13 Dec 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: awesome majesty, bear burdens, Bruh David, called to courage, change, Christmas Season, contemplation, covenant, cry in distress, deliver us from sin, descendants, do not be afraid, eternal death, eternal life, Ethan the Ezrahite, ever-faithful God, everlasting faithfulness, faithful, faithful promise, faithfulness, fear, fellowship, Firday 13th, for ever, forgiveness, foundation of the earth, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generations, generous help, God's sure promises, gospel truth, grace, greatest gifts to man, grow old, heaven, Jesus Christ, jesus name, joyfully shouting, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, loving, loving kindness, magnanimous god, make known, merciful, no labour, omnipotent, perseverance, pilgrims, proudly, ravages, refreshed in soul, relaxation, renewed, respect, rest, right track, salvation, seed, smoke, sojourn, stand strong, steadfast faith, superstition, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the Lord's mercies, time to sing, true, true believer, ungodly earth, vanish away, veneration, weekend, wisdom, work of thy hands
Psalm 89:1. I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.
Oh Friends, it’s Friday…Friday the 13th! Now does that raise fears in your spirit, re it being an unlucky day? I surely hope not, because there’s absolutely nothing to fear from a Friday that falls on the 13th day of the month.
It’s just a bunch of superstitions dating back to who knows when and where! They can’t even decide where it originally came from. So we’ll repeat, there’s nothing to be afraid of on this Friday 13th December 2013, or any other Friday 13th at all!
And that’s especially so if you’re a true believer in Jesus Christ, our wonderful Lord and Saviour. He’s faithfully promised to save us from any evil, so there’s nothing to be afraid of. And just in case you’re one of those who have difficulty handling a Friday 13th, then you’re probably suffering from ‘Paraskevidekatriaphobics.’
Yes Friends, it’s a big word for a fear that ought not to exist! So please keep joyfully shouting ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ because whether it’s called black, or misfortune, or unlucky Friday, it’s still the day before the weekend, and there’s no labour for two, whole, big, long days! (smile)
And to keep us on the right track, let’s chant our Friday Chant with much affirmation nuh. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Now that’s the right way to view the weekend my people! And in conjunction with our Bit, we shall certainly stand strong this weekend.
Our Bit comes from Psalm 89, which deals with God’s sure promises to Bruh David. It’s a contemplation written by Ethan the Ezrahite, a man of much wisdom, (1 Kin.4:31) and also one of the singers in Bruh David’s band. (1 Chr.15:19)
So he was well qualified to declare in the opening verse: ‘I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.’
And this Christmas season my brethren, is certainly a time to sing of and make known to all and sundry, the great mercies and the everlasting faithfulness of our omnipotent and magnanimous God!
Look, He promised to deliver us from sin and its ravages, death eternal, and in response sent His only Son, Jesus Christ to do it, thus giving us the two greatest gifts ever known to man; salvation and eternal life! Wow! Now how can we not jump and shout for joy at those two life saving and life giving situations eh?
And as the psalmist continues: ‘For I have said, Mercy (LOVING-kindness) shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens. I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah.’ (Ps.89:2-4)
And all of that is gospel truth my Friends! And if you don’t believe me, then listen to these scriptures which declare and establish that LOVING-kindness and faithfulness of our eternal God.
Psalm 102, a cry in distress, puts it thus: ‘Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure (continue): yea, all of them shall wax (grow) old like a garment; as a vesture (cloak) shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:
But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end. The children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed (descendants) shall be established before thee.’ (Ps.102:25-28)
Who says our God isn’t merciful, LOVING, faithful, omnipotent and true eh! He certainly is my people, as all of us can attest to in so many aspects of our lives!
And we’ll end today with this outstanding verse from Isaiah, where the faithful are called to courage. ‘Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax (grow) old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished (broken).’ (Is.51:6)
Oh my people, please hang on tightly to those words of our ever-faithful God, because it’s in His words, His promises, that we find courage, perseverance and steadfast faith to bear our burdens as pilgrims on this evil, ungodly earth!
And we’ll have more corroborative scripture on this topic tomorrow to boost our spirits, provided the Lord’s in favour, of course.
But till then my Friends and fellow believers, please, please, let’s stand steadfast and strong, and sing staunchly and proudly of our God; of His mercies, His LOVING-kindness, His forgiveness, His grace and all the other wonderful stuff that He’s so faithfully and LOVINGLY provided to help us on our short sojourn here on earth. Much LOVE!
…when God’s people stand strong…in faith…LOVE…and mercy…the whole world takes notice…and stands up in respect, in veneration…of His awesome majesty…
10 Dec 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: ability to choose, ability to think, advice, affectionate, anger, avenge not, believers, bless, brotherly LOVE, Bruh Paul, bundle of good, Christ's Church, Christian nation, complain, conceit, condescend, curse not, diligence, dissensions, disturbed sleep, dividing, divisions, drifitng apart, enemy, estimation, evil, evil for evil, eye teeth, feed, feel rotten, fervent, followers of Jesus christ, functions, give drink, glorify God, grow, growth, harmony, heap coals of fire, honesty, hospitality, human animal, humble, hypocrisy, in christ, in the end, Jesus Christ, live peaceably, longevity, LOVE, Love God, LOVE your neighbour, low estate, meaningful, members, message, miserable, needs, negative stuff, not always easy, One Body, option, overcome evil with good, overcome of eveil, patient, peace, perplexed, persecute, petty jealousies, petty woes, please Jesus, politice, prayer, preference, preseverance, prized creation, problems, rampant, rebels, recompense, reconciled, rejoicing in hope, repay, resentment, right decision, Romans 12, rumours of war, sacrifice, sad, saints, selfish, serving the Lord, sinless life, slothful, steadfast, talk a good talk, thirst, tired, tribulation, truth, ungodly world, unity of brethren, values of God, values of the world, vengeance hunger, walk, walk in sync, wars, weep, wisdom, work together, works out for good, wrath
Romans 12:4-5. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office (function): So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one (individually) members one of another.
Oh Friends, have you ever experienced the unparalleled joy of going to bed feeling fairly okay, but waking up a few hours later feeling terrible? Well I experienced that joy this morning.
Chuh! I went to bed at a decent hour, feeling good enough, but lo and behold when I got up… brother did I ever feel rotten, tired and miserable! I could barely get myself together. I don’t know if it’s because the phone rang during the night and disturbed my sleep, but I sure had a hard time coming around.
Enough of my petty woes though, a lot of people would give their eye-teeth (smile) to have my problems, compared to their own. And I truly don’t have that much to complain about, for the Lord’s been looking after me fairly well.
Now that doesn’t mean it’s always easy, but it always works out for good in the end. And that is basically the message Bruh Paul is trying to convey to us in our Bit, which continues from yesterday.
‘For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office (function): So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one (individually) members one of another.’
Oh my brethren, as members of Christ’s church, though we have different gifts and different functions we desperately need to work together for it to be successful! That’s the ONLY way the church will ever grow and become meaningful in this evil and ungodly world!
Look at it nuh Friends, everything else that the Lord made without brains function perfectly in His universe. However, the human animal, His most prized creation, the one thing that He made with the ability to think, constantly rebels against Him.
We cannot seem to work together in peace, LOVE and harmony, as He desires. Even those of us who proclaim to be followers of Jesus Christ, who profess to keep the two great commandments – LOVE God, and LOVE your neighbour as yourself – we’re way too often hypocritical on the matter.
And sadly, that hypocrisy seems to be rampant in Christ’s church, where it has absolutely no place. Why is that eh? Possibly because we’re still too selfish, still holding on to the foolish values of the world as our templates for life, instead of the values of God.
Now let’s continue from where we left off yesterday, with Bruh Paul’s advice to the Romans about what should be happening in their church.
‘Be kindly affectioned (affectionate) one to another with brotherly LOVE; in honour preferring (giving preference to) one another; Not slothful (lagging in diligence) in business; fervent (boiling over) in spirit; serving the Lord;
Rejoicing in hope; patient (persevering) in tribulation; continuing instant (steadfastly) in prayer; Distributing to the necessity (needs) of saints (believers); given to hospitality. Bless them which persecute you: bless (speak well of), and curse not.
Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not (don’t sent your minds on) high things; but condescend to men of low estate (associate with the humble). Be not wise in your own conceits (estimation).
Recompense to (repay) no man evil for evil. Provide things honest (have regard for good things) in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in (depends on) you, live peaceably with all men.
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink; for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.’ (Rom.12:10-20)
Oh my people, how much of all that can we say is truly happening in our world eh? Not a whole lot, otherwise there would not be as many wars and rumours of war.
And what about Christ’s church eh? How much of that wise advice are we showing in the church of today?
Unfortunately not a whole lot either, because if we were doing a good job the anger, resentment, petty jealousies, politics and all the other negative stuff would not be as rampant as they are, and the divisions and dissensions would thus be much less amongst our Christian nation.
But sadly, everyday we hear about more negative stuff happening in the church, and instead of coming together as we ought to, we’re dividing and drifting further and further apart.
As I said yesterday, Jesus must be sad and perplexed about how to solve our problems. But my people, He did the best He could; He did His part by sacrificing His sinless life so that we could be reconciled to the Father. Now we’re foolishly behaving as though we never needed that option, and it’s not important.
Jesus can’t come and hold everybody’s hands yuh know. It’s now up to us to make the right decision. That’s why our Creator gave us a mind and the ability to choose.
Oh my fellow believers, we talk a very good talk, but our walk surely doesn’t reflect that talk. That’s our major problem. And until we get both our talk and walk in sync, make them jive, Christ’s church will never come together as it should.
Now we’ll end our discourse today, the same way Bruh Paul ends Romans 12, with some of the best advice we can ever receive. ‘Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.’ (Rom.12:21)
Now that my brethren is all the different kinds of wisdom and truth wrapped up in one small, but very powerful package! Let’s endeavour to truly heed it nuh, to sincerely adopt it in our lives, for it will do us a bundle of good.
And even more importantly, it will please Jesus and glorify our heavenly Father, the main purpose for which we were originally created. Much LOVE!
…the unity of the brethren…is essential…of the utmost importance… for the longevity and growth of Christ’s church…
P.S. In yesterday’s Bit I left an empty bracketed space between ‘volitional caring’ in the scholars’ note, because I wanted to find a simpler synonym for it, but with all the technical problems I forgot to fill it.
It basically means ‘will or desire,’ a caring that we raise up from deep within our very souls for others. And that’s something we very much need to do these days my people. Much LOVE!
09 Dec 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: #One, abhor, advice, almighty god, aura of love, battles, Bruh Paul, caring, cheerfulness, Christ's Church, Christian's conduct, cleave, cling to, cockles, communion, confidence, conquerors, Creator of the universe, denominations, detest, diligence, dissimulation, divide and conquer, divisions, duties, enthusiasm, evil, evil doers, exhortation, exuberant, faith, fighting against each other, functions, further your glorious kingdom, genuine, gifts, giving, good, grace, guilty, harmonious choir, heavenly Father, holy spirit, humble servants, hypocrisy, infeigned, inroads, invincible, Jesus Christ, jesus name, jobs, joy of the lord, keeping families together, lead and guide, liberally, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, members, mercy, ministry, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, ONE body in Christ, Oneness, overcome, problems, prophecy, prosperity mode, razor-like sharpness, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, reverence, righteous fruit, rule, salutations, simplicity, soar to great heights, Son and Father, spirits, spiritual lives, stand up strong, steadfast faith, teaching, umbrella, under the weather, ungodly world, useful purpose, vanquish, warrior mentality, wisdom, working together, worldly circumstances
Romans 12:4-5. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office (function): So we being many, are one body in Christ, and every one (individually) members one of another.
Aye mih people! How you all doing this bright and picturesque Monday morning eh? Oh, I know that many of us are under the weather, probably undergoing serious problems, be they physical, material, financial or emotional. But I sincerely hope that at least our spiritual lives are in prosperity mode this morning, which will allow us to at least stand up strong to, if not overcome, whatever problems are coming against us.
For remember that the joy of the Lord is indeed our strength, (Neh.8:10) and it’s only when our spirits are in good communion with our heavenly Father that we are able to bear up under unfortunate worldly circumstances and eventually vanquish them. Wow! What a mouthful! (smile)
And Monday is the day that we most desperately need perfect communication with Almighty God, that we can be lifted up, enabled to go back out and labour after overdoing it on the weekend. Chuh! Be quiet nuh Lucifer! God’s people aren’t overdoing it… stop trying to make them feel guilty! Hn! Hn!
Anyway Friends, just in case, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with proper reverence and sincere salutations, so that our spirits can be lifted, our joy in our great and wonderful God restored, and our warrior mentality honed to razor-like sharpness for the upcoming battles of this new work week.
Now, as one big, exuberant and harmonious 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 mih people, yuh know that our singing is getting better and better each week! And it not only warms the cockles of my heart, but also those of the heavenly host. Mama Mia! They’re delighted, in fact overjoyed to see that their earthly family is finally coming together in the ONENESS that the Son and the Father so avidly desire.
And logically speaking Friends, the only way we can ever improve in any area of life is by working together. And please remember that Jesus died that we could all be gathered together as ONE; ONE BODY, ONE CHURCH, ONE SAVIOUR, ONE SPIRIT, and ONE GOD!
As Bruh Paul so eloquently puts it in his letter to the church at Rome, featured in our Bit: ‘For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office (function): So we being many, are one body in Christ, and every one (individually) members one of another.’
Yes my fellow believers, though we are individuals with differing functions, yet we are all expected to operate as one overwhelming body under the harmonious umbrella that’s Christ’s church.
Then Bruh Paul further explains: ‘Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity (liberality); he that ruleth with diligence; he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness.’ (Rom.12:6-8)
Hn! So my brethren, though we all have different gifts and different duties to perform as a part of Christ’s church here on earth, we’re supposed to perform, to operate like the smooth, well-oiled, awesomely engineered, finely synchronized apparatus that’s the human body!
But unfortunately that’s the furthest thing from the truth these days, for instead we’re all fighting against each other with all the denominations and divisions within those denominations. I’m sure that Jesus sometimes sits down, shakes His head and sadly sighs: ‘What else do I have to do to make them work together eh?’
And that’s the gazillion dollar question Friends! For until we stop working against each other and begin working more closely together, the way Jesus envisions it, His church will never soar to great heights that He desires, and sadly Lucifer will continue to have a field day at His expense. And I’m sure that’s not what we truly want to see happen.
Now listen to this telling verse from Bruh Paul in the same sequence as above. ‘Let LOVE be without dissimulation (hypocrisy). Abhor that which is evil; cleave (cling) to that which is good.’ (Rom.12:9)
What wonderful advice my brethren!
And the scholars have an interesting note on that verse. ’12:9. Without dissimulation (lit. “without hypocrisy”). The Christian’s conduct in the local church toward fellow believers is to be a volitional (desire, will) caring for others, LOVING faithfully in spite of the responses received. THE LOVE IS TO BE GENUINE AND UNFEIGNED.’
The bold capitals are my doing, because I consider that statement to be rather important, and right now we’re nowhere close to achieving that desired result. So my people, if we truly want to please Jesus and grow His church substantially, we have to start working seriously together, embrace and uplift the LOVE REVOLUTION, and stop allowing the evil doers to divide and conquer us.
That, my fellow believers, is both earthly and heavenly wisdom! Much LOVE!
…only by working together as one…can we truly bear righteous fruit…in Jesus’ Name…
P.S. Oh Friends, please excuse the lateness of the Bit, but I had some technical problems. Much LOVE!
08 Dec 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abominable things, accomplishment, advice, anxious, appreciate, appreciation, awesome words of truth, beginning of time, belief, believers, bestowed on man, body, born to bear, buying gifts, cast thy burden, child of God, children, children of God, christ jesus, clothes, created in God's likeness, daily guidance, depended, depths of our being, desire, dire straits, discerning, distinction, don't worry about your life, drink, due time, eat, elevated status, essentials of Christianity, eternity, evil tentacles, exalt, fact, faith, fellowship, focused, food, gift of Love, God's will, great benefit, great promise, guard your hearts, hearsay, heartfelt, heavenly Father, heirs of God, hope, humble yourselves, ignore, important message, incarnate birth, Jesus Christ, life, little children, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, Lucifer, Maker, material things, material wants, meat, minds, moderation, Most High God Jehovah, moved, pay for sins, peace of god, personal experience, point of view, prayer, prince of peace, privilege, problem, prosper, Psalm 55, raiment, refuse to believe, rejoicing, request, responsibility, season for celebrating, seek God's kingdom, selflessly, shaken, shopping, son of god, special creation, spiritual agenda, spiritual needs, spiritual things, straight and narrow, supplication, supply, surrender, sustain, sustenance, talk to our hearts, talking to God, thanking God, thanskgiving, the Father's will, the greatest gift, the mighty hand of God, the righteous, the ways of the world, the world expects, things of God, token, totally dependent, trust, wear, wisdom, words of advice
Matthew 6:25. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for (do not worry about) your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat (food), and the body more than raiment (clothes)?
Well hello again, you beautiful children of God! What an enormous and exciting privilege to be called a child of God, eh mih people! But do most of us think of our selves in those terms, and if we do, do we truly appreciate that monumental fact?
I’m afraid that the answer to both questions is most likely NO! We neither seriously consider ourselves children of God, nor do we truly appreciate it, otherwise we wouldn’t continue doing some of the abominable things we do. But once we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, then we do become heirs of God, along with Jesus, and what better state can there be to live in eh, my fellow believers? NONE WHATSOEVER!
For being a child of the Most High God Jehovah means we’re right at the top of the totem pole, right at the heart of the matter, more privileged than those who refuse to believe. But by the same token my brethren, that elevated status also comes with great responsibility; namely to do the Father’s will and show plenty appreciation for such an undeserved distinction.
And this is the season for celebrating the greatest gift that was ever bestowed on mankind; the incarnate birth of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Prince of Peace, etc. etc, born to bear and pay for our sins, from the very beginning of time, right through eternity.
Again, do we really show our heartfelt appreciation? And I’m not talking about running around shopping, buying gifts, food and all the other stuff the world expects of us. But whether we thank our heavenly Father, from the very depths of our being, for that great gift of LOVE He so selflessly bestowed on us, simply because He LOVED us and didn’t want to see us end up in the evil tentacles of Lucifer for all eternity, especially since we are His own special creation, created in His likeness.
And that means talking to, and thanking Him personally, as well as in fellowship with other believers. And then doing what Jesus advises in our Bit, which I believe is on its last day, won’t guarantee it though. (smile)
‘Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for (do not worry about) your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat (food), and the body more than raiment (clothes)?
Oh my brethren, when we truly come to God, we need to be like little children, who are totally dependent on their parents, looking to Him for daily guidance and sustenance.
As Jesus says, seeking His kingdom FIRST, getting a spiritual agenda going, before considering the material things, because that’s the Father’s will. And why wouldn’t we, when Jesus so avidly declares that if we seek and follow the spiritual needs, then the Father will supply our material wants? That sounds absolutely great to me!
But unfortunately too many of God’s supposed children don’t seem to think so and instead foolishly follow the ways of the world, putting the material things way before the spiritual, sometimes even going so far as to completely ignore the things of God. And then we wonder why personally, and as a society, we’re in such dire straits.
Today Friends, we’re going to check out some scripture where other discerning and properly focused children of God share the great promise that Jesus makes in our Bit.
And we’ll begin with some wonderful words of advice from Bruh David, from Psalm 55, where he cries out against deceitful friends. ‘Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer (permit) the righteous to be moved (shaken).’ (Ps.55:22)
And those are awesome words of truth my people, as so many of us who have followed them, have found out to our great benefit. The problem though is that not enough of us do it.
Then turning to Bruh Paul, who has a point of view on almost every subject. (smile) Here, he’s telling the Philippians about rejoicing in the Lord. ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known to all men. The Lord is at hand (is near spiritually, and will be back to judge).
Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil.4:4-7)
Yeh Friends, everything we do, ought to be passed FIRST before our great God! In that way, we’ll always be operating in His will, which is His greatest desire, and can be our greatest accomplishment.
And we’ll close with some more wise words, this time from Peter, words that we all know but don’t sufficiently follow. In the closing chapter of his first epistle, Peter exhorts us to: ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.’ (1 Pet.5:6-7)
Oh Friends, no simpler words exist to convey that rather important message, so if we don’t get it, then it’s definitely our fault. And please note that all the advice we’ve heard from those men of God wasn’t hearsay, but derived from actual personal experience. All of them depended on our heavenly Father for their sustenance, so if they could do it and prosper, then why can’t we eh?
I’ll leave us to answer that question individually before our Maker, and trust that we’ll all let Him talk to our hearts, and thus lead us on the straight and narrow path which takes us directly to His door.
Oh mih Friends, that’s wisdom at its highest! So let’s try and do it nuh. Much LOVE!
…belief…surrender…trust…hope…faith…the 5 essentials of Christianity…
07 Dec 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: absentee father, absolute truth, acquire, anxiety, apartheid, apartheid South Africa, better future, challenges, characteristic priority, clothes, constant seeking, continual, Cousin Sol, Creator, daily needs, disciples, divine advice, divine help, don't worry, drink, eat, evil, father of freedom, fear, flowers, food, friends, gospel truth, guides, heavenly Father, history books of life, hope, hypothethical problems, idols, impatience, incarceration, Jesus Christ, kingdom, lack of faith, Leaders, life, little faith, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, magnanimous god, masthead, material things, meat, mortal fathers, mourn, need, Nelson Mandela, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, phoenix, pledged allegiance, ponder, poverty, pratfalls, problems, provides, racial injustice, racist, raiment, righteousness., safe, secure, seek, Sermon on the Mount, serve, set on high, snare, Son of Africa, South Africa, spiritual, statesman, straightforward talking, stress, struggle, Sunday best, the kingdom of God, things, things of the world, tomorrow, trap, trouble, troubles, true followers, trust, unsupportive, wear, wisdom, worship
Matthew 6:25. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for (do not worry about) your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink: nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat (food), and the body more than raiment (clothes)?
Oh Friends, at last Nelson Mandela, ‘the Son of Africa, father of freedom’ as the newspaper termed him, has gone home to be with his Maker. His early days on earth were filled with poverty and struggle in a racist, apartheid South Africa, then his middle years with lonely incarceration on a barren island, from which though he arose like the proverbial phoenix from the ashes to lead his nation to democracy.
And although his last days on earth were filled with sickness and family dissension, he will always be remembered as a giant of a man in personality and decency, whom the whole world gathered around to fight poverty and racial injustice.
Oh my people, if our troubled world only had a few more decent, upstanding leaders like him, then it would be a much better place to dwell. And though his country, South Africa is still riddled with problems, his name will always stand at its masthead as being the one who finally set it on the right path.
Nelson Mandela, you will always be remembered as a statesman extraordinaire. We mourn your passing, but it was time for you to rest from the problems of this world, to finally go home.
We LOVE you, and will always think fondly of you, as we write your name indelibly in the history books of life. And that’s as it should be Friends, because he gave people hope for a better future. Wish the same could be said of the leaders who remain.
Now let’s turn to our Bit. ‘Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for (do not worry about) your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink: nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat (food) and the body more than raiment (clothes)?’
Gospel truth my brethren! As Jesus proved to us yesterday, showing how nature is taken care of by our wonderful Creator, with the flowers of the fields even better dressed than Cousin Sol in his Sunday best. And since we’re much more important than they are, why wouldn’t He look after us in an even better manner eh?
Jesus then ended by pointing out that our problem stemmed from a lack of, or only a small amount of faith in our heavenly Father. (Matt.6;26-30) And we know if Jesus said that, then it must be true.
Today we’ll continue with Jesus’ discourse on the subject, where He sincerely advises us: ‘Therefore take no thought (do not worry), saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.’ (Matt.6:31-32)
And Friends, if the God that we serve and worship is truly our Creator, then we shouldn’t need Jesus to tell us that. We claim that He’s omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, can do anything at all, and above all else, WE ARE His children. So what are we saying then when we don’t depend on Him, that He’s an absentee, unsupportive father, like so many of us mortal fathers?
It would seem so, by the way we try in our own strength, and that of our fellow man, to get the material things of life, idolizing them so much that we often suffer from debilitating stress and abnormal anxiety in our rush, our impatience, to acquire them. And though we know the pratfalls of running down material things, yet we still do it. That’s certainly not wisdom my people.
Now let’s hear the wise way as declared by Jesus. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33)
Wow Friends! That’s more plain, simple and straightforward talking by our Lord and Saviour! Again, to be considered His true followers, we need to live by His dictates, which unfortunately too many of us aren’t doing, and thus we are experiencing all kinds of problems in our lives.
And now that we know why we’re experiencing so many problems, (smile) let’s smarten up and take His divine advice nuh. ‘Take therefore no thought for the morrow (therefore do not worry about tomorrow): for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.’ (Matt.6:34)
More words of absolute truth from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! When are going to listen to Him eh, to take Him seriously? When it’s too late? Oh my fellow believers, please let’s stop running down the material things of the world, especially if we can’t truly afford them and have to almost literally kill ourselves to get them!
Now let’s end with some thoughts form the scholars on those last two verses, perhaps something they say will get through to us. (smile) ‘6:33-34. This portion of the Sermon on the Mount is summarized by the statement seek ye first the kingdom of God. The disciples who have pledged their allegiance to the King must continue seeking the kingdom and its righteousness.
The present imperative form of the verb (Gr. zeteo) indicates a continual or constant seeking. The contrast between the spiritual and the material is again emphasized. The believer is to seek first the righteousness that is characteristic of God’s kingdom and then all these things (material things) shall be added to him. When our priority is spiritual, God will take care of the material, for where God guides, He provides.
We need not worry about tomorrow, for sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof (v.34). This means that each day has its own troubles and challenges to be responsibly handled, without worrying about the hypothetical problems that could arise tomorrow.‘
So my people, having heard all the reasons for not worrying and truly depending on our magnanimous God to take care of our daily needs, let’s get serious and cut back on the worrying and running down the things of the world, for we can only use so much stuff at any one time, and even more exasperating is that we can’t take any of it with us.
Please, let’s ponder those words today, and ask God for His divine help. You know He will never say us nay. Much LOVE!
…the fear of man bringeth a snare (trap)…but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe …secure…set on high… (Prov.29:25)
06 Dec 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: age, anxiety, appreciation of gifts, appreciative, appropriate time, arrayed, be content, benefits, birth of Jesus Christ, body, Christmas Season, clothes, clothing, consciously cultivate, Creator, cubit, daily fight, dependent, discourse, don't worry, drink, economic situation, egging on, evil, evil powers, faith, feeds, fellowship, food, fowls of the air, Friday chant, fun, further your glorious kingdom, gather in barns, generous help, gifts, grass, greed, heaven, heavenly Father, height, in a tizzy, inferior things of the world, jealously guard, jesus name, Jesus' warning, key point, learn to be contented, life, lilies of the field, little faith, look askance at, lustful world, materialism, meat, money, more important, more more more, nature, need, partying, peace, plain and simple language, power, Praise the Lord, provision of god, raiment, reap, relaxation, rest, right direction, shopping, slave labour, Solomon, sow, span of life, spin, stature, strife, superior things of God, sustainer, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the reason for Christmas, the straight and narrow, toil, total confidence, true confidence, true contentment, truth, want, wanting more, wars, wealth, week of work, wisdom, worldly celebrations
Matthew 6:25. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for (do not worry about) your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat (food), and the body than raiment (clothing)?
Oh Friends, it’s Friday… a normal Friday, one without some foolish nickname that invites us to become a part of the evil, lustful world. Praise the Lord! Instead it’s a normal Friday, where I can’t hear my ears, (smile) for your joyous shouting of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and this week of slave labour soon over!’
But mih people, though it’s a regular Friday, it still falls within the Christmas Season, which means more shopping and partying and things that Jesus might look askance at. So to try and keep us on the straight and narrow, let’s chant our Friday Chant with total concentration and sincere feeling.
As one voice now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Now that should guide us in the right direction. And on top of that, I guess the Lord chose this Bit for this most appropriate time, when we’re all in a tizzy about food, money and gifts to celebrate Christmas. But please remember my fellow believers that the worldly celebrations are not the reason for Christmas, but the incredible, God-LOVING, incarnate birth of Jesus Christ!
So even if we don’t have all the stuff we want, we have to learn to be contented with whatever we have. As Bruh Paul so rightly says to the Philippians, in appreciation of their gifts: ‘Not that I speak in respect of want (in regard of need): for I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.’ (Phil.4:11)
And that is something we have to consciously cultivate my brethren, for it doesn’t come automatically. And we need it even more nowadays in the face of the world continuously egging us on to want more, more, more…
That’s why Jesus warned us in our Bit: ‘Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for (do not worry about) your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat (food), and the body than raiment (clothing)?’
But I know it’s a daily fight my Friends to live up to Jesus’ warning, especially with all the wars and strife in our world and the economic situation getting worse for the majority of the population. The greedy, evil powers that be, are trying to get us caught up in the world system of materialism and want.
But my people we have to staunchly and jealously guard our hearts, minds and souls against that. For once we get caught up in that evil mess, we’ll never know peace again, because we’ll never be contented, even with great wealth and power, but we’ll keep on wanting more and more, just as the rich, evil and greedy are now doing.
Now let’s listen to Jesus, as He continues His discourse on the topic. ‘Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought (worrying) can add one cubit unto his stature (height)?
And why take ye thought (do you worry) for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed (clothed) like one of these. Wherefore if God so clothe (clothes) the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?’ (Matt.6:26-30)
Oh mih breddren, more plain and simple language from our Lord and Saviour! What does it take to convince us eh? The birds don’t sow and reap and store away, neither do the flowers in the fields, but even Cousin Sol in his Sunday best couldn’t outshine them.
And since we’re a thousand, thousand times more important than them, we ought to show that importance by being appreciative and thoroughly dependent on our God and His gracious, abundant will for our lives. For remember that our Lord only has good thoughts towards us, and a brilliant future in store for those who submit to His will. (Jer.29:11)
Now here are some interesting comments from the scholars’: ‘6:26-32. Jesus illustrates His point by referring to objects in nature that were immediately at hand, the birds of the air and the flowers of the field. The key point of this passage is found in the phrases Are ye not much better than they? (v.26) and shall he not much more clothe you? (v.30).
The Bible clearly teaches that God is the Creator and sustainer of nature. Worry and anxiety are related to the length of one’s life in the phrase add one cubit unto his stature. A cubit is a measurement of 18 inches. However, this reference is probably not to one’s actual height but to length of his life.
The term stature (Gr. helikia) may mean “age.” Thus the idea seems to be that a man cannot add the smallest measure to the span of his life by worrying. This state of anxiety is related to having little faith (v.30) Faith is total confidence in the provision of God.’
And that my fellow believers is the ultimate in truth and wisdom!
So let’s try and attain to it nuh. Let’s stop running after the inferior, soon to be destroyed things of the world nuh, and instead focus on the superior, everlasting things of heaven and of our omnipotent God. For it’s there our greatest benefits lie. Much LOVE!
…true contentment…can only ever come…from true confidence in Jesus Christ…
03 Dec 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 2 Samuel, a believer's life, Absalom, abundance, adversity, Bathsheba, be wise, better example, blessed, Bruh David, chagrin, children of Ammon, Christians, civil war, cleanse, confess, consequences, despised, destroyed, disagreement, disobedience, disrepute, divine truth, dressed down, earthly and heavenly lives, essence of wisdom, ever-Loving, evil, evil leader, faith, faithful, faults, forgive, forgiveness, forgiving, good and proper, gospel truth, gracious, gross misconduct, hand of Saul, harsh judgements, house of Israel and Judah, hypocrites, in the sight of the sun, individual circumstances, integral parts, judgements, justice, light of jesus, Lord god of Israel, LOVE, loving kindness, Lucifer, lusting, merciful, mercy, nansi story, omnipotent god, perfect example, pilgrims, pity, plod on in faith, plotting, preach, promises, prophet Nathan, rebellion, rightousness, scriptural standards, secretly, sinful darkness, sinfulness, sins, strife, the Lord's commandment, the Word of Almighty God, trust, unfathomable, unrighteousness, unwanted, Uriah the Hittite, usually comes to light, what's done in darkness, wisdom, wise living
1 John 1:9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Aye mih bredden, I never expected these wonderful promises of our ever-LOVING, merciful, forgiving, gracious, omnipotent God to take up so many days nuh! And we’re only on the second one, with quite a few more to go through.
But that’s a-okay, because they are all very integral parts of our faith, of both our earthly and heavenly lives. And without them… Hn! I refuse to even think about that option, for in our serious sinfulness, we would have been destroyed long ago.
So please, let’s be wise and plod on in faith and trust as true pilgrims, as those promises teach us about the divine truth and wisdom contained in the Word of Almighty God. And today we’ll see the perfect example of our Bit, lived out in a believer’s life. ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’
Yeh Friends, that perfect example of the real life working of our Bit is to be found in none other than Bruh David. 2 Samuel 11, tells us about his seeing the beautiful Bathsheba, wife of Uriah the Hittite, lusting after her, lying with her, then plotting to have her husband killed in battle.
Most of the populace were none the wiser, but Almighty God saw his abominable sin and sought justice as is His wont. Remember that saying that what is done in darkness, is often brought to light. So in 2 Samuel 12, the Lord sends the prophet Nathan to Bruh David with some nansi story about a rich man having a visitor, and instead of killing one of his many sheep to serve his visitor, took the pet lamb of his neighbour.
Oh Friends, yuh see how our Lord can be even more devious than us when it’s called for. Now when Bruh David hears Nathan’s story, he’s furious at the rich man.
‘And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely (deserves to) die. And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.’ (2 Sam.12:5-6)
But can you imagine Bruh David’s chagrin when Nathan says to him: ‘Thou art that man. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; and I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things (much more).
Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.’ (2 Sam.12:7-9)
Yeh mih people, Nathan dressed down Bruh David real good and proper in the Lord’s name!
And as the scholars’ so rightly note: ’12:5-7. How easy it is to see the sins of others without applying the scriptural standards to ourselves (cf. Matt.7:3-5)! David called for the full weight of the law to be applied (cf. Ex.22:1)’
That last reference deals with the stealing of animals and the repayment. But the scholars’ statement is gospel truth! We’re always quick to pass harsh judgements on others, but never apply the same standards to ourselves, as Jesus points out in the first reference (Matt.7:3-5), quick to take the splinter from someone else’s eye, without removing the big beam from ours.
But sadly, the Lord wasn’t done with Bruh David, for Nathan continued with his rebuke. ‘Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.
Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil (adversity) against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of the sun. For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.’ (2 Sam.12:10-12)
What a fiery dart to Bruh David’s heart mih breddren! And yuh better believe that the Lord was very serious.
For as the scholars’ tell us: ’12:10-11. These judgements came to pass literally in the sins of his own household (ch.13), the rebellion by his own son Absalom (ch.15), and the civil war that followed (chs.16-20). David was never to fully know rest again.’
Oh Friends, you can read those referenced chapters for yourselves and realize the truth of the scholars’ words. But thereafter, because of his gross misconduct, Bruh David was always embroiled in some sort of strife or disagreement, a lot of it within his own family.
It just goes to show my fellow believers that the Lord is very serious about His Word, re promises, and disobedience. Bruh David was king, and should have known better, especially since the Lord had blessed him so much, showered him with such worldly abundance and LOVING-kindness. A better example was expected from him.
Likewise, the Lord expects better examples from us, His adopted children. We can’t afford to preach one thing, then go out and do something entirely different, thus bringing disrepute upon the Lord and His righteousness.
Unfortunately though, we do it all the time, and that is why so many hold Christians up as the biggest hypocrites on the planet. And oftimes they are quite right.
So Friends, to day let’s sit down and consider our individual circumstances and see if there be any serious faults in us nuh. And if there be any, let’s immediately confess them to the Father, and sincerely ask for His mercy and forgiveness, for that is the very essence of wisdom and wise living.
So until we meet again tomorrow, the Lord in favour, let’s try our best to walk in the revealed light of Jesus, and not wallow in the sinful darkness associated with the world and Lucifer, its evil leader. Much LOVE!
…please remember that…disobedience ALWAYS brings…unwanted, unfathomable consequences…
28 Nov 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: almighty god, Babylon, be thankful, biblical instruction, Black Friday, border hassles, Canadian merchants, come together, Cousin Sol, Cyber Monday, days of feasting, don't be sorry, drink the sweet, eat the fat, Egypt, electric toothbrush, empathy, enemies, enjoy the good of his labour, Esther, every good thing, exchange rate, expense, Ezra, fatherless, Feast of Purim, feasts, fellow believers, fighting, first fruits, for the life in me, friends, friends and families, gifts to the poor, give thanks, giving thanks, good things from God, gospel truth, greedy, Haman, heartfelt, inspired words, Israelites, Jesus, joy, Law of Moses, learn to share, leggo-beast, less fortunate, LOVE, Mordecai, Nehemiah, orphans, rejoice, sale mentality, selfish, send portions, sorrow, south of the border, special interest, thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Day, the gift of God, the joy of the Lord is your strength, the Levite, the stranger, to do good, too few have too much, too many have too little, travel time, true followers, widows, wild animal, wisdom, worthwhile
Deuteronomy 26:11. And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite (priest), and the stranger that is among you.
HAPPY U. S. THANKSGIVING DAY!
Well a Happy Thanksgiving Day to all our Friends and families south of the border! Today is the big day in the U.S. Possibly the most celebrated holiday on their calendar, where friends and families come together to give thanks for whatever they have it, be it much or little.
The sad part though is that too many have too little and too few have too much. But whatever we do have Friends, we need to be thankful for it.
As our Bit says, from the instructions of offering of our first fruits to the Lord: ‘And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite (priest), and the stranger that is among you.’ Please note that it includes EVERYBODY; even ‘the stranger that is among you.’
And I just LOVE the scripture from Nehemiah, after Ezra and the priests had read and explained the Law of Moses, which most of the people had never heard before, and they wept after hearing it.
‘Then he (Nehemiah) said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto the Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ (Neh.8:10)
What I LOVE about that scripture are the inspired words; ‘and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared.’ Oh my fellow believers, that is supposed to be a big part of the Thanksgiving Holiday, or for that matter, ALL holidays! We need to learn to share with those who have less than us, because it is a Biblical instruction.
Note this verse, when the Israelites came out of Egypt, and were being told about certain feasts and how to cook the food and where to eat it.
‘And thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the Lord thy God hath chosen to place his name there.’ (Deut.16:11)
EVERYBODY was supposed to be included! But unfortunately as the years rolled along and we became more selfish and greedy people, we have tended to forget about those the Lord takes special interest in; the poor, the widows and the orphans.
The same message is sent in Esther, after the Jews defeated Haman and their enemies in Babylon, and instituted the Feast of Purim. Mordecai instructed them to keep the feast; ‘As the days wherein the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a good day (holiday): that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions (presents) one to another, and gifts to the poor.’ (Esth.9:22)
But sadly, these days the poor are generally forgotten. Thanksgiving has become another big commercial day. It’s all about sales and money. As soon as Thanksgiving dinner is over, we now rush over to the stores to eagerly await Black Friday, when stuff is supposedly marked down tremendously.
Yes Friends, some stuff might be marked down, but others might also be marked up, because the merchants know that once you’re in the store for one cheap item, you’re more than likely to buy much more at higher mark-ups.
And the wild animal, leggo beast behaviour on display at these sales is truly disgusting. Many of us don’t even really need the stuff we line up for and rush and push to buy. But just because it’s on sale, we decide we must have it. That’s the kind of mentality the merchants have developed in us. Ah Lord eh!
And talking about the leggo beast behaviour, one woman claims she saw two other women fighting in a store over one object, while the security people stood around looking at them, no doubt in astonishment. Each woman had a hold on one end of the object, pulling and pushing and tugging and shouting angrily at each other.
And do you know what that must have object was? An electric toothbrush. Steups!
And then after Black Friday comes Cyber Monday, another big sales day. Chuh! It’s all about merchandising these days!
Now even the Canadian merchants are getting involved in the nonsense as a way of stopping Canadians form going south to spend their money. Unfortunately, I don’t know how much good that is going to do nuh, because they say that even with the travel time and expense, the exchange rate and the border hassles, it’s still worthwhile to go south and shop on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Ah Lord eh!
Anyway Friends, enough of my whatever you choose to call it. I just hope that in all our business we remember the true purpose behind the holiday, and do give thanks to Almighty God for all that’s He’s done for us and provided us with.
Let’s also remember to share with the less fortunate, because that’s what Jesus is all about, and if we’re to be His true followers, we need to display the same empathy.
And we’ll end with some wise words from Cousin Sol on the topic. ‘I know that there is no good in them (nothing better for them), but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life. And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.’ (Eccl.3:12-13)
And that my brethren is gospel truth! So please let’s act accordingly and thus give Jesus a good Thanksgiving present. It’s heartfelt wisdom. Much LOVE!
…I’m giving thanks…for all I’ve got…I’m giving thanks…whether or not…I’m giving thanks…for the life in me…I’m giving thanks now… (From the song ‘Giving Thanks’ by Beres Hammond)
27 Nov 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: above average life, allergies, B.S. baffles brains, barrier breaker, better late than never, blessed, Bubba Joel, calamities, Christian, come to pass, commandments, compassion, Creator of the universe, defeated, destiny, Deuteronomy, disasters, disobedience, disobedient, disobey, downtrodden lives, economic distress, enemies, enlarged vision, escape, everlasting promise, evil hold, fabulous blessings, favour, flee seven ways, foolish, forgiveness, fruit of thy cattle, God's goodness, God's purpose, godly people, Good Book, good life, have life more abundantly, holy people, idolatrous, immense proportions, in grip, in the city, in the field, increase, Jewish prosperity, Joel Osteen, know it all, limited mindset, listen diligently, live high on the hog, LOVE, mercy, obey His rules, observe and do, obstinate, offspring, palms of his hands, pay, pick ourselves up, pluck up courage, ponder the situation, poor, positive thinking, poverty, prideful, prosperity thinking, reap what we sow, rebellious, scripture, seeds of greatness, set your hand to, short-change ourselves, sickness, simpler, sold our souls, storehouses, straightforward, strife, sworn, tender mercies, the voice of the Lord thy God, tired, Today is my day, true, true believers, trusting, turned from God, voice of God, walk in his ways, war, wisdom, wise changes, wonderful god, worldly goods, worthless worldly treasures
Deuteronomy 28:1. And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee high above all nations of the earth.
Ah mih people, in this rough and rugged world, when it’s not one thing, it’s certainly another yes. Now yesterday my allergies were bothering me, but I beat them off. Today though, I couldn’t get up. Like the ole body was more tired than I thought.
However, as the old people would say; better late than never. So if the Bit’s a tad late, please bear with the ole fella, let your tender mercies and forgiveness, your Christian compassion come to the fore, as you remember that he’s only human and thus very fallible. (smile) And that’s why they say B.S. baffles brains!
But I have an interesting acclamation to share today. It comes from Bubba Joel (Joel Osteen), so those of you who deal with him might have already seen it, but for the many who don’t, it’s very useful to share.
And Bubba Joel excitingly declares in the title: ‘TODAY IS MY DAY! God has destined me to be a barrier breaker! He created me to be uncontainable. I have talent and potential given to me by the Creator of the universe. There are seeds of greatness inside of me. Today, I choose to break free from a limited mindset and enlarge my vision.
Today, God is taking me places I’ve never even dreamed of before. Today, God is fulfilling His purpose and destiny in my life. Today, I will experience His favour like never before in every area of my life.’
Yes Friends, we all need to enlarge our vision and change our mindset to one that expects God’s favour, His goodness and mercy, every day of our lives, otherwise we’re more than likely to short-change ourselves.
Oh I know that lots of people cry down what’s generally called prosperity and positive thinking, but why not embrace it instead eh? Jesus said that He came to earth so that we could have life, and have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)
So what does that mean eh? It surely doesn’t mean we should live poor, downtrodden lives. But neither does it mean that every believer will become filthy rich in worldly goods and live high on the hog, as some preachers preach, and some believers believe. I think it means that generally speaking, true believers will live a decent, above average life.
For as our Bit so wonderfully puts this everlasting promise of our great and wonderful God: ‘And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee high above all nations of the earth.’
As usual Friends, our God’s pronouncements are plain and simple: obey, and you’ll be blessed. ‘And all these blessings shall come upon thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.’ (Deut. 28:2)
Ah mih people, how wonderful He is eh! He even goes on to spell out in more detail, the many fabulous blessings He has in store for us, if we obey His rules.
‘Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body (offspring), and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine (cattle), and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store (kneading bowl). Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten (defeated) before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.’ (Deut.28:3-8)
Oh my brethren, what’s in that not to understand eh? But being foolish, rebellious, prideful, think we know it all, trusting in our own sub-par provision, we’ve turned from the Lord. And what’s the result? We’re obviously reaping what we’ve so stupidly sown with our disobedience; poverty, sickness, economic distress, war, strife, and all other sorts of disasters and calamities.
But do you think we’ll even for a moment sit down and seriously ponder the situation? Oh no! Because Beelzebub has us in grip, we’re so firmly ensconced in the palms of his hands, we can’t escape his evil hold, for we’ve sold our souls to him for the worthless treasures of this soon to be destroyed world.
And we’ll end with this simple, straightforward, but oh so important verse of scripture. ‘The Lord shall establish thee a holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways.’ (Deut.28:9)
Oh Friends, it can’t get any simpler and more straightforward than that! So please, today, as true believers in Jesus Christ, let’s all pluck up our courage, pick ourselves up from wherever we’ve fallen, and believe God for a good and decent life, if we follow His dictates.
And it’s not like we haven’t seen it played out just as He said, all down through the centuries; from the days of Jewish prosperity, to their calamities when they disobeyed, right down to our earlier prosperity when we were a more godly people, to our now divisive, disaster and strife torn world, as we’ve become very idolatrous and disobedient.
So it’s not like the words of the Good Book haven’t been played out and found to be true. It’s just that we’re obstinate, rebellious, prideful and foolish.
So please my people, let’s try and make some wise changes nuh, once again becoming obedient to God’s Word, starting TODAY! That’s wisdom of the most immense proportions. Much LOVE!
…if you want to disobey…then know that you’ll surely pay…and pay large too…
25 Nov 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: anger, bombarded, Bruh David, buffeted, busy lives, chasten, chastisement, chosen people, death, displeasure, divine action, enthusiasm, everlasting wings, evildoers, faith, falter, friends, fury, gates of righteousness, Gentiles, glorious kingdom, heathen, heavenly hosts, hidden secrets, hinders communication, holy spirit, hope, hot displeasure, humble servants, hypocrisy, invincible, Israel, Jesus Christ, jobs, judgement, justice, lies, LOVE, mental strain, mercy, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, motives, Oh Lord God Almighty, pleas, Praise the Lord, pretence, pretext, protection, radiant countenance, rebuke, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, righteousness., salvation, steadfast faith, surrender, taunts, thanksgiving, the works of the Lord, trust, truth, understanding, ungodly world, useful purpose, wisdom, wrath
Psalm 38:1. O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.
And as that contentious day, Monday, dawned around the world, the rich voices of God’s people could be heard joyfully declaring: ‘TGIM! Thank God it’s Monday! Time to go back out amongst the evildoers and fight for Jesus!’
Ah mih Friends, I’m working here on the supposition that if we hear it often it enough, it will eventually sink into our souls through osmosis or some other divine action, (smile) and we’ll eventually come to believe it and act accordingly. For there’s nothing greater than hope in this life.
And now that I’ve woken up to the true reality of the situation, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with much gusto. As one great voice 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!’
Great singing Friends! It sounded so heartfelt that all the heavenly hosts joined us. Now that certainly says something positive about our singing and the state of our hearts. Anyway, as you can see, we’re back with the same Bit as yesterday: ‘O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.’
That’s because yesterday I was guided to go through the whole psalm, when I had planned to quote some scriptures dealing with heartfelt pleas, healing and chastening. Well today we’re going to do that.
And to start us of, we’ll turn to the first verse of Psalm 6, A Prayer for mercy, where Bruh David opens thus: ‘O Lord, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.’ (Ps.6:1)
You’ll notice Friends that it’s almost exactly the same as our Bit, except instead of using ‘thy wrath, he uses ‘thine anger.’ But they convey the same meaning. So it seems that there were times when Bruh David felt that he deserved rebuke and pleads with God not to make it too harsh.
And I believe that consciousness of wrong doing, as well as his forthrightness to lay all his cards on the table before the Lord, without pretext or pretence, is what so endeared him to his Creator. There wasn’t the hypocrisy and such in his crying out that’s so prevalent today. Too many of us cry out to God for help, but with the wrong motives, or with hidden secrets, foolishly submerged, as though the Lord can’t see them.
That’s why we so often don’t receive any answers to our pleas. The important thing my brethren, is that when we cry out to God for help, we must come clean with Him, don’t hold back anything, because that hinders communication with our Maker.
Now the next scripture I want to draw to our attention comes from Psalm 118; Thanksgiving for the Lord’s Salvation. The psalmist boldly proclaims: ‘The right hand of the Lord is exalted: the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly. I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord. The Lord hath chastened me sore (severely): but he hath not given me over unto death. Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the Lord.’ (Ps.118:16-19)
Yes Friends, let’s be extremely thankful that our Lord’s nature is to have mercy, otherwise most of us would exit this life much sooner than we planned. And note too the psalmist’s reaction to God’s mercy; a greater awareness and dedication to righteousness and praise.
And we’ll end with this quote from the prophet Jeremiah, as he soulfully declares: ‘O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. O Lord, correct me, but with judgement (justice); not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing. Pour out thy fury upon the heathen (Gentiles) that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name: for they have eaten up Jacob (Israel), and devoured him, and consumed him, and have made his habitation desolate.’ (Jer.10:23-25)
Ah mih people Jeremiah was surely giving it all he had, for He knew the intensity of God’s wrath if it ever fell completely upon His chosen people Israel. As the scholar’s put it: ’10:24-25. Jeremiah surrenders to God’s program of judgement but asks that the necessary chastisement not be carried out severely (cf. 46:28; Hab.3:2).’
And so should we likewise surrender my people, with the sincere aim of coming up higher in His estimation, so there won’t be as much chastening. Till tomorrow then, when, provided the Lord’s in favour, we’ll continue this topic, because I have more scriptures to share, but in the interest of our mental strain and busy lives, I won’t share them all today. (smile)
So till we meet again, may the Lord bless us and keep us safely under the protection of His everlasting wings, cause His radiant countenance to shine upon us, give us His wonderful peace, wisdom and understanding, for therein lies our reason to be. Much LOVE!
…when we falter…we should not be surprised by God’s chastening…
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