folly of an empty religious profession before a sovereign God: God is in heaven, and thou upon earth. God expects sincerity and meaningfulness in worship. He is not impressed with foolish vows…’
And believe me Friends, we do make a lot of foolish vows to God, especially when we are caught up in the heat of a moment’s anguish and concern. But long, long ago, Moses exhorted the children of Israel with the Lord’s desires.
‘And now Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to LOVE him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul. To keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day, for thy good (benefit or welfare)?’ (Deut.10:12-13)
Yes my brethren, we need to ALWAYS remember that whatever our God commands, in the long run is for OUR benefit and welfare, not for His. I think we often lose sight of that most important fact, and thus murmur and complain unnecessarily when He asks us to do certain things.
Please remember that the Good Book is OUR lifeline to God, our guidebook, so that we can walk the straight and narrow path and eventually come to the throne of the Most High, reconciled and headed for salvation throughout eternity.
In His great and unconditional LOVE for us, He designed it so that we could find answers to whatever questions we might have down here on this frail and fallible earth. And many of us have problems we can’t solve because we don’t, we simply refuse to read that awesome Guidebook of Life!
But how can we know what God desires of us eh friends, if we don’t read His Word eh? We simply can’t. That’s why so much emphasis is placed on personal reading of the Bible. But as usual, too many of us are too proud, stubborn and arrogant to read it, preferring to decipher the whys and wherefores of life in our own strength.
However my people, that is undoubtedly a fool’s wisdom. What better way could there be to understand the ups and downs of life than through the words of the One who created life in the first place eh? None whatsoever!
And these words of Micah from times bygone, aptly paraphrase what the Lord expects of us. ‘He hath showed thee, O Man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to LOVE mercy (LOVING-kindness), and to walk humbly with thy God?’ (Mic.6:8)
Yes Friends, it’s that simple; not rocket science or any other great mind exercise; do good and righteous deeds and walk in humble obedience before Him.
What’s so difficult to understand about that eh? It might not be always easy to put into action, but we do need to understand what is required of us before we can consider doing it. And I believe that’s where many of us fall down; we simply don’t understand, or refuse to understand God’s requirements for this pilgrim’s journey called earthly life.
And we’ll give the last word to Cousin Sol in his capacity as the Preacher. ‘Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.’ (Eccl.12:13-14)
That says it all Friends! So please, let’s be wise nuh, and go out and do just that, so that we may glorify our Great God and lay up storehouses of treasures in heaven for us to enjoy at a later date. That is true and simple wisdom. Much LOVE!
……be not hasty…consider thy words and thy works…before a just, holy and righteous God…
P.S. Would you believe that just when I was ready to send out the already late Bit, my trusty sidekick, my desktop computer froze on me, and I had to reboot it? Ah Lord eh! The trials and tribulations we have to endure in this life eh! (smile) Much LOVE!
30 Jul 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a candlestick, a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid, a splendid torch, a torch of hope, aches and pains, and glorify your Father in heaven, arthritic aches and pains, batons, be found wanting, born again, Christians, compassion, cortisone, darkened world, darkness, essential mission, faithful followers of Jesus, forgiveness, foundational characteristic, generosity, Geroge Bernard Shaw, glory hallelujah, glory to God, God's favour, gospel truth, grace, grateful, handing it on to future generations, heals wounds, human depravity, if the salt has lost it s flavour, indisputable truth, judgement day, just up and fly away, Let your light so shine before men, life is not a breif candle, light can dispel darkness, light of the world, London School of Economics, LOVE, meet the needs of the world, melts coldness, mercy, My Fair Lady, neither do men light a candle, Nobel Peace Prize, passion, passion for Christ, passionate speech, preservative, put it under a bushel, relay races, relief, salt of the earth, satisfies our longing souls, summer ditties, thankful, thanks and glory to God, that they may see your good works, the absence of light, the good news, the light of Jesus, the sun and the Son are shining brightly, this is the day the Lord has made, trodden underfoot, truth, unconditional LOVE, understanding, we will rejoice and be glad in it, wisdom, with the Lord's help, Ye are the light of the world
Matthew 5:14. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.
Oh Friends, I’ve run out of well known summer ditties to greet you with. (smile) But believe me, another beautiful summer’s day is in the offing on this terrific day called Thursday! Wow! The Lord in His ultimate wisdom, grace and mercy has prepared it especially for us to enjoy, and to do His wonderful bidding.
So let’s say it with joy and heartfelt gratefulness nuh: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL and SHALL rejoice and be glad it in! Glory Hallelujah!’
Glory to the great and mighty King that sits upon His throne in the high heavens and satisfies our longing souls with His tender mercies, grace, forgiveness, compassion, understanding and unconditional LOVE! Mama Mia!
Oh Friends, there ought to be nobody happier than us Christians, we faithful followers of Jesus in this beautiful world that the Lord in His wisdom and generosity has created. And the good news is that it does not seem like it’s going to be a scorcher, at least not yet, because a nice cool and gentle breeze is blowing out there, and both the sun and the Son are shining incredibly brightly in their respective elements. Oh Glory to God!
Ah mih people, please excuse the ole fella for his extra passion and passionate speech this morning. I guess it’s because I woke up feeling the best I’ve felt in ages! Glory to God again! The old aches and pains weren’t as bad as usual. I feel light and feathery, like I can just up and fly away! (smile)
It’s possibly due some to a shot of cortisone I got injected into my right shoulder yesterday, ostensibly to ease the agonizing arthritic pain in my right shoulder, but it seems to be helping everything, obviously with a touch of God’s favour and enormous grace.
Oh, I know the basic aches and pains most likely won’t go away, but I am enormously thankful and grateful for any bit of relief I can get. More thanks and glory to God! He’s so wonderful!
Now here is this most important, outstanding and truth bearing quote from George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), the well known Irish born playwright and co-founder of the famous and prestigious London School of Economics, writer of plays like ‘My Fair Lady,’ and winner of the Nobel Peace prize for Literature in 1925.
George is reputed to have said that,’Life is not a “brief candle.” It is a splendid torch that I want to make burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.’ And we know that he did just that with all his world-renowned achievements!
Now it’s our turn my brethren to do the same. You’ll notice how we pass on torches at our big games to try and keep the flame going, the passion, the memories alive for those who come after us. That’s the only way later generations will know and understand where they are coming from, just like we learned it from those who went before us.
And note too, the batons we pass on during our relay races, which is symbolic of how we ought work together and pass on stuff to others in our everyday lives. And my One More Day Devotional for People with Chronic Illness, which is where I found George’s quote, adds an interesting statement to the situation.
‘If we assume that each one of our “small candles” represents another of our strengths, we can blend them together to form a torch of hope.’
I just LOVE that idea Friends! ‘A torch of Hope! Wow! I believe that is exactly what Jesus is looking for from us when He declares in our Bit: ‘Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.’ Oh isn’t that the gospel truth!
Then Jesus goes on to elucidate after our Bit. ‘Neither do men light a candle (lamp) and put it under a bushel (basket), but on a candlestick (lamp stand); and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt.5:15-16)
Yes Friends, being a light unto this darkened world is one of the two things Jesus desires of us down here. The other is to be the salt of the earth, as He says before our Bit.
‘Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour (flavour), wherewith (by what) shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden underfoot of men.’ (Matt.5:13)
Isn’t it interesting how Jesus used two basic, simple things like salt and light to spell out the way He wants his followers to be different from the rest of the world. It’s all a part of His simple, but wise and knowledgeable philosophy.
Now here is some stuff the scholars have to say on those topics. ‘5:13. The Beatitudes are followed by a summary statement of the basic character of the Christian’s life as salt and light. Ye are the salt of the earth: Again the phrase “ye are” indicate that only the genuinely born-again person is salt and can help meet the needs of the world.
Salt adds flavouring, acts as a preservative, melts coldness, and heals wounds. Thus it is a very appropriate description of the believer in his relationship to the world in which he lives.’
And that’s exactly why Jesus chose it as a foundational characteristic of His followers!
‘5:14-16. Ye are the light of the world describes the essential mission of the Christian to the world. He is the condition (salt) to meet the world’s needs and he has a mission (light) to the world. His light is to clearly shine forth into the darkness of human depravity.
He is to set his light upon a candlestick, not hide it under a bushel, that is, a basket. Darkness is the absence of light; and darkness cannot dispel the light, but the smallest light can dispel the greatest darkness’
Oh mih people, what more can I say to all of that indisputable truth eh? Not much, except to encourage us to raise the level of our passion for Christ and His work, so that we won’t be found wanting when the day of Judgement arrives and the Lord asks us: ‘What did your salt flavour, and where did your light shine?’ As believers, that is the ultimate in wisdom! Much LOVE!
…let’s all put our small individual lights together…and form a torch…a torch of hope…that we can blaze across this world of inordinate darkness…and thus bring light…the light of Jesus to a needy, depraved and fallen world…
P.S. Oh Friends, I know it’s long and late, but is it ever so true and heartwarming! (smile) Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it – obviously with the Lord’s help and guidance. Much LOVE!
12 Jul 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: and new wine the maids, attributes of God, Bruh David, celebrate the life of Christ, Christ's body, Christians, communication, communion, compassion, corn shall make the young men cheerful, Creator, divide and conquer, encouragement, endearing characteristics of God, endearing characteristics of God, faith, faithfulness, fellowship, For how great is his goodness, forgiveness, get right with God, God's goodness, good news, goodness, grace, guidance, harmony, holiness, how great is his beauty, I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever, I'm in the midst of them, in my name, internal feuding, Israelites, jehovah god, justice, kindness, living and breathing God, living and breathing God, LOVE, loving kindness, mercy, on the outside looking in, petty disagreements, praising, prophet Zechariah, provider, selfish, singing, strength, Sunday, take in front before in front takes you, the ark of the covenant, the infidel, the Lamb's Book of Life, truth, unconditional LOVE, understanding, unity, wake up and smell the roses, where two or three are gathered together, wisdom, Zechariah
Zechariah 9:17. For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty! corn (grain) shall make the young men cheerful (thrive), and new wine the maids.
Aye Friends, it’s the big day, Sunday! Yeh, the day when we come together to sing and dance before the Lord, like Bruh David did when he brought the Ark of the Covenant home to Jerusalem. (2 Sam.6:14-15)
Yes Friends, it’s the day that Christians all over the world gather to fellowship, to celebrate the life and good news of Christ, whether it be in a palatial cathedral, a medium sized sanctuary, mud huts or tin shanties.
The physical structure is not all that important, though it’s certainly nice to worship Jehovah God in beautiful surroundings, for Jesus said that ‘where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.’ (Matt.18:20)
So please, let’s all make a serious and sincere effort to get out today and worship with other believers, because there are things we definitely receive when we fellowship as Christ’s body, that we don’t really get when we worship alone. I’m talking about things like joyful communion and communication, overall encouragement, strength and guidance between believers. The singing and praising of many voices also inspires us to greater faith.
So as I said earlier, it is imperative that we get out each Sunday to sing and dance, praise and worship our Creator and constant Provider. Please, no flimsy excuses will be accepted.
Anyway my people, lately I’ve been pondering, ruminating on the wonderful attributes of our most venerable God. And you know there are no words to truly describe Him, or describe Him fully, but these give us some idea of His majesty and magnificence.
We talk about His great and unconditional LOVE, His kindness, goodness, grace and compassion. Then there is His merciful and understanding ways, plus His everlasting wisdom and tender heart full of forgiveness. And we can’t forget His holiness, justice and truth, as well as His utter faithfulness.
Wow! Is that a God or a God my people! That’s why I can’t understand why so many people are turning away from Him, abusing His holy name and casting serious doubts and aspersions on His character. No other supposed deity has the endearing characteristics that our God possesses. Plus we’ve seen His magnificent works from way back when to the present time, and furthermore He is a living and breathing God, which cannot be said of any other deity.
So why the big fuss and rush to get Him out of our society and our lives eh? I guess because Lucifer’s minions are afraid that if His followers are left to worship Him in peace, their evil deeds, thoughts and plans will all come to naught. And that’s more than just a plausible assumption, it’s a guaranteed promise. So they figure to take in front before in front takes them. (smile)
But my people we are not going to allow the evil folks and spirits of this world to take over God’s great earth are we? Definitely not! That’s why as Christ’s body we have to dwell in harmony and unity, all for the greater good. The selfish and petty disagreements that mostly separate us have to be acknowledged and cast aside once and for all time, if we want to wage a successful war against the infidel.
They are using the long time tactic of divide and conquer to successfully keep us fighting each other instead of them, and we have to wake up and smell the roses, the coffee or whatever is necessary to stop the internal feuding of Christ’s people. And I’m chuckling, because I don’t know how I got to where I am. Hn, Hn!
My intentions were merely to encourage us to go to church today, mention the wonderful attributes of God, then consider His goodness in particular. But better late than never. So let’s consider the goodness of God, beginning with our Bit and the verse before it. The prophet Zechariah is talking about Zion’s future king.
‘And the Lord their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people: for they shall be as the stones (jewels) of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon (a banner over) his land. For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty! corn (grain) shall make the young men cheerful (thrive), and new wine the maids.’
Yes my brethren, if it wasn’t for the Lord’s goodness and LOVING-kindness we would already have perished on account of our abominable sinfulness. But He’s so wonderful, He gives us chance after chance after chance. One day though, sometime in the foreseeable future, those chances will disappear, as Christ returns in glory to rule the earth.
So it is ever so important that we make use of the opportunities we now have to get right with God ASAP, because as soon as we depart this life, or Jesus returns, and our names are not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, then we’ll unfortunately spend eternity on the outside looking in. And I can guarantee you that that will not be a very pleasant experience. Nuff said.
Now listen to Isaiah as he talks about the Lord’s favour shown to Israel. ‘I will mention the LOVING-kindness of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his LOVING-kindness.’ (Is.63:7)
Oh Friends, we’ve seen God’s goodness to the Israelites all down through the ages, so why is it so difficult for us to believe and be obedient to His holy will eh?
And we’ll end with these marvellous words of Bruh David from Psalm 31- In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust. ‘Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men.’ (Ps.31:19)
Yes my brethren, the Lord has laid up much goodness for those of us who serve and worship Him in sincerity and truth. I implore us all to be that kind of person so that goodness, rather than evil and destruction will be our just reward. That is indeed the zenith of wisdom! Much LOVE!
…surely goodness and mercy (LOVING-kindness) shall follow me…all the days of my life…and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever… (Ps.23:6)
07 Jul 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all our sins and griefs to bear, almighty god, Amen, assurance, barrier breaker, bear good fruit, blessed assurance, blessings, break free from a limited mindset, can't have faith without hope, cast not away your confidence, comfort, confession, confidence, cumbered with a load of care, done the will of god, encouragement, endless worship, endurance, enlarge my vision, everything to God in prayer, expectant faith, faith, faith is the substance of things hoped for, faithful friends, faithfulness, favour, followers of Jesus christ, for he is faithful that promised, forgiveness, from everlasting to everlasting, glory to God, good and fertile soil, gospel truth, grace, great recompense of reward, heavenly wisdom, heavy laden, hope, hungry hope, Jesus Christ, Joel Osteen, joy, let it all hang out, let us hold fast the profession of our faith, LOVE, new mercies, oh what peace we often forfeit, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, patience, peace, physical sight, potential, praise, promises, rapture, refuge, seeds of greatness, So let it be, solace, sorrows, spiritual vision, stand strong and steadfast, surrender, sweet portion, talent, the breath of life, the Creator of the universe, the evidence of things not seen, this is the day the Lord has made, Today is my day, trials and temptations, trouble, trust, unconditional LOVE, uncontainable, walking with Jesus, we will rejoice and be glad in it, weak, what a friend we have in Jesus, what a privelege to carry, without wavering
Hebrews 10:23. Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
Well a warm and wonderful welcome to all you loyal and faithful Friends and believers out there in Scrip-Bit Land!
Welcome, welcome, welcome! It is ever so good to be in the land of the living with the awesome breath of Almighty God flowing through out frail and fragile human bodies! Wow! There is nothing else in the world that compares to that, for it is indeed the breath of life, the single, solitary thread that keeps us all going.
And it is all the more important when, as students, believers and followers of Jesus Christ, we are patiently and thankfully waiting for the new mercies, blessings, grace and forgiveness specially made for today, to be unleashed from heaven unto us saints down here on Mother Earth. Glory to God!
That’s why we should all raise our voices in praise and thanks and steadfastly proclaim; ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it.’
Yes Friends, this Tuesday morning in early July is a blessed day, so please let’s treat it as such. And luckily, in my neck of the woods it just might be the second day of what now passes for summer weather with highs in the mid-twenties, though somewhat cloudy with a chance of rain. But we will take it any day over the cold white stuff. (smile)
And today I have an affirmation from Bubba Joel (Joel Osteen) from a little while back to share with us once again. It simply declares: ‘TODAY IS MY DAY!’ And that’s gospel truth my people, so please affirm with me.
‘God has destined me to be a barrier breaker! He created me to be uncontainable. I have talent and potential given to me by the Creator of the universe. There are seeds of greatness inside of me. Today, I choose to break free from a limited mindset and enlarge my vision.
Today, God is taking me places that I’ve never even dreamed of before. Today, God is fulfilling His purpose and destiny in my life. Today I will experience His favour like never before in every area of my life.’ Mama Mia!
And all God’s children declared a loud and proud: ‘Amen! So let it be!’
Yes my brethren, let’s allow it all to hang out today! Let’s break down those barriers of bondage that are holding us back from God’s best! Let’s release the seeds of greatness planted in our souls by our Creator and plant them in good and fertile soil, so that they can bear much good fruit, for that’s why they were planted in us in the first place.
Let’s enlarge our vision and our mindset because our God is a great and powerful Deity who doesn’t deal in small, petty and trifling stuff. And if we want to enjoy His best, then we have to improve and enlarge our minds and visions.
And today I was sent a heavenly zeppo to preach… sorry, to teach (smile) on the twin attitudes of hope and faith. Remember, without hope, there can be no faith, for hope is the place where it all begins.
And as the Good Book so wisely tells us; ‘Now faith is the substance (the realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (the conviction) of things not seen.’ (Heb.11:1)
That means through hope, we are assured of the things that we can’t see with our physical sight, but surely can see them with our spiritual vision. In other words, we see them through the eyes of faith! It’s a blessed assurance that we have in the promises and faithfulness of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
That brings us to our Bit: ‘let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)’
Yes indeed my brethren our great and wonderful and magnanimous God is indeed faithful to keep each and every one of His promises! He has not reneged on a single one down through all the ages, and He never will! Wow! What a great friend and Saviour we have in Jesus!
And there is no better way to express that than through the wonderful age-old hymn that so many of us grew up to. So please sing it with me, in hungry hope and expectant faith.
‘What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer. Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer. Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer! In His arms He’ll take and shield you; you will find a solace there. Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised Thou wilt all our burdens bear May we ever, Lord, be bringing all to Thee in earnest prayer.
Soon in glory bright unclouded there will be no need for prayer Rapture, praise and endless worship will be our sweet portion there.’
Yes my believing brethren, what an awesome assurance we can have in Jesus Christ if we allow Him to come into our hearts, souls, bodies and minds and work His good works in us! There is nothing or no one else under the sun that can promise and then faithfully deliver on those promises!
All we need is sincere hope and trust and faith and surrender to His unconditional LOVE and care which runs from everlasting to everlasting! He made us Friends, and has a plan for every one of our lives, but we have to bow to His sovereignty and righteousness if we are to be enlightened as to His wonderful plans for us. Not knowing, and thus not living out the beautiful plan earmarked for us is possibly the greatest disappointment we can ever know down here on earth.
And we’ll end with a massive scripture of assurance and encouragement from Hebrews, one which we all know, but don’t seriously accept and live by. ‘Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience (endurance), that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.’ (Heb.10:35-36)
Yes my people, we need some patience, sometimes plenty of it, but fear not, God’s promise will be fulfilled, just in His own time. So please stand strong and steadfast in faith, if you want to see the mercies and blessings of God in your life. That is indeed heavenly wisdom! Much LOVE!
…walking with Jesus might lead us along some rough and unpaved roads…but the rewards of His promise…oh Friends…they are indeed most wonderful and incomparable…trust me…I’m talking from personal experience…
P.S. Oh Friends, I just LOVE writing these Bits that come straight from the heart, without any forward planning, like this one today. And I do hope that it triggers your hope, faith, patience and LOVE, and help them rise to a higher level, so that you can find true solace, comfort and joy in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, as He desires you to have.
Oh mih breddren, I can’t even stop the words from flowing, that’s how much the adrenalin is running. (smile) Much LOVE!
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