01 Sep 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a contemplation of David, a good example of a true Christian, a man of God, a man of many parts, assurance of things hoped for, attend to our needs, awesome resurrection, Be merciful unto me O god, better late than never, between a rock and a hard place, cast down the people, confidently prayed, confused mental situations, deliver my feet from falling, doubtful of God, faithful God, feigned madness, for God is for me, Goliath, happy days are here again, hear our cry, His mighty blood, hurry, I will praise his word, I will trust in thee, In god I have put my trust, in god's eyes, in the way he thinks best, into thy bottle, man would swallow me up, murderous pursuit, on the backs of our circumstances, on the cross of Jesus, our attitude changed, play the mad man, put thou my tears, sacrificial death, share His love with the world, sing of him in dances, talk a good talk of faith, the light of the world, the salt of the earth, then shall mine enemies turn back, thous hast delivered my soul from death, threatening enemies, to grow our faith, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, unhappiness, What time I am afraid, when I cry unto thee, worry
Psalm 56:3. What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
‘Happy days are here again! Happy days are here again!’ Yeh mih people, happy days are here again…in fact, yuh know they never went anywhere, (smile) is just our attitude changed because we had them riding on the backs of our circumstances instead of on the cross of Jesus; in His mighty blood, His sacrificial death and awesome resurrection! Wow! Anytime we belittle or place those things low down on our totem pole, then unhappiness will surely filter through into our hearts, minds and souls.
And yes, we somewhat late this morning because of late rising -what else is new eh – (smile) and some chores I had to do before I could get down to the Bit. But as I keep saying, better late than never, once you get the Bit, it doesn’t matter how late it is. In fact lateness is simply a matter of our own confused mental situations. (smile) And today, like Bruh David did so long ago, we going to cry out to our wonderful God with a confident prayer of help from Psalm 56 a contemplation of Bruh David, when he ran from Saul’s murderous pursuit and ended up in the Philistine city of Gath. (1 Sam. 21:10)
Can you imagine that – Bruh David running from his own people to the people of Goliath whom he had slain in battle as a young boy. ‘And the servants of Achish, the king of Gath, said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands? And David laid up these words in his heart (took these words to heart), and was sore (very much) afraid of Achish the king of Gath.’ (1 Sam. 21:11-12)
But they didn’t know that Bruh David was a man of many parts – a mighty warrior, a talented musician, poet and a man of God, but also a marvellous actor. Listen to how he handled that situation of being between a rock and a very hard place. ‘And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands (feigned madness), and scrabbled (scratched) on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle (spit) fall down upon his beard. Then said Achish unto his servants. Lo, ye see the man is mad (insane): wherefore then have ye brought him to me? Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?’ (1 Sam. 21:13-15)
Ah mih people, I have to laugh at Bruh David’s saving tactics in that dreadful situation, although from the king’s words ‘play the mad man’ he might have suspected Bruh David’s act. But all of that aside, what I really want us to hear is how this man of God, caught up between deadly enemies, confidently prayed in that situation. ‘Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me. Mine enemies would daily swallow me up (hound me): for they be many that fight against me, O thou Most High. What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust: I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.’ (Ps. 56:1-4)
Oh mih bredrin, our situation is tough, but certainly not as dire as Bruh David’s was way back then. And yet still he evoked such a confidence in the God of his forefathers that we can’t seem to understand or replicate, though we talk a good talk of faith and trust in Almighty God. Yes, as supposedly true believers, we still allow the enemy to deposit his foolish fear in our hearts, souls and minds, thus negating whatever faith we might have, and thus making our faithless prayers unanswerable.
And Bruh David continues: ‘Every day they wrest (all day they twist) my words: all their thoughts are against me for evil. They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul (lie in wait for my life). Shall they escape by iniquity? In thine anger cast down the people, O God. Thou tellest (count or take account of) my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?’ (Ps. 56:5-8)
Now, we all have people that come against us, but I doubt like those of Bruh David, rather anxious to take our lives. And the Lord does see our troubles and marks them in His book, but we need to have the strong faith, the sure belief that He will hear our cry and attend to our needs in the way He think is best. Hear how Bruh David puts it: ‘When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.’ (Ps. 56:9)
Oh precious people of God, do those words ring true in our mouths and lives in our time, in this time of serious adversity? That’s the kind of faith we need to project to ourselves and those around us. Then will we be bringing Jesus’ desires to pass; being the salt of the earth and the light of the world, leading those in darkness into His wonderful light and being the good example of a true Christian.
And Bruh David continues: ‘In God will I praise his word: in the Lord will I praise his word. In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me. Thy vows are upon me (are binding upon me), O God: I will render praises unto thee. For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt thou not deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?’ (Ps. 56:10-13)
Oh yes friends, our wonderful God WILL deliver our feet from falling, so that we can do His awesome work in the land of the living. Our problem seems to be we don’t believe that as strongly as we should, despite all the good and faithful things that the Lord has done in our lives. Now listen to the scholars’ interesting explanation of the psalm.
‘Psalm 56. The superscription relates the psalm to David’s first stay in Gath under Achish (1 Sam. 21:10-15) The refrain of verses 4, 10, and 11 mark off two sections in the psalm. First, David contrasts his threatening enemies with his faithful God (vs. 1-4). Second, he expresses the truth that he is watched from two directions: on the one side by his enemies; on the other by God, his Protector (vs. 5-11). The refrain of verse 4 is now strengthened and expanded into two verses (10-11). The two final verses serve as a conclusion that assumes his upcoming deliverance as a present reality.’
Yes friends, that’s the basic difference between Bruh David’s attitude and ours: his faith is strong enough to really make him feel the reality of something he hasn’t seen! And until our faith allows us to do the same, then we’ll always be doubtful of our God, of His intentions towards us, and His ability to do what he claims He can do. So for those of us who are truly aspiring to grow our faith, let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!) our Tuesday Mantra, unashamedly telling the whole world 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 allow our actions to reflect those sincere words nuh. Much LOVE!
…faith…the sense of proof… the assurance of things hoped for…the reality that’s currently unseen…
13 Aug 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a battlefield, a compassionate heart, all things are possible with Jesus, behind the eight ball, but the flesh is weak, change your attitude, Christian, clear direction, comparing ourselves to others, curse, divine protection, down to brass tacks, evil desires, faith, favour, fleshly, good health, I am carnal, lest ye enter into temptation, LOVE, magnanimous god, mea culpa, negative attitudes, negative word, over who we become, P.S. I Love You, promotion, prosper, sin, sin that dwells in me, sinful pursuits, succeed, the battle with sin, the battlefield of life, the chicken or the egg story, the evil I don't want to do, the flesh thwarts the Spirit, the good I want to do, the law is spiritual, the spirit frustrates the flesh, the spirit truly is ready, the struggle of two natures, Thursday Blessings, to change everything, total control, ungodly society, unhappiness, watch ye and pray, wisdom
Mark 14:38. Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.
And then it was Thursday… a beautiful Thursday by the way! And we way way behind the eight ball because of my late bedding down and thus late rising, but also due to a couple of chores I had to do before getting down to brass tacks. And that’s my mea-culpa. (smile)
Today I have a couple of gems for us from our ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU’ Poster. Long time I haven’t shared anything from that. Some of you might not even know about. It’s just a cardboard poster with that title my young daughter gave me some years ago with some useful life quotes on it. And the first gem says: ‘Almost all of our unhappiness is the result of comparing ourselves to others.’ Quite true that! And the second tells us: ‘We can’t do much about our appearance, but we have total control over the kind of person we become.’
In these modern times of advanced medicine and technology, the first part is not so true anymore, because through those avenues we can now change our appearance a whole lot, but the second half is still and will always be true! Changing our appearance doesn’t mean a blooming thing if the kind of person we are doesn’t improve with it. In the long run, who we are, not what we look like, will always be the deciding factor in the outcome of our lives. And since I’m so sweet and generous, here’s a langniappe, a brawtha, something extra thrown in for good measure. (smile)
‘To change everything, simply change your attitude.’ Wow! What wisdom and truth my bredrin! And do a whole lot of us ever need to change our surly, stupid, selfish, greedy, angry, resentful, hateful, gossipy, unforgiving, jealous, envious, ungodly, unkind, UNLOVING attitudes! Yes friends, all those negative attitudes are taking a severe toll on our individual lives and consequently are then flowing into our society, making it the negative, ungodly society it’s become.
Some of you might choose to argue that the society itself first had the negative attitudes and we as individuals then adopted them. But that’s like the chicken and the egg story, about which came first. It doesn’t matter who or what infected the other, it just matters that we’ve been infected, and must first begin with individual change if we want to right the situation. And how do we accomplish those changes? I just came upon some very interesting words of Jesus, that memorable night in the Garden of Gethsemane.
When the disciples couldn’t stay awake, He said to Peter. ‘Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour? Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.’ (Mark 14:37-38) And is that ever so true friends! The Spirit of God that dwells within us is ever ready to help us set our lives aright, but the weak flesh that we naturally possess, that desires the ungodly things of the world puts up a pretty good fight against it. And if we aren’t careful, and prayerful, it’s so easy to fall into temptation and thus destroy the godly character we’re trying to build.
Bruh Paul calls it the struggle of two natures. As he explains in Romans 7: ‘For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal (fleshly), sold under sin. For that which I do I allow (understand) not: for what I would (want to do), that I do not; but what I hate, that I do. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto (agree with) the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would (want to do) I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.’ (Rom. 7:14-19)
Yeh friends, even the great Bruh Paul struggled with his flesh; the desire to do good, but doing evil instead. And because of that, he’s also a great example, showing us ‘the problems that all believers experience in their battle with sin.’ Yes my people, our flesh; our minds, bodies and souls through the ongoing efforts of the enemy, are often dominated by sin and sinful pursuits. And Bruh Paul said it this way to the Galatians. ‘For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other; so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.’ (Gal. 5:17) And that’s the gospel truth fellow saints!
As the scholars explain. ‘ 5:17. One’s sinful human nature (flesh) and the Holy Spirit lusteth against one another, that is, they have desires and yearnings that are contrary to one another. The Christian, then, is a battlefield, having desires to do good and evil. The outcome is that ye cannot do the things that ye would: the flesh seeks to thwart the Spirit, who, in turn, attempts to frustrate the flesh’s evil desires.’
Oh, it’s definitely not easy my people! But let’s remember that with Jesus running our lives, we can do anything, for ALL things are possible with Him! We just need to bear down, to watch and pray, to stand steadfast and strong in our faith and belief in His crowning glory, and remember that through His death on the cross, and His resurrection, the victory’s already been won, we just have to walk it out now. And we do that by diligently and efficiently using the generous blessings bestowed on us to do Christ’s work. We call them our Thursday Blessings.
And since a blessing is not a blessing until it’s been spoken, let’s declare (yeahhh!) them right now over ourselves nuh. In strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Wow! What a magnanimous God we serve! It blows my mind every time I consider how generous and LOVING He is! So to show our sincere appreciation, let’s go out and share those blessings just as generously with others nuh, as we are meant to. Much LOVE!
…the mind…the battlefield of life…
19 Aug 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's game, a negative wedge, abundance, abundantly, adversity, another week of work, balance, be abased, believers, Belzeebub, care of, circumspection, circumstances, commuting, comparing ourselves to others, concern for, confusion, contentment, debt, different, discipline oneself, dissuade us, envious, fellowship, financial aid, fishbowls, flourished, frail human shoulders, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, go without, greedy, have life, hurrah for the weekend, I have learned, I speak in respect of want, in Jesus' name, in whatsoever state I am, jealousy, Jesus Christ, keeping up the Joneses, learned in a classroom, level of power, lies, life lessons, live in prosperity, mama yo, material possessions, miserly, need, opportunity, overnight, P.S. I Love You, peace of jesus, perspective, practical life experiences, pretensions, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, rest, sacrificed, show off society, social standing, sold their souls, strain, stress, stringently, suffer need, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the weekend, to abound, to be content, traffic jams, trials, tribulations, unhappiness, want, wisdom, work
Philippians 4:11. Not that I speak in respect of want (in regard of need): for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
Aye mih people, another bright, sunshiny day is in the offing… And it’s Friday to boot! So you can imagine the raucous shouts worldwide of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! Hurrah for the weekend! Get yourselves together to party! No more slaving for two, whole big days! Mama yo! We going to mash up the place! Thank God for Fridays and the weekends yes!’
Ah friends, you can’t help but voice those sentiments after facing the endless traffic jams, both morning and evening, that result from everybody commuting to work these days and working in the li’l fishbowls that so many of us toil in, five days a week.
But we have a better perspective on the usage of the weekend. It’s called our Friday Chant. So let’s chant it and raise the stakes to a higher level nuh. As one now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes my fellow believers in Jesus Christ, that is a much better way to spend the weekend. It provides some semblance of balance and circumspection, along with some godly intentions, not merely a free for all of worldly lusts and pleasures.
Now here is an interesting quote from my ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU’ Poster. It says, quite straightforwardly; ‘Almost all of our unhappiness is the result of comparing ourselves to others.’
And there is indeed a lot of truth in that statement friends! Comparing ourselves to others is one of the big problems in our current society. Keeping up with the Joneses causes more confusion, debt and jealousy than we can ever imagine.
The world’s wrong definition of who and what we are, which depends on our material possessions, social standing and level of power, drives too many of us to levels of debt, work, lies and pretensions that we cannot safely manage.
I thank the Lord everyday, that though I may desire some of the things and standards of living that others have, I’m not envious, neither do I try my level best to become like them. And the sad part is that oftimes we don’t know what others have sacrificed to get what they have and where they are.
And if we knew, we wouldn’t be so quick to want to be like them, because many have sold their souls to Beelzebub for their power, social standing and material possessions. So friends, let me strongly dissuade us this Friday morning from comparing ourselves to others, because it’s just a fool’s game.
The Lord in His absolute wisdom made us each different for a purpose. If He wanted us to be all the same, He would have done so. And trying desperately to be like others only drives a negative wedge in our lives. So please stop it! End of sermon. (smile)
That brings us to our rather appropriate Bit. ‘Not that I speak in respect of want (in regard of need): for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.’
Oh my brethren, learning that, takes so much stress and strain off of our frail human shoulders, especially in this show-off society of ours.
Hear the scholars take on our Bit nuh. ‘4:11. Not that I speak in respect (because) of want: Paul’s ability to be content despite the circumstances assures the readers that his joy of verse 10 is not solely over his “need” being met at their expense. He implies that he could have done without their financial aid. For justifies this implication.
I have learned …to be content: The Greek here suggests that contentment is a lesson learned neither in a classroom nor overnight, but through many practical experiences in life.’
And indeed so it is my people! Contentment is a learned way of life, through many trials and tribulations. Bruh Paul was here acknowledging the financial aid he’d received from the members of the Philippian church.
‘But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of (concern for) me hath flourished (revived) again; wherein ye were also careful (though you surely did care), ye lacked opportunity.’ (Phil.4:10) They were concerned about him, but lacked the opportunity to minister to him.
That leads Bruh Paul to continue after our Bit. ‘I both know how to be abased (live humbly), and I know how to abound (live in prosperity): everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.’ (Phil.4:12)
And we’ll end with some interesting explanations from the scholars. ‘4:12. By listing some specific examples, this verse elaborates upon the very general and broad “in whatsoever state I am” of verse 11. Be abased means literally to discipline oneself, that is, to tighten the belt in lean times.
To abound means to live in prosperity. Everywhere and in all things I am instructed (or, “in all circumstances I have learned the secret of how”) to be full, that is, “well fed.” To abound means to have plenty. To suffer need means to go without.
Paul has acquired the skill required for successful living with little and with much, the latter being harder. “For one man who can stand prosperity, there are a hundred that will stand adversity.” (Thomas Carlyle).’
Yeh friends, for many of us, living in prosperity is indeed harder than living in adversity. When we have plenty, we often don’t know what to do with it. However, when we only have a little, we just have to make do.
Now please don’t get the idea that we’re supposed to live miserly or stringently, because Christ said He came that we might have life, and have it more abundantly, but by the same token, we also need to know how to live when we don’t have abundance, and not be greedy or envious of those who have.
So let’s go out there today and begin learning the life lessons we need to live as we ought nuh. (smile) Much LOVE!
…contentment can only be had through the peace of Jesus…
17 Jul 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a forgiging heart, a generous hand, a servant spirit, anger, another week of work, bitterness, blowing off steam, Bruh David, Bruh Paul, charles stanley, christian heritage, confusion, depart from evil, desires life, do good, enabled to handle it, envy, every evil work, evil and ungodly world, fellowship, for where envying and strife is, Friday chant, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, goodness, hatred, I pray this in Jesus name, if he have done thee no harm, in soul body and mind, In Touch Ministries, Jesus Christ as our guide, joyfully shouting, keep thy tongue from evil, kind of attitude, live a life of lasting significance, live peaceably with all men, Lord and Saviour, meaningful interaction, negative emotions, partying it up, peace, provide things honest to all men, provider, relaxation, renewed and refreshed, repay to no man evil for evil, resnetment, rest, reverence for God's Word, right perspective, seek peace and pursue it, serious problems, service of love, sincere faith in Jesus' will and ways, sincere love, slave labour, standing the test of time, steadfast desire to follow Jesus, strife, strive not with a man without cause, sufficent fun, teaching others, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, thanking God, the body of Christ, the church at Rome, the essence of the Christian life, the fear of the Lord, the Lord hears the righteous, the weekend's here, thy lips from speaking guile, to listen, to obey God's word, trials and tribulations, truth, unappreciative boss, unchristian attitude, Uncle Charles, ungodly behaviour, unhappiness, unhealthy, wisdom
Proverbs 3:30. Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.
Oh Friends, it looks like this Friday is going to be a cloudy, rainy kind of day….
‘We don’t care what kind of day it is nuh; whether it be rain, sleet or snow!’ is the response I quickly receive. ‘We just thanking God that it’s Friday and the weekend’s here at last!
You don’t know the amount of backbreaking slave labour we put in this past week for an unappreciative boss nuh. That’s why we joyfully shouting TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes!’
Ah mih people, I know the trials and tribulations we all go through trying to make a half-decent life in this evil and ungodly world. It’s not easy, but with Jesus Christ as our guide, our Lord and Saviour, our Provider, we are enabled to handle it better than most.
And to help us stay with it, to get the right perspective for handling the upcoming weekend, let’s chant our Friday Chant with positive energy and enthusiasm. As one chanter now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yeh Friends, that’s the kind of attitude we need to have for the weekend, not one of blowing off steam by simply partying it up and ignoring the wants and needs of body and soul.
Now here is an interesting list of things we can do to live a life of lasting significance. I got this on a card I recently received from In Touch Ministries, that’s the organization behind Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley).
It says: ‘Ensure that your interaction with others are truly meaningful and eternally impactful by: Modeling a steadfast desire to follow Jesus and a sincere faith in His will and ways. Demonstrating reverence for God’s Word. Teaching others how to listen to and obey the Lord. Expressing a sincere LOVE, a servant spirit, a forgiving heart, and a generous hand in every situation.’
Oh my people, isn’t that just so beautiful! It captures the essence of the true Christian life in a nutshell. And it segues in quite nicely to our Bit, which instead of being a do for the believer like the other statements above, is an important don’t. (smile)
‘Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.’
And that my people is also a significant statement for those of us who want to live an impactful life for Christ. We cannot afford to be constantly in strife with others, even when there is reason for it, much less when there is none.
Unfortunately though, there are too many of us in this modern world, Christians included, who just like to be involved in strife, be there reason for it or not. That my brethren is a rather unhealthy and unchristian attitude to life, which can only lead to serious problems and much unhappiness.
And if you don’t believe me, please remember what James tells us: ‘For where envying and strife is (self-seeking exists), there is confusion and every evil work.’ (James 3:16)
And that’s the gospel truth my people! Envy and strife and their negative family of emotions and behaviour only cause negative responses like resentment, anger, bitterness and hatred. And those are things we definitely don’t need in our already tough and confused lives at all, at all, at all. (smile)
Now let’s look at some scripture that bears out the contention in our Bit. Hear Bruh Paul to the church at Rome, talking about the service of LOVE to all. ‘Recompense (repay) to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest (have regard for good things) in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in (depends on) you, live peaceably with all men.’ (Rom.12:17-18)
Ah mih breddren, that is indisputable heavenly wisdom! Evil, dishonesty and strife are not supposed to be a part of the Christian heritage.
Now listen to Bruh David from Psalm 34 – The Lord hears the righteous. ‘Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord. What man is he that desireth life, and LOVETH many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile (deceit). Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace and pursue it.’ (Ps.34:11-14)
And how many thousands of years later my friends, those words are still standing the test of time! The first thing we need to learn about God is that the negative stuff like strife, anger and evil have no place whatsoever in His dominion! He deals in the positives like peace and LOVE and goodness.
Ah Friends, if only a li’l bit more of those things existed in the body of Christ eh, the church, how wonderful life would be!
And on that solemn note we will end today. Please, let’s sincerely ponder how what we’ve said today, impacts our current lives. And then, with the help of Almighty God, set out to make the necessary changes nuh. Because it’s so sad to see God’s people involved in so much negative stuff, when the good stuff is so easy to come by.
It just takes the effort of a few serious and mature Christians to get together and decide to do away with all the petty, unnecessary nonsense that’s happening in the body of Christ. Much LOVE!
…Christ’s heart must certainly bleed…when He looks down and sees…the large amount of ungodly behaviour…being exhibited by His people…
21 Dec 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: ability, Abraham, admissible evidence, assurance, Athens, authority, balancing act, being fearful, black and white, blatant, boggles the imagination, boldfaced, Bruh Paul, brutality, calamitous state, called to account, Christian, Christmas, confidence, conscience, consitent, corruption, crime, crimes against humanity, culprits, destruction, disobedient, economics, emotional, evil, followers, God-given responsibility, Godhead, good, greed, help, homelessness, hunger, ignorance, incompetence, Jesus, judged, judgement, judgement day, justice, justice of God, letting voices be heard, life, light of the world, loss of jobs, LOVE, marginalization, Mars Hill, mental, mercy, military presence, needy, newspapers, obedient, offspring of God, ordained, parable, pay heed, petty excuses, physcial tiredness, piddling wages, plead, police, politics, poor getting poorer, poverty, prayer, public protests, raised from the dead, relationships, resistance, retribution, rich getting richer, righteousness., rule the roost, rumours of war, salt of the earth, secret thing, selfishness, serious action, Sodom, sorry picture, standards, standing up to wrongdoers, step up to the plate, strife, talents, technological prowess, throw the book, under a bushel, understanding, ungodly, unhappiness, unknown God, walk earhtly paths, wars, wisdom, wrongdoings
Ecclesiastes 12:14. For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
Oh Friends, the ole fella’s tired and unhappy this Saturday morning before Christmas. It’s not physical tiredness nuh, but mental and emotional unhappiness. But it’s all my fault, for I fell behind in my newspaper reading this week, then unwisely tried to catch up on several days reading, all at once. From now on though, I’m going to try my best to stay current, because the news from one day is bearable, but for several…no way Jose!
And what a sorry picture it all painted. We start of with wars and rumours of war, strife in almost every area. Then we have economic and political incompetence and corruption all over the world. And not only that, but the boldfaced and blatant manner in which these crimes against humanity are being carried out, boggles the imagination, especially when very little, if any retribution is being meted out to the culprits.
At least in earlier times we had the good sense to hide our wrong-doings, but not today. Today the greed and selfishness is all out in the open, nobody seems to have a conscience anymore. And in the balancing act that’s life, it only means that the rich are noticeably getting richer, while the poor are not only getting poorer, but also that their numbers are daily increasing at an alarming rate, what with the great loss of jobs and the piddling wages most of the remaining ones now pay.
And since there’s only one pie to be split up amongst several groups, if one group unilaterally increases their portion, then obviously all the others will have theirs curtailed. And consequently, we end up with astronomical rates of marginalization, abject poverty, homelessness, hunger, escalating crime and public protests, more police and military presence and brutality, etc. etc. And who would ever have expected such a calamitous state in a world that is at the height of its technological prowess eh?
Ah mih people, when and where will it all end eh? I guess the Lord alone knows. But we, His people down here on earth also have a serious, God-given responsibility to help, to do our best not to let matters deteriorate any further. And we can only do this by taking serious action; a combination of prayer, letting our voices be heard publicly, standing up to the wrongdoers, and helping those in need.
That’s what Jesus did, and what He fully expects of anyone who calls him or herself a Christian. But there again my fellow believers, we’re not truly living up to the standards that Jesus desires of His followers, and are allowing the ungodly to rule the roost without much resistance. But Friends, please, let’s listen to, and pay serious heed to the words of our Bit. ‘For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.’
Yes my brethren, all our actions will be judged. And when the Lord asks us why we didn’t do better with the talents He gave us like the servants in Jesus’ parable, (Matt.18:23-35) what are we going to tell Him eh? Remember too that ignorance will not be admissible evidence. So it’s full time, or rather overdue time that we get our act together and do something concrete for the world, instead of making petty excuses and being fearful, or being selfish and greedy like the world around us.
Remember we’re supposed to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth, but it seems that in fits of anxiety we’re hiding our lights under a bushel and the salt in us has become seriously diminished and thus useless. But Friends, we need to step up to the plate like so many others have done before us, and we’ll use this example of Bruh Paul in our Bit, as he stood up on Mars hill in Athens, explaining to its citizens about the altar they had erected with the inscription; ‘TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.’ (Acts 17:23)
‘Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead (Divine Nature) is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven (shaped) by art and man’s device (devising). And the times of this ignorance God winked at (overlooked); but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; wherefore he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.’ (Acts 17:29-31)
And we’ll close with some notes from the scholars’ re the Justice of God. ’17:31. The justice of God is the active extension of the holiness of God into matters of decision. It implies that God has the authority and ability to establish the standard for all relationships and that He will be consistent in relating to His obedient and disobedient creatures. The justice of God is both legislative and distributive.
Illustration: When Abraham attempted to prevent the destruction of Sodom, he appealed to God’s justice: he knew that the Judge of all the earth would do right (Gen.18:25). Application: So today, everyone can have confidence that God will deal with him justly, but the believer may additionally plead God’s mercy. (First Ref. Gen.3:14; Primary Ref. Acts 17:31; cf. Mark 10:18)’
There we have it Friends, in black and white! Now we can’t say we didn’t know, and anyway, as we said above, ignorance will not stand as a plausible plea on judgement day. Therefore let’s come together, TODAY, and clean up our acts, so that the just judge, on judgement day, will not have to throw the book at us. Much LOVE my people!
…and may the Lord grant us wisdom and understanding…to walk earthly paths…that will not bring harsh judgement…when He calls us to account…
03 Apr 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: christianity, controversial topic, correlation, Creator of the universe, defraud God, delightful land, disobedience, due portion, ears to hear, end of story, God doesn't change, God's right side, Good Book, grin and bear it, judgement day, logic, personal relationships, pour out a blessing, proper obedience, subjection to God, the Lord of hosts, the Lord will provide, theology, tithes, undeniable truth, unhappiness, windows of heaven, wisdom, worship Almighty God
Malachi 3:10. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
Oh Friends, it’s Wednesday morning and I am very unhappy because I just opened my mailbox and found it had all been changed to the foolish, stupid looking and very inconvenient Outlook nonsense. I don’t know who designs these sites, but as far as I’m concerned they should be shot! It’s a very poor use of space and I can’t move anything the way I want to or am accustomed to doing. But I guess we’re at the mercy of the owners of the websites, unless we want to pay for it, so as I keep saying we just have to grin and bear it. I now have to develop a whole new way of working or move to a different provider, which will just be like starting over again. Okay, I’ve had my rant (smile) but I’m still not happy, and since I know the Lord will provide a way, where there seems to be no way, let’s forget them and move on to our Bit. ‘Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat (food) in mine house, and prove (test) me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.’ Oh Friends, yesterday we saw where tithes first came into being; from Abram, to Jacob and then the official law through Moses. Today we’ll look at some more scripture dealing with that very contentious and controversial topic of tithes. First, let’s see how it cropped up in our Bit. The prophet Malachi was talking to his people about the approach of the day of judgement, (Mal.3:1-5) re who would survive it, and what the people needed to do to get on God’s right side. ‘Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, Wherein (in what way) shall we return? Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. (Mal.3:7b-9) Then our Bit comes in, and the Lord continues. ‘And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field (fail to bear fruit), saith the Lord of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome (delightful) land, saith the Lord of hosts.’ (Mal.3:11-12) Now before we go any further, listen to the scholars on those verses (&-12). ‘These Israelites have done what no man should presume to attempt, namely, to defraud God in tithes and offerings. The payment of tithes and heave offerings was a recognition of their subjection to God and that He owned them and all that they had. To withhold the tithe is to renounce the sovereign authority of God and to be guilty of the same sin as Lucifer in the beginning. Pour you out a blessing: The blessings come not because God received His due portion, but because in giving the tithe the believers put themselves in the place of proper obedience and subjection to God. Tithing was clearly commanded in the Old Testament and served as the minimum standard for giving in the New Testament. See Matthew 6:1-4 in the Sermon on the Mount, where true spirituality exceeds the outward demands of the Law.’ Wow! What challenging words! Now here’s the billion dollar question my people. Having taken all that’s been said above, both by the scholars and the Good Book, can the fact that our land is not delightsome today be because of our robbing God, like the Israelites did way back then? Can it be because we’re not giving Him His rightful due, what’s lawfully His, that our countries and our world are plagued by such wide scale negativity and disasters, from economic to physical and spiritual? I want to strongly suggest that there is a direct correlation between our dealing with God and the sad state of our world. How can turning away from Him and desperately trying to eradicate Him from our society and our consciences not have a negative effect on us eh? As He says earlier: ‘For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them.’ (Mal.3:6-7a) And that’s the undeniable truth my brethren! So the logic here is really simple: If we want to have true prosperity, then we have to return to sincerely and diligently worshipping Almighty God, the Creator of the universe and all therein, paying whatever He requires of us from whatever He allows us to have. End of story Friends! If we continue with our current foolish attitude of ignoring God and trying to remove Him from our society, then we’re simply going to continue paying a serious and hefty price for that disobedience. Remember Friends, our God doesn’t change, neither do His laws. So basically all the stuff in the Good Book still pertains to us today, and we’ll be well advised to return to Him, rather than trying to get away from Him. That, my people, is wisdom at its very zenith. More on this tithing subject tomorrow, God in favour. Till then, please let’s all consider our situations, re our personal relationships with God and fellow believers, and try our best to work for a speedy return to worshipping and serving the Most High God Jehovah in truth and deed, per the LOVE Revolution, so that all may be well with our societies and our world, as true wisdom dictates. Much LOVE!…he who has ears to hear…let him hear…else He will certainly feel…
SCRIP-BITS 