07 Jun 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a free day to look forward to, a rewarder of them that diligently seek him, according to his work, as a thief in the night, be merciful as your Father is merciful, Bible, carry them in his bosom, christianity, diligence, divine aid, do good, faith, faithful believers, faithfulness, feed his flock like a shepherd, Friday chant, gather the lambs with his arm, gently lead those that are with young, god, he that cometh to God must believe that He is, his reward is with him, his work is before him, hoping for nothing again, I come quickly, Jesus, Jesus Christ, lend, living fully for Christ, LOVE, Love your enemies, mercy, my reward is with me, our sinful world, restoring faith in God, return backsliders to your fold, simmering unrest, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the benefits of living for Christ, the children of the Highest, the crown of life, the error of their ways, the Lord God will come with strong hand, the Lord promised to the that love him, the rewards, the throne of grace, the weekend, tired as a dog, to give to every man, traffic jams, true disciples of Christ, truth, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee, when he is tried, wisdom, wise guidance, without faith it is impossible to please God, your reward shall be great
Revelation 22:12. And behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give to every man according as his work shall be.
And that distinctive weekly shout has gone out all around the world: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! Just let me at that weekend!’ Ah mih people, we do LOVE our weekends, because they belong to us, not to any employer, and we don’t have to get up early to go to work, nor face frustrating traffics jams to get there, then spend the whole day with people we don’t like, or who don’t like us, then face more irritating traffic jams to get back home, tired as a dog. No, the weekend is ours; sanctified as such. (smile) But we still have to get through Friday. No problem! Apparently since we have a free day to look forward to tomorrow.
How wonderful it would be if we could look forward to Christ and His salvation the same way, meaning, we’d have no problem living fully for Him today! That’s a major problem though with believers; for with Christ we can only look to today, that makes it difficult to live sincerely and fully for Him. But just imagine the rewards and benefits we’ll be having in heaven with Jesus nuh. Remember what He says in Revelation: ‘And behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give to every man according as his work shall be.’ (Rev. 22:12)
That means Jesus can come at any time, like the proverbial thief in the night, and when He comes He will be rewarding people for their work on His behalf. So, if we want to get good rewards, then our work must be good. It’s as simple as that! And there is talk of rewards for working on Jesus’ behalf all though God’s Word. Let’s check out a few, like this one from Isaiah, where centuries before he spoke about the Lord’s coming with rewards.
‘Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand (in strength), and his arm shall rule for him: behold his reward is with him, and his work (wage) before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.’ (Is. 40:10-11) What a beautiful picture my brethren of Jesus’ coming and the work He will do. Doesn’t that just lift your spirits and increase your faith? It ought to, since it was prophesied long before the actual coming of Jesus.
Now, here’s this scripture from Hebrews that speaks directly to our point.. ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him (God): for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb.11:6) Yes friends, it’s ever so necessary to believe that God exists and He rewards those who diligently seek Him. That’s from the famous chapter on faith, with people like Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joseph not knowing or seeing what lay ahead of them, but nonetheless placing their total trust and faith in the Lord God Almighty when He directed them to do things they knew not how to do, or to go places, not knowing exactly where they were going.
And they were all greatly rewarded by Him for their diligence and faithfulness. The same thing applies to us today, as Jesus says in the gospel of Luke. ‘But LOVE your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again (in return); and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father is merciful.’ (Luke 6:35-36)
However, at this current time in the world’s existence, rather unfortunately, the words ‘mercy and merciful’ are not well known, nor are their fruit much extended like our heavenly Father desires. What a pity! For if they and their fruit were better known and extended, then there would not be as much strife, greed, hatred and selfishness as there currently is on God’s great earth!
And James, Jesus’ brother, adds his two cents worth to the mix, when he writes in his epistle: ‘Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that LOVE him.’ (James 1:12) Ah my fellow saints, all throughout the Good Library, the Bible, the indisputable truth of God’s Word, are deeply embedded promises of rewards, righteousness and all kinds of other goodies for expending one’s time and talents on the Lord’s behalf. Let’s hope that with today’s revisiting of some of those scriptures that our hope and faith will be renewed and lead us to better fulfill God’s plan for our lives.
Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid to help in these desperate times of need. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.
And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Lastly, let’s remember these very significant words from our prayer: ‘the example, we, your faithful believers set.’ And then go out and be very good examples, so others can see the benefits of believing in Jesus and follow our example. That’s the first step in receiving divine aid! Much LOVE!
…many more salty…light filled…true disciples of Christ…is what our world badly needs…RIGHT NOW…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
31 May 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a disciplined mind, a moral virtue, a new commandment I give unto you, a new flock of believers, a word to the wise is sufficient, abstain, as I have loved you, asceticism, backsliders, begun a good work in you, behave like Jesus, being confident of this very thing, Bible, binge, but of power love and a sound mind, by this shall all men know, christianity, courteous, error of their ways, faith, faithful believers, fly without any reservations, follow me, For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, free and easy, Friday chant, from glory to glory, gentleness, god, going to the extremes, good examples., hasty decisions, if any man will come after me, indulgence, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kind, let him deny himself, let your moderation be known unto all men, like leggo beasts, LOVE, LOVE one another, moderation, omnipotent help, perform it until the day of jesus, reasonableness, self-control, simmering unrest, sinful world, take up his cross daily, temperance, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the throne of grace, the weekend, tolerant, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee, wisdom, wise guidance, ye are my disciples
Philippians 4:5a. Let your moderation (gentleness) be known unto all men.
And the end of the month of May, could not fall on a better day…Friday! Thus all the glorious shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and another summer weekend is in the offing!’ We get all worked up about our weekends, especially the summer ones, because we can get out there and go where we want, and do whatever we want without the restrictions of the winter weather. We’re free and easy! But please, let’s not go wild and behave like leggo beasts, for that’s exactly how the enemy, his satanic majesty, wants us to behave; to forget God’s warnings, His rules and regulations and just fly without any reservations.
And once in a while, it is good to fly without reservations, although there is usually a price to pay when we do that. (smile) In the meanwhile, let’s remember these most memorable and oh so important words of Bruh Paul to Timothy: ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7) Now the most important aspect of that statement in this case is the ‘sound or disciplined mind.’ Yes friends, that means we have self-control, which is also a fruit of the Spirit, wherefore we don’t go around flying off the handle or making hasty decisions, and going to the extremes.
In other words, like Jeeves says, we need a modicum of circumspection or moderation in all things. Now, what does moderation in all things mean? And we have a couple of commentaries based on the meaning the world has of it. The first says: “Everything in moderation,” goes the old line, meaning don’t binge, and don’t abstain, but do take it easy on the bad stuff. Between the two poles of asceticism and indulgence, moderation is about never giving up or fully giving in.’
The second one gets more philosophical. (smile) ‘According to Craiutu, Aristotle considered moderation a moral virtue and Plato, in “The Republic”, described moderation as the harmony between reason, spirit, and desire. “It’s the disposition of the soul where reason, spirit, and desire are in agreement,” says Craiutu. “It’s more than just temperance.’ And strangely enough Bruh Paul wrote about it to the Philippians: ‘Let your moderation (gentleness) be known unto all men.’ (Phil. 4:5a) Now what’s this moderation business in the Christian life you ask? Is it the same as in the world? Yes and no.
Here are a couple more commentaries on the Christian explanation of ‘moderation.’ The first tells us: ‘Let your moderation be known unto all men. Let your gentleness be evident to all. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. In any case, Paul’s idea is that don’t be so strict and extreme about the letter of the law; be fair minded, reasonable, and gentle.’ And the second says: ‘This characteristic of the Christian (moderation) must be a conspicuous one; that is, Christians must be well-known for their gentle, kind, courteous and tolerant ways with others. Put another way, behave as Jesus would because this was one thing Jesus was known for.’ Amen!
And that’s basically all that moderation means: behave like Jesus! And yes, you claim that’s not so easy to do, because He was the Son of God, deity, sinless and strong, but we have His power, His Holy Spirit dwelling within us, which gives us the ability to behave in a decent manner…remember the spirit of power, of LOVE, and of a sound or disciplined mind. No, we will never be perfect, but we don’t have to behave like the world behaves. And if we’re seriously intent on behaving like Christ, let’s not forget this scripture that Bruh Paul writes to the Philippians: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil. 1:6)
Yes my brethren, once the Lord has begun a good work in us, meaning making us like Jesus, raising us from glory to glory, He won’t stop until He takes us home, or Jesus returns. So we don’t have to be overly worried about behaving like Jesus if we’re serious about living the Christian life…which in fact is not easy, but very worthwhile. The whole thing boils down to the true state of our hearts, and how much we truly LOVE Jesus and want to serve Him the best way we can. And I believe that if we remember and meditate on these words of His, our lives will become fuller and more satisfactory.
And it’s all about discipleship. ‘If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) Then there are these most telling words. ‘A new commandment I give unto you. That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:34-35) Oh my fellow saints, I do believe that if we ponder and think on those words of Jesus, we will come to a positive realization in and of our Christian walk.
Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking help to live up to our responsibilities in these trying and troubled times. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.
And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And I’d be seriously amiss if I didn’t point out that one of the requirements for getting divine help is setting a good Christian example. Nuff said! Much LOVE!
…a word to the wise is sufficient…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
24 May 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a utopian dream, able to build you up, abound to every good work, according as he purposeth in his heart, appreciate the benefits of a job, Bible, bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, christianity, commend you to God, crying out for your help, embrace your love and compassion, entitled to the good life, escalating problems, every good and perfect gift is from above, faith, firstfruits of his creatures, four day work week, Friday chant, give not grudgingly, giving demonstrates our trust in God, god, God loveth a cheerful giver, having sufficiency in all things, he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully, he which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly, homeless, hungry, if we don't work we won't eat, introduce a new flock of believers, it is more blessed to give than to receive, Jesus, Jesus Christ, living high on the hog, LOVE, make all grace abound toward you, no shadow of turning, no variableness, not enough room to receive it, open you the windows of heaven, pour you out a blessing, return backsliders to your fold, simmering unrest in our land, sinful world, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the error of their ways, the example we faithful believers set, the isolation of self, the long and short of the story, these hands have ministered unto my necessities, to the word of his grace, truth, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee, wake up to the realities of life, wisdom, wise guidance
Acts 20:35b. It is more blessed to give than to receive.
So the short work week is over due to the Victoria Day holiday on Monday…and we’ve all joyfully shouted: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ All the while wondering why we couldn’t have a four day work week instead of a five day one. (smile) But even if that miraculously happened, we would still be grumpy and dissatisfied on the first work day of the week. Even if we had to work only one day a week, it would still seem like a big inconvenience, because we so LOVE to do what we want, when we want, and working to earn a living is not one of the things we enjoy doing. Many of us believe that because we exist, we are therefore entitled to the good life. Hn!
But the long and short of the story is that if we don’t work we won’t eat, have shelter over our heads, or clothes on our backs. So this wishing to exist in a utopian dream of living high on the hog without working for it is just that, a utopian dream. (smile) And until we’ve been truly hungry, homeless, and without clothes, many of us will never appreciate the true benefits of having a job and working diligently at it, be it the much exalted C.E.O of the company or the lowly janitor.
Now please, let’s wake up to the realities of this life which is daily getting harder and more frustrating with more people being thrown out of work every day due to no fault of theirs, just the pressures of the economic seesaw, and thus end up facing the unpalatable prospects of going hungry and possibly homeless. And it’s therefore the duty of those who have to help those who don’t. Why? Let’s remember these important words of Bruh Paul from Acts, when he was about to leave Ephesus to go to Jerusalem.
‘And now brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. I have coveted no man’s silver, or gold, or apparel. Yes, ye yourselves know that these hands have ministered unto (provided for) my necessities, and to them that were with me. I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ (Acts 20:32-35)
Yes my fellow believers, giving is a big part of our discipleship, be it the giving of our time, money or material goods, we ought to be generous givers, for as Bruh Paul wrote to the church at Corinth: ‘But as I say, he which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity (compulsion): for God LOVETH a cheerful (joyful) giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.’ (2 Cor. 9:6-8)
Oh friends, our God is happy when we give generously from our hearts, and in return He then always causes us to have enough, both for ourselves and to share with others. Now having shown through scripture that giving is a large part of our duty as disciples, let’s see how it helps us emotionally. I believe these two commentaries ably explain the benefits of giving upon our own selves and souls. The first one says: ‘When we give, we demonstrate our trust in God in a tangible way. Hoarding resources demonstrates a trust in ourselves—we can take care of ourselves better than God can. Conversely, biblical generosity is an act of trust in God. We give our first and our best, trusting God will do as He says—provide for our needs.’
And the second tells us: ‘It is better to give than to receive because giving releases us from the isolation of self. To receive something is a privatized act. When we receive a gift from someone else—of money, goods, or even the gift of encouragement—we experience at minimum a sense of appreciation and often a time of great joy and comfort.’ So, giving and receiving show our trust in God, as well as lifts our spirits. And remember what God said through the prophet Malachi, about giving Him our tithes?
‘Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat (food) in mine house, and prove (test) me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.’ (Mal. 3:10) That shows we should be most generous to God, with the first fruits of our labour. And in reality NOBODY is more generous that God. As James concurs in his epistle. ‘Do not err my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variableness (variation), neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.’ (James 1:16-18)
Yuh see my fellow saints, the Lord created us to be an important creation, and is ever generous to us, especially when He sent Jesus into the world to sacrifice Himself so our sins could be paid for. Thus we also have the responsibility to be generous and faithful to Him and to those around us. And yes, times are tough, and it’s not always easy to live the way we ought, but we have the resources of heaven at our command, so let’s go there right now, through our Friday Chant and ask for help in these needful times.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.
And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And though we can go to heaven for help, let’s never forget that that help will only come with our improved behaviour and faithfulness! Much LOVE!
…to give…to give…and yet to give…that should be our Christian motto…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
19 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, a new flock of believers, against the knowledge of God, anathema to our souls, anything of good report, anything praiseworthy, backsliders, bringing in to captivity every thought, Casting down imaginations, christianity, control of the mind, deceitful arguments, divine assistance, error of their ways, every high thing, faith, Friday chant, god, Jesus, Jesus Christ, LOVE, mighty through God, powers, pricipalities, rulers, sharper than a two-edged sword, simmering unrest, spiritual armour, spiritual warfare, spiritual wickedness, surrender our lives to Jesus, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that exalteth itself, the battlefield of our mind, the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the God of peace, the helmet of slavation, the shield of faith, the shoes of peace, the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, the Word of god, think on these things, though we walk in the flesh, to the obedience of Christ, to the pulling down of strongholds, truth, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee, we do not war after the flesh, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are true, wisdom, wise guidance
2 Corinthains 10:3. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after (according to) the flesh:
And the rain has returned…but we’re still going to shout ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ because regardless of the weather, it’s still the last day of our work week and the start of our short weekend, and for that we’re always grateful! (smile) Ah friends, what wonders a Friday can work for and on us eh! Meanwhile, Mondays are anathema to our souls! But unfortunately that’s the way we are, and if we want to be better, we need to put our trust, surrender our entire selves to Jesus, so that we can get His peace, LOVE, grace and mercy working for us, instead of the evil and ungodly doings Satan tempts us with.
But as Bruh Paul warns us in his second letter to the Corinthians, that we should not walk according to Satan’s ways, but according to Jesus’ ways. ‘For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after (according to) the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal (of the flesh), but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;) Casting down imaginations (arguments), and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.’ (2 Cor. 10:3-5)
Ah friends, though we live in a body, we don’t fight a physical war, or one by human standards. Instead our warfare is spiritual, ‘against principalities (rulers), against powers (authorities), against the rulers of the darkness of this world (world rulers), against spiritual wickedness in high places (wicked spiritual beings), that is fallen angels, demons and Satan himself.’ (Eph. 6:12) And they try to take hold of us through our minds, our thoughts and other ingenious and deceitful arguments. Remember the battlefield is our mind, and whoever wins the battle of our minds is the victor.
That’s why it’s absolutely necessary to be careful of what we think and talk about, for Satan and his evil cronies are very disciplined and ingenious and can come at you from all sides with all different kinds of arguments that sound right and will eventually wear you down. But as children of the Most High God, we need to stand strong and fight these evil doers with the spiritual armour and weapons that God has given us, namely: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s Word, all of that bound together with prayer are the spiritual weapons we have to use against the enemy. (Eph. 6:14-18)
And let me point out one thing here, it’s about the Word of God, our spiritual sword. As the author of Hebrews so kindly informs us: ‘The word of God is quick (alive), and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of (able to judge) the thoughts and intents (intentions) of the heart.’ (Heb. 4:12) Now that just goes to show how powerful the Word of God is, and the powerful weapon we have at our disposal.
But there’s also a drawback to that power of the Word, because God is constantly scrutinizing our lives through it, and we ought also to carefully scrutinize our own lives with it, to ensure that we’re living the way we ought to. As the scholars say: ‘God’s eyes sees man as though he were naked, unable to hide behind excuse or pretense.’ But yet, so many of us try to do just that; hide from God behind some flimsy excuse or pretense. When are we going to learn eh, that our lives are like open books before our Creator and Controller.
Anyway, we now know that through deceit and lies, the enemy tries to get strongholds in our minds, but we have to ignore those evil and untrue desires, with good and proper thoughts, while fighting the spiritual battle with the armour and weapons of war provided us by God. And what are those good and proper thoughts upon which ought to dwell? As always, Bruh Paul doesn’t give us any theory without giving us some practical examples. Listen as he writes to the Philippians on the general kind of thoughts we ought to have.
‘Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things honest (noble), whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are LOVELY, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise (anything praiseworthy), think (meditate) on these things. Those things which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.’ (Phil. 4:8-9) So there we have the whole picture my fellow believers, and to help us put it into practice, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine assistance.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.
And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Now, if we truly want divine help, then we have to start the ball rolling by improving ourselves, by being better examples of Christian faith and discipleship! That’s the long and short of the story, my people! Much LOVE!
…the mind…the mind…it’s all about control of the mind…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
12 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new flock of believers, A Plea for God's Presence, anxiety, backsliders, be not far from me for trouble is near, be responsible, Christian values, confusion, divine help, error of their ways, evil times, faith, Friday chant, god, God will never let us down, God's way are higher than ours, I cry in the daytime, in the night season am not silent, inclement weather, Jesus Christ, laugh me to scorn, let him deliver him, LOVE, My God my God, prayer, psalms, seeing he delighted in him, simmering unrest, so far from helping me, stay safe, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the example your faithful believers set, the horns of the unicorns, the words of my roaring, there is none to help, this too shall pass, thou hearest not, trusted on the Lord, unexpected storms, ungodly times, why hast thou forsaken me, wisdom, wisdom of the ages, wise guidance
Psalm 22:1a. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
And the inclement weather continues. What a nice way to put it eh…inclement weather – the constant drizzle and occasional heavy shower of rain, plus the dreary cloudiness, fog at nights and early morning, and what else have you. I do believe that the usual shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ have been somewhat dampened by the joyless weather, especially those who have slogged through it for the last couple of days. But here’s the best perspective in which to see this inclement weather: the next time we see the sun we’ll be even more appreciative and joyful over it! That’s for sure! So, as the wise ones say, take it in your stride, for this too shall pass. And yuh better believe it most certainly will!
And the Good Library opened this morning to Psalm 22 – A Plea for God’s Presence. And the scholars say this is a most important psalm, but before getting into their explanations, first, let’s read some of Bruh David’s words. He begins thus: ‘My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring (groaning)? O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent. But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded (ashamed). But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip (show contempt with their mouth), they shake the head, saying, He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.’ (Ps. 22:1-8)
Ah friends, I’m sure that on this Friday morning many of us are experiencing a situation not unlike Bruh David’s when he wrote those heartfelt words. But like Bruh David, we cannot afford to give up on our God, whatever reason He might have for not taking us out of our undesirable situations. Remember God’s thoughts and ways are higher than ours, (Is. 55:8-9) and we won’t always understand His purpose for leaving us in unfavourable situations. And Bruh David continues his plea for God’s presence. ‘But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope (caused me to trust) when I was upon my mother’s breast. I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother’s belly.
Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help. Many bulls have compassed (surrounded) me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round (have encircled me). They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening (raging) and roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels (within me). My strength is dried up like a potsherd (a broken vessel); and my tongue cleaveth (clings) to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.
For dogs have compassed (surrounded) me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell (can count) all my bones: they look and stare upon me. They part my garments (divided my clothing) among them, and cast lots upon my vesture (for my clothing). But be not thou far from me, O Lord: my strength, haste to help me. Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling (precious life) from the power of the dog. Save me from the lion’s mouth: for thou has heard me from the horns of the unicorns (and from the horns of the wild oxen! You have answered me).’ (Ps. 22:9-21)
Ah mih people, Bruh David must have been having a real rough time of it, to be crying out so hauntingly to God. And no doubt many of us go through similar situations during the endless trials and tribulations of this earthly life, however, the important thing in those troubled and trying times is to keep our focus on our great God, for He will NEVER let us down, but will come through for us when He believes the time is right. You can witness that from the life of Bruh David who went through all types of tribulation, some for cause, and others not so, but the Lord eventually delivered him out of them all, after he had learned whatever lesson the Lord wanted him to learn.
And the same thing applies to us in these trying and desperately evil times. So let’s not ever give up, just keep on holding on tightly to the Lord of our forefathers, for that is the wisdom of the ages. Now, let’s go humbly, but confidently to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, asking for grace and mercy to help us in these ungodly times. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help.
Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you.
Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And our first act to receive divine help, must be to show ourselves good examples of Christian values to those around us. Much LOVE!
…God will never forsake us…even though He has good reason to…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
23 Feb 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: among the gods there's none like thee, attend to the voice of my supplication, bow down thine ear O Lord, compassionate, don't fear go to God in prayer, faith, faithful believers, for the help of his countenance, forgiving, Friday chant, God's Readiness to Forgive, hear me for I am poor and needy, holy spirit, hope thou in God, I shall yet praise him, I will call on thee, in the day of my trouble, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, LOVE, mercy, rejoice the soul of thy servant, salvation, simmering unrest, stand strong and steadfast, stick to God like white on rice, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the God who heals, thou art God alone, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee, Why art thou cast down o my soul, why art thou disquieted within me, wisdom, wise guidance
Psalm 86:1. Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me: for I am poor and needy.
Well here we are friends at one o’clock on a beautiful though somewhat cloudy spring -like Friday afternoon. I’ve just returned from the big city of Toronto, with a clean bill of health from the medics, but while everybody is concerned with shouting TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the week end’s here at last!’ I’m shouting ‘Thank God that I got into Toronto and back safely!’
Yes, because going into that city nowadays is just a nightmare, with construction of streets and buildings everywhere, making the rutty roadways even busier and narrower than normal. It took me close to ten minutes to get through one traffic light right beside the hospital because one of the lanes was closed for some kind of work. But there’s nothing to do but grin and bear it. Now I don’t have to worry about going into the city for another couple of weeks. That ought to give me enough time to catch my breath and recover my sanity. (smile)
Oh by the way, I did have to use my cane, because the ole hip was still bothering me, but not as badly. Just hope it settles down completely by tomorrow. Enough of my woes though, let’s see what the Lord wants us to talk about today. And I hope to make it short and sweet. Hn! That’s all I have to say re that statement! (smile)
But on a serious note, while skimming through the Good Library I came upon Psalm 86, titled, ‘God’s Readiness to Forgive,’ and thought it a very good piece of scripture to peruse today. By the way, for our information, the scholars say it’s one of the five palms called prayers. The others are Psalms 17, 90, 102, 142. So, in the words of Bruh David, let’s pray: ‘Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me: for I am poor and needy.’ (Ps. 86:1)
And most of us can identify with those opening words, for in these tough economic times, many of us are poor and needy in material things, while many of us are also poor and needy in spiritual things. Some of us are even at a point where we’re continually bemoaning our situations through these words from Ps. 42. ‘Why art thou cast (bowed) down , O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? (Ps. 42:5a) Now those are always good questions, but the correct answer is always the rest of that verse: ‘hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance (presence).’ (Ps. 42:5b)
Yes friends, the presence of our God is ever around us, even in our worst circumstances. But until we understand that, we’ll never get any real relief or peace from our tumultuous situations. Bruh David knew of the Lord’s continuous presence, that’s why he never hesitated to call on Him, like in Psalm 86. Thus he continues: ‘Preserve my soul (life); for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee. be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily (all day long). Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. Give ear, O Lord, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications. In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me. among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works. All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name. For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.’ ( Ps. 86:2-10)
Ah mih people, Bruh David certainly laid it on thick, with the things usually associated with prayer; petition, adoration, and thanksgiving. But all of it is indisputable truth. Our God is great; as witnessed by His omnipotence, omniscience and omni-presence, and all the miraculous deeds He’s done down through the ages. He’s also LOVING, merciful, compassionate and forgiving, as shown by the sending of His Son Jesus to die and atone for our abominable sins, while we were yet sinners. And He even forgives us now, if we sincerely repent of current misdeeds.
Which other supposed god would even have contemplated such a self-sacrifice eh? None whatsoever! All I can therefore say friends, is that if you are in trouble, the ONLY One to call on is Almighty God, through the auspices of His Holy Spirit and His wonderful Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. And as I keep saying, Bruh Davi knew on which side his bread was buttered, that’s why he stuck like white on rice to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and if we’re wise, we’ll do the same thing, for He’s our Creator, Controller, the Giver of our life’s breath and the salvation of our souls.
So, since our world is badly troubled in these current times, let’s do like Bruh David and go to the Lord in prayer, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine help for our many problems. As one voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land.
We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Now, let it be known that the first step in receiving divine help is to actually show our trusting faith by being the faithful believers we talk about in our prayer. Much LOVE!
…when the world discourages us…don’t fear…go to God in prayer…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
19 Jan 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new flock of believers, according to your faith be it done unto you, an element of doubt, be careful for nothing, bear your everyday burdens, believe ye that I am able, Bible, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, christianity, crying out for help, embrace your love and compassion, faith, Friday chant, grin and bear it, holy spirit, in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, in everything, Jesus Christ, keep fighting the good fight, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, let not your heart be troubled, LOVE, neither let it be afraid, not as the world giveth, omnipotent help, Peace i leave with you, prayer, simmering discontent, spiritual war, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the error of their ways, the example we faithful believers set, the peace of God which passeth all understading, trust and confidence in Christ's ability, trusting faith, unexpected storms, wise guidance
Matthew 9:29. According to your faith be it unto you.
And then it was a cold, cloudy Friday, but there were still shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ I guess we don’t much care what kind of weather we have on a Friday, because it means that the weekend is here and we can do whatever we want. No more of the getting up early, carting the children to the baby-sitter or to school, then facing the rush hour traffic jam to and from work. What a terrible grind our work week can be, especially if you have young children and you’re living far from work. But that’s just the way the society is set up, and you have to grin and bear it, and make it work somehow for you.
I certainly remember the days, some forty odd years ago, carting my eldest daughter to the baby sitter and picking her up again every night. And that was long before you had all the helpful amenities, you now have. (smile) But that’s exactly why you need Jesus in your life! He helps you bear the tough burdens of everyday life, with a modicum of peace and circumspection. With Jesus running the show, you’re never as worried and frazzled as you are without Him. And these two promises of His are very important in our everyday lives. We know them fairly well, but we just can’t seem to put them into action, so that our pain can be eased.
The first one says: ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27) And yes, it’s very easy to say the words, and even believe them, but it’s not as easy to put them into serious action, especially in today’s crazy and volatile world, for there’s always an element of doubt, or some niggling circumstance that gets in the way. But we just have to hang in there and do the best we can, not give up, and keep fighting the good fight with Jesus.
Then there’s this other promise along the same lines. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) Ah friends, although we might know deep down that Jesus has overcome the world by dying and being resurrected, therefore defeating Satan, hell, death and the grave, it’s indeed difficult to be peaceful and of good cheer when all the problems of the world seem like they are tumbling down around you. And to further help us in our earthly battle, we need to take Bruh Paul’s advice to the Philippians.
He writes: ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.’ (Phil. 4:6) Yes my brethren, that is the basic pattern our lives must follow if we are to experience some sense of peace and comfort in our daily lives. Prayer with thanksgiving is oh so essential. And we know that giving thanks under some of the situations we face is extremely difficult, and sometimes we even feel it impossible. However, that’s the only way to get what Bruh Paul promised. ‘And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:7)
Now those aren’t easy scriptures to live by; not to worry about anything, but to pray constantly and give thanks even in untenable situations. But do it we must, by writing them indelibly in our hearts, minds and souls, then asking the Holy Spirit for His help to action them. That’s one of His many purposes in our lives; help to live the life Christ desires of us. But there again, we need to sincerely engage the Holy Spirit’s help, and then listen to what he says. And that’s where we’re not as obedient as we ought to.
With all the many distractions and voices flurrying around in our minds, we ofttimes miss the still, soft voice of the Holy Spirit, especially when our decision is contrary to His. And the devil just LOVES to get into our brain, our minds, where spiritual war is constantly being waged, and disrupt the peace and joy we are fighting to attain. And that’s where our levels of faith and trust in Jesus come in. It’s like Jesus’ interaction with two blind men who followed Him, ‘crying and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us. And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.’ (Matt. 9:27-29)
Now that last sentence is the answer to many of our problems. Yes friends, it’s according to our trust and confidence in Christ’s ability to do whatever we ask Him, that we will see positive outcomes. It’s our faith, not God’s, that determines our outcomes in life. It has everything to do with what we truly believe. And for those of us who truly believe in the omnipotent power of Christ, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Friday Chant, asking for divine help to handle our many earthly problems.
Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And if we expect to see divine help, then we need to do what we said in our prayer, that’s stand strong and steadfast as best we can, and also set a good example as faithful believers. Much LOVE!
… the size of our problems that Jesus can solve…depends on the size of our faith in Him…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
12 Jan 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all came to pass, all should come to repentance, being not weak in faith, divine help, faith, Friday chant, given rest unto his people Israel, going the way of all the earth, hard slogging, imputed to him for righteousness, introduce a new flock of believers, Jesus Christ, light in the darkness, LOVE, not willing that any should perish, Promise Keeper, promised by the hand of his servant Moses, restoring faith in you, salvation, simmering unrest, strong in faith, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the awesome help of Jesus, the deadness of Sarah's womb, the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel, the Lord is not slack concerning His promise, the way the truth and the life, there failed notof any good thing, throne of grace, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee, Way Maker, wise guidance, with God all things are possible
Joshua 21:45. There failed not ought of any good thing which the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.
The week’s finished mih people! That means we can cry out: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday…and the weekend’s here at long last!’ Yes, I know some of us had it hard slogging through a whole five day work week, having not done one for a while. But I’m sure, with the awesome help of Jesus, we all came through it with flying colours. And that’s the beauty of having Jesus as Lord and Saviour; we can always depend on Him, trust Him to help us in our time of need. That reminds us of the song that calls Him, the Way Maker, Promise Keeper and Light in the Darkness.
And why is he called the Way Maker? Because He can, and does make a way where there seems to be no way! For He is the way, the truth and the life, and no man cometh unto the Father but by Him.’ (John 14:6) So, in the first place if we’re looking for a way, Jesus is the One to turn to. And secondly, ‘By serving as the atoning sacrifice for all of the world’s sins, Jesus made a way for EVERYONE to enter into Heaven.’ How wonderful is that eh my brethren! Jesus made a way for all of us to go to heaven! And thirdly, as He said to the disciples re the camel passing through the eye of a needle: ‘With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.’ (Matt. 19:26)
That means that Jesus can do ANYTHING! Therefore, He is the person that we need to put our total trust in, to surrender our all to, because He is also a faithful Promise Keeper! Yes friends, our wonderful God and Saviour is still in control of the universe He created and His promises are true. He’s never reneged on one! And there are many scriptures which proclaim that truth. Let’s look at a couple of them nuh, beginning with the Book of Joshua, where it speaks of the division of the Promised Land to the tribes of Israel. The Word says: ‘There failed not ought of any good thing which the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.’ (Josh. 21:45)
That’s for sure my brethren! Not a single word that the Lord spoke to Israel failed! And later on, Joshua himself said to the people: ‘And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth (going to die): and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof.’ (Josh. 23:14) And if the Israelites were truthful, they would have admitted that, since all the promises God made to them about bringing them out of bondage in Israel to the Promised Land were faithfully fulfilled.
Cousin Sol said the same thing when he made His great prayer to God and speech to Israel after the Ark of the Covenant was placed in the newly built temple. He said: ‘Blessed be the Lord that hath given rest (peace) unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of his servant Moses.’ (1 Kin. 8:56) And what about the father of our faith eh, Abraham? At seventy years of age, he packed up family and his belongings and left his homeland to wander where he knew not, because a God he didn’t know told him to do so. And what of it, you ask?
Listen to Bruh Paul as he writes to the Roman church on the subject of Abraham’s faithfulness. ‘Who against hope (contrary to the circumstances) believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he (Abraham) considered not his own body now dead, when he was an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb: he staggered (wavered) not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong (strengthened) in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded (convinced) that what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.’ (Rom. 4:18-22)
Yuh see friends, the Lord always keeps His promises, though they may take a long time to come to pass, like the twenty five years it took for Abraham and Sarah to have the child, Isaac, who would enable the promise of ‘the Father of nations’ to be kept. But though we sometimes have to wait a long time for the Lord’s promises to come true, like Abraham, we need to be strong in faith, never doubting that they will eventually happen. For as Peter writes: ‘The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness, but he is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.’ (2 Pet. 3:9)
Oh my people, our God takes His promises very seriously and doesn’t make them unless He intends to keep them. Let’s believe that with all our hearts souls, mind and bodies, for if we do, it will stand us in very good stead in this fickle and faithless world. And since we don’t want to make the Bit too long for our short mind spans, (smile) we’ll deal with the ‘Light in the Darkness’ aspect of Jesus’ attributes tomorrow, obviously if God spares life. Now let’s go to the throne of grace through our Friday Chant seeking divine help for our many earthly problems.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.
And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And the best way to invoke that divine help is by taking action and truly setting the example of faithful believers we talk about! Much LOVE!
…there’s no reason whatsoever…to doubt the power, promises and faithfulness of our God Jehovah…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
05 Jan 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a means of restoring faith in you, above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, according to the riches of his glory, be filled with all the fullness of God, being rooted and grounded in Love, burn the candle at both ends, Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, comprehend with all the saints, crying out for help, develop the character of God, exceeding abundantly, faith, Friday chant, holy spirit, I bow my knees, improve our Christ-like behaviour, in whom the whole family is named, Jesus Christ, LOVE, my tribulations for you, prayer from true faith is always effective, simmering unrest, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the wise guidance, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit, to know the Love of Christ, trusting faith, unexpected storms, unto Him be glory in the church, unto him that is able to do, wake up and smell the coffee, which passeth knowledge, wisdom, world without end, ye faint not
Ephesians 3:16b. to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
Ah friends, I guess we ought to be thankful for the one day of sunshine we got yesterday, because today we’re back to the cloudy weather situation. And as we all offer up the mantra of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ many of us are glad for the short work week and thus the quick arrival of the weekend, not so much as it allows us time to party, but more so to rest from all the partying of the last couple of weeks. (smile)
Yes, when we desire a weekend to truly rest, you must know that things are bad with us. But, unfortunately, that’s how it works. you can’t expect to burn the candle at both ends and it not take its toll eventually. Now, it’s time for us to settle down and sincerely and seriously do the work that Jesus desires of us. And there’s a lot of work to be done if we expect to make any significant changes in this evil and ungodly world.
And the first thing we need is prayer to strengthen and encourage us. And one of the most appropriate prayers in the Bible is that of Bruh Paul on behalf of the Ephesians, when he didn’t want his suffering to cause them to lose faith, but rather increase it. Thus he writes: ‘Wherefore I desire (ask) that ye faint not (not lose heart) at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.’ (Eph. 3:13) There he’s saying that the Lord will use his tribulations in the ministry to spiritually uplift and benefit the Ephesians. That upliftment will then cause them to praise and glory and honour the Lord.
Then Bruh Paul continues: ‘For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith: that ye, being rooted and grounded in LOVE, May be able to comprehend (understand) with all the saints what is the breadth (width), and length, and depth, and height; and to know the LOVE of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.’ (Eph. 3:14-19)
Wow mih bredrin! What a powerful and most appropriate prayer! And you’ll notice that most of the times Bruh Paul prayed for others, it wasn’t so much for healing, prosperity or such things, but most often that they would be granted wisdom that would increase their spiritual maturity. He was always about believers spiritual growth, which was, and still is, one of the most important aspects of our Christian faith, for if we don’t grow, then we remain stagnant and can’t do the job that Jesus desires of us. That’s why he prayed there that the Lord, Father of Christ, from whom our Christian name and faith is derived, would strengthen them ‘with might by his Spirit in the inner man.’
And according to the scholars: ‘In these verses (16-19), Paul makes three prayer requests for the Ephesians. (1) That they would be strengthened with might by his Spirit (vs.16). That is, that they be divinely enabled to successfully live the Christian life. (2) That the readers be able to comprehend… the LOVE of Christ, that is to better understand the enormous LOVE Christ has for them. And (3) that they might be filled with all the fullness of God, that is, that the life, character, and virtues of God Himself may be fully developed in them.’
Now that’s what we call ‘top-of-the-line prayer.’ (smile) It could not get any better than that! Not that other more simple or less specific payers are not good or powerful in their own way too, but that we’re simply not accustomed to such hifalutin stuff in our everyday prayer life. (smile) Then Bruh Paul ends with this reassurance. ‘Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.’ (Eph. 3:20-21)
That’s Bruh Paul praying to a God who can do all that he asked for in vs. 16-19. Yes sir, because our omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present God can do ANYTHING, especially anything that we lesser and finite human beings can ask or think! And that my fellow saints is our faithful prayer for all of us in this new year of 2024; that we will all be filled, be strengthened in our inner being by the prevailing presence of the Holy Spirit, which will then enable us to go out and do good work for Christ.
Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, asking for divine help in these uncertain and troubled times. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.
And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And now friends, for heaven to even consider our requests, we need to improve our Christ-like behaviour, and begin being truly faithful believers! Much LOVE!
…prayer that comes from true faith…is always effective…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
22 Dec 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a modicum of circumspection, chaos, Christmas, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, disaster, divine help, embrace your love and compassion, Friday chant, good and acceptable in the sight of the Lord, in all goodness and honesty, incompetent and corrupt leaders, Jesus -the reason for the season, Jesus Christ, lead a peaceable and quiet life, LOVE, man's inhumanity to man, mercy, omnipotent help, one God, one mediator between God and men: Jesus Christ, prayer, prayer be made for all men, respect for governmental authority, stand strong and steadfast, strife, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the example we faithful believers set, the Prince of Peace, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee
1 Timothy 2:8. I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
And you have to block your ears for all the voices around the world shouting, ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! The Friday of Christmas weekend!’ Yes friends, it’s going to be a marvellous time, with celebrations galore! Sadly though, there will be many places that won’t have any celebrations because of the serious strife and chaos existing in those places…too many places my people! The birth of Jesus ought to be celebrated all over the world with very few, if any, exceptions. But it’s certainly not going to be like that this year, for, unfortunately, this year will mark the most places without Christmas celebrations, because it’s the year, outside of the years of the two world wars, that we’ve had the most strife, disaster and chaos ever in our world. How ghastly!
There’s so much unnecessary strife and suffering on the earth at a time when we should all be celebrating the birth of the Prince of Peace. But there’s not much that most of us can do about it,, except celebrate with a modicum of circumspection, and pray for those who are experiencing the unfortunate miseries of man’s inhumanity to man. Pray, that the Lord in His awesome wisdom and mercy will soon bring most, if not all, of those inhumane activities to a peaceful end, for He’s the ONLY One who has the power and wisdom to mitigate those tragic circumstances.
And what a weekend this will be, with many people taking today off from work and not having to return until next Wednesday, making it a truly long weekend. (smile) But whatever the length of our weekend, please, let’s remember that it’s come about all because of the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. Let’s try and keep that fact uppermost in our minds, as we rush around to finish our Christmas shopping and the many other preparations we plan to accomplish before the big day on Monday.
Yes, you might be tired hearing me say that Jesus is the reason for the season, but it’s ever so necessary to reinforce that fact because the commercial and ungodly world is fast forgetting it, and so it’s up to us faithful believers to keep reminding them of it, or else in another few years it’s totally possible that no one will remember the real reason behind the celebrations of Christmas, and consider it just another holiday period. Amen! End of Sermon! (smile)
And friends, I’m not only smiling, but also chuckling,. Why? Because we were just talking about prayer, and as I opened the Good Library, it miraculously opened unto the first Book of Timothy, where Bruh Paul exhorts him to prayer. Now is that a coincidence or what? (smile) It might be, but I’d prefer to look upon it as a moment of divine guidance. And if that’s true, then we’ve got to engage in that particular scripture. So please read with me, Bruh Paul’s instructions to Timothy on the subject of prayer.
‘I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayer, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority (a prominent position); that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all goodness and honesty (reverence). For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour. Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not:) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity (truth). I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.’ (1 Tim. 2:1-8)
Oh my fellow saints, those exhortations of Bruh Paul are ever so important if we truly desire to live a peaceful and reverent life. We need to pray for all of our leaders, from those in the lowest to the highest positions. And the scholars offer some good explanations on the passage. ‘A quiet and peaceful life: The word quiet means “not troubled from without”, that is, intercessory prayer enables good government to ensure that its citizens are not troubled by enemies or forces outside its borders. “Peaceable” means “not troubled from within”, that is, the church’s prayer also aids competent government in maintaining law and order within its own borders.’
And if that is truly so friends, then it’s obvious that we have not been praying, or not praying enough for our leaders because there’s lots of strife and violence both outside and within our borders. And the scholars further explain: ‘The translation godliness and honesty is unfortunate, for the exercise of these virtues is not dependent on good government; they can be cultivated even in poor political management and persecution. The text should read, “That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life with the utmost reverence and respect.” This respect is for governmental authority. Respect can best be realized when rulers are competent and rightly discharging their duties. Otherwise, it is difficult to respect rulers when they are incompetent and unjust.’
Now, is that ever saying something, for there is absolutely no respect for most of our leaders these days because so many of them are incompetent, unjust and also corrupt! I don’t believe I’ve ever seen so many incompetent and corrupt leaders as we have today. And sadly, that’s an avowed fact all over the world. But yuh know what, as Bruh Paul says, prayer is ever so important, and it’s also our biggest privilege, as well as our chief method of communication with our heavenly Father. So please, let’s use it wisely nuh, by going to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant and laying it all out to the ONLY One who can help us turn things around.
As one voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And as our prayer implies, if we want divine help, then we first have to set a good example of being faithful believers. It’s as simple as that! Much LOVE!
…three of the most important things in a believer’s life…prayer…prayer…and more prayer…because prayer is basically communicating with our heavenly Father…and we can never have too much of that…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
Previous Older Entries Next Newer Entries
SCRIP-BITS 