04 Nov 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a good understanding, a man of understanding, a sinful world, a wealth of truth, autumn, before honour is humility, charles stanley, Christ-like nature, comfort, Cousin Sol, destitute of wisdom, discernment, do for others, do the right thing, Ecclesiastes, fear God, folly is joy, foraging, glory to God, God shall bring every work into judgement, God's LOVING-kindness, God's praise endureth for ever, God's Spirit, I am halfway home, I'm not focusing on the past, I'm not looking back, I'm not turning back, leave all the consequences to Him, lost sheep, LOVE, Love your neighbour as yourself, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, no desire of returned favours, obey God, P.S. I Love You, plant trees we'll never sit under, run its race, security, selfish attitude of the world, selfishness, steady and steadfast, thank God, the beginning of wisdom, the breath of life, the conclusion of the whole matter, the fear of the Lord, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, the Holy Spirit, the instruction of wisdom, the judgement day, the knowledge of the holy one is understanding, the Preacher, the pressure of the enemy, the second great commandment, the secret thing, the whole duty of man, to a glorious future with Jesus, to him it is sin, to him that knows to do good, truth, Uncle Charles, understanding, unrighteous paths, walk a path of righteousness, walketh uprightly, walking with Jesus, Wednesday Wail, wisdom and knowledge of God
Proverbs 9:10. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the Holy (One) is understanding.
Well Friends, the clock has run its race, gone around its course and brought us to another glorious autumn day called Wednesday! (smile) Just wish that we could all be as faithful in running our courses as clocks are; always steady and steadfast.
Nonetheless, we are working on it with the help of God’s Spirit which dwells within us. And since it’s Wednesday, it means that it’s wailing time. So let’s wail out our Wednesday Wail with much sincerity and truth nuh!
Altogether 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!’
Oh my people what a joy it is when one is walking sincerely with Jesus Christ…Glory Hallelujah! It brings us such warmth, such security and comfort just knowing that He is not only dwelling in us, but is also walking, beside, behind and in front of us…Oh glory to God for the undeserved LOVING-kindness He’s shown us!
Now here is an interesting quote from my ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU’ Poster, which brings out our Christ –like nature of caring for and thinking about others. And it simply says: ‘Do for others with no desire of returned favours. We should all plant some trees that we’ll never sit under.’
And isn’t that indisputable truth? It surely is! It highlights the second great commandment that Jesus gave us: ‘LOVE your neighbours as yourself.’ In this case we are being very unselfish, planting something, either physically or metaphorically that we know we’ll never enjoy.
If I remember rightly, somewhere in his Hour of Power Devotional, Gramps Schuller mentions that his father or someone else planted a tree when they were eighty years of age, knowing that they would never sit below it and enjoy it’s refreshing shade.
Oh my people, that’s the unselfish, caring attitude that ought to run through all aspects of a believer’s life!
Unfortunately though, we will never attain to such lofty heights until we have sincerely embraced the ideas contained in our Bit. ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the Holy (One) is understanding.’
Yes Friends, then and only then, will the innate selfishness that permeates our natural selves be brought under control, and allow us to think about others more than ourselves, which is a foundation stone of our Christian heritage, as espoused by Christ through the ‘LOVE your neighbour as yourself,’ commandment.
Oh what a truly wonderful world we’d have if we only practiced that commandment to the best of our ability! Sadly though, our natural selfishness, encouraged by the selfish attitude that is currently in ascendance in our world, is preventing us from doing so.
Instead of allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us along paths of unselfishness, we are allowing the pressure of the enemy to take us down unrighteous paths. However, as we said earlier, to change that ‘undesirous’ pattern, we need to come to the true wisdom and knowledge of our great God.
Now let’s hear some scripture that corroborate our Bit, beginning with the awesome words of Psalm 111 – Praise the Lord for His care. The psalmist ends his song thus: ‘The fear of the Lord (reverential awe), is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth forever.’ (Ps.111:10)
Yes my brethren, words of glorious truth! If only we could take them to heart.
Meanwhile Cousin Sol offers us these two verses in Proverbs 15. ‘Folly is joy to him that is destitute of wisdom (of discernment): but a man of understanding walketh uprightly…. The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom: and before honour is humility.’ (Prov.15:21, 33)
Oh Friends, the Good Book contains such a wealth of truth, and it has all been placed there for our benefit, for our enlightenment, so that we can walk a path of righteousness in this ungodly world. But until we read and study those truths and put them into practice in our lives, we’ll remain like lost sheep, foraging unsuccessfully in a sinful world.
And we’ll end rather appropriately with words from Cousin Sol in his role as the Preacher. ‘Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.’ (Eccl.12:13-14)
Yes my fellow believers, those last two verses of Ecclesiastes puts it all into the proper perspective. Our duty is to LOVE and reverence God, and faithfully do His bidding, because at the judgement day, all our works will be brought to light, and we’ll be judged on them.
So let’s be wise and do the right thing nuh, for as the Good Book says: ‘Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.’ (James 4:17)
Let’s all take that to heart today Friends and do right nuh. Much LOVE!
…as Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley) is wont to say…the best way to live this life…is simply to obey God…and leave all the consequences to him…gospel truth that…
25 Oct 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a time of rejuvenation, alive and kicking, asaph, attitude, believers in Jesus Christ, blessed be the Lord our God, blessings, Christians, comeuppance, confidence, crapaud smoke yuh pipe, death and destruction, declaration of faith, desire, enthusiasm, eternal life, faith and trust increased, fellowship, give thanks, glorify our Creator, glory hallelujah, go a whoring from God, God is the strength of my heart, God's LOVING-kindness, guide me with thy council, I have put my trust in the Lord, it is good for me to draw near to God, jehovah god, mercies, mood, more than we can ask or imagine, my flesh and my heart faileth, my heart was grieved, my portion for ever, panacea, pours out His bounty, praise, provider, raise your hopes, receive me to glory, reconciled to God, renew your faith, sacrifice of praise, sacrificed His Son Jesus Christ, salvation, serve the Lord, shortchanging ourselves, sing, snare of the ungodly, so foolish was I, spirits are lifted, Sunday, surrender, tempo, the atoning Saviour, the Holy Spirit, the wicked prospering, the Word of god, they that are far from thee shall perish, trust, unfaithfulness, walk obedient in God's will, walking with Jesus, whom have I in heaven, wickedness, wisdom, worship
Psalm 73:26. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength (the rock) of my heart, and my portion for ever.
Sunday, Sunday! Oh how glad we are that it’s here at last! For it’s the day that most Christians, most believers in Jesus Christ gather together in the Lord’s sanctuary to fellowship with each other; to sing and praise, give thanks, worship and glorify our wonderful Creator and Provider. Glory Hallelujah!
It’s also a time of rejuvenation; a time when our spirits are lifted, our faith and trust increased, our confidence strengthened, as the immutable and holy Word of God flows through, percolates in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls!
And all God’s people shouted loudly and proudly: ‘Blessed be the Lord our God who sacrificed His Son Jesus Christ so that we could be reconciled to Him, and who now pours out His never-ending bounty on us, more than we can ask or even imagine! Thank You Lord. We offer up our sacrifice of praise and vow to walk obedient to your will. In Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes Friends, it is indeed a wonderful, a magnificent God we serve, and every day I open my eyes to greet a new day, I can’t help but give Him some serious thanks and praise for all that He’s done, is doing and has promised to do in my life. Glorify Him my people, for there’s none else like Him! No other supposed deity even comes close to Him, for they are all dead, but our Jehovah God is alive and kicking; kicking mightily too!
So this Sunday morning, let’s all make it a stated purpose to get to His sanctuary and enjoy much needed fellowship with other believers nuh, so that our souls can be primed and ready to meet and greet tomorrow, Monday, with a burst of enthusiasm and rich desire to get out into the working world and serve the Lord with all that we possess.
Remember, the tempo, the mood, the attitude towards the first day of the work week, and all those that follow, are set, are determined by how we spend the first day of the week, Sunday. So please get out and renew your faith, raise your hopes today. End of sermon! (smile)
Oh Friends, some of you might think that I’m joking, or just being overzealous, but the reality is that our God does faithfully reach out to those who trust in Him. Let’s take the case of the psalmist Asaph. Way back when, he saw the wicked prospering and couldn’t understand it.
Consequently, he almost fell into the snare of the ungodly, wanting to have their prosperity. Many of us fall for the same scam today. But through the goodness, the LOVING-kindness of God, he woke up in time and saw the foolishness of that mindset. Therefore, he could contritely admit in Psalm 73 – The mystery of prosperous wickedness.
‘Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins (grieved in my mind). So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee. Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden (held) me by my right hand. Thou shalt guide me with thy council, and afterward receive me to glory.’ (Ps.73:21-24)
Oh my people, as I said just now, many of us today are still being wowed by the prosperity of the wicked, but please believe that is only a temporary situation. They will all eventually get their rightful comeuppance; death and destruction.
But those who sincerely follow the risen Lord, the atoning Saviour Jesus Christ, will be guided away from wickedness by His Holy Spirit which indwells each and every believer. Then, like Asaph says, at the end of our earthly days we will be received in glory to our heavenly home.
Now hear how Asaph continues: ‘Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength (the rock) of my heart, and my portion for ever.’ (Ps.73:25-26)
My brethren, my brethren, do you hear that declaration of faith and trust which includes our Bit! Can we declare likewise, with the same confidence? I surely do hope so, because unless we can, we will be seriously shortchanging ourselves in the mercies and blessings of our awesome God.
And why is that? Listen to the next verse from Asaph. ‘For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee (who are unfaithful to thee).’ (Ps.73:27)
Yes Friends, wickedness and unfaithfulness may pay for a time, and might look rather enticing, but believe me, it will not get you into heaven, will not bring you salvation and eternal life. Only trust and belief in Jesus Christ will do that.
And Asaph confidently and wisely ends the psalm thus. ‘But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.’ (Ps.73:28)
Glory Hallelujah my people! Words of unadulterated wisdom! And if you haven’t declared those sentiments as yet, I’ll advise you to do so as soon as possible. And today, right now, will be a most appropriate time to do it. Because, remember when Jesus returns in all His majestic glory and splendour, which could happen at any time, if you are found wanting, then it will be too late, and as the old people would say, crapaud smoke yuh pipe!
So please, please, I implore us, let’s not be found wanting, let’s put our absolute trust in Jesus right now, let’s surrender our entire lives to Him, so that we will be received into glory at the end times. That’s wisdom of the highest order! Much LOVE!
…knowing, trusting, LOVING and walking with Jesus…is the ONLY panacea for our troubles…
07 Jul 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all our sins and griefs to bear, almighty god, Amen, assurance, barrier breaker, bear good fruit, blessed assurance, blessings, break free from a limited mindset, can't have faith without hope, cast not away your confidence, comfort, confession, confidence, cumbered with a load of care, done the will of god, encouragement, endless worship, endurance, enlarge my vision, everything to God in prayer, expectant faith, faith, faith is the substance of things hoped for, faithful friends, faithfulness, favour, followers of Jesus christ, for he is faithful that promised, forgiveness, from everlasting to everlasting, glory to God, good and fertile soil, gospel truth, grace, great recompense of reward, heavenly wisdom, heavy laden, hope, hungry hope, Jesus Christ, Joel Osteen, joy, let it all hang out, let us hold fast the profession of our faith, LOVE, new mercies, oh what peace we often forfeit, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, patience, peace, physical sight, potential, praise, promises, rapture, refuge, seeds of greatness, So let it be, solace, sorrows, spiritual vision, stand strong and steadfast, surrender, sweet portion, talent, the breath of life, the Creator of the universe, the evidence of things not seen, this is the day the Lord has made, Today is my day, trials and temptations, trouble, trust, unconditional LOVE, uncontainable, walking with Jesus, we will rejoice and be glad in it, weak, what a friend we have in Jesus, what a privelege to carry, without wavering
Hebrews 10:23. Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
Well a warm and wonderful welcome to all you loyal and faithful Friends and believers out there in Scrip-Bit Land!
Welcome, welcome, welcome! It is ever so good to be in the land of the living with the awesome breath of Almighty God flowing through out frail and fragile human bodies! Wow! There is nothing else in the world that compares to that, for it is indeed the breath of life, the single, solitary thread that keeps us all going.
And it is all the more important when, as students, believers and followers of Jesus Christ, we are patiently and thankfully waiting for the new mercies, blessings, grace and forgiveness specially made for today, to be unleashed from heaven unto us saints down here on Mother Earth. Glory to God!
That’s why we should all raise our voices in praise and thanks and steadfastly proclaim; ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it.’
Yes Friends, this Tuesday morning in early July is a blessed day, so please let’s treat it as such. And luckily, in my neck of the woods it just might be the second day of what now passes for summer weather with highs in the mid-twenties, though somewhat cloudy with a chance of rain. But we will take it any day over the cold white stuff. (smile)
And today I have an affirmation from Bubba Joel (Joel Osteen) from a little while back to share with us once again. It simply declares: ‘TODAY IS MY DAY!’ And that’s gospel truth my people, so please affirm with me.
‘God has destined me to be a barrier breaker! He created me to be uncontainable. I have talent and potential given to me by the Creator of the universe. There are seeds of greatness inside of me. Today, I choose to break free from a limited mindset and enlarge my vision.
Today, God is taking me places that I’ve never even dreamed of before. Today, God is fulfilling His purpose and destiny in my life. Today I will experience His favour like never before in every area of my life.’ Mama Mia!
And all God’s children declared a loud and proud: ‘Amen! So let it be!’
Yes my brethren, let’s allow it all to hang out today! Let’s break down those barriers of bondage that are holding us back from God’s best! Let’s release the seeds of greatness planted in our souls by our Creator and plant them in good and fertile soil, so that they can bear much good fruit, for that’s why they were planted in us in the first place.
Let’s enlarge our vision and our mindset because our God is a great and powerful Deity who doesn’t deal in small, petty and trifling stuff. And if we want to enjoy His best, then we have to improve and enlarge our minds and visions.
And today I was sent a heavenly zeppo to preach… sorry, to teach (smile) on the twin attitudes of hope and faith. Remember, without hope, there can be no faith, for hope is the place where it all begins.
And as the Good Book so wisely tells us; ‘Now faith is the substance (the realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (the conviction) of things not seen.’ (Heb.11:1)
That means through hope, we are assured of the things that we can’t see with our physical sight, but surely can see them with our spiritual vision. In other words, we see them through the eyes of faith! It’s a blessed assurance that we have in the promises and faithfulness of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
That brings us to our Bit: ‘let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)’
Yes indeed my brethren our great and wonderful and magnanimous God is indeed faithful to keep each and every one of His promises! He has not reneged on a single one down through all the ages, and He never will! Wow! What a great friend and Saviour we have in Jesus!
And there is no better way to express that than through the wonderful age-old hymn that so many of us grew up to. So please sing it with me, in hungry hope and expectant faith.
‘What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer. Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer. Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer! In His arms He’ll take and shield you; you will find a solace there. Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised Thou wilt all our burdens bear May we ever, Lord, be bringing all to Thee in earnest prayer.
Soon in glory bright unclouded there will be no need for prayer Rapture, praise and endless worship will be our sweet portion there.’
Yes my believing brethren, what an awesome assurance we can have in Jesus Christ if we allow Him to come into our hearts, souls, bodies and minds and work His good works in us! There is nothing or no one else under the sun that can promise and then faithfully deliver on those promises!
All we need is sincere hope and trust and faith and surrender to His unconditional LOVE and care which runs from everlasting to everlasting! He made us Friends, and has a plan for every one of our lives, but we have to bow to His sovereignty and righteousness if we are to be enlightened as to His wonderful plans for us. Not knowing, and thus not living out the beautiful plan earmarked for us is possibly the greatest disappointment we can ever know down here on earth.
And we’ll end with a massive scripture of assurance and encouragement from Hebrews, one which we all know, but don’t seriously accept and live by. ‘Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience (endurance), that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.’ (Heb.10:35-36)
Yes my people, we need some patience, sometimes plenty of it, but fear not, God’s promise will be fulfilled, just in His own time. So please stand strong and steadfast in faith, if you want to see the mercies and blessings of God in your life. That is indeed heavenly wisdom! Much LOVE!
…walking with Jesus might lead us along some rough and unpaved roads…but the rewards of His promise…oh Friends…they are indeed most wonderful and incomparable…trust me…I’m talking from personal experience…
P.S. Oh Friends, I just LOVE writing these Bits that come straight from the heart, without any forward planning, like this one today. And I do hope that it triggers your hope, faith, patience and LOVE, and help them rise to a higher level, so that you can find true solace, comfort and joy in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, as He desires you to have.
Oh mih breddren, I can’t even stop the words from flowing, that’s how much the adrenalin is running. (smile) Much LOVE!
11 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: almighty god, ask and ye shall receive, at thy right hand, awesome Deity, backsliders, change the world, doubters, Elihu, eternal life, everything is possible, forgiveness, friends, glory, God is my salvation, God's unconditional LOVE, gospel truth, grace, guidance of the Holy spirit, in thy presence is fullness of joy, Jesus Christ, Job, joy, knowing christ, living lives honouring God, Lucifer, magnanimous hand of God, Margaret Mead, mercy, miracles, our leader, our Lord and Saviour, pleasures for evermore, power of Jesus, Praise the Lord, radical difference, repent, riding shotgun, righteousness., salvation, shout with joy, sing unto the Lord, small-minded, steal our joy, surrender, thanksgiving for god's mercies, the good news of the gospel, the Holy One of Israel, the Holy Spirit, the joy of the Lord is your strength, the Lord Jehovah is my strength, the path of life, the wells of salvation, the wiles of the enemy, trust, unbelievers, walking with Christ, walking with Jesus, what the Lord has done for me, your joy may be full, your joy might be full, Zion
Nehemiah 8:10b. …for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
Oh Friends, I’ve got such a joy deep down in my soul this Thursday morning in June that I just can’t contain it! Wow! That joy just makes me feel like shouting out to the world what God has done for me! And I surely hope that you’re feeling the same way too, for that’s the beauty and benefit of being a true believer!
Oh my people, I’m talking about His unconditional LOVE, His constantly available grace and never-ending mercy, then the beautiful essence of forgiveness… and don’t even talk about salvation and eternal life! Oh my my! And what shall we say to the biggest blessing of all eh; His wonderful Son, Jesus Christ, our Leader, Lord and Saviour!
Mama Mia! What an awesome Deity we serve and worship my brethren! So how can we ever doubt or believe that the great God who created us, doesn’t LOVE and care for us eh? Steups!
What more has He got to do my brethren before we can comfortably and assuredly put our entire trust in him, to completely surrender our souls, minds and bodies to His superior guidance through the work and presence of His Holy Spirit?
I really don’t know what it will realistically take for the numerous unbelievers and backsliders to truly understand what this life is all about nuh, one controlled by the mighty but magnanimous hand of Almighty God.
Ah Friends, we’re such small-minded doubters and disbelievers that it isn’t funny. So much so that even if God did miracles in our lives every day, we’d still have doubts and refuse to believe. But here’s the good news Friends, we, a relatively small band of true believers are here to change the world, we’re going to make a radical difference.
And the best way to do that is by living lives honouring God, giving Him all the glory. And don’t think that we can’t do it because we’re too few, for if we listen to this quote by Margaret Mead (1901-1978) the famous American cultural anthropologist, we’ll see that it’s very possible.
‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.’
Gospel truth that, my people! Whatever serious changes that’s ever been wrought in our world have always been by a relatively small group of its population, and with the awesome power of Jesus riding shotgun with us… Oh my Friends, all and everything is possible!
And believe you me, that’s exactly what Jesus is calling us to do; to bring some radical changes to this wicked and godless world by spreading the good news of His gospel that’s overflowing with the most important elements of PEACE and LOVE, FORGIVENESS, MERCY, GRACE, SALVATION and ETERNAL LIFE!
And all God’s people joyfully shouted out: ‘All praise, honour and glory be to the omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent God of heaven and earth, Creator and Controller of the universe and all therein!’
Now Friends, joy is something that’s always supposed to be in the spirit of the believer. As such, we therefore need to continually remember the words of our Bit: …for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’
Yes my people, without God’s joy coursing through our spirits, we are weaklings. That’s why Lucifer is always trying to steal our joy, because then he knows he can get his evil claws into us without too much effort.
And if you listen to Jesus when He was talking to the disciples about the vine and the branches, you’d hear Him say to them. ‘These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.’ (John 15:11) It’s obvious my people that we do need the joy found in Jesus to be able to live this earthly life fully and to be obedient to His will.
Then later on He said to the disciples: ‘Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.’ (John 16:24) Yes my brethren, the joy of God is ever so important in a believer’s life. Without it, we’re powerless to resist the wiles of the enemy.
All through the Bible there are passages which proclaim the importance of godly joy in our lives. Let’s check out a couple of them. Listen to Elihu as he reasons with Job, re God’s calling on men to repent.
‘He shall pray unto God, and he will be favourable unto him (delight in him): and he shall see his face with joy: for he will render unto (restore to) man his righteousness.’ (Job 33:26) Joy in the Lord is ever so important my brethren.
Now hear Bruh David from Psalm 16, where he’s seeking preservation and blessing. He ends it thus: ‘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 absolute truth? It surely is! For once the Holy Spirit is leading and guiding us, there will be joy in our souls.
Meanwhile, Isaiah, in his thanksgiving for God’s mercies, puts it this way. ‘And in that day thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.
Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings (deeds) among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. Sing unto the Lord, for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout (with joy), thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.’ (Is.12:1-6)
Yes Friends, that’s how a nation, a people behaves when the joy of the Lord is amongst them. And we’ll end with a few words from John, from his first epistle. ‘And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.’ (1 John 1:4)
And the scholars offer this explanation. ‘1:4. The major purpose of 1 John is stated in 5:13 (please look it up), but another purpose is stated here: for the recipients, and no doubt John as well, to enjoy and share in the deep sense of satisfaction and purpose that knowing Christ and walking with Him brings.’
Oh my fellow believers, that is indeed the gospel truth! And we’ll leave us this morning to each ponder our walk with Jesus, to see exactly how it is proceeding, and to strengthen it when and where necessary, with God’s help. Much LOVE!
…one can never fully appreciate the joy of walking with Jesus…until one really and truly walks with Jesus…
20 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new creation, a time of renewal, accept Christ as Saviour, adrenalin flowing, aura of love, blessings, bounden duty, bowing down to idols, children of Lucifer, cleave unto him, commandments, confidence, disobedience, Easter Sunday, evil, faith, fear, fear him, fellowship, friends, glorious kingdom, glory to God, Hades, hard-headed, heavenly blessing, highways and by-ways, hold on for dear life, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, invincible, Israelites, Jesus arose from the grave, Jesus Christ, keep his commandments, laid out on a silver platter, lies, life changing proposition, living for Jesus, living obedient to God's dictates, LOVE, material things, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, Moses, newness, nourishment, obey his voice, Oh Lord God Almighty, our duty to God, Praise the Lord, prayer, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, righteousness., seek ye first the kingdom of God, spiritual armour, sprout up with new life, spting, steadfast faith, steady drizzle, stubborn, studying God's Word, the season for rain, these things will be added to you, true followers of God, truth, ungodly world, walking with Jesus, wisdom, with all thy heart soul and mind, world of unbelief, ye shall serve him, ye shall walk after the Lord your God
Deuteronomy 13:4. Ye shall walk after (follow) the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto (hold fast to) him.
Oh Friends, the first day of this new workweek isn’t shaping up to be so wonderful in my area nuh. It’s been raining for quite a while now; not mighty downpours, but a steady drizzle. Who knows when it’s going to end, so be careful when you get out on the highways and bye-ways, even leave a little earlier if possible.
And though the rain complicates the driving, we know that this is spring; the season for rain. The ground and the plants need that nourishment that the heavenly blessing provides, so that they can sprout back up again with new life, just like Jesus arose from the grave at Easter Sunday with a brand new life.
Spring is definitely a time of renewal, of refurbishment, when all things old and dead become new again. Just like when we accept Christ as our Lord and Saviour, we become a new creation. What a life-changing proposition that is my people! Glory to God!
But yuh know what Friends? Like any new thing, after a while the newness wears off. The same thing goes for being a new creation in Christ. After you’ve been a new creation for some time, the newness wears off, so you have to keep on renewing it by continually walking with Jesus, studying the Word and living obedient to God’s dictates.
And the way our society is set up, it seems like every Monday morning we need a boost, a renewal so that we can get the necessary strength, faith and courage to go out and labour and bring lost souls to Christ. And that’s what our Monday Morning Hymn is all about. So let’s sing it with great gusto this wet spring morning!
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!’
Now Friends, that rendition wasn’t bad, but it lacked the cohesiveness, the oneness and harmony that last week’s had. That’s because we went back to our old bad habits, being unfocussed and not paying close attention to Jesus, our eminent choirmaster. But the important thing is that our motors are idling smoothly, and the adrenalin’s running now, so we have the wherewithal to go out fight the good fight in Jesus’ name.
And our Bit is an erstwhile reminder of all that we’ve been saying. ‘Ye shall walk after (follow) the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto (hold fast to) him.’
Ah mih breddren, those were the fateful words of Moses to the Israelites many eons ago, and though some may not like it, they still apply to us today. We can’t be true followers of God unless we have constant communion and fellowship with Him, which includes obeying His statutes, having a reverential awe of Him, and last but not least, holding on to Him for dear life, because if we let go of Him, we’ll be lost and most likely end up in Hades with the evil crook Lucifer. And that’s something we want to avoid at all costs.
So listen to Moses exhortation to the Israelites earlier on. ‘And now Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all thy ways, and to LOVE him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul. To keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good (benefit or welfare).’ (Deut.10:12-13)
Oh Friends, the Israelites were a stubborn, hard headed group and Moses had to be continually reminding them of their bounden duty. But unfortunately, though we have everything, including Jesus laid out on a silver platter for us, we’re still hard-headed and stubborn to this day, and need to be constantly reminded of our duty to God.
And please note the last words of that scripture passage; ‘for thy good.’ Yes my people, it’s for our benefit and welfare, not for God’s! So if we don’t follow it, whom do you thing will suffer the dire consequences of disobedience? We sinful, backsliding believers of course!
That’s why I don’t understand how some of us behave as though we’re doing God a favour by serving and worshipping Him. That’s absolutely wrong. All that God has said and done, right from the beginning of time was for our benefit. Please remember that and stop the foolish disobedience and bowing down to the worthless idols of this evil and sinful world.
Remember too that Jesus said: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things will be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33)
Yes Friends, our major goal should always be seeking and serving God! And if we do that faithfully, then He will give us all the material things that we need. That’s a faithful promise from an ever faithful God! And if we’re wise, we’ll do our best to follow His leading.
So my fellow believers, as we go out into the world of unbelief today, please let’s show them our wisdom in action nuh, by living for Jesus as best we can. That’s the only way to bring the unbelievers to Him, which is what He desires. Much LOVE!
…truly living for Jesus…is the greatest wisdom that exists…
05 Mar 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Abide in me, against all odds, almighty god, because of mine enemies, blessings, bolsters our spirits, breath of life, brings us joy, Bruh David, cherish every moment with those you love, Clark Gable, confidence, destruction, do God's will, faithfulness, followers of Jesus, furthering God's glorious kingdom, gospel truth, gratitude, guidance, guilt, heavenly Father, hope, I am the vine, I lift up my soul to thee, image of Jesus, improvement, in league with the Creator of the universe, in thee do I trust, Jack Layton, jehovah god, lead me in a plain path, learn God's word, Lent, lessen's regrets, LOVE, loving kindness, make thy way straight, meditate, mercies, misleading, moving onward and upward, my help cometh from the Lord, O Lord, omni-present, omnipotent, omnisicient, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, prayer for protection, privilege, read, remakes us into the image of Jesus, righteous and godly life, righteousness., saviour jesus christ, Spread God's Word, strength, study, teach me thy statutes, Teach me thy way O Lord, thanks and praise, the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, the land of uprightness, the potter's wheel, the Spirit of Jesus, the ungodly world, the wonderful God we serve, Thursday, thy spirit is good, unconditional LOVE, walking with Jesus, wickedness, wisdom, without me ye can do nothing, ye are the branches
Psalm 27:11. Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain (smooth) path, because of mine enemies.
Aye Friends, it’s Thursday, and we’re moving onward and upward with our wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Wow! What a great privilege that is my people! To be in league with the Creator of the universe and all therein is truly something else!
So let’s give Him some thanks and praise this Lenten Thursday morning nuh, for first imbuing us with His awesome breath of life, then for the new mercies and blessings He has specially prepared for us today, and finally ask for strength and guidance to go out into the ungodly world that surrounds us and do His will; that of attracting souls to Him and thus furthering His glorious kingdom. Now that is indeed a mouthful, but not an impossible one. (smile)
Please pray with me: ‘Oh heavenly Father, we sincerely thank You for the breath of life You’ve breathed into each of us at our birth, and has allowed it to continue to this day. We thank You for all the wonderful work You’ve done in us, and are still doing. Being on Your potter’s wheel can sometimes be rough, but we understand the need for it. It’s the only way you can remake us into the image of Jesus.
Lots of thanks are also forthcoming for the many gifts of grace, mercy and forgiveness that You’ve bestowed on us. Your unconditional LOVE also calls for expressions of gratitude. Please help us this day to LOVE You as we ought to, and grant us your undying peace and wisdom, so that we can go out and diligently do Your Will, spread Your Word and Your LOVE! This we pray in the name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen!’
Yeh mih breddren, it’s ALL about Jehovah God! And I found this quote on a piece of scrap paper yesterday. Don’t know if I’ve shared it before, but even if I have, it’s certainly worth sharing again. It’s attributed to Jack Layton (1950-2011) the late leader of the Federal Opposition party, the N.D.P. Jack has been reputed to advise: ‘Cherish every moment with those you LOVE, at every stage of your journey.’
And that is certainly wisdom for the ages my people! LOVING those around us not only bolsters our spirits and brings us joy each day, but it also lessens the regrets when a LOVED one passes away, whether suddenly or after a long illness. We don’t have the guilt and those negative feelings of not having told or shown them how much we LOVED them. And that takes a lot of pressure off of us when circumstances don’t go the way we want them to.
So Friends, starting NOW, let’s truly cherish those around us, as much as we can. Let’s both show and tell them that we LOVE and appreciate them. I’m sure we’ll see a big improvement in all the lives involved. And your luck’s in today Friends. (smile) Here’s another quote, this from Cark Gable (1901-1960), the famous American movie star of yore. Clark says: ‘The things a man has to have are hope and confidence in himself against all odds.’
And I quote this because though there’s some truth in it, those words ‘in himself’ can be quite misleading, for basically our hope and confidence is supposed to come from our union with our omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present God.
As Jesus warned His disciples, and consequently us: ‘Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5-6)
Now that’s truly telling it like it is! It’s gospel truth my people! Without the Spirit of Jesus working in and walking with us, we can do nothing really worthwhile. That’s why I took issue with Clark’s comment. Only when we’re walking sincerely with Jesus, and only then, does that hope and confidence truly blossom in our souls!
That’s why our Bit is so necessary and so powerful. Bruh David truly lays it on the line. ‘Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain (smooth) path, because of mine enemies.’
Yes my brethren, it’s only by doing it God’s way that we can truly live a righteous and godly life, despite the enmity that surrounds us. And Bruh David knew this from hard experience and used it to his advantage. Listen to him from Psalm 5 – A prayer for protection.
‘Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face. For there is no faithfulness (uprightness) in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness (destruction); their throat is an open sepulcher (an open tomb); they flatter with their tongue.’ (Ps.5:8-9)
Ah mih people, our world is so full of wickedness and flattery, that if we’re not careful, we can fall for some ungodly stuff every minute of every day. And the writer of Psalm 119, in the Daleth section – Make me to understand thy way- prayerfully beseeches God:
‘My soul cleaveth unto (clings to) the dust: quicken (revive) thou me according to thy word. I have declared my ways, and thou heardest (answered) me: teach me thy statutes. Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of (meditate on) thy wondrous works.’ (Ps.119:25-27)
Oh Friends, that’s only logical! We can’t talk about God and His wondrous works if we don’t know anything about Him! That’s why it’s ever so important, necessary and essential that followers of Jesus, read, study, meditate on and learn His Word. And having done that, we can then explain, expound and talk about the wonderful God we serve!
And we’ll end this series of messages on calling out to God for direction and help to learn His statutes, with these fateful, faithful and fruitful words of Bruh David from Psalm 143 – Teach me to do thy will.
‘Cause me to hear thy LOVING-kindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee. Deliver me O Lord, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me (unto thee I take cover). Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.’ (Ps.143:8-10)
Oh my fellow believers, please let those words lift us up today, and keep us centred and focused on Almighty God as we go out to do His will, for it’s only from Him, can true hope and confidence come. Much LOVE!
…I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills…from whence cometh my help…my help cometh from the Lord…which made heaven and earth… (Ps.121:1-2)
03 Mar 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a positive note, action, action based, Almghty God, almighty god, anxiety, anxious thoughts, atonement for our sins, awesome Son Jesus Christ, Beelzebub, beginning the day with Jesus, Bruh David, calm and peace of God, calm our storms, Calvary, christianity, confidence, control, cut him some slack, daily ritual, deceit of the enemy, deceitfulness, delivered my soul, deliverer, despair, die on the cross, enemies, everything will work out for our good, faithful, faithfully walking with Jesus, frail, from strength to strength, generous, glory, God is never late, guidance, gullible minds, Hades, hope in the Lord God, I wait all day long, jehovah god, just in time, keep it unto the end, lead me in a plain path, Lent, LOVE, loving kindness, Lucifer, maganimous God, mercy, Most High God, negative, O Lord, omnipotent, peace, promises, prosperity, protection, Redeemer, reverential awe, smart, Son Jesus, spreading God's Word, stand strong, strength, talk show, Teach me thy way O Lord, thanks and praise, the beauty of knowing Jesus, the bondage of sin, the depths of fear, the god of Jacob, The God of my salvation, the ladder of success, the straight and narrow path, the way of thy statutes, tired and out of sorts, tough times, tribulations, true, true followers of jesus, truth, unconditional LOVE, walk a smooth path, walk in thy truth, walking with Jesus, wisdom, with God's help, with Jesus leading the way, woldly
Psalm 27:11. Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain (smooth) path, because of mine enemies.
Oh Friends, the ole fella woke up late, somewhat tired and out of sorts this morning, so you have to cut him some slack eh. (smile)
But nonetheless, I remembered to give our wonderful God some thanks and praise for bringing me safely through the dark night into the beautiful and brilliant light of His awesome Son Jesus, on this glorious Tuesday in Lent!
That’s because it is only through His enduring and never ending mercy and LOVING-kindness that I’m alive to see another day. I also remembered to ask Him for strength, guidance, wisdom and confidence to stay on the straight and narrow path that leads to Him, while spreading His Word, as well as the peace and LOVE that He desires of me.
Oh my people, that’s a daily ritual we’ll all go through if we’re smart and walking with Jesus! For when we begin the day on a positive note with Almighty God, our day goes much better than if we begin with a set of negative, worldly, anxious thoughts flooding our frail and gullible minds.
Beginning the day with Jesus, we move from strength to strength, going up the ladder of success and prosperity. However, starting out with Lucifer invading our thoughts, just keeps taking us down lower and lower, and finally into the depths of fear, anxiety and despair. And that certainly is never a good place to be my brethren!
So please, let’s remember to begin each and every day on the right note, with Jehovah God, so that even if our whole world seems to be falling down around us, we will still have the calm and peace of God, and His everlasting confidence to face the tribulations, knowing that He is in perfect control, and will eventually work everything out for our good.
Life is already difficult as it is, why make it more difficult by holding on to the lies and deceit of the enemy eh, when we can hold on to the true, generous, faithful and wonderful promises of our omnipotent and magnanimous God? And that’s today’s sermon! (smile)
Now let’s turn to our most appropriate Bit, just one verse after the one of yesterday, for that’s where I was led. And in it, Bruh David sincerely declares: ‘Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain (smooth) path, because of mine enemies.’
Yes Friends, we all have people and things that come against us, but when we are true followers of Jesus, and have His Word engraved in our hearts, we can stand strong in those tough times and walk a path that’s smooth and calm, with Jesus leading the way.
As we said above, if we give in to Beelzebub and his deceitfulness, then we’ll experience a path strewn with obstacles that we’re too afraid and anxious to deal with.
Now Jesus doesn’t necessarily calm our storms, but He does give us the wherewithal to face and go through them without a whole lot of fear and anxiety. And that’s the beauty of knowing His ways and faithfully walking with Him in them!
Now listen to some scripture that upholds our contention, starting with Bruh David from Psalm 25 – A prayer for guidance and protection. He again seeks to know the ways of God. ‘Show me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.’ (Ps.25:4-5)
Yeh Friends, we do need to look to the Most High God for guidance and salvation! For he is the One who, through His great and unconditional LOVE for us, sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross to procure the atonement of our abominable sins.
But remember too that sometimes our pleas will not be answered right away, so there will be some waiting involved. But note that our God is NEVER LATE, for He is the God of just in time!
And we all know these fateful and faithful words of Psalm 119, where the psalmist beseeches God: ‘Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.’ (Ps.119:33) Again my brethren, we have to note the last words of that verse ‘and I shall keep it unto the end.’
For what good is the Lord teaching us His ways, if we don’t keep them eh? None whatsoever!
But unfortunately, many of us only want to learn His ways to get through whatever difficulty is currently confronting us, and after that is resolved, we forget about those ways until the next time we find ourselves in a difficult situation.
But that’s not how it ought to be my people. We ought to learn the ways of the Lord and faithfully keep them from that time until forever! That’s what he desires and expects of us, and really the only path in this world that makes any sense at all.
And we’ll end with some more appropriate words of Bruh David from Psalm 86 – Teach me thy way, O Lord. ‘Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart (give me singleness of heart) to fear thy name (to have reverential awe for you).
I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore. For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell (from the depths of Hades).’ (Ps.86:11-13)
Oh my brethren, what words of indisputable truth and glory! For it is indeed the Lord God who truly has delivered our souls from the sure destination of Hades, through the sacrificial atonement of Jesus’ death on the cross of Calvary.
Otherwise, without the option of heaven, we would all be surely bound for death and destruction with Lucifer, the prince of darkness. And that’s not a very pleasant thought or destination!
So all God’s children declared a loud and grateful: ‘Thank You Father for sending Jesus to be our redeemer and deliverer! And thank You Jesus for being selfless and obedient to the Father’s will, thus setting us free from the bondage of sin. We glorify You and praise Your holy name! Amen!’
Now Friends, let’s go out into the cruel and evil world and put all that we’ve spoken about today into action. Remember that Christianity is an action based and action packed movement, not simply a talk show, as we often tend to make it. Much LOVE!
…happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help…whose hope is in the Lord his God… (Ps.146:5)
P.S. It’s pretty late, but with God’s help, also pretty good! (smile) Much LOVE!
09 Feb 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a closer walk with Jesus, abuse, aches and pains, allergies, believers, bounden duty, cause people to err, Christ's Church, Christians, come together, corruption, despicable behaviour, devour, dirty politics, earthly benefit, earthly pilgrimage, encourage in the faith, evil intentions, fall off the wagon, feel old, fellowship, felt like a million dollars, God's help, God's house, greed, hale and hearty, hate good, imperative, infidels, insensitivity, Isaiah, Israel, Israel's behaviour, judgement, justice, kindle, knidergarten, Leaders, LOVE, love evil, loving kindness, make mistakes, mano a mano, Micha, mighty task, New Year's resolution, outreach, point of interest, praise and worship God, prevalent, prosper, right perspective, righteousness., rising of smoke, Sabbath Day, strengthen our faith, strong like an ox, Sunday, take serious action, testimony, things we have to suffer, ungodly world, walking with Jesus, weak and tired, weather is for the birds, wheezing, wickedness, wickedness burns like fire, with Jesus all things are possible
Isaiah 9:16. For the leaders of this people cause them to err: and they that are led of them are destroyed.
Oh Friends, it’s Sunday morning, time for some serious fellowship with other believers in God’s house, that is if you consider Sunday to be the Sabbath Day. But on whatever day you consider the Sabbath, I surely hope that you had wonderful fellowship with other like-minded Christians.
That’s because it is very important for believers to come together, at least once a week, to praise and worship God for His LOVING-kindness, to encourage each other in the faith, to make plans for outreach, and share our Christian testimony, for that’s the only way Christ’s church is going to prosper and be of some earthly benefit.
On a point of interest, we’re now 9 days into February, how is your New Year’s resolution of having a closer walk with Jesus holding up? I hope you haven’t fallen back into your old ways and habits, now that all the celebrations have ended, because it’s so easy to do. We all start out with good intentions, but good intentions alone don’t cut it; the action’s the thing!
So please let’s make this our first monthly check on how we’re doing, re that closer walk with the Saviour. Then, let’s do whatever it takes to either bring, or keep it in line with our most worthy objective. Remember, once you’re walking with Jesus, everything else will automatically fall into place. And it’s definitely too early for us to fall off the wagon! (smile)
Ah mih people, this weather is for the birds yes! Well not even for them, because most of them fly south as soon as it begins to get cold. I’ll have to find a way to do the same thing too yes, for while I was down south, I felt like a million dollars; hale and hearty, strong like an ox, no set of aches and pains, wheezing or allergies.
Hn! But I’ve only been back a couple days and already the old aches and pains are acting up, so are my allergies and the wheezing, plus I feel old, weak and tired. Ah Lord eh! The things we have to suffer on this earthly pilgrimage!
And though I have no doubts about being able to handle it with the Lord’s help, I still believe the weather down south suits me much better than this northern one, especially when we’re expecting more of that cold, white stuff today. (smile)
But unfortunately my brethren, that is not the main concern of our earthly lives – only wish that it was. What our Bit has to say is much more important. ‘For the leaders of this people cause them to err: and they that are led of them are destroyed.’
Ah Friends, the truth of that statement applies to this current society, or rather current world, possibly more than it did to the people of long ago Israel. For there is such blatant corruption, abuse, insensitivity, greed, evil intentions and dirty ‘politrics’ on display worldwide by our leaders, that it makes Israel’s behaviour seem like kindergarten!
And Isaiah had the right perspective and description for our despicable behaviour. ‘For wickedness burneth as the fire: it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up (rising) of smoke.’ (Is.9:18)
Yes my fellow believers, if we allow the wickedness that’s currently permeating our society to continue, eventually it will consume us like an angry fire. Now is that what we want to happen to God’s beautiful planet Earth? I don’t think so. That means we believers have a mighty task ahead of us, to clean up the all-pervasive evil that is becoming entrenched around the world, in our society, and therefore in our lives and those of our families.
As I said yesterday, it’s not an easy task, or one for the fainthearted, but please remember, that with Jesus’ backing, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE! That’s why a closer walk with Jesus is imperative; to strengthen our faith and have us taking serious action against the infidels of this evil, ungodly world.
Now listen to what the prophet Micah had to say about judgement on Israel’s leaders. ‘And I said, Hear, I pray you, O heads of Jacob, and ye princes (rulers) of the house of Israel; Is it not for you to know judgement (justice)? Who hate the good, and LOVE the evil; who pluck (strip) off their skin from off them (My people), and their flesh from off their bones;
Who also eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them; and they break their bones, and chop them in pieces, as for the pot, and as flesh within the cauldron. Then shall they cry unto the Lord, but he will not hear them: he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they behaved themselves ill (been evil) in their doings (deeds).’ (Mic.3:1-4)
Yes Friends, that’s exactly how it will be with our evil leaders! Exactly what they’ve done to the Lord’s people, will be done to them.
Oh my brethren, wickedness is so prevalent, perverse and pervasive across our modern world that it cannot be ignored. We believers have to rise up and fight it ‘mano a mano’ with God’s help, if we want to make it a better place for future generations. So let’s ponder on all we’ve read today, then ask God’s help to take the necessary action to help make right whatever is wrong in our world. That’s a believer’s bounden duty! Much LOVE!
…wickedness may prosper for a day…but righteousness will rule forever…
09 Jan 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bed of roses, action word, agape, antibiotics, awesome truth, believers, between a rock and a hard place, bravely, Bruh Paul, charity, cooped up, disciples, doesn't boast, doesn't envy, dr robert h schuller, each generation, eros, evil, exciting thought, eye-opening experiences, faith is dim, fantastic, fantastic lesson, God LOVES me, God's help, God's LOVE, good fortune, good news, grace and favour of God, graceful truth, gumption, happy report, heahten, holy sentence, holy spirit, Hour of Power Devotional, hypocrites, ice, incomprehensible, iniquity, Jesus Christ, laugh, life's a blast, LOVE, Love does no harm, LOVE FOR EACH OTHER, Love fulfills the law, LOVE one another, LOVE Revolution, marathon session, negative emotions, never fails, new commandment, no waiting, not arrogant, not evil, not rude, not selfish, petty problems, pharmacy, prophecies, put in my heart, ran the race, rejoice, root canal, sadly lacking, scoff, short of Love, slush, snow, sparsely populated, suffers long, temptations, tests, Thank you Father, the Way of LOVE, tongues, troubled world, truth, ugly reality, unbeliever, ungodly world, unloving attitude, walking with Jesus, warm cocoon, wisdom, withstand
Romans 13:10. LOVE worketh no ill (does no harm) to his neighbour: therefore LOVE is the fulfilling of the law.
Aye mih breddren, life’s certainly a blast yes! For the first time in about ten days, I actually ventured out of my safe, warm cocoon yesterday, and faced the ugly reality that is the outside world. It’s the longest I’ve ever been cooped up in a house that I can remember.
At least when I had prostate cancer surgery a few years back, it was summer, and I could sit outside on either the front porch or the back deck. In any case though, I never really felt cooped up this past week because for most of it I was sick and the weather was terrible. And it seems that quite a few people did the same thing, for the same reasons.
Anyway, would you believe I did a marathon session out there yesterday! Wow! Bruh Paul would have been proud of how I ran that race! (smile) I left home, went up the street to a nearby Walmart, then went all the way down to the other end of the city, to the banker, the barber, the grocer and the doctor.
Mama Mia! In truth though, it wasn’t as bad as it sounds, because the last four places were in close proximity to each other, about two blocks separated them all. So I got up my gumption and bravely walked through the snow, ice and slush that covered the sidewalks and parking lots.
And wonder of wonders, in NONE of those four places did I have to wait, for all of them were sparsely populated! As soon as I walked into everyone, I was immediately served. I had to laugh at my good fortune, because as most of you know those four places usually call for a fair amount of waiting.
But then I realized that it was our wonderful God pouring out His abundant grace and favour on me, since I wasn’t in the best of shape, and it was still windy and cold. Obviously I let Him know that I was very thankful. The only place I had a short wait was at the Pharmacy later on where I went to get some antibiotics that the medic prescribed.
That’s why Friends, today, like Gramps Schuller (Robert H. Schuller) I can certainly attest to and loudly proclaim that ‘GOD LOVES ME!’ And also say along with His prayer from His Hour of Power Devotional.
‘Thank you, Lord, for this holy sentence, this good news, this happy report, this exciting thought, this graceful truth, this fantastic lesson. GOD LOVES ME! Even when I’m at my worst — GOD LOVES ME. Even when my faith is dim — GOD LOVES ME ANYWAY! It’s incomprehensible and fantastic! Thank you, Father. Amen.’
Ah mih people, I keep reminding us that walking with Jesus is not a bed of roses, but betwixt and between the tests and temptations, there are indeed wonderful, refreshing, rejuvenating, interesting and eye-opening experiences. The only problem now is that I have to go to the dentist today for some root canal work. Let’s see how that will play out. (smile)
But enough of my petty problems, let’s turn to our Bit, which deals with LOVE, something that our troubled world so badly needs but unfortunately is sadly lacking.
As the old song so truthfully stated back then, and is even more appropriate now, in these sad days of strife and the preponderance of negative emotions: ‘What the world needs now, is LOVE, SWEET LOVE. That’s the only thing, there’s just too little of…’
And oh my brethren, is that ever so true! LOVE comes from our God, and is what makes our world go round, or function properly, but right now we’re stuck between a rock and a hard place because we’re so SHORT of LOVE.
We claim to know about God’s LOVE for us, but what we seem unable to fathom and put into place is OUR LOVE FOR EACH OTHER. And a long while back, Bruh Paul put it to the Romans this way in our Bit: ‘LOVE worketh no ill (does no harm) to his neighbour: therefore LOVE is the fulfilling of the law.’
Now that’s the awesome truth Friends! For even before Bruh Paul’s comment, Jesus Himself commanded His disciples, and therefore us, and all His true followers: ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:34-35)
Oh my fellow believers, Jesus was talking there about revolutionizing the world through LOVE! It was the beginning of the LOVE Revolution, which each generation of believers is supposed to carry on, but which, unfortunately we’re not doing, since we’re not showing LOVE to each other.
Remember it’s through our showing of LOVE to each other that the world will know that we’re disciples of Jesus. And since we’re not doing it, that means we’re not His true disciples.
No wonder the unbeliever, the heathens and many others laugh and scoff at us, and consider us hypocrites because they quite plainly see our ‘UNLOVING’ attitudes and behaviour towards each other and the world in general.
That’s why I keep reminding us that LOVE is an ACTION WORD! We simply can’t talk it and expect it to happen. LOVE only takes place when we DO SOMETHING TO SHOW IT!
Consequently, Bruh Paul, who saw the need for LOTS OF LOVE in the evil, ungodly world, penned one of the most beautiful chapters of the Bible; re the WAY OF LOVE. And we’ll close by quoting a few appropriate verses from it, just to remind us what TRUE LOVE is all about.
And we’re not talking about ‘Eros’ or romantic LOVE, but ‘agape’, the spiritual LOVE that flows from God, and is supposed to be so jubilantly and vibrantly working in us through the Holy Spirit that indwells us.
So please listen up Friends, neighbours, heathens, whoever you are, for only these things will ever right our wrong-sided world.
‘Charity (LOVE) suffereth long, and is kind; charity (LOVE) envieth not; charity (LOVE) vaunteth not (does not brag on) itself, is not puffed up (arrogant), Doth not behave itself unseemly (rudely), seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil (keeps no accounts of evil);
Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity (LOVE) never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail (cease): whether there be tongues, they shall cease, whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.’ (1 Cor.13:4-8)
And that’s the God-awesome truth my people! Therefore, let’s ponder all these things today nuh, and with God’s ever-present, never-ending help, make the necessary changes in our attitudes and behaviour, so that we can leave this world a much better place for our children. That’s the only wisdom there is! Much LOVE!
…if we’re not actively doing LOVE…then we’re not true disciples of Christ…as simple as that…
P.S. Friends, the Bit’s long and late, but it’s what God put in my heart to write today. Much LOVE!
06 Mar 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a rough day, bear fruit, divine guidance, fear, fellow believers, fount of wisdom, fret, friends, fruits of righteousness, full and rich life, further God's kingdom, god, good soil, hundred fold, long and arduous journey, LOVE one another, loving kindness, pen to paper, poignant message, sacrifice, spirituality, tiredness, trials and tribulations, victorious, walking with Jesus, worry
Philippians 1:11. Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
Oh Friends, the ole fella’s feeling lousy this morning, both mentally and physically tired. I had a rough and busy day yesterday and my sleep pattern was thrown totally out of whack. And many of you know how it feels when you don’t get proper sleep. Anyway, no use moaning, I still have to write the Bit, sickness and tiredness must not stop it from going out. (smile) But as always, more so than most days, I cried out for divine help and guidance. And I know that I will receive it, because the Lord doesn’t want me writing nonsense with His name attached to it. In fact, I’ve already begun receiving that divine guidance, for my mind is feeling more alert now, and I am putting pen to paper. I found a Bit before I began, so it was just a matter of getting my mind around it. Oh Friends, with all that divine stuff happening, how can I ever doubt the mercy and LOVING-kindness of our God eh? Not on your life! Those people who doubt and mock are fools! That’s all I can say. If they only gave Jesus a reasonable chance to come into their lives, they’d be most surprised at how wonderfully He works in them. The problem though is that too many of us want the easy life, and Jesus NEVER promised that. He promised the GOOD LIFE; one that would be filled with trials and tribulations, but He would see us victoriously through them all. And my fellow believers, at this stage of my life, I can attest to the truth of all that stuff, because as I just remembered, this month of March 2013 will begin the seventh year, yes mih breddren, the 7th year that I’m writing this Scrip-Bit. Oh how the time has flown! And believe me, I could not have done it, as you can see from above, without divine help and guidance. I’m chuckling here now, remembering how I chuckled seven years ago when the Lord proposed the idea and I told Him I couldn’t do it due to my lack of proper scriptural knowledge. But here I am now, seven years later, a veritable fount of wisdom and knowledge, compared to what I was back then. (smile) That’s simply because it’s impossible to walk consistently with Jesus and not gain some real knowledge and true insight into this life. As Sister Joyce, Joyce Meyer, likes to say; ‘I’m not where I want to be. But thank God, I’m not where I was!’ Yes my fellow believers, walking with Jesus is indeed a journey, and oftimes a long and arduous one. But you can bet your bottom dollar that the journey will be most interesting and knowledgeable, for who better is there to walk and associate with than the One who sacrificed His sinless life for you, two thousand years ago? As he said back then: ‘Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.’ (John 15:13) And He indeed laid down His life for us, which means we are truly His friends, especially if we consider His next statement. ‘Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.’ (John 15:14) Then later he goes on to declare: ‘Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained (appointed) you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. These things I command you, that ye LOVE one another.’ (John 15:16-17) So you see my brethren, from the very beginning, Jesus has been the one seeking a relationship with us, and attempting to make us His friend. And if we’re smart we’ll accept His friendship with wide open arms, because it’s the best thing this world has going for it. Oh Friends, it’s such a simple, but poignant message: I needed disciples to spread My Word, and I chose you. I consider you my friends, so I’ll die for you. Now all I ask is that you do as I say, namely go out and spread My Word and LOVE each other. And to top that all up, anything you ask the Father in My Name, He’ll gladly give you. Why is that proving so hard for us to do eh, especially when there’s no other relationship in this whole wide world that can even come close to it? I guess too many of us refuse Jesus’ friendship because we’re afraid of what it will mean to our sinful lives; lives filled with darkness and great desire for the mostly useless things of the world, which are fraught with problems and never last. On the other hand, we can get all the necessary things for living a full and rich life walking in close tandem with Jesus. And the beauty of it is, when you receive worldly things through Jesus, they last. You don’t have to fret and worry that you’ll lose your job, your house, your family, as you would if you’d sold your soul to Beelzebub to get them. Ah mih people, yuh see how things can change in the twinkling of an eye? From feeling lousy and miserable, not knowing what to write, with the gracious help of Jesus, I’ve gotten over most of that negative feeling and written more than I ever imagined possible back then. Let’s just hope it makes sense. (smile) In any case, I know that you fellow believers, imbued with wisdom from above, are all wise enough to be able to pick sense from nonsense. Now it’s obvious we won’t have time today to delve into the workings of our Bit, which I wanted to introduce way back when Jesus spoke about His people going out and bearing fruit, because they dovetail so nicely together. ‘Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.’ So Friends, with all of that in mind, let’s go out today and see if we can’t bear some fruit that will further God’s kingdom and glorify His Most Holy Name. It’s what we were created for. Much LOVE!…if we’re good soil…in which the seed of Jesus has taken root…then it’s time for us to grow…and bear good fruit…thirty…sixty…even a hundred fold…
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