07 Nov 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a spoiled child, abundant life, atonement, be my Helper, blood, burning passion, captivating love, challenging, deprivation, disobedient, eternity, exaltation, eyes fixed straight ahead, foolish fears, for our benefit, forgive, full of adventure, glad to be alive, God's blessings, good things, gospel truth, guide me, halfway home, hand in the pie, hands on the plough, heavenly-minded, hold me, I resisted, I struggled, into a song, joy, just deserts, like the eagle's, Lord, magnanimous god, moth rust destroy, mount up with wings as eagles, my Friend, my light in the darkness, my vain grasping, not be weary, not faint, not looking back, obeying God, on a good foot, One Year Book of Bible promises, our sins, overwhelm me, praise, renew their strength, reverence, rewards, rich, run, Ruth Harms Calkin, satisfies thy mouth, seize me, shattered, shenanigans, spoiled brats, staggered, steady me, thanks, the breath of life, the dungeons of hell, there is your heart, thieves steal, thread my tears, thy youth is renenwed, to a glorious future with Jesus, torn with grief, transitory change, treasures in heaven, treasures on earth, unconditional LOVE, undeserving child, wait upon the Lord, walk, Wednesday Wail, where your treasure is, willful pride, with your wisdom, you love to say yes, your counsel
Psalm 103:5. Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Now please don’t blame me for this early Bit, blame my mechanic. (smile) He gave me an early appointment to come and get my chariot fixed, which means I have to get out there and face the early morning traffic shenanigans. But what to do eh? I’ve been waiting to get this particular repair done since before I went away, so I can’t put it off again.
And to get us all off on a good foot, this cold but dry Wednesday morning, here is this wonderful poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. This one’s titled, ‘Lord, You LOVE to Say Yes.’ And does He ever!
Please pray with me: ‘Lord, I asked You for abundant life Rich, challenging, full of adventure And You said yes. I asked You for an undisturbable joy Independent of transitory change And You said yes. I asked You to thread my tears into a song When I was shattered and torn with grief And You said yes. I asked You to steady me when I staggered – To hold me when I struggled To seize me when I resisted And You said yes.
I asked You to forgive my vain grasping My foolish fears, my willful pride And You said yes. I asked You to be my Helper, my Friend My light in the darkness And you said yes. I asked You to guide me all my life With Your wisdom, Your counsel Your captivating LOVE And You said yes. Sometimes Lord I feel like a spoiled child who gets whatever he asks for. You overwhelm me with joy For You just LOVE to say Yes!’
And isn’t that the gospel truth my brethren? We have such an awesome generous, and magnanimous God, that we sometimes indeed feel like spoiled brats. And the great thing about it is that He has no real reason to treat us as generously as He does, because we’re such disobedient and undeserving child, but that amazing, unconditional LOVE that fills His heart towards us, just makes it impossible for Him to give us our just deserts.
Please give Him plenty praise and thanks and reverence and exaltation, because He is such a wonderful God! There’s NONE OTHER LIKE HIM! Glory Hallelujah! Now enough with the praise, because if you give me a chance, I can sing His praises all day long! (smile)
And the Bible Promise for that poem is also our Bit; thankful words of Bruh David as he offers thanksgiving for God’s mercy: ‘Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ Ah friends, sometimes when I sit down and think about all the goodness that the Lord has bestowed on me, tears come to my eyes.
And we have a perfect example of that in my recent vacation to Jamaica. Wow! Was it ever good…and did people ever LOVE on me…! Chuh! It was just amazing the way everything came together. His hand must have been in the pie; otherwise it could not have been so tasty! (smile)
And I’m sure I’m not the only one who enjoys God’s blessings, so I don’t understand why we’re so reluctant to LOVE and obey Him, giving so much of our time and space instead to the evil ruler of this evil world. My fellow believers, Jehovah God LOVES us with a burning LOVE, a passion that knows no end! That we can never dispute after He so sacrificially gave His sinless Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to be the blood atonement for our sins!
And all He’s asking in return is that we obey His laws and exalt His name…Is that too much to ask? Certainly not! But here is the kicker: All He asks us to do is not for His benefit, but for ours. So if we refuse to live according to His will, we are the ones who will suffer, both here on earth and in the dungeons of hell later on.
Please remember these significant words of Jesus. ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break in and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ (Matt.6:19-21)
And that’s indisputable truth friends! Wherever our treasure is stored, there will our hearts be. And the sad fact of the matter is that too many of us are concentrating on storing up treasure here in the world, where it begins to decay from the moment you get it, and everybody wants to take it away from you. So please, let’s be more heavenly-minded nuh. Remember it’s up there we will spend eternity, and we can’t carry anything from down here with us.
And to lift us back up again, after all that admonishment, (smile) listen to this well-known and much quoted verse from Isaiah. ‘But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary, and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is.40:31) More indisputable, gospel truth my brethren! Give God the glory!
Now let’s go home declaring (Steups! Spelled it wrong again!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all the world know our current position in Jesus. As one 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 do I ever look forward to that glorious future! Hope you do too. Much LOVE!
…the rewards of obeying God…both earthly and heavenly…more than outweigh the deprivation we might suffer doing so…
19 Apr 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a clean heart, accumulate, affluence of the wicked, asaph, boastful, bring us joy, Christ is Lord, Christians, compassionate heart, courage, creativity, curse, cut off, disgusting situations, dreary looking day, envious, every knee must bow, every tongue confess, evil doers, God is good, God is the strength of my heart, God's sanctuary, great commission, great invitation, Hallelujah, happiness, I had stumbled, important aspects, inherit the earth, light, live for Jesus, Love of Jesus, my feet were almost gone, my flesh and my heart fails, negative word, no words, our faith, peace, positive outlook, power, prosper, prosperous wickedness, relationship with god, repented, self-control, self-discipline, seriously enough, sold their souls, succeed, talent, thank the Lord for Jesus, the foolish, the name above every other, the prosperity, the things of the world, the wicked, Thursday Blessings, to do Christ justice, to the glory of God, ungodliness, wait upon the Lord, wealth of the world, wisdom
Psalm 73:3. For I was envious at the foolish (boastful), when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
Ah mih people, it’s a good thing that we have the light, the power, peace and LOVE of Jesus residing within us yes, otherwise when we look outside all we’d see is the beginning of another cold, damp and dreary looking day. Steups!
Thank the Lord for Jesus oui! Shout ‘Hallelujah!’ and praise His most wonderful and holy name. The name that’s above every other name and to which every knee must bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord, to the glory of our heavenly Father.
Mama Mia! How beautiful is our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ eh? There are no words in the human vocabulary to do Him justice! And when we add all the sad and disgusting situations existing in our current world and it’s exceeding ungodliness, it just makes us want to LOVE and live for Jesus even more.
Now over the last two days we have spoken about Jesus’ Great Commission and His Great Invitation, but yuh know what friends, too many of us Christians are not taking those very important aspects of our faith seriously enough.
Unfortunately we are turning to the things of the world to bring us joy, peace and happiness; seeking to accumulate the wealth of the world, so that we can leave lots of it behind for our families and lawyers to fight over when we depart this life.
Oh my breddren, too many of us are behaving like the psalmist Asaph when he wrote Psalm 73 – The mystery of prosperous wickedness. Hear how he opens it: ‘Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean (pure) heart. But as for me, my feet were almost gone (I had almost stumbled); my steps had well-nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish (boastful), when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.’ (Ps.73:1-3)
Yeh friends, just like Asaph, many, too many of us are looking at the prosperity of the wicked and are being envious and jealous of them and trying to be like them. But that’s not our calling my people. We are called to be righteous and to do good in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour!
And if we do that, we’ll end up as Jesus promised: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33) Yes, if we look to God first, He will provide all that we need. As Bruh Paul said to the Philippians: ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by (through) Christ Jesus.’ (Phil.4:19)
It’s obvious though that many of us either don’t know those promises or don’t believe or adhere to them since we are so busily seeking the things of the world, which eventually perish and we have to leave behind anyway. We seem to think like Asaph did, even though he was a highly spiritual man, as he continues after our Bit.
‘For there are no bands (pangs or pain) in their death: but their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men. Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain (serves as a necklace); violence covereth them as a garment. Their eyes stand out with fatness (bulge with abundance): they have more than heart could wish.’ (Ps.73:4-7)
Yeh friends, the ungodly and wicked are currently prospering in this evil world, but it won’t be forever. Listen as Bruh David tells about the true state of the wicked. ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.’ (Ps.37:3)
And the scholars explain: ‘Psalm 73: This psalm is another dealing with the problem of the prosperity of the wicked. Unlike Psalm 37, however, it does not emphasize the brevity of that prosperity. The author observes that sometimes the bounty achieved by the wicked does in fact last throughout life (v.4).
He emphasizes every believer’s need to test his own personal relationship with God. That alone provides the ultimate satisfaction available to the believer who witnesses the affluence of the wicked. That’s a fact that almost caused him to stumble spiritually and lose his faith.’
Ah mih people, I know that we suffer from the same problem, but like Asaph, we can also overcome it. And how did he do so? Hear him: ‘Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.’ (Ps.73:17)
Yes my fellow believers, as the scholars further explain: ‘Not until the psalmist entered God’s sanctuary and received a divine perspective on the wicked’s prosperity did he find his answer to the problem (vs.17-28) He saw the destiny of the wicked (vs.17-20); therefore he repented of his foolishness (vs.21-22) and found his happiness solely in a warm and growing relationship with God (vs.23-28).’
And so can we my brethren, if we look solely to God for our earthly sustenance and not be envious of those who seem to have it all, for who knows if they sold their souls to achieve that power and abundance. And eventually, like Asaph, we will also be able to declare: ‘My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength (rock) of my heart, and my portion for ever.’ (Ps.73:26)
And having said that, let’s go home now declaring our Thursday Blessings, those wonderful attributes the Lord pours down on those sincerely believe and stand steadfast with Him. All together now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
And the corollary to that, is to now go out and generously share those blessings with the less fortunate, as Jesus intends for us to do. Much LOVE!
…evil doers shall be cut off…but those that wait upon the Lord…shall inherit the earth… (Ps.37:9)
07 Nov 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a spoiled child, abundant life, adore, adventure, Amen, appreciate the upside, arise, attributes, beloved of God, benefits, bland, bless the Lord, boosting, captivating love, children of God, chuckle, comforts us, counsel, Creator, crowns you, destruction, diseases, do god's work, doting, dries our tears, everlasting God, exalt, exciting, faints not, fly, followers of Jesus, foolish fears, forget not, forgive, forgives, friend, friend of Jesus, gives power to the faint, gladness, glorify, glory to God, God's mercy, good things, gospel truth, guide me, heals, heard, heavenly Father, Helper, hold me, hurry, immortal words, increases strength, iniquities, into a song, is not weary, Isaiah, Jesus' love, joy, known, lifted my spirits, light in the darkness, like eagles, like the eagle's, Lord, LOVE, loving-kindness, makes straight our paths, mount up with wings, my vain grasping, new, One Year Book of Bible promises, overwhem me, peace, promise God, prophetic words, redeems, renew their strength, resisted, run, Ruth Harms Calkin, same ole, satisfies thy mouth, searching of his understanding, see the downside, seize me, serve, share His love, shattered, soar, staggered, steady me, struggled, tender mercies, thanksgiving, thread my tears, thy youth is renewed, torn with grief, transitory change, Tuesday Mantra, unexciting, ungrateful brats, wait upon the Lord, walk, weak, wisdom, work and more work, workweek, worry, worship, you love to say yes, you said yes, young men, youths
Psalm 103:5. Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
So we’re into the second day of our workweek friends…what’s new and exciting eh? And most of us simply shake our heads and mutter: ‘Nothing nuh. Just the same ole, same ole, work and more work.’
And yes, unfortunately, that’s the way most of life is; bland and unexciting. But if we are followers of Jesus, we ought to at least have some of His LOVE, joy and peace in our supposedly bland lives, because those are three attributes He endeavours to give to all who sincerely believe in Him.
Now here is this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, which demonstrates Jesus’ LOVE and doting on us. It’s titled, ‘Lord, You LOVE to Say Yes.’
Please pray with me: ‘Lord, I asked you for abundant life Rich, challenging, full of adventure And You said Yes. I asked you for an undisturbable joy Independent of transitory change And You said Yes.
I asked You to thread my tears into a song When I was shattered and torn with grief And You said Yes. I asked You to steady me when I staggered – To hold me when I struggled To seize me when I resisted And You said Yes.
I asked You to forgive my vain grasping My foolish fears, my willful pride And You said Yes. I asked You to be my Helper, my friend My Light in the darkness And You said Yes.
I asked You to guide me all my life With Your wisdom, Your counsel Your captivating LOVE And You said Yes. Sometimes Lord I feel like a spoiled child Who gets whatever he asks for. You overwhelm me with joy For You LOVE to say Yes!’
Oh friends, I don’t know about you all nuh, but typing out that poem just made me chuckle and lifted my spirits, because that’s exactly how our heavenly Father treats us when we come to Him in sincerity and truth – like a spoiled child.
And oh, isn’t it wonderful to have a doting and concerned Father like that? A Father who looks after ALL our needs, brings joy and gladness to out hearts, makes straight our paths with His eternal wisdom, dries our tears and comforts us when we hurt? Ohhhh, it surely is!
The problem though is that most of us don’t see and appreciate the upside of our wonderful God, when He uplifts us. We just see the downside, when he doesn’t do, or give us what we want. Then we really behave like spoiled, ungrateful brats!
That brings us to these wonderful and immortal words of Bruh David 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.’ (Ps.103:2-5)
Oh my people, what a wonderful God we serve and worship! And the Bible Promise for the poem above is also our Bit! Glory to God! He satisfies us with good things and renews us like an eagle, so that we can soar and fly in His universe and do all the things He requires of us!
So why won’t we LOVE, adore, exalt, glorify, worship and obediently serve Him eh? Why are we allowing the evil fool Lucifer to get the better of our world and us eh? Please listen to these prophetic and true words of Isaiah on the subject.
‘Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint (weak); and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is.40:28-31)
What a glorious bit of scripture my people! We all know it, and oftimes spout it too, so why don’t we live it eh? Only God really knows.
However, from this day henceforth, I’m asking us to promise God, and us, to live with that awesome promise boosting our hearts and spirits, so that we can diligently do His work with joy and peace, knowing that He will always be with us.
And all God’s people said a loud and heartfelt ‘Amen!’
Now let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, proudly letting the world know who and whose we are! In strong voice and sincere sense of purpose:
‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am thebeloved 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!’
Mama Mia! What gospel truth! Now let’s go out and prove it to the unbelieving world as Jesus desires of us. Much LOVE!
…children of God…be not faint…arise and retake his kingdom…
01 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a few pennies, alertness, back to school, benefits, bless the Lord, blood, chanting up a storm, Christians, cold weather, common sense, comrades, cottage season, deceit, direction, eagles, earthly journey, enthusiasm. week of work, evil attributes, evil soul, fellowship, forget not, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's kingdom, generous help, hard done by, heavenly Father, in Jesus' name, iniquities, intercession, judgement, knowledgeable guide, labour day weekend, lay the eggs, leggo beasts, lies, LOVE, loving-kindness, massa . take advantage, measly pay, merciful gracious, mercy, motivating, mount up with wings, navigate, no rights, not be weary, not faint, on the same page, perilous waters, relaxation, renew their strength, rest, rewarded us, righteousness, run, September, sincerity, sinful properties, sins, slow to anger, stability, sweat, tears, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the children of Israel, the east is from the west, the forefront of our thoughts, the workingman, transgressions, wait upon the Lord, waiting on god, walk, walk in tandem, we are dust, wiles
Isaiah 40:31. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Ah friends, it’s Friday already! Can you believe it? And not only that, it’s also the first day of September! Glory Be! The days sure are passing rather quickly. Labour Day is here, meaning it’s back to school, and also that the cold weather is just around the corner. Hn!
But we should not be too surprised, or it should not make much of a difference because it has not been a really hot summer. The important thing here though is that this is the last long weekend of the summer. Cottage season will soon be over, and thus the workingman is chanting up a real storm today.
‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! The weekend is here…the Labour Day weekend to boot! That’s when we celebrate all our fallen and hard-done by comrades over the years, where massa take real advantage on him!
Them days he even had to work the weekend…for the same measly pay. But through plenty blood, sweat and tears we manage to wrestle two days off from massa evil soul, and a few pennies more in pay.
That’s why this weekend we going to laugh and play, dance and sing and make merry, behave like leggo beast, in remembrance of them real rough days earlier on! Thank God for Fridays and the weekends yes!’
Oh my people, it’s important to remember those who have gone before us and weathered the awful stormy times when the ordinary workingman had no rights and was treated rather harshly by the powers that be.
But as sincere Christians, we should not be behaving like leggo beasts, because that only gives the enemy openings into our spirits to lay the eggs of his evil attributes, like deceit and lies and a host of other sinful properties. We need to be extra careful how we conduct ourselves in all situations.
And for the weekend, our Friday Chant offers a much better alternative to the workingman’s song. Let’s declare it now nuh, with suitable sincerity and enthusiasm.
‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yeh friends, wherever we are, and whatever we’re doing, we should always have Jesus in the forefront of our thoughts and hearts, for it is only through His intercession, the working of His Holy Spirit in us, that we can truly handle the enemy and all his wiles and lies.
After a long week of work, both our bodies and souls get tired and need refreshing if we’re to handle the upcoming week with any degree of alertness and success. That’s why our Bit is such a powerful and motivating piece of scripture.
‘But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’
Waiting on God and being on the same page with Him is essential for our very well–being my brethren! If we’re not in sync with Him then our lives will be wishy-washy and we’ll be drifting hither, thither and yon, rudderless, and also without a pilot.
Now that’s definitely not a good way to live this life. We need some stability and direction and a knowledgeable guide to help us navigate the perilous waters of this earthly journey. And there’s no one as qualified for the job as the One who created us in the first place.
Listen to how Bruh David puts it in 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.’ (Ps.103:2-5)
How wonderful is that eh friends? Who else looks after us like our Creator eh? NOBODY! Because NOBODY cares for us like He does! So if we’re not wise enough to surrender our souls to Him, and place our complete trust in His all-knowing hands and ever-LOVING heart, then we’ve nobody to blame but ourselves.
Hear some more of Bruh David’s words from Psalm 103. ‘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: 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 him. For he knoweth our frame (understands our constitution); he remebereth that we are dust.’ (Ps.103:6-14)
Oh my people, what else can we truthfully expect from our great God eh? Nothing really, because He gives us all that we need when we walk in tandem with Him.
So if we’re not having our needs fulfilled, then it possibly means that we’re not walking hand in hand with our heavenly father, and only we, as individuals, with His help of course, can fix that. Much LOVE!
…walking in step with Christ is simple common sense…since He created and controls us…
02 May 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: as with a shield, be weary, bless the Lord oh my soul, bless the righteous, blessings, blustery, chilly, Christians, comapss, crowns thee, defend, earthly pilgrimage, ever-faithful God, faint, fall, false conclusion, favour, flying colours, fog, forget not his benefits, forgiveness, fullness of joy, glory to God, good, gospel truth, grace, grateful to be alive, He gives power to the faint, in thy presence, incessant rains, increases strength, Isaiah, Jesus Christ, like the eagle's, LOVE, loving-kindness, mercies, mount up with wings, my friend Jesus, One Year Book of Bible promises, our Lord and Saviour, persevere, pleasures for evermore, redeemeth thy life, rejoice, renew their strength, run, Ruth Harms Calkin, satisfies thy mouth, share His love, surrender, the beloved of God, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the path of life, the Promise of Abundant Life, thy right hand, thy youth is renewed, trust, Tuesday Mantra, wait upon the Lord, walk and not faint, weak, weather forecasters
Psalm 103:2. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.
Well friends, at least we’ve begun today better than we did yesterday. Yeh, there is no fog clouding up the place, though it’s still a tad chilly and blustery.
Let’s hope though, that the incessant rains that plagued us through most of the later day-time hours and evening don’t return, as promised by the weather forecasters, because I need to go out the street and do some stuff today, and I really don’t feel like trampling around through the rain. (smile)
But be that as it may, I’m still glad, excited, enthusiastic and ever grateful to be alive on this spring morning of 2017! Glory to our Most High God!
Now here is a li’l something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s short and simple and titled ‘The Promise of Abundant Life.’
Please declare with me: ‘Lord, you always bring ultimate good to those who LOVE you. May I never surrender to the false conclusion that you have no more for me than what I already have.’
But unfortunately that’s something a lot of us Christians feel and believe. However friends, I’m here to tell us today, that our God’s great mercies and blessings and grace and forgiveness have not even begun to truly flow upon us, so vast is His storehouse of those things.
And the verse associated with that promise comes from Psalm 16, where Bruh David seeks preservation and blessing and faithfully declares: ‘Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.’ (Ps.16:11) And isn’t that the gospel truth my fellow believers? It surely is!
And that flows very nicely into our ongoing Bit: ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.’
And again, we need to remember that there are numerous benefits to one’s association with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
Now we’ve been reviewing some of the benefits listed by Bruh David after our Bit. Today we’ll move on to verse 4: ‘Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVING-kindness and tender mercies.’ (Ps.103:4)
Wow! What an awesome verse of promise and assurance friends! And we know that our wonderful God did eventually provide redemption for us through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, an act of such outstanding, amazing and awesome LOVE; one that has never been, and can never be matched!
But listen to how Bruh David saw it in his time, and how he engraved it in everlasting words for us from Psalm 5 – A prayer for protection.
‘But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that LOVE thy name be joyful in thee. For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass (surround) him as with a shield.’ (Ps.5:11-12)
So why are we supposed believers not much more joyful than we are in these trying times eh? With such a promise, and many more like that, none of us should be walking around with sad, droopy, poor-me-one attitudes and countenances.
But we’ll leave that for another day, because I want to finish this Bit today…and I hear a sigh of relief from some quarters. (smile)
Now let’s move on to verse 5, which tells us of these benefits. ‘Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ (Ps.103:5)
And we all know the immortal words of Isaiah on this topic. ‘He giveth power to the faint (weak); and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is.40:29-31)
Oh my fellow believers, today I’m imploring us to firmly grasp and hold tight to the many promises of our wonderful God, because in them we find the strength and wherewithal to fight the many battles we encounter in our earthly pilgrimage.
It won’t always be easy, but if we believe and persevere, we will come through with flying colours, because our ever-faithful God has promised it!
Now let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra in true belief and sincerity. ‘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 share that awesome LOVE of Jesus with each and every one we meet today, for that’s what He desires of us. Much LOVE!
… the benefits of being associated with God…are so amazing and so plentiful…that our finite minds can’t conceive even half of them…
P.S. Please let me apologize for my typo at the end of yesterday’s Bit, where I said that everything in this world belongs to God, ‘let’s forget it.’ Obviously it should be ‘let’s NOT forget it.’ I’m sure you all realized that, but please forgive the ole fella anyway. (smile) I corrected it in the Blog later. Much LOVE!
02 Nov 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 110 percent, a faithful Creator, a glorious future with Jesus, apostle, assurance of salvation, be counted, brought to his knees, case from anger, Christians, commit thy way, confidence, cut off, delight thyself, destroyed, enthusiasm, evildoers, faithful, for I know whom I have believed, for the which cause, forsake wrath, fret not thyself, giving everything, glad to be alive, glory, glory hallelujah, God's gifts, God's grace, halfway home, hands on the plough, he is able to keep, honour, I also suffer these things, I am not ashamed, I am persuaded, inherit the earth, Jesus is the best, judgement, justice, keeping of their souls, mercies, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, negatives, new blessings, no leftovers, not looking back, obedient, passion, positives, preacher, principles, prospers, Rest in the Lord, righteousness, salvation, sincerity, stand up, stewards, teacher, template, thank God, that which I have committed unto him, the breath of life, the desires of thine heart, the judgement seat of christ, the noonday, the will of God, this is the day the Lord has made, Timothy, today's journey, trust, trust in the Lord, until that day, wait upon the Lord, walk of faith, walking in God's will, we will rejoice and be glad in it, Wednesday Wail, well doing, wicked devices schemes
2 Timothy 1:12. For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against (until) that day.
And then it was Wednesday! Yes friends, it’s a brand new day filled with brand new blessings and mercies made especially for this day. No leftovers or anything from yesterday.
So please let’s appreciate it as such and seek all that our wonderful God has prepared for us today, starting by proclaiming with confidence; ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it.” (Ps.118:24)
That’s the first step in today’s journey my people, acknowledging that we will enjoy the day. That will just lead us to focus on all the positives in our lives and not the negatives.
And to help us do that, let’s wail our Wednesday Wail, again with supreme confidence, overwhelming enthusiasm, strong passion and heartfelt sincerity.
Wailing: ‘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!’
Oh my people, what a wonderful declaration!Who isn’t glad that they are alive today eh? I certainly am!
And the breath of life is one of God’s greatest gifts to us mere mortals. Consequently, it should be highly appreciated, for a lot of people have lost that gift just today, and we are the blessed ones.
And on top of all that, we’re being faithful and obedient in our walk of faith, looking ahead to a glorious future with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Wow friends; that is the ‘mostest!’ (smile)
Yeh, nothing can beat a long and glorious time with Jesus, for He is the BEST!
That’s why, when Bruh Paul was finally brought to his knees by Jesus, he spent the rest of his earthly life working his ‘soulcase’ out in his honour and glory!. Long time I haven’t hear that word ‘soulcase.’ It just means giving your everything, 110 percent.
Therefore, as a preacher, an apostle and a teacher to the Gentiles, he could confidently declare to the young pastor Timothy, the words of our Bit.
‘For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against (until) that day.’
And the scholars offer these insights into that verse. ‘1:12. Persuaded (Gr. peitho): The perfect tense indicates that “I was persuaded in the past and remain so now.“ That he is able to keep refers to the assurance of salvation which is committed…against that day, when we will stand before the judgement seat of Christ.’
Yuh see friends, our faith and our assurance of salvation are not things to be trifled with. They are very serious aspects of our lives, both here on earth and in eternity.
That means we have to be strong in Jesus, be fully committed to doing His earthly work, being good ambassadors for Him, not ashamed of Him, or be afraid to stand up and be counted in His name. Only then can we consider ourselves true followers.
Believers believe, but followers act on their beliefs!
Now hear this corroboration of Bruh Paul’s words by Peter, talking about being good stewards of God’s grace. ‘Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.’ (1 Pet.4:19)
And so it should be my brethren! If we’re walking in and suffering in God’s will, then it’s only logical that we should commit our very beings to Him, especially since He is also our Creator, and a faithful one at that.
But it’s Bruh David who puts it in true layman’s terms, as he confidently declares in Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked. ‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on his faithfulness).
Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday.
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass.
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (for it only causes harm). For evildoers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps.37:3-9)
Oh friends, I couldn’t put it any better. Bruh David has laid out the template for all Christians in that short passage of scripture. If we sincerely adhere to it, then we won’t go wrong.
Please, I implore us to check our lives today and see if we’re adhering to those wise principles, and as always, ask the Lord to help us wherever we are not coming up to scratch. Much LOVE!
…a Christian’s vocabulary should abound in these words…trust, delight, commit, rest and fret not…
05 Jun 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: affirmation of faith, angels, anger, as for me and mine, at his feet, blameless, cease from anger, Christendom, come alive, commit thy way, confidently trust the Lord, consequences, crown him Lord of all, cut off, death, delight, destroyed, discouragement, do good, dwell in the land, encouraging, envious, ever-faithful, everlasting song, evil men, evildoers, exciting life, failure, faith, formula, forsake wrath, fret not, glory, Glory be, God's sanctuary, grace, hope, Hour of Power Devotional, I will move, immoral, inherit the earth, iniquity, Israelite, life boring death, majesty ascribe, move forward, National Anthem of Christendom, omnipotent god, pardon, peace of mind, pious, power, praise, prayer, prostrate, providence, raised the roof, ransomed, recipe, responsive, rest, reversal of fortunes, righteousness, robert h schuller, rooted out, sacred throng, saves you by his grace, seed of Israel, shame, short-lived, strange women, strength, success, Sunday, the Lord's Day, the Lord's presence, the perfect, the power of Jesus name, the Promised Land, the royal diadem, the upright, the wicked, tongue, transgressors, tribe, uplifting, wait patiently, wait upon the Lord, we will follow the Lord, weakness, wickedness, wisdom, worship, wrath
Proverbs 2:21. For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect (blameless) shall remain in it.
Welcome my fellow believers to this blessed and glorious day called Sunday – the best day of the week! And so it should be since its’ the Lord’s Day. And what better way to begin our proceedings than with some praise and worship, so please sing with me this popular old hymn, which is sometimes called the ‘National Anthem of Christendom.’
As one now my people, let’s raise the roof of God’s sanctuary with the passion of our praise and worship. ‘All hail the power of Jesus’ name! Let angels prostrate fall. Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown him Lord of all. Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown him Lord of all!
O seed of Israel’s chosen race now ransomed from the fall, hail him who saves you by his grace, and crown him Lord of all. Hail him who saves you by his grace, and crown him Lord of all! Let every tongue and every tribe responsive to his call, to him all majesty ascribe, and crown him Lord of all. To him all majesty ascribe, and crown him Lord of all!
Oh, that with all the sacred throng we at his feet may fall! We’ll join the everlasting song and crown him Lord of all. We’ll join the everlasting song and crown him Lord of all. Amen!’
And having raised the roof not only of our sanctuary, but also of heaven, let’s tone it down a little with some heartfelt prayer as devised by Gramps Schuller (Robert H Schuller) from his Hour of Power Devotional, titled ‘I Will Move…’ I’m fairly sure that we’ve prayed it before, but as we keep on saying, once it’s nice, it’s okay to pray it twice. (smile)
So please pray with me. ‘Lord, I want your heart to be in my heart. For in you I come alive, moving ahead from boring death to exciting life! In your promises, I will move from discouragement to hope. In your pardon, I will move from shame to glory. In your power, I will move from weakness to strength. In your providence, I will move from failure to success! Thank you, Lord. Amen.’
Oh friends, what an awesome prayer! It highlights all we can do and become, how we’ll move positively forward when we acknowledge and sincerely maintain the Lord’s presence in our lives! Glory be!
And all of that just nicely and naturally segues into our Bit; wise words from Cousin Sol, as he talks about staying away from evil men and strange (immoral) women. ‘For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect (blameless) shall remain in it.’
And that’s a fact my brethren, as Cousin Sol explains in the next verse. ‘But the wicked shall be cut off (destroyed) from the earth (land), and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.’ (Prov.2:22)
Precious people, it couldn’t get any plainer than that. Righteousness will undoubtedly overcome wickedness. That’s the promise of our ever-faithful and omnipotent God, so I wouldn’t go doubting His Word in favour of Lucifer’s lies.
And if you don’t believe Cousin Sol, then listen to his father, Bruh David, from Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked. ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on his faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass.
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (it only causes harm). For evildoers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon (look diligently for) the Lord, shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps.37:1-9)
Ah mih breddren, what wonderful words of wisdom…and from a man who lived them! Now let’s hear some interesting explanations from the scholars on those verses.
‘Psalm 37. The psalm is written in the form of an acrostic, although our numbering is out of step with the Hebrew. There is no logical outline to the psalm, so it is best studied according to its topics. The major point of the psalm seems to be that the wicked’s prosperity is short-lived.
Though David was troubled by the prosperity of the unrighteous, he knew by faith that their undeserved bounty would be cut off. His underlying belief is that God will intervene in His time. Then the present, temporary reversal of fortunes will be set right and the righteous “shall inherit the earth” (vv.9, 11, 22, 29, 34).
The mention of inheriting the earth would be encouraging and uplifting to the pious Israelite since all of God’s blessing was connected with the Promised Land. In contrast to this blessed destiny the wicked “shall be cut off,” an expression used often in the Old Testament of a violent death.
The psalm also contains the simple formula for achieving peace of mind in the face of the wicked’s prosperity: fret not…neither be thou envious (v.1), trust…do good(v.3), delight thyself also in the Lord (v.4), commit thy way…trust (v.5), rest…wait patiently…fret not (v.7), cease from anger…forsake wrath…fret not (v.8).
All of those exhortations urge the believer to confidently trust the Lord with all of life’s problems. The psalm concludes appropriately with an undying affirmation of faith and trust in the unchanging character of God.’
What more can I say eh friends? Right there you have the perfect recipe for the best life here on planet earth. It’s now up to you to choose whom to follow. But as for me and mine, without a doubt, we will follow the Lord. Much LOVE!
…it all boils down to…trust, faith and belief in Almighty God…you either do…or you don’t…but remember to consider the consequences of each option before making your choice…
16 Aug 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a loss for words, Aloha Friends and neighbours, anguish, ask for the old paths, darkness, death, deliverance, disaster, divine revelation, evil, false prophets, familiar spirits, find rest for your souls, for signs and wonders, glorify your father in heaven, good works, hidden under a bushel, history repeats itself, holy spirit, house of Jacob, hungry, Israel, jehovah god, Jeremiah, Judah's destruction, let your light so shine, life, light of the world, lord of hosts, LOVE, Lucifer, male soothsayers, mediums, priest, profane, profane the name of God, prophet Habakkuk, punishment, righteousness., run rampant, salt has lost its flavour, salt of the earth, secrets of darkness, seek God, slippery ways, speechless, spiritism, stand in the ways and see, stubborn refusal, though it tarry, traditional ways, troubled times, truth of the matter, ungodly world, wait for it, wait upon the Lord, way of the ungodly, where is the good way, wickedness, witches, wizards, Zion
Jeremiah 6:16. Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, we shall not walk therein.
Aloha Friends and Neighbours! The ole fella is at a loss for words this Saturday morning. Can you believe that? Chuh!
Well it happens to best of us at times, but I’m sure it won’t be for long, once the Holy Spirit jumps into the breach and shows me what our great God wants to talk to us about today.
Yeh, the anointing is taking a little while to come, (smile) but come it will. As the prophet Habakkuk says, ‘though it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come, it will not tarry.” (Hab. 2:3b)
Yes Friends, the Lord will not leave me speechless for long… then look out! You might end up wishing that He had left me speechless. (smile)
Anyway my brethren, let’s get to our Bit, so hopefully I can finish it up today. ‘Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, we will not walk therein.’
And before we go any further, listen to these comments from the scholars. ‘6:16. The people’s stubborn refusal to walk in the traditional ways of true righteousness is often mentioned by Jeremiah (12:16; 18:15; 23:12; 31:21).
Moving in their own paths and following their own way could lead only to Judah’s destruction (cf. Prov. 14:12) The contrast of the way of righteousness and life with the way of the ungodly and death is often made in the Scriptures (e.g. Ps.1; Matt.7:13-14).’
Oh Friends, I shared Jer.18:15 with you yesterday, now listen to this other scripture from Jerry that the scholars identify, which deals with the fate that awaits the false prophets.
‘For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness saith the Lord. Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil (disaster) upon them, even the year of their visitation (punishment), saith the Lord.’ (Jer.23:11-12)
Oh my people, how does history ever repeat itself eh? For in these troubled times there are also many false prophets and priests who exhibit wickedness rather than righteousness and profane the Lord’s Word. Don’t worry though, eventually they will pay the price, just as the Lord promised.
But listen to this passage from Isaiah, re deliverance foreshadowed: ‘And I will wait upon the Lord, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him. Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.
And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits (are mediums), and unto wizards that peep (whisper), and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead (hard pressed) and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves (be enraged), and curse (by) their king and their God, and look upward. And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness (gloom) of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness.’ (Is.8:17-22)
Now hear how the scholars characterize that scripture: ‘8:19-22. Familiar spirits refers to witches, and wizards refers to male soothsayers. Peep and…mutter is better rendered “chirp and whisper.” In times of distress people often turn to witchcraft instead of God.
The prophet warns them not to seek these mediums for the living to the dead, that is “Do not consult the dead on behalf of the living.” This warning speaks against spiritism and calls the reader back to the law and… the testimony as the only basis for interpreting a claim to divine revelation.’
But unfortunately my brethren, in these sad, troubled and fearful times, those who trade in the secrets of darkness are seeing a renaissance of their evil work, because more and more frightened people are going to these quacks than are turning to Jehovah God, as they should. How sad, my people.
But that’s where we believers come in. As Jesus said, we are supposed to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world; therefore it’s our job to bring true flavour and light to those who are still shrouded in darkness. (Matt.5:13-14) But are we doing as He commanded?
I daresay, not to the extent that is needed. We are falling down on the job my fellow believers, that’s why Lucifer and his evil cohorts are having such a field-day in the current world.
Jesus declared to His disciples, and therefore to us: ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt.5:16)
Oh Friends, today I want us to sit down and seriously and truly ponder whether we are being bright lights in a dark world, as Jesus desires. It’s imperative that we fulfill that role, otherwise Beelzebub and his evil buddies will continue to run rampant and roughshod over the earth. And that we definitely can’t allow!
So let us each consider if we’re making a serious and sincere difference in this ungodly world nuh. And if we’re not doing as well as we ought to, then let’s petition the Lord for His help in doing so. You know He will be only too glad to grant our requests in that direction.
But seriously my brethren, we definitely have to do better, if we want to win the world for Jesus. There are no ifs, ands, and buts on that score my fellow believers, that’s just the way it is; simply the truth of the matter. Much LOVE!
… Jesus asked us to be salt and light to a darkened world…but it seems our salt has lost its flavour…and our light is being hidden under a bushel…thus the empowerment of darkness in the world today…
SCRIP-BITS 