01 Oct 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a consuming fire, a graven image, a jealous God, among the heathen, arrogant societies, at a loss for words, bear a special mark, bring us to our knees, calamity, captivity, certain punishment, constant disobedience, corrupt yourselves, dealt very corruptly, deny His majesty, do evil, fire and brimstone, graceful, had the gall, have not kept the commandments, human frailties, hurry, idolatry, loving, merciful God, my friend Jesus, Nehemiah's prayer, Nineveh, no other gods before me, ordinances, over Jordan, prideful, provoke Him to anger, renunciation of God, scatter you, share His love, Sodom and Gomorrah, superiority, The Israelites, the judgements, the statutes, the work of men's hands, Thou shalt have, thy servant Moses, trust, Tuesday Mantra, unfaithfulness, ungodly society, utterly perish, weaknesses, worry
Exodus 20:3. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Ah friends, it’s Tuesday and the ole fella is at a loss for words! Yeh, it’s true! It doesn’t happen often, (smile) but it does happen every once in a while. I guess it shows that I’m just a man with all the human frailties and weaknesses and only with God’s supernatural help can I successfully carry out all my assigned duties. I guess it’s also a good testimony for believing in a LOVING, merciful and graceful God!
And if all of that is so, then why does Nehemiah’s prayer for his people Israel, so long ago, still resonate very loudly today in our ultra evil and oh so ungodly society eh? Listen to what Nehemiah prayed, way back then nuh: ‘We have dealt (acted) very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgements (ordinances), which thou commandedst they servant Moses.’ (Neh.1:7)
And my people, that prayer is ever still so valid today, because it’s exactly what we’re doing, just on a larger scale than the Israelites. I think our ills are even worse than theirs, for I don’t know if they were literally trying to force God out of their society, as we are surely doing, and not just ignoring Him.
But whatever it is, our renunciation of God is bringing us calamity, and like the Israelites, will continue to bring us calamity, until we stop it, or He just does away with us, as He’s done with so many other, greedy, foolish, prideful and arrogant societies who had the gall to deny His majesty and superiority over the universe He created.
I simply don’t understand why we think that the Lord won’t eventually bring us to our knees like he did other ungodly people. Let’s remember that if he could send Israel, His special people, into captivity and allow their enemies to defeat them on several occasions because of their unfaithfulness, He can…and will do the same thing to us, who don’t bear a special mark like Israel did!
Oh friends, please listen to these warning words of Moses concerning idolatry, when the Israelites were still wandering in the wilderness. ‘For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God. When thou shalt begat children, and children’s children, and ye shall have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves (act corruptly), and make a graven image, or the likeness of anything, and shall do evil in the sight of the Lord thy God, to provoke him to anger;
I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it (live long in it), but shall be utterly destroyed. And the Lord shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the Lord shall lead you. And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.’ (Deut.4:24-28)
And that’s exactly what happened to the Israelites when they turned against the God of their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! And do you remember the first Commandment God gave to the Israelites, and consequently to us. ‘Thou shalt have no other gods before me.’ What’s so difficult to understand about that eh?
Then, as the scholars inform us: ‘Israel’s 10 northern tribes were deported in 722 B.C, by the Assyrians, and the southern tribes were taken by the Babylonians, beginning with Daniel, in 605 B.C. They were later dispersed in the days of the early church.’ So if the Lord could do that to His special people when they became unfaithful, why won’t He do it to us eh?
No reason why not my people. Remember Sodom and Gomorrah? (Genesis 19) At the height of their depravity, sinfulness and wickedness, the Lord brought them down with fire and brimstone! And believe me, our society has gotten just as sinful, depraved and wicked, if not worse! So the writing is on the wall!
However my people, we serve such a wonderful God; a God who keeps His promises! Listen to Moses as he continues his warning; ‘But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.
When thou art in tribulation (distress), and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days (coming of Christ), if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient to his voice; (For the Lord thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.’ (Deut.4:29-31)
Praise His holy name my people! For even when we are at our worst, He will hear and receive and revive us if we turn back to Him in all sincerity and truth! And we saw this happen with the Israelites several times. And not only with His special people, but also with places like Nineveh, when He sent Jonah to warn them and they repented. (Jon.3) So friends, there is still a window of opportunity open to us, if we take God’s promise of repentance and run with it!
And though He’s a patient and longsuffering God, His patience and longsuffering will eventually boil over if we keep up our current ungodly and sinful behaviour. It might not be in our time, but our children’s and their children’s, if we teach them to disobey and revile and ridicule God’s pronouncements. I therefore implore us to be wise and change our evil ways, right about now, provided we want to live long in the land that God gave us.
Now for those of us who have seen the light, let’s go home declaring (yeh!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know who and whose we are. In strong voice with all sincerity now: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And if our hearts are true, then we will go out and do just that! Much LOVE!
…constant disobedience…will eventually bring…certain punishment…
P.S. It’s a good thing I didn’t know what to say! (smile) Much LOVE!
22 Jan 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a lean mean fighting machine, a little while, a precious message, ask for, believe, cast not away, courage fails, destruction, disregard the darkness, done the will of god, draw back, dwelling in our hearts, earthly journey, endurance, enlightening, faith, fear, feeling, follow the world, for someone else, friend of Jesus, friendsip, glory to God, God's promises, God's timing, great recompense, guiding, have need of patience, hope, hunky dory, imagine, immutable word, in a hurry, in the light, insecurity, joy, lead us astray, leading, listen, live by faith, logic, LOVE, Love of Jesus, misguided attempt, negative circumstances, northern climes, not by sight, One Year Book of Bible promises, Oswald Chambers, overwhelming, perdition, prayer, receive the promise, reward, rich, Ruth Harms Calkin, share, smile, stands firm, the good fight of faith, the Holy Spirit, the just, the realm of prayer, the saving of the soul, times of questioning, timetable, trials, tribulations, trust, trusting seems difficult, Tuesday Mantra, unfaithfulness, unwise, wait for an answer, wasted commodities, we walk by faith, will not tarry, your confidence
Hebrews 10:35-36. 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.
Oh my people, the ole fella went to bed pretty late last night – or this morning, if you will, and consequently, as a direct result of that unwise decision, he therefore arose pretty late this morning! What beautiful logic! (smile) He arose to another bright and deliciously cold day, with wind and snow promised sometime in the later hours of the day. So for those of you operating in these inhumane northern climes, please be careful coming home from work this afternoon, or if you have to go out at that hour.
But yuh know what friends, none of that really matters when we have the Holy Spirit of Jesus dwelling deep in our hearts, leading and guiding us on this our earthly journey! Glory to God! We can trust and depend on His holy guidance not to lead us astray, because Christ promised it, and many of us have also experienced it!
And talking about promises, here is this excerpt from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that expatiates (smile) on ‘God’s Promises.’ Please read with me: ‘With increasing joy I am discovering that God’s promises do not suddenly disappear when our courage fails and our fears become overwhelming. Feeling or no feeling, when God gives a promise that speaks directly to our need, it stands firm regardless of negative circumstances.
There may be times of questioning, and we may not understand God’s timing, but His promise remains certain through our deepest trial. If we consistently rely on His immutable (unchangeable) Word, we can disregard the darkness. Oswald Chambers (the great Christian writer) says, “Are you in the dark right now regarding your circumstances? Then listen, and God will give you a very precious message for someone else when you are in the light.” God waits for us to trust Him when trusting seems the most difficult thing of all.’
Yeh friends, that’s how our God operates! It’s in the rough and dark times that He expects our trust and faith to shine through! And thinking logically about it, it’s really in those times of trials and tribulations that faith and trust are really necessary. In the good times we don’t need them as much, because everything’s hunky dory!
It’s like hope; why need hope for something that you already see eh? (smile) And my people, a lot of our unfaithfulness and insecurity stems from our failure to listen to God! Yes, He does speak to us in so many ways; through His Holy Spirit, through circumstances and even through others! But in our misguided attempt to follow the world and rush through everything, we don’t take time to listen to our heavenly Father, and thus, sadly, we miss out on a lot of good stuff He has in store for us.
And we see that oh so much in the realm of prayer; where we cry out to God, expect Him to hear us, and He always does, but then we don’t wait for His answer, we rush on to the next thing. Oh friends, when we’re talking to another human being, don’t we wait for an answer from them? Sure, some of us do! (smile)
Well it’s the same thing with God; why cry out to Him for help and then don’t wait to hear what He has to say on the matter eh? That’s totally unwise. But we’re always in a hurry, want everything now for now! Unfortunately though God does not operate on our timetable, we ought to learn to operate on His, and wait for His timing.
Yes, it often involves a long wait, as I’ve been experiencing over the last two years with all my illnesses, waiting for Him to bring it all together and heal me. It’s been slow, in my opinion, but definitely not in His. And I can see and feel things moving along…yes slowly…but by the same token I’m believing that by the end of this year of 2019, I’ll be a lean, mean, fighting machine!
Wow! Glory to our wonderful God who gives us all that we ever need…and even more than we can ask for imagine! Give Him some awesome praise my people! Yeh friends, what’s the point of having faith and not showing it eh? None whatsoever! But that’s exactly what too many of us believers are unwisely doing. Things like faith and LOVE, and trust and hope are action words, otherwise they are wasted commodities!
And our Bit for today, which is the same scripture Promise for the writing above, tells us that in no uncertain terms. ‘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) And that’s oh so true my people!
However, as the writer of Hebrews continues, quoting the prophet Habakkuk and other writers: ‘For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry (delay). Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition (destruction); but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.’ (Heb.10:37-38)
Oh give glory to God my brethren, that we are people of active faith and solidly believe that our souls have been, and will continue to be saved! Now let’s show that by boldly, loudly and sincerely declaring (got it right) our Tuesday Mantra, which tells the world in no uncertain terms, who and whose we are.
Altogether now: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
Now, by that same faith we’ve just declared, let’s go out and share that friendship and LOVE of Jesus, as He so greatly desires of us! Much LOVE!
…fight the good fight of faith…for we walk by faith…not by sight… (1 Tim.6:12a, 2 Cor.5:7).
P.S. Yeh, it’s a tad late, but oh so rich and enlightening! (smile) Much LOVE!
17 Jan 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a gem from Anselm, about trees in winter, angel food, asaph, at letting things go, baggage, church bells ringing, complaining, craving, disasters, disbelief, dwellings, experts, fallible, feathered fowls, food, forgat his works, forgetfulness, futility, go naked in the world, going our own way, going to hell in a hand-basket, habitations, hard-headed, he who doesn't hear will feel, his wonders that he had showed them, human, invitation, keep God first place, like the sand of the sea, lustful, lusts of our flesh, manna, murmuring, politically correct, progress, quails, race of life, reminisce, satiation, selfish, skylarking, smote, stay alive, staying alive, stubborn, Sunday, survival, the better days of old, the corn of heaven, The Israelites, the wrath of God, there's something incredibly honest, they sinned still, time for church, to fight another day, to gather at the Lord's house, unfaithfulness, ungrateful, vanity, water in the wilderness
Psalm 78:11. And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had showed them.
Oh friends, as I listen to the church bells peal in my mind this frosty Sunday morning, I am reminded of my youth, when the church bells actually did peal on a Sunday morning with a glorious invitation to gather at the Lord’s house to praise and worship Him, to give thanks for the past week, and pray for a safe and secure journey in the upcoming one.
How sad that church bells no longer ring out on a Sunday morning eh? But I guess in our foolish, politically correct society that would disturb and encroach upon the rights of others. Ah Lord eh! And we wonder why our society is going to hell in a hand basket?
But I’ll dwell, reminisce on the better days of old, when the church bells were a staple in our society and people were glad to hear them ring because it woke them up and reminded them that it was time for church. (smile)
Now at one stage I lived fairly close to the church, so like most young people, I never hustled until I heard the last bell ringing, because it only took me a couple minutes to get there. And I’d get there just in time for the proceedings to begin. No waiting around, sitting on the hard pew benches, fidgeting and talking with your friends, only to be told to shut up by your elders.
Hn! You couldn’t try that with the young people nowadays, instead they’d tell you to shut up. Steups! But I guess that’s what we call progress nuh.
Anyway, on a brighter note, here is a gem from our friend Anselm, who always aspires to inspire us. ‘I realize there’s something incredibly honest about trees in winter, how they’re experts at letting things go.’
And isn’t that a fact my people! The trees know that winter is coming and they don’t stand a chance of staying alive in the cold, mucky season if they want to keep all their greenery. So it’s all a matter of simple survival. Shed your leaves and go naked in the world for a few months if you want to stay alive, to fight another day.
The same thing goes for us my brethren. If we want to run our race of life as smoothly as possible, then we have to give up, get rid of the baggage that’s dragging us down; be it friends, family, business associates or some activity, and keep God first place in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls.
We definitely cannot afford to do like the Israelites in our Bit did. ‘And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had showed them.’
But before we get into our Bit, I wonder how many of you noticed the mighty and wonderful work I did yesterday eh? In the middle of the Bit, I took the Israelites out of Israel instead of out of Egypt. Hn, Hn! What a mighty work! And I read the Bit at least three times before publishing it yes. Just goes to show that the ole fella is human after all and thus fallible.
Anyway, let’s get to the story of the Israelites, their forgetfulness and unfaithfulness. Now yesterday we ended with them wondering if God, who had provided water for them in the wilderness could also provide food. (Ps.78:20)
What a bunch of selfish, lustful, ungrateful people! ‘Therefore the Lord heard this, and was wroth (furious): so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel; Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation:
Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn (bread) of heaven. Man did eat angels’ food: he sent them meat to the full (food to satiation). He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind.
He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea: And he let it fall in the midst of the camp, round about their habitations (dwellings). So they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire.’ (Ps.78:21-29)
Oh my people, our God is truly something else yes! Remember how the Israelites were murmuring and complaining in the wilderness about food, and the Lord sent them manna. But that didn’t satisfy them, they wanted meat, flesh. So the Lord rained down a torrent of quails upon them, so they ate until they were satiated. (Ex.16)
I guess it’s like we do with our children sometimes: when they want some kind of food so badly, we give it to them until they are stuffed and uncomfortable and possibly get sick. That usually cures them of the greed and lust for that particular food. But the manna and quails did not satisfy the Israelites.
For as Asaph continues: ‘They were not estranged from (deprived of) their lust (craving): but while their meat was yet in their mouths, The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest (stoutest) of them, and smote down the chosen (choice) men of Israel.’ (Ps.78: 30-31)
Yeh friends, our God is not a skylarking God, but a serious deity. Yuh see before they could even finish eating the flesh of the quail, He struck down some of the mightiest men, because of their disbelief and unfaithfulness. (Num.11:33)
But in spite of all that, Asaph declares: ‘For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works. Therefore their days did he consume in vanity (futility), and their years in trouble.’ (Ps.78:32-33)
Oh what a foolish, stubborn and hard-headed people! But please don’t laugh and try to put them down, because we are doing the very same thing now. God is trying to talk to us, but we’re not listening. We’re just interested in going our own way. He’s showing us signs and wonders, natural and man-made disasters, warning us of things to come if we deviate from His path. But we’re not paying any attention, because we’re too wrapped up in the lusts of our flesh.
Oh friends, if God’s chosen people paid a most serious price for their disobedience, why do you think we won’t for ours eh? And I’ll leave us to ponder on that most vital question today. Much LOVE!
…he who doesn’t hear…will certainly feel…rest assured of that…
05 Dec 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a tree planted by the rivers of waters, ambassadors, belly and backbone, blessed are the righteous, blessed is he that readeth, blessings, bounden duty, break the enemy's yoke, brings forth fruit in his season, charles stanley, children of men, commandments, crapaud smoke yuh pipe, darkness, evil, fall by the wayside, followers of Christ, for the time is at hand, formula for success, give God thanks, glory to God, God is ever-faithful, gospel truth, hate, his leaf shall not wither, in the way of sinners, Joshua, keep those things which are written therein, lead a horse to water, leave all the consequences to Him, LOVE, lusts of the flesh, make thy way prosperous, meditate on God's Word, mercies, miraculous occasion, obey God, our heavenly Father, prosperous, put God's word into action, rebelled against God, rebuked by God, sits in the seat of the scornful, smart money on Jesus, spread God's word all over the world, success, successful, suffered God's wrath, the Birth of Christ, the book of the law, the breath of life, the counsel of the ungodly, the Creator of the universe, the Holy One of Israel, the One and Only True God, the things of the world, they that hear the words of this prophecy, thy Redeemer, unfaithfulness, war, what God promises He will deliver
Revelation 1:3. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
Oh Friends, what a beautiful Saturday morning to be alive! Glory to God! Just imagine that in a mere three weeks time nuh, we’ll be celebrating that marvelous, miraculous occasion; the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in the manger in Bethlehem! Oh how wonderful and ever-LOVING our heavenly Father has been to us!
Please remember to acknowledge Him and give Him thanks every time you open your eyes to a brand new day. That is the least we can do for still enjoying the breath of life and the many new blessing and mercies He has promised to rain down on us every day. And we know that He’s ever-faithful, so whatever He promises, He WILL deliver.
That’s why I can’t understand why so many people refuse to accept Almighty God, the Creator of the universe as the ONE and ONLY TRUE GOD, especially after all the wonderful things He’s done over the years for the undeserving children of men. But that’s their loss, and our gain.
However our God is so wonderful that instead of simply letting the unbelievers fall unnoticed by the wayside, He requires us to tell them about Him, spread His word all over the world, and live a life that shows His word in action. That is our job, our bounden duty as believers, as true and loyal followers of Jesus Christ, as His earthly ambassadors.
Unfortunately though, it doesn’t seem as though we are doing such a good job because people are turning away from Jesus in droves and the world is filled with untold evil and darkness and war and hate, all the things He doesn’t stand for.
Now why is that eh mih people? Is it because we are paying too much attention to the things of the world, indulging too much in the foolish lusts of our flesh, plus not having enough belly and backbone to stand up to enemy and his evil cronies?
In addition to all of that, can it also be that we’re not following the wisdom of our Bit, which so boldly proclaims: ‘Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.’
Oh friends, I do believe it’s a combination of all those things. But if we want to be faithful believers we have to break the yoke of the enemy in our lives. And the only true and lasting way to do that is to take our Bit seriously; regularly read the Lord’s word, meditate on it, talk about it and put it into action.
And I didn’t make this up, but it came straight from our God, where He solemnly warned Joshua when he took over leadership of the Israelites after the death of Moses. ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (shall constantly be in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh.1:8)
Oh friends, that is one of the most important verses in the Bible, and if we would only take it to heart, sincerely follow it, then as God has promised, we will be prosperous and successful! What’s so difficult in that to understand eh, especially since it’s been proven many a time down through the ages?
Ah mih breddren, as they say, you can only lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink. (smile) Likewise I can only guide us to the Good Book and what it says, I can’t force us to seriously embrace it and put it into action.
Just remember though, that all the smart money has been placed on Jesus, and when the time comes, if you’re not in His pool, then crapaud smoke yuh pipe!
Now let’s end up this series of messages with some more scriptures that corroborate our Bit. Listen to Isaiah as he talks about Israel’s unfaithfulness being rebuked by God. ‘Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.
O that thou hadst hearkened to (heeded, obeyed) my commandments! Then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea. Thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels (body) like the gravel (grains of sand) thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me.’ (Is.48:17-19)
Oh my people, all yuh hear what the Lord said in those two passages. If you obey, you will prosper and succeed. If you don’t, then you’re going to pay a steep price. And that is exactly what happened to the Israelites, several times too. When they obeyed they prospered, but like us, then they believed it was their own work that brought the prosperity and they foolishly rebelled against God and suffered His wrath.
Anyway friends, let’s end with these wise words from Psalm 1 – Blessed are the righteous – which most of us know quite well, but obviously don’t pay sufficient attention to.
‘Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly (wicked), nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate (ponder by talking to oneself) day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers (channels) of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.’ (Ps.1:1-3)
There you have it again friends, the formula for success and prosperity in this fallen, sinful world! Now please, I implore us to be wise and use it to the fullest nuh, for that’s what is required of us by our God. Much LOVE!
…as Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley) keeps saying…the best way to live this life…is to obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him… and that’s gospel truth…
25 Oct 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a time of rejuvenation, alive and kicking, asaph, attitude, believers in Jesus Christ, blessed be the Lord our God, blessings, Christians, comeuppance, confidence, crapaud smoke yuh pipe, death and destruction, declaration of faith, desire, enthusiasm, eternal life, faith and trust increased, fellowship, give thanks, glorify our Creator, glory hallelujah, go a whoring from God, God is the strength of my heart, God's LOVING-kindness, guide me with thy council, I have put my trust in the Lord, it is good for me to draw near to God, jehovah god, mercies, mood, more than we can ask or imagine, my flesh and my heart faileth, my heart was grieved, my portion for ever, panacea, pours out His bounty, praise, provider, raise your hopes, receive me to glory, reconciled to God, renew your faith, sacrifice of praise, sacrificed His Son Jesus Christ, salvation, serve the Lord, shortchanging ourselves, sing, snare of the ungodly, so foolish was I, spirits are lifted, Sunday, surrender, tempo, the atoning Saviour, the Holy Spirit, the wicked prospering, the Word of god, they that are far from thee shall perish, trust, unfaithfulness, walk obedient in God's will, walking with Jesus, whom have I in heaven, wickedness, wisdom, worship
Psalm 73:26. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength (the rock) of my heart, and my portion for ever.
Sunday, Sunday! Oh how glad we are that it’s here at last! For it’s the day that most Christians, most believers in Jesus Christ gather together in the Lord’s sanctuary to fellowship with each other; to sing and praise, give thanks, worship and glorify our wonderful Creator and Provider. Glory Hallelujah!
It’s also a time of rejuvenation; a time when our spirits are lifted, our faith and trust increased, our confidence strengthened, as the immutable and holy Word of God flows through, percolates in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls!
And all God’s people shouted loudly and proudly: ‘Blessed be the Lord our God who sacrificed His Son Jesus Christ so that we could be reconciled to Him, and who now pours out His never-ending bounty on us, more than we can ask or even imagine! Thank You Lord. We offer up our sacrifice of praise and vow to walk obedient to your will. In Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes Friends, it is indeed a wonderful, a magnificent God we serve, and every day I open my eyes to greet a new day, I can’t help but give Him some serious thanks and praise for all that He’s done, is doing and has promised to do in my life. Glorify Him my people, for there’s none else like Him! No other supposed deity even comes close to Him, for they are all dead, but our Jehovah God is alive and kicking; kicking mightily too!
So this Sunday morning, let’s all make it a stated purpose to get to His sanctuary and enjoy much needed fellowship with other believers nuh, so that our souls can be primed and ready to meet and greet tomorrow, Monday, with a burst of enthusiasm and rich desire to get out into the working world and serve the Lord with all that we possess.
Remember, the tempo, the mood, the attitude towards the first day of the work week, and all those that follow, are set, are determined by how we spend the first day of the week, Sunday. So please get out and renew your faith, raise your hopes today. End of sermon! (smile)
Oh Friends, some of you might think that I’m joking, or just being overzealous, but the reality is that our God does faithfully reach out to those who trust in Him. Let’s take the case of the psalmist Asaph. Way back when, he saw the wicked prospering and couldn’t understand it.
Consequently, he almost fell into the snare of the ungodly, wanting to have their prosperity. Many of us fall for the same scam today. But through the goodness, the LOVING-kindness of God, he woke up in time and saw the foolishness of that mindset. Therefore, he could contritely admit in Psalm 73 – The mystery of prosperous wickedness.
‘Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins (grieved in my mind). So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee. Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden (held) me by my right hand. Thou shalt guide me with thy council, and afterward receive me to glory.’ (Ps.73:21-24)
Oh my people, as I said just now, many of us today are still being wowed by the prosperity of the wicked, but please believe that is only a temporary situation. They will all eventually get their rightful comeuppance; death and destruction.
But those who sincerely follow the risen Lord, the atoning Saviour Jesus Christ, will be guided away from wickedness by His Holy Spirit which indwells each and every believer. Then, like Asaph says, at the end of our earthly days we will be received in glory to our heavenly home.
Now hear how Asaph continues: ‘Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength (the rock) of my heart, and my portion for ever.’ (Ps.73:25-26)
My brethren, my brethren, do you hear that declaration of faith and trust which includes our Bit! Can we declare likewise, with the same confidence? I surely do hope so, because unless we can, we will be seriously shortchanging ourselves in the mercies and blessings of our awesome God.
And why is that? Listen to the next verse from Asaph. ‘For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee (who are unfaithful to thee).’ (Ps.73:27)
Yes Friends, wickedness and unfaithfulness may pay for a time, and might look rather enticing, but believe me, it will not get you into heaven, will not bring you salvation and eternal life. Only trust and belief in Jesus Christ will do that.
And Asaph confidently and wisely ends the psalm thus. ‘But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.’ (Ps.73:28)
Glory Hallelujah my people! Words of unadulterated wisdom! And if you haven’t declared those sentiments as yet, I’ll advise you to do so as soon as possible. And today, right now, will be a most appropriate time to do it. Because, remember when Jesus returns in all His majestic glory and splendour, which could happen at any time, if you are found wanting, then it will be too late, and as the old people would say, crapaud smoke yuh pipe!
So please, please, I implore us, let’s not be found wanting, let’s put our absolute trust in Jesus right now, let’s surrender our entire lives to Him, so that we will be received into glory at the end times. That’s wisdom of the highest order! Much LOVE!
…knowing, trusting, LOVING and walking with Jesus…is the ONLY panacea for our troubles…
20 Nov 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: almighty god, Bruh David, Buffalo, burdens, clamouring for peace, dig down deep, dissatisfaction, do good, don't give up hope, don't think of quitting, dwell in safety, edify another, evil, faith, figurative, freedom time, Glory be, God's will, God's Word, greater toronto area, guide and comfort, haeling balm, Holding on, hope, indisputable truth, Israelites, joy, Lake Ontario, let not your heart be troubled, literal, LOVE, my peace I give unto you, O if thou had heeded my commandments, obedience, only one way, peace, Peace i leave with you, perfect peace, Praying Expectantly, promises of God, protective wings of almighty God, righteousness., rought times, rumours of war, seek peace, sleep in peace, snowstorm, stay strong, strife, surrender, thankful, that's no lie, the Lord will bless his people with peace, the Lord will give strength to his people, the peace of God which passeth all understading, the rock of ages, thy peace had been as a river, thy righteousness as waves of the sea, trust, trust in the Lord for ever, unfaithfulness, ungodliness, unrighteousness, wars, waves of the sea, weather the storms, wintry climate
Isaiah 48:18. O that thou hadst hearkened to (heeded) my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea.
Well Friends, we’ve made it down to Thursday – Glory Be! Only one more day to go before some freedom time. But yuh know what? Unfortunately the first big snowstorm of the season has visited, in fact is still visiting my area!
Chuh! Regardless of how long you dwell in these climes, I don’t think you ever really get accustomed to the wintry climate nuh. Even those born and bred here get fed up with it.
It’s beautiful to look at from your window inside the warm and cozy house, but going out in it can be a rough experience for some people, especially the elderly. I guess you can number me in that category now. (smile)
But in the Greater Toronto Area, we do have one thing to be thankful for; we weren’t hit as hard as poor Buffalo on the other side of Lake Ontario. I heard one fellow over there say that they received one year’s worth of snow in some thing like three days.
Ah Lord eh! But what yuh going to do eh? Not much. It’s all part and parcel for the area. You just have grin and bear it, as well as literally dig down deep, both in the snow and in your spirit to find the resources to weather the storm.
And fellow believers, we all know that there’s only ONE way to successfully weather any and every storm in this life, be it literal or figurative; and that’s under the protective wings of Almighty God! Any other way usually ends up being futile.
With all the promises of God to be found in His Word, there’s always something in it to guide and comfort us in times of sorrow and adversity. The Lord has a healing, soothing balm for each and every wound we suffer. So please don’t give up hope, don’t even think of quitting, when the rough times come, as come they will. Stay strong in faith and trust.
And talking about hope, here’s an interesting definition from Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) from his Hour of Power Devotional. ‘HOPE: Holding On, Praying Expectantly!’
And that’s no lie Friends, for when we hope, we do indeed hold on to God’s promises and pray with great expectations for them to come true. It’s all about faith and trust, surrender and obedience to God’s wise and holy will my brethren.
But sadly, like the Israelites of old, and many other once upon a time powerful nations who no longer darken the earth, we have failed to live up to the dictates of our great and wonderful God. And what He said so long ago to the Israelites, His chosen people, He’s now saying to us in these terrible times. ‘O that thou hadst hearkened to (heeded) my commandments! Then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea.’
Oh my people, those words do hold a bundle of indisputable truth! I don’t have to explain the great mounds of evil, of unrighteousness, ungodliness and unfaithfulness that’s currently dominating our world, and consequently the many wars, rumours of war, endless strife and general dissatisfaction that’s evident all over the globe.
But the strange, sad part though, is that everyone’s clamouring for peace, but there’s really no peace, for as Bruh David rightly declares: ‘The Lord sitteth (sits enthroned) upon the flood; yea, the Lord sitteth King for ever. The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace.’ (Ps.29:10-11)
So if we’re not interacting obediently with Jehovah God, how can we expect peace eh, when He’s the one who grants it? That’s also why Bruh David strongly advises: ‘Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile (deceit). Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.’ (Ps.34:13-14)
Oh my people, it’s something we have to actively look for and pursue! It just doesn’t come upon us of its own will. But doing that, then allowed him to say with confidence: ‘I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep; for thou Lord, only makest me to dwell in safety.’ (Ps.4:8)
Isaiah also echoed Bruh David’s call in his hymn of praise, where he boldly proclaims: ‘Thou wilt keep them in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on (sustained by) thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever; for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength (the Rock of Ages).’ (Is.26:3-4)
Meanwhile Bruh Paul says to the Philippians: ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil.4:6-7)
And it’s only fitting that we close with Jesus’ greatest pronouncement on peace. ‘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)
That says it all my people! If we faithfully and obediently embrace Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, then His special peace, not that of the world, will fill our bodies and souls, lighten our burdens and increase our joy!
Now that’s certainly something worthwhile working towards! So let’s get a move on and do it nuh! Much LOVE!
…let us therefore follow after…the things which make for peace…and things wherewith…one may edify (build up) another… (Rom.14:19)
19 Nov 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a believer's life, adversity, almighty god, as the waves of the sea, be of good cheer, bear our earthly burdens, believers, benediction, bone-chilling cold, calamity, calmness of spirit, Canada, changes, climate changes, continuity, courage, Courage to change the things I can, difficult times, disobedience, dissension, earthly paths, Everett M Dirkson, god is still in control, God's goodness, grains of sand, heavenly Father, Holy Redeemer, Isaiah, Israel, keep an open mind, kind, Life is not static, living truth, long-suffering, LOVE, November wind, O if thou had heeded my commandments, obedience, pateint, peace, peace like a river flows, prayer, punishment, righteousness., rope to hang ourselves, sameness, serenity, Serenity Prayer, Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, shiver and shake, stand strong and steadfast, storms of life, testing, that's life, the Holy One of Israel, the promises of Jesus, thy peace had been as a river, tribulation, troubled valleys, unfaithfulness, upheavals, verdant mountain tops, waywardness, winter time, wisdom, wisdom to know the difference, ye might have peace
Isaiah 48:18. O that thou hadst hearkened to (heeded) my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea.
Well a good Wednesday morning Friends and Neighbours! How’s it going eh? Well in my neck of the woods it’s a bit on the rough side with the bone chilling cold still in effect out there. Oh Friends, it’s been a long time since I remember experiencing such a bitterly cold and strong November wind as we had yesterday.
Hn! It was just a howling all day long! The only good thing is that there was no precipitation, but lots of sunlight. Somehow that just doesn’t seem right though; such bright sunlight with such cold weather, and we’re still officially a month away from winter (Dec.21).
But this is Canada and come the wintertime, anything is possible, especially with the unpredictable climate changes and weather patterns that are now in vogue.
Anyway, we believers are required to stand strong and steadfast in whatever weather and personal situations we may encounter, by holding on to the promises of Jesus and allowing Him to lead and guide us through the troubled valleys back to the verdant mountain tops.
That brings us to this quote from Everett M. Dirkson (1896-1969) a Republican American Politician, who reminds us that ‘Life is not static.’
And that’s the living truth my people. For if there’s one thing we can be sure of is constant change in our lives. We might not like it, or them, but be assured our lives will be full of changes.
Sometimes they might be small and slow, and thus barely noticeable; those we can easily handle. But when the big ones come, we shiver and shake and don’t handle those as well, because we all like some kind of continuity and sameness in our lives. We don’t do upheavals, especially the sudden, unexpected ones, very well.
But my brethren we have to realize that that’s all life, what it’s all about, and try and keep an open mind and do our best, believing that our wonderful and omnipotent God is still in control and will see us through those difficult times, as He’s promised.
We often need to invoke the Serenity Prayer too. ‘Oh God, please grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the Courage to change the things I can, and the Wisdom to know the difference!’
Yes Friends, it’s Almighty God who gives us the wherewithal to bear our earthly burdens. That’s why prayer, constant prayer to boot, is ever so important in a believer’s life. It’s through that continual communication with our heavenly Father that our earthly paths are made smooth and calm.
And what’s so wonderful about our God is that though He’s testing us with adversity, He still gives us the peace and calmness of spirit during those times. So that though the storms of life are raging all around us, within our souls, His peace and calm reigns.
And it is indeed sad to see that words used to rebuke Israel’s unfaithfulness so long ago, are ever so appropriate to us in these modern times; times of evil, idol worship and exceeding unfaithfulness.
Listen to Isaiah declare God’s words, including our Bit. ‘Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.
O that thou hadst hearkened to (heeded) my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea:
Thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels (body, loins) like the gravel (grains of sand) thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me.’ (Is. 48:17-19)
Oh my brethren, please look around and see, God’s punishment is being meted out to us for our unfaithfulness. You don’t have to be a brain surgeon to figure out why there’s so much calamity and dissension in our technologically advanced world right now.
It’s true that our God is patient, kind and long suffering, but even His patience runs out in the face of continual disobedience and mockery of His way and words. He’s given us lots of rope to hang ourselves, and now He’s simply pulling the noose tight.
And what amazes me is that we have all these wonderful Bible passages that promote peace through association with and obedience to God, which we totally ignore. Let’s hear some of them nuh.
And we can begin with the part of the priestly benediction that deals with peace, with which God told Moses to have Aaron and his sons bless the Israelites. ‘’The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee (look on you with favour), and give thee peace.’ (Num.6:26)
And in psalm 81 – God’s goodness to and Israel’s waywardness – the psalmist Asaph laments: ‘Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways! I should have soon subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries.’ Ps. 81:13-14)
Then in that longest of Psalms, 119, the psalmist truthfully declares: ‘Great peace have they which LOVE thy law: and nothing shall offend them (cause them to stumble).’ (Ps.119:165)
Jesus also held forth on the subject of peace, as He told the disciples when the time of His passion was nigh. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)
What greater promise than that can we expect eh Friends! None really. However, time and space are against us, so we’ll end here for today. Tomorrow we’ll continue in this same vein.
So until then, the Lord willing, let’s hang on tightly to those promises and go out into the crazy and wicked world that surrounds us, with the everlasting peace of Jesus. That’s wisdom for the ages! Much LOVE!
…when my soul exalts in Jesus Christ…my Lord and Saviour…then peace like a river flows…
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