20 Feb 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a timely word, a twoedged sword, a word fitly spoken, and God said, and there was light, ask or imagine, be for signs, beast of the earth, bring forth abundantly, cattle, Christ on our side, climate change, communication explosion, creeping thing, days, discerner of the thoughts, divide the day from the night, dividing asunder, every idle word, eyes fixed straight ahead, give account, halfway home, hands on the plough, have dominion, heaven, in our own image, intentions of the heart, joints and marrow, let birds fly, let the earth bring forth grass, Let there be light, lights in the firmament, like apples of gold, make man, men shall speak, moving creatures, not turning back, pictures of silver, piercing, pleasing, precious, seasons, second wind, silver settings, snowstorm, social media, soul and spirit, the breath of life, the day of judgement, the fowl, the spoken word, the waters, Wednesday Wail, years
Genesis 1:3. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
So it’s Wednesday, and many of us have caught our second wind – or it might just be the first for those who had the long weekend off and abused it. (smile) And it looks like there’s another storm hitting North America these next two days; snow and freezing rain in the northern part and rains and floods down south!
Ah Lord eh! We’re certainly seeing what winter can be and used to be like many years ago before climate change made it sort of ‘jokified’ with more rain than snow sometimes.
Anyway, come what may, we believers will handle it because we have the ONE and ONLY Lord Jesus Christ on our side and He will enable us to handle whatever comes against us! Praise His Holy Name my people! Therefore we can boldly say: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’
And not only that, but also, ‘The Lord WILL provide all our needs through His riches in glory, through Christ Jesus!’ Wow! And consequently, ‘Me and my house will follow the Lord, come what may!’ Glory be mih breddren! What a way our words have power, power to cause life and/or death, but we need to use them, speak them boldly, confidently and sincerely!
Remember how this great universe was formed; by the spoken word: ‘And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.’ Yes friends, it all began with a spoken word. And so it continued: ‘And God said, Let there be a firmament (expanse) in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.’ (Gen.1:6) ‘And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.’ (Gen.1:9)
‘And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.’ (Gen.1:11) ‘And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.’ (Gen.1:14)
‘And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life (abound with an abundance of living creatures), and fowl that may fly above the earth (let birds fly) in the open firmament of heaven (across the face of the open expanse of heaven).’ (Gen.1:20) ‘And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.’ (Gen.1:24)
‘And God said, Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.’ (Gen.1:26)
Ah friends, man was so important to God, that instead of just speaking him into being like the other species in His universe, He actually got down on His knees and made man! ‘And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.’ (Gen.2:7)
Wow! That’s how important we were and still are to Him; that He dirties His hands to make us. Everything else, He just spoke into existence. Doesn’t that just touch your hearts my people! It ought to, knowing that we were made in the image of God, and even after we fell into sin, we still retained that likeness, and then Jesus came and gave us the opportunity to get back into God’s good graces and enjoy salvation and eternal life!
But I digress. (smile) We talking about the power of the spoken word. And we have this last wonderful illustration, from the author of Hebrews, telling us exactly how powerful and mighty is the Word. ‘For the word of God is quick (living), and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of (able to judge) the thoughts and intents (intentions) of the heart.’ (Heb.4:12)
Yes friends, words are indeed powerful tools, and we should not take our spoken words lightly, since Jesus Himself warned: ‘But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.’ (Matt.12:36-37)
Ah mih people, the words we speak down here on earth are so important that we will be judged on them in heaven! That ought to wake us up and help us to control our tongues and words, because in these days of the explosion of social media and communication technology, we’re definitely not paying enough attention to the words we speak. And if we don’t smarten up, we will pay a hefty price come the judgement day for our uncontrolled words. Nuff said!
Now let’s go home declaring (right ho) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know our wonderful position in Christ. With heartfelt sincerity, and strong sense of purpose, let’s wail: ‘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 please believe me friends, if we stick with Jesus through thick and thin, the future will indeed be glorious, more glorious than we can either ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…a word fitly spoken…is like apples of gold…in pictures of silver (silver settings)…(a timely and fitting word…is precious and pleasing…) (Prov.25:11)
13 Feb 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a beautiful word, a deliberate setting of our will, a fresh beginning, a miracle is performed, a new vitality, a spirit of unforgiveness, arrived spiritually, as we forgive our debtors, beyond our highest expectations, bowels of mercies, Christ forgave you, Christian virtues, common sense, concentrating on God, concentrating on hurts, creates, deficiencies, fallen short of God's glory, flaws, forbearance, forbearing, forgive us our debts, forgiveness, forgiving one another, glad to be alive, gospel truth, grin and bear it, halfway home, hands on the plough, heartfelt compassion, humbleness of mind, hypocritical hearts, Jesus Christ, kindness, long-suffering, looking forward, loud voice, LOVE, makes us free, meekness, negative emotions, no emotional high, no magic wand, not looking back, One Year Book of Bible promises, our soul is washed clean, paid in full, put on, quarrel, Ruth Harms Calkin, sense of purpose, sin debts, sincerity, sinned, tangled seaweed of resentment, the Colossians, the elect of god, the forgiven, the forgiver, the gift of forgiveness, the key to freedom, to a glorious future with Christ, trespasses, undergo transformations, unforgiveness, weaknesses, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, with God's help, wonder of wonders
Colossians 3:13. Forbearing (bearing with) one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
And the snow has stopped falling – at least for the time being! Who knows what’s next eh? But what to do, nothing but grin and bear it as best you can. It’s not like we don’t expect snow to fall in winter, but yet we complain so much when it does! (smile)
Anyway friends, we not going to talk anymore about the weather, I have to go out the street and do some stuff today, so we’ll just leave it all in the Master’s hands, to carry me and bring me back safely. I do hope though, that the fellow we’ve already paid to clean our driveway will come and do so before I’m ready to go out. End of complaining! (smile)
Now let’s move on to the topic for the day; a rather important one in the lives of ALL believers, and one which we don’t do as well as we should, we’re talking about ‘Forgiveness.’ And that’s the title of the reading from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin.
It says: ‘Forgiveness. What does it do for us? In an amazing way it creates a fresh beginning. It lifts us out of the tangled seaweed of resentment. A miracle is performed! It may not happen in a moment or a day. We may have to forgive at six o’clock on Monday and start over again at two o’clock on Tuesday.
There is no magic wand to simplify forgiveness. Forgiveness is a deliberate setting of our will, often with no emotional high whatsoever. But once having genuinely forgiven, our soul is washed clean. We walk in dignity again. We sense a new vitality. We’re no longer concentrating on hurts; we’re concentrating on God. If we would only forgive, our lives would undergo transformations beyond our highest expectations.
Above all, Jesus Christ would be exalted, for it is His forgiveness that makes the difference. Forgiveness is a beautiful word. It is God’s word passed to us to use freely, joyfully. When we ask for the gift of forgiveness, God always says yes. He gave His Son to make us free, and forgiveness is the key to freedom.’
And isn’t that the gospel truth friends; we can’t be free until we’ve been forgiven…and we have forgiven! That’s just the way the Lord set it up! And the most important thing we need to know, understand and get deep down in our spirits is that forgiveness is not merely for the forgiven, who oftimes don’t even know or care, but forgiveness most of all is for the forgiver! It’s for us above all else. Because it sets us free from resentment and all the other negative emotions that can occur through a spirit of unforgiveness.
Hear how Bruh Paul puts it to the Colossians nuh, when talking about the Christian virtues. ‘Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies (heartfelt compassion), kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering; Forbearing (bearing with) one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.’ (Col.3:12-13)
And the scholars have an interesting explanation of that last verse. ‘3:13. The fact of believers being urged to assume the virtues of verse 12 signifies that none has yet “arrived” spiritually. As the believer is developing these virtues, he must be forbearing and forgiving toward his fellow church member. For his Christian brother is also in the process of acquiring the virtues of verse 12 and therefore retains some flaws, deficiencies, and weaknesses. Hence the need of forbearance and forgiveness.’
That’s simple common sense friends, all of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory, therefore we need to be compassionate and forgiving of each other’s faults and weaknesses, just like Christ forgave us. And so many of us forget that oh so important fact; that Christ forgave us, that’s why our sin debts have been paid and we’re heaven bound.
But foolishly and selfishly and arrogantly we refuse to forgive others while we go with hypocritical hearts to God crying out for forgiveness for our own deficiencies. That’s so wrong my brethren. And Jesus made that quite clear early on in His ministry. Note in the prayer that He taught, which we call the Lord’s Prayer, the second to last line says: ‘And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.’ (Matt.6:12) And it means just that; as we forgive, so we will be forgiven!
And Jesus made it even clearer a couple of verses later: ‘For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.’ (Matt.6:14-15) It couldn’t be any clearer than that friends!
So let’s get some wisdom and common sense going in respect of forgiveness nuh, because we only hurt ourselves when we don’t forgive. No one says it’s always easy, but with God’s help we can ALWAYS accomplish it, no matter how long it takes!
Now let’s go home declaring (right ho) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know our position in Christ Jesus: With sincerity, in loud voice and strong sense of purpose: ‘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 please believe it, that future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…forgiveness frees the forgiver…so that Christ can forgive them…
P.S. I just went upstairs to reheat my coffee, and looked outside…and wonder of wonders, the snow has begun falling again! So who knows what the day will bring eh? (smile) Much LOVE!
06 Feb 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fearful heart, Abba, adoption, afflictions of the gospel, afraid, afraid of life, be strong, benefits, Big Boss Man, Christian walk, Christians, comfort me, complaining, compromise ourselves, confront the heathen, damnation, deliverance, Egypt, Father, fear no evil, fear not little flock, fear ye not, freezing rain, glorious future with Jesus, Hades, halfway home, hands on the plough, heavenly rewards, hell fire, hold your peace, in jeopardy, Jesus compromised, lack of belief, living for Jesus, LOVE, make waves, middle of the workweek, Moses, no cause to fear, not looking back, of their own shadows, out of bondage, Pharaoh, power, power of our God, push come to shove, recompense, refresh our memories, rough going, satnd still, save you, snow, sons of God, spirit of bodage, spirit of fear, strong mind, the Good Book, The Israelites, The Lord is my shepherd, the Lord shall fight for you, the man, the One, the Red Sea, the salvation of the Lord, the valley of death, thy rod and staff, to give you the kingdom, total control, unworthy actions, vengeance, walk through, Wednesday Wail, your Father's good pleasure
Luke 12:32. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Well it’s the middle of the workweek and most of us are catching our second wind, but we have to be careful because we seem to be playing some sort of weather musical chairs. Remember just last week it was a winter storm, then rain and flood? Well this morning I came down and looked outside and it was white as snow! (smile) It didn’t seem like a whole lot, but if the place is covered all over, then there’s too much snow in my opinion…as though that counts.
But then I heard some noise like stones hitting the window panes, only to discover freezing rain was also in action! And that’s possibly the worst combination you can have. So for all of you who have to go out today, please, please be careful because the snow is going to hide the ice and falling is definitely not recommended for this time of year. (smile)
But what’s certainly recommended is walking closer with Jesus, walking in lockstep with Him! For as the Daily Bread Devotional quote so rightly tells us: ‘There is no need to fear where you are going, when Jesus is going with you!’ Oh Glory Be my people! And that’s the living truth! Once Jesus is alongside us there’s no cause to fear because He is the MAN! He is the ONE in total control of ALL that happens in heaven and down here on earth!
So why should we fear if we have the Big Boss Man walking alongside us eh; securely holding our hands and whispering sweet encouragement? No reason whatsoever! So why are so many of us supposed Christians still so afraid of even our own shadows eh? We’re afraid to go out and confront the heathen, the devil, and whoever comes against us. We don’t want to make waves because somebody might complain, so we either stay quiet or compromise ourselves with some unworthy actions.
Now just think of what would have happened to us, what our situation would currently be like if Jesus had been afraid to make waves and just compromised with the heathen? We’d all be still headed for Hades, for hell fire and damnation, instead of having heaven as a wonderful and viable option! So what we going to do today is just refresh our memories with some doh fear talk from the Good Book that we all know and LOVE to spout, but when push comes to shove, we fraid to put into action!
And we going to start right at the beginning, where the Israelites on their way out of bondage in Egypt came upon the impassable Red Sea with Pharaoh and his Egyptian army hot on their heels. ‘And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation (deliverance) of the Lord, which he will show to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace (be quiet).’ (Ex.14:13-14)
And we all know what happened on that most momentous day; the Lord parted the Red Sea through Moses, and the people walked across on dry land, then He closed back up the Red Sea and drowned Pharaoh and his whole army. One would have thought that the Israelites would never have forgotten such a day. But unfortunately, as soon as they got over the other side and found a li’l rough going, they began to complain and carry on against Moses and God, and thus spent forty years wandering in the wilderness for their lack of belief and foolish complaining.
But don’t laugh nuh friends, because we’re doing the same thing today; full well knowing the power of our God, but still being afraid of life! But moving on: Here’s another verse we all know and spout, but don’t truly action. This is from Bruh David’s famous psalm -the Lord is my shepherd.’ Remember these words: ‘Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.’ (Ps.23:4)
Think on that friends…and at the same time on these other words of Bruh David: ‘The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?’ (Ps.27:1) Good question that my brethren!
And the Lord told Isaiah when He promised that Israel would be restored to Zion: ‘Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you.’ (Is.35:4) And we all know that He did just that!
And how many times did Jesus tell His disciples and those around Him to fear not eh? We’ll just mention this one when He was talking about man’s first priority should be seeking the kingdom of God. ‘Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.’ And if we don’t know that by now, then our Christian walk is really in jeopardy.
Then Bruh Paul had these words for the church at Rome: ‘For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.’ (Rom.8:14-15) So friends, if we are the children of God, then what do we have to fear eh? I’ll let you answer that. (smile)
And we’ll close with this last and oh so popular verse; words of Bruh Paul to Timothy. ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of (share with me) the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God.’ (2 Tim.1:7-8) What more can I say eh friends? Bruh Paul said it all!
But we can definitely go home declaring (right ho) our Wednesday Wail with sincere hearts and minds, letting the world know our position in Christ! In strong voice 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 one of these days, when we’re all in heaven, I’ll remind us of how I kept saying that the future with Jesus would be even greater than we can ask or imagine, and you wouldn’t believe me! (smile) Much LOVE!
…doing anything right isn’t easy…but living for Jesus…oh my,my…it brings out of this world benefits…heavenly rewards…
30 Jan 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a burst of fire, a derision, a glorious future with Christ, a golden image, afflictions, ammunition, ashes, before my mouth, behold my hands, believers in Christ, bitter water, bitterness, blessed, broken my teeth, but believed, Caleb, deceitful wiles, disobedience, disobeying God, doubting, faithfulness, faithless, forgot the wonderful works of God, God's faithfulness, goodness of god, gravel stones, great is thy faithfulness, grin and bear it, halfway home, handle it, hands on the plough, have I hope, have not seen, humbled, I can do all things, in our stride, Israelites, Jeremiah, Job's motto, Joshua, keep the door of my lips, lack of faithfulness, Lamentations, laughingstock, looking forward, loving-kindness, manna, Marah, Moses, new every morning, not comsumed, not looking back, parted the Red Sea, set a watch, slavery in egypt, the breath of life, the deep freeze, the Lord's mercies, the Promised Land, the rod of his wrath, the Ten Commandments, Thomas, Though he slay me, through Christ who strengthens me, trials and tribulations, unbelieiving, unstoppable faith, wandered in the wilderness, Wednesday Wail, wormwood, yet will I trust in him
Lamentations 3:23. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
Looks like it’s another day in the deep freeze…but not to worry, it’s the end of January, so we’ve only got another couple months of winter to go through. (smile) Ah friends, there’s not much we can do about the weather in these parts nuh but grin and bear it. And as believers in Jesus Christ we have even more ammunition than most to handle it in our stride. Glory be! It’s not easy, no, it isn’t, but with Jesus beside and in us, we can do ALL things through Him who strengthens us!
Give Him some thanks and praise for that awesome promise my people! For without that beautiful scripture strengthening us, many more would have already fallen prey to the enemy and his deceitful wiles and ways. And I’m laughing here because I don’t know how to continue after that wonderful and encouraging opening? I know that I asked Him to ‘Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. (Ps.141:3) But I only wanted Him to hinder my talking, not my writing too. (smile)
Yeh friends, as strange as it might seem, the ole fella is at a loss for words, but I’m not worried because I know the Lord will pick up the slack and eventually have me writing even more than I anticipated. That’s how much I value His faithfulness! Over the last what…twelve years now that I’ve been writing the Bit, He hasn’t failed me one time, so why would He now eh? Especially since it’s His Word I’m trying to propagate.
Now that’s a place where many of us either have a hard time or just simply fail! I’m talking about remembering God’s earlier faithfulness in our lives and holding on to His promises of I’ll never leave you nor forsake you in times of trials and tribulations. That’s exactly what killed the Israelites when they came out of Egypt: they forgot the wonderful works that God had worked on their behalf when trials struck them in the wilderness.
Look at some of those things nuh. He had Moses part the Red Sea so they could cross on dry land, then drowned the Egyptian army behind them. He had Moses strike a tree in Marah when all they could find was bitter water, making it sweet and drinkable, even getting Moses angry and disobeying God, so that he never entered the Promised Land, only saw it from afar.
Who led them by a cloud during the day and a burst of fire during the night eh? It was the God of their fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! But they forgot His goodness and mercy, even to the point of making a golden image when Moses was up the mountain getting the Ten Commandments. And then they got tired of the manna the Lord was feeding them and even contemplated a return to slavery in Egypt so they could get their old food.
That’s why they wandered around in the wilderness for forty years, until all the people who came out of Egypt beside Joshua and Caleb died. And they didn’t even notice that in those forty years their clothes didn’t get old or their sandals worn out. Why eh? Because even in their disobedience and lack of faithfulness the Lord their God was still looking after them! Glory be to the Most High God Jehovah!
Unfortunately though, too many of us in these trying times are forgetting the good and merciful works of God earlier on in our lives and thus suffering more than is necessary. But Jeremiah says it very clearly in his Lamentations when the Lord seemed to have come up against him.
He opens Chapter 3 by declaring (wrong): ‘I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath…I was a derision (laughingstock) to all my people; and their (taunting) song all the day. He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood. He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me (beat me down) with ashes).
And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity (good). And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the Lord: Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall (bitterness). My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled (bowed down) in me.’ (Lam.3: 1,14-20)
Ah friends, though most of what Jeremiah is lamenting refers to the trials of the disobedient Israelites, he himself suffered much on the Lord’s behalf. But then he continues: ‘This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam.3:21-23)
Yes my people, we desperately need to remember the goodness and faithfulness of our God, especially in times of trial. We can never truly deserve whatever He offers, and it’s only because of His LOVING-kindness that we’re not utterly destroyed. So for those of us who have seen and personally felt that LOVING-kindness, please let’s not forget it at a future date nuh, when it seems that the Lord is dragging His feet or just not answering our pleas. Who knows, He might just be testing our faithfulness.
Friends, please, please, let’s not fall into the category where Jesus rebuked the disciples for their unbelief when they couldn’t heal a mentally disturbed man. ‘O faithless (unbelieving) and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer (bear with) you? bring him hither to me.’ (Matt.17:17)
Neither let us have to be rebuked like Jesus did to Thomas for his doubting. ‘Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless (unbelieving), but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.’ (John 20:27-29)
Yes friends, Jesus was there talking about people like us, who never saw Him in person, yet have believed in Him. Please, I implore us not to stop believing even though circumstances might be driving us to do so. Remember, His compassions, His mercies are new every morning, and His faithfulness is everlastingly great! Now let us go home declaring (right ho) our Wednesday Wail, restoring our unstoppable faith, by letting the world know our remarkable position in Christ Jesus!
All together now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And it will indeed be a most glorious future in Christ’s heavenly realm! Much LOVE!
…Job’s motto of faithfulness…though he slay me…yet will I trust in him… (Job 13:15a)
P.S. Yuh see friends, I wasn’t lying about the Lord’s faithfulness. He certainly led me to write more than I intended! (smile) Much LOVE!
23 Jan 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a great while before day, admonition, anxious, ask or imagine, backbone, be careful for nothing, beating around the bush, believers, belly, breath of life, by faith, condemning society, dangerous, decisions, departed into a solitary place, endurance, evidence, face of adversity, give up, glad to be alive, go slow, God's way of communicating, halfway home, hands on the plough, hopes, if thou faint, in every thing, in the day of adversity, in the morning, Jesus, Jesus' playbook, judgemental, keep your hearts, know Jesus, leads the way, looking to a glorious future, lose heart, LOVE, made know unto God, men ought always to pray, men pray every where, middle of the workweek, most powerful element on earth, not by sight, not faint, not right now, not turning back, passeth all understanding, persistent widow, pray, prayer, pursue justice, pursue our dreams, push, received mercy, resolve to pray, riding shotgun, right to the point, rising up, sinful times, slippery, snow, sought the Father's wisdom, spake a parable, strong, supplication, tempted to give up, thanksgiving, the peace of God, there prayed, thy strength is small, to this end, true test of endurance, unjust judge, until something happens, we faint not, Wednesday Wail, wonderful example, your request
Luke 18:1. And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray and not faint (lose heart).
And then it was Wednesday, the middle of the work week…and we did get some of the promised snow, not in the afternoon though, but sometime during the early morning hours, and not as much as expected. However, if you have to venture out there, please be careful, because snow is snow; slippery and dangerous, be it plentiful or li’l bit. (smile) But as always, with Jesus riding shotgun with us, there’s not much to worry about! Praise His holy name!
And looking through the many bits of paper I have next to the computer for something to write about, I came upon this acronym; ‘PUSH!’ And what dies it mean? Simply, PRAY until something happens!’ Yeh friends, we ought to just keep on praying, until we see some results of our prayers, because God doesn’t always say, NO, but sometimes, GO SLOW, or NOT RIGHT NOW!
So it’s always best to keep on keeping on until you get a definitive answer…and believe me, when the Lord is ready, He will give you one. (smile) And unfortunately, for whatever reason, in these wicked and sinful times, even true and strong believers don’t pray as much as they ought.
But please remember Jesus’ admonition: ‘And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray and not faint (lose heart).’ And that parable was about the persistent widow who refused to go unjustified by the wicked judge. So too should we pursue justice and pray with all our hearts, minds and souls!
As the scholars explain, re our Bit: ‘18:1. To faint means “to lose heart.” Precisely when tempted to give up, men ought to be strong in their resolve to pray.’ And sadly, in this mish mash, judgemental, condemning society, it’s oh so easy to lose heart. But we have to be strong friends, and just pursue our dreams and hopes through prayer.
And there are so many scriptures that advise and encourage and admonish us to keep on praying, especially since it’s God’s way of communicating with us, and it’s the most powerful element on earth! So let’s look at a few of them nuh, and use them to help us strengthen our resolve to keep on praying.
And what better verse to begin with than one of my favourites, this one from Mark: ‘And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary (deserted) place, and there prayed.’ (Mark 1:35) Mama Mia!
Oh friends, that scripture is talking about Jesus’ rising early every day to go out and pray. What a wonderful example He is! He doesn’t just tell us to do things, but leads the way Himself. Before Jesus did anything, He always sought the Father’s wisdom through prayer. And as I keep saying, if the Son of God needed to pray while down here on earth, why should we miserable sinners be any different eh?
And then we have this wonderful statement from Bruh David: ‘For (in return for) my LOVE they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.’ (Psalm 109:4) Yeh friends, it’s often best to pray when our enemies come against us, and remember Jesus said we ought also to pray for them. Meanwhile Cousin Sol gets right to the point, no beating around the bush: ‘If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.’ (Prov.24:10)
No joking friends! As the scholars say: ‘24:10. Strength in the face of adversity is the true test of endurance.’ And one of the reasons why our world is in such sad shape is simply because we supposed believers don’t have enough belly and backbone to stand up to the evil forces of the world! It’s sad but true! We’re too scared of what others might say or do, therefore we just fade off into the sunset and let the wicked do as they please.
I’m sure it breaks Jesus’ heart every time one of His supposed followers behaves thus. And if we’re believers, then in the words of Bruh Paul to the Corinthians: ‘Therefore, seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not (lose heart).’ (2 Cor.4:1) Oh my people, we have received the same mercy that Bruh Paul did, therefore, we ought also not to faint, not to lose heart! Friends, the worst thing we can ever do as a believer is to give up, to faint, to lose heart! Why? Because that attitude doesn’t exist in Jesus’ playbook!
And as believers, it should not exist in ours either! And one of the ways we can keep it at bay is by listening and following this solid and oh so wise advice from Bruh Paul to Timothy. ‘I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.’ (1 Tim.2:8) And though Bruh Paul was there speaking about males only, expecting females to pray silently, in these modern times, it is extremely necessary that both men and women pray, every where; be it loudly or silently!
And this last scripture is one we all know and quote, but don’t put it into proper action. ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.’ (Phil.4:6) Please remember that my people; we don’t only go to God to ask and ask for what we want, but we must also give thanks for what we already have, and whatever we’re asking for, believing and receiving it by faith, and not by sight.
‘And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil.4:7) What more can I say eh friends? I can only present the evidence, you have to make the individual decisions! (smile) Now let’s go home declaring (right ho) our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know our wonderful position in Christ Jesus!
All together now, in loud voice, with sincere hearts and strong sense of purpose: ‘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 if you truly believe, then you know that that future will be even brighter and more glorious than we can ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…when one truly knows Jesus…you can’t help but LOVE Him…with all your heart, mind, body and soul…
16 Jan 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a day in the life, a righteous man, arch-enemy, cease, Christ died for the ungodly, Christ died for us, cover a multitude of sins, down and dirty, dr robert h schuller, envieth not, fail, fantastic lesson, flaws, focusing on the future, foibles, fulfilling the law, God commendeth his love, God loves us, good news, graceful truth, halfway home, hands securely on the plough, happy report, hatred stirreth up strifes, holy sentence, hope, however I am, incomprehensible, is kind, isn't eaily provoked, isn't rude, knowledge, LOVE, LOVE is the greatest, LOVE Walk, my faith is dim, never fails, not looking back, on Calvary's hill, prophecies, restores the sinner, Satan, saves a soul from death, sinful, suffers long, thank you, the breath of life, the call of duty, the error of his ways, the old wooden cross, the Way of LOVE, tongues, vaunteth not itself, Wednesday Wail, while we were yet sinners, withouth strength, works no ill
Romans 5:8. But God commendeth (demonstrates) his LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Ah mih breddren, welcome to another day in the life! It might be hard, soft, or in between, but I want to remind us of the ONE constant that’s always there, regardless of the kind of day or the circumstances therein…
And it’s the magnificent and ever so true statement that God LOVES You! That’s an indisputable fact since He sent His only Son Jesus Christ to die on an old wooden cross on Calvary’s hill to pay for your sins. What would you call that eh? I call it LOVE; undying, above and beyond the call of duty LOVE!
Now let’s check out this li’l poem from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional, where he reminds us of that most salient and important fact: ‘GOD LOVES ME!’
Please pray with me: ‘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!’
Yeh friends, it’s really incomprehensible that a holy and just and powerful God could LOVE me in whatever state I am, even when I am down and dirty and truly sinful, He still LOVES me! Glory be! And even if it’s incomprehensible, it’s also fantastic, because it gives me hope, makes me feel that all’s not lost; it builds my faith when such a magnificent Being can appreciate me and want me to come Him however I am.
Wow! Who else makes me feel like that eh? Not a single soul but Jesus! That’s why I try my best to sincerely LOVE Him back and do His will, be grateful and thankful for ALL that He’s done for me! That’s the ONLY appropriate response there is!
And please, please, don’t ever forget these scripture verses, because they are the very foundation of our hope and faith and belief. ‘For when we were yet without strength, in due time (at the right time) Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure (perhaps) for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth (demonstrates) his LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom.5:6-8)
Imagine that nuh friends? While we were still sorrowful and sinful the Father sent Jesus to die for us. Now why would He do such an unlikely thing eh? One simple reason my believing brethren; He created us, and despite of our flaws and foibles, He still cared for us and didn’t want to lose us to His arch-enemy Satan, because He knew the disastrous fate we’d suffer under his hands.
Oh friends, LOVE is indeed the motor that makes the world go round! It is the greatest emotion, feeling, and attribute that we can ever have or aspire to. Remember Jesus said that the two greatest commandments were to LOVE God and LOVE your neighbour as yourself. And Bruh Paul assures us that ‘LOVE worketh no ill (does no harm) to his neighbour: therefore LOVE is the fulfilling of the law.’ (Rom.13:10) That means when we walk in LOVE, we’re fulfilling the law of Christ!
And hear how important this walking in LOVE is nuh mih breddren: James says it thus: ‘Let him know, that he which converteth (saves, restores) the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide (cover) a multitude of sins.’ (James 5:20) And Peter declares (spelled it wrong): ‘And above all things have fervent charity (LOVE) among yourselves: for charity (LOVE) shall cover a multitude of sins.’ (1 Pet.4:8)
Oh my people, LOVE is so wonderful, I’m amazed that we don’t use it more! It’s the only thing that covers sins, like Jesus’ LOVE covered ours! And Cousin Sol said it so marvellously so long ago: ‘Hatred stirreth up strifes: but LOVE covereth all sins.’ (Prov.10:12) And nothing has happened to change that since then, Jesus’ dying for us only made LOVE even stronger and more important!
And Bruh Paul, in his famous chapter to the Corinthians, re ‘The way of LOVE’ describes it thus: ‘Charity (LOVE) suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself (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 account of evil):
Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity 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 (cease).’ (1 Cor.13: 4-8)
That’s how great LOVE is my people: it NEVER FAILS! All else fails, but NEVER LOVE! That’s why I implore us today get our LOVE walk under control, work on it, like never before, because right now we need LOVE in this world also like we’ve never done before.
And while we’re pondering how to improve our LOVE walk, let’s go home declaring (Chuh! Spelled it wrong again…) our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know our wonderful position in Jesus and inviting them to join us.
As one loud and sincere voice 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 that future will indeed be glorious, you can count on it! Much LOVE!
…and now abideth faith…hope…LOVE…these three…but the greatest of these is…LOVE… (1 Cor.13:13)
09 Jan 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: acclamations, aching, Christian faith, contradiction, depend upon you, desperately need God, do right, eyes fixed ahead, faith, give up sleep, glorious future with christ, glory to God, grouchy, halfway home, hand on the plough, have dominion over me, His Part, honour, I can do all things, in thy word, joy, keep thy precepts, let not any iniquity, living for God, LOVE, love your every wish, loving god, make the first move, make thy face to shine, make your word my guide, men keep not thy law, My Part, not turning back, obey you, One Year Book of Bible promises, order my steps, our benefit, pained in body and soul, paint ourselves, pity party, promises, reassure me, redeem me, refresh, renew, revere, revive me, right out of the picture, rivers of waters, rule over me, run down my face, Ruth Harms Calkin, Satan, secret, sin, steadfast, teach me thy statutes, the breath of life, the heathen, the oppression of man, this is the day the Lord has made, through Christ who strengthens me, times of stress and strain, trust, unassailable position, unmoved by any circumstance, wanting any plan but yours, we will be glad and rejoice in it, Wednesday Wail, words can't truly express
Psalm 119:133. Order (direct) my steps in thy word: and let not any (no) iniquity (sin) have dominion (rule) over me.
Ah friends, can someone explain this contradiction for me please: Why do I go to bed feeling fairly agile and healthy, but wake up a few hours later feeling lousy; tired, aching, grouchy, miserable and pained in both body and soul eh? Isn’t rest and sleep supposed to renew and refresh you, make you feel better and not worse? Between both of us, I’m simply tired of it yes…and I might just give up sleep and rest completely! (smile)
And I know that some of you, my readers, also have that age old and aging problem, and you’d like nothing better than for us to have a pity party this cloudy Wednesday morning…But sorry, it’s not going to happen! (smile) Instead we’re going to put our trust and faith in the Lord God Almighty, surrender our all to Him, like He wants us to, and joyfully and loudly and sincerely and without doubting, declare these two acclamations:
‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’ (P.118:24) And, ‘I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me!’ (Phil.4:13) Glory to our great God my brethren, for it is He who gives us breath and life and health and wealth…in fact He is the ONE who gives us EVERYTHING we have and/or need in this crazy, and rather evil world! So in times of stress and strain, He is the most logical ONE to take our cares and problems to!
Now here is a good description of our relationship with our God, taken from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s aptly and simply titled ‘His Part – My Part.’ Please pray with me: ‘Lord You want me to trust You so totally That I am unmoved by any circumstance; Then work in me that steadfast trust. You want me to choose to do right; Then turn me from wanting any plan but Yours. You want me to revere and honour You; Then refresh and revive me.
You want me to obey You uninterruptedly; Then make Your Word my guide. You want me to depend upon You increasingly; Then reassure me that Your promises are mine. You want Your will to be my will; Then help me to LOVE Your every wish. I expect Your help dear Lord For You’ve NEVER broken a single promise And You’re not going to start with me.’
No friends, He’ll NOT start breaking promises with any of us! But please remember we also have a big part to play in this covenant, this partnership with the Lord God of Hosts. We just can’t sit on our fat fannies and expect Him to make everything good come to pass in our lives. We have to offer our trust, our faith and belief in His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, then seek His Will from His Word and obediently follow it.
The big difference between our Christian faith and others, is that our God knows we are not perfect, because He didn’t make us so, but He still LOVES us unconditionally and will help us whenever and wherever we come to Him for help, in whatever sad and sorry state we’re in! Praise His holy name, my people! But we need to make the first move! There must be some effort on our part, otherwise it will just be a one-sided relationship, and that’s definitely not what He wants with us.
And don’t forget, ALL that He’s doing is for OUR BENEFIT, not for His. He doesn’t really need us, but we DESPERATELY NEED HIM! We often mistakenly believe that He needs us, or take Him for granted, or think we can do without Him. But friends, here’s a li’l secret, or as my young daughter would say when she was just learning to talk, a li’l ‘secrat’: NONE of those things are true! And if we keep living by them, we’ll just paint ourselves right out of His picture and all the wonderful things He has in store for each and every one of us.
Now here’s our Bit for the day, the same scripture verse as the promise for the above poem. ‘Order (direct) my steps in thy word: and let not any (no) iniquity (sin) have dominion (rule) over me.’ Yes my people, though we need to come close to God, and stay close to Him, it’s only with His help can we do that successfully.
Thus the psalmist continues after our Bit: ‘Deliver (redeem) me from the oppression of man: so will I keep thy precepts. Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; and teach me thy statutes. Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they (men) keep not thy law.’ (Ps.119:134-136)
Ah mih breddren, what strong words of prayer! And do we sincerely mean them, if and when we pray them? And do we truly weep and moan when our fellow man breaks God’s laws? We ought to. But only God and each individual know for sure, as he checks the motives of our hearts and doesn’t simply rely on our outward behaviour. End of sermon! Hope it makes a good and fruitful impact! (smile)
Now let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the heathen and His leader, Satan, know our unassailable position in Christ. In unison and strong, sincere voice: ‘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 if you believe it, then you’ll know that that future will be even more glorious than we can even ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…LOVING God…and LIVING for Him…oh…they’re such a beautiful way of life…that no words can truly express the joy they bring…
02 Jan 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new song, abominable sins, acceptable year of the Lord, acclamations, adrift, as for me and my house, be joyful in their king, beautify the meek, Beauty for Ashes, capsize, comfort all that mourn, communication, congregation of saints, early to bed, early to rise, focusing on the future, garment of praise, glorious future with Jesus, glory hallelujah, halfway home, harp, humble, I can do all things through Christ, I will not tolerate strife, in his people, in the dance, Israel, lost, LOVE, make our lives right with Jesus, not turning back, nothing can separate us from God, oil of mourning, praise His name, Praise ye the Lord, sacrifice His Son Jesus, salvation, saved, sing Hallelujah, spirit of heaviness, strengthens me, thank God, the breath of life, the Lord takes pleasure, the stormy sea of life, this is the day the Lord has made, unconditional LOVE, vengeance of God, we will follow the Lord, we will rejoice and be glad in it, Wednesday Wail, will not quit, with timbrel, Zion
Psalm 149:4. For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek (humble) with salvation.
Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man, healthy, wealthy and wise! Hn! I don’t know about the truth in that nuh, because I went to bed fairly early, and got up fairly early, and I’m not feeling any healthier, wealthier or wiser! (smile) However, we are going to begin the day wisely by declaring a few acclamations to get us on the right path, that with our wonderful God.
So please declare (Chuh! still spelling it wrong) with me: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, I WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’ (Ps. 118:24) ‘God will supply ALL my needs through His riches in glory, through Christ Jesus!’ (Phil.4:19) ‘I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me!’ (Phil.4:13) ‘I WILL NOT tolerate strife in my life!’ And finally: ‘As for me and my house, we WILL follow the Lord!’ (Josh.24:15)
Yeh friends, that ought to keep us going for today. But just to be on the safe side, I also want to have us declare (Bravo! Spelled it right) the Possibility Thinkers Creed from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional.
Please declare (another right one) enthusiastically and sincerely with me: ‘When faced with a mountain, I will not quit! I will keep on striving until I climb over, find a pass through, tunnel underneath, or simply stay and turn the mountain into a gold mine – with God’s help!’
Mama Mia! No friends, we WILL NOT QUIT! NEVER! For quitting is not in the vocabulary of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, so therefore it should not be in ours either! And having got us off on the right track, let’s see what we can find to keep us there… (smile)
And the Good Book opened this morning unto a most appropriate Psalm: Psalm 149, which declares (right ho!): ‘Praise ye the Lord, (sing Hallelujah). Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints. Let Israel rejoice in him that made them (their maker): let the children of Zion be joyful in their king.
Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp. For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek (humble) with salvation.’ (Ps.149:1-4)
Yeh mih people, that last verse is what I want us to ponder on today and write it indelibly in our hearts and souls. For if we don’t believe that our Maker takes pleasure in us, we’ll just be lost and adrift and eventually capsize on this stormy sea of life. The Lord really does enjoy us; walking and talking with us, taking part in ALL of our affairs, etc. etc! Why do you think He made us eh? So that He could have joyful communication with us!
Why do you think He went to such great lengths to sacrifice His only Son Jesus Christ for us eh? So that we could be saved from our abominable sins and thus be able to spend an enjoyable life with Him, both here on earth and in heaven for all of eternity! And that’s a long, long time! Do you think He would wish that upon Himself if He didn’t like and enjoy us? No way!
So please let’s get it our stubborn heads that our God sincerely LOVES and enjoys us! Obviously He doesn’t like our disobedience and continued sinfulness, and will chasten us when necessary, but as He’s said so often in His Word, His LOVE is UNCONDITIONAL! That means NOTHING can change His mind on us!
As Bruh Paul states so eloquently and emphatically in Romans: ‘For I am persuaded that neither death, not life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Rom.8:38-39) My brethren, it’s up to us to believe that!
Now hear Bruh David’s take on the subject from Psalm 35: ‘Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the Lord be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant. And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all day long.’ (Ps.35:27-28) Glory be mih people! Our God delights in us!
And if you don’t believe Bruh David, then listen to this promise made through the prophet Isaiah, re good tidings of salvation to Zion. ‘To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
To appoint unto (to console) them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.’ (Is.61:2-3)
Oh my faithful believing friends, do you think the Lord would go to all that trouble if He did not take pleasure in us and was very concerned about our welfare? I certainly doubt it. Anyway, enough preaching. (smile) And since it’s Wednesday, let’s go home declaring (got it!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know our sure and much envied position in Christ Jesus.
Wailing 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 that future will be even more glorious than we ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…TODAY…is the day…to make our lives right with Jesus…
19 Dec 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a man's heart plans, a vapour, appears for a little time, boast not of tomorrow, buy and sell, christian conduct, do this or that, hands on the plough, if the Lord will, in God's time, looking ahead, make a profit, not looking back, pray fervently, proviso, righteous saints, stay strong and steadfast, thank God, the Big Day, the breath of life, the Holy Spirit, the Lord directs his path, the Lord willing, vanishes away, we shall live, Wednesday Wail, what is your life, what shall be on the morrow, ye ought to say
James 4:15. For what ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.
Well at last friends, at long last the Big Day is here! Give God the glory! The ole fella’s heart is finally going to be fixed up, given some assistance so that he can live and LOVE longer in God’s great universe and do His work with greater diligence and excellence! Give Him plenty thanks friends! Now you’re only getting this so early because I have to be in the downtown hospital by seven o’clock, so please don’t think it will be the future norm. (smile)
And I have to chuckle here because none of my surgeries have gone off on the day originally planned. The removal of the tumour in my head had been planned for January, but that never took place until the end of April. Meanwhile, with the heart stuff, I was in the hospital for that at the end of March, but it didn’t happen. Now, after another postponement last week, it finally seems to be happening.
All in God’s time, my people, all in God’s time! We need to remember that we can make lots of plans, but they can all come to nought if they don’t correspond to God’s time, or include Him at all. And when thinking about making the statement that all will be well, and I’ll speak to you all tomorrow, bright and spunky, the Holy Spirit brought this passage of Scripture to mind.
Listen up here to James re Unchristian conduct. ‘Go to now (come now), ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain (make a profit): Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.’ (James 4:13-14) Yeh friends, that’s pure presumptuousness!
And the scholars don’t mince any words in their explanation of those two verses: ‘4: 13-14. This one is a fool, for he thinks he knows something that he doesn’t. He presumes he has the resources to control his destiny (Prov.27:1; Luke 12:13-21).’ True words of wisdom my people!
And here is how Cousin Sol puts it: ‘Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.’ (Prov.27:1) And we really don’t. Look at how many of us go to bed fine at night and don’t awaken in the morning eh? It’s all in the Lord’s hands! And until we learn that, our well-prepared plans are liable to go awry very often.
And James continues: ‘For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.’ Now that sounds more like it! And the scholars tell us: ‘4:15. This, or that: This verse teaches that God does have something for Christians to do and that they should plan accordingly. James condemns only elaborate planning that omits God (cf. Prov.16:9).’
And as always, Cousin Sol has a saying on every subject: ‘A man’s heart deviseth (plans) his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.’ (Prov.16:9) And the scholars simply explain: ‘16:9. The Lord is sovereign over man’s scheming and planning.’ No doubt about that my brethren! It’s His universe, and He controls it, though it sometimes looks otherwise. But please have no doubt that His finger is on the pulse of everything that goes on in His world, and NOTHING happens unless He allows it.
Therefore I will say to us, that we will speak again tomorrow, possibly very late though, because I might not get home until the afternoon, and might need to rest before I can get up the gumption to write the Bit, (smile) but…but with the proviso…the Lord willing! I strongly believe He is willing, and with all the prayers and pleas you righteous saints are sending up to heaven on my behalf, how can He do otherwise eh? (smile)
He’s had oodles of opportunities to take me home…and never did…so why now eh? He’s put too many desires in my heart for exalting and proclaiming His name, that taking me home now would simply be a waste of those desires.
And as the old people would say; ‘my pee (urine) has burnt any grass as yet.’ (smile) Meaning that I haven’t left a mark on the world as yet. Anyhow, be that as it all may, it’s all in the Lord’s hands, and He will do what He thinks fit. But yes, mih friend Scotty, we are being positive! (smile)
And since today is Wednesday, it behooves us to go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting this evil and ungodly world know our true position in Christ. As one loud, strong and sincere body 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 though I know that the future will indeed be glorious, I don’t think I’m ready to see it in living colour just yet. (smile) So until we talk again sometime tomorrow…the Lord willing obviously…please stay strong and steadfast my people…and pray fervently! Much LOVE!
…our times are in the Lord’s hands…that’s for sure…
P.S. It’s surely a smiley kind of day! But why not eh? Much LOVE!
12 Dec 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future, association with Jesus, cymbals, encouragement, every creature, every tongue shall confess, everything that breathes, excellent greatness, firmament of power, four and twenty elders, four beasts, gifts and joys of heaven, glad, glad to be alive, glory, grin and bear it, hands on the plough, honour, in heaven, in the face of adversity, in the Lord's time, Jesus christ is Lord, looking straight ahead, loves, not looking back, on earth, organs, people pray, power, praise, Praise ye the Lord, riches, sanctuary, shout Hallelujah, song of praise, stand strong and steadfast, stringed instruments, surgery postponed, the Big Day, the breath of life, the Good Book, the joyfulness of our hearts, the Lord is still in control, to the glory of the Father, Top o' the morn, under the sea, Wednesday Wail, worthy is the Lamb
Psalm 150:1. Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah). Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power (mighty firmament or expanse).
Top o’ the morn my wonderful friends and Scrip-Bit family! It’s indeed a new day and are we ever grateful for having been allowed to see it. But fortunately or not, this IS NOT going to be the Big Day! Steups! Ah Lord eh, as the old people would say, ‘the best laid plans of mice and men usually go astray,’ as well as, ‘while man plans, God laughs!’
Hn, hn, hn! I can only laugh yes! But the long and short of the story is that yesterday afternoon around two o’clock, while waiting for a call from the hospital to let me know what time to come in today, I got a call from them saying that they had been forced to postpone the surgery until next Wednesday because of some unspecified emergency. So I have another week to wait.
I’m laughing here wondering whether I’m really to do this surgery, because it’s the second time it’s been postponed right at the last minute. I don’t know how many of you remember that way back in March, I went in there to have it done, and after some tests they claimed that my heart was much better and I didn’t need the device, so they sent me home the next day without it. Then 8 months later, they called and said I needed it. Now this!
But not to worry friends, the ole fella is doing okay, I know that I just need to grin and bear it, for the Lord is still in control, so if He wants it done, it will be done…but just in His time! However, I am very grateful for all your prayers and words of encouragement that I’ve received, and please don’t stop praying, because I need the encouragement to stand strong and steadfast in the face of this adversity. (smile)
And I know that the Lord is glad -Chuh! like glad is my new misspelled word – because many people prayed, who might not have ordinarily done so, and we know that heaven is always overjoyed when people pray, so let’s keep it up nuh. And where do we go from here? I really don’t know nuh. But give me a minute or two, let me see where the Good book will guide us. Soon come!
And would you believe I opened that most memorable and worthy tome to the last page of the psalms, where I read from the last one: ‘Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah). Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power (mighty firmament or expanse).’
And is that ever the best thing we can do, especially when in doubt friends! The Lord our God LOVES to hear His praise being sung by His people, because that’s one of the reasons why He created us in the first place! When praise rises up to heaven, especially to just praise Him from the joyfulness of our hearts, there is great celebration in that majestic place! Glory to God!
Hear the psalmist continue nuh: ‘Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. Praise him with the sound of the trumpet (cornet): praise him with the psaltery (lute or lyre) and harp. Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high-sounding cymbals. Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah!)’ (Ps.150:2-6)
Ah mih people, praise to our great God is not only becoming, but it’s expected! Hear what the scholars say: ‘As the final song of praise, it appropriately answers four key questions about praise. (1) Where should God be praised? Everywhere, from His sanctuary on earth to His heavenly creation (v.1). (2) Why should God be praised? For His powerful deeds on behalf of men and for His inherent greatness (v 2).
(3) How should God be praised? With every suitable instrument man can offer with His God-given creativity and artistry (vs.3-5). (4) Who should praise God? Everything that breathes (v.6). Though every verse of the psalm is cast in the form of a call to praise, the hymn is certainly prophetic of a day when every creature will in fact bow in praise to the Almighty God. (Phil.2:11; Rev.5:8-14).’
Yes my faithful brethren, EVERYTHING that moves in this God created universe, ought to praise God and give Him the glory He so deservedly desires! And it will happen one glorious day, as Bruh Paul tells the Philippians: ‘And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil.2:11)
And John the Revelator describes how ‘the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb…And they sung a new song, …Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
And EVERY creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and ALL that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.’ (Rev.5:8; 12-13).
Yes friends, if the Lord says it’s going to happen, then believe…it will happen…in His glorious and perfect time! Now let’s go home declaring our position in Christ to all and sundry by broadcasting our Wednesday Wail in strong voice, with sincere hearts (smile). 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!’
Yeh mih people, let’s just keep fixating on that glorious future we’ll spend with Jesus till eternity! Glory Hallelujah indeed!
Much LOVE!…only by association with Jesus…can we enjoy…all the wonderful gifts and joys of heaven…
Previous Older Entries Next Newer Entries
SCRIP-BITS 