10 Jul 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brand new day, Abraham Isaac and Jacob, beck and call, Bruh David, confession, confidence, doing God's will, enemy, enjoyment, eternal life, faith, faithful, faithfulness, fellowship, for he is faithful that promised, free gift of grace, Friday chant, friends, generous help, glorious kingdom, Glory be to God, gobble us up, Gods thoughts and ways are higher than ours, gospel truth, grace, great is thy faithfulness, harmony, his compassions fail not, hope, in Jesus' name, indisputable truth, Isaiah, jehovah god, Jeremiah, Lamentations, let us hold fast the profession of our faith, LOVE, loving kindness, mercy, refreshed, renewed, repentance, righteousness., roaring lion, salvation, sincerity, slave drivers, steadfast love of God, stray from the straight and narrow path, surrender, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the fountain of life, the good news of Jesus, the One and Only Living God, the right perspective, the straight and narrow path, the weekend, truth, under the shadow of God's wings, unrighteousness, wisdom, with God's help, without wavering, wolf in sheep's clothing
Hebrews 10:23. Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
Oh Friends, it’s a brand new day in God’s great universe! And thankfully the ole fella’s feeling much better than he did yesterday, not as much doddering (smile). All glory be to God! And by the way, it’s also Friday…
‘Oh yes we know that. That’s why all morning we’ve been singing; TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend’s here at long last! This has been a rough week, for the slave drivers drove us harder than usual. But with God’s help we survived. Thank the Lord it’s Friday yes! We certainly going to enjoy this weekend.’
Yes my people, the weekend is there for us to enjoy, but we have to be careful about what we consider enjoyment and make sure it is not of a sinful, but rather of a godly nature. And to help us get the right perspective, let’s chant our Friday Chant with sincerity and truth.
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.’
Ah mih breddren, please pay serious attention to our Chant, and let it keep us on the straight and narrow path when we set out to have fun this weekend, for it’s ever so easy to fall into unrighteousness when we let our hair down.
And the wily enemy, the wolf in sheep’s clothing, the roaring lion is waiting ever so patiently to gobble us up when we diverge, stray from the straight and narrow path. So let’s not give him any satisfaction this weekend nuh.
That brings us to our Bit, which encourages and assures us that our faith is dearly worth holding on to. ‘Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
Yes my people, you definitely won’t find any human, or any supposed deity more faithful than the ONE and ONLY TRUE and LIVING God whom we serve and worship; He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! That’s an indisputable truth!
But sadly, too many of us supposed believers loose faith as soon as something doesn’t go the way they want it to. We expect God to be there at our every beck and call and to give us what we desire. Unfortunately it doesn’t work like that.
We are the ones supposed to be at God’s beck and call and do His desire, which is first and foremost to tell others the good news about His wonderful Son and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and live the kind of life that will encourage others to come to Jesus in sorrowful repentance to receive His free gift of grace, which leads to salvation and eternal life.
Wow! Now isn’t that mouthful? It certainly is. But it’s also the glorious truth! Ah mih people, we can’t afford to loose our hard won faith as soon as things don’t go our way. We’ve got to be stronger and much more faithful than that. God has promised to look after us, but in His own way and time, and to eventually make everything work out well.
We might not always understand or appreciate His motives and ways, but remember He says that His thoughts and ways are higher than ours, (Is.55:8-9) so His actions won’t always blend seamlessly with our desires. That’s where our trust and faith, surrender and confidence comes into play.
Now let’s look at some scripture, in particular from three men of faith, none of whom had it easy in doing God’s will, but they all declared His faithfulness with supreme confidence and assurance.
First up is Bruh David, the servant of the Lord, from Psalm 36 – The steadfast LOVE of God. Bruh David confidently declares: ‘Thy mercy (LOVING-kindness), O Lord, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds. Thy righteousness is like the great mountains (Lit. mountains of God); thy judgements are a great deep (ocean):
O Lord, thou preservest man and beast. How excellent (precious) is thy LOVING-kindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness (fullness) of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.’ (Ps.36:5-9)
Oh Friends, after hearing such a glowing report on God, how can we not put our trust and faith in Him eh? Bruh David did not live an easy life, but he certainly lived a rewarding one by faithfully trusting the God of his fathers.
Now hear Isaiah as he declares the righteous reign of the branch of Jesse. ‘And righteousness shall be the girdle (belt) of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins (belt of his waist). The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.’ (Is.11:5-6)
Yes my people, such shall be the peace and harmony existing in the kingdom of the Messiah, of Jesus when He returns to rule the earth. We only have to look at the many predictions of Isaiah and see that most of them have already come true to realize the absolute faithfulness of Jehovah God.
And we’ll close with this popular scripture from the Lamentations of Jeremiah, another prophet who did not have an easy life, but who nonetheless extolled the faithfulness of his God. ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam.3:22-23)
And that is the gospel truth my brethren! It is only because of God’s compassion and faithfulness that we have not been consumed. He has shown us mercy, because of His great LOVE for us, and He is ever reliable and faithful to those who worship Him in sincerity and truth. Please remember that. Much LOVE!
…to recognize and appreciate faithfulness…one must also be faithful…
09 Jul 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a doddering old man, aches and pains, affirm, attribute of God, batting my gums, blessings, Bruh Paul, bubbling broth of love, comfort zone, communicative, communion, compassion, confession, confidence, Corinthians, count for something, deceitful enemy, faithful, faithful is He that calls you, faithfulness, fellowship, for he is faithful that promised, forgiveness, friends, God is faithful, God's Word, grace, heartrending, help of the Holy Spirit, hobbling, holy spirit, hope, it's found, Jesus Christ, jesus christ our lord, keep you from evil, kindness, leading and guiding, let us hold fast the profession of our faith, LOVE, love is like wildflowers, loving kindness, mercy, on the lookout for love, on the winning end, our sins forgiven, P.S. I Love You, patient waiting for Christ, promised to redeem us, shaking it rough, souls washed clean, Spread God's Word, temptation, that's life, the cross at Calvary, the Holy One of Israel, the Lord is faithful, the LOVE of God, the most unlikely places, trials and tribulations, troubled world, understanding, ungrateful sinners, union with Christ, what's cooking, winter years, wisdom, without wavering
Hebrews 10:23. Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
Aye Friends, what’s cooking on this terrific though cloudy looking Thursday morning eh? I do hope that it’s a bubbling broth of LOVE, grace, mercy, blessings, kindness, compassion and forgiveness, because that is exactly what our topsy-turvy, troubled world needs right now.
Unfortunately though, the ole fella’s shaking it a bit on the rough side this morning, walking around like a doddering old man, (smile) with all the aches and pains choosing to act up at the same time. I don’t know nuh, but I went to bed early last night, planning to get a decent night’s rest…
Hn! That was only in my imagination. I got up several times during the night unable to find a comfort zone, and then when it was really time to get up, I fell asleep, then got up hobbling. Hn, Hn! But that’s life folks, especially in the winter years.
But yuh know what my brethren? The aches and pains are not holding back the ole fella, that’s for sure! They might slow me down some, but they are definitely not going to stop me from doing the work that’s been laid out for me by the Almighty! And I’d like all you old geezers out there, who are similarly wracked by aches and pains to affirm the same thing.
All together now: ‘Aches and pains are not going to stop us from doing the work Jesus desires of us in this life!’
What a way to go mih people! Remember we can overcome anything that comes our way with the help of the Holy Spirit which indwells us. We might not be as quick and physically supple as in our youth, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with our minds.
So let’s not give in to the temptation thrown at us by the deceitful and wily enemy, we can still be very useful and productive members of society.
And I have to laugh here Friends, because I don’t know where all of that is coming from. I surely hope it’s the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit.
Now here is a li’l something from my ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU’ poster. Some of you long time readers might remember it. And it reminds us that ‘LOVE is like wildflowers. It’s often found in the most unlikely places.’
And isn’t that the awesome truth Friends? We often find LOVE in places that we never dreamed of finding it. That means that wherever we are, we should always be on the lookout for LOVE since it can appear anywhere, at any time, under any circumstance! It’s the attribute of God, so wherever God is, LOVE ought to be there too.
Now let’s turn to our Bit, which is a terrific piece of scripture, filled with godly assurance and encouragement. ‘Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)’
And for those of you paying attention, you’ll notice that I have the dates right on both headings today. That is what comes from laziness, but it also lessens the pain of having to transcribe the same Bit everyday.
Anyway Friends, it is a proven fact that the Holy One of Israel, whom we worship and adore, is undeniably, unconditionally and extremely faithful! We’ve seen it in the lives of His servants, as well as the most heartrending act of sending His Son Jesus to die on the cross at Calvary, so that our sins could be forgiven and our souls washed clean.
He promised to redeem us way back when, and ever so faithfully, He did it through Jesus. Now I don’t know what else He has to do to prove His faithfulness. I doubt that any of us would give up our only son to be sacrificed for a bunch of ungrateful sinners. But the Lord God Jehovah did! And that ought to count for something – in fact count for a lot.
But enough of me batting my gums, (smile) let’s look at some scripture that enhances my contention. And we’ll begin with Bruh Paul stating it blatantly to the Corinthians in the introduction to the first epistle. ‘God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (1 Cor.1:9)
And the scholars offer this explanation of that verse. ‘1:9. Unto the fellowship of his son: The term ‘fellowship’ includes both union and communion. The Corinthian believers had been brought into union with the Lord Jesus Christ. Accordingly this great truth implies that they had been brought into communion with one another. Here in a nutshell is the theme of this epistle.’
And Friends, that still holds true, even to this day. We believers have been brought into union with Jesus Christ as well as communion with each other. That means we ought to be more into Jesus than we currently are, as well as being more understanding and communicative with each other.
Then in 1 Thessalonians, Bruh Paul again states the faithfulness of God without any doubt or concern. ‘Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.’ (1 Thess.5:24) And who should know about God’s faithfulness better than Bruh Paul eh? All the trials and tribulations he went through to spread God’s Word, but he always came out on the winning end.
And we’ll wrap up this morning with another word from Bruh Paul to the Thessalonians, this one from his second epistle to them. ‘But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish (establish) you, and keep you from evil (the evil one).
And we have confidence in the Lord touching (concerning) you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you. And the Lord direct your hearts into the LOVE of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ (patience of Christ).’ (2 Thes.3:3-5)
Oh my people, I wish the exact sentiments on all of us today; that the Lord will direct our hearts into His wonderful and unconditional LOVE, and give us the patience of Christ, to wait patiently and work diligently until His return. That my brethren is wisdom of the highest level! Much LOVE!
…thy mercy (LOVING-kindness) oh Lord…is in the heavens…and thy faithfulness reaches unto the clouds… (Ps.36:5)
06 Jul 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: almighty god, ambition, aura of love, be rich in good works, Bruh Paul, caressed the air, complaining, compromise, confidence, Cousin Sol, coveted, destruction, eternal life, fall into temptations, friends, generous, glorious kingdom, glory to God, godly enthusiasm, godly purpose, guiding light, haughty, highminded, holy spirit, humble servants, hypocrites, idol, in great spirits, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, lies, LOVE, love for money, lusts, materialistic, Monday Morning, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, not on the things on the earth, on the ball, peace, pitfalls, praise and worship God, Praise the Lord, Proverbs, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, righteousness., root of all evil, ruin, salvation, set your affection on things above, spiritual armour, spiritually concerned, steadfast faith, the goal of life, the house of God, the moral of the story, the Ten Commandments, the true light of the world, truth, ungodly world, wicked taunts, wiles, wisdom, working for the almighty dollar
Colossians 3:2. Set your affection (mind) on things above, not on things on the earth.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, a fair number of hypocrites came to church yesterday, (smile) and did we ever sing and dance, praise and worship God, and enjoy each other’s company! Wow! So much so that we all left the house of God in great spirits, with our LOVE, peace and godly enthusiasm boosted sky high! Oh Glory to God, my people!
That’s why on this summer’s morn, this Monday morning, we are able to get up and get ourselves together to go out and labour without a lot of fuss and complaining. We set the tone for the rest of the week by affirming our convictions with Almighty God on the first day. And that’s why I keep advising us, that our Sundays set the tone and tempo for our Mondays.
Now for those of us whose spirits are still burdened and heavy laden, let’s get our act together by singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with much verve and gusto. As one earthly, but angelic sounding choir, let’s sing.
‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Oh Friends, that was wonderful, marvellous! And most importantly, Jesus was thrilled. You could tell by the dazzling smile on His face as lost in the music, He swayed and wielded – no, not wielded, because that carries a sense of a crude, rough and heavy manner – but rather, as He gently, lightly, but firmly caressed the air with His conductor’s baton. (smile)
Yes my people, I don’t know what happened, but we are definitely on the ball this morning. As we sang, we must obviously have done what our Bit says. ‘Set your affection (mind) on things above, not on things on the earth.’
Oh, if we could only do that in all the other areas of our lives, what a truly wonderful world this would be! But unfortunately that’s not the case; the things of the world still hold too much sway over us; we’re way too materialistic and not sufficiently spiritually concerned. And per the Good Book, my brethren, that is not a very good or wise way to be.
Cousin Sol puts it this way in Proverbs. ‘Labour not to be rich (do not overwork): cease from thine own wisdom.’ (Prov.23:4)
And why is that? As Bruh Paul explains to Timothy. ‘But they that will be (desire to be) rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful (harmful) lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition (ruin and destruction).
For the LOVE of money is the root of all (kinds) of evil; which while some coveted after, they have strayed from the faith (for which some in their greediness have strayed from the faith), and pierced themselves through with many arrows.’ (1 Tim.6:9-10)
Ah Friends, what absolute truth! When our main ambition is to be rich, to be materially wealthy, we lose sight of our godly purpose and fall into all sorts of compromises and wrong doing, just to make money. In other words we make money our idol, our god.
And that’s obviously not right. At least not in the eyes of our Creator and heavenly Father, who has faithfully promised that if we seek His righteousness, He will provide us with all we need to be successful in this world. (Matt.6:33) Unfortunately, too many of us don’t seem to believe Him and thus kill ourselves working for the almighty dollar.
Now here is an important explanation from the scholars. ‘6:10. The root of all evil means a root or source of all kinds of evil. The LOVE for money is not the only source from which evil comes. Coveted after means that some have “striven after” money as the goal of life.’
Yes my brethren, money, in and of itself is not bad, and we definitely need it to live, but when we make amassing it our be all and end all, begin coveting it, that is when we lose our way. Remember the last of the Ten Commandments; thou shalt not covet. (Ex.20:17) And that means anything that belongs to someone else. Any time you covet anything, it’s a sin. So the moral of the story is to not let material wealth be your guiding light, but rather Jesus, the true light of the world.
Now let’s conclude with some more wise and wonderful advice from Bruh Paul to Timothy. ‘Charge (command) them that are rich in this world (present age), that they be not highminded (haughty), nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute (give), willing to communicate (share); Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.’ (1 Tim.6:17-19)
Oh Friends, what powerful and wise words! The scholars explain them thus: ‘6:17-18. Paul charges wealthy believers (1) not to be proud and look down on those who are not rich, (2) to confide in God, rather than in unstable riches, (3) to be rich in good works by generously sharing their surplus of financial resources with the needy. To be ready to distribute is to be generous in sharing. To be willing to communicate is to be liberal in giving.’
Now please notice as the scholars remind us: ‘Salvation is not purchased by the giving of money, but generosity demonstrates the reality of one’s faith. Since the believer trusts God and not money, he gives. This giving shows where his heart is and that he views his wealth in light of eternity.’
More words of wisdom Friends, so please let’s ponder on it all and then come to some right conclusions re our attitude towards money, for that will certainly make or break us. Much LOVE!
…money is good and necessary…but LOVING it…allowing it to rule your life…is fraught with many serious pitfalls…
30 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a two way street, a waste of time, abounding in mercy, and sin not, be ye angry, Beelzebub, blessed attributes of God, bounden duty, Christ's gospel, Christians, clay of human nature, communication, compassion, displeased, eternal life, evil ways, friends, God will work it all out for our good, God's domain, godly encouragement, good news, gospel truth, grace, gracious, gullible, infiltrate our lives, insecure, Jewish nationalism, Jonah, Joshua Loth Liebman, let not the sun go down upon your wrath, long-suffering, loving kindness, mercy, negatives messages of the world, neither give place to the devil, Niniveh, O Lord, peace of mind, plenteous in mercy, positive affirmation, positive declarations of Christ, ready to forgive, repented, ripple effect, salvation, Scrip-Bit, slow to anger, social media, summer solstice, Tarshish, the Great Commission, the Lord is merciful and gracious, the state of the universe, truth, turn people away from God, very angry, wisdom, words and actions
Psalm 103:8. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous (abounding) in mercy (LOVING-kindness).
Aye Friends, can you believe that it’s already the last day of June, and we haven’t seen a true summer’s day as yet! Hn! I don’t know if that augurs well for the supposed summer months, for since the summer solstice ten days ago we’ve had mostly cool, cloudy wet and windy days.
But as I keep saying, we can’t worry about the state of the universe because that’s God’s domain, and He does whatever He sees fit. We just have to believe that He won’t do anything to harm us, and will eventually work everything out for our good. (Rom.8:28)
But here is something that we can get our heads around; a quote by Joshua Loth Liebman (1907-1948), the American rabbi and best-selling author. Rabbi Liebman was best known for His book ‘Peace of Mind.’
And in this quote, he says: ‘Believe and remember this: every saint and every sinner affects those whom he will never see, because his words and deeds stamp themselves upon the soft clay of human nature everywhere.’
And that’s gospel truth friends, for when we consider the ripple effect of our words and actions, they can affect millions of people whom we’ll never know or see. That’s why we have to consider seriously and sincerely the words and actions that we say and do, for if they are negative, they can cause lots of negativity all down the line to those who hear and see them.
Unknown to us, our words and actions will cause a lot of grief and heartache if they are not of godly encouragement and positive affirmation. We might see the reaction in a few people close to us, but generally speaking, we’ll never know the multitude that are affected by our negativity or positivity, as one person, or one institution passes it on to another, until it becomes a widely accepted and /or recognized saying or action.
And it’s exactly that far and wide kind of positive and godly ripple effect that I hope our Scrip-Bit has; where one person tells another about it and it keeps going until it is spread to all the nations of the world like Jesus commissioned His disciples to do. (Matt.28:19)
Yeh Friends, it’s ever so important that we watch what we say and do, especially in these times of instant communication, where some bit of information can go around the world almost instantaneously. And people are so insecure and gullible nowadays that they tend to believe almost anything they see on the social media.
That is helping in no uncertain terms to turn people, especially the young generation away from God. But fortunately my brethren, the social media can also be a two way street where we use it to bring people to God. There has never been another generation in man’s history where communication has been so quick and so accessible. Please let’s use it to benefit God’s work and not Lucifer’s.
That brings us to our wonderful and glorious Bit; a fact that we desperately need to communicate to people around the world. ‘The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous (abounding) in mercy (LOVING-kindness).’
Oh Friends, I’m sure if more people knew about those most blessed attributes of our God, they would be more inclined to turn to Him and accept His free gift of grace and mercy that leads to salvation and eternal life.
The problem, to a certain extent, is that they are mostly hearing and seeing the negative messages of the world instead of the positive declarations of Christ.
And it’s our job, through the Great Commission to bring it to them, for they can’t believe and/or accept what they have not seen or heard. So please, let’s all do our best to spread the good news of Christ’s gospel, for it is our bounden duty.
Now let’s look at a couple passages of scripture which corroborate our Bit. And we’ll begin with this strange action of Jonah’s after he had preached to Nineveh and they had repented of their evil ways and the Lord had forgiven them.
The Good Book describes it thus: ‘But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. And he prayed unto the Lord, and said, I pray thee, O Lord, was this not my saying (what I said), when I was yet in my country?
Therefore I fled before (previously) unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness (LOVING-kindness), and repentest thee of the evil (one who relents from doing harm). Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.’ (Jon.4:1-3)
Oh my brethren, it has always been difficult for me to understand Jonah’s anger at the Lord’s pardoning of Nineveh until now that I’ve read a plausible explanation from the scholars. ‘4:1-4. Displeased…exceedingly and very angry: Jonah maintains a false Jewish nationalism and hatred of all non-Jews, especially Assyrians.’
Ah Friends, what a waste of time, energy and a good life eh! Unfortunately though, many of us supposed Christians still feel like Jonah these days; we feel and exhibit an anger that is not necessary and totally contrary to God’s will.
In a true believer, there should be no constant or consistent anger. For as Bruh Paul so wisely advised the Ephesians. ‘Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath. Neither give place (an opportunity) to the devil.’ (Eph.4:26-27)
And that’s wisdom in spades my brethren! We ought not to go to bed angry because that negative atmosphere will persist in our sleep and cause us to wake up angry and most likely do more negative stuff. And right there we give great opportunity to Beelzebub to infiltrate our souls and spirits, which isn’t very wise.
And we’ll end with some more wise words, this time from our other marvellous brother, Bruh David, from Psalm 86 – Teach my thy way, O Lord. Here He unabashedly declares: ‘For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy (LOVING-kindness) unto all them that call upon thee…. But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long-suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.’ (Ps.86:5,15)
Oh what words of absolute truth my people! Therefore, let’s take hold of them and run with them nuh, so that we too might be encouraged, uplifted and consequently, eagerly do the work that God has commissioned us to do, instead of having a forced or halfhearted attitude towards it. Friends, please remember that it’s all for our benefit, not for God’s! Much LOVE!
…living for God is easy…when we wisely recognize and accept …His plentiful mercy and grace…
29 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a pillar of cloud by day, a pillar of fire by night, abounding in mercy, affliction, attributes of God, aura of love, blessed, brazen, Caleb, christianity, comapssion, comapssionate, commandments, common sense, confidence, consequences, corrupt, corruption, Creator of the universe, dealt proudly, did not heed thy commandments, disobedience, Egypt, elections, endure, enthusiasm, forgiveness, friends, Glory be, Hallelujah, holy spirit, humble servants, inefficient, inept, Israelites, Jesus Christ, Job, Joshua, kindness, lacked nothing, lies, long-suffering, LOVE, loving kindness, manna, mercy, Monday Morning, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, morning drive, Nehemiah, Oh Lord God Almighty, our Lord and Saviour, Pan Am Games, pardon, patience, persevarance, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, righteousness., sinfulness, slow to anger, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, stiff necked, stubborn, the Lord is merciful and gracious, traffic snarls, two-faced, ungodly world, wine and roses, wisdom
Psalm 103:8. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous (abounding) in mercy (LOVING-kindness).
‘Aye ah yie, mih people is Monday! (background voices) -Glory be now! – Oh yah yo, mih breddren is Monday! -Hallelujah!- That means is time to get up and get ready, ready to go out and labour; Labour for Christ Jesus, Our Blessed Lord and Saviour! -Praise His Holy Name! – Sing the chorus Friends. Aye ah yie mih people is Monday! -Glory be now! – Oh yah yo, mih breddren is Monday! -Hallelujah…!’
Yes Friends, just a li’l ditty, a li’l kaiso to lively up ourselves, to put a li’l amusement in our spirits as we face this Monday morning at the end of June. (smile) Thankfully, the rain seems to have stopped in my area, but the ground is still soggy and the roads might still be a tad wet and slippery, so please be careful in your morning drive.
And talking about morning drive, please remember that as of today, all the major highways are down to one lane less, because those lanes, in somebody’s false wisdom, have been converted to HOV lanes, where only cars with at least three passengers can travel for the next month. Ah Lord eh! And all of that was done so that people involved in the Pan Am Games beginning sometime this week, can get around quicker.
Chuh! Obviously the people who pay for all the expenses and the corruption that goes on in these artificial games don’t really matter. They will just have to endure even more traffic snarls with one lane lost to the already parking lot status on our highways. Normal HOV lanes only require two people in the car, so this will force those who carpool to avoid the traffic, right back into even more congestion.
Steups! Let’s just hope I don’t get caught up in too much of it nuh. But there’s no use complaining now, since there’s nothing we can do about it, except in the next elections not vote back into power, this brazen, inept, inefficient, corrupt and two-faced government. So let’s move on and sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with much gusto, and leave them to the Lord.
Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
That was pretty good Friends…in comparison to last week. (smile) Jesus wasn’t as disappointed. And we’ll get right into our Bit. ‘The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous (abounding) in mercy (LOVING-kindness).’
Oh Friends, I don’t know what we would have done without such a wonderful God nuh. Just listen to this litany of wrongdoing that the Israelites committed, and yet the Lord did not destroy them totally. The scripture comes from the book of Nehemiah.
‘But they and our fathers dealt proudly (acted presumptuously or insolently), and hardened (stiffened) their necks (became stubborn), and hearkened not to (did not heed) thy commandments. And refused to obey, neither were they mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, and forsookest them not.
Yea, when they had made them a molten calf, and said, This is thy God that brought thee up out of Egypt and had wrought (worked) great provocations (wonders); Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way, neither the pillar of fire by night, to show them light, and the way wherein they should go.
Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst. Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old (did not wear out), and their feet swelled not.’ (Neh.9:16-21)
Oh my brethren, what a wonderful God we serve and worship! No other Deity would have put up with the shenanigans of the Israelites; they would certainly have been destroyed, or just left to paddle their own canoe, as best they could. But instead our magnanimous God showed them mercy and forgiveness and looked after them in the wilderness, in spite of their gross disobedience and sinfulness.
But it was not all wine and roses, for none of those who came out of Egypt, except Joshua and Caleb, even Moses, never set foot in the Promised Land. So though our God is wonderful, there are consequences to be paid for continual disobedience.
And we’ll end with a passage from James, where he’s talking about patience in affliction. ‘Behold, we count them happy (blessed) which endure. Ye have heard of the patience (perseverance) of Job, and have seen the end of (intended by) the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful (compassionate), and of tender mercy.’ (James 5:11)
And every believer ought to be able to vouch for that because He has shown compassion, mercy and forgiveness to each and every one of us at one stage, or more like several stages of our lives. Now let’s go out and live up to the expectations and standards He expects of us, for that is indeed the zenith of wisdom and common sense. Much LOVE!
…how could anyone with even a drop of wisdom or common sense…not greatly appreciate the mercy…the long-suffering… the grace…the compassion…and all the other wonderful attributes of Almighty God eh…
26 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a Sunday walk in the park, a witness, accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour, all hail the glory of God, apathy, be of good cheer, blessed, bring forth his fruit, commandments, covenant, debauchery, fellowship, Friday chant, friends, fun, glad to be alive, glorious kingdom, hard times, heavenly goodness, his leaf shall not wither, humble servants, i have overcome the world, in due season, in Jesus' name, Jesus Christ, licentiousness, like a tree planted by the rivers of water, LOVE, meditate, meditiating on God's word, misuse our body, Moses, nothing to lose, obedience, Pentateuch, perspective, ponder, rebellion, rebellious against the Lord, recuperate, relaxation, renewed and refreshed, rest, soul searching, statutes, stiff necked, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the ark of the covenant, the breath of life, the One and Only True God, then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, thou shalt have good success, truth, ungodly living, ungodly world, walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, weekend break, whatever he does shall prosper, wisdom, wise, worship other gods and idols, ye might have peace, ye shall have tribulation, you may prosper
Joshua 1:8b. …for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, although the ole fella didn’t get to bed until four o’clock this morning, hence the lateness of the Bit, he’s still so glad to be alive this last Friday in June 2015, that he doesn’t know what to do with ‘imself! Hn, hn!
And talking about the last Friday in June makes me shake my head in wonder, asking if June is already finished when it just began the other day? (smile)
Ah mih people, the breath of life is so precious that I’m surprised at how so many of us don’t appreciate it and just waste it away in ungodly living or simple apathy.
Anyway, I know you all are waiting for me to say it so that you can shout it out. So here goes. Aye Friends, all yuh know is Friday…?
And the loud shout rises up: ‘But of course! That’s why we’re exclaiming TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes! All hail the glory of God for helping us to see the week through successfully, even though some hard times were involved. Thank God for this weekend break! And furthermore, we going to use it wisely!’
Wow mih brethren, I am proud of you for that tad of wisdom! (smile) But still, since all of us might not feel that way, and consequently want to use the weekend for debauchery and licentiousness, let’s chant our Friday Chant to give us some perspective on the way to truly use it.
As one harmonious chanter 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 is not to further tire out and misuse our body with ungodly living, but to rest it, to let it recuperate so that we can go back out next week and further God’s kingdom amongst the heathen and ungodly hordes.
And today we’re going to continue with our wise, soul searching Bit from yesterday. ‘…for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’
And that’s something we all want to have. But how do we do it eh? By seriously and sincerely meditating on God’s Word and then keeping His commandments and statutes found therein.
Oh it’s definitely not a Sunday walk in the park, but as Jesus so assuredly said to the disciples. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)
Those words of assurance still pertain to us today my people, and though being of good cheer in the midst of our troubles is not easy, it is indeed possible when our hearts, minds, bodies and souls are filled with Jesus and His awe inspiring Word. It’s all about the Word, my Friends!
Now let’s look at some scripture which proclaim that sentiment of absolute truth. While Moses was writing the last book of the Pentateuch, (the first five books of the Bible) Deuteronomy, he exhorted the people to obedience, showing them all that the Lord had done for them.
Then he commanded them in no uncertain terms. ‘Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do.’ (Deut. 29:9)
Then when Moses was finished writing Deuteronomy, the Good Book declares: ‘That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying, Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.
For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the Lord; and how much more after my death?’ (Deut.31:25-27)
Ah Friends, Moses knew his people! And was he ever right, for though they had the law of God ensconced in the ark, they still made a mess of their lives, turned from the God of their fathers several times to foolishly worship all sorts of other supposed gods and idols.
And unfortunately my brethren, that is exactly the state that we are in today. Numerous people are foolishly turning away from the ONE AND ONLY TRUE GOD to worship all sorts of other nonsense! Why can’t we understand that it is only when we praise, serve and worship Jehovah God that a land, a society, and a people truly prosper for long periods of time eh?
And we’ll end with these wonderful words of advice and assurance from Psalm 1 – Blessed are the righteous. ‘Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly (wicked), nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate (ponder, by talking to oneself) day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers (channels) of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.’ (Ps.1:1-3)
Ah Friends, what more can I add to that eh? Nothing really, but to advise us to keep walking with the Lord God Jehovah, if we want to be successful in this earthly life and consequently the one hereafter.
And for those of us who have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, then I highly recommend that you give Him a try, for you have absolutely nothing to lose and a whole lot of heavenly goodness and wisdom to gain. Much LOVE!
…to sincerely follow Jesus and His Word…is the wisest…most sensible…and most blessed thing a human being can ever do…
23 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a frightening thought, a smell of cleanliness, after the storm, agonized, and he shall strengthen thine heart, be of good courage, begged, bewildered, busyness, christianity, construction work, dancing leaves, deceived, desire of my heart, disservice, dusty summer, encouragement, God will never lead us astray, God will never renege on His promises, God will wipe away tears, God's awesome might and power, God's glory, God's majesty, God's timing is impeccable, grime, hallmarks of Christianity, hypnotized, impatience, inspiration, intolerance, invigorating, Isaiah's song of praise, know or understand God, LOVE, love nature, nature, now for now attitude, personal testimony, pleaded, pollution, prayed with confidence, puzzled, rebuke, refreshing experience, riddim of the singing breeze, Ruth Harms Calkin, the harmful desire, the Lord is my light and salvation, the Lord will swallow up death in victory, the One Year Book of Bible Promises, the peaceful calm, the Prayer, Thor's hammer, thunder, wait in patient faith on the Lord, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation, wisdom, zaps of lightning
Psalm 27:14. Wait (in patient faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait (in patient faith), I say, on the Lord.
Oh Friends, it was really an invigorating and refreshing experience sitting out on my front porch at minutes to two this wet, and rainy Tuesday morning in the early summer days of 2015! A smell of cleanliness was in the air, as the rain had washed away all the day’s grime and pollution. I listened with joy as the mild breeze sang to the dancing leaves as it blew through them. Even the two flower baskets hanging at the front of the porch were gently swaying to the intriguing riddim of the singing breeze and dancing leaves. (smile)
But please note that that was after the torrential downpour of rain had passed, having been preceded by many zaps of bright and dazzling lightning illuminating the dark and cloudy skies, and several bursts of thunder, loud roars of Thor’s mighty hammer had rolled across the heavens.
Thankfully though, while that was all happening I was safely ensconced in my family room watching the tube, and had to laugh when at times Thor’s roar blocked out the volume of the TV.
Oh how I wish I could block out some of the noise that’s now happening right behind me in the lane, as this area has been flooded with construction work and the associated noises as they claim they are fixing the curbs so that we can have better water flow in the drains.
This stuff has been going on now for at least a month, and we still have to have the lanes and the main street resurfaced afterwards, so it looks to be a noisy and dusty summer. So you can I imagine how I felt earlier this morning as I experienced the peaceful calm that usually comes after the storm. (smile)
And having experienced, having witnessed all those exciting and thrilling aspects of nature, how can I not LOVE what the Lord has provided us eh? No way Jose!
I believe that any Christian who doesn’t LOVE nature, doesn’t truly know or understand God, for that’s where He has revealed so much of Himself to us. His awesome might and power, His ever increasing glory and His solemn majesty are all visible through the wonders of nature. Glory Be!
But enough of my rambling, listen to this most realistic poem from The One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings from Ruth Harms Calkin. This one is simply titled ‘The Prayer.’
‘For so many anguished months I’ve been waiting for you to answer The one longing desire of my heart. I’ve begged, pleaded, agonized. I’ve prayed at times fumblingly At other times intensely. I’ve knelt and prayed. I’ve buried my head in my pillow and prayed.
I’ve prayed before breakfast and after lunch. I’ve prayed before dawn And after dark. I’ve prayed with spontaneous outbursts while tears washed my face. I’ve prayed over our kitchen sink And as I shopped for groceries. I’ve prayed amid screeching traffic.
At times I’ve prayed with confidence at other times with fear. And yet, Lord, though I have waited Though I have strained to listen There is no answer. I hear nothing…just nothing.
O God, I am so puzzled, so bewildered. A frightening thought haunts me. Could it be true Lord? Don’t You LOVE me anymore?
My child Because I LOVE you so much I wait for you to let Me remove the harmful desire.’
Oh my people, doesn’t all of that ring so loud and truthfully in our ears this morning? Of course it does! Because all of us have had times like those, when with anguished cries we reached out, desperately called out to God in our trials and temptations, but unfortunately never seemed to receive an answer.
And I like God’s answer: He LOVES us so much, that He is just waiting for us to let go of whatever is bothering us so that He can solve our problems. He can’t solve them if we keep holding on to them.
And you know my brethren, that’s a real problem with many of us; we insist on holding on to stuff that we want God to fix, but that is not realistic. He can’t fix it unless we let it go.
And the promise that is held out for that poem is a well-known passage of scripture from Psalm 27 – The Lord is my light and my salvation. Hear these wise and encouraging words of Bruh David which have the pleasure, the honour of being our Bit for today.
‘Wait (in patient faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait (in patient faith), I say, on the Lord.’
What awesome words of encouragement and wisdom my people! And nobody knew the power of waiting patiently in faith on our magnificent and magnanimous God better than Bruh David!
Sadly though, in these days of excessive busyness, intolerance and impatience, many of us have lost that power, that ability to wait patiently on our wonderful and ever-faithful God.
Most of this young generation don’t even know or have that capability, because all they have been taught and become accustomed to is the now for now realization of all their desires.
In this respect Friends, we have certainly done the young generation a great disservice by not teaching them to wait patiently in faith on the Lord our God. Unfortunately, we too, the older generation, have also moved away from that standard, having been hypnotized, been deceived and taken in by the now for now attitude of our society.
This is not a good sign my people. We need to move back to the realistic and faithful waiting for God to work in our lives. We need to get back to what Isaiah says in his song of praise by the redeemed.
‘He will swallow up death in victory (forever); and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth; for the Lord hath spoken it.
And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited (patiently in faith) for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited (patiently in faith) for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.’ (Is.25:8-9)
Oh Friends, what marvellous words of faith, encouragement and strength! Please, please, let’s hold on to them this and every day, as we again learn to wait patiently in faith on our heavenly Father, for that is the zenith, the epitome of wisdom and common sense!
He will never lead us astray, will never renege on any of the many promises He’s made in His Word, if we are obedient to and wait patiently in faith on His timing, which is always impeccable. That much I can vouch for through personal testimony. Much LOVE!
…to wait…to wait…and yet to wait patiently in faith on God…is one of the hallmarks of Christianity…
22 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Absalom, adversity, apply our hearts unto wisdom, aura of love, bear the yoke, before the evil days come, Blessed is the man whom the Lord chastens, Bruh David, call in sick, confidence, consequences, days of adversity, discern between good and evil, do good like Jesus, Father's Day, glorious kingdom, grief of soul, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, I have no pleasure in them, in his youth, in the days of thy youth, invincible, Jeremiah, Jesus Christ, joy, judgement, Lamentations, lies, LOVE, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, Moses, nor years draw nigh, Oh Lord God Almighty, rejuvenation of spirit, remember now thy Creator, renewed vitality, righteousness., serve a useful purpose, spiritual armour, taunts, teach us to number our days, the evil days, the Lord will not cast off his people, the pit be digged for the wicked, the thoughts of man, the voice of singing men, ungodly world, upright in heart, vanity, when thou shalt say, wiles, wisdom
Ecclesiastes 12:1. Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not (before the evil days come), nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say I have no pleasure in them.
Oh Friends, before you realize it, the Father’s Day celebrations are over, and it’s Monday once again! Yeh, that means we have to force ourselves to get up to go and labour, under masa’s critical and constant eye and stinging whip. No doubt many are going to call in sick today, regardless of the consequences, but that’s a choice the individual has to make.
However, to help us get ourselves together, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, with as much verve and harmony as possible. (smile)
All together now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Ah Friends, let me just say that that definitely was NOT one of our better renditions. Hn! Our choir director, Jesus, only shook His head and smiled knowingly. But it ought to get us started in some form and fashion, so we can go out into the mish-mash world and do good like Jesus did in His earthly sojourn.
Now let’s turn to our Bit. ‘Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not (before the evil days come), nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say I have no pleasure in them.’ Yes my brethren, that’s a wise and powerful warning for all of mankind, especially the youths.
And we have one remaining scripture passage that points toward the first part of our Bit. ‘Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth…’ It comes from Jeremiah and his Lamentations. Jerry solemnly declares: ‘It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. He sitteth (let him sit) alone and keepeth (keep) silence, because he (God) hath borne (laid) it upon him.’ (Lam. 3:27-28)
It’s wisest to remember our Creator in our youth, but even then, as so many other saints besides Jeremiah found out, it’s still possible to experience ‘great grief of soul.’
And as pertaining to the second part of our Bit ‘…while the evil days come not (before the evil days come), nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say I have no pleasure in them.’ Listen to this interesting scripture which takes place when Bruh David is returning to Jerusalem after the death of his rebellious son Absalom. (2 Sam.19)
This older fellow, Barzillai had looked after Bruh David with supplies while he had been on the run and now that he was going back to Jerusalem, Bruh David wanted Barzillai to go back with him. (2 Sam.19:31-33)
‘And Barzillai said unto the king, How long have I to live, that I should go up with the king unto Jerusalem? I am this day fourscore years old: and can I discern between good and evil (bad)? can thy servant taste what I eat or what I drink? can I hear any more the voice of singing men and singing women? Wherefore then should thy servant be yet a burden unto my lord the king.’ (2 Sam.19:34-35)
Yeh Friends, there comes a time when our earthly days are drawing to a close that we don’t, or can’t enjoy the pleasures of life like we used to. And we need to respect and accept it, like Barzillai, otherwise we’ll just make ourselves even more miserable than normal.
Meanwhile, Moses, in Psalm 90 declares: ‘The days of our years (lives) are three score years and ten (seventy); and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength (boast only) labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. Who knoweth the power of thine anger? Even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath. So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom (gain a heart of wisdom).’ (Ps.90:10-12)
Oh my people, it’s always best we can get on the right path from young, but unfortunately many of us never do so until we’re quite mature, then we have no choice but to stand the consequences of our unwise behaviour.
As the Psalmist says in Psalm 94 – How long shall the wicked triumph. ‘The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity (futile). Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest (instructeth), O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law;
That thou mayest give him rest (relief) from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked. For the Lord will not cast off (abandon) his people , neither will he forsake his inheritance. But judgement shall return unto righteousness: and all the upright in heart shall follow it.’ (Ps.94:11-15)
Yes Friends, no matter how you slice it up, the result is still the same: the Lord will chasten those he LOVES and be forever faithful to them, while He destroys the wicked. So please, let’s advise the young to put their trust in Him as early as possible, so that they can fully enjoy the benefits of His many blessings. That’s just simple common sense and heavenly wisdom. (smile) Much Much LOVE my people!
… oh, if only the parents would teach the young about the Lord…and the young would listen…what wonders would be wrought throughout the earth…
19 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: advice, advising, all is vanity, before the evil days come, circumspection, Comforter, Cousin Sol. the Preacher, Ecclesiastes, encouraging, fellowship, Friday chant, generous help, glorious kingdom, I have no pleasure in them, increased age, joy, live obedient to God's will, LOVE, man goeth to his eternal home, nor the years draw nigh, old age, personal affairs, provider, refreshed in body and soul, relaxation, Remember thy Creator in thy youth, renewed vitality, seek their Maker, spiritual upliftment, strong men shall stoop, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the almond tree shall flourish, the clouds return after the rain, the daughters of music, the dust return to the earth, the golden bowl, the halting gait, the keepers of the house, the mourners, the pitcher, the right perspective, the silver cord, the spirit return to God, the voice of the bird, tiresome, tremble, understand God's Word, vanity of vanities, vitality, week of work, weekend activites, when thou shalt say, white hair, wisdom
Ecclesiastes 12:1. Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not (before the evil days come), nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say I have no pleasure in them.
So it’s Friday once again Friends….
And the workers shout back: ‘We know that! And thank God for it too, because this week’s just been one long, tiresome, drawn out week. Thus we can’t help but cry out in pleasure: TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend’s finally here, so we can get some rest and relaxation from massa’s hard labour! Thank You Lord, thank you!’
Yeh Friends, for some reason or other, this week has certainly seemed long and tiresome. But at last our wonderful heavenly Father has brought us to the end of it, like He’s faithfully promised to do, and now we have two big whole days to look forward to. (smile)
Unfortunately though, for some of us those two days might be even more stressful than the work week because we have a lot of household and personal affairs to attend to. But let’s chant our Friday Chant so that we can get some encouragement and assume the right perspective for weekend activities.
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.’
Awright brethren, now that we’ve prayed that simple prayer, let’s hope that we can get the right attitude, one of circumspection, along with some upliftment to go bravely into the weekend. (smile)
And today my people, we have a very interesting Bit from Ecclesiastes which talks about vanity and the fear of God. Listen to the Preacher. ‘Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not (before the evil days come), nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say I have no pleasure in them.’
Wonderful words of wisdom and advice my people!
And we’ll continue with the scripture that follows it. ‘While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain: In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves (stoop), and the grinders cease (stand idle) because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened (grow dim).
And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low; Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears (terrors) shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish (blossom), and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long (eternal) home, and the mourners go about in the streets:
Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken (shattered) at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return to God who gave it.’ (Eccl.12:2-7)
Ah Friends, some real imaginative scripture from Cousin Sol in his role as Preacher or Teacher. And I’m sure some of us have never heard those obscure and hardly ever taught, but highly interesting passages of scripture before.
But as they say, the longer you live, the more you learn. (smile) And that’s the purpose of our messages; to teach us, to help us learn and understand God’s Word so that we can live obedient to His will.
Now let’s hear some explanations from the scholars on the numerous things we don’t understand. ‘12”1-7. Though these verses describe old age, they are actually addressed to the youth (v.1). The gradual darkening of the heavenly bodies represents declining vitality and joy, and the approaching clouds represent the storms of old age (v.2).
The keepers of the house are the arms; the strong men are the legs; the grinders are the teeth; and those that look out of the windows are the eyes (v.3). Growing old is further compared to the decline of a great estate (v.4).
The almond tree is a reference to the white hair of old age; the crippled grasshopper pictures the halting gait of the elderly; and desire that fails may be the loss of sexual desire (v.5).
Finally, life itself in all its preciousness is cut off. Death is pictured as the irreversible shattering of a golden bowl when cut from the end of a silver cord and the similar smashing of a pitcher or wheel (v.6). After death the spirit returns to God for judgement and the body returns to dust (cf. Gen.3:19).’
Ah Friends, leave it to Cousin Sol to paint such a weird but interesting picture of life and death eh. And I do hope that those explanations of the scholars help us to understand the preceding scriptures.
And I’m chuckling here too, because many of us who have moved on in age are already feeling, or have been feeling the effects of increased age that Sol’s talking about for a long time now. (smile) I can tell you that I have.
The whole point of the scripture though Friends is to teach the youth to remember their God, their Creator while they’re young and strong and seemingly invulnerable.
Why? Because there will come a day when they lose all the strength and vitality of youth, and then what or whom will they have to turn to for comfort and succour eh? Nobody but their frail and feeble selves.
However, if during the glorious days of their youth they engage a strong and lively faith with Jesus Christ, then at the end, they will have the Great Comforter and Provider to look after them. Their Spirit will return with pleasure to God from whence it came, and the dust of their bodies to its mother, the earth, just as it was planned by the Father.
So Friends, let’s never stop encouraging and advising the youth to seek their Maker while they are young, so that they can have an enjoyable youth, as well as a pleasant and pleasurable old age, for that is undoubtedly wisdom at its zenith. Much LOVE!
…vanity of vanities…saith the preacher…all is vanity… (Eccl.12:8)
P.S. Please excuse the lateness of the Bit, but the ole fella never got to be till after 3 this morning, and since he’s reached the stage that Cousin Sol talks about, he wasn’t able to get up too early. (smile) Yes Friends, these things do happen in old age. Much LOVE!
18 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a comprehensive guide, Be exalted, blessed, bounden duty, circumcised, circumcision, delight, encouraging, estranged from Christ, faith, fallen from grace, favour, for by grace you have been saved, free from sin, gift of grace, glory, glory hallelujah, God will never leave nor forsake us, God's love is everlasting, God's planet earth, godly life, grace, greatest gift ever bestowed on man, grow in grace, hope, it is the gift of God, justification, justified by the law, living by faith, LOVE, my past is forgiven, not of yourselves, One Year Book of Bible promises, patience, peaks of delight, perseverance, Rare Moments of Delight, righteousness., Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, saved through faith, Scrip-Bit land, showing respect to our Creator, sojourn on earth, thanks and praise, the BIBLE, the ecstasy of feeling, the Holy Spirit, the sure knowledge of God, this is the day the Lord has made, truth, uncircumcised, under the protective umrbrella of Christ, uplifting, we shall win, we will rejoice and be glad in it, wisdom, words of thanks, You will guide me
Ephesians 2:8. For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Well hello there all you beautiful people out there in Scrip-Bit Land! Welcome to a terrific Thursday morning on God’s planet Earth! The sun’s shining, the birds are singing and all nature is showing respect to our Creator. So, as God’s most important creation, it is only meet and right that we too should offer a few words of thanks.
Please say with me: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’ Yes Friends, we don’t know how long our sojourn will be on this earth, so it is in our best interest to enjoy it as much as possible, and that can only be done successfully if we’re walking under the protective umbrella of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.
And all God’s children said ‘Glory Hallelujah! All thanks and praise be to our wonderful God!’
Now hear these words from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. This one’s titled ‘Rare Moments of Delight.’ ‘
Because You are God and Your Word is unquestionable There are things I assuredly know Even when my heart is a brambled desert And every ounce of emotion is drained: I know Your LOVE is everlasting I know You will never forsake me Nor will you leave me comfortless I know I may come to you boldly I know you will teach and instruct me
You will guide me with Your eye I know my past is forgiven And my future is secure. But oh, dear God How I praise You for the marvel Of those rare, mysterious moments When suddenly, without a flash or a sound You add to my knowing The ecstasy of feeling And I am lifted to peaks of delight!’
Oh my people, aren’t those beautiful sentiments? They surely are! For when you have your sure knowledge of God enlightened even more by ‘the ecstasy of feeling,’ then you have the ultimate experience of godly life! And that can only work to our benefit.
And the Bible verse associated with that poem are words of Bruh David from Psalm 108 – Israel looks to God for help. ’Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens. May your glory shine over all the earth.’ (Ps.108:5)
And that my Friends, is something we need to work very diligently at having come to pass. For it’s not going to happen on its own, especially in such a godless world as we currently have.
We believers have to make up our minds and then get out there and with patience and perseverance, make sure that our great and wonderful God is exalted over all the earth. That is our bounden duty, so please let’s not abdicate it.
Now let’s turn to our ever uplifting and encouraging Bit of so many previous days. ‘For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:’
Oh my people, what words of heartwarming and absolute truth! I refuse to even think of what our lives would have been like without that awesome and free gift of grace from our ever-LOVING God! It would not only have been hell on earth, but also hell in hell too! (smile)
And all God’s people cried out with true and heart-felt gratitude: ‘Oh thank You heavenly Father for Your awesome gift of grace that set me free from sin and the damnation of hell, through the sacrificial shedding of the precious blood of your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary!’
Yes my brethren, that is the greatest gift that mankind has ever received! But unfortunately most of mankind has chosen to reject it. What stupidity! Now the unenviable task of making them see sense and reason has been giving to us the comparative handful of believers.
But you know what my people? We shall persevere, and with the Lord’s help, we shall WIN in the end! Please have no doubts about that. For the Lord won’t give us a task to perform that He knows we are unable to complete.
Now let’s look at some scripture passages in this the last message on this Bit about God’s awesome grace. And I hear a lot of ‘Thank the Lord!’ emanating from the supposed true believers. (smile) But seriously Friends, if we truly desire to learn God’s Word, we just can’t expect to deal with a different subject every day.
The Bible is a comprehensive guide to earthly living and to know and follow it, one has to delve deep, get deeply involved in it, not just simply a page, or a topic a day, but oftimes repeating the same page and topic for several days, until we fully understand it.
Now listen to Bruh Paul as he talks to the Galatians about living by faith. ‘Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do (obligated to keep) the whole law.
Christ is become of no effect unto you (You have become estranged from Christ), whosoever of you are justified (attempt to be justified) by the law; ye are fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit (eagerly) wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by LOVE.’ (Gal.5:2-6)
And the scholars offer us these explanations on those verses. ‘5:2. If ye be circumcised: Circumcision was the external ritual symbolizing acceptance of the law (v.3). In such a case, one depended on legal works rather than on God’s grace as the means of salvation. Christ, then, shall profit you nothing.’
‘5:4. This verse could be translated: “You will be severed from Christ, if you try to be justified by law; you will forfeit the favour in God’s eyes which Christ won for you.” This does not teach the loss of salvation which one earlier possessed. Rather it means that if the readers truly renounces grace through faith alone as the way of salvation, if they depend on legalism to secure divine favour, then they show that they never really knew God’s grace in the first place.’
‘5:5. Through the Spirit means that by the Holy Spirit’s help, which is obtained by faith, believers wait for the hope of righteousness, that is, live the Christian life awaiting the consummation of their salvation.’
‘5:6. For justifies the importance given faith in verse 5. In Christianity one does not profit spiritually either by being circumcised or uncircumcised. Faith which worketh by LOVE means “faith that is produced by LOVE.” Faith is man’s response to God who LOVES him, and this divine LOVE that produces human faith results in his justification.’
Oh Friends, I do hope that these explanations help us understand God’s Word more fully, for that’s my intention of including them in the Bit. But you have to take them seriously and let them seep into, then steep in your souls, so that you can get the maximum benefit from them.
Now let’s end this series of messages on grace, with a final word from the Rock, Peter. ‘But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.’ (2 Pet.3:18)
Oh my people, I could not have put it any better! So please let’s go out and do what Peter advises nuh, for that’s indeed heavenly wisdom! Much LOVE!
…oh what joy it is…to be blessed with the grace of God…there’s absolutely nothing in this world to compare…
P.S. Yes Friends, it’s long and late, but it is ever so uplifting and encouraging that you can’t help but longingly delve into it. (smile) Much LOVE!
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