13 Dec 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new flock of believers, better safe than sorry, breaking a mirror, by the example we set, call upon his name, Christmas is all about Jesus, Christmas shopping, crossing paths with a black cat, dire times, divine aid, embrace your love and compassion, error of their ways, faith, Friday chant, Friday the thirteenth, giving thanks always for all things, Happy Holidays, he is the Lord our God, hs judgements are in all the earth, in the fear of God, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the reason for the season, learn righteousness, let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord, LOVE, make known his deeds among the people, make me to understand the way of thy preccepts, making melody in your heart to god, meditate on thy wondrous works, O Give thanks unto the Lord, old wives' tales, omnipotent help, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, seek his face evermore, seek the Lord and his strength, seven years of bad luck, sinful ways, sing psalms unto him, sing unto him, speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns, spilling salt, submitting yourselves one to another, talk about Christ and Christmas, talk of his wondrous works, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, The Christmas season, the inhabitants of the earth, the judgements of his mouth, thy face Lord will I seek, truth, ungodly world, wake up and smell the coffee, walking under a ladder, wisdom
Psalm 105:7. ‘He is the Lord our God: and his judgements are in all the earth.’
And then it was Friday, Friday the thirteenth! But since our total trust is in our Saviour Jesus Christ, we don’t pay any attention to the old wives’ tales which surround such a date. Tales like breaking a mirror, which brings seven years of bad luck, walking under a ladder, spilling salt, and crossing paths with a black cat. We do our best to ignore them because that’s not what Jesus teaches, but what’s interesting though, is if we realize in time that one of those things is about to happen, we’ll most likely do our best to avoid it. (smile) As the old adage says, better safe than sorry.
Anyhow, on this sunny but chilly Friday morning, we’ve already sent up our shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and the weekend is here at last!’ We have the time to catch up on our Christmas shopping, baking and all the other things we do in the Christmas season. However, let’s remember that those things are merely the result of the season, not the cause of it. Jesus is the reason for the season of Christmas.
So, all the foolishness about Happy Holidays and whatever terminology is used by the unbelievers to describe it, is pure hogwash, for if Christ had not been born, there would have been no holidays or anything else resembling it at this time. Therefore, in our daily lives, let’s make sure we talk about Christmas and Christ being the reason for all the festivities, and not leave Him conveniently out of the mix. End of Sermon.
And today we’ll look at a few of the opening verses of Psalm 105, titled – God’s Wondrous Works, which gives a historical account of Israel and its association with Almighty God. We are first admonished: ‘O Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works.
Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. Seek the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore. Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgements of his mouth; O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen. He is the Lord our God: his judgements are in all the earth.’ (Ps. 105:1-7)
Ah friends what wise advice, especially in this festive season of Christmas, where we are celebrating God’s greatest gift to us, the birth of His Son, Jesus Christ, our Redeemer and Deliverer! How could we not give Him much thanks and praise for all He’s done for us, and make His awesome deeds known to the people far and wide. As Psalm 119 says: ‘Make me to understand the way of thy precepts (my duties in your name): so shall I talk of (meditate on) thy wondrous works.’ (Ps. 119:27)
And consequently, we ought to be singing joyful songs of praise unto Him, or as Bruh Paul writes to the Ephesians: ‘Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to God. Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.’ (Eph. 5:19-21) Now that’s exactly what we ought to be doing this Christmas season on a much greater scale, while leaving the gifts, the shopping and the food preparation to take a lesser role.
Yes, we ought to be glorying much more in the name of Jesus than we’re currently doing, and letting our hearts rejoice as we seek the presence of our wonderful God. Unfortunately, believers are not doing enough of those things, even at this Christmas season, we’re still more focused on the worldly than the spiritual things. As the psalm so rightly tells us: Seek the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore.’ (Ps. 105:4)
Oh my people, there is no way we could ever go wrong if we do that from the sincerity of our hearts! But if we don’t, we’ll keep on going in the wrong direction, just like the world is right now. It’s like Bruh David says in Psalm 27 – My Heart Shall Not Fear. ‘When thou saidst, Seek my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face Lord, will I seek.’ (Ps. 27:8) So why are we not seeking God’s face much more in these times of dire need eh?
Because we’ve gotten too big for our britches; we feel with all our knowledge and technological inventions, we have become a god unto ourselves. But friends, let’s not go down that road any longer, or further, for we are simply deluding ourselves by thinking that we can run our own lives. In this strife-filled, evil and ungodly world, it’s oh so important that we remember, ‘He is the Lord our God: and his judgements are in all the earth.’ (Ps. 105:7)
Yes my fellow saints; it’s like Isaiah says: ‘With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgements are in the earth, the inhabitants of the earth will learn righteousness.’ (Is. 26:9) And we all know that the judgements of the Lord are in the earth, otherwise it would not be such a chaotic and disastrous scene, so let’s do our best to learn righteousness nuh. And we can begin right now, by going to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, asking for divine aid in these dire 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!’
Let’s remember now, that we will only see divine aid, if we wake up from our sinful ways and begin being much better witnesses for Christ Jesus in this ungodly world! Much LOVE!
…whatever you may think…Christmas…is all about Jesus…
16 Nov 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a rewarder, called thee by name, come into my soul, don't give up, drowning, faith, faith is the currency of god's children, fear not, fellowship, He is faithful that promised, holy spirit, increase my awareness, Jesus Christ, let us hold fast the profession of our faith, LOVE, men ouhgt always to pray, mercy, mundane things, not to lose heart, of them who diligently seek him, pass through the waters, peace, quiet my soul, salvation, save me O God, slow my thoughts, take heart, tenderness, the Holy One of Isreal, the Lord's presence, the waters, truth, unceasing neareness, ungodly world, up to our necks, when you pass through the fire, wisdom, without faith, without faith it is impossible to please God, without wavering, you shall not be burned
Hebrews 10:23. Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
Saturday has come friends…our lazy-day Saturday! Oh what a joy to be in its LOVING arms! To be able to do what we want, when we want, or not to do anything at all; just lie in bed or on the couch wrapped up in warm blankets on this somewhat chilly and cloudy Saturday morning. Unfortunately, I only got to enjoy a li’l of it, because I went to bed too early last night and thus my aging back would have none of that lying in bed for so long.
Now, I believe I have to address this going to bed early matter, because I seem to be doing it fairly often these days, and I don’t like it, because I keep waking up like every hour and a half, and thus have too many medication induced dreams. I tend to prefer a few hours here and a few hours there, not this long slog of seven or eight hours. But anyway, that’s my problem, and I’ll deal with it one way or another. (smile)
So, to more important things, like our Lazy-Day Saturday prayer. Let’s offer it up with all sincerity and truth. ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And, as always, the Lord’s presence soon seems more intense and we’re more aware of it in our hearts and spirits. Now that’s the way it ought always to be, but we just don’t take the time to consider it and ask for His presence more often and more intensely. We’re simply too busy with the mundane, less important things and activities of the evil and ungodly world.
And I’m chuckling here friends, for I’ve reached a mental roadblock; in other words, I don’t know how to proceed from this point, (smile) So, like all true believers ought to do, when in doubt, I opened the Good Library and like the saving grace it is, it opened very appropriately unto Psalm 69 – A Cry for Help – where Bruh David writes of a situation that many of us are currently in, and don’t know how to extricate ourselves from it. So let’s pray with him. ‘Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul (up to my neck). I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where floods overflow me.’ (Ps. 69:1-2)
Oh my people, many of us today surely feel like we’re drowning in the situations in which we are immersed, like the water is up to our necks, or some of us even feel like we’ve already gone down a couple of times, and the next time will be our last. But take heart, don’t give up, keep treading or floundering or whatever it takes to stay alive, for as Jesus said in one of His parables, men ought always to pray, and not to faint (lose heart). (Luke 18:1)
And that’s the indisputable truth! If you are a believer in Jesus, you cannot ever throw in the towel or give up, regardless of the circumstances, because Christ is only and always a prayer away, and in His Word, He’s promised to save us from the terrors of this world. Listen to this marvellous promise extended on God’s behalf through the prophet Isaiah to those who are redeemed by the blood of His Son Jesus.
‘O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon (scorch) thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee (in thy place).’ (Is. 43:1-3)
Now that’s a magnificent promise for all who put their trust in Jesus as Lord and Saviour. And it’s not an empty promise as we’ve seen the Lord do those things. Remember when Israel came out of Egypt and met the Red Sea, which seemed to be a huge stumbling block? However, the Lord parted it for them to go through on dry land, then closed it back up and drowned Pharaoh and his army. (Ex.14) Then, when they came to the River Jordan, to enter the Promised Land, it seemed uncrossable as it was in flood. But then again, the Lord parted it for them so they could walk over on dry land. (Josh. 3)
And what about the time the three Jewish teenagers refused to bow down to the pagan idol of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, and they were thrown into a furnace seven times hotter than normal, but they came out unharmed, without even smelling of smoke. (Dan. 3:14-25). Then what about Daniel himself being cast into the lion’s den for refusing to adhere to the king’s ungodly decree? Daniel spent the night sleeping amongst the lions and was unharmed come morning, for the Lord had shut the lions mouths. (Dan. 6-7)
So my brethren, we see it’s totally possible and plausible for our God to do both big and small miracles on our behalf. But we have to keep on believing and being obedient to His will and praying and giving thanks regardless of the circumstances. That’s why the author of Hebrews reminds us thus: ‘Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)’ (Heb. 10:23) And also: ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him: 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 all a matter of belief from which faith and hope rise eternal, then trust and obedience which follow from those. So, although today we might be mired in very difficult, even life threatening circumstance, please, let’s not give up. Instead, let’s pray and cry out to God for help, for He can help us if we are sincere in our entreaty. Much LOVE!
…faith…that is the currency of God’s children…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
28 Oct 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a whole new flock, allow the devil to tempt us, backsliders, be diligent in prayer, Bible Study, bodily exercise profiteth little, but refuse profane and old wives' tales, Christian service, counter-productive, embrace your love and compassion, entitled society, eternal death, exercise thyself rather unto godliness, fellowshipping with other believers, Friday chant, glitter like gold, godliness doesn't come automatically, godliness is profitable unto all things, Jesus came that we might have life, life eternal, LOVE, obedience, omnipotent help, pandemic, running down the things of the world, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, simmering unrest, soap operas, spend less time in the gym and more in church, spending time with god, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the example we faithful believers set, the promise of life now and forever, the thief comes only to steal and destroy, trusting faith, unexpected storm, ungodly world, viruses, wise guidance
1 Timothy 4:7. But refuse (reject) profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.
Finally, at long last, it’s Friday, the day we all look forward to, because it means the end of our work week and all the frustrations and problems making a living in this crazy, strife-filled world tend to cause. That’s why this shout is heard all around the world on a Friday. ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and the weekend is finally at hand. No more labour for two whole big days. Wow!’
And we all note the sarcasm in the last sentence. What an entitled and ungrateful society we’ve become, lacking work ethic and responsibility. We want to live a good life, with all the amenities available but don’t want work or do what’s necessary to provide them. It’s like the saying goes; we want what others have but don’t want to do what they did to get it. And the sad part is that Jesus told us so clearly that running down the things of the world is counter-productive, because the same basic things are available through belief in Him and His heavenly Father, plus with them, you’ll also gain life eternal, while with Satan it’s eternal death.
What don’t we understand about: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) If you trust and rely on God, He will provide you with all the basic necessities of life, just like He does for the birds, the bees, the flowers and all His other creations. You are His most wonderful and adored creation, so if He provides all the lesser creations need to survive and thrive, why will He refuse to do the same for his most prized creation eh? No reason whatsoever!
But we foolishly allow the devil to tempt us into running down the things of the world, because they seem glamorous and glitter like gold, allowing him to sow doubt in our minds about the goodness and grace of God. But as a true believer, that is one thing you should never doubt because if you’ve spent any time at all under His umbrella, you’ll have certainly seen several instances of His grace and mercy. However, unfortunately, it’s only with experience, length of time you spend with someone, that you truly get to know them.
And that’s how it is also with our great and generous God; the more time you spend with Him, the better you get to know Him, and thus come to appreciate all his many marvellous attributes. Then you will see the lack of wisdom involved in following the deceitful, and treacherous devil, who only comes to steal and destroy, while Jesus came to save us, to give us life in abundance, so much so that it will overflow. (John 10:10)
That’s why Bruh Paul in his first letter to Timothy, his young preacher associate, so seriously warned him against the things of the world. ‘But refuse (reject) profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and that which is to come.’ (1 Tim. 4:7-8)
And that certainly is good advice! For as the scholars tell us: ‘We may read the verse (7), “But avoid profane and fabricated myths, and exercise yourself to be godly.” These false doctrines called “myths” are described as “profane” because they promote ungodliness, and “fabricated” because they – like modern day soap operas – are silly and flighty in character. Not only must Timothy avoid false teaching, he must spare himself no pain and effort to be pious. Godliness does not come automatically. To attain holiness he must be diligent in prayer, Bible study, obedience, fellowshipping with other believers, and Christian service.’
And my fellow believers nothing has changed in that department. We still need to be diligent in our obedience, duty, fellowshipping, prayer, and Bible study time, for that’s the only way we can ever truly know the heart, desires and will of our majestic and LOVING God. And I’m sure the scholars’ belittling of soap operas won’t sit well with some of you soap opera diehards, but it’s the truth. They don’t promote anything but resentment, deceit and a flighty, worldly lifestyle.
That brings us to the scholars comment on verse 8 above. They say: ‘The verse may be paraphrased, “For physical exercise is of limited value, but godliness the result of spiritual exercise, has unlimited values, since it brings blessings for both now and eternity.’ Oh my people, what a way our world would be wonderfully improved if some of us would spend just a li’l less time on bodily exercise and use that saved time instead in spiritual improvement.
The thiefing gyms and exercise palaces are full to overflowing every day, meanwhile the churches sit empty. What does that say about us eh? Simply that we regard and appreciate our frail, fragile earthly bodies more than we do our omnipotent Creator. And that obviously doesn’t bode well for our society in the long term, because without godly vision and practices, a society flounders and eventually fails. And unfortunately, we’re currently seeing and experiencing that tell-tale floundering in our mish-mash, ungodly world.
However, it’s not too late to make a change, a change for the better, but it all begins with sincere prayer. So, if you’re sincere about trying to improve the world for our descendants, then please join me in offering up our Friday Chant to a waiting heaven. As one voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the several viruses and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means we desperately need your help.
Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the viruses and the simmering unrest in our land. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks.
And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic, the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land that’s threatening to boil over, as a means of restoring faith in You, 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, my fellow believers, let’s get busy with all the things we need to do if we’re going to improve our world, as soon as possible. Much LOVE!
…worldly pleasures last but for a moment…but godliness gives grace for eternity…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ
24 Feb 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Abide in me, ask, ask in faith, ask of God, ask what you will, aura of love, bounden duty, coming or going, confidence, double minded, evil, exaltation, fear, frailities, humble servants, humility, invincible, it shall be given you, it shall be opened, jobs, keep his commandments, knock, lack wisdom, lies, LOVE, meet the enemy in battle, men ought always to pray, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, mywords abide in you, not afraid, not faint, not lose heart, not wavering, pleasing in his sight, protect his saints, renewed vitality, right living, right motives, seek, sincerity, spiritual armour, successful praying, sure conquerors, troubled times, ungodly world, weaknesses, who gives liberally, wicked taunts, wiles, without reproach, words to live by, worship, ye shall find
Matthew 7:7. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
Awright, here we go again, Monday, the first day of the work week. At least I think so, cause I don’t know whether I’m coming or going. (smile) And since we’re a bit on the late side, we hope everybody got to work safe and sound, regardless of flood, fire and storm. (smile)
Oh I know the Good Lord will protect His saints wherever they are, so I’m not worried, but for the fearful and frustrated few – or should I say many, we still going to offer up our Monday Morning Battle Hymn for help to get us through these troubled and disturbing times. As our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ informed us: ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.’ So let’s ask and knock and see what opens.
Altogether now in confidence and humility: remember if we want to get good and serious answers, those two attitudes are quite important when we come to the Lord in prayer. ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Oh my people, yuh feel the blessings? I know you do, because I feel them too! And do I ever LOVE that about out magnificent and magnanimous God; before we’re even finished praying, He begins to work His wonders on and in us! Give Him some thanks and praise my fellow believers, because He’s so wonderful and faithful and so deserving of our praise and worship and exaltation!
As Bruh David so rightfully proclaimed in Psalm 34: ‘O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.’ (Ps. 34:3) And why would he do that eh? Because as he claims: ‘I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.’ (Ps. 34:4) Yes friends, Bruh David was always seeking the Lord! That’s why, despite his many shortcomings the Lord could still call him His friend and a man after His own heart!
And so it should be with us; we ought to keep seeking the Lord despite the troubles we encounter and the mistakes we make. The Lord knows our fears, frailties and weaknesses better than us because He made us with them, so He’s not surprised at what we do, but desires us to come to Him in ALL circumstances. That’s the crux of the matter. As Jesus said we must ask if we want to receive.
And as Bruh David further said: ‘They looked unto him, and were lightened (radiant): and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them’ (Ps. 34:5-7) Yuh see people, when we look to the Lord, call on him in humility, confidence and sincerity, we are never ashamed, and our faces are radiant, expressing the joy and LOVE that’s found in Jesus.
And the asking and knocking and seeking is very prevalent in the New Testament, so let’s look at a few of those scriptures nuh. Hear Jesus after He cursed the fig tree for not having fruit when it ought to: ‘And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive it.’ (Matt. 21:22) Then, later He spoke the parable of the widow who kept harassing the wicked judge for justice, indicating that ‘men ought always to pray and not faint (lose heart).’ (Luke 18:1)
Oh precious people of Christ, it is ever so important that we don’t ever stop praying, regardless of whatever happens! If you’re a believer, then it’s your bounden duty to pray, because sometimes the Lord is just trying to test our faith by not immediately answering our prayer requests. And as James wisely tells us: ‘If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not (without reproach); and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering (not doubting).
For he that wavereth (doubts) is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.’ (James 1:5-8) And those aren’t my words friends, but those of Jesus’ brother James who eventually came to believe that His big brother was who He really claimed to be; the Messiah.
And John adds his two cents worth: ‘And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.’ (1 John 3:22) Now therein lies the rub my people: we need to live a godly life, if we want to have a successful prayer life. As the scholars tell us: ‘Right living is an important part of successful praying.’ And to add to that, our motives and the things we ask for must be in the Lord’s will, because the Lord looks at the state of our hearts before considering our prayers.
And what better scripture to close with than this one from Jesus: ‘If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto (for) you.’ (John 15:7) So there you have it my brethren, ask and seek and knock with right motives, with Jesus’ words abiding in our hearts, and we’ll have what we need. Much LOVE!
…Jesus’ words…words to live by…
10 Feb 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Apollos watered, aura of love, babes in Christ, carnal, Christ's Church, Christians, cofidence, compassionate Deity, desire the sincere milk of the word, discern, disunity, dull of hearing, first principles, full of age, God gave the increase, good and evil, guile, humble servants, hypocrisies, I have planted, immature believers, jobs, lies, malice, mature, minimize frustrations, Monday fix, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, newborn babes, oracles of god, ought to be teachers, power of the holy spirit, practice, reason of use, rejuvenation of spirit, senses exercised, serve a useful purpose, sincerity, solid food, spiritual adrenaline, spiritual armour, spiritual maturity, steadfast faith, strife, strong meat, taunts, thanks and praise, the enemy's ranks, the word of righteousness, trained, ungodly world, unskillful, walks as men, wiles, worthwhile inroads, ye may grow thereby
1 Peter 2:2. As newborn babes, desire the sincere (pure) milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.
Another Monday friends… Yes, one more in the long line of Mondays lined up for us to go through in our work experience! And hopefully some of us might eventually wise up and realize that it doesn’t make sense to go through the Monday morning blues every week, and thus find ways to minimize the weekly frustrations and consequently decrease our stress levels and add a modicum of happiness to our lives. (smile) That’s the basic hope of our Monday offering.
But sadly, for whatever reason(s), not all of us will be able to do that, which means we will always have need for our Monday Morning Battle hymn to help us get our Monday fix of spiritual adrenaline from heaven on high, through the Holy Spirit. Now that’s not a bad thing, but with age and experience, we’re expected to achieve spiritual maturity, meaning our food types ought to improve too, move from soft, baby food, to adult stuff, like meat and spuds. (smile)
But my people, what the Lord desires more than anything else is that we come to Him, in whatever state we’re in, humbly and sincerely when we need help, regardless of whether we’re still eating baby food when by age and Christian experience, we should be eating solid stuff. (smile) So let’s come before Him now nuh, humbly and sincerely crying out for help, but confidently expecting Him to help, because that’s His awesome promise, and He keeps His promises.
Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
And our God is so wonderful, that the answer is on the way before we’ve even finished our supplication! Wow! Give Him some thanks and praise my fellow believers (steups!) for being such and awesome and compassionate Deity! Just look at how we’re all energized and smiling, how our attitudes have suddenly changed, and now we’re excited to go out and work for Jesus! That’s the power of the Holy Spirit friends doing the Father’s timely bidding!
And today friends, we want to talk about spiritual immaturity, the fact that we ought to grow in our Christian faith and move on from Christianity 101 to higher grades and not have to keep repeating the elementary aspects of our faith. There are several scriptures in the Good Book that deal with the subject, a few of which we want to share, beginning with Peter’s admonishment: ‘Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere (pure) milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.’ (1 Pet. 2:1-2)
Yuh see that friends, young Christians, like babies need milk to grow, they too need to learn the elementary aspects of God’s Word. But unfortunately, many of us don’t grow spiritually, we remain carnal, doing the things that Peter advises against. Thus Bruh Paul also had to admonish the Corinthians.
‘And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat (solid food); for hitherto (until now) ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions (dissensions), are ye not carnal (fleshly), and walk as men? For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?’ (1 Cor.3:1-4)
Of course they are, since spiritually minded believers (steups!) don’t fight about who converted or baptized them, because it’s team work. As Bruh Paul says two verses later: ‘I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.’ (1 Cor. 3:6) Yeh friends, whatever work we do for God, in the long run, it’s He who causes our work to bear fruit. Let’s remember that and stop arguing amongst ourselves as to who’s doing better than the other, because that only causes strife and disunity and destroys our witness.
Unfortunately, the continual warfare between the flesh and the spirit is a human trait that still exists, and is still causing disunity and division in Christ’s church today. As it was embarrassing to Bruh Paul with the Corinthians, so it is embarrassing today to see people who should know better, because of their long walk as Christians, still fighting and envying over petty stuff. And the scholars tell us that the flesh and spirit warfare was a big part of Bruh Paul’s writings, (cf. Rom.7:14-8:13; Gal.5:17). Please check out those scriptures, for they are very important and enlightening. (smile)
And the author of Hebrews didn’t pull any punches, but put it all in a direct manner. In his appeal to believe, he writes: ‘Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered (explained), seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time (by this time) ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles (sayings) of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat (solid food).
For every one that useth (partakes of) milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat (solid food) belongeth to them that are of full age (mature), even those who by reason of use (practice) have their senses exercised (trained) to discern both good and evil.’ (Heb. 5:11-14)
Ah mih people, too many of us are still drinking milk when we should be eating solid food, and it’s only causing serious problems in our church and our world. Please, for Christ’s sake, and with the Lord’s help, let’s try and do better nuh. Much LOVE!
…there is too much warfare…between too many immature believers (yeah!)…in Christ’s church…
13 Jan 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a prayer away, abolished, aura of love, be of good cheer, be prepared, breaking down, Christians, contrariness, desires for Jesus, drive yuh crazy, enmity, enthusiasm, Gentiles, humble servants, i have overcome the world, I have spoken to you, imposters, in me you might have peace, in the world, Jeremiah, Jews, mocked, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, more than conquerors, never giving up, peace, powers, principalities, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, resolutions, separate us from the love of God, sinful world, spiritual armour, the Lord be praised, the wall of partition, the weather scene, these things, times of trouble, ungodly world, useful purpose, waery with forbearing, ye shall have tribulation
John 16:33. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
Now this weather scene is getting to be a bit much yes! Can you believe that after a wet, rainy and icy Sunday morning that by ten a.m. the sun had come out and it became clear and dry, though somewhat chilly, and stayed so for the remainder of the day? Wonder what kind of weather we will experience today eh? But I’m not bothering mihself over it nuh, because with it’s contrariness, if you take it on, it will just drive yuh crazy! You just have to be prepared for whatever comes and say, the Lord be praised! (smile)
And can you also believe that we’re already into half of January? Time sure isn’t wasting time… like some of us! (smile) Wonder how many sure-fire resolutions have been broken already? No doubt many. But it’s Monday, and that tired, sickly, lazy and unenergized feeling is afflicting some of us, like it will always do, so let’s take our problems to the Lord in prayer as we ought to. Let’s humbly, but confidently declare our Monday Morning Battle Hymn and receive His awesome help to cure our ailments.
Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour.
We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
And as always, the positive heavenly reply is not long in coming. We soon feel our spirits lifting, our energy pumping up, and our desires for Jesus, His Word and His work burning like a righteous fire in our being! (smile) Like poor Jeremiah who was tired of declaring the Lord’s word because he was being mocked continually, and thus decided to give up speaking it. However he found that he could not. Why? ‘But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing (of holding back) and I could not stay (endure it). (Jer. 20:9)
Ah friends, many of us sometimes feel like Jeremiah; getting a lot of negative reactions when we try to speak God’s word, but we cannot give up, we have to endure, whatever it takes. It’s that spirit of NEVER GIVING UP, regardless of our circumstances, or who comes against us, that divides Christians from the rest of the human race. Once you become a believer in Jesus Christ, His Holy Spirit fills you with His awesome strength and courage so that you can keep keeping on with Christ as your Guide and Leader.
He didn’t have it easy on this earth, and neither will we. But as He faithfully promised: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ And He certainly has friends, by dying on the cross to save our sinful souls, and then coming to life once again, thus defeating, hell, death and the grave for all time! And we’ll just quote a few scriptures to highlight the truth of what Jesus said in our Bit.
As pertaining to His peace, hear Bruh Paul to the church at Ephesus regarding the unity of ALL believers. ‘For He (Christ himself) is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition (division) between us. Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances: for to make (create) in himself of twain (the two) one new man, so making peace.’ (Eph. 2:14-15)
Yes precious people, Christ broke down the barrier between Jews and Gentiles, namely the Mosaic Law which was made to protect the Jews from pagan influences, but which they improperly used to make themselves feel superior to the Gentiles. But Jesus got rid of all of that by making us, Christian Jews and Christian Gentiles, One new man, a unified Church.
And as per having tribulation in this evil world, hear Bruh Paul to Timothy, re the coming days of apostasy (backsliding). ‘Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers (imposters) shall wax (grow) worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.’ (2 Tim. 3:12-13) And we certainly are seeing it all in these strife-filled end times.
And per overcoming the world, listen to these encouraging words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. ‘Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Rom. 8:37-39)
So friends, we have it all in Jesus, God Himself, all that we need to successfully navigate this fallen and sinful world. So there is absolutely no need to worry when things seem rough. Just call on Him and He will faithfully see you through. Much LOVE!
…in times of trouble…Jesus is only a prayer away…
12 Nov 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: affection, anarchy, be of good courage, benevolence, bless the name, blessed, chaos, compassion, dangerous, deceitful, decency, disquieted, do their own thing, empathy, endangered list, friend of Jesus, hope, hope springs eternal, hope thou in God, horse of a different colour, hurry, in god's eyes, Jesus Christ, Lamentations, Lord and Saviour, mercy, Mutts, my salvation, not what I do, not what I have, our stronghold, prince of darkness, prisoners of hope, share His love, strengthen your heart, sympathy, that was slain for us, the health of my countenance, the Lamb, the Lord is my portion, the Lord's goodness, the man, trusts in the Lord, Tuesday Mantra, ungodly world, wait quiet;y for the Lord, whose hope the Lord is, why art thou cast down, worry
Jeremiah 17:7. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.
Well the promised snow did not come during the early morning commute yesterday as promised, but by mid morning it was certainly flying, and continued to do so for most of the day. So yesterday afternoon’s commute was, and this morning’s will be indeed a horse of a different colour! (smile) But please be careful, the white stuff sure looks beautiful when lying quiet and undisturbed, but when tangled with, it’s just as dangerous and deceitful as the prince of darkness himself. Looks like we might even have had a record amount of snow for this time in November, and the month might even be colder and snowier than usual.
Ah, but not to worry, for we have Jesus, and when we walk closely with Him, He makes everything right! And all His followers gave a loud, proud and grateful shout of ‘Glory Hallelujah! Bless the name of the Lamb that was slain for us! Bless his holy name indeed!’ Oh friends, there never was, and never will be anybody like our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! And are we ever blessed to have Him as our guide and leader, especially in the evil and ungodly world in which we now live, where everybody wants to do their own thing, and right and wrong are whatever you figure them to be.
That brings me to this sad, but ever so true commentary. It comes from a recent episode of the comic strip ‘Mutts,’ but is it ever so reminiscent of our current society. One of the characters, a cat, says to two dogs: “I’ve started and endangered list.” “What’s on it?” the dogs ask. The cat simply replies: “Empathy, compassion, kindness, sympathy, decency, sensitivity, integrity, altruism, affection, benevolence, heart, tenderness, LOVE, humanity, charity, grace, courtesy, tolerance, mercy, intelligence, leniency, understanding, common sense, goodwill, patience, wisdom…”
Yes friends, you don’t have to be a believer, only a half-decent observer, to notice that all those good qualities above are being practiced less and less in this …I don’t know what to call it society! It’s the essence of everything that’s wrong with our current lifestyle! When those things are absent in any group of people, that group is certainly on the downswing towards chaos and anarchy! Why is that you ask? The answer is real simple: It’s those things that create a strong, well-functioning organization, a real and true society.
The dictionary defines ‘society’ as ‘an organization of a civilized nation.’ And it’s impossible to be civilized without those positive and godly things playing a large part in any group that wants to succeed and grow. So what does that say about our society now eh, when all those things are fading away, and as the cat truthfully says, becoming endangered? Sadly, not a whole lot. But yuh know what? I just discovered that they’d left out one important factor from that endangered list…HOPE! ‘Glory be! And we all know friends that once there’s hope, there is indeed life! So if hope isn’t amongst the endangered habits, then there is still a chance for us to turn this thing around!
And where does that wonderful thing called HOPE come from? From the Lord our God! Hear Jeremiah declare it: ‘Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.’ Wow! And in his Lamentations, he reiterates that sentiment, recalls the Lord’s goodness in his time of great sorrow and need: ‘This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam. 3:21-26)
Please notice my people, that it’s because of two things on the endangered list why we’re still around; the Lord’s compassion and mercy! That means we ought to show the same sentiments to our fellow humans. Now let’s look at some scriptures that encourage and fill us with hope in the Lord. Hear Bruh David from Psalm 31: ‘Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.’ (Ps.31:24) And the sons of Korah declare: ‘Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance (my salvation), and my God.’ (Ps.42:11)
And we all know these awesome words of Bruh Paul to the Roman church. ‘For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience (perseverance) (eagerly) wait for it.’ (Rom. 8:24-25) Yes friends, hope is not what we see, for if we see it, why do we hope for it? Hope is the essence of our very being, our spiritual connection with Almighty God! That’s why this verse from Zechariah, when he’s talking about Zion’s future king, is one of my favourites on hope. ‘Turn you to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope: even today do I declare that I will render (restore) double unto thee.’ (Zech. 9:12)
Oh my people, the Lord God Almighty is indeed our stronghold, our rock, our fortress, and I’m pleading with us to be ‘prisoners of hope, because that’s our only positive solution to turning around our embattled and embittered society! Now let’s go home showing that we’re true prisoners of hope, by declaring (steups!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know who and whose we are. In strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’ Now let’s action those words nuh! Much LOVE!
…when you’re a true believer…hope springs eternal…
23 Sep 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a man after His own heart, Aloha, an understanding heart, angry with Solomon, arise with enthusiasm, but the Lord looketh, faithfulness, for David, further your glorious kingdom, give praise and thanks, go after other gods, good motives, goodly to look at, hacking, heart in the righ place, his heart was turned from, humble servants, incredible aura of LOVE, inroads, into the enemy's camp, jobs, l have refused him, largeness of heart, look not on his countenance, LOVE, man looketh, mistakes, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, my servant David, not as man seeth, of a beautiful countenance, on the heart, on the outward appearance, packed like sardines, power of the holy spirit, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, ruddy, secret ingredient, serve a useful purpose, sincere prayer, sneezing, steadfast faith, strong wind, the height of his stature, the Lord God of Israel, the Lord seeth, the Lord's friend, thy father's sake, understanding, ungodly world, weary souls, whatever ails you, wisdom
1 Samuel 16:7. But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused (rejected) him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.
Aloha people! It’s Monday, that means it’s time to rise and shine and join the battle lines where Jesus awaits us! Like any good Field General, He’s the first one at the front surveying and reconnoitering the situation, so He can draw up good battle plans to ensure our victory. Remember, without good, solid, wise plans victory is never possible.
Consequently, we His soldiers also ought to have good, wise battle plans for our day. And the first one is to arise with enthusiasm, to greet the new day full of vim and vinegar, giving our Lord thanks and praise for allowing us to see another day! Oh, I know that’s not possible for all of us, but don’t worry, we have the secret ingredient to help us get up to par. We call it our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, a simple but most productive prayer, suitable for any ailment you have on a Monday morning.
So let’s join together in saying it nuh, because we all need prayer regardless of how strong and faithful we are. As one now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Yuh feel it friends? Yuh feel the power of the Holy Spirit just working its way through your soul and spirit? I know you do, because I feel it too! It never ceases to amaze me that whenever we pray that prayer, how my enthusiasm level just rises another notch, even when it’s already high! That’s the giddy answer (smile) of our great God to our genuine and sincere prayer. And believe me, I needed a boost this morning, because it seems I caught some bug on the plane.
When you’re packed like sardines with so many people hacking and sneezing, with one lady right next to me, it’s not unusual to catch something. Brother! After church yesterday, where I was feeling lousy, with my throat aching, I came home, had breakfast and went straight to bed. Remember I don’t have my I-pad, so I couldn’t play any games first. (smile) And I spent the whole day there, just getting up for supper in the afternoon and going straight back.
I also spent most of the night there, waking and sleeping, listening to the strong wind that kept blowing all day through the trees. Sometimes it sounded like rain, but when I opened my eyes and looked, it was still just the wind. Sometime in the early morning hours I did get up and say some prayers, not fully conscious though, but I know our wonderful God understood, because my heart was in the right place.
Oh friends, I can’t begin to tell you what a wonderful God we serve and worship because He doesn’t look at our outward actions but at the motives of our hearts, and if they are true and sincere, He does accept our faults and frailties. In any case, He already knows them better than us. And we see this plainly in the words of the Lord to Samuel when He sent him to anoint one of Jesse’s sons as the next king of Israel. Samuel looked at Eliab, big and strong and handsome and thought ‘This must be the one‘
‘But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused (rejected) him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.’ But that doesn’t mean that the Lord doesn’t like good-looking people, for it was said of Bruh David: ‘he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look at.’ (1 Kin.16:12) Meaning he had bright eyes and was also good-looking, and he must have been strong too from all those hours out in the wild. (smile)
Oh my people, unfortunately we can only look on the outward actions of our fellow man, so we can’t tell what is truly in their hearts, but the Lord can. And we see the good motives and intentions of our hearts played out quite plainly in Bruh David. Although he made many mistakes, and the Lord did punish him for them, He never left him, because Bruh David never left Him either. He always stuck to the God of His Fathers.
Note too, the prayer of Cousin Sol, when the Lord asked him what he wanted. ‘Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people. And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon has asked this thing.’ (1 Kin.3:9-10) ‘And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the seashore.’ (1 Kin.4:29)
Yes friends, most of what we ask for, if it falls within the Father’s will and our hearts are true, we will get them. But note when Cousin Sol got old and turned to the gods of his many wives, how the Lord blanked him. ‘And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel which had appeared unto him twice. And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the Lord commanded.’ (1 Kin.11:9-10)
Therefore the Lord told Cousin Sol he would take away the kingdom from him, but not in his days, but in his son’s. And why was the Lord so generous? ‘For David thy father’s sake…for David my servant’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake which I have chosen.’ (1 Kin.11:12b,13c) Yuh see mih people, though Bruh David did a whole lot of wrong, his heart never strayed from his God, and that eventually made him a measuring stick for faithfulness in the Old Testament.
Are we faithful, can the Lord use us as a measuring stick for others today? Possibly not, but if we keep striving to be faithful and keep doing our best, one day the Lord might even deign to consider us His friend and a man after His own heart, like He said of Bruh David. I can think of no higher accolade that our great God can pay us. Much LOVE!
…the motives of our heart…must be right…when we come to the Lord in prayer…
16 Sep 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a pillar of fire, at the height of, aura of love, be strong, by day, by night, Cape Town, confidence building word, conquerors, diligence, enthusiasm, excellence, fear not, game drive, he it is that goes before thee, he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, help to face the day, in a pillar of a cloud, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, keeping lives and families together, lies, magnanimous god, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, neither be dismayed, neither forsake thee, of a good courage, omnipotent, our Christ induced powers, rejuvenation of spirit, spiritual armour, surrender our souls to God, the ant hills, the Holy Spirit, the house of the Lord, the Lord, the Lord went before them, the wilds, through Christ, trust, ungodly world, vitality, we can do all things, who strengthens us, wicked taunts
Deuteronomy 31:8. And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee; he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
And then it was Monday, the day so many of us despise because it rings the death knell for our short weekend time off, and thus we get up feeling weary and hard done by! But in truth, Monday ought to be our most energetic and agreeable day because we’ve just fellowshipped the day before with other believers and received encouragement from them, heard the Lord’s mighty confidence building word and should thus be at the height of our Christ induced powers, just chomping at the bit to go out and serve him with diligence and excellence.
But instead we seem to be at our lowest on a Monday and that’s definitely not serving us well in Christ’s ministry. However, that just seems to be the nature of the beast, and we do have our antidote to combat and defeat whatever ails you on a Monday morning. We call it our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, where we call on our omnipotent and magnanimous God for help to face the day. So please pray with us nuh, in strong voice and sincere hearts.
‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together. We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days.
It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour.
We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Ah friends, I know you feel the power of God’s Holy Spirit working in you already! That’s just how quickly our wonderful Lord answers sincere prayers that meet His holy will! Now please get yourselves together and go out and give the devil a good run for his money. Meanwhile, I’m up here in the wilds of Northern South Africa, getting ready to go out on a short game drive at six a.m., because we’re leaving the lodge today.
Unfortunately we didn’t see any of the big five we hadn’t already seen, namely hippos and leopards, but we saw some of the others, and I said a teary farewell to my favourites, the ant hills. (smile) They’re so big and numerous and come in many different shapes, but they all seem to have what looks like a conning tower. Anyway, we came back around seven thirty, had breakfast and left at nine as planned. But you wouldn’t believe it took us until ten thirty to get off the rough, unpaved roads. Brother, was that ever an unpleasant drive, although we saw a few animals along the way.
Some five hours after leaving the Lodge we finally pulled in to Joburg, Oliver Tambo Airport for the duchess and I to catch a domestic two-hour flight to Cape Town on the Southern coast of the country. We didn’t get to our room in the hotel until nine p.m. by then we were so tired that all we had time to do was grab a bite in the dining room the head straight to bed. We had been on the road for some fifteen hours, and since we’re not spring chickens it obviously took a toll on us. (smile)
But when you walk with the Lord, you learn not fear, for He is always with you and has promised to never leave you nor forsake you. Listen to Moses’ words to the Israelites as they went through the wilderness. ‘And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee; he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.’
And the Lord had lived up to that promise from the time they came out of Egypt, as the Good Book says: ‘And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light; to go by day and night.’ (Ex.13:21) Wow! What a wonderful God we serve and worship my people, but we don’t really appreciate Him and the things He does for us, as much as we should.
Now hear Bruh David’s words to Cousin Sol, re building the temple. ‘And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the Lord God, even my God, will be with thee, he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord.’ (1 Chr. 28:20)
And I can testify to that too friends, as many of you can also do. So please let’s not give up on the Lord’s work nuh. We have His faithful promise that He’ll never leave not forsake us. And Bruh Paul added his two cents worth to all of that by letting us know we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, but you still have to be careful and don’t overdo it. Much LOVE!
…with Christ in your life…fear not…and be not dismayed…mean exactly what they say…
P.S. And I just had a real life showing of God’s mysterious movements. I’m writing this Bit in the Paris Airport but the plugs here are different To North America, so I was writing it with what ever charge was left in my lap top. Now I saw that it was running low, but I figured I had enough time to get it done and send it out, especially with what I was writing, re the Lord will never leave thee nor forsake thee. I felt sure that He would give me the time to send it out. But lo and behold, just as I was going to send it out, the so and so computer died.
Chuh! I queried the Lord how He could do me that after all those promises, but obviously I got no direct answer. Then I saw a brother sitting on the other row and I got the bright idea to ask him if he had a plug that would work here. And lo and behold he did have one. So I’m now able to charge my computer. And if you think that was my bright idea, think again. Yuh see mih people, our God does look after us when we trust and surrender our souls to Him, even better than we ask, because now I can do all sorts of stuff, and not just send out the Bit. Give Him much thanks and praise mih people!! Much LOVE!
26 Aug 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: affect us, antidote, attitude, blessed is the man, chaff, Christianiy, circumstances, concrete jungles, conquerors, drudgery, earn a living, enthusiasm, evil influences, further God's glorious kingdom, Helper, in the counsel, in the way of sinners, invincible, keeping lives, leave all the consequences to Him, lies, like a tree, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, negatively, not afraid, obey God, of the scornful, of the ungodly, planted by the rivers of water, rat-race, sally forth, scurrying hordes, serious believer, sitteth in the seat, standeth, steadfast faith, supernatural power, that walketh not, the Holy Spirit, ungodly world, vitality, wicked taunts, wiles, with confidence, work
Psalm 1:1. 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.
Here we go again friends and neighbours; it’s time to join the rat race we call work, labour, drudgery, or whatever negative connotation it brings to your mind. But yuh know what, if you truly value your job, even just for the money it provides, and you do it unto Jesus, and not unto man, as He so wisely suggests, you’ll have a much easier time getting up and facing the traffic jams, the hurry and scurrying hordes in the concrete jungles where you earn a living.
Yeh mih people, it’s all about attitude. The attitude we bring to our circumstances will invariably help or hinder our faith walk. The circumstances most likely won’t change, but we will, and those circumstances will no longer affect us as negatively as they did earlier. And yes, I know all of that is much easier said than done, but if you’re a true and serious believer, then you will be able to do it, with the outstanding help of our Helper, the Holy Spirit of course!
And yes, it does not happen overnight, so until you make that great change, then you are most welcome to join us every Monday morning as we petition the Lord for help to handle whatever ails us. We call it our Monday Morning Battle Hymn! And we like to think of it as the antidote for whatever ails us on a Monday Morning. (smile) So please join with us as we reach out to heaven for succour, for mercy and strength, for grace to do the right thing.
As one strong voice now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together. We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
How can the Lord refuse that poignant plea of His children eh? He just can’t! That’s why we call it our antidote. And I’m sure we’re all feeling better already; the adrenaline’s flowing, our eyes are wide awake and we’re just brimming with energy, stepping high and just dying to get into the battle trenches and fight the good fight for Jesus! That’s the supernatural power of our God working through the Holy Spirit!
And that brings us to our Bit for today; a wonderful promise of our great and wonderful God. Here’s how the psalmist put it many generations ago: ‘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) day and night.’ (Ps.1:1-2) How cool and appropriate that the Psalms should open with such a powerful and positive scripture!
Yes my people, as true believers in Christ, we ought not to be hobnobbing with the wicked and sinful hordes of this world. Now we have to have some communication with them if we ever hope to bring them to Christ, but our first commitment is to God; to study and ponder and meditate on His Word, His guidebook for earthly living, so that we can learn about Him; how He acts, and how He wants us to act in His service. And when we learn His Word, and also practice it, here’s what happens to us.
The psalmist says: ‘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.1:3) Now isn’t that a most wonderful promise? Indeed it is! But there are conditions attached: we cannot be involved in evil doings and we need to study and know God’s law and His purpose for our lives. Then and only then will we prosper!
However: ‘The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgement, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.’ (Ps.1:4-6) There are only two ways to go in God’s world my friends: God’s way, or the highway to hell!
As the scholars explain: ‘Psalm 1. The key word in the psalm is the word blessed. It serves here as a pronouncement upon a man – but a certain kind of man. In essence the psalm is teaching that the blessed or happy man is the righteous man. The happy man avoids evil influences, deeds, and attitudes (vs.1); he delights in God’s Word (vs.2); therefore, God causes him to prosper (vs.3) On the other hand, the ungodly is worth no more than chaff (vs.4), and his destiny is judgement (vs.5).
Finally the evaluation by the Lord Himself is described (vs.6). There is an ellipsis (words left out, but understood by the context) which is understood with both clauses in verse 6. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous (and it will be blessed), but (he also knows) the way of the ungodly (and it) shall perish. The psalm forms an appropriate introduction to the Psalter since it sets before the readers the three characters who will figure mostly in the psalms: the righteous, the ungodly, and God,’
And there you have it friends, the basics of Christianity 101! (smile) Adhere to it, or pay the consequences. Your choice! Much LOVE!
…best motto for living…obey God…leave all the consequences to Him… (Charles Stanley)
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