05 Oct 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adversity, anger, Anger versus Love, anguished soul, animosity, arms to hug, between a rock and a hard place, blame, criticize, cry to God, destruction, difficult situations, distinction, encourage, encouragement, Enjoying Everyday Life Magazine, evil, false witness, fasting, feasts, fists to strike out, foolish pride, forgive, generous, glare, gnashed, good, good news, gospel truth, grief, hatred, heartfelt emotion, heaven, heavenly Father, help, human frailties, indisputable truth, jehovah god, joyful soul, LOVE, LOVE one another, mature in Christ, mighty man of God, mockers, mourning, needy, one iota of time, pain, personal experiences, petty stuff, poor, prayer, Psalm 35, rejoice, rescue from enemies, revenge, righteous, sackcloth, salvation, selfishness, silver platter, sincere repentance, smile, social media, social networks, sorrow of soul, take everything to God in prayer, tribulations, troubles, ungodly world, victorious, wicked, wisdom, withhold, wrongdoing
Psalm 109:5. And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my LOVE.
Well Friends, once again we’ve been blessed to see another wonderful day on God’s great earth! Thank You Lord! And I have another piece of good news (smile) for those with an I-phone. I was talking to a reader earlier on, and he says he has his phone read the Bit to him. He just finds it in his e-mail, highlights it, clicks speak, and a friendly female voice reads it to him, while he’s driving, or even lying in bed.
One word of caution; she does have some problems with the West Indian slang and patois, so you might have to read those parts for yourself. He also wasn’t sure if that operation was available on a Samsung phone, but it surely works on the Apple brand. So for all you too busy or too lazy readers, there’s another easy way out for you. (smile)
Now let’s move on to our Bit: ‘And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my LOVE.’ And in deference to it, I want to share a rather apt poem from the September/October 2013 edition of Enjoying Everyday Life Magazine, published by the Joyce Meyer Ministries.
It talks about ‘ANGER VS LOVE: ANGER is a powerful emotion, but LOVE is much stronger. In anger we might criticize, but in LOVE we encourage. In anger we might turn away, but in LOVE we reach out. In anger we might withhold, but in LOVE we are generous. In anger we might use out fists to strike out, but in LOVE we use our arms to hug. In anger we might glare, but in LOVE we smile. In anger we might blame, but in LOVE we forgive.’
And at the end it quotes the Good Book: ‘…Just as I have LOVED you, so too you should LOVE one another.’ (John 13:34)
And that’s all indisputable, gospel truth, my people! Also, as believers, we ought to be living the LOVE aspect of that poem! Granted, it’s much easier to say than to do, but we’d never grow or mature in Christ if everything was easy, or we were just handed everything on a silver platter.
Note that Jesus’ life here on earth wasn’t the least bit easy, but with the help and encouragement from His heavenly Father, He bore the trials and tribulations with great distinction and came out victorious. And so too can we, my brethren. If we just take everything to God in prayer, He will surely enable us to handle the unfortunate and difficult situations we all encounter in this wicked and ungodly world.
And if by chance you think that because Jesus was also God, it was much easier for Him, then let’s check out some scriptures from Bruh David’s personal experiences. Like us, he was a mortal man, so there can be no excuses with his suffering. In Psalm 35, a prayer for rescue from enemies, of which he had a lot, he cries out with great emotion to the God of his fathers.
‘For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit (hidden their net in a pit for me), which without cause they have digged for my soul (life). Let destruction come upon him at unawares (unexpectedly); and let his net that he hath hid catch himself: into that very destruction let him fall. And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord: it shall rejoice in his salvation.
All my bones shall say, Lord, who is like unto thee, which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him, yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoileth (plunders) him? False (fierce) witness did rise up; they laid to my charge (asked me) things that I knew not. They rewarded me evil for good to the spoiling (sorrow) of my soul.
But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned unto my own bosom (heart). I behaved myself as though he had been my friend or brother: I bowed down heavily (in mourning), as one that mourneth for his mother. But in mine adversity (stumbling) they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together; yea, the abjects (attackers) gathered themselves together against me, and I knew it not; they did tear me, and ceased not: With hypocritical (ungodly) mockers in feasts, they gnashed upon me with their teeth.’ (Ps.35:7-16)
Oh Friends, if one of the mightiest warrior kings, great poet, musician and righteous men who ever lived could cry to God with such heartfelt emotion, why can’t we eh? And I’m sure none of us have as many enemies as Bruh David had, or the animosity with which they sought to destroy him. That’s why he was so favoured of God. In spite of his human frailties and wrongdoing, he never failed to admit his sins when he realized them and wasn’t afraid either to cry out to God with an anguished soul, whenever he found himself between a rock and a hard place.
Oh my people, when evil comes against us, we need to cry out more to God, rather than our fellow man. And we’re not talking about simple whining and complaining about selfish, petty stuff – God won’t answer us anyway – but for truly serious stuff. If it was good enough for Bruh David, a mighty man of God, then it should also be good enough for us.
So please don’t allow things like foolish pride, anger and revenge, to keep us from being all that we can be, and achieving all that we can, by not seriously hooking up with Jehovah God, and staying constantly tuned in to Him, just like you all stay constantly tuned in to your friends through the social media. (smile)
You’d be surprised to see how much your life would improve if you gave God just one iota of the time you spend on the social networks. Now I’ll leave us to ponder our individual attachment to God today, expecting that with true and sincere repentance, we’ll call on Him to help us make the relationship right. That’s wisdom that only heaven can impart! Much LOVE!
…oh what senseless grief and pain we bear…when we refuse to take our troubles…ALL to God in prayer…
17 Sep 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: always in thy mouth, anguish, apex, as long as I live, asaph, backward glance, be glad in the Lord, beautiful day, blessings, book of God's law, Christ-like behaviour, Christian, christianity, coched, day and night, deep down inside, do a better job, downtrodden, drive it home, earthly journey, encouraging words, ever-faithful promises, feel a feeling, fellow believers, forgiveness, God's people, God-inspired, good success, Hallelujah, hearts, helping the unfortunate, homeless, homeless person, hungry, In Touch Magazine, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, joyful, leading and guiding, life changing, loving character, manna, meditate, meditation on God's Word, minds, Most High, mouths of babes, needy, new mercies, no fixed place of abode, nobody, oppressed, orphans, physical appearance, poor, potent, powerful, Praise the Lord, precepts, proclaims, prosperous, psalms, reflection of Jesus, religion, righteous, scripture, selfless, sick, sing praise, sing unto the Lord, sinners, so great a God, souls, spirituality, steadfast faith, success, talk of God's works., testimonies, the Lord's judgements, truth, wealthy, wicked, widows, wisdom, words of wisdom
Joshua 1:8. This book of the law shall not depart out of (shall constantly be in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Oh Friends, it’s going to be a beautiful day, regardless of what the physical appearance might be! I just feel it in my spirit! (smile) Yuh know sometimes when you just feel something, you feel a feeling, you don’t understand why, but you feel it deep down inside?
Well that’s the way I feel this morning, as all the new mercies, manna, forgiveness and blessings begin to pour down on me! In fact, that’s how believers in Jesus Christ ought to feel EVERY DAY, since we have His ever-faithful promises to be with us always, leading and guiding us every step of our earthly journey.
Now here’s something I planned to write on a Monday morning, because it’s sort of more appropriate for that day. But all the Mondays seem so chocked full of other stuff, I decided to do it today, since it’s a rather important and useful observation, and I didn’t want to wait too long to bring it to our notice.
It’s taken from an article in the August issue of In Touch Magazine. A homeless, black, older man asks a wealthy, white, Christian man to explain how and why Christians could and do pray to and worship a homeless man on Sundays, then pass the first homeless person they meet on Mondays without even a backward glance, no acknowledgement whatsoever?
Wow! From the mouths of babes and the downtrodden often come undeniable words of wisdom!
Yuh see what I’m talking about mih breddren? When I read that, it just struck me as being so appropriate that I just had to share it. Remember Jesus had no fixed place of abode, just ‘coched’ (smile) by His friends, family and followers, or wherever the night found Him. So in essence, He was indeed a homeless person.
Now my fellow believers I wanted to draw that non Christ-like behaviour to our attention, because I know that TOO many of us do it, though we really shouldn’t. Anyway, now that it’s been pointed out to us, please let’s pay more attention to the homeless nuh, for in truth, they are a reflection of Jesus.
What did He say about that? ‘Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.’ (Matt.25:40b) That’s the poor, the sick, the hungry, the needy, the oppressed, the widow, the orphan, and the homeless to whom Jesus is referring!
So Friends, let’s try, no, let’s DO a better job of helping the unfortunate amongst us, because then we’re in effect helping Jesus and being a true reflection of His wonderful, selfless, LOVING character!
And at long last, we come to our Bit: ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (shall constantly be in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’
And don’t blame me for it being the same over the last few days, but it’s such a powerful and potent bit of scripture, so life changing, that we need to drive it home deep in our hearts, minds and souls! For if we were truly observing it, our world would not be in half the mess that it’s currently in. There’s also plenty scripture, especially in the Psalms, dealing with Meditation on God’s Word, so let’s get to some.
And we’ll begin with the words of Asaph from Psalm 77, superscripted, ‘Who is a great God as our God?’ ‘And I said, This is my infirmity (anguish): but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High. I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders of old. I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings. Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary (holiness): who is so great a God as our God?’ (Ps.77:10-13)
And all God’s people immediately shouted the answer to that question: ‘NOBODY!’
Yes Friends, there’s NO Being, dead or alive, as great as Jehovah God! Now let’s delve into the longest chapter in the Good Book, that wonderful Bit of God-inspired writing, Psalm 119, ‘The Lord’s judgements are righteous.’ As indeed they are my brethren!
The psalmist unequivocally proclaims: ‘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.119:14-16)
Oh my people, those are statements that ALL BELIEVERS ought also to unequivocally proclaim!
And we’ll end with some more joyful and encouraging words from Psalm 104, ‘God’s preservation of nature.’ Here, the psalmist delightfully declares: ‘I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord. Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the Lord, O my soul. Praise the Lord. (Shout Hallelujah!)’ (Ps.104:33-35).
Oh my fellow believers in Jesus Christ, let’s make that declaration loudly and seriously this fateful morning, then diligently put it into practice nuh! For that attitude in a believer’s life is the apex of steadfast faith, everlasting wisdom and gospel truth! Much LOVE!
…to faithfully contemplate God’s Word…oh what strength and energy it brings…
P.S. Told you all I was feeling the Spirit this morning! (smile)
25 Aug 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a clean heart, a good man, abundance of the heart, adulteries, awesome package, blasphemy, bodies, calamity, centre of the personality, condemns us, coveteousness, daily blessings, daily bread, deceit, deceitful, defiles man, depths of our souls, dietary laws, digestive tract, diligence, essence of human sin, ever-faithful, evil, evil eye, evil things, evil thoughts, evil treasure, exorbitant price, faithfulness, foolishness, forgiveness, fornication, fountainhead of life, full of evil, fullness of hearts, futility, generosity, generous, good and corrupt fruit, good things, good treasure of the heart, honesty, incurably sick, issues of life, jehovah god, kind of heart, lasciviousness, law of God, licentiousness, LOVE the Lord with all our hearts, loving kindness, madness, minds, mischief, moral consciousness, moral life, murder, new mercy, Old Testament, perversity, pride, purifying the heart, religion, remedy, ritual observances, seat of conscious life, seat of the intellect, seeking spiritual salvation, selfishness, serving, souls, sows discord, spiritual life, spirituality, theft, theology, upright hearts, wicked, wickedness, wildfire, wisdom, worshipping, worthless man
Jeremiah 17:9. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked (incurably sick): who can know it?
Oh Friends, morning is breaking, just like all those other mornings of the past! And to sweeten matters, God’s daily blessings are also being prepared anew – no stale stuff – as has been done each and every day, right down through the ages. So our daily bread is on its way, accompanied by new mercy and forgiveness. What an awesome package that is my people!
And all God’s children declared a loud, joyous and grateful: ‘Thank You Lord for Your overwhelming generosity and LOVING-kindness! We LOVE You Lord, and praise Your Holy Name! Please help us to continue serving and worshipping You with fullness of hearts, souls, bodies and minds. Amen.’
Yes my Friends, our God is ever-faithful and generous to us, although we don’t deserve it. But that’s just the kind of Deity He is; that’s just the kind of heart He possesses. The problem though is that our honesty and faithfulness cannot be guaranteed. For as our Bit so wisely declares: ‘The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked (incurably sick): who can know it?’
And the answer to that rather imposing question my brethren, is ONLY Jehovah God!
That’s because our hearts are naturally inclined to deceit and selfishness. It can get so bad, that at times we even fool ourselves, thinking that we have such wonderful and upright hearts, only to later discover the true wickedness buried deep in them.
Cousin Sol, in describing a worthless and wicked man, said it a long time ago. ‘Frowardness (perversity) is in his heart, he deviseth mischief (evil) continually; he soweth discord. Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.’ (Prov.6:14-15)
And sadly Friends, that’s a rather apt and appropriate description of a great number of humans on God’s great earth, including many so-called believers. No wonder our world is in the sorry state it’s in!
Jesus Himself, on the subject of good and corrupt fruit, had this to say re our hearts. ‘O generation (brood, offspring) of vipers, how can ye being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.’ (Matt.12:34-35)
And if anybody should know about that sort of thing, it’s certainly Jesus!
Then later on, in explaining what defiles, Jesus says: ‘That which cometh out of the man defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness (licentiousness), an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.’ (Mark 7:20-23)
Ah mih people, I guess Jesus condemns us all right there, since we all are guilty of at least one or more of those misdeed, and they all stem from what’s happening down in the depths of our souls.
Now listen to the scholars: ‘Many apparently thought that the food itself forbidden by parts of the Old Testament (see, e.g. Lev.11) rendered the eater unclean. Jesus is not challenging the accuracy of the Old Testament. He is pointing out that what one produces from, not what he takes into, himself is the essence of the human sin.
In context, Jesus is pointing out the futility of seeking spiritual salvation by means of ritual observances, like dietary laws, which are incapable of purifying the heart (i.e., the moral life) A clean heart is something different from a properly cared for digestive tract.’
And while declaring that all things come to the righteous and to the wicked, the Preacher imparts this bit of wisdom. ‘This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.’ (Eccl. 9:3)
But why is the heart so maligned eh? That’s partly because as the scholars explain: ‘Heart could often be translated “mind” in the book. Since the Hebrews had no separate word for “mind,” the word “heart” often served to represent the seat of the intellect. The key to the whole man is his mind. Whatever captures the mind captures the man.
The Old Testament word ‘heart’ often refers to the physical organ of the circulatory system. Both Testaments also see the heart figuratively as the centre of the personality or spiritual life. The heart is the seat of intellect, emotions, will, and moral consciousness. It is the personality which has that extraordinary ability to perceive itself.
The heart is presented as the seat of conscious life and the fountainhead of life. Illustration: Jesus taught that sin came out of the heart of people, thus defiling them (Mark 7:21-23). Yet after conversion, one of the characteristics of Christians is that they have the law of God written in their hearts. (Heb.8:8-12). Application: Christians should LOVE the Lord with all their hearts (Matt.22:37). (First ref. Gen.6:5; Primary ref. Prov.4:23; cf. Rom.2:15)
Please note that I’ve quoted several of the references the scholars gave us, so you shouldn’t have any problems reading the rest. (smile) Remember though that the references are for our benefit; to help us better understand the scriptures.
And we’ll end with this rather appropriate reference from Cousin Sol. ‘Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.’ (Prov.4:23)
Yes Friends, it all begins in the heart and the mind, and then spreads like wildfire after that! So to avoid all the evil and ungodly things that we can become involved in to our detriment, we need to guard our thinking and emotions very carefully, otherwise we’ll certainly get caught up in plenty calamity.
And that definitely doesn’t smack of that most worthwhile attribute called wisdom. So let’s consider ourselves warned. Much LOVE!.
..to him that hath ears…let him hear…or else he’ll pay an exorbitant price for his disobedience…
09 Aug 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a mere pittance, baptism, barely survive, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, captains of industry, chasing demons, christianity, compassionless, controlled by circumstances, courage, deliverance, divine intervention, do thyself no harm, earthquake, faith, fellow believers, feudal times, fortune telling, foundations, Friday, Friday chant, fun, further God's glorious kingdom, generous help, glory hallelujah, god, God's purposes, good fortune, great things, greedy, human-rights, jesus name, loosed chains, LOVE, loving kindness, marvellous God, merry chase, mighty works, Paul, Philippi, pittance, positive results, Praise the Lord, prayer, prison episode, prisoners, profit, refreshed in body and soul, rejoicing, relaxation, religion, renewed, rest, reverence, right perspective, Silas, singing of hymns, stripes, suffer for my name's sake, testimony, Thank God it's Friday, Thank the Lord, the weekend, time to party, what must I do to be saved, wicked, wisdom, woe is me
Acts 9:16. For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.
And then it was suddenly Friday! And on realizing this, all the working population got up, danced and sang with great joy: ‘Glory Hallelujah! Thank God is Friday! This week’s been a rough one. But now the weekend is at hand. Time to get out and party!’
Not so fast mih people! The weekend isn’t only for partying. We also have other duties to fulfill. So before we get too carried away with this being Friday, let’s chant our Friday Chant that will give us the right perspective on how to use these upcoming very valuable two days off.
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 mih breddren, that’s how we should use the weekend; as a combination of fun, fellowship and relaxation, not all out partying. And be thankful that we at least get a couple days off every week to rest and recuperate, because a lot of people around the world still have to labour seven days a week for a mere pittance, on which they can barely survive.
So let’s thank the Lord for our good fortune and pray for those who are still oppressed and have no rights or freedom to express their unfortunate and evil oppression. And don’t laugh either, for if the captains of industry have their way, we’d all be pushed right back to feudal times, so greedy, wicked and compassionless are they.
Neither did Bruh Paul often have the luxury to do as he pleased, because the Lord certainly led him on a merry chase, as He declares in our Bit. ‘For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.’
And yesterday we saw some of the suffering Bruh Paul experienced in Philippi after chasing a demon from a young girl’s soul. Silas and him were dragged before the courts by the girl’s masters, for Bruh Paul’s actions had cause them to lose the ability to profit from the girl’s fortune telling. They successfully stirred up the crowd against the brethren, had them beaten and thrown into the innermost part of the prison. (Acts 16:16-24)
But Friends, our God is such a great Deity, and works in such mysterious and wondrous ways, doing just as He promised, to turn all situations to good for those who sincerely LOVE and revere Him.
Now listen as the Good Book tells the story: ‘And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises (were praying and singing hymns) unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was an earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands (chains) were loosed.
And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.
Then he called for a light, and sprang (ran) in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas. And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house (household).
And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat (food) before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.’ (Acts 16:25-34)
Oh my fellow believers what a marvellous God we serve and worship! And all God’s children said ‘Wow! Praise the Lord for His mighty works!’ That’s for sure! Just look at the lengths he went to save the jailer and his family.
Now here is the scholars take on that situation. ‘Verse 25 is the key to the prison episode, since the earthquake was not intended to deliver Paul but to convert the jailer. God knew that Paul would be released the next day; therefore the earthquake was not merely for Paul and Silas’s benefit. The earthquake would have been meaningless had not the jailer and prisoners heard Paul’s testimony in prayer and song.
Their singing brought about the divine intervention in the earthquake, and all would understand its significance. Hence the jailer would run to Paul asking how he could be saved. God’s purposes of Peter’s deliverance of chapter 12, and Paul’s of chapter 16, are apparent. The purpose of Peter’s imprisonment was his execution; for Paul, the intention was only to threaten him.
Surprisingly Peter sleeps whereas Paul prays and sings. Neither is controlled by his circumstances. In Peter’s case God puts the guards to sleep and delivers Peter by means of a silent angel. The guards are executed. In Paul’s case God awakens the sleeping jailer with an earthquake. The jailer is saved; Paul chooses to remain in jail.’
Oh Friends, yuh see the unique way in which the Lord used Bruh Paul to bring unbelievers to Jesus!
And even today, He’s still in the business of bringing unbelievers to Christ through our efforts. So please, whenever we find ourselves in difficult situations, let’s not simply hold our heads and bawl, ‘woe is me,’ but instead let’s take a serious look at what’s happening and consider how we can use it to influence others in Christ’s name, through prayers and singing of hymns, for that’s what Bruh Paul did, and we can all see the positive results.
And we can begin doing that right away by considering our current situations and instead of complaining, seeing how we can use them to further God’s glorious kingdom. Now that’s wisdom, faith and courage of the highest order! Much LOVE!
…Jesus expects ALL His followers to spread His Word…to manifest His LOVING-kindness…in whatever situation they find themselves…
19 Jul 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: bowing down, commandments, eternal truth, evil, exalt the Lord, exaltation, fellowship, Friday chant, fun, generous help, glorify, glorious kingdom, God is holy, God's justice, going to hell in a bucket., graven images, hello mih lovelies, idols, iniquity of the fathers, LOVE, magnificent God, modicum of circumspection, party time, perverse world, pinnacle of wisdom, Praise the Lord, rebellious, relaxation, religion, rest, righteousness., spiritual fellowship, spirituality, spiritually refreshed, stubborn, stupidity, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the Lord is great, the Lord is high above all people, the Lord reigns, the Lord's ways, the weekend, theology, things of the world, uprightness, wake up and smell the roses, wicked, worship
Psalm 99:1. The Lord reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubim; let the earth be moved.
Well hello there mih lovelies! Once again it’s Friday… And everybody jumps up and shouts, ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes! The workweek soon finish, and the weekend begins! Party time is here!’
Not so fast my people. It’s true the week is ending and we have some free time, but it should not all be devoted to partying, not even the greatest portion. So let’s chant our Friday Chant that gives us a better idea of how to use our 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.’
Yes Friends, the weekend should be broken up into party time, relaxation and spiritual fellowship, because it’s only two lousy days off we have, then the whole work cycle begins again. And if we’re not well rested and spiritually refreshed, we’ll begin the week even more tired than we finished it, and won’t be good for anything, especially furthering Jesus’ kingdom.
So let’s have a little ‘modicum of circumspection’ this weekend nuh, especially since it’s summer and the urge to let loose and party is so great.
Anyway, my area was hit with another hot day, and another one is expected today. What amuses and amazes me though, is the wind behaviour. During the day yesterday, the wind was blowing strong. It even forced me back inside around 5.30 p.m when I went outside on my back deck to read the papers.
However, around 8.30 p.m. the sun was still up, I went out on the front porch, and surprise surprise, nary a breath of air was stirring. But then at around 1 a.m, the breeze was blowing fresh and strong again.
Hn! Who’s to understand it eh? Only the Lord God Jehovah! For as He says, His ways and thoughts are much higher than ours. (Is.55:9)
And in any case, He created the wind and all that there is in our universe. Not only that, but as the psalmist states in our Bit, which comes from Psalm 99, God has been faithful: ‘The Lord reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubim; let the earth be moved (shaken).’
Yes Friends, the divine kingdom of the Lord is at hand!
And the psalmist continues to talk about the greatness of the king. ‘The Lord is great in Zion; and he is high above all the people.’ (Ps.99:2)
And as true believers, we know that it’s so. Therefore, ‘Let them praise thy great and terrible (awesome) name; for it (He) is holy.’ (Ps.99:3)
Ah my people, our mouths should be so filled with praise and thanksgiving to our great and mighty God and King, that we should have little time for anything else. But unfortunately, in this wicked, perverse and godless world, we seem to have time for everything else but God.
And the psalmist continues, telling us next about God’s justice. ‘The king’s strength also LOVETH judgement; thou doest establish equity (uprightness), thou executest judgement and righteousness in Jacob.’ (Ps.99:4)
Those are words of eternal truth my people! Therefore, ‘Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.’ (Ps.99:5)
Now worshipping and glorifying our magnificent God is exactly what we should be doing down here on earth my brethren! But are we doing that? Sadly, the answer is an unfortunate NO!
Compared to the level of exaltation and worship our wonderful God deserves, what we’re giving is like a drop in the bucket. Instead though, we’re worshipping, glorifying and bowing down to the things of the world. They have become more important to us than God.
But please remember Friends, our God doesn’t share His divinity kindly or otherwise with any other, be it beast, man or thing. And He makes this abundantly clear right from the very outset.
‘Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to (worship) them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous god, visiting (punishing) the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me. And showing mercy to thousands of them that LOVE me, and keep my commandments.’ (Ex. 20:3-6)
Oh my people, it’s right there in black and white, simple and straightforward! So what is there that prevents us from doing as He says eh? Why is our world so ungodly, so evil, so full of idols and other graven images to which we are shamelessly bowing down to eh?
Yuh know, in one breath we declare how great our God is and all that, but then in the next, we magnify the things of the world above Him. That doesn’t make sense my people. In fact it’s utter stupidity, because we’ll never get away with it, for He’s told us so in no uncertain terms.
But like our forefathers, we’re just stubborn and rebellious, like to do our own thing, thinking we’re so great. I beseech us though fellow believers, to remember these momentous words of Jesus.
‘I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5)
More words of eternal truth Friends! Without Jesus we can do nothing worthwhile in our own strength. So please, let’s wake up and smell the roses nuh, cause our world is going to hell in a bucket. Let’s take Jesus and all He stands for seriously, or else we’ll live to regret it.
Let’s do instead as the psalmist wisely advises. ‘Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the Lord our God is holy.’ (Ps.99:9)
Now that my brethren is the very pinnacle of wisdom! Let’s be wise and reach for it nuh. Much LOVE!
…he that hath ears to hear…let him hear…else he’ll be sorry…
23 Feb 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abuse, cancer, cancer fundraisers, carcinogens, climate change, fools, forget God, human bodies, human-rights, hypocrite's hopelessness, hypocrites shall perish, iniquity, pollution, religion, righteous, sinful state, snowstorms, spirituality, traffic congestion, ungodliness, unusual weather patterns, warnings, weather patterns, wicked, wisdom
Job 8:13. So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite’s hope shall perish.
Oh Friends, it’s another day in the life! However, for many down in the U. S. it’s going to be an extremely rough one, where they continue to dig out from another round of severe snowstorms, this one predominantly hitting the Central part of the country. I guess we can call this the year of the snow, for places that haven’t had snow in ages have experienced it this year. Even in parts of Southern California some snow fell, causing unaccustomed traffic congestion and the other niceties that snow brings, especially when you’re not accustomed to it. (smile) They were even pelting snowballs in Arizona instead of playing golf, because the courses were white and not green. Some places that have not fully recovered from previous snowfalls have again been inundated by the white stuff. But why are we seeing so much of it in such short periods eh? I’d like to put forward two theories. The first is climate change. We have screwed up the delicate balance of the planet with so much pollutants that it’s now coming back to haunt us in unstable, unusual weather patterns. Cut it whichever way you want, we can’t continue to put so much polluting stuff in our air, water and land and don’t expect some unusual reaction. And anyone who believes that, or eschews that position is a fool! Look at amount of known carcinogens we now have in our food, either to make it look pretty or stay fresh and last longer. Don’t you think that affects the delicate balance of our bodies too? I get angry when I hear about these cancer fundraisers and curing cancer. How can you cure something when you keep putting it in your food, water, land and atmosphere eh? But that’s a story for another day. But getting back to climate change. When last have we seen so much snow in North America eh? For the last five to ten years we’ve hardly had any, in comparison to what we used to have before. So much so that recently the ski resorts had to resort to snow making machines for longer periods than ever before. Now it seems as if it has turned around again, and they’re getting mucho snow. Oh Friends, our planet can stand a lot of pain, but like our human bodies it’s finely timed and tuned and continued abuse will eventually make it sick, just like it does to our human bodies. Our God didn’t make it to stand the kind of abuse we’re putting it through. That brings me to our second theory; that the unusual climate patterns and natural disasters we’re having in unusual places is partly the work of our God, in retribution for our very sinful state of ungodliness and disobedience to His Word. That dovetails very nicely with our Bit: ‘So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite’s hope shall perish.’ We’ve seen over the centuries that societies that have gotten too big for their ‘britches’ and become sinful and ungodly, have eventually been cut down to size one way or another. The sad part is that most of the times there have been warnings, but the proud, evildoers have not paid them any attention. And I believe that what’s happening right now is God’s way of warning us. But are we paying attention? Certainly not! But there’s no doubt that we’re a very evil, sinful society, which has successfully turfed the Lord from its schools and public places, a society where the evildoers have the upper hand and revel in their wicked works without a thought for the consequences. And believe me Friends, there will be serious consequences for the immoral, ungodly morass into which our society has plummeted. Now let’s look at a few scriptures that foretell retribution for proud, continual disobedience. Job says it in spades when he talks of the hypocrite’s hopelessness. ‘For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul? Will God hear his cry when trouble cometh upon him? Will he delight himself in the Almighty? Will he always call upon God?’ (Job 27:8-10) I’m afraid the answer to all those questions my brethren is a resounding ‘NO!’ And if we turn to Psalm 112; Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, we’ll find graphic descriptions of both the righteous and wicked in the last two verses. In talking about the righteous, the psalmist boldly declares: ‘He hath dispersed (distributed abroad), he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn (strength) shall be exalted with honour. The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with this teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish.’ (Ps.112:9-10) Oh my fellow believers, please note carefully the great difference between the eventual outcomes of both sets of people. And we’ll go home with some extremely wise words of Cousin Sol, as he contrasts the doings of the wise and the foolish. ‘The fear of the Lord prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened. The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish. The way of the Lord is strength to the upright: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity. The righteous shall never be removed: but the wicked shall not inhabit the earth (land). The mouth of the just bringeth forth wisdom: but the froward (perverse, deceitful) tongue shall be cut out. The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked speaketh frowardness (perversity, deceitfulness).’ (Prov.10:27-32) Oh Friends, please remember that the laws and words of our God don’t change, that means if they were true in Cousin’ Sol’s time, then they’re still true today. So please let’s allow wisdom to be our guide. Let’s start cleaning up the pollutants from our unfortunate planet, our evil societies and our individual lives, beginning today, RIGHT NOW! Because if we don’t, we’ll only force the Lord to do it for us, and I can guarantee we won’t like His methods. Much LOVE!…where wisdom prevails…societies prosper…but where evil fools rule the roost…the societies perish…
23 Nov 2012
by randyobrien50
in Inspirational Living
Tags: animalistic behaviour, Black Friday, callaloo, commercial culture, curry crab, evil doings, Friday chant, giving thanks, God's kingdom, heartache, pain, perish, rejoicing, righteous, suffering, TGIF!, undeniable truth, wicked, wreaking havoc
Proverbs 11:10. When it goeth well with the righteous, the city rejoiceth: and when the wicked perish, there is shouting.
Oh Friends, it’s Friday! The Friday that’s now becoming known as ‘Black Friday’, the day after the U.S. Thanksgiving. As usual, the U.S is busy exporting its very commercial culture, and sadly it’s now wreaking havoc in Canada. It’s forcing the local merchants to get into the nonsense too, having sales the same day, trying to match U.S. prices, to stop Canadians form cross border shopping, which takes a lot of money out of our economy. And as usual, it’s moving from the sublime to the ridiculous! What began a few years ago as early Friday morning shopping, has now morphed into late Thursday night shopping. That means you can’t even enjoy your Thanksgiving Day in peace, but have to rush through it, so you can get to the store and line up hours before it opens. And you wouldn’t like to see the wild, animalistic behaviour we put down; rushing and shoving and behaving real foolish. Ah Lord eh! Instead of mankind becoming more sensible and god-like with all the advances and amenities with which we’re blessed, we’re becoming dumber, more stupid and very evil minded. Oh fellow believers, please, let’s pray that this stupid, ignorant, evil behaviour that’s now clouding our world doesn’t go to its logical end – self-destruction – but someday soon we’ll come to our senses and, once and for all time, repudiate Lucifer and his evil doings, and find the God of our fathers once again. Anyway, some people are still joyfully shouting ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ Therefore let’s chant our Friday Chant to enable us to put the weekend in its proper perspective. As one vociferous, but harmonious choir 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 mih people, that should cause us to tone down the weekend some, bring a modicum of circumspection to our activities. And the ole fella’s still giving plenty thanks, as I continue to write from the porch of my cosy cottage in Store Bay. I didn’t do much yesterday; slept out most of the day. I guess the body was really tired from the steady spate of activities since Monday. But I did get a dip in the salt after the sun set, and again, while floating in cross-like fashion, and looking up at the half moon, gave heartfelt thanks to our wonderful God for all His marvellous blessings. Oh Friends, I could really get addicted to that habit yes! (smile) And to raise the excitement, I bought some curry crab and dumpling with some T&T callaloo thrown in at a food booth at the Bay. Oh my people, was it ever tasty! The ‘nana’ (gravy from the curry crab) tasted like manna from heaven, just like I remembered it! Then late at night, while flipping through the channels on the t.v. I came across the movie ‘Jesus of Nazareth’; an old Franco Zeferrelli production that hooked me. I hadn’t heard the Word for a few days, and regardless of how much you read it for yourself, hearing it takes you to another dimension, so to speak. It was so moving that at times it brought unbidden tears to my eyes. Surprisingly too, it’s the first movie I’ve watched in ages. Consider it then, another of our God’s mysterious movements. And what does all of that have to do with our Bit? Frankly Friends, I don’t know, because I don’t have a Bit as yet. But soon come, going to seek one now. Oh mih breddren, I’m back, less than two minute later! What a faithful God we serve and worship Friends! And as our Bit declares: ‘When it goeth well with the righteous, the city rejoiceth: and when the wicked perish, there is shouting.’ Now that’s undeniable truth! We don’t have to look very far to see it. In whatever country, province, city, town or village you’re reading this, I know you can connect to it through personal experience. That brings up the rather important question of why are the righteous allowing the wicked to run so much of our world, and consequently causing so much pain, suffering and heartache? One would think that we’d get rid of them as quickly as possible. But unfortunately, the reality is totally different. And not because Lucifer has power over this world of darkness, we should allow his evil minions to rule over us. Through Jesus, who has conquered death, the grave and hell, with His sacrificial death and resurrection, we have the awesome power to run Beelzebub and his wicked cronies out of town. But we’re either too lazy, too comfortable in our prosperous lifestyle, or simply too timid and afraid to do so. Listen to Cousin Sol again on the subject. ‘When righteous men do rejoice, there is great glory: but when the wicked rise, a man is hidden (will be sought after).’ (Prov.28:12) Oh Friends, we all know the truth in that statement, yet we allow the wicked to rise in power over us. Oh my brethren, it’s time to change that state of affairs in our world. It’s time to implement righteous rule, so that our world can derive positive benefits. As Cousin Sol further declares: ‘When the righteous are in authority (increased), the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn (groan, suffer).’ (Prov.29:2) And we all know that people all over the world are moaning and groaning, suffering, in great misery, because the wicked are ruling. Please Friends, let’s do something to change it nuh. Remember that with our God, all things are possible, but we have to get up off our fat fannies and do our part too. The Lord’s not going to do it all for us. So please, today, let’s ponder the level of our involvement in making a better and more godly world, and do our best to improve our involvement, if it’s only by a small amount, for without our strong stand of faith, all will eventually be lost, and we definitely don’t want to disappoint Jesus, to break His gentle heart anymore than we’re already doing, by letting that happen. Much LOVE!…we can only stand up for Jesus…by faithfully obeying the trumpet’s call…
21 Oct 2012
by randyobrien50
in Inspirational Living
Tags: autumn, controversy, fight the good fight, jesus name, propsperity, rock the boat, run a good race, squeaky wheel, strong faith, wicked
Psalm 73:27. For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee.
Oh Friends, as the multicoloured leaves fall off the trees, leaving more and more of them naked every day, so are the days in my neighbourhood getting ‘chillier and chillier.’ Note I said chilly, not cold, because the real cold days are yet to come. But as autumn ‘nippily’ races towards its crescendo, you can surely sense the cold days of winter just hovering stealthily in the background. But what’s a body to do eh? That’s how God made this planet earth; some places have four seasons, some only two, wet and dry. But being the wise and kindly God that He is, He made us very adaptable, physically and emotionally able to withstand the rigours of any physical environment we end up dwelling in. Then in even greater affirmation of His wisdom and LOVE for us, He willingly sacrificed His Holy Son Jesus so that we could be cleansed of our abominable sins, and then sent His Holy Spirit to indwell us, so that we can live in spiritual peace. But talking about Jesus, why does the mere mention of His name cause such a stir amongst humans eh? You can call every other name under the sun, and none creates half the controversy that Jesus’ does. I guess it’s because of the awesome power and marvellous majesty inherent in the very name itself! I’m talking about a particular incident that recently took place in a small, backwater Texas town. It seems that the High School cheerleaders had bits of encouraging scripture emblazoned on their banners; stuff like, ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ Now would you believe that situation ended up in a court of law, because someone took umbrage re the Christian messages on the banners. Thankfully though, the court decided in the cheerleaders favour, although the supposedly wronged person plans to appeal the decision. Oh Friends, what’s it coming to eh, that you can’t even wave a banner for Jesus in the land of the free and home of the brave? My people, we have to take these seemingly small and innocuous matters seriously, cause it seems okay for other faiths to broadcast their heretical messages in what’s supposed to be a Christian land, but Christians can’t do likewise without some big uproar. Everyday some evildoer jumps up and complains about their rights and freedoms, so what’s happening to ours eh? My fellow believers in Christ, it’s essential that we stand up strong and fight back furiously, or else little by little, they’ll whittle away our freedoms, until we’re a minor player in our own land, which could eventually entail persecution for our beliefs. That’s definitely not acceptable my brethren, especially since the evil cronies of Lucifer have already taken prayer out of our schools and public places. The problem with us Christians is that we’re way too complacent; we talk a lot, but there’s very little action to back it up. We rationalize that we’re leading a comfortable life and don’t want to rock the boat, for fear that it might capsize. But Friends, if the boat isn’t rocking, that means it’s becalmed, nothing’s happening, life’s not moving onward and upward, as it should. And remember it’s the squeaky wheel that get’s the grease. The so-called Christian politicians are appeasing all these complainers, because the votes of the dissatisfied persons are more important to them for the purpose of re-election, than their Christian heritage. Oh my brethren, can’t we see that every other faith stands up and fights for its belief, much more than we Christians do? The Muslims, the Jews, Hindus Sikhs, they don’t take any guff from anybody re their faith. But we Christians just sit back and expect to enjoy the good life forever without putting up some kind of fight for our faith. All these other faiths have come from other lands and are slowly but surely wresting control of the affairs of state, and thus the lives of those who dwell therein. Nobody says that you can’t worship or practice your faith, but certainly not at the expense of mine! Our problem in the western world is that we have gotten too fat, lazy and comfortable. Consequently the fire inside us is slowly dying, or has already died. Just look at one of the biggest problems in our current society, obesity. Meanwhile, more than half the world is starving. That’s the problem with prosperity; it breeds distaste and apathy. Look at the Israelites of olden times. Every time they got prosperous, they forgot who caused them to be thus; the God of their fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Falsely they believed that it was the work of their own hands and therefore forsook Jehovah God. But then, every time they went their own way, ‘sufferation’ would haunt them, until they’d finally wake up and smell the roses, repent, turn back to God, until the next time they became prosperous. Oh my people, the same situation is happening to us now. We’ve become, fat, lazy and apathetic, worshiping the things of the world over those of God, and the ground is slowly sliding away from under us. But foolishly and with false human pride, we’re not paying attention the basic problems that are eroding our society; lack of trust in our Supreme ruler, and lack of LOVING-kindness for each other. We have allowed greed, envy and selfishness to overtake righteousness, and we are now paying the price. ‘Sufferation is all around us, and it’s not going to get better until our attitude towards Almighty God and each other change substantial for the better. And I’ll simply end with our Bit, from Asaph’s momentous psalm, re the mystery of prosperous wickedness. ‘For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee (who are unfaithful to thee).’ Yes Friends, wickedness prospers some, but not for long. Like the early morning dew, it is soon destroyed by the heat of the rising sun. Please my fellow believers, let’s wake up from our foolish, lazy slumber and start smelling the roses instead of the coffee nuh. It’s time we got our act together and began seriously fighting back against the heathen infidel, otherwise we’ll end up amongst the has beens and also ran, thus not holding true to Bruh Paul’s advice to run a strong and diligent race. Much LOVE!…he who does not hear…will surely feel…eventually… P.S. Sorry that the Bit is a tad late, but I was having problems with Internet Explorer and finally had to change to another programme.
16 Sep 2012
by randyobrien50
in Inspirational Living
Tags: blessed, broken vessels, comfort, disgrace, exalt, fellowship, flourish, light of the world, living waters, reproach, reverence, righteousness., shame, sin, wicked, worship
Proverbs 14:34. Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.
Oh my fellow believers in Christ, may grace and peace from our heavenly Father flood our souls this bright and bountiful Sunday morning! And may He also guide and comfort us in all our doings this day. And for those of us who celebrate the Sabbath on Sunday, one of the best ways to get all that wholesome, comforting stuff from the Father is by going to church and fellowshipping with other believers; offering Him much thanks, praise and reverence. Remember there’s always strength in numbers, so the more people that get together to sincerely worship, the louder, and hopefully more receptive will be those activities in heaven. And speaking of acceptance in heaven, let’s hear what our Bit says about that. ‘Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach (shame and disgrace) to any people.’ And isn’t that the awesome truth my Friends! Sin, whether it is from an individual or a nation is unacceptable in the sight of our heavenly Father. However, true righteousness is always welcome in heaven. So Friends, shall we see how the nations of our world stack up against our Bit? I don’t have to tell you that we stack up very poorly. Because our societies are so sinful, evil and ungodly, we are a shame and disgrace to the Lord! His anger is bubbling and calamity is coming our way much more frequently than before. Remember when God was truly an integral part of our society? I guess only the old fogeys can remember that. But back then our nations were exalted. They were prosperous and had peace for lengthy periods of time. And my brethren, that wasn’t so long ago – a half century or so. Back then we were lenders and not borrowers; quite obviously the head and not the tail; sure conquerors too. We were also fairly righteous and succeeding as the psalmist so wisely and truthfully declares: ‘The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon (tall and proud).Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat (plump) and flourishing (green). To show that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.’ (Ps.92:12-15) Yuh see Friends, even the old and righteous shall bear fruit in their latter years, because our God is just and faithful, and will not forsake the righteous. And that’s how we were growing my people, because as Psalm 33 proudly proclaims: ‘Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.’ (Ps.33:12) Yes Friends, at one time the nations of the Western Hemisphere were blessed because the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was truly our God, and we were guided by the dictates of His Holy Word. But then, the same prosperity we received because of our righteousness, turned our heads and hearts away from the ONE TRUE GOD. Our worship and reverence towards Almighty God began to drop off, and we started worshipping the things we made with our own hands, blatantly flouting the Lord’s decrees, which led to officially removing Him from most public places. Then, in accordance with His Word, that peace and prosperity we had enjoyed, slowly began melting away, until we are no longer lenders, but have become the biggest borrowers; we’re slowly moving away from the head towards the tail; we’re no longer conquering heroes, but subservient in many respects, and held up to cheap ridicule in many places. Oh, how have the mighty fallen! But we have no one to blame but ourselves because we clearly had the Israelites as an example, who on several occasions, once they became prosperous, forgot about the God who enabled them to become prosperous and have peace, foolishly believing that it was the work of their own hands and minds. Several times they paid a steep price through invasion, bondage and wandering in the wilderness for forty years. But still they never learned, so stubborn and rebellious was their spirit. And our modern society is following pall mall in their foolish footsteps, without a thought for how it will all end. As Cousin Sol says earlier in Proverbs 11: ‘By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted: but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.’ (Prov.11:11) And believe me my brethren, there are many more wicked than upright in our society these days! Jeremiah says it in spades: ‘Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit. Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the Lord. For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.’ (Jer.2:11-13) Yes Friends, we have exchanged the ONE TRUE GOD for man made idols, which in the long wrong profits us nothing but destruction, and have replaced the fresh, pure living waters of God, for the polluted, contaminated man made vessels that are broken and thus can’t hold water. How wise have we been eh? Oh my people, listen to these words of everlasting truth from Psalm 146, the blessedness of trusting God: ‘Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man (human beings), in whom there is no help (salvation). His breath goeth forth (his spirit departs), he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God: Which made heaven, and earth, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever.’ (Ps.146:3-6) And if we do that consistently my people, then one day we’ll be able to sing these words from this hymn of praise in Isaiah. ‘In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth shall enter.’ (Is.26:1-2) That’s how it will be in the New Jerusalem, with only spiritual and no physical boundaries. So Friends, let’s make a conscious, serious decision TODAY to turn our society around nuh. If we want our descendants to prosper and have peace, we have to do it NOW, not tomorrow or next week. The wicked is doing his thing, so should we believers with urgency and determination. And we’ll end with some choice words from Bruh Paul to the Philippians, as how we can bring this LOVE Revolution about in our time: ‘Do all things without murmurings (grumbling) and disputings. That ye may be blameless and harmless (innocent), the sons (children) of God, without rebuke (fault), in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation (generation), among whom ye shine as lights in the world.’ (Phil.2:14-15) That’s how we’ll get back in God’s good graces my brethren! Much LOVE!…let your light so shine before men…that they may see your good works…and glorify your Father which is in heaven… (Matt.5:16)
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