07 May 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Big Brother, close knit family, compassionate heart, compassions, curse, encourages, fear, glorified, Glory be, hold on to what counts, if God be for us, justified, life is a gift, mercies, Most High God, moving forward with Christ, negative word, new every morning, pandemic, peace, positive outlook, prosper, reemble christ, separate us, social distancing, spared not his own son, strengthens, succeed, thank god for each blessing, the Good Book, the Love of Christ, the meaning of life, the spirit is filled with the Lord, Thursday Blessings, to these things, treasure life, trembling, what shall we hen say, who can be against us, worship the Lord
Romans 8:31. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
Glory be friends! Glory be! We alive and moving forward with Christ Jesus this bright and sunshiny Thursday morning, where it’s finally beginning to look like spring, with new green shoots and leaves finally blossoming on the dry, seemingly dead branches of the stickmen like trees! Hn, Hn! So let’s give Him some much deserved thanks and praise for His ever present goodness and mercies and compassions nuh, that are so bright and new every single morning!
Please pray with me: ‘Thank You dear Lord, for giving us life this new day, and for leading and guiding us in paths of righteousness! We praise and bless Your holy name through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour! Amen!’ Yes my people, when we’re moving forward with Christ, we’re most definitely in the vanguard of all that’s good and wonderful!
Now here’s something interesting that a friend sent me yesterday which I think is most necessary to share, especially in these trying, uncertain and troubling times. It’s titled ‘The Meaning of Life.’ Now isn’t that a rather interesting and thought provoking title? It surely is!
So please read with me: ‘Life changes so quickly. We can be happy one day, empty and broken the next. If we learn anything from this pandemic, I hope it is to value the moments, treasure the memories and hold on to what counts. Make time each day to realize how fleeting life is and to thank God for each blessing. Maybe this pandemic will teach us to slow down, appreciate what we have and how quickly it can be gone. My prayer is that it will. LIFE IS A GIFT!’
And it most definitely is friends, so let’s learn to truly treasure it nuh, for as the author above says, it can be here today and gone tomorrow, like the grass that’s withered and burnt up in the noon day sun! And believe me, this pandemic isn’t happening just by chance nuh, it’s God’s way of bringing us to heel, to make us realize that we’re not in control, but He is, though some stupid people, including leaders just can’t seem to get the message. It seems like with Pharaoh of old, the Lord has blinded them from seeing the stark reality that’s our simple mortality, fragility and nakedness before our Creator, the Most High God Jehovah!
Therefore we ought to worship the Lord with fear and trembling, with an awesome reverence, with childlike surrender and humility, though confident that He is in our corner, and always will be. And I think these following scriptures, these awesome words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome, paint a perfect picture for our situation. And even if you don’t think so, it is in your best interest to take them to heart and to follow them! (smile) So let’s consult the Good Book, as we should always do, for in it are the guidelines for our successful earthly living.
‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the first-born among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?’ (Rom. 8:28-32)
And that’s a wonderful question my brethren, having considered all that has gone before. Why would the Lord not look after us, having called us and justified us and glorified us and given His only Son for a sacrifice for our sins eh? And remember too that His overall plan is to have all of us resemble Christ in character and behaviour, so that He would be the first-born, the Big Brother in our wonderful, LOVING, close knit family! That’s why Bruh Paul could later continue with more awesome words:
‘Who shall separate us from the LOVE of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution’ or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written. For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor 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. 8:35-39)
Mama Yo! Mama Yo! Oh mih people, mih people, it can’t get any better than that! And if after reading all of that, you still don’t believe, or are still rather fearful and/or sceptical and doubting, then I don’t what else to say to help you nuh. Yuh better had get down on yuh knees and beg Almighty God to help you yes, because no human being can’t nuh! Bruh Paul has put out such a true and splendid treatise there, that if you believe any of it, you must believe it all! And his brilliant mind was certainly one of the reasons God chose him to be the lead apostle to us Gentiles.
And as all of that sinks into our spirits and souls and strengthens and encourages us, let’s go home declaring (wow!) our Thursday Blessings, which the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to do His marvellous work down here on earth. All together in strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
And, especially in these turbulent pandemic times friends, we now need to go out – sorry, stay home, observe social distancing, and share these blessings in the same generous manner, in which ever way we can, for that’s the Lord’s great desire! Much LOVE!
…oh…when the spirit is filled with the Lord…the body and soul are at peace…
15 Jan 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a lender and not a borrower, a mighty conqueror, a young man cleanse his way, above and not beneath, acclamations, according to his riches in glory, as much as in riches, authority of the commander, Beth, blessed art thou O Lord, Christian character, commandments, conform to heavenly standard, declared the judgement of thy mouth, delight myself in thy statutes, earthly behaviour, God will provide all my needs, God's decisions as a judge, God's revelation, going to happen through me, going to happen to me, halfway home, have I sought thee, have respect unto thy ways, hid in mine heart, if God be for us, ith my lips, judgements, knwoledge of God, look forward to, meditate in thy precepts, might not sin against thee, multi-faceted character, necessity of obeying, not forget thy word, not turning back, obedience, of thy testimonies, ordinances, positive scripture, rejoiced in the way, something good, statutes, take pleasure in God, taking heed to thy word, teach me thystatutes, testimonies, the breath of life, the flaming darts of the enemy, the head and not the tail, the hump day, The Lord's protective umbrella, this is the day the Lord has made, through Christ Jesus, thy word, unchangeable regulations, wander from thy commandments, we will rejoice and be glad in it, Wednesday Wail, who can be against us, with my whole heart
And then it was Wednesday – the hump day of the week – but even more importantly, another new day under the Lord’s safe and protective umbrella! Glory Hallelujah! Yeh friends, we’ve been granted another day of life on earth, for which we all ought to be thankful. So let’s do the acclamation thing nuh!
All together now: ‘This is the day the Lord has made we will rejoice and be glad in it! As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord! That’s for sure! If God be for us, who can be against us eh? Not a single soul! God will provide all my needs according to his riches in glory through Christ Jesus! I will be a lender and not a borrower! I’m the head and not the tail; above and not beneath; a mighty conqueror through Christ Jesus our awesome Lord and Saviour!’ And finally: ‘Something good is going to happen to me today! Yeah! Something good is also going to happen through me today!’
Mama Mia! What a whole lot of positive scripture to reinforce our faith my brethren! With all of that flourishing in our souls how can the evil one ever turn us away from Almighty God eh? No way Jose! Ah mih people, we need to know the Word, so when the enemy comes calling we can turn Him away with what our omnipotent and ever-faithful God says about us. That’s why this second section of Psalm 119 – BETH – with the superscription; ‘Thy word have I hid in mine heart’ is so important to a true believer.
Please read these miraculous, marvelous and momentous words of the psalmist with me. ‘Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word. With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Blessed art thou, O Lord: teach me thy statutes. With my lips have I declared all the judgements of thy mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto (contemplate) thy ways. I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.’ (Ps. 119:9-16)
Ah mih people, if only more supposed Christians would read those words and take them to heart eh! Chuh! What a wonderful place our world would be! The psalmist lets us know the right way, right up front: by following God’s Word. And what is God’s Word? According to the scholars: ‘Word (dabar) is an all-embracing term for God’s revelation in any form.’ And we have to be serious about seeking God and His Word. It can’t be just a wishy-washy, sometime, half-hearted thing like so many supposed believers engage in. The psalmist said, ‘with my whole heart.’ And that’s the way we need to come to God – with serious intentions!
And then he pleads that he be assisted in not straying from the Lord’s commandments. Oh friends, all of us need to plead with God for help on that matter! And what are his commandments? Per the scholars: ‘Commandments (mitswot) is a word assuming the authority of the commander and the inherent necessity of obeying the content of the charge.’ That means in simple terms, the commander is the boss, and we must obey his orders. And in this case, God is our commander and His word is the command we must obey.
And friends, our Bit says it all: ‘Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.’ That’s the whole purpose of the exercise; not to sin against our heavenly Father! But we can only do that when we have His Word safely ensconced in our hearts, and more importantly, use it to thwart the flaming darts of the enemy that he sends against us. Then the psalmist asks to be taught the Lord’s statutes. And what are statutes? The scholars explain them thus: ‘Statutes (huqim) is related to a verb meaning “to engrave” and thus implies permanent and unchangeable regulations.’
That therefore means God’s regulations are permanent and don’t change, like we tend to say and believe rather conveniently in these supposed modern times of the 21st century. Then the psalmist talks about declaring (yeah!) the Lord’s judgements. The scholars describe then thus: ‘Judgments (mispatim) or ordinances refers to decisions God has made as a judge in order to make earthly behaviour conform to His heavenly standard.’ And we all know that above all, our God is a God of justice and sin has no part in His character whatsoever; but much to our benefit, He is a righteous judge!
And I like the psalmist’s next statement about rejoicing in God’s testimonies as much as in the wealth of the world. Wish many more of us would treasure the Lord’s testimonies that much and not pay so much attention to earthly riches. And the scholars characterize ‘Testimonies (‘edot) emphasizes the content of the Word as that which God has testified of Himself and His will.’ And should we ever rejoice in the Lord’s testimonies my people, because it tells us of the greatness of our God!
Then the psalmist promises to meditate, ponder on God’s precepts and contemplate His ways. Now that friends, is the only manner in which God’s Word can be written in our hearts; through meditation, contemplation and ‘ponderation.’ (smile) And according to the scholars ‘Precepts (piqudim) refers to instructions from a superior regarding the duties of those under him, in this case, from God to man.’ Again, we can only know our duties by learning them and continually thinking about them as we make every effort to put them into action.
But yuh know friends, we will never get it right until we learn to take true pleasure in our God and all that He’s said and done, all on our behalf! We all know that we comprehend and understand stuff quicker and more deeply when we enjoy it. And that’s why so many supposed believers have problems understanding and adhering to God’s Word; they don’t take pleasure in it. But if we want to have a clean heart and a right spirit, then we must learn to enjoy God and all that He is! And He’s such a multi-faceted character that unless we spend real time with Him and His Word, we’ll never truly come to appreciate and LOVE and obey Him like we ought to. End of sermon! (smile)
Now let’s go home declaring (yeah!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful and ecstatic position in our great God. In full voice and strong sense of purpose 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 when the joy of Jesus is securely planted in our hearts, then we’re assured that our future with Him will indeed be glorious…Mama Yo…more than we can ever ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…our Christian character will show out…in direct proportion to our knowledge of…and obedience to God’s Word…
01 Nov 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Abraham Isaac and Jacob, against the wrath, all the days of my life, anointest my head, candy, causing a ruckus, child protection, create havoc, dwell in the house of the Lord, everlasting wisdom, fellowship, follow me, Friday chant, fun, generous help, goddness, grace, his wits about thim, if God be for us, in the midst of trouble, in the presence of mine enemies, inclement weather, knocking on my door, loving kindness, lurking around, many mistakes, mine enemies, never renege, nobody, not a single soul, predators, prepare a table before me, relaxation, renewed and refreshed, rest, restoreth my soul, safety, shall save me, soul body mind, step out far, stretch forth thine hand, surrender, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the boldness of our God, the enemy, the fragile limb, the God of his forefathers, the paths of righteousness, the rain's stopped, the workingman, thou wilt revive me, though I walk, thy right hand, trick or treating, trouble, true faith in god, week of work, weekends, who can be against us
Psalm 138:7. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.
Well my wish has finally been granted…the rain’s stopped! And the sun is even trying to push out against the darkness in the eastern horizon. But the wind is still causing a ruckus as it’s done since I don’t remember how long. And in spite of the seriously inclement weather, can you believe that children were still out there trick or treating last evening! But who am I to say anything eh, it’s not in my generational makeup? (smile) But the workingman might have something to say about it. Let’s hear him nuh.
‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday…the weekend is finally here…and the rain stop! Brother, is almost two days of straight wind and rain! And it definitely kill Halloween for me. The children were disappointed, but no way was I going out in that foul weather to collect a few pieces of candy! Steups! And the children still too young to go out by themselves. And even if they were older I still wasn’t allowing them to go out there in that kinda weather. Chuh shoot! Can you imagine it still had children come knocking on my door, by themselves to boot!
What is wrong with parents nowadays eh? Have they lost their minds? Many of them were probably home eating and drinking and partying, while deh children out on the street facing what kinda danger, nobody knows. And they like to talk about safety and child protection and all that stuff, but they still sending them out in such bad weather to get a few candy and expose them to the serious predators out there. And yuh know what? My children not going to be hard up for candy, because they have all the candy that I’d bought to give out and nobody came around to collect. So we have a win win situation! Wow! Thank God for Fridays and weekends yes!’
Ah friends, the ordinary workingman might step out far on the fragile limb sometimes, but he still does have his wits about him when it comes to the safety of his children. Now how many of us supposed believers either went out with our children in that bad weather last night, or sent them by themselves eh, all for the sake of a foolish, evil and ungodly tradition? That’s between you and God. (smile) Anyway, let’s raise our Friday Chant to heaven nuh, invoking our wonderful God’s care and concern.
Altogether 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 people, ours is a more structured environment, because our Lord and Saviour doesn’t encourage us to go way out on the fragile part of the branch for fear that the slender branch will break, and we fall off into the waiting arms of the enemy. Yuh know he’s constantly lurking and looking around for believers to make a mistake, so he can jump in and create havoc.
Oh friends, what a wonderful God we serve and worship! For although He has set boundaries and borders for us, when we foolishly step out of them and endanger ourselves, or life just comes against us, as it ofttimes will, He will still step in and look after us, because we are His beloved children! That’s why Bruh David could proclaim with such certainty in Psalm 138: ‘Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.’
Glory be, my faithful saints in Christ! That’s exactly what our great and faithful God will do. And very few of us will have a difficult and dangerous life like Bruh David did, but the Lord saved him from his enemies, despite his many mistakes, because he never gave up on the God of his forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! And the Lord will do exactly the same for us, despite our many mistakes, if we just have true faith in Him and surrender our souls, our lives to His everlasting wisdom, grace and LOVING-kindness!
And even if we don’t know, or are unfamiliar with the words of our Bit, we do know the immortal and momentous words of Bruh David from Psalm 23, that convey the same sentiments. ‘He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 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.23:3-4)
Ah friends, just like the shepherd David protected his sheep with his rod and staff, likewise the Lord, our shepherd, will protect us with His invincible rod and staff! O praise his mighty and glorious name my fellow believers!
And our God is so great and wonderful and brazen, (smile) here’s the staggering, the awesome limit to which He will take our divine replenishment. ‘Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest me head with oil; my cup runneth over.’ (Ps.23:5) Wow people! That’s the power and the boldness of our God! He can feed and anoint us in the presence of our enemies!
And since we are the sheep of His pasture, it’s His duty to look after us as best He can. And we can be very sure that He will NEVER renege on His promise or duty, that’s why like Bruh David, we can profoundly believe and proudly and confidently say: ‘Surely goodness and mercy (LOVING-kindness) shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.’ (Ps.23:6)
All praise and glory to our great God! So let’s rejoice and be glad in all the wonderful things we have going for us today in Jesus Christ my fellow saints! Much LOVE!
…if God be for us…who can be against us eh…NOBODY…not a single soul…
04 Oct 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a Kinsman-Redeemer, a resurrected body, a spirit being, aplomb, at the latter day on the earth, be acceptable, be like him, be of good cheer, bless the name of Jesus Christ, calamity, confidence, cooped up, degradation, for Jesus' sake, Friday chant, furthering your kingdom, generous help, God's deliverance, he shall stand, humiliated Job, i have overcome the world, if God be for us, in my flesh, in thy sight, Job, justified, keep a good attitude, LOVE, loving-kindness, my redeemer, my Redeemer liveth, my strength, Old Testament belief in resurrection, paid for our sincs, pleading for pity, poise, reconciling us, recorded for posterity, righteous, sacrificial death, sanctified, see him, self-confidence, shall see God, share the sentiments, sons of God, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the Holy Spirit, the meditation of my heart, the name above every name, the pure in heart, the words of my mouth, the workingman's song, tribulation, unwavering stablility, week of work, weekends, who can be against us
Job 19:25. For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter (last) day upon the earth.
Well how shall we put it this morning eh? It’s not raining…the roads seem fairly dry…and the sun seems to be valiantly fighting to push out above the eastern horizon…but in my area it’s still somewhat cloudy and overcast, which means any number can play! But after two days of steady rain we do deserve a short break from all that heavenly blessing. (smile)
Nonetheless with the omnipotent Lord God in our corner, we are well able to handle anything that comes against us. As the Good Book so wisely and truthfully says: ‘If God be for us, who can be against us eh? (Rom.8:31) Not a single, solitary soul my faithful brethren! So with that most important bit of information in mind, let’s move on this Friday morning to hear what the ordinary workingman has to say for himself.
And as always, he puts it plainly. ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday and the weekend is on the horizon. Hallelujah! But rain, rain, rain, please go away to Spain – or wherever you come from nuh…give us a break…and come back some other time when we badly need you! As they say, too much of anything is good for nothing!
And…Chuh man! Though it’s been fairly warm, these past few days has just been too much rain, which meant I couldn’t go outside and do anything, and even worse, it kept the children in the house and underfoot all the bloody time!
Let’s hope though that this stoppage is for real, and we’ll get a rain free weekend, because after being cooped up in work and the house whole week, I want to get outside for my free time and do things with my buddies, and the children also need to get out too, else they’ll soon drive their mother bonkers. Thank you Lord for Fridays and weekends, and please, keep it warm, but make this weekend rain free!’
I’m sure that many of us believers also share the sentiments of the ordinary workingman, but we know that we have to keep a good attitude, for Jesus’ sake, re anything that comes against us. So it could rain everlasting, or be dry, warm and sunny, we still need to handle it all with a certain aplomb; that’s self-confidence, coolness, poise, and unwavering stability. (smile) Yeh, it’s not easy to not react like the world does, but that’s why we have the Holy Spirit of Christ dwelling in us – to raise us up to His level of strength and obedience. Glory be mih people!
Now let’s turn to our weekend song, our Friday Chant, which isn’t as worldly as the workingman’s, but it does suit our needs admirably. 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!’
Ah mih people, I know it’s somewhat frustrating to always be on the lookout for the enemy, but that’s what we signed up for when we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour. He didn’t have it easy, and neither shall we. He promised tribulation in the world, but that we should also be of good cheer, because He has overcome the world. (John 16:33) That’s not easy to do either, but if we sincerely believe, we will be able to do it, with His help.
Then we can calmly, steadfastly and truthfully declare like Job did, in spite of his overwhelming calamity: ‘For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter (last) day upon the earth.’ And all God’s children gave a loud shout of thanks and praise: ‘Bless His Holy Name! Bless the name of Jesus Christ! That name that’s above every other name in the universe!’
Yeh friends, we need to do that, because that’s exactly what Jesus promised; to be with us to the very end, to include us in His latter day kingdom, to rule and reign with Him! What could be better eh? AbsolutelyNOTHING! And listen to how Job continues with absolute certainty in God’s deliverance and LOVING-kindness: ‘And though, after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God. Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me (how my heart yearns). (Job 19:26-27)
And to boost that vision of Job, listen to John from his first epistle. ‘Beloved, now are we the sons (children) of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.’ (1 John 3:2) So we can be assured that when Jesus returns, in whatever form, we shall see Him and be like Him. All praise and glory to God my people! Jesus also promised that the pure in heart shall see God. (Matt.5:8) So it’s not a matter of if, but when?
Now here is a paraphrased version of the scholars’ explanation of Job’s speech and problems.‘19:23-27. Although God has humiliated Job, and his friends and relatives have abandoned him, so he’s reduced to pleading for pity, still, from the very depths of degradation he expresses the confidence that if his case could only be recorded for posterity, future generations would judge him favourably.’ And it has been recorded, and we have judged him favourably.
‘Furthermore, he knows confidently that he has a Redeemer, (Heb. go’el) One who will champion his cause and vindicate him. The Redeemer is more than an arbiter (9:33) or a witness (16:19) but a Kinsman-Redeemer who will avenge him. Clearly Job viewed God Himself as the Redeemer, and the Hebrew word is in fact used often of God (Ps.19:14; Is.41:14)
In my flesh (vs.26) speaks of a resurrected body . Though it may also be translated “apart from my flesh,” as a spirit being, the emphasis of the original means “from the standpoint of my flesh,” in my resurrected body. Here then is clear evidence of the Old Testament belief in the resurrection of the human body.’
Ah friends, everyday we learn something new – at least we’re supposed to. (smile) And all who have been saved know one thing for certain sure: that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ has redeemed us, paid for our sins through His sacrificial death on the cross at Calvary, thus gloriously reconciling us to the Lord God Almighty, and we are now His justified, sanctified and righteous children! Glory Hallelujah! Much LOVE!
…let the words of my mouth…and the meditation of my heart…be acceptable in thy sight…O Lord…my strength…and my redeemer… (Ps.19:14)
P.S. Sorry it’s somewhat long and late, but I got up late, then I had several important e-mails to answer before I could get started. Hope it’s informative, and you like it. Much LOVE!
26 Jun 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a flaming fire, all that is within me, arrogant, benefits, Bless His Holy Name, bless the Lord, crowns thee with loving-kindness, day to day necessities, dependence on god, enlightened age, ephemeral stuff, eternal damnation, fading fast, folish, forgives thine iniquities, froget not all his benefits, get down and dirty, glory to God, hands on the plough, hang tough, heals thy diseases, heartfelt sentiment, hell fire, his minsters, honour, if God be for us, is going to happen to me, laid the foundations of the earth, like the eagle's, loving kindness, Lucifer, makes the clouds his chariot, maketh his angels spirits, not looking back, o my soul, obey, obstinate, practical expereince with god, practical living, prideful, redeems thy life from destruction, reverenced God, servants, something good, talking from hearsay, tender mercies, thanks, the breath of life, the lake of fire, this is the day the Lord has made, thou art very great, thy youth is renewed, to a glorious future with Christ, we will be glad and rejoice in it, Wednesday Wail, well worth it, who can be against us
Psalm 103:1. Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
And another bright, sunshiny and beautiful morning has dawned! Glory to God! And when you add the promises and LOVING-kindness of Jesus to the mix, one is forced to assuredly proclaim: ‘This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps.118:24) As well as: ‘The Lord will supply ALL of my needs through his riches in glory, through Christ our Lord and Saviour.’ (Phil.4:19)
And that will just strengthen our resolve to declare: ‘As for me and my house, we WILL serve the Lord.’ (Josh.24:15) And that can only mean that ‘If God be for us, who can be against us eh?’ (Rom.8:31) Not a single, solitary soul! So from all of that assurance and confidence in the name of Jesus Christ, I therefore expect something good to happen to me today, and that something good is also going to happen through me today!
Oh friends, what a wonderful God we serve, I can’t help but exalt His holy name and sing His awesome praise for His everlasting mercy, grace and faithfulness to us undeserving children of men! And if we truly believe all of that, then we have to exalt the Lord like Bruh David did in Psalm 103 – Thanksgiving for God’s mercy. ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.’
Wow friends! We can’t go wrong if we follow Bruh David’s words, though not necessarily his actions, (smile) because he was a mortal man just like us and made mistakes. But his words and his reflection and dependence on the God of his forefathers were most excellent.
Hear how he continues exalting the Lord in the psalm nuh. ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVING-kindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ (Ps.103:2-5)
And please note there my brethren that Bruh David is not thanking God for fanciful, dreamy, ephemeral stuff, but solid, down to earth, day-to-day necessities for living. And He’s not talking from hearsay either, but from real and practical experience with God! Likewise, if we are in good relationship with our heavenly Father, we will also enjoy the fruit of his mercy and goodness!
Consequently, we should also appreciate and give thanks for it all. But unfortunately, the word ‘thanks’ is fading fast from our vocabulary in this current world, just like the word ‘God.’ And even when we say thanks, it’s often not heartfelt, but a simple mouthing of a word, something that’s expected of us.
Ah friends, the standards of our world have fallen so low and keep falling lower everyday, that I can’t comprehend what they will be like fifty years from now. Just look at what they were fifty years ago, and what they are now nuh. As different as day from night. And certainly not better…at least in my humble opinion. But enough of me, (smile) let’s continue singing God’s praises.
Hear how the psalmist exalts the Lord in Psalm 104 – God’s preservation of nature. ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty: Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:
Who layeth the beams of his (upper) chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind: Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers (servants) a flaming fire: Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.’ (Ps.104:1-5)
Yes my fellow saints of God, that’s how the old timers reverenced their God! Do we even come close to that sort of thing in this supposedly enlightened age? Of course not! We’re too busy to take the time to get down and dirty with our wonderful God, and too often just pay Him a quick ‘thank you’ in passing, or mouth a ‘how great is our God,’ without the necessary heartfelt sentiment.
But please remember and note Bruh David’s words my people: ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.’ (Ps.103:2) Yes friends, WE are the ones who benefit when we remember and pay attention to and praise and live obediently to the will of God! We not doing God anything, except break His heart, when we refuse to honour and obey Him.
He might be unhappy with our choice of the devil over Him, but in the long run, He’s not going to suffer damnation and hell fire. It’s us, mere foolish and prideful, obstinate and arrogant mortals who will be thrown into the lake of fire with the oh so foolish Lucifer, who had it all going for him, like we do, but instead chose to try and overthrow God. What a fool!
Anyway, now that we know better, (smile) let’s go home this beautiful Wednesday morning, bursting with joy and thanksgiving in the Lord, as we truthfully declare our position in Him, through our Wednesday Wail. What a mouthful! (smile) 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 believe me friends, that future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine! So please hang tough in Christ! It will be well worth it! Much LOVE!
…if you believe God created all there is…then you ought to give Him plenty thanks…
22 May 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, able to destroy both soul and body, Advocate, anger, be revealed, before men, blessed resurrection, bounden duty, cast men into hell, common to all mankind, confess Jesus openly, damnation, death, dominion over the earth, drunk with power, fear him, fear not, fear of loneliness, fear them not, fears of men, focus on the future, foolish pride, for Jesus in secret, frailties, free will, God-given destiny, hands on the plough, hear in the ear, hellfire, help, identical, if God be for us, illness, in public, inferiority, Jesus is the best, Jesus riding shotgun, life everlasting, Lord, LOVE, masquerades, not able to kill the soul, not looking back, our be all, our end all, physical bodies, preach ye upon the housetops, puny minds, rejection, reverence, run amok, saviour, self-sufficient, speak ye in light, to give you the kingdom, weaknesses, Wednesday Wail, what I tell you in darkness, which kill the body, who can be against us, your Father's good pleasure
Matthew 10:28. And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Aha! It’s Wednesday – the middle of the week already, and we’ve only worked one day so far! Glory to God! Ah mih people, what a holiday on the first day of the week can do for us eh! But on the other hand, many of us are still tired from all the Victoria Day celebrations and are just dying for Friday to come! So reflective of our desire to eat our cake and still have it! (smile)
Anyway, if Jesus is truly in your heart, then you will be able to do whatever you need to do with diligence and excellence, because He empowers His followers through His Holy Spirit that dwells within them. And as He faithfully promised, will supply all of their needs through His riches in glory! Give Him some thanks and praise for that wonderful promise my people!
Our Jesus is the BEST! Not only did He sacrifice His life on the cross at Calvary for us, but He’s still advocating, pleading our cases for us before the Father in heaven! Wow! How tireless a worker is He on our behalf! That’s why we need NO ONE but Him! He’s our EVERYTHING; our BE ALL and END ALL!
And with Him constantly riding shotgun with us, or as the Good Book says, ‘If God be for us, who can be against us eh?’ NOBODY! Because Jesus and us are a majority in EVERY situation! Mama Mia! Is that ever reassuring! It certainly is!
And I want to stir up the applecart here a bit, with this quote from Joshua Loth Liebman (1907 – 1948), the famous American Rabbi, who penned the Best Seller, ‘Peace of Mind.’ And Liebman is reputed to have said these stirring words: ‘Stripped of all their masquerades, the fears of men are quite identical: the fear of loneliness, rejection, inferiority, unmanageable anger, illness and death.’
And is that ever so true friends! Be we rich or poor, powerful or lowly, we ALL experience those fears at some stage in our lives. They are just common to all mankind because of the frailties and weaknesses of our human nature! Yes, we have been given dominion over the earth, but that does not make us God!
When God decided to give us free will to rule over the earth, He realized that He must retain some kind of control, otherwise we’d all run amok, drunk with such power. So He made it that NONE of us was able to be self-sufficient in all matters. At some stage in life, we all would need to come to Him, our Creator, for help!
And he who was proud and haughty and arrogant enough to believe he could do it all on his own, then He would be lost in eternal hellfire and damnation, separated from His Creator forever! What a sad and sorry state of affairs! All because of foolish pride!
Yes friends, we all have fears, fears which cause numerous problems, sometimes even irreparable problems in our lives. But they don’t have to prevent us from doing our bounden duty, from reaching our God-given destiny. That’s because our great God wants us to call out to Him for help! That’s why He made us frail and incomplete!
And He’s just there, dying for us to come to Him, waiting with opened arms for His creation to come to Him and sincerely declare: ‘Oh my heavenly father, I need your help!’ That’s all it takes my people! And if you don’t believe me, then hear some words of our Lord, Saviour, and Advocate, Jesus, while He lived here on earth.
Listen as He advises us to first seek the kingdom of God. ‘Fear not little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.’ (Luke 12:32) And to the disciples, re the workers of iniquity: ‘Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered (veiled), that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.
What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.’ (Matt.10:26-28)
Yes friends, mankind might be able to kill our physical bodies, but not our souls, and will therefore not prevent our ‘blessed resurrection to life everlasting.’ The only person who can do both is Almighty God! That’s why it’s more important to fear our Creator, not only in reverence, but also in true fear, for He is the ONLY ONE who has the authority to cast men into hell, and not the evil one, who will himself be eventually cast into eternal hellfire.
And after that Jesus tells them: ‘Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered, Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt.10:29-33)
Oh my faithful brethren, from those verses we learn two things: (1) Our heavenly Father cares for all of His creation, even the lowly sparrows, but He cares for us a whole lot more; His greatest creation. So much so that even the hairs on our heads are numbered. As the scholars say: ‘Here we are reminded of God’s gracious providential care over His saints.’
(2) To be an eligible disciple of Christ, we need to publicly confess Him before men! As the scholars explain: ‘In reality, secret discipleship is a practical impossibility. Jesus constantly called for an open confession of Himself by His followers. That our confession is to be before men clearly indicates that a public confession of true Christian faith is a virtual necessity.’
So let’s be wise and be of strong faith nuh, so that our fears, legitimate though they may be, don’t prevent us from publicly acknowledging Christ and doing His work in a diligent and excellent manner. And with all of that good stuff written indelibly in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, let’s go home now declaring (yes!) to the world our position in Christ as set out in our Wednesday Wail.
As one proud 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 as I like to remind us, that future will be even more glorious than our puny minds can even imagine! (smile) Much LOVE!
…in our free society…one can’t truly live for Jesus…in secret…
14 Mar 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a positive outlook on life, abundant life, accept Jesus, achieving success, be of good cheer, believeth on him that sent me, condemn the world, condemnation, curse, equality, evil, evil cronies, fighting us tooth and nail, grees, guide us safely, hath everlasting life, he that heareth my word, horrors of sin, I can do all things, i have overcome the world, I say unto you, idle promises, if God be for us, inspirational author, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the only way, judgement, just as you are, justice, life after death, LOVE, lust for power, negative word, no man comes to the Father, nobody, Orison Swett Marden, our Lord and Saviour, passed from death to life, positive philosophy, prosper, rain, reign forever, reject Jesus, Satan, save the world, sees success, selfishness, share the blessings, success, Success magazine, the heavenly Triune, the hopeful man, the Life, the Truth, the Way, this is the day the Lord has made, through Christ who strengthens me, Thursday's Blessings, tribulation in the world, trying times, two options, ungodly world, verily, warm the cockles of Jesus' heart, we will be glad and rejoice in it, where others see failure, who can be against us, ye might have peace
John 5:24. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation (judgement); but is passed from death into life.
It’s a grey, cloudy looking kind of day in my neighbourhood, with the promise of unwanted precipitation, though thankfully the precipitation will most likely be rain and not snow since the temperature is above freezing. Not much, but enough to bring rain and not the white stuff.
However, despite all of those physical, negative possibilities, the saints of Jesus are nonetheless declaring (steups! wrong again) that ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’ And moreover, ‘The Lord will provide all our needs through His riches in glory in Christ Jesus!’
And they boost their spirits even more with words like ‘I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me! And as for me and my house, we WILL follow the Lord, make no mistake about it!’ That means, ‘If God be for me who can be against me eh? NOBODY!’ Yeh friends, that’s one of the remarkable things of being a follower of Jesus Christ; we can boost our spirits with spoken words, promises that He’s declared over our lives! No other faith can do that!
And that brings us to these inspirational words attributed to Orison Swett Marden (1848-1924), ‘an American inspirational author who wrote about achieving success in life and founded Success Magazine in 1897.’ Marden claims: ‘The hopeful man sees success where others see failure, sunshine where others see shadows and storm.’
He’s talking about us there friends, believers in the positive philosophy and promises of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! All thanks and praise be to our Lord and Saviour for the wonderful and abundant life that He died to give us! We now need to hold on to His promises, and His hand tightly and let Him guide us safely and positively through these trying times in this evil and ungodly world! That’s the only way we will ever be successful my people!
Jesus warned early on: ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation (judgement); but is passed from death into life.’ Yes friends, Jesus is the ONLY WAY to achieve life after death! When we believe in Him and the Father who sent Him then our bodies will die, but our spirits wont. They shall reign forever with the heavenly Triune!
And Jesus confirms it all by saying: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.’ (John 14:6) And we know He does not lie! So it only makes mucho sense to hitch our carts to His superior horse! And if you want even more encouragement, then check out these fabulous, though hard to put into action words of Jesus. ‘These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)
Aren’t those wonderful words friends…and words of truth too? They certainly are! Jesus did His part, but now we have to do ours, by using our faith in Him to stand strong and steadfast when Satan and his evil cronies are fighting us tooth and nail for world control. We are the only ones who are fighting on the basis of LOVE, justice and equality, the rest are all infused with greed, lust for power and selfishness!
And from where do we get that fighting spirit for the good things? From possibly the most important words in the Good Book; Jesus’ immortal declaration: ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:16-17)
There you have it in black and white my fellow believers; Jesus’ purpose for coming to earth…to save us, from ourselves and from the horrors of sin! So the ongoing logic and reasoning are very simple: If you want to be saved and live an everlasting life, then you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. If you don’t want to live and see life eternal, but prefer to be on the outside looking in with the evil one, then you simply continue in your evil ways and don’t accept Jesus.
Those are the only two options we have my brethren! And believe me, the last option might look good and pleasurable in the here and now, but in the hereafter it will be terrible! The Lord promised it, and we know He doesn’t make idle promises! So please, I implore us to take the first option; wisdom dictates it. It might be somewhat difficult now, but the rewards you’ll reap later will be oh so worth that difficulty!
Now for those of us who truly believe, let’s go home declaring (wrong again) our Thursday Blessings, which the Lord have poured down on us in His awesome generosity. All together now, in sincere and strong voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Yuh see what happens when you live for Jesus! But a word of caution here; those blessings are not for us to hoard but to share with the less fortunate in our unjust society. So let’s go out and do just that nuh, and thus warm the cockles of Jesus’ heart! Much LOVE!
…Jesus is the ONLY ONE…who will take you just as you are…and make you what He wants you to be…
23 Apr 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a wonderful life, adrenaline, angry world, at ease, aura of love, be afraid, be quiet, being confident, believe god's Word, Christians, come unto me, confidence, conquerors, distress, dwell safely, enthusiasm, evil, faith, friends, glorified, glorious kingdom, great invitation, heaven, heavy burdened, holy spirit, humble servants, if God be for us, inspirational words, inspired by God, invincible, Jesus, jobs, joy, justifed, labour, let not your heart be troubled, lies, listen to God, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, obey God, obits, peace, predestinate, pulses, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, rest for your souls, righteousness., Roman church, salvation, secure, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, take my yoke, taunts, the BIBLE, the heaven we don't, the hell we know, the other side of the river, this one thing, too good to be true, trust, truth, ungodly world, who can be against us, whoso hearkens unto me, wiles, wisdom
Proverbs 1:33. But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet (secure, at ease) from fear of evil.
One more morning…one more Monday… to go out and face the cold, cruel and evil world! Or would you rather not be around to face it eh, have your picture staring back at you from the obits instead? (smile) Definitely not! Most of us would vote for seeing another Monday morning though they seem to cause us constant distress.
That’s possibly because what awaits us on the other side of the river appears to be so grand, too good to be true, and nobody has ever come back from there and told us the real story. So until we just can’t help it, do otherwise, we’ll stay on this side of the river, unhappily accepting the hell we know, instead of the heaven we don’t.
But friends, we ought to believe God’s Word because it is true. So if He says a wonderful life awaits us on the other side, why doubt it eh? As we saw yesterday the Bible, though actually written by men, was inspired by God, and one truth from it is greater than the wisdom of all mankind. Anyway, we still on this side, (smile) and we still have Monday to get through, so let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to help us get started nuh.
All together now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Yeh friends, I know our pulses are beating a little faster and the adrenaline is now swiftly coursing through our bodies, so let’s get a move on before we lose the rush nuh. (smile) And today we’re going to continue talking about the great and wonderful promises of God.
And the first one today is our Bit; wise and holy inspiration of God to Cousin Sol. ‘But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet (secure, at ease) from fear of evil.’ A promise of absolute truth my people! When we listen to God and obey Him, we are not afraid when evil comes against us. Why?
Because as Jesus told His disciples and consequently promised us: ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27) Wow! What a promise! Exactly what we need in this evil, confused, hateful, ungodly and angry world. And it’s available to whosoever wants it.
All you have to do is to accept Jesus’ Great Invitation: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:28-30)
Glory be my breddren! How can you beat that promise eh? No way Jose! And if yuh still having doubts, then try this promise for size. The inspired words of Bruh Paul to the Philippians, after letting them know that he’s been praying for them from the first day that they received Christ. ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil.1:16)
Yeh friends, whatever God begins in us, He will complete it, or keep it going until Jesus returns. There are no if, ands, or buts about that! And we going to end with some more of Bruh Paul’s wise and inspirational words, this time as he talks to the Roman church about life in the Spirit.
‘Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?’(Rom.8:30-32)
Oh precious people, if God, gave up His only Son to save us, and if we are obediently following Christ, then God will obviously be on our side. And once He’s with us, NO ONE, or NOTHING can come successfully against us, because God and any one of us constitutes a majority in any situation. Let’s remember that so we can live it too nuh. More on God’s awesome promises tomorrow, if He wants it that way. Much LOVE!
…God’s promises were never made to be broken…but for each and every one to be fulfilled…
27 Mar 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living
Tags: a new twist to the story, afraid of nothing, all things work together for good, angels, any other creature, as it is written, blessed, called according to His purpose, delivered him up, depth, distress, ejection fraction, err, famine, for thy sake, freely, from the love of Christ, give us all things, glory to God, God uses everything for our good, heart assisted implant, height, hospital beds, hurry, I am persuaded, if God be for us, Jesus Christ, life, LOVE, miracles, miraculously, more than conquerors, my friend Jesus, nakedness, neither death, obscure, obtuse, on the side of caution, one of those days, peril, persecution, postpone the procedure, powers, principalities, reassurance, redeem believers, restful night's sleep, review the situation, separate us from the love of God, share His love, sheep for the slaughter, spared not his own son, surprises, sword, the beloved of God, the Lord intervened, things present, things to come, ticker, to these things, to those who love God, Toronto General Hospital, tribulation, Tuesday Mantra, walking with God, we are killed all day long, what then shall we say, who can be against us, who shall separate us, worry
Romans 8:31. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
Ah friends, as Prince Buster, the famed Jamaican singer said in his song so long ago; ‘It was a rough night last night…’ but not in the sexual way that he meant it. (smile) I spent the night in the Toronto General Hospital in preparation for doing a heart assisted implant today, that would help the ole ticker operate more functionally than it’s currently doing.
Everything else was okay except the bed. Chuh! These new-fangled hospital beds are so expensive and can do everything except give you a restful night’s sleep. I found it too hard to lie on and very difficult to get up from. And brother…it just kills my back!
But there’s always a good and bad side to every story…Hn! The good side is that the Lord might have intervened miraculously on the ole fella’s behalf. Yeh friends, if the findings are true, then heavenly intervention was indeed involved. And you must be wondering what I’m being so obtuse and obscure about. (smile)
Well there seems to be something called ‘ejection fraction’ that shows how the heart is pumping the blood and my figures were low to begin with and over the past year haven’t improved a whole lot which necessitated implanting the device.
However, yesterday, when they did the usual tests, my figures shot up so remarkably that they had to stop and review the situation. That’s why I’m talking about miracles.
Hold down now people, hold down… there’s a new twist to the story now. I just spoke to the doctor about the surgery and they have decided to postpone it, to err on the side of caution, until they do some other tests that will give them a clearer picture. Only problem is it takes months to get that done.
But per his reasoning, if my heart has really improved, then I should be okay. Seems though that there are two different implants for the situation and until they are sure of what’s happening it doesn’t make sense to do any surgery which could complicate matters later on.
Ah Lord eh! When it’s not one thing, it’s certainly another. Life is always full of surprises, and who knows when they will crop up. But when you’re walking with Almighty God, He gives you the ability to handle all that comes against you.
Hence the awesome and always encouraging words of our Bit. ‘What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?’ Not a single soul, for our God will fight them off on our behalf!
Glory to God my fellow believers! Though He allows us to go through all sorts of stuff, ultimately, He uses everything for our good, as Bruh Paul says a few verses earlier. ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.’ (Rom.8:28) We couldn’t ask for more than that.
And furthermore, Bruh Paul clarifies our Bit by reassuring us. ‘He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?’ (Rom.8:32) Yeh friends, if the Lord went to that length to sacrifice His only Son for us, why wouldn’t He freely give us lesser things eh? None whatsoever!
Thus, Bruh Paul continues later on: ‘Who shall separate us from the LOVE of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.’ (Rom.8:35-37)
Oh my people, we are so blessed to have the Lord God of Hosts as our Guide and Protector, that we need nothing or no one else to advocate for us. No wonder Bruh Paul ends this remarkable chapter with these wise, wonderful and reassuring words. ‘For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, not 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)
Yes precious people of God, NOTHING in this world can separate us from God’s LOVE! Why? As the scholars explain. ’38-39. We cannot be separated from God’s LOVE, because it is set forth in a person who is God Himself, Jesus Christ, our Saviour. God’s desire to redeem believers cannot be frustrated, because He is infinitely greater than any potential enemy. His plan will be realized because it is His purpose (cf. v.28).’
So friends, with all that reassurance let’s go home with bountiful feelings, on this rainy morning in Toronto, heartily declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know who and whose we are. In full voice now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen.’
Now let’s go out and do just that. Much LOVE!
…with God on our side…we should be afraid of nothing…
P.S. Oh friends, sorry the Bit is so late, I never got to finish it at the hospital and I’m just getting home. It’s just been one of those days. Hope it makes some kind of sense. (smile) Much Love!
06 Aug 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: affirmation day, appreciative crowd, awe, believe, believe in Jesus, biblical affirmations, blessings, bright future, calypso monarch, Calypso showcase, courage, dog eat dog world, ears have not heard, evil, eyes haven't seen, faith, faithfulness, fend off Lucifer, gospel truth, government you deserve, Harbourfront, He is faithful that promised, heart-warming, holy spirit, hope, I can do all things, if god is for us, Jekyll and Hyde, Jesus Christ, laughingstock, LOVE, loving kindness, Macoumere Fifi, magnanimous god, mercies, people perish, personal fiefdom, pilgrim's journey, planet earth, power struggles, prophetic vision, reassurance, religion, restraints, reverence, rewarder, shenanigans, spirituality, strength, theology, things God hath prepared, things of the world, through Christ who strengthens me, times of trouble, Toronto's mayor, truth, who can be against us, wisdom, without wavering, write indelibly
Philippians 4:13. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me!
Oh Friends, the ole fella actually went out yesterday afternoon. Wow! Strange things do happen at times yes! (smile) My young daughter came and picked me up in her fancy SUV and took me down to a Calypso showcase of local talent at Harbourfront, a multiple events place on the Toronto Waterfront.
Oh, it felt so good to be chauffeured for a change, and in style to boot, instead of always being the chauffeur. Some of you might be able to appreciate and understand the feeling, as you’re in the same boat. But it’s nice to be able to gaze around and see the myriad of things that you don’t, or shouldn’t see when you’re driving.
Anyway, I missed the first half of the show, but what I experienced was excellent and it had a good and appreciative crowd. The backing band, Ossie Gurley, was nice and tight, but as it should be, the reigning Calypso Monarch of Canada, Macoumere Fifi, stole the show with her rendition of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a caricature of the Mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford, and his brother Doug, who seems to be the de facto Mayor, as he cleans up, or tries to clean up his brother’s mistakes.
They behave as though Toronto is their personal fiefdom, but sadly have become a laughingstock around the world because of their unwise shenanigans, and consequently the city has suffered a serious decrease in believability.
But as they say, you get the government you deserve, and where there’s no prophetic vision, the people perish, because they cast off all restraints and do their own thing. And that is exactly what’s happening in the good city of Toronto today. The leaders are behaving like buffoons, being more divisive and argumentative and involved in power struggles, rather than doing the jobs they were elected to do.
Anyway, we’ll pray for them and leave them in God’s hand, because only He can change the hearts and minds of those He created. And furthermore, He’s decreed that today be a day of Biblical Affirmations; pieces of scripture that we can write indelibly in our hearts and souls that will help us fend off Lucifer when he attacks us, or just generally in times of trouble.
Remember we had affirmation day a few weeks ago. Now we’ll run through some more scriptures that are useful to keep us strong and steadfast in faith. And we’ll begin with our Bit, which generally correlates all our endeavours. ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me!’
Now Friends, that is undeniable truth! That’s simply because it is the power of Jesus Christ, His Holy Spirit working in us that enables us to handle all and sundry situations, regardless of what they might be. Without that power of Christ’s Spirit enabling us, we wouldn’t last very long in this evil, dog eat dog world.
And listen to these words of ultimate wisdom from Cousin Sol nuh. ‘Commit thy works (roll on the Lord thy works), and thy thoughts shall be established.’ (Prov.16:3) Now there’s no doubting the substantial truth in that verse my brethren.
And what about this reassuring verse from Jeremiah eh? ‘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).’ (Jer.29:11)
Oh Friends, from that we ought to draw immense assurance, because the Lord has spelled out His plans for us, plans which are full of hope and a bright future.
Next up is this powerful verse from Hebrews. ‘Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)’ (Heb.10:23) Ah mih breddren, how can that not calm our souls re the Lord’s faithfulness eh!
And we also need to hear this other verse from Hebrews, which deals with our faith and faithfulness. ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him: 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)
And that my people, is the gospel truth of all gospel truths! For if we don’t have faith and believe that God is who He says He is and does what He says, then we’ll be shut out of the Lord’s mercies, blessings and LOVING-kindness.
Now hear these words of Bruh Paul to the Corinthians, based on Is.64:4 and 65:17. ‘But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that LOVE Him.’ (1 Cor.2:9)
Wow! Oh my fellow believers yuh hear that? We can’t begin to understand or even imagine what our mighty, magnanimous and LOVING God has prepared for those who LOVE and serve Him with reverence and awe!
And we’ll end with this most appropriate scripture from Romans: ‘What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?’ (Rom.8:31)
And the answer to that question my Friends is a loud, defiant and definite ‘NOBODY!’
Now my people, let’s ponder those scriptures and write them in our hearts, so that in the day and time of need, we can raise them up and find the strength, wisdom, faith, assurance and courage to stand tall and walk proudly on this our pilgrim’s journey here on planet earth.
For that my brethren is the absolute wisdom of and for these perilous times! Much LOVE!
…to believe in Jesus…is certainly more assuring and heart-warming…than believing in the things of the world…
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