27 Sep 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a big broad smile, according to Christ Jesus, amongst church brethren, an honest day's work, another glorious day, another week of work, as Christ received us, bear the infirmities, believers in Christ, breaks Jesus' heart, business good, Christ pleased not himself, comfort of the scripture, dinks, disunity, division, edification, eternal life, fellowship, for our learning, for the enemy, Friday chant, fun, furthering your glorious kingdom, generous help, glorify God, grant you, in Jesus name, in mind body and soul, Jesus, keeping a watchful eye, might have hope, of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the weak, on God's great earth, on our p's and q's, one toward another, our best example, our workweek, party, perseverance, petty jealousies, please his neighbour, power struggles, receive one another, refreshed, relationships, relaxation, religions, renewed, rest, salvation, smiling, stop fighting, take full advantage, TGIF!, thank god for weekends, Thank God it's Friday, that's life, the boss man, the death knell, the Father, the few dollars, the God of patience and comfort, the strong, the weekend, through patience, to be like-minded, to the glory of God, unity, with one mind, with one mouth, working we tail off, written aforetime
Romans 15:5. Now the God of patience and consolation (comfort) grant you to be like-minded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:
Welcome to another glorious day on God’s great earth my people! And it just happens to be Friday, the day that so many of us look forward to, because it heralds the death knell of our workweek and the arrival of the weekend! And this week has indeed been a rough one for the ole fella; being sick, going into the city several times to see medics, as well as losing my cell phone.
Yesterday the bus was full to overflowing, had to stand up all the way into T.O. Never saw it so filled before. And to make matters worse, a problem cropped up with some sensor in the bus, so that the driver had to pull over and stop several times until the sensor quieted down.
Then my appointment with the ‘dragon lady’ my ophthalmologist, slated for three o’clock, was never fulfilled until six. But they warn you it’s usually a long wait to see her. (smile) So I never left the hospital until minutes to seven, and the train took another fifty minutes to get to my stop. So you see why, like the ordinary workingman, I’m glad to see Friday too. (smile)
Listen to his spiel today: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday oui! Brother, can’t wait for the day to finish nuh! It’s been so busy around here this week…and the boss man just smiling a big, broad smile because business good and we working we tail off for the few dollars he paying us. But that’s life, I suppose! Once yuh doing an honest day’s labour, though not for an honest day’s pay, I guess yuh on the right track.
And it looks like it going to be another warm, summerish weekend, so yuh better believe I’m going to take full advantage of it! Drinks and party and whatever else have you! Need to relax after all the slave work I put in this week yes! Thank God for Fridays and weekends! Don’t know how I’d manage without them nuh!’
And I’m sure many of us believers feel the same way…though I hope we don’t go down the same troubled and disastrous road that the ordinary workingman has chosen. As believers we can’t afford to get that far out on the limb, because then we’re liable to fall of right into the waiting hands of the ole devil, our certified enemy. So let’s chant our Friday Chant, which echoes most of the same sentiments of the ordinary workingman’s but is somewhat more cautious and sensible.
All together now, like we really mean it: ‘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, we too can have fun and frolic, but not to the extent that the workingman craves, we have to be on our p’s and q’s, always keeping a watchful eye out for the enemy. And the word for today friends is ‘UNITY!’ Unity amongst friends and families, but more so amongst church brethren, amongst believers in Jesus Christ! And it’s sad, very sad, that there is so much disunity and unpleasant division betwixt and between the supposed believers in Christ.
And yuh know mih people, once we’re not united, the enemy has won the first round in the battle, because then it’s very easy to conquer us once we’re as divided as we currently are. Yuh know how many supposed friends and family don’t talk to each other because they belong to competing religions? Competing religions eh! Steups! But Christ didn’t die for us to have religion, but relationships, salvation and eternal life in good fellowship with Him and with each other!
So please listen, and listen good, and let’s put into action, these fateful and oh so important words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome on the subject of unity in Christ. ‘We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities (weaknesses) of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification (being built up). For even Christ pleased not himself; but as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.
For whatsoever things were written aforetime (beforehand) were written for our learning, that we through patience (perseverance) and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Now the God of patience and consolation (comfort) grant you to be like-minded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore ye receive one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.’ (Rom.15:1-7)
Oh my fellow believers in Christ, we all talk about been involved in a battle with the enemy, but yet we are divided amongst ourselves, warring amongst ourselves, and oftimes over petty, foolish stuff. How can we win anything if we’re not unified eh? We’d be so much further ahead in the battle against Satan and his evil minions if we would just put away our supposed differences and focus on our plentiful similarities. And I’m sure it breaks Jesus’ heart to see the nonsense, the trivial, petty jealousies and power struggles going on within His church!
Listen to the scholars as they explain. ‘15:1-3. Strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak: The strong brother is morally obligated to take the initiative and bear with the weak brother in those things that bother him. The stronger brother must forego his liberty for the good of the weaker, so he is not offended or impaired in his spiritual life. The best example is Christ who took our sins upon Himself.’
Ah friends, Jesus is ALWAYS our best example in all we do. We all talk a good talk, calling His name a lot, but we certainly don’t emulate Him as much as we should. Please, let’s change that nuh. Possibly stop calling His name as much, and instead emulate Him more, put His words and actions into action, rather than just talk about them.
And above all, for heaven’s sake, let’s STOP fighting amongst ourselves over trivial, unimportant stuff nuh. We’d certainly be much further ahead in the battle against evil and wickedness than we are right now. Much LOVE!
…divided…as we are right now…we will be conquered…united…as we should be…we will be the conquerors…
03 Mar 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a mountain so high, able to do, abundantly, an ocean too deep, away from my love, be filled with, Christian life, church at Ephesus, current generation, dirge-like, dissension, enormous love of Christ, exceedingly, from now until forever, I love him, I will follow him, in heaven, it can keep me away, Jesus Christ, lambs to the slaughter, more than you can ask or think, Moses, my destiny, new fangled churches, old fashioned churches, our Lord and Saviour, passeth knowledge, Peggy Marsh, petty things, pop song, sing and praise the Lord, spiritual growth, strengthened, the fullness of God, The Lord make his face to shine on you, the riches of his glory, the whole family, to know the Love of Christ, unity, with all might, world without end
Ephesians 3:19. And to know the LOVE of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.
Oh friends, oh friends, it’s time to gather once again, time to gather once again on a Sunday morning! Why? To sing and praise the Lord our God, hear His Word and experience His mercy and LOVING-kindness, as our inner being is refilled with His Holy Spirit and our spirits soar to heaven on high!
Yes my faithful brethren, it’s time to refuel our souls! Just like we refuel our bodies with food, we also need to refuel our spirit man with heavenly grace and power, and our Lord has made it a rule to do so at least once a week, and we do it generally on a Sunday. And as always, we begin the proceedings with joyful song, praising our heavenly Father, exalting His holy name and giving Him much thanks for being the wonderful God He is.
And today is no different, but the song is. Today’s song of praise is one written as an ode to teenage LOVE, way back in 1963, a pop song titled, ‘I will follow Him,’ sung by Peggy Marsh. But friends, I don’t know if there’s a song ever written that captures so wonderfully, what, or how, a true believer ought to feel about Jesus, although it wasn’t written for that purpose. Please, let’s raise our voices now in sweet harmony as we sincerely sing and believe these most appropriate words of ‘I will follow Him.’
Altogether now: ‘I Love him, I love him, I love him And where he goes I’ll follow, I’ll follow, I’ll follow – I will follow him, follow him wherever he may go There isn’t an ocean too deep A mountain so high it can keep me away. I must follow him (follow him), ever since he touched my hand I knew That near him I always must be And nothing can keep him from me He is my destiny (destiny)
I love him, I love him, I love him And where he goes I’ll follow, I’ll follow, I’ll follow He’ll always be my true love, my true love, my true love From now until forever, forever, forever – I will follow him (follow him), follow him wherever he may go There isn’t an ocean too deep A mountain so high it can keep, keep me away Away from my love.
I love him, I love him, I love him And where he goes I’ll follow, I’ll follow, I’ll follow He’ll always be my true love, my true love, my true love From now until forever, forever, forever – I know I’ll always love him, I love him, I love him And where he goes I’ll follow, I’ll follow, I’ll follow I know I’ll always love him, I love him, I love him.’
Yes friends, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ ought to be our truest LOVE, and nothing ought to stop us from following Him, no matter where He leads, we ought to be in tow, because He IS our Destiny! Without Him we’d be completely lost, and be led like lambs to the slaughter by the evil enemy. And I wonder how many of you noticed that I did not capitalize and highlight all of the ‘LOVES’ in the song eh? Why? Because they were just too many, and I didn’t think it would look good. (smile)
And I know some of you might be thinking that a pop song is not worthy of our Lord and Saviour, but you’re wrong, any kind of song that glorifies and exalts Him is appropriate. Why is a dirge-like tune more appropriate than an up-tempo, happy one eh? There’s nothing that says only slow, crawling music can be spiritual.
That’s partly why so many of this current generation are leaving the old-fashioned churches for the new-fangled ones. Not saying that is right, but that’s just how it is. Anyway enough of that discussion, for those are the petty kinds of things which cause so much unnecessary dissension and disunity between believers. And anyway, we done sing the glorious tune already and Jesus LOVED it, so matter fix! (smile)
Now it’s time to hear His Word, and allow it to sink right down into the very depths of our being, so that it can strengthen us, and be there for us to call upon it when we need it. And since we’re talking about inner, spiritual growth, then I believe these words of Bruh Paul to the church at Ephesus are rather appropriate.
‘For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye being rooted and grounded in LOVE, May be able to comprehend (understand) with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the LOVE of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.’ (Eph.3:14-19)
Now let’s see if I can paraphrase some of the scholar’s explanations on those verses. 3:15. Bruh Paul is praying for the whole Christian family, the saints both dead and alive, ‘who derive their spiritual life from God.’ 16-19. He makes 3 prayer requests for those at the Ephesian church. ‘(1) That they may be divinely enabled to successfully live the Christian life. (2) That they may be better able to understand the enormous LOVE Christ has for them. (3) That the life, character, and virtues of God Himself may be fully developed in them.’
And that’s the same prayer I would like us to make today my fellow followers of Christ: that ALL believers, all over God’s great earth be filled with that inner strength, so that they can successfully grow and mature in the faith. And Bruh Paul ends appropriately with these words. ‘Now unto him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.’ (Eph.3:20-21)
Yes friends, please notice that Bruh Paul prayed to the ONE who was able to do all that he asked, Almighty God, not some incompetent, so-called deity. And now, as the Lord explicitly ordered Moses to bless His people: ‘May the Lord bless us, and keep us. The Lord make His face to shine upon us, and be gracious unto us: The Lord lift up his countenance upon us (look on us with favour), and give us peace.’ (Num.6:24-26) Much LOVE!
…to live a true Christian life…one must be enabled by the Father…through Jesus Christ…
03 Jan 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a common foe, Aaron's beard, Behold, blanket of snow, blessedness, blessings, Brotherhood, burst with joy, Christ cricified, Christ's Church, Christ's heart, Christian faith, compassionate heart, courage, curse, defeat the purpose, denominations, disturbed cobra, divide and conquer, family unity, for brethren to dwell in unity, forgiving, forgotten our resolution, free, Gentiles, God forgave us, how good and how pleasant, I and the Father are one, in Christ's name, Jews, joy, kind, life for evermore, LOVE, mountains of Zion, negative word, oil, one, Oneness of Jesus, organizational unity, precious ointment, preciousness, put away Christmas decorations, put away christmas spirit, religions, rocket science, sanctifies, sects, slaves, solidifies, spiritual unity, talent, tenderhearted, the dew of Hermon, Thursday Blessings, turbulent times, unity, walk more closely with Jesus, work together
Psalm 133:1. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
Oh, it looks so beautiful undisturbed…but disturb it…and like a disturbed cobra it can bite you in an unexpected second! Ah friends, I’m talking about the blanket of snow that’s covering my area this morning. Yeh it does look white and beautiful when just lying there undisturbed by man. But once you get into it, if you’re not careful it can cause you all kinds of damage and disaster. So like we finally had a snowfall where the people we pay to clean our driveway had to do some work; the first time for the season. And I doubt it will be the last.
Anyway, today’s the 3rd day of the New Year, let’s hope that we haven’t already forgotten our resolution to walk more closely with Jesus this year. And as we begin putting away this season’s Christmas decoration, we won’t also put away the Christmas spirit with it, but allow that wonderful spirit of Christ to dwell with us all year long. And that would make Christ’s heart just overflow and burst with joy! Why, simply because of the immense joy to be found in brotherhood!
Hear how Bruh David puts it in our Bit: ‘Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment (oil) upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts (edge) of his garments; As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.’ (Ps.133:1-3)
Yeh friends, three simple verses make up that psalm, but they’re all so wonderful and appropriate to our Christian faith and walk in these treacherous and turbulent times! Hear this explanation from the scholars: ‘Psalm 133. This psalm is all about the preciousness of family unity. Its blessedness is exclaimed in (vs.1) and explained in (vs.2-3). It sanctifies (vs.2) and solidifies (vs.3).’
Ah mih people, if individual families in our society could only live that way eh…And even more importantly, if the family of Christ, His church could only do that…Oh what a wonderful place our world would be! We seem to have forgotten that Jesus came to make all nations, all believers in Him ONE! So let’s remind ourselves of some of the ONENESS that Jesus preached so avidly.
He begins with this awesome statement: ‘I and the Father are ONE.’ (John 10:30) Then, as He prayed to the Father for us, Jesus pleaded: ‘And now I am no more (longer) in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be ONE, as we are ONE.’ (John 17:11)
And later on in that same awesome prayer Jesus reiterates: ‘Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be ONE; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be ONE in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.’ (John 17:20-21) Yes my people, Jesus is there praying that those like us, who believe after He’s gone, should also live as ONE.
And the scholars specify ‘17:21. They may be …one conveys spiritual unity, not organizational unity (cf. 1 Cor.12:13; 2 Cor.1:11; Eph.2:19; 4:3-16; Heb.10:25).’ But friends, my contention is that if we live in spiritual unity, there ought to be much more organizational unity among us than is currently in vogue. We have thousands of sects and denominations and religions, all purportedly teaching Christ crucified, why is that eh?
That doesn’t spell unity, but rather reeks of disunity and division in what is supposed to be one body of Christ. The enemy is using the age-old tactic of divide and conquer amongst the Christian brethren, and we are foolishly and compromisingly allowing him to do it! That’s not right nor wise my friends in Christ!
Now hear Bruh Paul on the subject: ‘For as the body is ONE, and hath many members, and all the members of that ONE body, being many, are ONE body: so also is Christ. For by ONE Spirit are we all baptized into ONE body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond (slaves) or free; and have been all made to drink into ONE Spirit ….For the body is not ONE member, but many…Now are they many members, yet but ONE body.’ (1 Cr.12:12-14, 20)
Oh my faithful believers in Christ, it’s not rocket science, as Bruh Paul explains using our human body. Although our human body is made up of many dissimilar parts, it is still ONE body, and all the parts need to work together in harmony for the body to function properly. It’s the same with Christ’s church: we are made up of different races, cultures, languages, etc. but we need to come together and do Christ’s work as ONE, otherwise we defeat His whole purpose.
Yes friends, like the believers in the early church, we need to get together in ONE accord (Acts 2:46) and pursue Christ’s work, not be fighting against each other like hungry wild animals. And if wild animals of the same type can band together against a common foe, why can’t we spiritually led believers do the same eh, instead of foolishly fighting against each other, even purporting it to be in Christ’s name? Steups! End of Sermon! (smile)
Now let’s go home declaring those wonderful Thursday Blessings that the Lord has bestowed on us, expecting us to dwell in unity. In loud and sincere voice: ‘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!’
Now let’s go out and share and declare those blessings over the less fortunate, for that’s a big part of the reason they were bestowed on us. Much LOVE!
…and be ye kind one to another…tenderhearted…forgiving one another…even as God…for Christ’s sake…hath forgiven you… (Eph.4:32)
P.S. Yeh it’s long, but it’s also early…and it’s ALL for Christ! (smile) Much LOVE!
11 Jun 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a wise man, adrenaline, antidote, antipathy, aura of love, beauty, Behold, Big Island, blameless, brethren to dwell in unity, brotherly LOVE, changing our thoughts, Christ's Church, Christians, civil court, Colorado, come to Christ, confidence, disputing, disunity, entertain stranger, entertained angels, enthusiasm, feuds, figment of our imagination, friends, goes to the law, Great War, greed, grumbling, Hawaii, holy spirit, hostility, how good and pleasant, humble servants, innocent, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, lies, life in london, litigation, living the good life, LOVE, mitigate, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, murmurings, natural disasters, peace, perverse nation, power hungry, prayer, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, running rampant, salvation, selfish desire, shame, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, strife, taunts, the life of the idle rich, truth, ungodly world, unity, volcano, West Indian colloquialism, wildfires, wiles, wisdom, wiser heads prevail
Psalm 133:1. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
Oh my, my, it’s Monday! And though I went to bed pretty late, around 3, I still can’t believe that I’m only now getting up, after nine. Brother, some of us are surely living a life in London yes! (smile) For those of you who don’t know that term, it’s a West Indian colloquialism for living the good life, the life of the idle rich.
But on a more serious note, let’s hope that the beauty of this June Monday caused many of you who were up early to go to work, to mitigate your hostility towards the day. Ahhh friends! Beauty has such a way of changing our thoughts and feelings towards things we otherwise don’t truly appreciate. (smile) In any case, let’s belt out our antidote for our antipathy towards Monday, our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
Altogether now, in strong voice and sincere enthusiasm: ‘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!’
Yeh friends, hope the adrenaline has taken over and all our antipathy towards Monday has disappeared, evaporated like vapour. Miracles do happen. (smile) But yuh know what, our world still remains the same place it was yesterday, with senseless feuds between countries and leaders, cowardly terrorism killing innocent people for their own selfish motives, disunity between Christ’s church and natural disasters creating havoc in our daily lives.
It seems that the volcano on Big Island, Hawaii had a small explosion and rained ash all over the surrounding area, and the wildfire in Colorado is continuing its unruly, uncontrollable ways. Oh friends, I don’t think there has ever been a time when prayer and unity were ever more important in our world than today.
All the supposed Great Wars will seem rather insignificant to the next Great One, if and when it ever breaks out. Let’s hope and pray for our sakes, as well as those of our children and their children that cooler and wiser heads prevail, and the next Great War remains nothing but a figment of our imagination.
And though we’ve recently used this passage of scripture as our Bit, I believe our situation is so serious that we need to be reminded of it again. ‘Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!’
Yes my people, Bruh David hit the nail on the head when he wrote those immortal words. But that doesn’t seem to be the way it is today, in our individual families, our churches, our nations and the world as a whole. Strife, greed, power hunger and selfish desire are instead running rampant all over.
Remember how Bruh Paul admonished the Corinthians. ‘I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren? Now brother goeth to the law with brother, and that before unbelievers.
Now therefore there is utterly a fault (an utter failure) among you, because ye go to the law one with another. Why do ye not rather take (accept) wrong? Why do ye not suffer yourselves to be defrauded? Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that (to) your brethren.’ (1 Cor.6:5-8)
Oh I know the church no longer holds such sway in justice matters, but nonetheless too many of us, Christian family members are ending up in litigation, in civil court over matters that could be worked out if we would only resurrect the true Christian Spirit and take the time to pray sincerely over them.
Remember too Bruh Paul’s words to the church at Philippi as he talks about them being shining as lights in the world: ‘For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of (according to ) his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings (grumbling) and disputings:
That ye may be blameless and harmless (innocent), the sons (children) of God, without rebuke (fault), in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation (generation), among whom ye shine as lights in the world.’ (Phil.2:13-15)
Oh my people, all of that basically means, if God is indeed guiding and leading us, then there should be no need for the strife and confusion amongst His people that exists today. And we have been placed IN the world, but not OF the world so that we can be bright and shining examples to the unbelievers.
We can only help the lost if we have some form of contact with them, letting our godly example override their ungodly one, so that they will eventually understand where their salvation truly lies and come to Christ. Otherwise, we are of no godly use in the world. Much LOVE!
…let brotherly LOVE continue…be nor forgetful to entertain strangers…for thereby some have entertained angels unawares… (Heb.13:1-2)
24 Feb 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all things are possible, alone, anger, Anselm, baptized, bond, bone-chilling cold, Christians, Church of Christ, cliches, cliques, come together, defeated, dissension, disunity, diversion, duties, enjoyed with others, evil, evil cohorts, fighting, find God's purpose, finish line, flooding, free, functions, Gentiles, get the good, giving up, glorious truth, God's calling, individuals, Jews, looking at the past, Lucifer, mere words, need to do now, new interpretations, no man is an island, not one member, One Body, one spirit, original gospel, philosophy, ponder, power struggles, rain, receive Christ, resentment, reward, rule the world, significant aspect, slave, snow, solidarity, spring-like break, stranglehold, success, success is empty, surrounded by winners, the believer, the body, truth, U.S. Midwest, U.S. South, unity, walk with god, without the bad, you can't go it alone
1 Corinthians 12:14. For the body is not one member, but many.
Ah friends, how nice it is to get a spring-like break amidst the bone-chilling cold of winter that’s been dogging us for some time now! And this past week has certainly been like that in my area. The temps have mainly been above freezing and it might even continue like that for the next couple of days.
But I guess you can’t get the good without the bad, for though it’s been warm, it’s been rainy and cloudy, with flooding in several areas. More rain and flooding are expected this weekend across the U.S. South and Midwest. But I’ll take the rain and whatever, over the snow any day. (smile) That’s possibly because I’m not personally experiencing any flooding. Let’s pray for those who are undergoing that kind of disaster right now my brethren.
And since today is Saturday, it’s time to look at some of the quotes our friend, Anselm, sent us this week, in his heartfelt attempt to inspire us for a better tomorrow. The first one says: ‘You can’t knock on opportunity’s door and not be ready.’ That should be obvious. Why would you be seeking an opportunity if you were not ready and able to undertake it eh? But unfortunately, a lot of us misguidedly do it.
And the second tells us: ‘Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent.’ What glorious truth that is my people! You’re never really defeated until YOU decide to give up! How can you be defeated if you keep on fighting, keep coming back again and again eh?
And that philosophy applies ever so much to Christians, because in our Lord and Saviour’s vocabulary there is NO GIVING UP! Why should there be, when ALL THINGS are possible through Christ? That’s a very significant aspect of the believer’s walk with God, and his ability to grow in Christ’s image. If you don’t believe that, then you’re lost from the very start.
Now listen to this quote. ‘Instead of looking at the past, I put myself ahead twenty years and try to look at what I need to do now in order to get there then.’ Now I don’t know if you need to look so far ahead – possibly take it in smaller increments – but you do need to decide what you’re going to be all about later on in life, so that you can do the stuff that’s necessary to get you there.
However, with the believer, it’s a li’l different. We need to discover God’s calling for our lives, so that we can walk successfully in His will. Yuh see, what we might like to do in the world, is not always what the Lord wants us to do. And as a faithful believer and follower, it behooves us to find God’s purpose and follow it as closely as possible.
And the last quote says: ‘Success is empty if you arrive at the finish line alone. The best reward is to get there surrounded by winners.’ And that’s oh so true! You can’t really enjoy success if you’ve achieved it all by yourself. Success is meant to be enjoyed with others.
In the first place, you will very seldom achieve success if you don’t surround yourself with positive, successful thinking people. That’s why there are clichés like ‘no man is an island’ and ‘you can’t go it alone.’
And Bruh Paul took pains to point out that the church of Christ is one body, though it’s made up of individuals, hence his writing to the church at Corinth that includes our Bit. ‘For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond (slave) or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many.’ (1 Cor.12:12-14)
Yeh friends, believers are all a part of ONE BODY; that of Christ; of His Church! Regardless of colour, creed or race, once you receive Christ as your Lord and Saviour, you are baptized with His Spirit that immediately comes to dwell in you, and you become a part of that big body called Christ’s Church.
As Bruh Paul philosophizes to the church at Rome. ‘For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office (function): So we being many, are one body in Christ, and every one (individually) members one of another.’ (Rom.12:4-5)
Ah mih people, in every organization the members have different functions and duties, which holds that organization together. If those members don’t perform their functions in a serious and positive manner, then the organization won’t last long. It’s the same way with Christ’s church. If we, as members, don’t play our individual parts, then the body won’t function as it should.
And that’s exactly what’s happening in Christ’s church right now. There is too much anger and resentment, too many power struggles and cliques, too much dissension and disunity, too much diversion from the original gospel, with people preaching all sorts of different things and filtering in new interpretations as dictated by the world. How can Christ’s church be successful under those conditions eh? NEVER!
That’s why Lucifer and his evil cohorts currently have the world in a stranglehold; they are united, but Christ’s people are not. Yes my fellow believers, until we stop talking and fighting against each other and come together as one, evil will rule the world. Now let’s sit down and ponder that. Is that what we truly want? Much LOVE!
…unity and solidarity should not be mere words in Christ’s church…
P.S. Sorry for the lateness of the Bit. It’s Saturday, so I slept in. (smile) Much LOVE!
26 Jun 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a position of strenght, adrenaline, antidote, aura of love, Christians, Comforter, complaints, confidence, enthusiasm, eternal life, friends, generous help, glory hallelujah, holy spirit, humble servants, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, lies, LOVE, Monday blues, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, move mountains, pray the Father, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, salvation, separated from God, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, taunts, touch God's heart, truth, ungodly world, unity, wisdom
John 14:16. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter (Helper), that he may abide with you forever.
Okay mih brothers and sisters in Christ, let’s see if we can’t get it right this Monday morning nuh! For once, let’s not complain and be miserable because we have to get up and go to work, even if we had a rather rough weekend.
Let’s put the joy and strength of Jesus that’s supposed to be in our hearts at the forefront of our minds this morning, so that when we awaken and stretch, the words that come out of our mouths are not complaints, but more like: ‘Good Morning Lord. Thanks for allowing me to see another day. I LOVE You and will do my best to follow You all day long. This I pray in Jesus name. Amen!’
Oh friends, that’s guaranteed to touch God’s heart and have the angels open the windows of heaven to pour down blessings upon you. But just in case the Monday Blues unfortunately have you all wrapped and trussed up in sadness and sorrow, then we have the perfect antidote for that as well. It’s called our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, and when we sing it with much vim and vigour and sincere belief, it just gets our adrenaline flowing and our spirits soar and we feel like we can conquer the world in the strength of Jesus! Wow! What an antidote!
So let’s burst out in harmonic song nuh: ‘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!’
That was good mih people! Our choirmaster, Jesus had a big smile on His handsome face. And I know you can feel the adrenaline coursing through your veins, because I am feeling it too. So let’s just get ourselves together and take the battle to the enemy this Monday morning as Jesus desires of us.
The best way to fight is from a position of strength and unity, which we have because of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us, that leads and guides us in all circumstances, through every situation, good or bad. Jesus promised it in our Bit. ‘And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter (Helper), that he may abide with you forever.’
And we all know that our Lord and Saviour keeps ALL of His promises. Now here is some info from the scholars on that verse. ’14:16. Another (allon) stresses that the Holy Spirit would be “another” like Jesus. A Comforter (Paraclete) is an advocate called alongside for aid in time of trouble.’
Now that Comforter is the Holy Spirit, the third person in our Trinity. Jesus came to do the work of the Father, then the Holy Spirit came to do the leg work, indwelling everybody, that Jesus being in human form could not do. And we all know that the Holy Spirit came to indwell ALL believers at Pentecost and thereafter, when it filled the upper room where the disciples were assembled, because Jesus had told them to remain in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came.
And come it did, in spectacular fashion; like ‘a rush of a mighty wind…appearing unto them cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.’ (Acts1:2-3) What a hard act to follow! And it stirred up the disciples and had them speaking in the languages of the visitors to Jerusalem. Then Peter preached his greatest sermon, and at the end some three thousand people received Christ. Glory to God!
That’s the power of the Holy Spirit my brethren! But we have to allow it to lead and guide us. It won’t do it on its own; it won’t usurp our power of choice that the Lord granted us from day one. So it’s completely up to us whether or not the Comforter will operate in our lives. If you are a believer, it will be in you, but you have to invoke its help.
And it would be a rather foolish thing not to do so my brethren, else you’ll just end up walking the wide and dangerous path that leads to Lucifer and eternal separation from Almighty God. Now that is definitely the worst thing a human being can ever do: be eternally separated from God. So please, let’s use the wisdom that God gave us to engage the power of the Holy Spirit, so that we can be led along the straight and narrow path that leads to our heavenly Father. Much LOVE!
…who has the power dwelling in them to move mountains…only Christians…
04 Jun 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a part of God's people, a rushing mighty wind, a sound from heaven, baptisim of the Spirit, baptism, baptized with the Holy ghost, be nor drunk with wine, cloven tongues like fire, controlling influence, conversion, excess, filled the house, filled with the Holy Ghost, filled with the Spirit, filling, generosity, glory to God, helpless to resist, holy spirit, in my soul, Jerusalem, John baptized with water, joy, Judea, like a fountain, like a river, LOVE, love like an ocean, mind-blowing, omnipotence, peace, Pentecost, power, prayer breakfast, purpose of mind, riotousness, Samaria, speak with other tongues, spreading the gospel of Jesus, technology, the church, the New testament, the uttermost part of the earth, unity, within the believer, witnesses
Acts 1:5. For John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
Welcome friends to Pentecost Sunday; that great day in our faith, fifty days after Jesus rose from the dead, when the Holy Spirit made its miraculous entry into the lives of each and every believer at the time, in Jerusalem, the city of God!
Wow! What a momentous and memorable day that was my fellow believers! Before His ascension, Jesus told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem so that they could be baptized with the Holy Spirit. ‘For John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.’ And as loyal followers they obeyed His command and stayed in Jerusalem, and were they ever amazed by the happenings on that fateful day.
Hear how the Good Book puts it nuh. ‘And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord (purpose of mind) in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.’ (Acts 2:1-4)
Can you imagine that scene on that fateful Sunday friends? It must have been literally and figuratively mind blowing with the sudden appearance of a mighty rushing wind, the cloven tongues of fire and all of a sudden their ability to speak in other languages! Glory to God for His omnipotence and His awesome generosity to His people!
Now let’s clarify a couple of things. Jesus said in our Bit that the disciples would be ‘baptized’ with the Holy Ghost, but on Pentecost Day the Good Book says they were ‘filled’ with the Holy Ghost. I’ll try to paraphrase a long explanation that the scholars offer. ‘2:4. The filling and baptism are two different works performed by the Holy Spirit.
Note their contrasts: (1) Following Pentecost every believer receives the baptism of the Spirit (1 Cor.12:13), hence the New Testament never commands the Christian to receive it. But the filling of the Spirit is not experienced by all believers, and so is commanded (Eph.5:18).
(2) The baptism is permanent, happening but once for all. The filling is ongoing, occurring continuously as seen in the present tense imperative of Ephesians 5:18, that is, “Keep on being filled.” The verse commands: “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (riotousness), but be filled with the Spirit.”
Since Paul compares the influences of wine and the filling of the Spirit, the word ‘control’ can aptly express the idea of either. The filling of the Spirit is the controlling influence of the Spirit within the believer. Such control is neither universal nor unending, thus it must be commanded and does recur within the believers…
The baptism is the act by which Jesus, through the Spirit, at conversion brings the believer into relation with Himself and makes the believer a part of God’s people, the church. The filling is the continuous experience within the Christian whereby the Spirit, who already indwells him, keeps control over his life.’
Phew! Hope you all understand that friends. I guess we can compare it somewhat to God breathing life into us ONE time, but then we have to keep on refilling our lungs with air, if we want to stay alive.
Yes my brethren, Jesus’ words certainly came true, as just before He ascended to heaven, He told them: ‘But ye shall receive power, after that (when) the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.’ (Acts 1:8)
And they certainly made mas (smile) in Jerusalem that day, (read the rest of Acts 2) and around the country later on, and we are now spreading the gospel of Jesus to all parts of the world with the aid of technology! Glory Hallelujah!
Oh friends, I know it’s our custom to begin each Sunday with some praise and worship, but today I was filled with, controlled by the Holy Spirit to do it differently. (smile) I was so enthused by the Spirit’s working in me, that I had to get to the heart of the matter right away. (smile)
And Oh, our church held a wonderful Pentecost Prayer Breakfast yesterday morning, with plenty good food, music, and fellowship from several other churches and denominations, plus a couple of Muslim leaders. And it was all rounded out by a moving address on ‘Prayer,’ by our new Bishop, Jennifer Anderson. As usual, a fine time was had by all. And I’m sure Jesus was delighted by that little bit of unity shown by His church, instead of the disunity we are so prone to show.
Now let’s go home singing one of the songs we sang yesterday. And how appropriate it is eh on this Pentecost Day! So let’s raise out voices in song, and pour forth, the peace, joy, and LOVE that fills our Spirit.
‘I’ve got peace like a river, I’ve got peace like a river, I’ve got peace like a river in my soul, I’ve got peace like a river, I’ve got peace like a river, I’ve got peace like a river in my soul. I’ve got love like an ocean, I’ve got love like an ocean, I’ve got love like an ocean in my soul, I’ve got love like an ocean, I’ve got love like an ocean, I’ve got love like an ocean in my soul. I’ve got joy like a fountain, I’ve got joy like a fountain, I’ve got joy like a fountain in my soul, I’ve got joy like a fountain, I’ve got joy like a fountain, I’ve got joy like a fountain in my soul.’
And that’s the way it ought to be my people! So let’s go out now and faithfully spread that peace, LOVE and joy the way Jesus desires of us nuh. Much LOVE!
…when the Spirit moves you…you’re helpless to resist…
20 May 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a person of success, a person of value, Abraham, affectionate, angels, Anselm, Beelzebub, blood siblings, brotherly LOVE, chasing money, chasing passion, Christians, conceits, convertible cars, disunity, enjoy, entertain strangers, evil, fallen on deaf ears, for brethren to dwell in unity, fraudulent behaviour, friends, go the extra mile, how good and how pleasant it is, illness, in the eyes of the world, Jesus, jobs in jeopardy, lazy hazy day, left hand, live peaceably, Lot, low estate, more than you are paid to do, negative vibes, outsmarted, peace, put our best foot forward, quotes, resentment, right hand, running down money, shirt-sleeves, spring time, strain, stress, strife, the same mind, tough times, true value breeds success, unity, we be brethren, wealth of the world, whatever we sow we shall reap, worry
Psalm 133:1. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
And then it was Saturday; beautiful spring time in the northern climes! Wow! We just can’t wait for summer to come, after experiencing those two days of summer weather this past week.
Everybody was out in their shorts and shirtsleeves, walking, riding, the tops of the convertible cars down, with their hair blowing in the wind. I don’t think we’ll see as much of that today though, because it won’t be so warm. Today is shaping up to be a somewhat lazy, hazy day, at least hopefully for me, although I need to go and get some undecipherable noise on my chariot fixed.
But however it turns out, since it’s Saturday, let’s look at some of our friend Anselm’s recent quotes, which are always aimed at inspiring us for a better tomorrow. And this week they were short and pithy – to the point – forceful, clever – like: ‘Try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value.’
And there’s great truth in that simple statement, for success comes in many different forms, and not all of them add value to us or our society. So you can be a successful person, in the eyes of the world, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you are valuable, especially in the eyes of Jesus. All the successful but evil people in this evil world aren’t valuable to Jesus or most of us, for in His realm, true value breeds success, not the other way around.
And I like this quote. ‘Stop chasing the money and start chasing the passion.’ Oh friends, if more of us supposed Christians would only stop running down the money and the non-lasting wealth of the world, we’d not only be happier, but much more useful in service to Jesus. We run down the world’s riches, but we don’t have time to enjoy them. What we need more in these tough times is sincere passion; a desire to do good and not evil, to work diligently for Jesus rather than for Beelzebub!
And this last quote is awesome. ‘If you are willing to do more than you are paid to do, eventually you will be paid to do more than you do.’ Words of biblical content my people! Jesus always inspired us to go the extra mile, to put our best foot forward, give more than we are asked, because in due time whatever we sow, we will reap in greater abundance.
Unfortunately though, that idea of doing more than we’re paid to do has fallen on deaf ears. The treat today, is to do ever less than we’re paid to do, then smirk and think we’ve outsmarted our employer. Oh, we just might do that, but constantly robbing our employer of our paid time will certainly put our jobs in jeopardy. And remember, God is watching our every move, and if we Christians succumb to such fraudulent behaviour, we’ll definitely hear about it later from Him.
So friends, it’s all to our betterment, if we live a useful, valuable and passionate Christian life. Not foolishly running down the things of the world, which don’t last anyway, and only cause us all kinds of worry and illness from the stress and strain of trying to acquire them.
And all of that just leads to our wonderful Bit. ‘Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!’ And that’s the living truth my people!
I don’t know, but something must be wrong with me yes, because I see others living in disunity and resentment and so much negative vibes around them and they seem to enjoy it, to flourish in it. Steups! I could never live so nuh. And as I’ve told my children many a time, if they ever live in such a sad state, I will come back and haunt them! (smile) That’s because there’s NO good reason for brethren, especially blood siblings, to live in continual disunity.
Now let’s look at an instance in the Good Book pertaining to brethren not living in unity. And it has to do with Lot and Abraham, when their cattle herders were not getting along, because there was not enough land for all the cattle to feed equitably.
‘And Abraham said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.’ (Gen.13:8-9)
Now doesn’t that make sense friends? It surely does! Why fight amongst each other, when there is ALWAYS some way to mitigate the negativity. We just have to want to badly enough.
Now hear these words from Bruh Paul to the Romans. ‘Be kindly affectioned (affectionate) one to another with brotherly LOVE; in honour preferring one another (giving preference to another)… Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not (do not set your mind on) high things, but condescend to men (associate with men) of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits (estimation)… If it be possible, as much as lieth in (depends on) you, live peaceably with all men.’ (Rom.12:10, 16, 18) Such words of wisdom my brethren!
And we’ll close with these famous words from the author of Hebrews. ‘Let brotherly LOVE continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.’ (Heb.13:1-2)
Yes friends, it’s all about living in unity…What else can it be about eh? Much LOVE!
…only in unity can our world ever hope to find peace…
19 May 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a raging wind, Aaron's beard, behold how good and pleasant it is, blessing, Christian, churches, congregations, dew of hermon, disunity, divided, downfall, fellowship, flirtation, for brethren to dwell in unity, freedom, Friday chant, fun, furthering your glorious kingdom, generous help, grow, infighting, Isaac, Jacob, jesus name, Jesus' church, miracle, Mt. Zion, phenomenon, prosper, relaxation, rest, sense of purpose, separation, slave driver, summer type temperatures, survival, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the workingman, unity, week of work, weekends
Psalm 133:1. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
Well mih people, it seems like our li’l fling, our short flirtation with summer type temperatures is over. Yesterday we had temps in the high twenties again, and also with a raging wind.
And I’m sure many of us asked: Why does the wind rage? There seems to be no good or apparent reason for such a phenomenon. But I guess only God knows the answer to that question.
We’re now back to regular temps in the high teens, which are more reflective of this time of year. However, I don’t think the workingman cares about temperatures as much as he does the weekend, for he is still out there joyfully declaring:
‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes! Our time is finally our own, no more slave driver breathing down we necks, every minute of every working day! Wow! Freedom at last! And yuh bet we going to celebrate it! Celebrate it to the last minute! Thank God for Fridays and weekends!’
Now some of what he’s saying there sounds reasonable, but the extreme lustful and worldly celebration that seems to be his thinking, does not fit a child of God. Our Friday Chant serves our purposes much better than that of the workingman.
So let’s declare it now nuh, with a strong sense of purpose and belief. ‘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 much more like it; we need a sense of balance and control, so that we can stay within the parameters of God’s word and will. And that brings us to our Bit: ‘Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!’
Oh my people of God, those words of Bruh David are crying out to us today for implementation, for brethren are definitely NOT living in unity; neither in the basic family units, in overall society, and especially in the body that’s Christ’s church.
These seem to be times of great disunity and separation, of strife and resentment in all aspects of man’s life!
Yeh friends, we all know that there is too much negative stuff happening in our churches, that’s why the congregations are constantly fluctuating, oftimes becoming less instead of more.
And the only ones who can stop the negativity; the breaking up, the fracturing of Jesus’ church is us, His supposed followers. Whether we sincerely want to do that is another question, but until we do, the church will continue to falter, for any organization divided against itself cannot prosper.
It’s as simple as that my Christian brethren. If we want Christ’s church to grow and prosper, then we need to put aside our selfish desires, stop the infighting and work together for the good and glory of Christ’s earthly institution.
The long and short of the story people, is that we’re not doing a very good job on Jesus’ behalf! We need to truly put up, or simply shut up! End of sermon! (smile)
Now let’s see what else Bruh David had to say after our Bit, how he describes brethren living in unity. ‘It is like the precious ointment (oil) upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts (edge) of his garments;
As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.’ (Ps.133:2-3)
Oh friends, unity amongst brethren is so precious, Bruh David likened it to the precious oil that was poured down on Aaron’s head when he was anointed to be the chief priest. ‘And he (Moses) poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron’s head, and anointed him, to sanctify him.’ (Lev.8:12)
Bruh David also likened unity to the dew that fell upon Mt. Zion. In olden days dew was looked upon as something precious, a gift from God; hence the blessing of Isaac upon Jacob, whom he thought to be Esau. ‘Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn (grain) and wine.’ (Gen.27:28)
And we’ll close with this explanation from the scholars. ‘Psalm 133. This psalm is all about the preciousness of family unity. Its blessedness is exclaimed (v.1) and explained (vs.2-3). It sanctifies (v.2) and solidifies (v.3).’
Ah mih people, if we want to survive and thrive, we have to begin seeking true unity in all aspects of our lives, societies and churches. Disunity will only tear us apart and lead to our eventual downfall. Much LOVE!
…the miracle of survival begins…continues…and ends…with UNITY…
22 Apr 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a false start, a smile, a special gift from God, abhor that which is evil, aspires, bad blood, being obedient, believe, born to fail, Christ's Church, christianity, conduct, denominations, despair, dissimulation, disunity, ego, errands, eternal life, evil, faith, fear, floating through the day, follower of Jesus, free gift of salvation, genuine, grow successfully, habits, harmony, hate evil, he delivers them, hope, housework, hypocrisy, inspires, looking back, LOVE, much of nothing, positive action, positivity, reconciled, resentment, saints, Saturday, selfishness, success, surrendering, sync, the belief, the hand of the wicked, the Lord preserves the souls of his saints, the new day, trusting, truth, unfeigned love, unity, volitional caring, welcome every morning, ye that love the Lord, ying and yang
Psalm 97:10. Ye that LOVE the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.
So friends, what have you got planned for your Saturday eh; housework and errands, or just lazily floating through the day, doing much of nothing, trying to get your ying and yang back into some kind of sync, after a hard week at work?
To be honest, I believe the last option is the preferable one, although the first might be the smarter and wiser of the two, since you’ll most likely have to do that housework and run those errands at some later date. But not to worry, rest and relaxation are absolutely necessary to renew your energy, so that you are able to do those household tasks and run the many errands without any problems. (smile)
Anyway, since it’s Saturday, let’s see if we can’t provoke some thought in our lazy minds by turning to a few quotes from our friend Anselm, who always aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
Listen to this beauty nuh: ‘Welcome every morning with a smile. Look on the new day as another special gift from your Creator, another golden opportunity to complete what you were unable to finish yesterday. Be a self-starter. Let your first hour set the theme of success and positive action that is certain to echo through your entire day. Today will never happen again. Don’t waste it with a false start or no start at all. You were not born to fail.’
Oh friends, I couldn’t give any better advice than that! And the sad part is that a lot of us know that advice quite well, but we simply don’t implement it. That leads to this quote: ‘Being positive or negative, are habits of thoughts that strongly affect your actions and your life.’ More indisputable truth my brethren!
And that brings up this gem: ‘Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.’
That is the positive aspect of life speaking there again, which brings us to this last quote. ‘Positive and negative are directions that lead to different outcomes. Which direction do you choose?’
And that’s the all-important question we must ask ourselves this Saturday morning: will we spend our lives being positive or negative, looking ahead with hope and faith, or with fear and despair? Unfortunately friends, no one can answer that question for us, we have to make a conscious decision for ourselves.
And I’d just like to add my two cents worth here: choosing the positive aspect of life is much better, especially if you are a believer in, and a follower of Jesus because that’s what His whole ministry is based on; positivity!
Not fearing, not looking back, trusting and surrendering, being obedient to one’s Creator, having faith in Jesus Himself, since He sacrificed His life on the cross so that you might have the option to be reconciled with the Father and receive the free gift of salvation and eternal life. Glory Be! And all you have to do is get positive and BELIEVE!
Now let’s look at our Bit, although I’m not sure how much time and space we have to devote to it. But here goes: ‘Ye that LOVE the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.’
Now that’s positivity in spades my brethren! One can’t be more positive than surrendering one’s life to the Lord and putting all one’s trust in Him, based on those words of immortal truth!
Yesterday we looked at some corroborating scripture for the first section; ‘Ye that LOVE the Lord, hate evil:’ Now I have one more significant scripture to add to those, this from Bruh Paul as he talks to the Romans about the service of LOVE to all. ‘Let LOVE be without dissimulation (hypocrisy). Abhor that which is evil; cleave (cling) to that which is good.’ (Rom.12:9) And that’s exactly how a true Christian ought to behave!
Hear this explanation from the scholars. ‘12:9. Without dissimulation (lit. “without hypocrisy”). The Christian’s conduct in the local church toward fellow believers is to be a volitional caring for others (making a purposeful decision to do so), LOVING faithfully in spite of the response received. The LOVE is to be genuine and unfeigned.’
Hn! I wonder how much genuine and unfeigned LOVE there is in the church today eh? Definitely not as much as there ought to be, otherwise there wouldn’t be so much disunity, resentment and bad blood amongst Christ’s supposed saints.
And this statistic is going to floor you, it certainly did when I heard Sister Joyce, (Joyce Meyer) recently declare that she looked up the number of denominations in Christianity and found some 33 thousand. Yes friends, thirty three thousand, broken down in all forms and fashions, and with various doctrines too! And then we wonder why Lucifer and his evil buddies are ruling the world.
Ah mih breddren, the long and short of the story is that until supposed believers learn to live together in harmony and unity, leaving all selfishness and ego behind, Christ’s church will not be as successful as it needs to be.
So please, let’s ponder that situation this morning nuh, and let’s all make a serious and binding decision to improve it in whatever way we can. That is, if we truly desire our children’s children to have a half decent life here on earth. Much LOVE!
…no organization can grow successfully and last for any length of time…unless there is unity and harmony amongst its members…
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