07 Jun 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a light shined, a praying friend, abundance, affirmation, appreciation, basic means, being sick and tired, big bang, Big Island, blessed, chains, Colorado, communicating with God, courage, creativity, curse, Daily Bread Devotional, departed from him, faithfulness, follow me, funk, generously bestowed, God's goodness, godly day, guard posts, Guatemala, Hawaii, iron gate, James, Jews, kept in prison, late morning, late night, lava, miracles, miraculous hand of God, more sleep, negative word, New Mexico, of the church, on our behalf, opened of his own accord, Passover, perform to the level, Peter, power of prayer, prayer was made, problems pale, prosper, razing homes, saw a vision, self-control, self-discipline, share with others, sleep, slow passing of time, succeed, talent, talk to God, the angel of the Lord, the best kind of friend, the expectation of, the Good Book, the Jewish bigwigs, this too shall pass, Thursday Blessings, true believers, unto God, upstanding, volcanic situations, wildfires, wisdom, without ceasing
Acts 12:5. Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.
Ah friends, an unusually late night produced and unusually late morning. It’s as simple as that! Oh, I was up at a fairly decent hour, but the ole bod screamed shrilly at me: ‘Sleep! I need more sleep!’ So what was I to do eh? Nothing but go back to bed and give the ole bod what it desired. Sometimes it’s wisest to do that, else it will not perform up to the level you need or want it to.
And having said all of that, I do hope that you all are having a fine, upstanding, godly day. As for me, I’m not doing too badly, still caught up somewhat in the funk of being sick and tired a lot of the time. Oh, I know that this too shall pass with the passing of time, and I’m not overly worried about it, but it’s just handling the apparent slow passing of time. (smile)
However when I think about the volcanic situations on Big Island in Hawaii, where the lava is slowly taking over, just razing homes to ash and rubble, and that in Guatemala, where the big bang happened all at once and many lives and much property have been lost, I consider myself blessed, in spite of my many problems; problems which pale before theirs.
And those wildfires in Colorado and New Mexico seem to be still blazing away. So, please, let’s keep all these unfortunate people going through these unfortunate circumstances in our prayers. It’s the least we can do, as true believers.
And in appropriate conjunction with that, here is a li’l tidbit from one of the Daily Bread Devotionals: ‘The best kind of friend is a praying friend.’ And is that ever so true my people! For since prayers are our basic means of communicating with God, it’s of the utmost importance to have someone else to talk to God on our behalf, especially when we don’t know or understand what’s happening in our own lives.
And we have an excellent example of that in our Bit. ‘Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.’
Yeh friends, Herod killed James, the brother of John, and when he saw that that pleased the Jewish bigwigs, he then locked up Peter, intending to kill him after the Passover. But he did not reckon with the awesome and outstanding power of prayer, which the church unceasingly kept up on Peter’s behalf.
The Good Book tells it thus: ‘And when Herod would have brought (was about to bring) him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers (guards) before the door kept the prison. And behold, the angel of the Lord came upon (stood) by him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly.
And his chains fell off from his hands. And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him. Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me. And he went out, and followed him; and wist (knew) not that it was true (real) which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision.’ (Acts 12:6-9)
Hn, hn! Imagine that nuh, Peter didn’t even realize what was really happening, he thought that he was seeing a vision, when he was actually walking out of the jail. And the Good Book continues: ‘When they were past the first and second ward (guard posts), they came unto the iron gate that leadeth into the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him.’ (Acts 2:10)
Now the scholars offer an interesting explanation of that verse. ‘12:10. The text implies that the guards themselves unwittingly opened the first two gates for Peter, and then through the miraculous hand of God the last gate opened of its own accord (Gr. ‘automate’) or “automatically.” And who says our God is not mighty, powerful and faithful eh?
And the story continues: ‘And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety (for certain), that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.’ (Acts 12:11)
Yeh friends, Peter eventually realized that a great miracle had taken place, and no doubt such faithfulness of God raised his own faithfulness to an even higher level. What I want us to realize though fellow believers, is that God still does miracles in our lives today, everyday. Please look for, and pay attention to them.
They might not be as big and spectacular as Peter’s, but miracles are miracles, be they big or small, and we need to notice them when they happen in our own lives, for they truly raise our faith and appreciation of God’s goodness to us. Now let’s go home giving thanks for the miracles of our Thursday Blessings, which God has so generously bestowed on us.
With sincere thanks and powerful affirmation now: ‘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 if you truly believe all of that, then the next move is to go out and share it with others, as Jesus so greatly desires. Much LOVE!
…faithfulness to God…brings miracles from God…
06 Jun 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a prowler, a robber, a storm of nonsense, admonished, an armed man, be wise, cease to exist, Colorado, consider her ways, creating new worth, crumble, diligence, dire poverty, enriching feeling, feeding on themselves, fell to ruin, fire and brimstone, folding of the hands, foundation of joy, gathers food, get on board, get over the hump, glad to be alive, go to the ant, good fruit, grace, Guatemala, habitually lazy person, halfway home, hands on the plough, hard work, Hawaii, heavenly Father, homelessness, in the hands of a few, in the harvest, joy, joyfully declare, knock us for six, leader, learn from the ant, looking forward to, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, make ends meet, mercy, negative things, New Mexico, no guide, not looking back, overseer, part-time work, poverty, prayers, predictable circumstances, prosperity, relative comfort, right the wrongs, self-starter, sit on our laurels, sleep, sluggard, smell the java, summer time, taskmaster, the breath of life, the fallen lot, the middle of the week, the weekend, this is the day the Lord has made, threat, trash pile, uplifting, volcanic problems, wake up, we will rejoice and be glad in it, wealth, wealthy societies, Wednesday Wail, wildfires, winter season
Proverbs 6:6. Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.
So friends, it’s Wednesday, the middle of the work week. Are you already looking forward to the weekend? I know a lot of us are. Wednesday just seems to be the day we get over the hump. (smile) But there is no need to relegate the other days to the trash pile because every day comes bearing good fruit and plenty of grace, mercy and LOVE from our heavenly Father.
We ought to enjoy each and everyday regardless of what it’s called and what we have to do in it. That’s why I want to begin today by joyfully declaring like the psalmist of old: ‘This is the day the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it!’
Mamacita! What a good, uplifting and enriching feeling that produces! With that foundation of joy, we can now move on and handle whatever negative things that may come against us.
And in our relative comfort, let’s remember in our prayers those unfortunate people in Hawaii and Guatemala who are dealing with volcanic problems, and those in New Mexico and Colorado where wildfires are burning out of hand. Yuh know fire and brimstone are mankind’s biggest threat. (smile)
And I was just led to an interesting and very appropriate Bit for out times. Hear these words of wisdom from Cousin Sol. ‘Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise; Which having no guide (leader), overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat (bread, grain) in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.’ (Prov.6:6-8)
Ah my people, in these unfortunate times of excessive laziness, sloth and entitlement, there is no better example for us to follow than the ordinary ant, who though they have no leader or leaders like us, go about their business with such wisdom, gathering their food for the winter season in the summer time and storing it away for the rough times to come.
And Cousin Sol continues on the subject: ‘How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: so shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth (a prowler), and thy want (need) as an armed man.’ (Prov.6:9-11)
And the scholars offer this explanation. ‘6:6-11. The sluggard is the habitually lazy person. He is admonished to learn two important lessons from the ant: (1) the ant has no guide, overseer, or ruler (v.7), meaning that the ant does not have a taskmaster standing over it to make it work; it is a self-starter. (2) The ant is wise enough to prepare for predictable circumstances (v.8).
Two questions about sleep are posed to the sluggard (v.9). His answer is given in verse 10: “Just a little bit more sleep!” The result of such laziness is dire poverty, which will come as suddenly and decisively as a robber (v.11).’
Oh friends, I don’t know if there has ever been a time when our interest in working, in being productive has been lower than now. But I guess to a certain extent it comes with the territory, meaning that the more a society becomes prosperous, the more we tend to sit on our laurels and forget what and who brought us to that position of prosperity.
It’s only hard work and diligence that enriches a society, and when we forget that, the society will inevitably crumble. That’s why our history is loaded with wealthy societies that soon fell to ruin, because they began feeding on themselves, rather than creating new worth.
And if we look closely and realistically we will see the same thing happening with our current society. In this supposedly wealthy and prosperous society, our young people are more into partying and chatting up a storm of nonsense than doing productive work and so many of us have to work at more than one job just to make ends meet.
Notwithstanding that jobs are becoming fewer and fewer, and when you find one it’s mostly part time. The level of poverty and homelessness is ridiculous for the amount of wealth we have, but so much of that wealth is in the hands of a very few fortunate and greedy ones.
And because of that wealth, they sit in their high towers and comfortable palatial homes and don’t recognize that our society is going to the dogs, is dying a slow and painful death, and unless that wealth is shared, some time, sooner than we expect, the full effects of a very lopsided economy and society will knock us for six!
Consequently friends, I implore us to wake up and smell the java, which incidentally is a huge aspect of our economy, and start trying to right the wrongs that we are able to. Yes, unless and until, each and every one of us begin to start making changes within our spectrum, our society will just keep going downhill, until we’ll be eventually numbered amongst the fallen lot.
It’s not too late friends, so let’s get to it nuh. The LOVE Revolution of Jesus is waiting, praying and hoping that you will get on board. And for those of us who are already on board, let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know our position in and with Jesus.
In strong voice and sincere heart, let’s wail: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And we know that that future with Jesus will indeed be most glorious! Much LOVE!
…anything that feeds on itself…will soon cease to exist…so let’s be wise…and learn from the ant nuh…
05 Jun 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a positive decision, Abednego, abundantly pardon, angry God, awesome power of God, backed up the Jordan River, be in my heart, beloved of God, blue in the face, boring death, bow down, brand new day, call upon him, Colorado, come up higher, dire need, discouragement, doing miracles, dr robert h schuller, exciting life, failure, fiery furnace, friend of Jesus, from shame to glory, God is still on the throne, grace, grateful, Guatemala, Hawaii, hell on earth, hope, Hour of Power Devotional, I will be with thee, I will move, in full control, in you I come alive, Jesus, let the wicked forsake his way, LOVE, loving-kindness, magnificent and magnanimous God, Maker, Meshsach, natural disasters, new mercies, New Mexico, no need to panic, noised abroad, parted the Red Sea, pass through the waters, promises, providence, seek ye the Lord, sent His only Son, shadrach, shall not be burned, shall not overflow thee, share His love, sinners, smelling of smoke, strength, success, talk, thanks, the flame scorch thee, the Lord's help, through the rivers, to die for us, Tuesday Mantra, unmerciful, unrighteous man, volcano, walk through the fire, weakness, while he is near, wildfires, wisdom, wise
Isaiah 43:2. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon (scorch) thee.
Well it’s a brand new day and brand new mercies are being noised abroad by our wonderful God! Give Him plenty, plenty thanks nuh people, for the grace and unadulterated LOVING-kindness He shows to us when we absolutely don’t deserve it. But that’s the kind of God He’s always been and will always be!
Look at how while we were still sinners He sent His only Son Jesus to die for us… Does that tell of an unmerciful and angry God? No way Jose! So let’s be wise and grateful and give Him thanks for ALL that He’s done, is doing and has promised to do for us in the future.
In the meanwhile let’s pray for those unfortunate people undergoing the volcano situation in Hawaii, and also in Guatemala where the Fuego volcano exploded a couple of days ago, causing much loss of life and many injuries. I tell you friends, a volcanic explosion is the closest thing we can come to hell here on earth. And remember too the people in Colorado and New Mexico where the first wild fires of the season are blazing away.
Brother! The natural disasters are beginning to pile up already. But friends, there is no need to panic, because our great and mighty God is still on the throne in full control of things!
And to help us handle whatever comes against us, here are these encouraging words from Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) from his Hour of Power Devotional, titled, ‘I Will Move…’ I’ve shared them before, but I think we need to share them again.
So please pray with me. ‘Lord, I want your heart to be in my heart. For in you I come alive, moving ahead from boring death to exciting life! In your promises, I will move from discouragement to hope. In your pardon, I will move from shame to glory. In your power, I will move from weakness to strength. In your providence, I will move from failure to success! Thank you, Lord. Amen!’
Oh my people, is there any other way we can come up higher than through the Lord’s help? Absolutely not! So I implore us this morning to turn to Him for help in whatever situation or circumstance that we’re going through. Now he might not change or ease up the situation, but He will certainly give you the strength, wisdom and whatever you need to come through it successfully. That’s the magnanimous and magnificent God we serve!
Yuh see what he says in our Bit, through the mouth of the prophet Isaiah? ‘When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon (scorch) thee.’
Oh friends and fellow believers, what marvellous promises! And did the Lord keep them? Of course He did! Just look at how He parted the Red Sea for His people to cross over on dry land, while drowning Pharaoh and His Egyptian army behind them! Then check out how He backed up the Jordan River for them to cross over into the Promised Land!
And if you say that’s only water, He can’t handle fire, then think again and see how the Hebrew lads, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, when they refused to bow down to a golden image, survived the fiery furnace that was heated seven times hotter than normal, and came out not even smelling of smoke!
Mama Yo! That’s the amazing and awesome power of our God my brethren! And He is still in the business of doing miracles and such amazing things for His people, if we turn to Him and sincerely and humbly seek Him. As He said again through Isaiah: ‘Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.’ (Is.55:6) Are we doing that my brethren? For all our sakes, I sincerely hope so.
But just in case we aren’t, listen to the following verse, which expands on the first. ‘Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.’ (Is.55:7)
Oh friends, I don’t know why it’s so difficult for us to follow the Lord’s guidelines nuh, since He spells them out so plainly and simply! Especially when we’re in dire need of mercy and pardon! But we can only talk; talk till we’re blue in the face (smile), everyone still has to come to their own decision; to accept, or not accept the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour in their individual lives.
Let’s hope we ALL will make a positive decision, sooner, rather than later, for a time will come when it will be too late. Now for those of us who have already made it, let’s go home positively declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know in no uncertain terms, who and whose we are.
Altogether 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 share all of that with other unfortunate folks, as Jesus desires of us. Much LOVE!
…if you don’t need your Maker…then who else do you need eh…Lucifer…hn, hn!…what a joke…
10 Jan 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, accept it, angels, at my worst, awesome fact, be reminded, bedrock, California, christ jesus, Christians, death, distress, don't give up, downhill snowball, dr robert h schuller, ear hath not heard, earthquake, everlasting, exciting thought, eye hath not seen, eyes straight ahead, famine, fantastic lesson, fools, for thy sake, foundation, from the love of Christ, glory hallelujah, God first loved us, God LOVES me, good news, gospel truth, graceful truth, halfway home, hands on the plough, happy report, help, him that loved us, holy sentence, Honduras, Hour of Power Devotional, ideal time, inalterable, incomprehensible, Jesus died for us, keep keeping on, killed all day long, Lamb's book of life, life, LOVE, more than conquerors, mudslides, my faith is dim, nakedness, natural disaters, not looking back, nothing, our consciousness, peril, persecution, persuaded, powers, prayers, principalities, refuse God's love, sealed until eternity, setbacks, sheep for the slaughter, sincerity, still sinners, surety, sword, Thank You Lord, the breath of life, the heart of man, the things God hath prepared, things present, things to come, time waits for no one, tribulation, truth, Wednesday Wail, who shall separate us, wildfires, written in stone
Acts 8:35. Who shall separate us from the LOVE of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
And the week and the year are rolling along like a downhill snowball. It’s already Wednesday, and we’re also into the tenth day of the new year. Time certainly is waiting for no one.
And neither are the natural disasters, as they continue to roll along. Check out the 7.6 earthquake in Honduras a couple of days ago, and the mudslides that have killed some thirteen people in California after wicked rainstorms hit the scenic area that had already been ravaged by recent wildfires.
Ah Lord eh! We can’t give up though friends, we have to keep keeping on despite those setbacks. But we do have to help however we can, especially with prayers. And in the face of these disasters, I believe it’s the ideal time be reminded of one of the most important facts in this world, and to acknowledge it with sure certainty. (smile)
And that fact is: ‘GOD LOVES ME!’ It’s gospel truth my brethren, and cannot be altered. Please pray this prayer with me from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional that bears the above title.
‘Thank you, Lord, for this holy sentence, this good news, this happy report, this exciting thought, this graceful truth, this fantastic lesson. God LOVES me! Even when I’m at my worst – God LOVES me. Even when my faith is dim – God LOVES me anyway! It’s incomprehensible and fantastic! Thank you, Father. Amen.’
Oh my people, God’s great LOVE for us might be incomprehensible, but we don’t have to understand it, just accept it for the great truth that it is! So even if we don’t remember or learn anything else today, let’s solidify that truth in our hearts and souls today nuh, because that’s where everything begins.
God first LOVED us, and to such a degree, that even when we were still sinners, He sent His Son Jesus to die for us. That ought to say a lot to Christians, for no other faith has anything even close to resembling that awesome fact. And the added fact that God LOVES us in any state, wherever we are, should indeed raise our reverence and LOVE for Him.
And as a direct consequence of that awesome LOVE, Bruh Paul is able to ask this enormous question in our Bit. ‘Who shall separate us from the LOVE of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?’
What a striking question my people! And hear how Bruh Paul answers it nuh. ‘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.’ (Acts 8:36-39)
Mama Mia! What surety emanates from Bruh Paul on the subject my friends! He is certain sure that NOTHING whatsoever can separate us from the LOVE of God which flows down to us through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! And he’s quite right!
But friends, are we each individually sure of that? I don’t know. But I do know that until that idea is written in stone in our consciousness, our faith will never be as great as it should be, because that’s the foundation stone of our faith: God’s LOVE is inalterable and everlasting. Once you receive it, it can never be taken away from you.
That’s why they say that once you receive the faith of Christ and the Holy Spirit comes to live within you, you are sealed until eternity. Glory to God! Once your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, it shall not be removed, unless you turn away from God and become the devil’s advocate instead.
So friends, today, let’s be wise and build our faith on that solid bedrock, that solid foundation that’s Christ nuh, for it is eternal wisdom. And having taking in all of that, let’s go home now declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know about our amazing position with Jesus.
In all sincerity and truth now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And it will indeed be a glorious future my brethren, for as the Good Book says: ‘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.’ (! Cor.2:9) Much LOVE!
…only fools…will deign to refuse…God’s great and unconditional LOVE…
08 Dec 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a man of God, Antarctica, Arctic, beneficial to us, California, Christian, christian heritage, comforting, don't speak, ears, eat drink and be merry, enjoy my weekend, Equator, evil, eye-protection, fair manner, faith, fellowship, fire me, Friday chant, fun, glory hallelujah, God's will, hypocrite, idols, in Jesus' name, intense, Jesus, judgement on the proud, living truth, makes countless thousands mourn, man's inhumanity to man, mouths, no warmth, of their own hands, pound of flesh, pray on it, provision of deductions, refreshed, refuse to work overtime, relaxation, renewed, Republican Party, rest, righteousness, secular soicety, seeking God, slave master, sunshiny morning, Tax Bill, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the day of the Lord, the light of the Son, the light of the Sun, the weekend, the work of man's hands, the workingman's song, their land is full of idols, trappings of the world, trust thou in the Lord, unkind, warm, wealth, week of slavery, week of work, which their fingers have made, wildfires, wiser minds prevail, words of wisdom, worship, worship the work, worshipping idols
Isaiah 2:8. Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their fingers have made.
And behold friends, it’s a bright and sunshiny morning in my neighbourhood! But it’s cold! And that’s the big difference between the light of the Sun and the light of the Son.
The light of the sun can be so intense, you can’t even look at it without eye protection, but at the same time, depending on what part of the world you are, in certain seasons, there is no warmth in its brilliance.
The light of the Son though is an entirely different story: His light is ALWAYS warm and comforting, regardless of where you are in this great big world! It could be in the mind-numbing cold of the Arctic or Antarctica, or the excessive heat of the Equator; Jesus is, and will forever be a warm, shining light that you can look at without eye protection.
And all of God’s people declared a loud, proud and grateful: ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ Yeh, so even though the workingman has bright sunshine in which to declare his anthem today, he still has to be bundled up to do so.
And it doesn’t stop him, as he vociferously declares: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and another week of slavery done! And I don’t understand it nuh; the slave master could be so evil and unkind, even as he claims to be a man of God. He want to fire me because I refuse to work overtime on the weekend. Steups!
But what he expect eh? The weekend is the one li’l time I have off to do my business, and he expect me to give it up for the few lousy cents he want to pay me. Chuh pool! But not to worry, I going to enjoy my weekend, eat drink and be merry, and some way, get my pound of flesh from that ole crook, who call himself a Christian! Hn! That’s why I have to say thank God for Fridays and the weekends yes!’
And right there we have one of the problems that exist in our Christian faith; supposed Christians behaving in an un-Christian-like manner. Now we don’t have to give in to all the requests of our employees, but we do have to treat them in a fair and Christian manner, otherwise that’s the conception they develop of us; an hypocritical one, and rightly so.
And talking about being unfair and unkind, listen to this scenario. You all know the Republican Party in the U.S is trying to pass a very bad Tax Bill, very much weighted in favour of the already rich, but one element of that Bill is supposedly removing the provision of deductions for loss of property from things like wildfires and earthquakes. Hn!
Can you imagine the devastating effect that will have on those people in California who have already been through wildfires earlier on in the year, and those who are currently undergoing the tremendous calamity of the now raging, out of control fires in that State?
No wonder we say that man’s inhumanity to man, makes countless thousands mourn. In this case though, it will be more like countless millions. Let’s hope wiser minds prevail, and that Tax Bill, or at least that provision does not get passed. Let’s pray on it please friends.
Now let’s chant our Friday Chant, which is a tad more spiritual than the workingman’s song. (smile) 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.’
Yeh mih people, that’s more in tune with our Christian heritage; seeking God’s will rather than ours. That brings us to a rather appropriate Bit, where Isaiah talks about the day of the Lord, His judgement on the proud. ‘Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their fingers have made.’
And isn’t that the living truth friends? In this sinful and secular society today, we worship the things we have made, running behind the wealth and other foolish trappings of the world, instead of seeking God and His awesome righteousness. In fact we’re trying our hardest to remove God completely from our society.
How foolish is that eh? How can you remove the One who created you? And how can you worship something that you have made with your own hands eh; something that has no life or power?
As the psalmist so wisely and rightly puts it in Psalm 115 – Trust in God, not in idols. ‘Their idols are silver and gold, the work of man’s hands. They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat. They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.’ (Ps.115:4-8)
That says it all friends! Why worship the inanimate objects that you yourself have made eh? That makes absolutely no sense. What makes sense is to do as the psalmist says afterwards. ‘O Israel, trust thou in the Lord: he is their help and their shield.’ (Ps.115:9)
And with those words of awesome wisdom, we’ll close today. Please, my brethren, let’s take them to heart and follow them nuh, for they will be exceedingly beneficial to us. Much LOVE!
…what’s the use of worshipping idols…if they have no power to do anything for you…
07 Dec 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: accolade, be gracious to me, believe god's Word, bread was buttered, burden, Christmas Season, come unto me, compassionate heart, confidence in princes, courage, curse, devastation, difficult situations, disbelief, distress, faith, find rest, foolishness, fragile, friend, gentle, get on our knees, God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, God of my righteousness, grace, have mercy on me, hear my prayer, heartbreaking pictures, heavy laden. give you rest, humble, I am meek, I called upon the Lord, in distress, labour, learn from me, loss of life, LOVE, lowly in heart, man after his own heart, mar the joy, mercy, momentary, my burden light, my yoke is easy, negative word, number one, offer prayers, prayer, prosper, self-control, self-discipline, set me in a large place, Southern California, succeed, take my yoke, talent, the great invitation, the greatest power on earth, the Lord answered me, the Lord God Jehovah, Thursday Blessings, time of need, trust, trust in man, trust in the Lord, wildfires, wisdom, yoke
Psalm 118:5. I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large (broad) place.
Oh my people, what else is going to mar the joy of this 2017 Christmas season eh? I’m talking about the rampant wildfires that are currently raging through Southern California with a renewed vengeance. As the old people would, say, when it’s not one thing, it’s another. And that’s the truth.
The heartbreaking pictures of the sprawling devastation show us just how fragile and momentary our lives are. Can you imagine the terrible Christmas those people affected by those fires will spend? Ah Lord eh! Thankfully though, the loss of life doesn’t seem to be a major problem, for which we are very grateful.
Friends, please, let’s do what we can to physically help them, but most importantly, let’s get on our knees and sincerely offer prayers on their behalf, as prayer is the greatest power on earth.
And you know I wasn’t planning on using the Bit from the past few days today, but after writing that stuff above, I found that it was just so appropriate, that I had no choice. ‘I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large (broad) place.’
That’s the best, in fact it’s the first thing those people should do; call on the Lord God Jehovah seeking His grace, LOVE and mercy in their devastating time of need. It’s first thing WE ALL should do when we find ourselves facing difficult situations, but oftimes it’s the last thing we do. I don’t know why it’s so difficult for us to turn to the Lord first nuh; if it’s a matter of trust or simple disbelief, but that’s what His word says.
Listen to His 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 unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:28-30)
Oh my people, who else has offered such a magnificent and welcoming invitation eh? NO ONE ELSE! But yet we have problems in accepting it, and I really can’t understand why. All I can surmise is that we don’t truly believe God’s word, our faith isn’t strong enough, and we prefer to first put our trust in man, and leave God as a last resort.
But that’s utter foolishness my brethren! For as the psalmist so strenuously warns and reminds us in Psalm 118, a few verses after our Bit: ‘It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.’ (Ps.118:8-9)
How much clearer can that be eh friends? Not much. But what’s our usual first response when trouble comes? We run to the phone or text a friend, or google the problem on the Internet. And if none of that works, then we cry out to God for help and expect it to come immediately. But unfortunately friends, our great God doesn’t work like that.
He expects to be FIRST and FOREMOST in our lives, at ALL times, and in ALL situations! Anything other than that is unacceptable! Our first reaction should ALWAYS be to call on God, like Bruh David did in the opening of Psalm 4 – An evening prayer of trust in God.
‘Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged (relieved) me when I was in distress: have mercy on me (be gracious to me), and hear my prayer.’ (Ps.4:1)
Oh my fellow believers, as I keep reminding us, despite all his sinfulness and troubles, Bruh David knew on which side his bread was buttered, thus he continually called on the God of his forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
And please note how he opens his prayer by acknowledging the righteousness of God, and then remembering all the times that the Lord had previously helped him, and then on those bases, pleading for help in his current calamitous situation.
We should be doing likewise in our time of adversity, but all too conveniently and foolishly we forget the times when the Lord helped us, and get angry when His help is not immediately forthcoming.
Friends, we can’t want a better example than Bruh David in terms of prayer and praise. He was a man just like us with a sinful nature, but he kept crying out to God in ALL situations, and wonder of wonders, the Lord called him a friend and a man after His own heart.
If we sincerely trust and rely on the Lord God Jehovah in ALL that we do, we too can look forward to being called a friend of God, and a man or woman after His own heart. To me, that is the greatest accolade we can ever receive in this life, and is something I’m trying to work toward.
But in the meantime I’m also going to enjoy the blessings He’s so generously bestowed on us, as listed in our Thursday Blessings. And since there is power in our words, let’s declare them with much enthusiasm, sincerity and truth nuh.
Loud and proud now: ‘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!’
Oh friends, what a magnanimous and magnificent God we serve! Give Him the thanks and praise He so rightly deserves, and follow His desires, as we go out and share those wonderful blessings with others today. Much LOVE!
…who is Number ONE in our lives…and who are we going to call on FIRST…the GOD of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob…
15 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a modicum of circumspection, all things are possible, another week of work, barbecuing, Beelzebub, believe, blessed, calamity, carousing, Christian requirement, doubting manner, drinking, earthquakes, eating, evil cohorts, Friday chant, furthering the kingdom of God, generous help, gospel truth, great power, hedonistic ways, hurricanes, I am the Lord, impossible, in Jesus' name, iniquity, is anything too hard for me, Jeremiah, Jesus beheld them, LOVE, loving-kindness, man's consciusness, massa, money, party time, physical goods, prayer, principles, recompense, refeshed, renewed, repay, sacrosanct space, slave labour, soul body and mind, stretched out arm, summer's day, sunbathing, talent, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, Thank You Lord, the God of all flesh, the Lord of hosts, the mighty God, the most powerful force, the weekend, time, universal prayer, weather wise, wildfires, with God, with men this is impossible, workingman
Matthew 19:26. But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible, but with God ALL things are possible.
Oh my brethren, another beautiful summer’s day is forecasted for my area today! Brother! The Lord has been so good to us recently weather wise that I don’t know what to say but ‘Thank You Lord!’
Unfortunately, many of our neighbours to the south and west of us have not been so blessed, having been recently plagued by wildfires, hurricanes and earthquakes.
Friends, I can’t instill sufficiently our Christian requirement to help them as much as we can, in the giving of our time, talent, physical goods and money. And most importantly remember them in our prayers.
Remember, prayer is the most powerful force in God’s great universe, and when we use it wisely and sincerely, it can cause mighty mountains to be moved. And this is certainly a time for universal prayer, as our world is falling apart through both natural and man-made calamity.
However, the ordinary workingman might not realize the fiasco that is brewing and continue in his hedonistic ways by declaring: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday and the weekend and party time is here once again!
I can just see the eating…and the drinking…the barbecuing and sunbathing in this summer weather! We certainly going to be carousing plenty on we days off this weekend. Thank God for Fridays and weekends oui, so we can get away from massa an’ ‘im slave labour!’
Oh friends, technically speaking all of that is true, it’s just the degree to which it’s being taken. We all are entitled to enjoy our days off from work, but remember those boundaries that are necessary to stop Beelzebub and his evil cohorts from invading our sacrosanct space.
Our Friday Chant is indeed a much better ode to the weekend. (smile) So let’s chant it now nuh, with as much enthusiasm as the workingman had in his declaration. ‘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.’
Yeh mih people, if we’re to do God’s kingdom work diligently, sincerely and excellently, as He desires, we need to be bright and fresh and renewed in spirit every Monday morning. So let’s enjoy our weekend, but with ‘a modicum of circumspection,’ as Jeeves would say. (smile)
And as a true and faithful Christian, keeping our sinful nature in check should not be that big of a problem, for we have the ONE and ONLY Jesus, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords on our side, in our camp. What more back up and reassurance can we ask eh? None whatsoever!
And please note His plain and straightforward words to the disciples in our Bit, when they doubted about a camel being able to pass through the eye of a needle. ‘But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible, but with God ALL things are possible.’
Now isn’t that the gospel truth! If God made our marvellous and magnificent universe and all therein, then it stands to reason that He can indeed DO ANYTHING! But too many of us supposed believers don’t really and truly believe that, otherwise we wouldn’t behave in the doubting manner in which we often do.
And it’s not only from the time of Jesus that the Lord has been trying to instill this in man’s consciousness, but long before. Listen to how the prophet Jeremiah prayed after he had bought a field on God’s advice and delivered the deed to a trusted friend, Baruch. (Jer.32:1-15)
‘I prayed unto the Lord saying, Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard (difficult) for thee; Thou showest LOVING-kindness unto thousands, and recompensest (repay) the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them: the Great, the Mighty God, the Lord of hosts, is his name.’ (Jer.32:16-18)
And if you don’t believe Jeremiah, then listen to the Lord Himself later on. ‘Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah, saying, Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me?’ (Jer.32:26-27)
Ah mih people, I hope that solidifies our belief that our God is great and powerful and can do ANY and EVERYTHING! We need to believe that if we are to serve Him properly in this evil and ungodly world. Much LOVE!
…the three first principles of Christianity…believe…believe…believe…only believe…
30 Aug 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a magnificent day, abundance, alive and kicking, almighty god, assurance, Beautiful Things Happen, bread was buttered, changing circumstances, Christian, common sense, day by day, dependent, did good, do for myself, down the pipeline from heaven, fighting for their very lives, filling our hearts, flowing like crazy, food, fulfilled, full of tears, give thanks, gladness, gladness in my heart, God is good, grace, graciousness, guidance, halfway home, hate evil, hidden treasures, holding back, Hurricane Harvey, I meet you, I'm not looking back, in prayer, in quietness and confidence, in the time of corn, inner wholeness, joy, keep on keeping on, lay me down in peace, light, living for the Lord, looking ahead, LOVE, Love the Lord, loving-kindness, makest me dwell in safety, man's nature, mature, mercies, my hands are on the plough, new blessings, not easily disturbed, One Year Book of Bible promises, really be true, Rejoice in the Lord, remember others, reservation, responsive, revelation. God's word, Ruth Harms Calkin, sacrifices, satisfied, seek the Lord, surrender our lives, thank God, the breath of life, the creation, the righteous, the sun and Son are shining, thou Lord, treasured, trust, trusting in Jesus christ, truth, Wednesday Wail, whispered secrets, wildfires, wisdom, witness
Psalm 4:7-8. Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn (grain) and their wine increased. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.
Oh mih breddren, it’s Wednesday! Yay! I got it right! After last week’s mess up, I have to check each day before I write. (smile) And yuh know what people, it’s not only Wednesday, but it also looks like it’s going to be a magnificent Wednesday!
Why, you ask? Well check this out nuh: We are alive and kicking, and both the sun and the Son are shining as brilliantly as ever, and brand new blessings, things like mercies and grace are flowing like crazy down the pipeline from heaven for all those who choose to seek the Lord and His overwhelming LOVING-kindness!
Wow! Now if that doesn’t portend a magnificent day, then I don’t know what does. But friends, with all of that goodness flooding some of our lives, let’s remember others in prayer, who are suffering, fighting for their very lives as Hurricane Harvey passed through Texas and is now heading for Louisiana, though on a lesser scale.
Let’s also remember those people out in British Columbia and those in California who are fighting deadly wildfires, some of them for a couple of months now. Not all of us have it fairly easy, and the least we can do is offer up sincere prayers for their safety.
Now here is another wonderful something else. (smile) It’s an uplifting and reassuring poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings By Ruth Harms Calkin. I just could not pass up sharing it. It’s titled ‘Beautiful Things Happen.’
Please pray with me. ‘O God Such beautiful things happen When I meet You day by day In quietness and confidence. There is a deep inner wholeness And the assurance of Your guidance. I am not so easily disturbed By changing circumstances. I am less dependent on others And more dependent on You.
My eyes may be full of tears But my heart is full of joy. In discovering Your hidden treasures I learn how deeply I am treasured by You. When day by day I am responsive To your Whispered secrets You do more for me in one day Than I could do for myself in a lifetime.’
Glory Hallelujah mih people! That’s the life of a true practicing and mature Christian right there! That’s how our days usually unfold when we lay it all out before the Lord in the early morning hours.
There is untold joy in living for the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob even though our individual circumstances might be somewhat rough at any particular time!
But nonetheless as the Promise for that Poem, which is our Bit, declares: ‘Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn (grain) and their wine increased. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.’
Yeh friends, words of indisputable truth from Bruh David! That is the kind of trust and assurance we have in Almighty God, when we sincerely surrender our lives to Him. And why shouldn’t we eh, when He is the Creator and Controller of the universe and all therein? That’s only the height of wisdom and common sense!
As I keep saying, Bruh David knew on which side his bread was buttered, that’s why he kept the God of his forefathers at the very front of his life, and if we are wise, we would also do the same thing.
And the author of Psalm 97 – The Lord is far above all gods – echoes the same sentiments. ‘Ye that LOVE the Lord, hate evil; he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.
Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance (for the memory) of his holiness (his holy name.)’ (Ps.97:10-12) Truer words were never spoken my fellow believers!
And yuh know what, one of our current problems is that though we say we believe in God, we don’t truly rejoice and be glad in Him like we ought to.
There’s always some kind of reservation, some holding back of something, we don’t give our all, possibly afraid or in some doubt that such an abundance of awesome joy and LOVE and graciousness could really be true.
But it truly is friends, and until we truly surrender our all and truly receive all that the Lord has to offer, we will never really be satisfied and fulfilled.
Now listen to this scripture from Bruh Paul to the people of Lystra, after he had healed a crippled man, and the people mistook him for a god and wanted to offer him sacrifices. In telling them about the One and Only True God, he ended thus: ‘Who in times past (past generations) suffered (allowed) all nations to walk in their own ways.
Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.’ (Acts 14:16-17) No lie that friends!
And the scholars offer this explanation. ‘14:17. Even though all men have not received the special revelation of God’s written word, all have received God’s general revelation which is witnessed through the creation and man’s own nature, making man without excuse if he rejects this (Rom.1:18-20: 2:14-15) Romans 1 states that the context of general revelation is that God is holy and all- powerful. Acts 14:17 further states that God is good.’
And that we cannot deny my believing brethren! So having all this joy, assurance and gladness in our hearts, let’s go home boldly and sincerely declaring our Wednesday Wail.
As one 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!’
Keep on keeping on my people! Much LOVE!
…there’s nothing better…wiser…more joyful…or more fulfilling…than trusting in Jesus Christ…
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