12 Jan 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fearful heart, a friend of my Lord and Saviour, a hope and a future, a witness, be strong, blankets of white, commute, darkness, dream on dreamer, enlightenend, faith, fear not, forgiveness of sins, glory to God, God doesn't change, God is a good god, good for the eyes, gracious God, guilt, happiness, his inheritance in the saints, humbles, I am Jesus, I am the beloved of god, I can trust my friend Jesus, I don't have to hurry, I don't have to worry, I'm not what I do, I'm not what I have, I'm not what people say about me, immorality, interested in the welfare of his people, Isaiah, King Agrippa, knowledge of truth, lifts me up, light, loved by my Creator, loving kindness, merciful, mid- January, misery, moral purity, open our hearts, open their eyes, Panorama, promises, prophecy, recompense, religiously informed, sanctified, share His love with the world, streams in the desert, stuffy nose, take for granted, the ears of the deaf, the eyes of the blind, the eyes of your understanding, the Gentiles, the goodness, the hope of his calling, the lame man leap as a hart, the light of Jesus, the lovely vista, the power of Satan, the riches of glory, the tongue of the dumb sing, to make thee a minister, touches a soft spot, Tuesday Mantra, turn them from darkness to light, vengeance, walk as children of light, warm confines, wheezing chest, who art thou Lord, why persecutest thou me, winter squall
Ephesians 1:18. The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.
Oh mih people, the ole fella’s neighbourhood is nothing but a beautiful panorama of white this Tuesday morning in mid January! (smile)
Between yesterday afternoon and last night a winter squall passed and deposited a few inches of snow in the area. All the housetops and trees are definitely looking wintry in their blankets of white.
It’s all very good for the eyes, but on the other hand it’s going to be a terrible commute this morning for those who have to brave the white stuff and try to get to work, school or home.
Chuh! If the snow would only fall on the banks and not on the roads eh… dream on dreamer. (smile) I guess too the fellow that I’ve been paying to clean my driveway will finally have some work to do. It’s one of those days if you don’t have to go out, just don’t. And the operative words there are ‘have to.’
I have been fighting a cold for the last few days and you’re certainly not going to catch me out there. I’m just going to stay in my warm confines with my stuffy nose and wheezing chest and admire the lovely vista out there.
And since today is Tuesday, then let’s declare our Tuesday Mantra with sincerity and truth. As one now: ‘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!’
Oh Friends, I can’t help but repeat my self, for every time we declare that Mantra, it just touches a soft spot in my heart and soul!
Just imagining myself being LOVED by my Creator, and also being a friend of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ…. it humbles, as well as lifts me up to think that such wonderful Beings truly care about me. And not about me alone, but about all those who sincerely believe in them.
Oh glory to God my brethren! Let’s not forget, nor take for granted the goodness and LOVING-kindness of our most merciful and gracious God, who first gave us life, then provides for us down here on planet earth.
Now let’s turn to our Bit. ‘The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.’
Yes Friends, we’ll continue looking at enlightening the eyes of our understanding by lauding scripture passages that deal with the subject. And we’ll start with promises, prophecy from Isaiah, re the restoration of Israel to Zion, a message of hope.
‘Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as a hart (deer), and the tongue of the dumb (mute) sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.’ (Is.35:4-6)
Oh glory to God for His goodness and mercy to the undeserving children of men! Yes my precious people, our God is a good God, one who’s interested in the welfare of His people. And since He doesn’t change, then it means that He’s still interested in our welfare today.
But we have to give Him the chance to work in our lives, to open our eyes of understanding and show us the good plan He has for us, to give us a hope and a future. It’s therefore essential then that we open our hearts, souls and minds to Almighty God and His Word, otherwise we won’t be able to claim the riches of His glory and His inheritance as saints.
Now hear this exciting scripture when Bruh Paul testified before King Agrippa, re his conversion on the road to Damascus. At midday, a bright light from heaven struck down him and his posse.
‘And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue (language), Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks (goads, thing that torments). And I said, Who art thou, Lord?
And he said, I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest. But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear (reveal) unto thee.
Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom I now send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified (set apart) by faith that is in me.’ (Acts 26:14-18)
Oh friends, our God is very interested in opening our eyes and enlightening us as to who He is, but won’t do it without our permission. So please, let’s open our hearts today and let Him in nuh, so that He can fulfill His dream for us.
And we’ll end with this reminder from Bruh Paul to the Ephesians. ‘For ye were sometimes (once) darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light.’ (Eph.5:8).
And the scholars offer this explanation. ‘5:8. Darkness indicates that the readers used to be spiritually unenlightened, and accompanying this ignorance was immorality with its resultant guilt and misery. Light denotes that the recipients are now to be religiously informed. Their knowledge of the truth is attended by moral purity and happiness.’
Oh my brethren, I sincerely hope and pray that we have all seen the light! Much LOVE!
…the only antidote for darkness…is the light of Jesus…
07 May 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a dinner of herbs, almighty god, beloved, Burt Bacharach, but for everyone, Christians, Cousin Sol, Deuteronomy 6:5, Dionne Warwick, disastrous state, down on its knees, earthly pilgrimage, esteem, everyone that loveth, faltering, fatted calf, fellow believers, fighting for its very life, friends, godly emotion, gospel truth, hang all the law, hatred, hatred stirs up strife, holocaust, in Jesus' name, instinctively, is born of god, it's the only thing there's just too little of, Jackie DeShannon, knoweth god, LOVE, Love covers all sins, Love does no harm, LOVE is of God, love is the fulfilling of the law, LOVE one another, Love thy neighbour as thyself, love worketh no ill to his neighbour, necessary, negative things, negativity, not just for osme, on the brink of destruction, our world, prayer, raise the level of love, relevant, resentment, respect, sadly lacking, Selah, selfishness, strife-riddled, teach us to love, testimony, the first and great commandment, the Holy Spirit, the power of the Spirit, thou shalt love the Lord thy God, turn things around, vengeance, walking in LOVE, we confess, we do not always respond, what a crying shame, what the world needs now is love sweet love, wild animals, with all thy heart, with all thy mind, with all thy soul, witness
Matthew 22:37. Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Aye Friends, the word for this terrific looking Thursday morning is LOVE! Selah.
Yes my people, please thing about that marvellous word for a few moments nuh…
And when you do, you’ll quickly realize that our world is surely and sadly lacking in that wonderful, godly emotion termed LOVE! And because of that sad and severe lack, our world is faltering on the brink of destruction; it’s down on its knees, fighting for its very life.
Oh Friends and neighbours, our world is definitely enveloped in too much negativity. That’s why I’ve brought this simple prayer on the subject from the back pages of my departed mother’s Bible to share with us. I’ve shared it before, but like so many other things in our lives, apparently it needs sharing again.
Please pray with me: ‘Father, we confess that we do not always respond to your LOVE as we should. By the power of your Spirit living in us, teach us to LOVE you as we ought. In Jesus name. Amen.’
Oh Friends, oh Friends, the basis of that prayer is ever so true! We, and I’m talking about supposed Christians here, don’t LOVE the Lord our God, and therefore ourselves and others, as we should. And you just have to look at the way a lot of us behave, spewing hatred, vengeance, resentment, selfishness, etc. etc; all the negative things that the world now favours.
Oh my brethren, in light of all that negativity, we do badly need the Holy Spirit to come amongst us and raise the level of LOVE in our souls, both for God and ourselves. For if we don’t have a high level of LOVE, respect and esteem for God and ourselves, then we’re much worse than the wild animals of the earth, who do have no thinking powers, and thus simply do things instinctively.
What a crying shame my people! It’s obvious that we’re not paying sufficient, if any heed, to Jesus’ reiteration of Deuteronomy 6:5, which constitutes our Bit for today. ‘ Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.’
Yes Friends: ‘This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ (Matt.22:37-40)
Oh my Christian brethren, that’s gospel truth, because Jesus spoke it!. But we are obviously not doing it to the best of our ability, otherwise our world would not be in such a disastrous state. For as Cousin Sol tells us in Proverbs 10: ‘Hatred stirreth up strifes: but LOVE covereth all sins.’ (Prov.10:12)
That simply means Friends, that if there was more LOVE in our world, there would not be as much strife. And believe me, I don’t know if at any other time in man’s history, that the world has been strife-riddled and ridden as it currently is.
And Cousin Sol holds LOVE in such high esteem, that later on he declares: ‘Better is a dinner of herbs (vegetables) where LOVE is, than a stalled ox (fatted calf) and hatred therewith.’ (Prov.15:17)
And Bruh Paul chimes in with his two cents worth to the Romans about walking in LOVE. ‘LOVE worketh no ill (does no harm) to his neighbour; therefore LOVE is the fulfilling of the law.’(Roms. 13:10)
Yes Friends, if we walk in LOVE, as Bruh Paul advises, then we will fulfill the two great commandments as laid down by Jesus. And that fact alone would change the entire look and demeanour of our world. Oh my people, what a glorious place our world would be if we would just choose to actively live and walk in LOVE!
Oh Friends, oh Friends, we are so lacking in true LOVE, that I thought I’d refresh our memory with this most appropriate song, with lyrics by the renowned composer and lyricist, Burt Bacharach. Please listen to it my people, hear it in our mind’s eye being sung by somebody like Jackie DeShannon or Dionne Warwick, or whoever you want, and let it refresh our hearts, souls and minds.
‘What the world needs now is LOVE, sweet LOVE. It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of. What the world needs now is LOVE, sweet LOVE, No, not just for some, but for everyone. Lord, we don’t need another mountain, There are mountains and hillsides enough to climb. There are oceans and rivers enough to cross, Enough to last, till the end of time.
What the world needs now is LOVE, sweet LOVE. It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of. What the world needs now is LOVE, sweet LOVE, No, not just for some, but for everyone. Lord, we don’t need another meadow, There are cornfields and wheat fields enough to grow. There are sunbeams and moonbeams enough to shine.
O listen, Lord, if you want to know. What the world needs now is LOVE, sweet LOVE, It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of. What the world needs now is LOVE, sweet LOVE, No, not just for some, but for everyone. No, not just for some, oh, but just for everyone.’
Ah Friends, if that doesn’t touch a sad note in our souls, then we’re not true Christians. It was written some fifty odd years ago, and has been recorded by numerous artists, and gotten oodles of airplay, but unfortunately it’s just as relevant and necessary today, as it was back then, possibly even more so now, with our world fast heading to some type of serious, irreversible holocaust, if we don’t turn things around very very soon.
So my fellow believers, let’s allow that song to seep into our consciousness, sub-consciousness nuh, or wherever it will bear the best witness and testimony for Almighty God, as we go out to do His bidding today, and every single day of our earthly pilgrimage. That’s wisdom at its highest and its best. Much LOVE!
…beloved…let us LOVE one another…for LOVE is of God…and everyone that LOVETH…is born of God…and knoweth God… (1 John 4:7)
04 Sep 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a child of God, a follower of Jesus, a fool's wisdom, add insult to injury, all the days of my appointed time, almighty god, be of good courage, belief, blessed are all who wait on God, Bruh David, confident and dependent trust in God, curl up in a ball and die, curl up in bed, early morning waking up, endure our afflictions with patience, exalted, expectant faith, faith, frustrations, God is gracious, God's grace, God's promises are forever faithful, He will perfect establish and strengthen us, hope, I will wait till my change come, if a man die, in a nutshell, in god's own time, iniquity, Job, judgement, justice, late night going to bed, longed for death, LOVE, mercy, misfortunes, not allowed to give up, patience, perseverance, secret of waiting on the Lord, sense of balance, shall a man live again, stand strong, take hold of God's grace, taking a toll, terrible Thursday, the Father of all creation, the Lord is my light and salvation, the Lord shall be my salvation, Though he slay me, transgression, trials and tribulations, trust, vengeance, vocabulary of Jesus Christ, wait I say on the Lord, wait on the Lord, wait patiently, waiting with hungry hope, without growing weary, yet will I trust him
Job 14:14. If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time (hard service) will I wait, till my change come.
And then it was terrible Thursday, where all the frustrations of the week gang up on you, and makes you just want to curl up in a big ole ball in some small corner and die.
And I’m saying this from personal experience, because there are some things I wanted to do this week but just never got around to doing them, and I’m not thrilled with myself.
However, I don’t want to curl up and die, I just want to curl up in bed and get a few more hours sleep. (smile) This late night going to bed and early morning waking up to write the Bit is taking its toll on the ole fella.
Then to add insult to injury, yesterday evening, I guess I was feeling strong, and went for a longer than normal walk. Now this morning the ole knees are creaking and complaining. Got to restore some sense of balance to my life yes!
Anyway Friends, despite all the frustrations we encounter in this earthly life, one thing is certain; we are not allowed to give up! Those words do not exist in the vocabulary of Jesus Christ and His followers!
Our task is to continually take hold of God’s grace, to endure our afflictions with patience, without growing weary, knowing that in God’s own good time, He will ‘perfect,’ establish and strengthen us. We must wait on the Lord and be of good courage.
That’s the whole situation right there in a nutshell my people; waiting with hungry hope, as well as with eager and expectant faith! Nothing else will serve us in good stead.
That’s why Job, in our Bit today, boldly declares: ‘If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time (hard service) will I wait, till my change come. Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.
For now thou numberest my steps: dost thou not watch over my sin? My transgression is sealed up in a bag, and thou sewest up, (plaster over, cover over) mine iniquity.’ (Job 14:14-17)
Oh Friends, we all know about Job’s serious misfortunes for no apparent reason. He was seriously troubled and disappointed by them, and longed for death as a release from the trials and tribulations of this earth, but deep down he knew the valuable secret of waiting on the Lord despite the troubles that surround us.
That’s why earlier on, in defending his integrity before his friends, he could also boldly proclaim: ‘Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in my hand? Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways (defend my ways) before him.
He also shall be my salvation: for a hypocrite shall not come before him. Hear diligently my speech and my declaration with your ears.’ (Job 13:14-17)
Now that, my people, is what true trust and faith in Almighty God is all about! That’s the way we need to react when trials and tribulations befall us. No, it certainly isn’t easy, but as a child of God, and a follower of Jesus Christ, that’s what is required of us.
And remember too, that our wonderful God NEVER asks us to do anything without giving us the wherewithal to do it and bear the fall out from our actions. So His grace will ALWAYS be with us, when we stand strong in His name and wait patiently for His next move.
And to bring this matter to the forefront, today we will look at some scriptures that deal with waiting on God. And we’ll begin with one of the more famous verses on the subject; that from Bruh David in Psalm 27 – the Lord is my light and my salvation.
He ends the psalm with these marvellous words of trust and encouragement. ‘Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.’ (Ps.27:14)
And we know that Bruh David tried his best to practice what he preached, and the Lord greatly rewarded him for it!
Meanwhile, Cousin Sol in Proverbs 20, advises us thus: ‘Say not thou, I will recompense (repay) evil; but wait on the Lord, and he shall save thee.’ (Prov.20:22)
Yes my people, in everything, especially in something like vengeance, we MUST wait on God, for He specifically says that that’s His department, not ours. (Deut.32:35)
And Isaiah in his appeal to the Jewish people to turn to the Lord for help, wisely says: ‘And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgement (justice): blessed are all they that wait for him.’ (Is.30:18)
Yuh see my brethren, even God is patiently waiting; waiting on us to wisely turn all out seriously misplaced attention back to Him!
And the scholars have an interesting footnote on that verse: ’30:18-33. Because God is gracious and has been willing to wait for His people to return to Him, He will certainly bless those who wait for him. “Waiting” is a confident and dependent trust in God.’
That, my fellow believers, hits the nail right on the head! (smile) We only wait long for things and people that we confidently trust. The same goes for Jehovah God. If we don’t trust Him, then we can’t and/or won’t wait for Him.
But Friends, that’s a fool’s wisdom. So let’s get ourselves together today and do our best to wait on Almighty God for whatever time it takes, because He is all-wise and knows our needs and wants and the good plans He has for our lives better than us.
So let’s try and shape up today in the waiting department nuh, asking God to give us His endless grace to do so where necessary. You know He will NEVER turn us down. Much LOVE!
…to wait on God takes…trust, faith, hope, belief, patience, perseverance and acknowledgement…that He is indeed the Father of all creation…and His promises are forever faithful…
03 Aug 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a Christian's cloak, a new song, allegations, almighty god, Amen, an even place, another day, bless the Lord, browbeat, Bruh David, BruhDavid, call upon the Lord, debts, discontent, enemy, evil felons, evil tentacles, Examine me, faithful, family, family gatherings, fear, fellowship, forgiveness, fractured by work, give thanks, glorify God's holy name, go to church, grace, grievances, guilt, heaven, I shall not slip, I waited patiently for the lord, information, injustice, innocent, innocent cry, integrity, intimidated, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, Jesus is mine, judge, keeps us away from God, labour, lies, life or death, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, loving kindness, Lucifer, magnify, malice, merciful, mercy, minions, nature of the beast, one day of rest, Our Father, pit, power, praise, privileges, proud, push back, railroad, revered, sing, So let it be, special day, stand strong, stand strong and steadfast, steps, Sunday, take it to the limit, the Lord's Day, toil, true, true believers, trust, truth, unforgiving, upon a rock, vengeance, vindicate, worship
Psalm 26:12. My foot standeth in an even place: in the congregations will I bless the Lord.
Oh Friends, it’s Sunday – the Lord’s Day! That means it’s time for all true believers to gather in His sanctuary and fellowship; sing, praise, worship, give thanks, magnify and glorify God’s Holy Name!
And all God’s people said a loud, grateful and sincere. ‘Praise the Lord! Let His light so shine before us that we may walk worthy of Him! Amen.’
Ah mih people, Sunday used to be such a blessed day; a day for family and worship, but as in so many other areas of life, the world has stretched its evil tentacles into Sunday too. Now the family and worship have been seriously fractured by work.
So many more places of business are now open on Sundays, it makes it difficult for many of us to have time for family gatherings, or time to go to church. And the sad part is that it’s getting worse!
Sunday is no longer a revered or special day. It’s now become just another ordinary day, another day for doing business. Steups!
Ah Lord eh! My people, we have to stand strong and push back some. The Lord said there should be at least one day of rest from toil and labour every week, but if we don’t look sharp, we won’t even have the little we now have. Lucifer and his evil felons are just trying to draw us away from Jehovah God in any which way they can.
They don’t care what it is, it could be life or death, once it separates or keeps us away from God, they’re happy. We can’t allow that to happen my brethren.
So please, let’s get up and go out and worship Almighty God in droves, let’s take it to the limit, and let the evil one and his foolish minions know that we will not be intimidated, we will not be railroaded into giving up our Sunday privileges, or stop worshipping our most wonderful God on His special day!
And all the children of God gave a mighty shout of ‘Amen! So let it be!’
Oh my fellow believers, we need to call upon the Lord as Bruh David did in our Bit, when he was falsely accused. ‘But as for me, I will walk in mine integrity: redeem me, and be merciful unto me. My foot standeth in an even place: in the congregations will I bless the Lord.’ (Ps.26:11-12)
Yes my Friends, a Christian’s cloak is his integrity, and we ought not to fear acknowledging and publicly blessing and praising the Lord for His goodness to us. And I know these days it’s easier than ever to be wrongly accused, with the great amount of false information that’s swirling around in our information age.
And the sad part is that once the allegations are made, they stick in people’s minds, even though we may be eventually found to be innocent of them. Unfortunately, that is just the nature of the beast, of the unforgiving society in which we currently live.
But Friends, regardless of what comes against us, we always need to stand strong and steadfast with the Lord, especially when we are falsely accused. Don’t allow the enemy to browbeat us into wrongly admitting guilt.
Hear how Bruh David opens Psalm 26, from which out Bit is taken. ‘Judge (vindicate) me, O Lord; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the Lord; therefore I shall not slide (slip).
Examine me, O Lord, and prove (try) me; try my reins (test my mind) and my heart. For thy LOVING-kindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth.’ (Ps.26:1-3)
Oh my people, if we can truthfully say those words, then there’s no need to worry. Our gracious God will certainly hear our innocent cry and justify us before men.
Listen again to Bruh David as he offers praise for answered prayer in Psalm 40. ‘I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings (steps).
And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord. Blessed is the man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.’ (Ps.40:1-4)
Oh my fellow believers, truer words were never spoken! If we make the Lord our faithful strong tower, and walk in integrity according to His dictates, we have nothing to fear. The Lord will address our needs and our grievances in His own time; we just need to wait patiently on Him.
Now that’s not always such an easy thing to do, especially when the waters of discontent, injustice and/or malice are swirling madly around us. But it’s what we need to do as true believers, for remember that the Lord has designated vengeance and justice as His domain. Ours is not to reason why, just to trust in Him; His tender mercy, grace and forgiveness, that He administers with unconditional LOVE.
Oh Friends, our heavenly Father is the most powerful force in the universe! No other being can thwart His pronouncements unless He allows it. So please let us stand strong, faithful and true in our belief in Him.
And this Sunday morning, I believe it’s ever so appropriate that we end with the memorable words that our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ taught us.
Please pray with me: ‘Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.’ (Matt.6:9-13)
That says it all my brethren! Please have a blessed day as you walk sincerely with our Father in heaven. Much LOVE!
…to know, know, know Him…is to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Him…for ALL the time…Jesus is mine…
13 May 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living
Tags: advocates, ascended to heaven, ask and you shall receive, awesome God, belief, bless the Lord, blessed be the Lord God of Israel, cacophony, Christian, christianity, commandments, copacetic, covenant, crowns, diseases, disobedience, don't forget God's benefits, everlasting, faith, fear God, feeling lousy, flatfooted, forgiven, forgiveness, glory, glory hallelujah, God's bidding, God's LOVE, gracious, groggy, heals, holy spirit, hope in the Lord, horn of salvation, iniquities, Israel, Israel sinned, Jesus, judgement, justice, lightning, lightning flashing, living colour, lost, LOVE, loving kindness, lying beneath the covers, magnanimous, man is dust, man's days are as grass, merciful, mercy, Moses, oppressed, pay a price, positive faith, praise, Praise the Lord, rain pouring down, raised from the dead, rambling along, redeem, redemption, reverence, rewarded us per our sins, riddims of nature, righteousness., servant David, serve, sinful children, slow to anger, some semblance of sense, testimony, thanks, the children of Israel, the gods in heaven, Thor, throne in the heavens, thunder, thunder roaring, trappings of Christianity, vengeance, wallow in guilt, way of life, wisdom, witness, wonderful god, worship, youth is renewed like the eagles's
Psalm 106:48. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. (Hallelujah) Praise ye the Lord.’
Oh Friends, it seems like the gods in heaven were real angry earlier on this morning. Thor opened his window and was really pounding away on his drums with a vengeance (thunder)! I haven’t heard him that loud and ominous for a while now.
Meanwhile who ever is in charge of electricity, of light, wasn’t too thrilled with life either because they were shooting wild and dangerous bolts of lightning all over the place. And somebody left a water source open and heaven overflowed, with all the excess water falling ponderously to earth.
On earth too, things weren’t all that copacetic, because I got up when all that cacophony was happening, feeling okay, I must point out; in fact well rested. But unwisely I decided to lie down and enjoy the riddims of nature, for there’s nothing like lying under the covers when the thunder is roaring, the lightning flashing and the rain pouring down!
Obviously I fell asleep again, but when I woke up this time, about an hour later, was I ever feeling lousy. My back’s aching, I’m groggy like I haven’t slept in ages, and I’m moving around like an old, dotish man. (smile) I guess that’s what happens when the Lord awakens you to do His bidding, but you choose to ignore Him.
Yes Friends, as we keep preaching… sorry, teaching, we ignore God and His directives at our peril. But He’s such a wonderful Deity that once we sincerely ask for forgiveness, He’s only too pleased and willing to grant it. But then, just as importantly, we have to learn to accept that forgiveness and move on with our lives, like I’m doing here writing the Bit.
We shouldn’t stay and wallow in the guilt, as too many of us tend to do after we’ve been forgiven. We all know the scripture that says ask and you shall receive (Matt.7:7), and we’re very versed and experienced in the asking, (smile) but when it comes to the receiving, a lot of us stand flatfooted and lost.
But my people, like everything else in our Christian way of life, it’s all a matter of FAITH, of BELIEF! We believe that God made us and LOVES us and provides for us, and that Jesus died for us, was raised from the dead and ascended to heaven, where He now advocates on our behalf.
Now none of us have personally experienced that stuff, as the song asks, ‘Were you there when they crucified my Lord?’ And the answer is an emphatic No! We weren’t there in person, but through the witness, the testimony of others who were there, we accept and believe it through positive faith, that those things actually happened.
Likewise Friends, we have to accept ALL the trappings of Christianity by FAITH! We can’t accept some and refute or waiver on others. And if you don’t know where all of this is leading to, well neither do I. (smile) I guess it’s one of those mornings when I’m just rambling along in my aching, groggy state.
However, I have NO doubt whatsoever, that by the time I’m done, there will be some semblance of sense in the Bit. That’s because the Lord, through His Holy Spirit, will not allow me to write pure nonsense in His Name. Glory Hallelujah!
That’s why my brethren, we can speak the words of our Bit today, though written many moons ago, with the same conviction that the psalmist had when Israel sinned against God’s LOVE. ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. (Hallelujah) Praise ye the Lord.’
Our God is indeed a mighty, powerful and awesome God! But with all of that, He is ever yet merciful and magnanimous to His sinful children. Listen to the psalmist proclaim it: ‘Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy (LOVING-kindness), and with him is plenteous (abundant) redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.’ (Ps.130:7-8)
Now hear Luke corroborate those statements. ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, and hath raised up a horn of salvation (Mighty Deliverer) for us in the house of his servant David.’ (Luke 1:68-69)
And in closing, let’s listen to the Lord’s servant, Bruh David, as he spells it out in spades, in living colour, from Psalm 103, Thanksgiving for God’s mercy.
‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVING-kindness and tender mercies: Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things: so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
The Lord executeth righteousness and judgement for all that are oppressed. He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious; slow to anger, and plenteous (abounding) in mercy (LOVING-kindness).
He will not always chide (strive): neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy (LOVING-kindness) toward them that fear him.
As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear (reverence) him. For he knoweth (understands) our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.
As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more (shall not remember it). But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear (reverence) him, and his righteousness unto the children’s children;
To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them. The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all…. Bless the Lord, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the Lord, O my soul.’ (Ps.103:2-19, 22)
Ah mih people, what a wonderful God we serve and worship eh! There is NO OTHER supposed deity like Him! That’s why we ought to be exceedingly thankful and grateful and give Him plenty, plenty, plenty, praise and thanks and glory!
For if you’ll notice, WE DON’T DESERVE ANY OF THOSE WONDERFUL THINGS HE’S SO LOVINGLY PROVIDED FOR US!
So today, please, let’s get our act together, remember His commandments and do them, so that He will be even more merciful towards us. That’s wisdom from everlasting to everlasting. Much LOVE!
…he who has ears to hear…let him hear…or else he will pay a terrible price…for his disobedience…
06 Oct 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adversaries, affirmative, angry, anguish, bless them that curse you, blessings, consciousness, enjoy, evil, faithfulness, forgiveness, godly wisdom, good, goodwill, grow, hatred, heed, hidden recesses, Jeremiah, LOVE, Love your enemies, loving kindness, manna, mature, mercies, motives, negative emotions, New Year's resolution, omnipotent god, opposition, peace, persecution, philosophy, physical hurt, powerful words, pray for them which despise you, recompensed, rejoice, rejoice and be glad, relationship with Jesus, resentful, revive our spirits, sincerity, souls, steadfast followers of Christ, the day the Lord's made, tolerant, truth, unbelievers, understanding, vengeance
Psalm 109:5. And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my LOVE.
Oh Friends, as the psalmist so wisely and rightly proclaimed eons ago: ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps.118:24) Please, let’s all do that today nuh, this first Sunday in October 2013.
And all God’s people joyfully declared: ‘We shall, yes we will rejoice in this day our great God has made for us to enjoy! A new day of new mercies, blessings, manna and forgiveness to revive our spirits! It is mete and right for us to enjoy the Lord’s LOVING-kindness and glorify His Holy Name!’
And since we’re so into God this morning Friends, (smile) what better time than now to check out that New Year’s promise we made, some nine months ago, to walk closer and more faithfully with Jesus, and to add our two bits worth to His glorious LOVE Revolution.
Now have we improved the strength of our relationship with our Lord and Saviour, and consequently with our fellow believers? And what about the unbelievers, the unwashed, the angry and resentful? Have we been more understanding and tolerant?
Oh my people, I surely do hope that ALL our answers to the foregoing questions are in the affirmative! And if by chance they’re not, then I’m strongly urging us to go to God today, and ask for His help in making them so. That’s provided we’re seriously interested in becoming true, strong and steadfast followers of Christ. For you know He will NEVER refuse our requests, if we come to Him in sincerity and truth.
Remember, we can always fool ourselves and our fellow man, but we can’t fool Jehovah God, because He sees right down into the deepest, darkest, hidden recesses of our souls, and unearths our true motives.
And with all that godly wisdom laid out before us, (smile) let’s turn to our Bit. ‘And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my LOVE.’
Now Friends, all we’ve said above greatly impacts the way we handle situations like that encountered by Bruh David in our Bit. Do we return evil for evil, and hatred for hatred? We certainly ought not to, for Jesus doesn’t subscribe to, or embrace that philosophy.
Listen to His pronouncement on the subject. ‘But I say unto you which hear, LOVE your enemies, do good to them which hate you. Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully (spitefully) use you.’ (Luke 6:27-28)
Ah mih breddren, we all know that’s not an easy philosophy to adopt and then put into practice. And we’ll never be perfect at it, but we must try our best to execute it, if we truly want to grow and mature in our LOVE for, and faithfulness to Jesus.
Now let’s turn to a scripture where the prophet Jeremiah encountered that rendering of evil for good. He’s telling God: ‘Then said they, Come and let us devise devices (plans) against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come and let us smite (attack) him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words.
Give heed to me, O Lord, and hearken (listen) to the voice of them that contend with me. Shall evil be recompensed (repaid) for good? for they have digged a pit for my soul (life). Remember that I stood before thee to speak good for (concerning) them, and to turn away thy wrath from them.’ (Jer.19:18-20)
Yes Friends, Jeremiah suffered intense persecution for his efforts on God’s behalf. But like Bruh David, though he too cited what he’d like to see happen to his enemies, (Jer. 19:21-23) he left the actual revenge up to God. And so too should we, because vengeance doesn’t belong to us, but to Almighty God. (Deut. 32:35)
And I like how Bruh David puts it in this verse from Psalm 38, the prayer of a penitent heart. ‘They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries; because I follow the thing that good is.’ (Ps.38:20)
Yes my brethren, once we try to do what is right in the sight of the Lord, we’ll always encounter opposition, sometimes even physical hurt. But we can’t allow that to stop us. Please look at all that Jesus innocently suffered on our behalf. The least we can do is put up with a little anguish to help Him build His wonderful kingdom. (smile)
And we’ll close with these few, simple, but oh so powerful and productive words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. ‘Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.’ (Rom.12:21)
Oh Friends, those truly are exceptional words, undoubtedly words of godly wisdom! So let’s take them to heart, bury them deep in our consciousness, and go out and put them into practice today nuh. It’s what Jesus desires of us. Much LOVE!
…the negative emotions of evil, anger and hatred…can NEVER be more powerful and productive…than those of peace, LOVE and goodwill…because they come from the Most High and omnipotent God…
14 Sep 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: awe of God, Babylon, backsliding, become prosperous, bondage, Book of the Law, calamitous repercussions, charles stanley, clarifies our direction, commandment, confirms our counsel, consider, constantly talk about, crux, disastrous times, disobedience, encouraging, enlarges our view of God, enlightening, faith, God's promises, God's Word, Good Book, good success, gospel truth, guides us to success, have success, ill repute, increases our faith, israelite nation, Israelites, Joshua, keeps us aware of God's preence and power, left hand, levites, man's rebellious nature, meditate, mortal souls, Mosaic Law, Moses, old wives tales, ponder, purifies our heart, quietens our spirit, religion, right hand, scriptures, sharpens our perception, stubborn nature, the Lord's Law, theology, tip of our tongues, true wisdom, trust, turning away from God, vengeance, while there's life there's hope
Joshua 1:8. This book of the law shall not depart out of (shall constantly be in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Oh Friends, Friday the 13th is past, and nothing of any ill-repute has besieged us! So why do we yet hang on to these old wives tales bathed in evil eh? That’s surely not wisdom, especially when we have the Good Book and all the wonderful things and promises it contains. That’s why on this Saturday morn, we’re going to get into the scriptures with a vengeance, to arrest our recent backsliding and renew and refresh our troubled mortal souls. (smile)
And we’re getting into our Bit very early in the proceedings because it totally reflects God’s promises and either births our faith, or puts it on more solid ground. ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (shall constantly be in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’
Oh my people, those were the words of our God to Joshua after he became the official leader of the Israelites! Now let’s break down the Lord’s commands. First off, He told Joshua that he should be constantly talking of, about and from the book of Mosaic Law written by Moses. And a note from the scholars declares that ‘This verse indicates both the existence of the law by the time of Joshua and its Mosaic authorship. (cf. 8:31-35)’
Then secondly, Joshua was strongly advised to meditate on the word of the law. That’s read, study, contemplate, ponder and inwardly digest its inner workings. Why? Because by so doing, Joshua and the Israelite nation would become prosperous and successful in their endeavours.
Now Friends, isn’t that very simple and straightforward? It sure is! And when the Israelites practiced it, they were prosperous and successful. However, when they didn’t, their success and prosperity went downhill, often including attacks by their numerous enemies, even to the point of being taken away in bondage, like happened with Babylon. So why didn’t they learn their lesson eh? Only God Almighty knows!
But my brethren, since our everlasting God and His law don’t change, that means those prophetic words and awesome promise of God, still apply to us today. But sadly, just like the Israelites of old, this generation has refused to embrace the Lord’s law. No wonder our societies and our world are going through such trying, troubled and disastrous times.
Anyway, let’s get to the crux of today’s Bit. I decided to write on the meditation theme today because while going through some notes, I found something I had written down from one of Uncle Charles’ (Charles Stanley) sermons a few weeks ago. And to have it come up at a time when I wasn’t thinking of anything else in particular to write about, I took it as a sign that today was the day to share Uncle Charles’ thoughts on Meditating On God’s Word. (smile) Some of you might have heard and/or seen that sermon, but hearing these encouraging and enlightening thoughts again will only help us.
Here are the things Uncle Charles says that meditation on the Word does for us. ‘Quietens our spirit, Purifies our heart, Sharpens our perception, Clarifies our direction, Confirms or cautions our counsel, Increases our faith, Enlarges our view of God, Keeps us aware of God’s presence and power, and last but not least, Guides us to success.’
And my fellow believers, if we seriously consider those conditions, we’ll discover that they’re all gospel truth! So why don’t we constantly meditate and ponder on God’s Word eh? I really don’t know. I guess it’s just man’s natural rebellious and stubborn nature, always wanting to do it his way, despite proven evidence of the disaster that follows from it.
Now let’s hear from Moses, who first instructed the Israelites on meditating on the Word, and this while telling them what to do when they entered the Promised Land and decided they wanted a king like the other nations around them. And we all know that day eventually came. (1 Samuel 8-10) Now that was just another nail the Israelites drove into their own coffin, and it broke God’s heart, for He considered Himself their king.
Anyway, this is what Moses commanded. ‘And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests and Levites: And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear (stand in awe of) the Lord his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them.
That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren (become proud), and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children, in the midst of Israel.’ (Deut.17:18-20)
Oh my people, more simple, explicit and clear as day instructions! But all to no avail, for the Israelites, just like us, when they got prosperous and successful, in their own minds, simply forgot about God and went their own way. And they did indeed endure calamitous repercussions for their disobedience. Likewise calamity is befalling us today for our turning away from God.
Oh Friends, true wisdom still entails meditating on God’s word, storing it deep in our souls, and then putting it into practice. Please let future generations say about us: ‘They constantly meditated on the Word, always had it at the tip of their tongues, and were thus successful!’
Don’t laugh, this is serious business my fellow believers. And it’s not too late to start, for remember, while there’s life, there’s always hope. Much LOVE!
…when one sincerely ponders God’s Word…it automatically raises the level of one’s faith and trust…
11 Sep 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 9/11/2001, affect our souls negatively, almighty god, Amen, anger, believers in Jesus Christ, calamitous day, capable hands, Chaldeans, christianity, comforting grace, common sense, cowardly, dastardly deeds, death, destruction, difficult situations, embittered souls, emotional comfort, encouragement, enlightenment, faith, faith-filled, flaming glory, foreshadowing, glorious kingdom, God's arena, God's will, hand in hand with jesus, hate, heavenly Father, Holy Name, human understanding, Jesus Christ, Jesus returns, justification by faith, live by faith, look to heaven, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, loving kindness, moving forward, negative memories, New Testament, obstacles, offer up a prayer, Old Testament, Patriot's Day, peace, peaceful faith, Praise the Lord, promise, prophecies, prophet Habakkuk, proud, religion, repayment, rumours of war, saviour jesus christ, tablets of clay, tarry, the fall of Babylon, the just, theology, totally submissive, trials, undeniable truth, understanding, unfortunate incident, ungodly, vengeance, victory through Christ, wait for it, walk safely, walking hand in hand with Jesus, walking obediently, war, wisdom, wonderful peace, World Trade Centre, write the vision
Habakkuk 2:4. Behold, his soul which is lifted up (proud) is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.
Oh Friends, on this 11th day of September, Patriot’s Day in the U.S. let’s remember the calamity that befell the people of New York City, a dozen years ago, when two planes flew into the World Trade Centre, causing untold death and destruction.
Let us never forget it, because it just shows how low, how cowardly and how evil and murderous our fellow man can be. And unfortunately, the foundation for all that hate and anger is based on religion and what’s supposedly a peaceful faith.
Anyway Friends, although we won’t forget that disaster, we must not allow it to negatively affect our souls. Remember we have to always keep moving forward, despite our trials and obstacles that stand in our way. And the ONLY way to do that successfully is walking hand in hand with Jesus.
Now let’s look to heaven and offer up a prayer on the matter. Please pray with me: ‘Oh heavenly Father, on this day when we remember the dastardly deeds perpetrated on the U.S. twelve years ago, please help us to not let our souls be embittered by it. You’ve said vengeance and repayment is Yours, so we’re leaving it in Your more than capable hands.
And for those who lost family, friends and co-workers on that calamitous day, please embrace them with Your LOVING-kindness and emotional comfort as they remember their lost ones and contemplate the difficult situations which many are still undergoing because of that unfortunate incident.
Please enable them to put the negative memories behind them, and instead take a strong and tight hold of your comforting grace that will propel them forward in peace and LOVE. We pray this in the holy name of Your Son, and our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.’
Ah mih people, everyday I ask; when will mankind learn that war and destruction is not in his best interest eh? And sadly, everyday I seem to get the same answer – who knows! Possibly not until Jesus returns in flaming glory will we ever be totally submissive to the twin towers of Peace and LOVE!
Anyway Friends, as believers in Jesus Christ, we are expected to do our bit in the fight for wisdom and common sense and understanding. So let’s not give up, even though it might seem that we’re fighting a losing battle with wars and rumours of war escalating every day. That’s because we know we already have the victory through Christ. We just have to keep on keeping on, doing the things that will promote and enlarge His glorious kingdom.
Now let’s turn to our Bit which lends much encouragement and strength to our faith-filled journey, as the prophet Habakkuk tells us: ‘Behold, his soul which is lifted up (proud) is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.’
And that’s the undeniable truth Friends! The proud and ungodly have no place in God’s arena. But those who sincerely hope and believe in God, whom we’ve called the just, they shall live by faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, walking obediently in His will.
Remember recently we said that the Old Testament was a foreshadowing of things to come in the New Testament, well Friends, this is one of those prophecies that actually happened in the Old Testament, but our Bit has been used extensively in the New Testament to prove justification by faith.
And I guess some background on the situation is necessary for a better understanding. The prophet Habakkuk is here talking to the Lord, re the fall of Babylon, then ruled by the Chaldeans.
And he begins the 2nd chapter thus: ‘I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower (rampart), and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved. And the Lord answered me and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables (on tablets of clay), that he may run that readeth it.
For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie; though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.’ (Hab.2:1-3)
Now that’s a sure promise my people! The destruction of Babylon might take some time to come, but come it will, whenever the Lord deems it the right time.
And we’ll end today with some explanations from the scholars on those last two verses. ‘2:2-3. Write the vision …upon tablets refers to the common practice of writing public notices with large characters on the clay tablets that someone running by could easily read them. If the notice was a warning it would also cause the reader to run quickly to prepare for what was coming.
An appointed time indicates a specific future fulfillment of Habakkuk’s prophecy of the fall of Babylon. See Daniel 5:30-31.’
I do hope that helps us to better understand the scripture, and please remember to check out the references, for they are always for our enlightenment.
Now my brethren, tomorrow, God willing, we’ll continue this topic, re the just living by his faith. Till then, please let’s all walk safely with Almighty God, and may He bless us and make His face to shine upon us, while giving us His wonderful peace that surpasses all human understanding.
And all God’s children said a loud and proud: ‘Praise the Lord! Amen!’
Much LOVE my fellow believers in Christ!
…each and every promise of Jehovah God…WILL BE FULFILLED…regardless of the time limits involved…
30 Jun 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brand new day, abound in LOVE, brand new day, celebrate the Sabbath, Christ's Church, Christ's footsteps, comfort and solace, confidence, deception, energy, fraud, further His glorious kingdom, God's house, holy spirit, Jesus Christ, joyful fellowship, Lord and Saviour, Love for Jesus, lust, multitude of opportunities, nest of vipers, new mercies and blessings, new paths to follow, new people to meet, new trials to undergo, passion, personal growth, practical Christian life, renenewal of spirit, sexual immorality, sunshine of today, thanks and praise, to mature in faith, utmost comfort, vengeance, welcoming spirit
1 Thessalonians 3:12: And the Lord make you to increase and abound in LOVE one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you.
Oh Friends and fellow believers, welcome to a brand new day! And though it may seem the same as any other day, I can guarantee you that it’s not. No day in God’s making is ever the same, because He creates them anew, right from scratch every 24 hours. He lays in new mercies and blessings for us to enjoy, new paths for us to follow, new people to meet, new things to do, plus new trials to go through and overcome that will make us grow and mature in our faith.
Therefore, let us give Him some thanks and praise this Sunday morning, for bringing us safely through the dark, fearful night of yesterday, into the bright and sparkling sunshine of today, a today filled with a multitude of opportunities for our personal growth, as well as the furtherance of His glorious kingdom.
And as we are wont to say, let’s say it loud and clear: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we will most certainly rejoice and be glad in it!’
And for all of us who believe in Christ as Lord and Saviour, I hope that we will go to His sanctuary sometime this weekend, whenever we celebrate the Sabbath, and have joyful fellowship with other believers. That’s because the Lord’s house is where His children should find the utmost comfort, confidence and renewal of spirit with others of like mind.
Unfortunately though, for one reason or another, many believers don’t find comfort and a welcoming spirit in their churches, and that’s rather sad. For if you can’t find comfort and solace in God’s house, amongst others like yourself, where else are you going to find it eh?
Oh my brethren, God’s house, from the most broken down, run of the mill church building, to the most beautiful modern sanctuary, in fact wherever two or three are gathered together in His Name, those places are supposed to be the most welcoming and encouraging places on God’s great earth!
And if they aren’t, then we, Christ’s supposed followers are not doing our jobs. Some churches are so cold, unresponsive and unwelcoming that I don’t know how they expect people to come there and worship. Nary a smile you see, or a chuckle you hear in some of them, while others take it to the other extreme, have it like it’s simply a party affair.
But Friends, it’s essential that we have a fine blend in our churches; a blend and balance of seriousness and levity to evoke both aspects of our human nature. One extreme is just as bad as the other.
That brings us to our Bit: ‘And the Lord make you to increase and abound in LOVE one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you.’
Bruh Paul is here praying for the church at Thessalonica, as he habitually did for all the churches. ‘To the end (so that) he may stablish your hearts unblamable in holiness before God, even our Father (our God and Father), at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.’ (1 Thess.3:13)
Yes Friends, we definitely ought to do better in our churches, so that when Jesus comes again, He’ll find us fairly blameless, not the nest of vipers that we’ve recently become.
That led Bruh Paul to open Chapter 4 with an appeal for purity. ‘Furthermore, then we beseech (urge) you brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.’ (1 Thess.4:1)
There he begins exhorting them on the essence of living a practical Christian life. And you can read verses 2-12, where he talks about staying away from sexual immorality, the passion of lust, fraud, vengeance, deceit, etc. Instead though, we should be seeking things that pertain to and promote brotherly LOVE, as we ‘are taught of God to LOVE one another.’ (1 Thess.4:9b)
Ah mih people, are we finding those positive actions and attributes in our churches today? To some extent I guess. But sadly we have too much of the negative aspects, that’s why there are so many denominations and sects, divisions and divisiveness in the supposed one body of Christ’s church. We’re not different religions, but ONE CHRISTIAN BODY!
And we’ll close with some encouraging words of Bruh Paul in his second letter to the church at Thessalonica. ‘We are bound to thank God always for you brethren, as it is meet (fitting), because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity (LOVE) of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth.’ (2 Thess.1:3)
Oh Friends and fellow believers, that is the goal to which we should all be working and striving towards, so that Christ’s church here on earth can truly reflect His wonderful, LOVING character and make unbelievers greatly desire to become a part of it. That’s one of our stated purposes, as we see from Matthew 28:19-20 where Jesus told His disciples to go out and spread the Word to the whole earth.
We’re surely not doing too good a job at it right now, and until we do, Christ’s church here on earth will not progress as it should, and there’ll be no one to blame but ourselves. Do we want to have that black mark against our earthly watch? I doubt it very much.
Oh Friends, we have all the tools we need to do it lying dormant and unused within us. And you know the saying if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it. That’s exactly what’s happening to us.
So let’s follow the leading of the Holy Spirit nuh! Let’s allow it to ramp up our passion and energy and LOVE for Jesus and go out there into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us and get the job done! That’s truly following in Christ’s footsteps! Much LOVE!
…how can we say we LOVE Jesus…when we’re not doing as He desires eh…
11 Dec 2012
by randyobrien50
in Inspirational Living
Tags: anger, avenge, Christian faith, coals of fire, enemy, fabulous earth, faith, feed thine enemy, give thanks and praise always, glorious day, God is sovereign, holy spirit, honesty, hunger, morning star, overcome, overcome evil with good, patience, perseverance, recompense, remorse, repay, sense of shame, shame, thirst, vengeance, victory, winning the battle
Romans 12:21: Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
Ah mih people, welcome to another glorious day on God’s fabulous earth! And all true believers responded with a heartfelt, ‘Praise the Lord!’ Yes Friends, that’s what our Leader and Saviour wants us to do, under any and all circumstances. Regardless of how rough life might be, we are called upon to always give thanks and praise to the Father. As Bruh Paul says so poignantly in the verses before our Bit: ‘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. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: For in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.’ (Rom.12:17-20) Those are definitely tough rules to live by my people! But before going any further, let’s hear from the scholars; ‘Give place unto wrath: Paul quotes Deuteronomy 32:35 to show that only God has the right to avenge, and He certainly will avenge. Heap coals of fire on his head (cf. Prov.25:22): This may refer to a sense of shame or remorse engendered when we treat an evildoer kindly. Paul is discussing personal, not national enemies. He is not teaching pacifism.’ No Friends, Bruh Paul is certainly not teaching pacifism, which makes these rules even tougher to live by, because we then have to find a fine and healthy balance between completely giving in (pacifism), and taking matters into our own hands (vengeance). But to be true to our Christian faith, we must endeavour to live that way. And how do we do it? By focusing on our Bit: ‘Be not overcome of (by) evil, but overcome evil with good.’ By having that advice as our constant mantra, by writing it indelibly in our hearts and minds, we’ll be reminded that whenever evil shows its ugly face, we have to show a good one in response. Oh fellow believers, that’s not an easy task, especially in these cruel, greedy and evil times. But with all that Jesus asks us to do, so many of which are contrary to the mores of the world, He’s also given us all the tools necessary to accomplish them. Yes, in His LOVING-kindness, mercy and grace, He’s provided His Holy Spirit to guide and protect us, to help us live the kind of life He desires us to live. And with that wonderful Spirit indwelling us, plus things like our prayers, faith, patience, perseverance and fortitude, we can accomplish His will, overcoming the foolishness and folly of Lucifer’s wicked world. It’s up to us now Friends, to use those tools wisely, to be strong and sensible, using them to propagate good and not evil. Now the word I want to focus on today is ‘overcome.’ It’s one that conjures up thoughts of difficulties and hard times, but in the end winning the battle. Let’s listen to some scripture that encourages us to overcome, starting with John’s first epistle. ‘For this is the LOVE of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous (burdensome). For whatsoever (every believer who) is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?’ (1 John 5:3-5) The scholars explain that last verse thus: ‘There is conquering power through this confession because God is sovereign over the world, and only through the Son does man have access to and find favour with God.’ And all God’s people joyfully declared: ‘Thank You Jesus!’ Yes my brethren, we do indeed have a lot to be thankful for to Jesus; His selfless sacrifice on the cross to pay for our sins, and then His advocacy in heaven on our behalf. We can never repay those things. But the good part is that Jesus doesn’t want repayment, He just wants us to live a certain way, to overcome the evil of this world. Now let’s hear what He has to say about overcoming. Remember yesterday we saw where He spoke about Him already overcoming the world. (John 16:33) Today we’ll listen to Him from the Revelations of John. In His message to the church at Ephesus, He warns. ‘He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.’ (Rev.2:7) The scholars say: ‘The promise to him that overcometh probably applies to all Christians with genuine faith (cf. 1 John 5:4-5) (above) and will be fulfilled as believers enjoy the blessings of New Jerusalem (22:2,14), the paradise of God.’ And in the message to the church at Pergamos, Jesus declares: ‘But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of the potter shall they be broken to shivers (pieces): even as I received of my Father. And I will give him the morning star.’ (Rev.2:25-28) Oh Friends, according to the scholars; ‘The obedient believer will be given a reward of power or authority in the millennial kingdom as he reigns with Christ (12:5; 19:15; 20:4). The morning star is probably a reference to the eternal presence of Christ Himself.’ In Rev.22:16, Jesus does refer to Himself as ‘the bright and morning star.’ And we’ll end with some uplifting words from Bruh Paul to the Corinthians. ‘But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (1 Cor.15:57) Oh my people, it’s all over but the shouting! So let’s get on our horses and ride nuh; ride to victory with Christ! Much LOVE!…he that hath an ear…let him hear…what the Spirit saith unto the churches…(Rev.2:29)…wise words indeed…
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