17 Jul 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: A Family Pledge, a foolish man, a rainy day, and does them, anticipate growth, beat upon that house, both hear and do, built his house on sand, built his house upon a rock, built in defenses, can ask or imagine, Christ's body, Christian families, Christianity 101, conflicts, defeats, degenerate world, delight, demand, eyes fixed straight ahead, family love, focus on each other, give rather than get, glad to be alive, God's amazing love, great was the fall of it, greedy society, hands fixed securely on the plough, I am halfway home, it fell not, it was founded upon a rock, judgement, laughter, lessons, liken him unto a wise man, LOVE each other, loving patience, made in the image of God, mixed emotions, not looking back, One Year Book of Bible promises, perfection, persons, puny minds, quiet growth, resentments, Ruth Harms Calkin, seek to please, selfish, support each other, tantrum of heat and light, tears, the breath of life, the church, the floods came, the rain descended, the winds blew, to a glorious future with Christ, to pressure, two foundations of life, victories, Wednesday Wail, whosoever hear these sayings, without ridicule, withstand the elemnts
Matthew 7:24. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man which built his house upon a (the) rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a (the) rock.
Well it looks like it’s going to be a cloudy, ‘riney’ kind of day in my neck of the woods…at least that’s how it’s begun. But we all know that could change by mid morning and the sun could explode out of the sky in a terrible tantrum of heat and light that has us begging for mercy! (smile) Hopefully the sun will come shining through later, but not in such a striking and unpleasant manner.
In the meanwhile, hear this fabulous promise from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. This one’s called ‘A Family Pledge.’ Please pray and promise with me: ‘We will permit God to use our conflicts and mixed emotions as lessons in quiet growth. With LOVING patience, without ridicule or judgement, we will support each other in the gradual untangling of built-in defenses. We will focus on each other as persons made in the image of God.
We will seek to please rather than to pressure, to delight rather than to demand, to give rather than to get. We will share the humdrums as well as the highlights, the tears as well as the laughter, the defeats as well as the victories. We will not insist on perfection – rather we will anticipate growth.
We will not compete for the mountaintop, rather we will climb the mountain together. We will wait for each other if one of us gets behind. We will lift our hearts in a celebration of gratitude for God’s amazing LOVE, which makes our family LOVE possible. We will LOVE each other as we do these things.’
Oh my fellow believers, what wonderful sentiments and promises! Wow! Can you imagine if only the Christian families truly decided to instill those values and plans and promises, how wonderful our world would be! The family would return to its rightful place in society as being the most important unit. Then the unbeliever would really know what a true Christian is like, because all that we’ve promised above is merely Christianity 101!
Yes, it’s all about LOVING each other, putting each other first, letting go of resentments, of competition, and instead seeking togetherness, of sharing, both the highs and lows, the joy and tears, growing together. As it so strongly states: it’s all about ‘lifting our hearts in celebration of gratitude for God’s amazing LOVE, which makes our family LOVE possible!’
And is that ever so true! It’s only God’s amazing LOVE flooding through our hearts, souls, bodies and minds that makes a true family LOVE possible. But yuh know the most important word in that last sentence friends? It’s GRATITUDE! Yeh people, we’re not truly thankful for God’s LOVE, otherwise we’d gladly share it with each other.
And gratitude, more than anything else is what’s sadly missing in our world! We’re not a very thankful or grateful society anymore. We’ve become so selfish and greedy, envious and jealous, that there’s no room left for thanks, or rather sincere thanks in our society. And the sad part is that that undesirable attitude is also present in Christ’s body, the church, much much more than is called for.
And the Bible Promise for that reading is also our Bit for today; the wise words of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ on the two foundations of life. ‘Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man which built his house upon a (the) rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a (the) rock.
And everyone that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.’ (Matt.7:24-25) Oh my people, Jesus couldn’t have put it any clearer than that!
And I just have to share the scholars’ explanation of those verses. ‘7:24-27. In drawing His concluding illustration of the two foundations, Jesus begins with the word therefore. On the basis of all that He has taught and illustrated, He concluded that all who both hear and do His sayings shall be saved. As a great master Counsellor, Jesus reminded His listener that hearing this message alone will not change his life. He must both hear and do what Jesus has said.
The elements of the closing illustration are drawn from the simplicity of nature itself, the rock, the rain, and the winds. The man whose house collapsed was at fault, not because he failed to labour, but because he did not lay the proper foundation. The shifting sand represents human opinion and the doctrines of men as opposed to “these sayings” vs.28.’
Oh precious people of God, what more can I say eh, except to warn us about building our lives on the right foundation, for that’s what holds our spiritual houses up in time of adversity and storm. And the ONLY foundation available in this degenerate world, that’s strong enough to withstand calamity and storm is Jesus Christ! As Bruh Paul so wisely put it to the Corinthians: ‘For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.’ (1 Cor.3:11) And that’s gospel truth friends!
So please, as we go about our business to day, I implore us to seriously consider what foundation we’re building our lives on, and if it isn’t on Jesus, then please change quickly, for we know not when the storms of adversity will suddenly come and knock down our houses built on shifting and sinking sand.
And with those words of wisdom frothing in our hearts, souls, bodies and minds, let’s go home declaring (steups!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. All together now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday!
Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And I have to remind us friends, that if we hold that righteous and positive course in Jesus, then the future will indeed be even more glorious than our puny minds can ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…nothing built on a foundation of sand can withstand the elements for long…but anything built on the rock…Jesus…can withstand the elements…forever…
06 Aug 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: and not faint, at noon, aura of love, blessings, Caribana Monday, cast thy burden upon the Lord, Christians, come together, confidence, cry aloud, disobedience, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, enthusiasm, evening, faith, fears, foolishness, give up on prayer, glorious kingdom, grace, Granny's warning, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, ill-will, in every thing give thanks, invincible, Jesus Christ, Jesus spake a parabble, joy, keep God close, lies, lose heart, LOVE, marrow to our bones, mature believers, men ought always to pray, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, morning, negative consequences, parable, peace, petty differences, pray without ceasing, put aside, raising our song to heaven, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, righteousness., salvation, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, take them to heart, the Father's listening ears, the will of God, trust, ungodly world, victories, will I pray, wisdom
Luke 18:1. And he (Jesus) spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint (lose heart).
And then it was Caribana Monday… Oh I’ve been calling it Caribana all weekend, but that’s no longer the official title nuh since the original committee was stripped of the authority to put on the festival a few years ago, and they ended up in court over the name.
Don’t ask me what the official name is nuh, because I don’t know, and don’t particularly want to know either. (smile) History will always call this weekend, what it’s supposed to be called: Caribana! End of story.
And by the way it’s not a Federally instigated holiday, but a local government proclamation, so it’s mostly the banks and government offices that are closed, meaning that a lot of folks still have to get up and go out to work, while a blessed few are able to stay home or go out to the numerous parties around the place.
That means there will obviously be some ill will between the two groups, but as mature believers I’m sure we can put our petty differences aside and come together to sing out our Monday Morning Battle Hymn which will energize and refresh all of us, because we’re all tired from participating in the weekend’s festivities So whether you’re going to work or have the day off, let’s concentrate on raising our song to heaven and the Father’s listening ears.
Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
And now we’re all ready and rearing to go out and do Jesus’ work! Wow! How invigorating and refreshing is sincere prayer! You just can’t beat it for restoring the doldrums in our souls. That’s why Jesus gave this strong advice in our Bit. ‘And he (Jesus) spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint (lose heart).
Yes my breddren, we ought never to lose heart, to give up on prayer and our faithful, omnipotent and gracious God! That’s because prayer lends sustenance to our souls and our spirits. No wonder Bruh Paul also told us to ‘pray without ceasing.’ (1 Thess.5:17) That means to lend ourselves continually to prayer.
And it’s not like we’re supposed to walk around praying audibly every minute of every day, but we ought to be in a godly space most of the time. That’s a place where God is more on our minds than He is not. Where we don’t do stuff, or make decisions without consulting Him. Where we share our fears and hopes, and thank Him for even the small victories that we have as we journey through each day.
Bruh Paul said that too: ‘In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess.5:18) So whether the times are good or the times are rough, we need to keep a good prayerful, thankful attitude. The important thing is to keep God close at hand, let Him be an integral part of our everyday lives, the way He desires to be.
Oh, and for those of you who will be in the party scene today, please remember Granny’s wise words: ‘Sonny boy, drunk or sober mind yuh business.’ And I know some of you think it’s foolishness, but if we’re truthful, we can all look back at some particular time(s) and genuinely wish that we had followed it, because of the negative consequences we’ve suffered, or might still be suffering for our disobedience.
And we’ll close this Caribana Monday morning with some appropriate words from Bruh David. ‘As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice…. Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer (permit) the righteous to be moved (shaken).’ (Ps.55:16-17,22)
Truer words were never spoken friends. So let’s be wise and take them to heart nuh, they will be marrow to our bones (strength to our souls). Much LOVE!
…as believers…we ought to spend more time in simple prayer…and the giving of thanks for small mercies…
17 Jul 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: A Family Pledge, a foolish man, beloved of God, built his house upon a rock, built in defenses, celebration of gratitude, climb together, compete, conflicts, defeats, dens of devilry, doctrines of men, doeth them, evil cronies, evil world, friend of Jesus, God's amazing love, growth, highlights, hot, humid, hurry, irresponsible, judgement, laughter, lessons, lift our hearts, lightning, liken him, LOVE, mixed emotions, opinions, patience, perfection, permit God, place of refuge, proper foundation, quiet growth, ridicule, righteous family, seek to please, share jesus' love, share the humdrums, sinking sand, tears, the christian way, the floods came, the image of God, the mountaintop, the prince of darkness, the rain descended, the rock that's jesus, thunderstorm, to a wise man, to delight, to demand, to get, to give, Tuesday Mantra, untangling, victories, wait for each other, whosoever heareth these sayings, wisdom, worry
Matthew 7:24. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a (the) rock.
And yes, a savage thunderstorm hit my area early yesterday evening and cooled down the heat and humidity some! I have to laugh though, because I went out on my front porch to check it out, but could only stay a couple of minutes as the wind soon began blowing the rain in on me and the incessant lighting wasn’t too appealing. Let’s hope that today is not as hot and humid.
Anyway, today I want to share something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, something appropriately titled ‘A Family Pledge,’ and it’s oh so appropriate to individual families as well as the family of Christ, His church.
Please pledge with me. ‘We will permit God to use our conflicts and mixed emotions as lessons in quiet growth. With LOVING patience, without ridicule or judgement, we will support each other in the gradual untangling of built-in defenses. We will focus on each other as persons made in the image of God.
We will seek to please rather than to pressure, to delight rather than to demand, to give rather than to get. We will share the humdrums as well as the highlights, the tears as well as the laughter, the defeats as well as the victories. We will not insist on perfection – rather we will anticipate growth.
We will not compete for the mountaintop, rather we will climb the mountain together. We will wait for each other if one of us gets behind. We will lift our hearts in a celebration of gratitude for God’s amazing LOVE, which makes our family LOVE possible. We will LOVE each other as we do these things.’
Oh friends, can you imagine the joy, especially in heaven, the goodwill, the glorious relationships in our cruel and evil world if we were to put those pledges into real action! And the sad part is that they don’t represent anything new, it’s just what we’re supposed to be doing all along, what we know we’re supposed to do but simply aren’t doing,
That’s why Jesus died; so that we could be one big, happy and righteous family! Instead we’re allowing the prince of darkness and his evil cronies to invade our families and Christ’s church and turn them into dens of devilry. How sad my people!
And the Bible Promise for that poem is also our Bit; immortal words of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ: ‘Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a (the) rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a (the) rock.’ (Matt.7:24-25)
My friends and fellow believers, have we built our houses, both literally and figuratively on a rock? I certainly hope so for all our sakes, especially the figurative house that wisdom dictates must be built on the rock that’s Jesus in order for our souls to survive.
Now listen to Jesus as he details the other side of the equation. ‘And everyone that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.’ (Matt.7:26-27)
Unfortunately my brethren there are way too many of us who have built and are still building our lives and our houses on sinking sand; meaning not on the words and instructions of Jesus. Now that’s a seriously irresponsible and foolish way to go, for Jesus is the ONLY way to a secure, sincere and eventual eternal life with our magnificent and magnanimous Maker and Godhead. Anything else is simply foolishness and not true.
But hear the scholars. ‘7:24-27. In drawing His concluding illustration of the two foundations, Jesus begins with the word therefore. On the basis of all that He has taught and illustrated, He concluded that all who both hear and do His sayings shall be saved. As a great Master Counselor, Jesus reminded His listener that hearing this message alone will not change his life. He must both hear and do what Jesus has said.
The elements of the closing illustration are drawn from the simplicity of nature itself, the rock, the rain, and the winds. The man whose house collapsed was at fault, not because he failed to labour, but because he did not lay the proper foundation. The shifting sand represents human opinion and the doctrines of men as opposed to “these sayings” (vs.28).’
Ah mih people, please let us not be numbered amongst those who have laboured hard, but have built their lives on the wrong foundation; the opinions and doctrines of mortal men and not those of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, our Rock and safe place of Refuge.
And for those of us who have built wisely, let’s go home now declaring to the world who and whose we are in our Tuesday Mantra. In strong voice with sincere hearts: ‘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!’
Glory be my people! Now let’s go out and do what we’ve just pledged; share Jesus’ LOVE and friendship with the world. Much LOVE!
…to LOVE…to LOVE…and yet to LOVE…that is the truly Christian way…
18 Jul 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: A Family Pledge, a foolish man, action, believers, built his house on a rock, built his house on the sand, catalyst, celebration of gratitude, Christian families, climb the mountain together, compete, conflicts, controversial, crapaud smoke yuh pipe, defeats, defenses, delight, demand, far-reaching, focus, forgiveness, friend of Jesus, generosity, get, give, God's amazing love, grace, great was the fall of it, growth, hearing, highlights, judgement, laughter, lessons, lift our hearts, liken him to a wise man, love of Christ, magnanimity, magnanimous heavenly Father, mercies, mixed emotions, naysayers, negative actions, not doing, One Year Book of Bible promises, patience, perfection, permit God, pressure, quiet growth, reign forever more, ridicule, Ruth Harms Calkin, saints of Jesus, seek to please, Sermon on the Mount, share His love, share the humdrums, society, support each other, tears, thanks and praise, the bedrock, the beloved of God, the image of God, the roack of this world, true foundation, Tuesday Mantra, victories, whosoever heareth these sayings
Matthew 7:24. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a (the) rock.
Greetings to all you faithful saints of Jesus! Just want to remind us that it’s a new day, a beautiful one in my area, and that it’s filled with new mercies, grace and forgiveness, all courtesy of our magnificent and magnanimous heavenly Father!
Mama Mia! What generosity, what magnanimity! So, if we’re wise and truly believe, then we’ll enjoy it all and give thanks and praise to the One who created us in His own holy image.
And all God’s people said a loud and thankful: ‘All praise and honour and glory be to our great God! May He continue to bless us even though we don’t deserve it, and may He reign forever more! Amen!’
Don’t worry friends, our wonderful God will do all those things because He is indeed the most powerful and generous force in the universe which He created.
Now here is one of the many ways we can serve Him faithfully; it’s through something called ‘A Family Pledge,’ and it’s taken from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. I don’t know if I’ve ever shared it before, but when I noticed it recently, it just cried out for sharing.
Please make this prayerful family pledge with me. ‘We will permit God to use our conflicts and mixed emotions as lessons in quiet growth. With LOVING patience, without ridicule or judgement, we will support each other in the gradual untangling of built in defenses. We will focus on each other as persons made in the image of God.
We will seek to please rather than to pressure, to delight rather than to demand, to give rather than to get. We will share the humdrums as well as the highlights, the tears as well as the laughter, the defeats as well as the victories. We will not insist on perfection – rather we will anticipate growth.
We will not compete for the mountaintop, rather we will climb the mountain together. We will wait for each other if one of us gets behind. We will lift our hearts in a celebration of gratitude for God’s amazing LOVE, which makes our family LOVE possible. We will LOVE each other as we do these things.’
Oh friends what a beautiful pledge! Can you imagine if even a small proportion of the numerous supposed Christian families in our world, makes such a pledge and keep it!
What a marvellous impression it would have on both believers and naysayers! Then the critics would surely have to agree that there was much more to the LOVE of Jesus Christ and His Movement than they had hitherto believed.
So please, I implore us this Tuesday morning to try and bring our families together through some such pledge nuh, some such beneficial agreement. But also, please contemplate what we can implement in that pledge as individuals, because there are many things we can put into effect on our own.
It’s got to start somewhere, so please let it begin with us nuh. We can be the catalyst for such productive and progressive action. It would certainly bring more families closer together, than the current negative actions that seem to proliferate in family affairs, and which are driving us apart, killing the bedrock, the true foundation of our society.
Yeh friends, please remember that when families wither and die in a society, that means the society is also withering and dying. That brings us to our Bit, which is also the Bible verse that our pledge was based on: Jesus famous last words at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, the most explosive, controversial and far-reaching sermon ever preached!
‘Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a (the) rock.’
Oh friends, please note that Jesus was saying that hearing all the stuff that He’d spoken about was fine, but it mattered not unless you put it into practice, into action. And unfortunately that’s what a lot of supposed Christians are doing in these end times; we hearing, but we’re not doing.
Obviously the crowds did not understand Jesus’ words, so He ended by explaining: ‘And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a (the) rock.
And everyone that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.’ (Matt.7:25-27)
Ah mih people, sadly, in this supposed enlightened day and age, a lot of people still don’t understand what Jesus was trying to say. And, as always, it was fairly simple: I am the rock of this world! Believe in me and do what I say, then you will be considered wise and your house will stand strong and tall!
Otherwise…. crapaud smoke yuh pipe! Two simple choices friends; believe in Jesus and live, or don’t believe and die.
Now, for all of us wise ones (smile) who have chosen to live for Jesus, let’s go home proudly and loudly declaring our Tuesday Mantra nuh.
‘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!’
Awright mih Christian breddren, let’s go out now and behave as God’s beloved nuh, and share the LOVE OF Jesus with those who don’t know Him. That’s all He asks of us. Much LOVE!
…as for me and mine…we will most definitely follow the Lord…
04 Apr 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: action, afraid, all things work together for good, beloved of God, beneficial, benefit the earth, called according to His purpose, Christian walk, confident, devour, enemies, failures, faith, fight the giants, foes, frined of jesus, frowns, god, God is my strength and power, God makes my way perfect, God-given, harmless way, hockey game, indisputable, investment of energy, lure, mercy, misery, my heart shall not fear, my salvation, natural, of the utmost importance, Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., overcome the world, Philistine, priorities, psalm 27, put out power, quench, sense of purpose, share His love, sincerity, smiles, Song of Deliverance, song of thanksgiving, strength, take stock, the joy of life, the light of Israel, the Lord is my light, the most powerful Being, the winter days, then that love god, tribulation, truth, Tuesday Mantra, victories, war, wasting resources, whom shall I fear
2 Samuel 22:33. God is my strength and power; and he maketh my way perfect.
Oh friends, blame it all on the game; the lure of the good ole hockey game! (smile) I began watching it late and just had to watch the whole thing. And then my beautiful body called for some decent sleep. So I couldn’t win any which way I turned. (smile)
And it looks like this rainy Tuesday morning is going to be a smiley type of morning, but nothing’s wrong with that, for smiles are way more useful and beneficial than frowns
Anyway, today I want to share one of the many famous quotes of Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. (1841-1935), an American judge and member of the Supreme Court. This one wisely declares: ‘The joy of life is to put out one’s power in some natural and useful or harmless way. There is no other, and the real misery is not to do this.’
Oh my people, are we doing this; putting out our power in a natural and useful or harmless way? I surely do hope so, otherwise we’re just wasting the resources that God, our Creator, gave to us to benefit the earth in some form and fashion.
I know we all have problems, be they physical, emotional or financial, but it is of the utmost importance that we learn how to use our resources, our energy in the most productive ways. We absolutely need to get our priorities straight so that we can live a good life with proper investment of whatever energy we have.
Wasting our precious, God-given energy on unproductive stuff is the worst mistake we can make, especially when we are in the winter days of our lives, and energy is not as plentiful as it used to be. (smile)
So let’s take stock of our lives today nuh, and see if and where we’re wasting our valuable energy, and ask the Lord to help us improve in that area. And that’s where our Bit comes in. ‘God is my strength and power; and he maketh my way perfect.’
Indisputable, gospel truth that, my brethren! And Bruh David knew it, that’s why he based his life on the strength and power of God. And so should we too my people…if we are wise.
The words of our Bit come from Bruh David’s Song of Deliverance after a battle where he was less than his usual powerful self, unable to put away a Philistine giant, and Abishai, one of his men had to do the dirty work for him.
And the end of the verse says: ‘Then the men of David sware unto him, saying, Thou shalt go no more out with us to battle, that thou quench not the light of Israel.’ (2. Sam.22:17)
Now isn’t that touching! Bruh David’s men realized that he had reached the end of his battle days and wanted no physical harm to come to their beloved king.
Oh friends, hopefully when we reach that stage of our own lives, there’ll be someone to fight the giants for us and keep us safe from harm.
Now the scholars tell us that Psalm 18 is almost identical, in fact an edited version of the psalm from which our Bit is taken. They call it ‘a royal song of thanksgiving that rehearses God’s deliverance of David from all his enemies.’
And that’s no lie, for Bruh David went through a whole lot of unfair and troubling events, and it’s only because of the Lord’s great mercy and immense strength that he made it through.
So when he declares in the opening verses of Psalm 27: ‘The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?
When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up (devour) my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.’ (Ps.27:1-3)
Oh precious people of God, that is how we feel when we walk seriously and consistently with God! We don’t fear what man can do to us, because we know that our God is the most powerful Being in the entire universe!
But to come to that point, it is necessary for us to go through the many failures as well as victories that are a part of this life. What did Jesus say? ‘In this world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33b)
And Bruh David understood that principle; through the power and strength of God, everything would eventually be made right. As Bruh Paul told the Romans: ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are called according to his purpose.’ (Rom.8:28)
And that’s a pertinent verse we all know, but don’t place sufficient faith in it, and thus are not as confident as we should be in our Christian walk.
Anyway friends, as of today all that is going to change, we are going to sincerely believe and walk confidently in the Lord’s strength and power. And we will begin doing so by declaring our Tuesday Mantra with sincerity and a true sense of purpose.
All together 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!’
And if we truly believe those words we just spoke, then let’s go out and put them into action as Jesus desires! Much LOVE!
…faith is not true faith…until it’s been put into action…
31 Oct 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adrenaline, almighty god, alone, antidote, aura of love, beaming from ear to ear, buoys my heart, calamity, Christians, complacency, complaining, confidence, covenant, curse God and die, David, David encouraged himself, desertion, dig deep down inside, dredge up, encouraging one's self in God, enthusiasm, faith, forlorn, friends, futile, glorious kingdom, heavenward, holy spirit, humble servants, in the Lord his God, invincible, Jesus Christ, Job, Jonathan, lack of energy, lethargy, lies, LOVE, misfortunes, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, pain, pick up the pace, punishment, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, salvation, salve their wounds, Satan, Saul, seek God's advice, self-pity, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, strengthened his hand, succour, sufferation, the army of Christ, the front line, Though he slay me, time to rock and roll, to give up all hope, tooth and nail, trials and tribulations, trust, truth, ungodly world, unquenchable faith, victories, wisdom, yet will I trust in him, Ziklag
1 Samuel 30:6b. …but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.
Okay friends, it’s Monday, the last day of October 2016, time to get a move on, time to rock and roll! (smile) The battle has already been joined and we need to be there to help our fellow soldiers in the army of Christ. The army of the evil one is already fighting tooth and nail, and without our help our brothers and sisters already on the front line will suffer innumerable loss.
And as always, we have the antidote for our lethargy and complacency, our lack of energy and enthusiasm, our complaining and self-pity; our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. So let’s belt it out so that we can be uplifted and enthused to get out and do Christ’s work nuh.
All together now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Good show mih breddren, good show! Our choirmaster, Jesus, was quite pleased with that rendition. The harmony and full voices were all that He expected. He was beaming from ear to ear. And you know there’s nothing more rewarding than putting a smile on Jesus’ face!
So with our human motors now running smoothly on the fuel of adrenaline, let’s pick up the pace and enthusiastically get into the fray of this new workweek without further ado.
That brings us to our Bit. ‘…but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.’
Oh friends, you won’t know how that small bit of scripture touches and buoys my heart. I can just see Bruh David sitting alone and forlorn at the entrance to the burnt out city of Ziklag, while his men mutter and complain around him, seriously talking about stoning him. He’s probably sadly shaking his head and thinking: ‘Why Lord, why eh?’
But then he remembers all the other misfortunes the Lord has successfully brought him through, the many victories the Lord had caused him to have, and his spirit lifts with the strong faith that he’s cultivated in the God of his forefathers over the years. And his next move is obviously to seek God’s advice.
The problem here though my people, is that Bruh David had to raise that faith on his own, by himself, because there was no sympathetic human being to turn to. Likewise, there will be times when we find ourselves in the same situation; alone, with others crying out for our head, like they did for Jesus’.
Friends, at those times, we have to dig deep down inside of us and dredge up the necessary faith that will lead us to Almighty God for help and guidance. For He is the ONLY One who can help us under those trying circumstances.
That reminds me of another instance in Bruh David’s life, where he was encouraged in God, but this time by his covenant brother Jonathan, Saul’s son and heir to the throne. At that time Bruh David was on the run from Saul.
The Good Book tells us. ‘And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life: and David was in the wilderness of Ziph in a wood. And Jonathan Saul’s son arose, and went into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God (encouraged him).
And he said unto him, Fear not: for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee; and that also Saul my father knoweth. And they two made a covenant before the Lord: and David abode in the wood, and Jonathan went to his house.’ (1 Sam.23:15-18)
Oh my brethren, how blessed we are when we have even one friend to offer us that sort of encouragement! Job was another man of faith who had to encourage himself in God when God allowed Satan to cause him untold calamity. His wife told him to ‘curse God, and die,’ (Job 2:9b)
That was exactly what Satan desired. But Job was not ready to give up all hope, and he reasoned that both good and evil came from God, so one had to learn to accept them both. (Job 2:10)
But better yet, when his supposed friends were tongue lashing him, Job stalwartly proclaimed: ‘Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain (defend) mine own ways before him.’ (Job 13:15)
That’s what we call unquenchable faith my fellow believers! Do we have that kind of faith? We should, but the problem is that kind of faith can only be acquired by undergoing true calamity.
And the best example of encouraging one’s self in God is obviously our Lord and Saviour Jesus. Just look at how Judas betrayed Him, Peter denied Him thrice and all His other followers deserted Him when His time came. How do you think He stood up under the total desertion and the enormous physical and emotional punishment that followed eh?
By encouraging Himself in His heavenly Father! Otherwise He would not have been able to bear the intense pain and terrible ‘sufferation’ without complaining.
So friends, I just hope that we can appreciate the importance of strong faith in our Christian walk, and that it can only be built on the foundation of trials and tribulations. Much LOVE!
…when life seems oh so futile…Christians turn their eyes, hearts and voices heavenward…where they find succour to salve their wounds…
26 Feb 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adversity, adviser, applicable to our situation, Asa, Azariah, Balaam, be strong, bless, blessing, Canaan, cedar trees, Christian faith, circumstances, cursing, dark night, do good, dwell in us, Egypt, enchantments, enemies, enlighten, eternity, fickle, foes, forsake God, fulfill the dreams, giving thanks and praise, God's awesome power, God's kingdom shall be exalted, grin and bear it, Guide, guiding, heaven, heavenly Father, help others, holy spirit, Holy Trinity, indelible ink, Israel, Jesus, Jesus' commission, Judah, leading, light of jesus, lign aloes, live our faith, LOVE, Love God, nation destroying nation, no peace, no precipitation, Old Testament, opportunity, parable, pathways of life, peace, plan and purpose, predictions, principle still stands, rise of the monarchy, saw the light, serve God and Lucifer, sorcery, Spread God's Word, stand strong and steadfast, still small voice, stray from the straight and narrow path, strength of a unicorn, sun-shiny day, the Spirit of God, the words of god, them's the breaks, trance, trouble, turmoil, vexation, victories, vision of the Almighty, visionary, walking worthy of God, warning, weather, wisdom, worldwide turmoil, your work shall be rewarded
2 Chronicles 15:1. And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded.
Well Friends, it’s shaping up to be a beautiful sun-shiny day in my area, even though the high is scheduled to be around minus 10 degrees Celsius. But despite the chilliness of the weather, we’re still giving thanks and praise to Almighty God for all that we have. Thankfully there ought to be bright sunshine with no precipitation. And that’s the most important part; no precipitation! (smile)
So Friends, wherever you are, whatever your circumstances, and whatever the weather is like, please thank and praise our heavenly Father for bringing you safely through another dark night into the day filled with the LIGHT of His most wonderful Son, Jesus.
And all God’s people loudly and gratefully declared: ‘All praise and glory be to the Lamb of God, who sacrificed His holy and sinless life for our sinful souls!’
And in doing so my brethren, Jesus set in motion the process for the third party of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit, to come into our lives and dwell with us continually, as guide and adviser.
Unfortunately, the people in the Old Testament, those who came before Jesus, didn’t have that wonderful opportunity. In those times, when needed, the Lord chose special people to bless with His Holy Spirit, to enlighten His people on whatever He desired them to know or do. And our Bit tells us of one such occasion. ‘And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded.’
Now yesterday we saw where the Lord’s Spirit led Azariah to come before king Asa and the people of Judah, and tell them about seeking the Lord and finding Him, and being forsaken by Him, if they forsook Him. (2 Chr.15:2-4) And that principle still stands today my people! If we forsake God, like we’re doing, how can we expect Him to bless us eh?
Now today I want to continue the scripture re Azariah’s warning to Asa and the people of Judah, because I think it’s very applicable to our current situation.
‘And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in, but great vexations (turmoil) were upon all the inhabitants of the countries. And nation was destroyed of (by) nation, and city of city: for God did vex (trouble) them with all adversity. Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.’ (Num.15:5-7)
Yes my people, in our present time, there is little, if any peace amongst us. Too many of us are undergoing personal turmoil. Likewise our families are battling each other like never before. And we won’t talk about the turmoil within the different societies, neither that seemingly unending turmoil between societies. So in actual fact, our world is much more connected to a state of turmoil, than one of peace and LOVE.
Now that is definitely not a very good situation my brethren, however, as the last verse there stated, in spite of the worldwide turmoil, we believers ought to stand strong and steadfast in our Christian faith, for eventually, as Jesus has so generously and faithfully promised, our diligent work in His Name will be eventually rewarded.
So please my fellow believers, let’s write that deep within our souls nuh, in indelible ink, so that we don’t forget or mistakenly erase it, and simply keep doing what Jesus has commissioned us to do; LOVE our God, ourselves and our neighbours, SPREAD His Holy Word, and LIVE our Faith, by doing good and helping others.
I also want to revisit the other instance of the Holy Spirit coming upon an individual that we spoke of yesterday. That’s Balaam, the prophet who tried to serve both God and Lucifer at the same time, which is impossible. We saw yesterday, where he finally realized that his enchantments and sorcery weren’t working, they were no match for God’s awesome power.
‘And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him.’ (Num. 24:2)
And the scholars’ explain that verse thus. ’24:2. And the spirit of God came upon him: Previously God had put a word in Balaam’s mouth (23:5,16). This phrase in verse 2 is not just a stylistic variation, but suggests that this time Balaam fell into a trance as verses 3 and 4 indicate.’
Now hear Balaam after that. ‘And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open (opened) hath said: He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:
How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel! As the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the river’s side, as the trees of lign aloes which the Lord hath planted, and as cedar trees beside the waters. He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted.
God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of a unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows. He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion: who shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee.’ (Num.24:3-9)
Yes Friends, Balaam finally saw the light with his ‘visionary predictions of Israel’s future settlement in Canaan, the rise of the monarchy, and victories over specific foes.’ (scholars’ note).
Oh my fellow believers, just like the Lord used His Holy Spirit to enlighten the fickle Balaam, He’s using it today to also enlighten us, re His plan and purpose for our lives, plus leading and guiding us along the rough pathways of life, so that we can fulfill the dreams He’s placed in our hearts, while walking worthy of Him.
Friends, please listen to that still small voice that speaks to us from deep within, for it is the Spirit of God. That’s wisdom, for now and all eternity! Much LOVE!
…when we listen to God’s voice within us…we won’t stray from the straight and narrow path…which to leads to heaven… and to Jesus…
P.S. It’s a tad long and a bit late, but them’s the breaks, just grin and bear it. (smile) Much LOVE!
SCRIP-BITS 