15 Aug 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's wisdom, almighty god, ancient paths, another week of work, bounden duty, burned incense to vanity, calamity, death, destruction, disobedience, earthly pleasures, Elijah, evil, faith conquers fear, fellowship, find rest for your souls, focus on Almighty God, Friday chant, fun, further God's glorious kingdom, generous help, God's warnings, God-centred, godly focus, godly wisdom, Horeb, Israel, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, Jesus Love Revolution, judgements, Law of Moses, less wise, lethargy, lightens stress, lighter in the head, LOVE, love conquers hate, LOVE Revolution, Malachi, man-made attitudes, old paths, playing with fire, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, relaxed atmosphere, rest, smite us with a curse, stand in the ways and see, statutes, tensions, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the day of the Lord, the good way, the Great tribulation, the Lord never changes, the ways and paths of God, the Word of god, theatre of strife, turn our hearts back to God, turning away from God, ungodly path, weekend, wisdom, worldly lust, worthless idols
Jeremiah 6:16. Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.
And this time the joyful shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday!’ hit the roofs of numerous workplaces. You can literally feel the tensions ease as workers turn their minds to the weekend, away from whatever work that might then be frustrating them.
It’s always interesting and amusing to see the relaxed atmosphere in the work place on a Friday. I guess that’s a natural human reaction, looking forward to a day of no work and all the other strenuous activities it brings, lightens the stress.
Anyway, regardless of the reason or reasons for our lighter Friday attitude, let’s chant our Friday Chant so that we don’t gravitate to the other extreme and spend the weekend in total lethargy on the couch, in front of the tube, or unlimited earthly pleasures that distract our focus from Almighty God. (smile)
As one body in Christ, let’s chant. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes mih people, we need to take a more God-centred than worldly lust attitude towards the weekend, because it’s not there simply for pleasure but even more importantly for the rejuvenation of our spirits.
And on turning to our Bit, we see that godly focus being reiterated and strengthened. ‘Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, we will not walk therein.’
Yes Friends, the paths and ways that our great and wonderful God has laid down for us from the very beginning of time are the ones we ought to follow, not the man-made ones that are steadily leading us down an evil and ungodly path to death and destruction!
Humans these days seem to be getting lighter and lighter in the head, becoming sillier and less wise every day. We insist on trying man-made attitudes and ways that obviously don’t work, given the terrible mess our world is currently in.
But do you think, in light of that, we’ll even consider going back to the ways and paths of God which worked for our forefathers? Hn! Not on yuh life! Instead we foolishly continue to plod further along the unproductive, ungodly man-made paths that will eventually lead to death and total destruction.
Oh Friends, when are going to wake up and see the serious error of our ways eh? Everyday a new theatre of strife seems to open up in our already seriously troubled world, unfortunately without the ending of any of the previous ones, which we conveniently forget, as our focus is trained on the new ones.
Ah mih breddren, there are so many scriptures that warn about turning away from God, let’s look at a couple. The prophet Malachi in talking about the coming day of the Lord (the Great Tribulation), wisely warns us: ‘Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgements.
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.’ (Mal.4:4-6)
Oh my people, what are we waiting for to turn our hearts back to God eh, for Him to come and smite us with a curse? Now that isn’t too bright is it?
And hear the Lord again, this time through Jeremiah: ‘Because my people hath forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity (worthless idols), and they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not cast up (and not on a highway);
To make their land desolate, and a perpetual hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished and wag (shake) his head. I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will show them the (my) back, and not the (my) face, in the day of their calamity.’ (Jer.18:15-17)
Oh my fellow believers, why do we insist on treating God’s warnings as jokes eh, when we’ve seen them come to pass all throughout history? Why do we think we’re different eh?
Remember the Lord NEVER CHANGES; He’s the same yesterday, today and forever. So whatever He said yesterday still stands as gospel truth today! And if he says He’ll destroy nations for disobedience, then in His own time and manner, He will certainly do it.
My Friends, we’re playing with serious fire here, by so blatantly disobeying the Word of God, even to the point of mocking Him, and trying to remove Him from our society that was founded on His sacred Word. It’s a fool’s wisdom my people!
But sadly, we believers are the ones entrusted with the unenviable and mighty task of turning this foolish, selfish, greedy and evil world back to the paths and ways of Jehovah God. The heathen and the ungodly won’t do it because they are foolishly enthralled with the works and idols of man.
So for our children’s sake, and the sake of all our descendants, I’m pleading with us to get serious about our bounden duty, and start working diligently on Jesus’ LOVE Revolution, which is the only thing that will save our world from total destruction, either through our own self-inflicted efforts, or those of Almighty God.
Please let godly wisdom prevail. Much LOVE!
…only LOVE can conquer hate…only faith can conquer fear…only true believers can turn our evil world around…
11 Jul 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: almighty god, another week of work, awesome, blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, breathed into his nostrils, cesspool, counsel of the heathen, Cousin Sol, creation, Creator, dust of the ground, failed societies, fear the Lord, fellow believers, fellowship, focus on Almighty God, fool's wisdom, foolish question, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, futility, generous help, God commanded and it stood fast, God created man in his own image, god created the heaven and earth, God directs his steps, God spake and it was done, God's thoughts and ways are higher than man's, godly living, going against god's will, if the Lord commands it not, in the beginning, indisputable truth, Jeremiah, Jesus Christ, jesus name, Lamentations, living soul, LOVE, magnanimous god, make man in our image, man plan's his way, man's power cannot rival God's, mortal man, nobody, omnipotent, Praise the Lord, refreshed, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, sing Hallelujah, sink into the mire, stand in awe of God, state of confusion, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the breath of life, the cesspool of ungodliness, the counsel fo the Lord shall stand, the Good Book, the Lord is sovereign, the Word of god, unequivocal answer, ungodliness, waste of time, weekend, who says and it comes to pass, wisdom, worldly invitations
Lamentations 3:37. Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?
And then it was Friday… And all the working people joyfully shouted: ‘Yeahhh Friday! Friday at last! Oh how we LOVE you Friday! TGIF! Thank God it is Friday yes!’
Oh Friends, it sure is good to welcome Friday into our lives, but please remember it is just another day, one that the Lord laboured on to create, and we need to put the same energy and godly living into it, like any other day.
So to help us keep our focus on Almighty God, despite the fascinating worldly invitations of the upcoming weekend, let’s chant our Friday Chant. All together now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes my brethren, we need to keep in mind that the weekend is not merely for fun and frolic, but also for fellowship and rejuvenation, which will enable us to do a good job for the Lord in the upcoming week.
And today we have a most interesting Bit… Sorry, all of them are indeed interesting (smile) because they are taken from the Good Book; the Word of God.
Nonetheless, in his soulful Lamentations, the prophet Jeremiah poses this most important question: ‘Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commanded it not?’
And the unequivocal answer to that foolish question is ‘NOBODY!’
Yes Friends, no mortal man can make anything come to pass if the Lord declares otherwise!
And we just have to look at the awesome Creation, to discover how awesome, how omnipotent is the power of our amazing and magnanimous God. And He’s very forthright in telling us that His thoughts and His ways are way way higher than ours (Is.55:8-9) So how can we expect to out do Him eh?
Now listen to the opening statement of the Good Book: ‘In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.’ (Gen.1:1)
Oh my fellow believers, how could a mortal man ever top that eh, especially when it’s that same omnipotent Creator who created him?
‘And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness… So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.’ (Gen.1:26a, 27)
‘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)
So Friends, from those simple bits of scripture, it’s obvious, or ought to be obvious, that man’s power CANNOT ever rival God’s, and whatever God says, that’s the way it will be!
Hear how Cousin Sol in his God-given wisdom describes it. ‘A man’s heart deviseth (plans) his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.’ (Prov.16:9)
As the scholars so refreshingly declare: ’16:9. The Lord is sovereign over man’s scheming and planning.’
And isn’t that the indisputable truth? It surely is!
Now listen to Cousin Sol again: ‘There are many devices (plans, schemes) in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand.’ (Prov.19:21)
Yes my fellow believers, it’s a complete waste of time trying to put plans into place which God does not authenticate or desire to have come to pass. And I can testify to that from hard experience, like most of you also can.
And looking back through history, we can see all the failed societies and great pronouncements and plans of men that have not been successful because God was simply not in favour of them.
And our world is in its current state of confusion because we have not adhered to God’s plan, as outlined in the Good Book, but are foolishly trying to implement our own. And the more we try to do that, the further down we sink into the mire, the cesspool of ungodliness.
The psalmists’ of old wisely recognized the futility of going against God’s will. Hear how the author of Psalm 148 – All creation to praise the Lord – puts it. ‘Praise ye the Lord; (sing hallelujah): Praise the Lord from the heavens: praise him in the heights. Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts.
Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light. Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the Lord: for he commanded, and they were created.’ (Ps.148:105)
And the writer of Psalm 33 – Praise to the Lord for His creation – declares it thus. ‘Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.
The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen (nations, gentiles) to nought: he maketh the devices (plans, schemes) of the people of none effect. The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.’ (Ps.33:8-12)
Ah Friends, neighbours and fellow believers, what more do we need to convince us that if God does not desire something to come to pass, for whatever reason, it will not do so, regardless of all our puny mortal efforts?
So today, let’s be wise nuh, let’s try and bring all our plans into agreement with those of Almighty God nuh, for it is His dictates that will prevail anyway. Much LOVE!
…how can the created ever be greater than the Creator eh…that’s nothing but a fool’s wisdom…
20 Jun 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a rudderless ship on a stormy sea, almighty god, another week of work, as per how the Spirit moves me, blessings, blood, civil disobedience, command you not to teach in Jesus' name, contrary to te explicit commands of God, courage, decadence, direct connection to Jesus, direction, doctrine, earthly dominion, enabling faith, everlasting love, evil, exalted, exciting, faith, feared the people, fellowship, floundering, forgiveness of sins, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, God will not leave us in the lurch, God's direction, God's Word, gospel truth, guidance, Holy Ghost, holy spirit, Holy Trinity, honouring God's word, in Jesus' name, in prison, Jerusalem, Jewish Council, lest they stoned them, life threatening, LOVE, most important aspect of our earthly lives, moving of the Holy Spirit, new mercies, not waiver, obey civil government, obey God, obey god rather than men, one day at a time, plan for our lives, power and purpose, power of the holy spirit, Praise the Lord, Prince, purpose, raised up Jesus, relaxation, renewed and refreshed in soul body and mind, repentance, responsibility to man and God, rest, right perspective, righteousness., saviour, set us free, sloth, slumber, steadfast, strength, strong, suffer the consequences, teaching in the temple, thank god for every day we draw breath, Thank God it's Friday, the apostle, the god of our fathers, the Holy Spirit, the how and why, truth, truth of Jesus, unconditional LOVE, understanding God's spirit, ungodly world, uplifting, weekend, wisdom, without violence, witnesses, worldly trait, wrong and right
Acts 5:29. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
‘Friday, oh Friday, beautiful and blessed Friday! Thank God for it yes! Thank God it’s Friday, and the work week is drawing to a close! Thank God for Fridays!’
Yes my people, we ought to thank God for Fridays as our work week winds down. But even more importantly, we are to thank Him for every day that we draw breath, every day we open our bleary eyes to a new, exciting and uplifting day filled with His faithful promises of new mercies, blessings and the same old, same old but beautiful, unconditional and everlasting LOVE!
And all God’s children said ‘Praise the Lord!’
Now let’s chant our Friday Chant to give us the right perspective for handling the big two days off over the weekend. As one, holy chanting voice now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Now that should give us a little better guidance on how to spend the weekend; not merely in sloth, slumber and/or decadence, but in rest, relaxation and fellowship. (smile)
And we’ll continue looking at the mighty moving of the Holy Spirit in Acts… And please don’t ask me when we’ll be done with that, because I truly don’t know. I’m just taking it one day at a time, as per how the Spirit moves me. (smile)
Oh Friends, I know that too many of us have the worldly trait in us, where we don’t want to hear about anything on a consistent basis. Everyday we want it new, even though we haven’t understood what we’ve heard before. But my Brethren, the Holy Spirit is the MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT OF OUR EARTHLY LIVES!
Why? Because it is our DIRECT CONNECTION TO JESUS; TO ALMIGHTY GOD! It is the arm of the Holy Trinity that’s supposed to lead and guide us into all truth and righteousness!
And without our serious knowledge of its awesome power and purpose, how it worked before, and how it can still work in us, we’re lost, floundering like a rudderless ship on a stormy sea, for it’s the Holy Spirit that imparts God’s direction, strength, purpose and plan for our lives.
And having tried to convince us of the necessity of knowing about and fully understanding God’s magnificent Spirit, let’s hear what happens after the confounded Jewish council heard that the apostles weren’t in prison, where they had placed them the day before, but were teaching in the temple.
‘Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned. And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them,
Saying, did not we straitly (strictly) command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.’ (Acts 5:26-29)
And those words of our Bit my brethren are gospel truth! God’s word is way way more important than man’s!
But please listen closely to the scholars’ note on that verse. ‘5:29. Peter is not sanctioning civil disobedience, as he makes clear in his first epistle (1 Pet.2:13-17; cf. Rom.13:1-7). We are to obey civil government, but when it goes contrary to the explicit commands of God, we must obey God and be ready to suffer the consequences.’
That’s more gospel truth my people! But please take a moment and read those referenced scriptures, for they will greatly enlighten you as to what our responsibility is to both man and God.
However, as the scholars note, we must be prepared to suffer the consequences re honouring God’s word if it differs from that of man. Quite often those consequences can be very serious, even life threatening, but we must have the enabling faith to not waiver, to stand our ground, knowing that our great God WILL NOT leave us in the lurch when we stand up strong and steadfast in His Holy Name.
And that’s another reason why we so desperately need to know about and follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, because He is the ONE who also enlightens us about wrong and right! It was the power of the Holy Spirit that gave the apostles the wisdom and the courage to stand up against a group of men who had earthly dominion over them.
And boldly, they continued in the power of the Spirit to inform the council: ‘The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance in Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.’ (Acts 5:30-32)
Oh Friends, more gospel truth! Wow! What a morning, where we’ve heard, been bombarded by so much indisputable, unadulterated truth! (smile)
Now let’s go out into the evil, ungodly world in which we dwell, but are NOT a part of, and let that truth of Jesus set us free, through the providential guidance and direction of His Holy Spirit. Much LOVE!
…if you don’t understand the how and why of the Holy Spirit…then you can’t use it successfully…
30 May 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a li'l jig, a walk of faith, Aloha, Aloha Friends and neighbours, awe inspiring god, awesome wisdom, backbone, balanced, belly, brought men to the end of themselves, Bruh Paul, condemn the sinner, contented, Corinthians, covenant, curb that negative attitude, danced off into the sunset, daunting tasks, everyday lives, externalism, faith, fellowship, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, get a grip, God's Word, godly knowledge, good, holy, holy spirit, insight, internalism, just, living for Jesus, LOVE, magnanimous, ministers, missing out on god's goodness, Mosaic Law, Moses' law, omnipotent, our sufficiency is of God, patience, persecuted the church, perseverance, ponder, positive, power, power and authority of Jesus, put it into practice, put on blinders, relaxation, renewed and refreshed, rest, satisfied, setting a good example, skills, soul body and mind, spiritual blessings, sufficent of ourselves, Thank God it's Friday, the enabling of Christ, the grace of God, the law kills, the least of the apostles, the New testament, the Old Testament, the resurrection of Christ, the right way to live, the spirit, the spirit gives life, time to be about Christ's business, trust, was not in vain, week of work, weekend, what a shame, winning souls for Jesus, wisdom of heaven, with the Lord's help, worthy, your faith is worthless
Philippians 4:13. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Aloha Friends and neighbours! It is Friday…
And all the people just began dancing a li’l jig and chanting: ‘Friday, oh Friday! Thank God it is Friday! The stupid work soon finish, then the fun shall begin! Friday, oh Friday! Thank God it is Friday!’
And then they danced off into the sunset, just chanting the chorus: ‘Friday, oh Friday! Thank God it is Friday! Friday oh Friday…’
Ah mih people, what a hold Fridays and the weekends have on us eh! Some of us just live for that time. Monday to Thursday isn’t important, simply doesn’t exist for some people. They put on their blinders on Monday morning then drift through the week, only taking them off on Friday.
But my Friends, that’s not the right way to live. We need to have some balance in our lives, not necessarily esteeming some days more important than the others, for good things as well as bad things can happen on any day whatsoever.
And remember too that during the work week we’re supposed to be out in the world living our lives for Christ, setting a good example, letting people see in us the wonderful benefits that can be derived from a walk of faith with Him.
We shouldn’t be just drifting through it, as though we don’t have a care in the world. It’s a serious time my brethren; a time to be about Christ’s business, winning souls for Him.
And so, to try and curb that negative attitude, (smile) let’s chant our real Friday Chant nuh. As one now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Now doesn’t that sound a little more positive and balanced, as it should be? It surely does!
And don’t tell me you can’t adopt that more rational and balanced attitude, because then you’ll be negating the very power of our Bit; the affirmation of the awesome power, the omnipotence of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me!’
That’s a blanket power and authority in Jesus my people! And if you don’t practice it, your faith is worthless!
Remember, as the scholars told us yesterday, it is God who ordered Bruh Paul’s various situations and gave him the strength to be satisfied and contented in all of them, regardless of how trying and perplexing they were. And our wonderful, omnipotent and magnanimous God also does the same for each and every believer today.
It is through Him that we get the power to do most things here on earth. So if you don’t believe and practice that tenet, then you’re missing out on a whole lot of God’s goodness. What a shame Friends!
Now let’s look at some scriptures that corroborate our Bit. In 1Corinthians where Bruh Paul is talking to them about the resurrection of Christ, he declares to them: ‘For I am the least of the apostles, that I am not meet (worthy) to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.’ (1 Cor.15:9-10)
So you see my brethren, although Bruh Paul wasn’t what mankind would consider worthy of being an apostle, because of his earlier brutality towards the church, God in His awesome wisdom, transformed him and used him to do His work.
And Bruh Paul also in his wisdom recognized that although he worked harder than the other apostles, it wasn’t his doing really, but the grace, the power, the enabling of Christ that gave him the necessary skills, patience, perseverance, backbone and belly to perform the daunting tasks he performed.
Oh Friends, I can’t help but say it: What a most awe inspiring and magnificent God we serve and worship!
Now hear Bruh Paul again, this time in his second missive to the Corinthians. Here he’s talking about ministers in the New Testament. ‘And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;
Who also made us able (sufficient as) ministers of the new testament (covenant); not of the letter, but of the spirit, for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.’ (2 Cor.3:4-6)
And the scholars explain that last verse: ‘3:6. The new testament (lit. “New Covenant”) is both new in time (not being inaugurated until Christ – Matt.26:28; Luke 22:7-23: 1 Cor.11:25; Heb.8:8) and new in quality (providing better spiritual blessings than did the old Mosaic covenant).
Letter, but of the spirit: This expression corresponds to the thought of verse 3 contrasting “ink” with the “Spirit.” The contrast is between the externalism inherent in the Old Covenant and the internalism inherent in the New Covenant.
The letter killeth: Since certain Jews in the assembly at Corinth were concerned with Paul’s defection from Moses’ law, Paul here explains his position. The best the law could do was to condemn the sinner. It is not here implied that the law of Moses was evil. On the contrary, it is holy, just, and good (Rom.7:12). This can be asserted because it brought men to the end of themselves, to Christ (Gal.3:24).’
Oh Friends, I hope that helps you to understand what Bruh Paul is talking about, and please check out those scripture references, for they will definitely give you greater insight into the subject. I know that many of us dislike, or rather are too lazy to check out the references, (smile) but believe me, they do help, and I try to check them before I write them down.
Anyway, I guess that’s enough for today. Don’t want to encroach too much on your weekend thoughts and plans. (smile) But please do ponder the stuff we’ve spoken about, and as much as possible, obviously with the Lord’s help, do get a grip on the aspects on which you are not up to scratch, for that is indeed the wisdom of heaven. Much LOVE!
…our godly knowledge and wisdom will not improve…until we spend more serious time in God’s Word…then put it into practice in our everyday lives…
09 May 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a day of simply doing good, a wide variety of things and actions, ablutions, admonish, admonishment, anointed Jesus, before the cocks crowed, business driven world, Christians, church service, communication with Jesus, communing with God, day of calamity is at hand, definitive command of God, doing good, easier to do good than evil, enthusiasm, evil, fellowship, foundational scripture, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, gather's His thoughts, generous help, God anointed Jesus with the Holy spirit, God was with Jesus, good heart, good soul, head start on a Friday, healing all that were oppressed by the devil, heavenly Father, hits the streets, holy spirit, How Jesus lived His earthly life, in a nutshell, in due time, Jesus Christ, Jesus went about doing good, Jesus' love, junk yard dogs, lazy, LOVE, love of Christ, Lucifer, Lucifer's evil nature, lusts of the world, man's sinful and wicked nature, party down the place, pastor, petty frame of mind, quiet place to pray, recompense, rejuvenation process, relaxation, renewed and refreshed in soul body and mind, rest, righteous friend, righteousness., seeking vengeance, something for everyone, soulful chanting, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, Thank the Lord for the weekend, the Good Book, the LOVE of Jesus, their foot shall slide, vengeance is mine, vile and evil people, weekend, wicked, wisdom, wisdom of all wisdom, wrongly directed enthusiasm
Acts 10:38. How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed by the devil; for God was with him.
Ah mih people, the ole fella’s a tad tired this Friday morning…
And totally ignoring my incapacity, the crowd raucously declared: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes, and we done work for a couple of days! Thank the Lord for the weekend, so that we can party down the place!’
Thanks very much Friends… Now I know who my true Friends are not! (smile)
But such is the importance of Fridays in our crazy, business driven, modern world, that many people would disregard important stuff just to get a leg up, a head-start on a Friday. But my fellow believers, we know that’s not the right way to handle the weekend, because that attitude will get us in even more trouble come Monday morning, when it’s time to resume work.
So to help us in mitigating some of that wrongly directed enthusiasm, let’s chant our Friday Chant. With some soulful chanting now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes my brethren, that’s more like how we should handle the blessed two days off work that we’ve been so graciously granted – more like a rejuvenation process than one that makes us even more tired and miserable.
And that segues quite nicely into our Bit: ‘How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed by the devil; for God was with him.’
And do I ever LOVE that particular bit of scripture! That’s because it tells us in a nutshell, how Jesus lived His earthly life, and how we are to be, if we want to live ours as He did His.
In my mind’s eye, I imagine Jesus getting up early in the morning, before the cocks even began crowing, making His ablutions, then going out to some quiet place to pray. Then after sincerely communing with His heavenly Father, He comes back home, has breakfast, gather’s His thoughts, contemplating what the day might hold, then hits the streets for a day of simply doing good!
I also like that phrase ‘doing good,’ because it encompasses such a wide variety of things and actions, something for everyone. And something must be wrong with me yes people, but I find it so much easier to do good than to do evil.
In fact, all faithful believers in and followers of Jesus Christ, in other words, ALL CHRISTIANS, ought to find it much easier to good rather than evil. It’s just supposed to be who we are!
Unfortunately though, such is the sinful and wicked nature of man, especially when grafted with the world’s driving lusts, that many supposed Christians are numbered amongst some of the most vile and evil people on planet earth!
The worst part of that situation though Friends, is that it turns others off of Jesus when they see His supposed followers behaving like junk yard dogs, with Lucifer’s evil nature flowing up out of their hearts and minds.
Ah mih people, my heart gets rather heavy when I think of all the wrong doing and evil deeds that are committed by us Christians, many of them for no good reason. Ofttimes we’re either too lazy to do otherwise, or we’re in a petty frame of mind, possibly seeking vengeance, instead of leaving it up to the Lord, as He has so often instructed us to do.
And just to give us a gentle reminder of that scripture, (smile), here is where it originates. ‘To me belongeth vengeance and recompense; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.’ (Deut.32:35)
Yes Friends, that’s the definitive command of our mighty God! And for paraphrases on it, you can check out Ps. 94:1; Rom.12:19; and Heb. 10:30.
And I’m chuckling here, because I never intended to admonish us today, but rather to share some foundational scripture on the matter. I guess though, that the Holy Spirit saw the need for admonishment and guided me there.
Anyway Friends, the long and short of the story is that CHRISTIANS ARE EXPECTED TO DO GOOD IN ALL ASPECTS AND WALKS OF THEIR LIVES! However, we can’t accomplish that without a heart, mind and soul truly filled with the LOVE OF JESUS.
Therefore, I’m pleading with us, that today, and everyday hence, we get to the nearest outlet that serves up JESUS’ LOVE, and fill up our hearts, souls and minds with it. It could be from a number of sources; through the Good Book, a church service, a pastor, a righteous friend, or even our own serious and sincere communication with Jesus.
But we definitely need to refill our souls and recharge our batteries with the LOVE OF CHRIST EVERYDAY, if we want to do His will. That’s the wisdom of all wisdom! Much LOVE!
…just like a tree can only bear one type of fruit…likewise…good things and actions…can only come from a good heart and a good soul…
02 May 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adviser, all praise and thanks to God, another week of work, as a tree planted by waters, be anxious, belly and backbone, blessed, blessed is he who trusts in the Lord, blessings, business, clouding our senses, corrupt governments, crooks, cursed, cursed is he who trusts in man, debts, debts incurred in getting education, decadent lives, degrading, downtrodden of society, drought, economic system, education, efficient, embracing the materialistic world, evil cohorts, evil rapists, famine, fellowship, first world nations, floods, folly of our choices, foolish decisions, foundations of society falling apart, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, future generations, generous help, godliness, godly, greedy, higher standard of living, homelessness, hope in the Lord, I pray in Jesus' name, if you don't hear- you'll feel, in Jesus' name, in the name of profits, inefficent, inhabit parched places, Jesus Christ, leader, lost jobs, lower wage costs, Lucifer, lusts of the flesh, make it in the material world, makes my heart terribly sad, man-made disasters, menial, mercies, natural disasters, Nero, outsourcing, part-time work, poor getting poorer, poverty, present age, profits, refreshed, relaxation, remove God from our lives, renewed vitality, resist temptations, rest, rich getting richer, righteousness., Rome burning, senseless world, shall not fear, siphoning the cream, spreads her roots by the river, storing up treasures, straight and narrow path, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, Thank God the work week finish, the Good Book, the Holy Spirit, the shrub in the desert, the wilderness, the year of drought, third world countries, true believers, truth, weekend, whose heart departs from God, yielding fruit, you get the government you deserve, you have done worse than your fathers, you walk after the stubbornness of yoru evil heart
Jeremiah 16:12. And ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination (stubbornness) of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me.
And then it was Friday…! ‘Friday… already?’ Some questioned. Yes, Friends, it is indeed Friday! This week has passed very quickly.
Then all those who were too busy working to notice that it was Friday, rose up with a mighty shout of joy: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes! Things must be real good when we don’t even realize that it’s Friday. All praise and thanks to our great God for His many mercies and blessings that are going to flow this weekend! Thank God the work week finish!’
Yeh mih people, life has to be good when we don’t even know it’s Friday. But as always, let’s chant our Friday Chant to help us keep the right perspective on the upcoming weekend.
All together now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Now that ought to help keep us on the straight and narrow path that leads to Jesus. So let’s turn to our Bit: ‘And ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination (stubbornness) of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me.’
Ah mih people, those words are so very true of our society today that it makes my heart terribly sad. What is our problem eh? When God was our leader and adviser we lived such good lives. But now that Lucifer and his evil cohorts are running the show, our lives have turned sour and most miserable.
The basic foundations of our society are falling apart. The economic system is a mess, with thousands of jobs been lost everyday, all in the name of profits. That corresponds to the big outsourcing, where jobs are being transferred to countries with lower wage costs, thus the rich are getting richer and the poor poorer.
The best we can do is offer part time, menial, underpaid work in the service industry. Our children are graduating from school and can’t find jobs to match their qualifications, so they take whatever they can find, if they can find anything, and wonder how they’re going to pay back the large debts they incurred to get that unfruitful education.
All of that unfortunately brings back the horrors that we tried to eradicate with a higher standard of living. That means poverty, the abject kind is on the rise. Don’t even talk about homelessness. The situation in the supposed first world nations is possibly worse than in the third world countries. That’s how bad it is.
And sadly, the inefficient, corrupt, greedy governments that we’ve elected over the last couple decades couldn’t care less about the downtrodden members of their society. All they talk about is business, business and more business, when the business people are the biggest crooks in the world, just siphoning off the cream from the society so that they can lead ever more decadent and degrading lives. Steups!
But yuh know Friends, whoever said that you get the government you deserve was quite right! And until we elect godly, efficient, people with belly and backbone to stand up against the evil rapists of our society, things will never improve. But it’s all got to start with us my people, with the true believers in Jesus Christ!
Why? Simply because we are the only ones who give a damn about the downtrodden! At least we’re supposed to. Unfortunately though, too many of us are also trying to make it in the material world, storing up treasures for ourselves down here on earth, rather than in heaven.
And if we believe in the Good Book at all, we’d take very seriously these words of our Creator to the people of Judah, way back when.
‘Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in (the strength of) man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. For he shall be like the heath (shrub) in the desert, and shall not not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.’ (Jer.17:5-6)
Oh my brethren, those words are slowly coming to pass as our society moves further and further away from Almighty God! Famine, floods, drought and all sorts of natural disasters, as well as man made ones, are levelling our planet while we behave like Nero did while Rome was burning – indulging in lusts of the flesh!
What’s wrong with us eh? Why can’t we see and understand the folly of the choices we’re making to embrace the materialistic world that’s now controlling almost every aspect of our lives?
As believers in Jesus we can certainly resist the temptations that come against us. We have His awesome power dwelling in us – the Holy Spirit that’s meant to lead and guide us into all truth and righteousness. But we are letting the evil powers continue to remove God from our lives. Ah mih people, how sad!
And we’ll close with some more true words of scripture. ‘Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see (fear, be anxious) when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful (anxious, worried) in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.’ (Jer.17:7-8)
Oh Friends, there’s nothing to compare in those two readings. The last one is obviously the only one that makes any sense. So please please, in Jesus’ Name I’m pleading with us to let go of the absurd materialism that’s clouding our senses and turn instead to the godliness and righteousness of our forefathers, so that future generations will be blessed and not cursed by our foolish decisions in this present age.
It’s the only thing that makes sense in this senseless world! Much LOVE!
…if you don’t hear…at some stage you’re certainly going to feel…and feel very hard too…
07 Apr 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: aura of love, battle lines, blessings, calamity, confidence, enemy, enthusiasm, evil, faith, glorious kingdom, God has heard my prayer, God's judgement, gospel truth, have mercy on me, heavenly hosts, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, Jesus Christ, Jesus is waiting, jobs, joy, justice, justification, keeping lives and families together, lead and guide, lies, LOVE, loving kindness, marching as to war, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Onward Christian soldiers, Orion, peace, Pleiades, prayer is of the utmost importance, raise our voices in song, rejuvenation of spirit, repentance, righteousness., seek the Lord in prayer, serve a useful purpose, shadow of death, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, sure conquerors, surrender, the cross of Jesus, the Lord is my light and salvation, the voice of my prayer, thoughts of peace, trust, truth, ungodly world, weary souls, weekend, well rested, wisdom, without faith it is impossible to please God
Psalm 66:19. But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer.
Awright mih people, the inevitable Monday has rolled around once more! So let’s get a move on nuh. You should be well rested and ready after the weekend.
There’s no time to dilly dally, for the battle lines have already been drawn and Jesus is there waiting for us, astride that magnificent white stallion, who is impatiently tossing his head, pawing the ground, snorting and exhaling big gusts of hot, smoky air.
So to get us ready for battle, let’s move right into our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. As one great choir now, let’s raise our heads, hands, hearts and voices heavenward, as we burst out in song this bright spring morning.
‘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!’
Marvellous, mih breddren! That was absolutely marvellous! Once again we had the heavenly hosts all standing and rocking – that includes Jesus and the Father. (smile) So with our engines all revved up, let’s get out into the wicked world that anxiously awaits our coming, and with our great leader Jesus Christ in the forefront, let’s battle the enemy to a standstill!
Wow! As the old hymn directs and encourages: ‘Onward Christian soldiers, marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus, going on before!’
Ah Friends, the enthusiasm is catching! It’s certainly caught me, as I’m smiling and chucking, trying to suppress a cough that doesn’t want to be suppressed.
Now here is our Bit, which gives justification to our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. ‘But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer.’
Yeh Friends, the Lord has certainly heard our prayer for strength and guidance this first day of the new work week. And please remember that prayer is of the utmost importance in a believer’s life, for it is our best and fastest method of communicating with our wonderful Creator!
And today we’ll check out a few scriptures where our Creator purposely advised us to seek Him out in prayer. So here goes. And we’ll begin with the words of Bruh David from Psalm 27; the Lord is my light and my salvation.
And no Friends, that is not a contrived situation. (smile) This time it has nothing to do with my favouritism of Bruh David. I’m putting the scriptures in sequence, and Bruh David just happens to come first.
And in Psalm 27, he solemnly declares: ‘Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me. When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.’ (Ps.27:7-8)
And that’s the proper response my people! But sadly, many of us say it, but don’t put it into action, and thus miss out, foolishly deprive ourselves of many of the blessings the Lord has stored up for us.
Then in Jeremiah, our awesome God, LOVINGLY promises: ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope). Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer.29:11-13)
Yes Friends, prayer is necessary to find God! And most importantly, we need to do it diligently, sincerely, with all our heart, soul and mind.
Now listen to Amos, in his call to Israel for repentance. He uncompromisingly proclaims: ‘For thus saith the Lord unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live: But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beer-sheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought (nothing).
Seek the Lord, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel. Ye who turn judgement (justice) to wormwood, and leave off (abandon) righteousness in the earth, seek him that maketh the seven stars (the Pleiades) and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with (as) night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The Lord is his name.’ (Amos 5:4-8)
Oh my fellow believers, the Lord’s message could not be any clearer and simpler than that! It is essential that we seek Him, especially through prayer!
Now here are a few comments from the scholars: ‘5:4-7: Three times the invitation, Seek ye me, and ye shall live, is given (vv.4,6,14). Though God’s judgement is imminent, it can be avoided, or at least postponed, by seeking the Lord. The only hope is to seek the Lord in true repentance and thus avoid the judgement of God.’
Oh my people, that speaks right to our current situation. We definitely need to seek the Lord God Jehovah in true repentance, if we want our society to improve in righteousness.
And please remember that prayer doesn’t always have to be a formal, bowing and scraping ceremony. It can be just a friendly chat with our Creator as we mosey on through our day.
So please don’t be afraid to engage the Lord in conversation, at any time and place, for He takes great delight when His children come to Him in any kind of prayer, once it is sincere. Much LOVE!
…But without faith…it is impossible to please God…for he that cometh to God…must believe that he is…and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him… (Heb.11:6)
P.S. My humble apologies Friends, but between Outlook’s messing with my writing and my unhealthy self, we’re way behind. But better late then never though. (smile) Much LOVE!
13 Jan 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a believer's life, adrenalin flowing, aura of love, awaken joyfully, blessings, courageous leader, crass demeanour, crossroads of decision, cursing, direct my prayer, diseased soul, early in the morning, earnest prayer, enemy's ranks, enemy's wicked taunts, enthusiasm, evil ungodly world, excellent advice, faint, fearless, further God's glorious kingdom, groaning, guidance, healing, holy spirit, humble servants, humbly ask, imperative, importance of prayer, important decisions, inspiring words, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, keeping families together, lies, man's body, meditation, men ought to pray, miracles, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, motors revved up, necessary changes, new week of work, not afraid, not lose heart, Oh Lord God Almighty, persitent prayer, positive frame of mind, praise Your Holy Name, preaching of the gospel, protective spiritual armour, public preaching, recognition, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, sally forth with confidence, seek guidance, sinful mortals, Son and Saviour, son of god, spiritual strength, standing 'O', steadfast faith, suffering, sure conquerors, surrender our all, temper tantrums, the Father's wisdom, visible fruit, voice of my cry, weary souls, weekend, wiles, wisdom, worthwhile inroads
Psalm 5:3. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee.
And now Friends, it’s Monday… Easy now…easy does it… No cursing…no temper tantrums. So you overdid the weekend, and now your mental and physical states are not what they should be. As a believer you ought to know better, but it’s too late to worry about that now. Just take a deep breath and control yourself…
Now release it and thank the Lord for allowing you to see another day on His glorious planet earth, and ask for His guidance and blessings. Regardless of your mental or physical state, you know you have to get up and go to work, so why not do it the easy and smart way eh, by communicating with your heavenly Father?
Oh mih people, I’m still trying to get us to awaken joyfully, instead of right away developing a crass and miserable demeanour when the alarm goes off, especially on a Monday morning. And we’ll keep doing it until victory is achieved! (smile) Until then…and even after that, we’ll continue to sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to get our adrenalin flowing and our motors properly revved up.
So as one harmonious choir now, let’s sing: ‘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!’
Awright mih breddren, that wasn’t a bad rendition, though we’ve done better. It didn’t get us a standing ‘O’ in heaven, but the applause was polite enough. (smile) But seriously Friends, I can’t impress on us enough, the utmost importance of prayer in a believer’s life. Remember yesterday we saw Jesus tell His listeners a parable about how men ought to pray and not faint, not lose heart? (Luke 18:1) Now if He says so, then of a truth, it must be so!
Bruh David takes that a step further though. In Psalm 5, his prayer for protection, he solemnly declares these sentiments. ‘Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation (groaning). Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. ‘My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee.’ (Ps.5:1-3)
In our Bit there, Bruh David proclaims that in the midst of his suffering, he will make his supplication to the Lord early in the morning. And that’s excellent advice Friends, whether you’re in the midst of suffering or not!
As we said yesterday, and I advised right at the beginning today, it’s always best to start our day with prayer, because it starts us off in a positive frame of mind, gives us the necessary spiritual strength to face the day. And the good thing is that it doesn’t have to be an overly long session for the Lord knows how busy we are, but acknowledging Him as soon as we wake, certainly pleases Him.
And if you don’t believe me, then listen to these inspiring words from the Good Book. ‘And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary (quiet, deserted) place, and there prayed.’ (Mark 1:35)
Yuh know who Mark’s talking about there Friends? It’s our own beloved Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, while out on His first preaching tour!
So my people, fellow believers and otherwise, if our wonderful, wise, fearless and courageous Leader, the Son of God, could get up early to pray, why can’t we eh? Because we’re too lazy, or just don’t believe that early prayer is valuable, or just don’t believe in prayer at all, who knows? The truth of the matter though my brethren is that prayer is extremely important, and praying as soon as we awaken is best.
Anyway, here is an interesting note on that verse from the scholars. ‘Mark emphasizes that it was a great while before day. Showing that Jesus began each day of His earthly ministry with prayer is only the secondary intention of this verse. The primary aim is to show how Jesus made important decisions: by earnest, persistent prayer. Here Jesus stands at the crossroads of decision.
His first year of public preaching (vv. 9-20) has borne little visible fruit. But His miracles of healing are drawing huge crowds (vv.31-32) and bringing Him recognition (v. 28). So the question is whether He should continue to put the stress of His ministry on the preaching of the gospel for the healing of man’s diseased soul, or place the stress of His work on the more popular performing of miracles for the healing of man’s body. To make the proper choice, He seeks by prayer the Father’s wisdom.’
And that my people, is the truest and highest state of wisdom that exists! So please, let’s ponder all that we’ve learned today, then, as always, get the Lord to help us make the necessary changes in our lives. Much LOVE!
…again I ask…if it was imperative for Jesus…the Son of God…to seek guidance through prayer…why should it be any less so for us…sinful mortals that we are…
03 Jan 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 2014, acquire, ads, advertising people, ailment, alive and kicking, blockade, bow down, Bruh Paul, Canada, carefree style, celebratory mood, chains, cheap stuff, Christmas, Christmas bills, Christmas Season, closer to Jesus, common task, concentrate on, Counselor, curtain, daily grind, dead trees, fellow believers, fellowship, fighting, financial debt, flee, frame of mind, Friday chant, friends, frigid day, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, gnashing of teeth, gold and silver images, goldsmith, gospel truth, graven image, greatness, heavens, hit the ground running, Holy One, idolatry, idols, immortal, Isaiah, jesus name, kill ourselves, lord god, LOVE, majesty of the Lord, materialistic, merchants, moaning, more intimate with Jesus, nations are nothing, New Year, offering, omnipotent god, overwork, perishable, poor workers, practice what you preach, pray, race of life, relaxation, rest, sales, serious manner, sickness, silversmith, Spirit of the Lord, stress, strong in power, stupidity, tent to dwell in, TGIF!, Thank God it's Friday, things of God, things of the world, time to spend with God, touted, vanity, walk of faith, weekend, weeping, work of their own hands, work week, worship, worthless
Isaiah 2:8. Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made.
Oh Friends, it’s Friday… And the cheering section cuts in: ‘Whoopee Dee! It’s Friday! Another short work week! Shout TGIF, brothers and sisters! Thank the Lord it’s Friday! For He’s looking down on us poor workers today!’
Ah mih people, the Lord is definitely looking down on us today, and everyday. And we have indeed been lucky to get two short work weeks in a row, because both Christmas and New Year’s Days fell in the middle of the week.
But please note that all across the goodly country of Canada, this Friday will be a frigid one, with whipping winds making it feel even colder. In my area the high is slated to be minus 12 Celsius. Imagine that nuh! Please dress very warm then, if you have to go out.
And all that good fortune of short work weeks, is over now. From henceforth we’ll have to work the full week for a while, before it’s bisected by a holiday. Hopefully, you haven’t become too accustomed to that holiday frame of mind, because this weekend is the last of the celebration period, then it’s back to the daily grind and common task.
So let’s wind down the celebratory mood by taking the weekend seriously, by getting back to basics, like chanting our Friday Chant in a serious and functional manner, rather than the carefree style that the Christmas season put in us. Therefore my fellow believers, in all seriousness, let’s chant.
‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Oh Friends, I do hope that brought us back down to earth. (smile) Because right from the start of this new year of 2014, we need to hit the ground running, running that serious race of life Bruh Paul talked about. (1 Cor.9:24-27) That means we have to get closer to and more intimate with Jesus, if we sincerely and seriously want to improve our walk of faith.
However my people, a significant blockade to that action exists in many of our lives, and it’s well put by our Bit. ‘Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made.’
And that’s the gospel truth Friends! Because we do seem to be more interested in the perishable things of the world, than the imperishable ones of God. Look at all the stuff we kill ourselves, through stress, overwork and financial debt to acquire, especially in this just past Christmas season. Hn!
We fall for all the ads, the sales, the cheap stuff, even to the point of running over and fighting with our fellow humans over unimportant materialistic stuff. Yes my brethren, our world has definitely become too materialistic, and unfortunately a lot of believers get caught up in it.
Then they claim they don’t have the time to spend with God. Chuh! Just consider the great amount of weeping, moaning and gnashing of teeth that will occur at the end of the month when the Christmas bills come due. It’s like a sickness my people, we know it, but yet still we do it every year.
And I’m here to tell us that the ONLY WAY to recover from, to wipe out that dreaded ailment of wanting everything that’s touted by the merchants and the advertising people, things we certainly don’t need, and in many cases can’t afford, is by spending more time concentrating on the things of God, rather than those of man.
Remember too, the definition of an idol; ANYTHING that keeps us away from Almighty God. And the things of the world that we’re killing ourselves over, are definitely doing that!
Now here’s an interesting question. If each of us was asked what we’d prefer, the perishable things of man, or the immortal things of God, the majority of us would consider the question a no-brainer and choose the latter. However my people, our actual actions don’t correlate to that answer. So we’re obviously not practicing what we preach.
Anyway, let’s end by looking at some supportive scripture from Isaiah, as he talks of the majesty of the Lord. ‘Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counselor hath taught him?… All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity (worthless).
To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him? The workman melteth (moulds) a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and (the silversmith) casteth silver chains. He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation (no such offering) chooseth a tree that will rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning (skilful) workman to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved (totter).
Have ye not known? have not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he that sitteth upon (above) the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in….
To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth (is missing).’ (Is. 40:13, 17-22, 25-26)
Yes my people, our omnipotent God created the entire universe without any help, and there is none that can match Him, in anything at all. Not the gold and silver images, the dead trees, all the material stuff we hunger and thirst after, for they are merely things, dead things to boot, created by a human hand.
How can you bow down to something that you’ve made eh? That’s stupidity in the height!
And the sooner we learn and understand that the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the ONLY REAL DEITY in this world, ONE WHO IS ALIVE AND KICKING, the better off we’ll all be! Much LOVE!
…wherefore my dearly beloved…flee from idolatry… (1 Cor.10:14)
20 Dec 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: actions, admonish, advice to the young, alive and kicking, awesome truth, bad, balancing act, Bruh Paul, care, cheer, childhood, choices, church at Corinth, consequences, controlling factor, dangerous day, dark days, deceitful conception, decisions, enjoyment, every work, evil, excuses, expectantly, eyes, fear of repercussions, fellowship, firmly grounded, flesh, followers, forearmed, forewarned, freezing rain, Friday chant, fun, futility, generous help, gladness, glorious kingdom, God is judge, God's judgement, good, heart, hedonistic sense, hidden things of darkness, impulses, in faith, jesus name, jobs, joy, judgement, judgement day, justified, life, lifetimes, live it out, LOVE, magnanimous god, magnificent, mighty, motives, perspective, praise of God, prayer, precipitation, prime of life, propagated by evildooers, prosper, real judgement, refreshed in soul, rejoice, relaxation, renewed, rest, reveal, righteousness., secret thing, Selah, self-indulgence, sight, snow, sorrow, sow diligently, straight and narrow, struggle, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, thanks, the Preacher, the world's our oyster, total commitment, trial, umbrella, vanity, vexation, warning, ways, week of work, weekend, words, wrong, youth
Ecclesiastes 12:14. For God shall bring every work into judgement with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
And then it was Friday – a wintry Friday! There’s already some precipitation on the ground in my area – not much, but precipitation nonetheless. And who knows what’s going to follow eh; snow or freezing rain, or a combination of both? Anyhow we cut it, if the weather people are right, today’s going to be a dangerous day.
So please people, let’s all take very good care as we go about our business outside, for the weather conditions will not be ideal… Hn! And we don’t want any accidents or misfortunes just before Christmas. So if you don’t HAVE to go out, then DON’T GO OUT! Words of true wisdom Friends. (smile)
I also noticed that the weather warning somewhat dampened our usually glorious shout of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ But with prayer and care, we ought to make it safely through another winter’s day.
And to top it all off, let’s chant out Friday chant, with joy and gladness, simply because we’re alive and kicking, have jobs to go to, and live under the umbrella of a mighty, magnificent and magnanimous God!
So my brethren, let’s chant: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Now let’s get that perspective firmly grounded in our beings, so that we can live it out over the weekend. And do we ever need stuff like that to keep us on the straight and narrow, especially when we have a Bit like today’s: ‘For God shall bring every work into judgement with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.’
Yeh mih people, all our words and actions WILL indeed be judged on the big day! But as the saying goes; to be forewarned is to be forearmed. So now that we know what’s going to eventually happen, we have no excuses for making bad, or wrong, or evil decisions and choices.
Yesterday we saw the Preacher telling us to sow diligently in the mornings, then in the evenings, hold out our hands expectantly, in faith, because we don’t know which seed that we planted will prosper. But then again, in our rejoicing, we also have to pay attention to the many dark days of trial and struggle that will surely come during our lifetimes. It’s a fine balancing act my brethren! That’s what life is.
Now hear this wise advice from the preacher to the young. Oh if many of us had heard it when we were young!
‘Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways (impulses) of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes (as you see to be best): but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgement. Therefore remove sorrow (vexation) from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth (prime of life) are vanity.’ (Eccl.11:9-10)
And isn’t that the awesome truth my people! When we are young, we feel the world’s our oyster, and we can do whatever we want to, without fear of repercussions or consequences. But that’s a deceitful conception, propagated by evildoers, for as we are seeing, God will one day judge all that we ever did here on planet earth.
And please note the scholars’ take on the situation. ‘Once again the exhortation to enjoyment is put in the imperative mood. Here the appeal is particularly addressed to the youth to admonish him to enjoy life before the onset of the feeble years described in 12:1-7.
Verse 9 can hardly be taken in a hedonistic sense, because the controlling factor in the youth’s enjoyment is said to be God’s judgement. Rather, it is a warning against a life misspent in self-indulgence.’
Oh Friends, the sooner we learn these lessons, the better off we’ll all be! For yesterday we saw Jesus declare the truth of the judgement day. (Matt.12:35-37) Now listen to Bruh Paul in his first missive to the church at Corinth, talking about real judgement.
‘For I know nothing by (against) myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest (reveal) the counsels (motives) of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.’ (1 Cor.4:4-5)
Ah mih people, more words of divine truth, which will do us a lot of good to hear and inwardly digest!
And here’s an interesting note from the scholars’. ‘4:4. I know nothing by myself (lit. “I know nothing against myself”). This sort of total commitment gave Paul the authority to make such a statement as “be ye followers of me” (cf. 1 Cor.4:16; 11:1).’
Yes Friends, let’s be followers of Bruh Paul nuh, as he was a follower of Jesus! We certainly can’t go wrong if we follow his example. Much LOVE!
…and the heavens shall declare his righteousness…for God is JUDGE himself… Selah (Ps.50:6)
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