18 Apr 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a place called Gethsemane, as thou wilt, clear direction, coconut water, corruption, courage, creativity, curse, disciples, fear of death, forgiven, fruits, God willing, Good Friday, good news, guilty mankind, hoard, Holy Thursday, humble prayer, I go and pray yonder, in high places, last day in Paradise, Lent, let this cup pass from me, level of our faith, light, LOVE, necessity of drinking the cup, negative word, northern climes, not as I will, prosper, rampant, sacrificed, self-control, self-discipline, set free, share the blessings, show appreciation, sincere hearts, sinless life, sit ye heree, sons of Zebedee, sowrrowful, spiritual wickedness, Store Bay, substitutionary death, succeed, tasted death, the will of the Father, then cometh Jesus, Thursday Blessings, triumphant Easter resurrection, ungodly fashion, unto death, watch with me, wisdom
Matthew 26:36. Then cometh Jesus with them (His disciples) unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder (over there).
Well it’s the last day in Paradise…Steups! But I guess all good things must come to an end at some time or another! And being in sweet Tobago was indeed a good thing, or rather a wonderful thing! I don’t know where all the time went nuh, because I still haven’t seen or spoken to several people I wanted to connect with. I haven’t had a coconut water since I’ve been here…Imagine that nuh!
I only bathed in my favourite beach, Store Bay once! Brother that sure is shocking! (smile) I did bathe in other beaches several times though. And the rain has continued through the night and the early morning. Think it might clear up later though.
And yes, it’s Holy Thursday too, the day before Good Friday, when believers hunker down and consider their faith in light of Jesus’ upcoming crucifixion! The night when He bared His hurting soul and spirit in the Garden of Gethsemane in a futile attempt to change the course of His destiny.
Jesus knew deep down that the Father wasn’t going to change His plans, but the human element in Him, and the upcoming separation from the Father, the first time in their long existence, plus the great weight of sin that would be placed on His shoulders forced Him to His knees in humble prayer. ‘Then cometh Jesus with them (His disciples) unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder (over there).
And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee (James & John), and began to be sorrowful (grieved) and very heavy (deeply distressed). Then said he unto them, My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye (stay here), and watch with me. And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will but as thou wilt.’ (Matt. 26:36-39)
Ah friends, yuh see the heavy sorrow that Jesus felt! It wasn’t easy for Him, although He was the Son of God. And I like the scholars’ explanation here. ‘The prayer for the cup to pass is not due to Jesus’ fear of death. Jesus questions the will of the Father as to the necessity of drinking the cup.
While this may refer to death (“he tasted death”) it is more likely that the cup represents the wrath of God against sin, the divine wrath Christ would incur on the cross as man’s sin-bearer. In the awful anguish of that moment, the sin of the world was poured on Christ and he became “sin for us” (2 Cor.5:21). Thus the Righteous One dies a substitutionary death for guilty mankind.’
So true friends, so true! He sacrificed His sinless life so that we could be set free from the bondage of sin and death, and have eternal life; the greatest gift ever given to mankind, and yet we still don’t appreciate Him the way we should! Why is that eh friends? I don’t know the answer, neither do I understand it. We should be so grateful and jumping with joy, and living so sincerely for Him, that the world would open their mouths and wonder in astonishment at our godly and righteous lifestyle.
But instead in our hypocrisy and lust for the things of the world, we make a mockery of His sacrifice with mostly a lot of talk and no real substance in our actions. Chuh! When I see how the leaders of Christ’s church, and consequently the followers behave in such ungodly fashion, it’s no wonder that the unbelievers don’t take us seriously. Christ’s church has as many scandals and unrighteousness as the evil world does. In fact, we seem to take our lead from the world and not from Christ! As they say, spiritual wickedness and corruption is rampant in high places!
Oh my people, I do hope that this season of Lent has been one of deep concern and pondering on our faith and how we live it daily, because that’s how the world and the Lord will judge us; how good were our fruits, and how bright was our light? And when we come to the tremendous conclusion in a triumphant Easter resurrection, let’s hope that we will all have raised the level of our faith and practice of it thereof, so that we can be better witnesses and disciples for Christ! For that’s what it’s all about; spreading the good news of His gospel far and wide!
Now let’s go home thankfully declaring (right ho!) our Thursday Blessings that the Lord has so generously bestowed on us. In strong voice with sincere hearts: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And the next movement is to go out and share it all with the less fortunate as Christ intends for us to do. It’s not for us to hoard, but to share! Much LOVE!
…He died that we might be set free…forgiven…the least we can do…is show some sincere appreciation…
P.S. Tomorrow, God willing, I’ll be writing from the northern climes…good and bad… (smile) Much LOVE!
16 Apr 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: blood sweat tears, Book of the Law, day and night, do according to all therein, enjoy the good times, feckless soicety, foolishness, friend of Jesus, fruit, God's Word, have good success, Isaac, make thy way prosperous, meditate therein, meditating, more than all the wisdom of man, night watches, one truth form the Bible, osmosis, out of thy mouth, prosperity, Rebekah, remains fresh, shadow of thy wings, shall not depart, share His love, the BIBLE, truth, Tuesday Mantra, ungodliness, wisdom, work groove, work is essential, working
Joshua 1:8. This book of the law shall not depart out of (shall continually be in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
So it’s Tuesday and everybody is back into the work groove now! ‘Hn! What work groove eh?’ some of us snarl, as though anybody could ever get into the work groove! But we can all get into the party and good life groove though!
Ah friends, what a lazy and feckless society we are, nobody wants to work, but everybody wants to enjoy the good times! How do they think we get the wherewithal to have good times eh? It’s by working! And those things are quickly used up…and again, they can only be replaced by the letting of blood, sweat and tears! So work is essential in this life!
And along with reminding us of that fundamental fact, I also want to bring to mind two other very important life principles: The first is that the Bible is God’s Word to us and it remains fresh through all the ages. Thus, if we read it, we will certainly find God’s wisdom in its pages. That means if we need to acquire God’s wisdom and plans for our lives, then we need to read His Word.
And secondly, I want to remind us that One Truth from the Bible is worth more than all the wisdom of man! Glory be my brethren! So if we want to acquire wisdom and truth, the reading, studying and meditating upon God’s Word is absolutely necessary! Yes friends, like everything else in this world, if you want to learn about God and His Word and Ways, you have to spend time with Him, reading and talking and listening to Him.
You can’t become well acquainted with anything or anybody unless you spend oodles of time with it or them. The same applies to our Triune God. The problem these days though is that we all want to know about God, but we don’t want to take the time to get to know Him. We spend lots of time learning about our modern day toys and all the foolishness that’s currently in the world, but that apparently doesn’t apply to God too. We can’t find time to spend with Him, cause we’re too busy following the foolishness and ungodliness of the evil world!
I guess we expect to learn about Him through osmosis nuh, where it just seeps naturally and unconsciously into our sinful souls. But that is just a pipe dream yes my people! The Lord expects conscious and purposeful attention on our part to His Word and Ways. There’s NO OTHER WAY by which we can get a sincere and useful insight and knowledge of His doings and thoughts!
And talking about wisdom and truth being available from the Bible, the necessity for meditating on God’s Word is also greatly portrayed and recommended there. Let’s look at a few examples. And I guess the most important word on it might be from the Lord Himself, when He commanded Joshua after making him the Leader of the Israelites on the death of Moses.
‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (shall continually be in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’
Oh friends, it couldn’t get any plainer than that! And it’s from the Lord Himself! To have true prosperity and good success, we need to meditate on God’s Word and keep it close to our hearts and mouths! Now meditation is not rocket science; it’s simply thinking about things, quietly pondering on stuff, trying to get deeper into it.
And meditation was happening long before the Lord spoke to Joshua. In Genesis we are told: ‘And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the even-tide…’ (Gen.24:63a) That’s when He saw his father’s servant returning from his homeland with Rebekah his future wife.
And we all know the wonderful words of Psalm1: ‘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 Lord; and in his law doth he meditate (ponder, contemplate) day and night.’ (Ps.1:1-2)
And we all know what happens to the man who does that! ‘And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.’ (Ps.1:3) Oh Mama Mia! Again we see that prosperity and success comes from meditating on the Lord’s Word and obeying it! What more do we need to understand, believe, and put that into action eh?
Hear Bruh David nuh: ‘My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow (the best) and fatness (abundance); and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings I will rejoice.’ (Ps.63:5-7) And we all know Bruh David’s great intimacy and success, and prosperity with God being his Number ONE! So I don’t know why we’re so afraid or foolish not follow his example.
And lastly, listen to Bruh Paul to Timothy: ‘Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine (teaching). Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery (council of elders). Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly (entirely) to them; that thy profiting (progress) may appear (be evident) to all.’ (1 Tim.4:13-15)
And having read and inwardly digested all of that (smile) let’s go home declaring (right ho!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know who and whose we are! In strong voice and sincere hearts: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And the corollary to that is we now go out and share that wonderful friendship and LOVE of Jesus with the unfortunates who don’t know Him! That’s our bounden duty! Much LOVE!
…read…meditate…think on…ponder…contemplate…obey God’s Word…the first step to success and prosperity…
13 Apr 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a boomerang, a modicum of circumspection, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from heat, a sound mind, a spirit of fear, a storm against the wall, accountable, always scared, Anselm, aspires to inspire, big lesson in life, bulldozing through life, came to visit, clear your path, disrupt your life, enjoy life to the fullest, expanse of sea, faithfulness, family members, fear thee, figurative storms, find sunshine, for a better tomorrow, for a reason, for a season, friends leave, glorify thee, God closes a door, God created the universe, he commandeth, Jesus Christ, lifteth up the waves, literal storms, Lord God of hosts, LOVE, maketh the storm a calm, never be scared, O ye of little faith, picturesque scene, power, power in our words, quotes, Radisson Hotel, raiseth the stormy wind, reach your goals, rebuked the winds, responsibility, rise above the storm, roti, rulest the raging sea, storms, strength to the poor, strong Lord like thee, strong people, taking the next step, the blast of the terrible ones, the city of the ruthless, the needy in distress, the storm calmer, the storm Maker, the waves are still, things change, thou stillest them, understanding, waves arise, why are ye fearful, wisdom
Psalm 107:25,29. For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof…He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
And it’s another Saturday in T&T! Glory be! And under a slight cloud cover, which hopefully will soon be dissipated by the bright, rising sun, the wonderful blue-green expanse of sea still lies before me, dotted with nondescript vessels in the foreground, but in the background, in its vastness, seemingly stretching out to forever over the horizon! Wow! What a mouthful! But I like it, and I do hope it conveys the beauty of the picturesque scene in front of me. (smile)
Well we didn’t do anything of note yesterday, just hung around the hotel and rested, until in the late afternoon a couple of family members came to visit. They ended up taking us down to Petite Valley to get some roti. But imagine that nuh, nowadays yuh have to drive all the way to Petite Valley to get a decent roti. In my time, you could get a good roti on almost every street corner. But as they say times change and so do ways and people and situations. And for the record, the roti was good! (smile)
But as we usually do on a Saturday, let’s take a gander at some of the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. Listen to this first one: ‘If you spend your life working, sleeping and doing the basics… Congrats! You’ve just wasted your precious life!’
Well…that’s somewhat of a toss-up. You need to do the basics of life, including working and sleeping, but just doing barely enough to get by, deprives you of some of the most enjoyable aspects that life can provide. So it’s always necessary to go the extra mile, take a risk, if you truly want to enjoy your life to the fullest.
And the next quote advises: ‘The big lesson in life is never be scared of anyone or anything. Say what you want to say and do what you always wanted to do. You will never reach your goals if you are always scared of taking the next step.’ There is a fair amount of truth in that statement, and yes we shouldn’t be scared of anything or anyone in this life, because our great and wonderful God has not given us ‘a spirit of fear, but of power, of LOVE, and of a sound mind.’ (2 Tim.1:7)
However, we can’t just go bulldozing through life to get our way. We need to be careful what we say and to whom, for our words will eventually come back to haunt us, like a boomerang comes back to the thrower. Remember, that there is much power in our words, and as true believers in Christ we have the responsibility to be accountable for our words. So don’t be scared to push ahead, but do have a modicum of circumspection! (smile)
But we got to take a break go for brekkies now. The duchess is ready. Soon come!
Back some three hours later after a filling breakfast over the road at the Radisson Hotel and a short nap. Must have that nap! (smile) And talking about quotes. Let’s not forget this one: ‘Things change. And friends leave. Life doesn’t stop for anybody. If you hang on to things for too long, you will end up hurting yourself.’
Gospel truth that friends! People and things come and go in our lives for a reason or a season, but when their time is up, please don’t try to hold on to them because you will miss the next good thing that God has earmarked for you. And I’ve had to learn that from hard experience. Yeh mih breddren, when God closes a door, don’t try to push it back open, because He won’t open the new one unless you allow the last one to close.
And the last quote says: ‘Rise above the storm, and you will find the sunshine. Not all storms come to disrupt your life. Some come to clear your path.’ That’s for certain sure friends. Above the storm clouds there is sunshine, and not all storms come to make our lives miserable and difficult, but some do come to clear the way. Remember the saying, there’s always a calm after a storm, and that’s gospel truth, as you would see if you look back at the storms you’ve had in your life.
But friends, the only way to continually rise above the numerous storms that come against us, sometimes out of the clear blue sky, is by hooking your cart to the storm Maker and storm Calmer, Jesus Christ! No doubt about that people! Listen to what the psalmist says: ‘For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof…’ And when we cry out to Him for succour: ‘He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.’ (Ps.107:25, 29).
If you believe that God created the universe and all therein and is still in control of it, then you should have no problem in believing His awesome power to create and calm storms, both literally and figuratively! Isaiah puts it thus in his song of praise by the redeemed. ‘Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible (ruthless) nations shall fear thee. For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.’ (Is.25:3-4)
That’s how our awesome God deals with the figurative storms in our lives. And per the literal storms, hear Bruh David: ‘O Lord God of hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee? Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.’ (Ps.89:8-9)
And if you want to see that in literal action, check out Matt.8:23-27 where Jesus was crossing the sea in a ship with the disciples and a raging storm arose, so much so that they began to take in water and the men were terribly afraid, but Jesus meanwhile was fast asleep in the back of the boat. When they woke Him up and made such a fuss, He berated them:
‘Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea: and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!’ (Matt.8:26-27) And so they should, because He created them and controls them!
Ah friends, unfortunately storms are an essential part of life, and the ONLY way to handle them with suitable aplomb and patience is by having the Lord Jesus Christ as your guide and pilot in this life and the one to come. That’s wisdom and understanding of the most awesome kind! Much LOVE!
…when Christ is our pilot…storms don’t scare us…
08 Apr 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a great gulf, after death, and see, arise, ask for the old paths, aura of love, before men, dangerous, evil, evil nature, faith, find rest for your souls, foolish, glorify your father in heaven, Hades, humble servants, Jesus, jobs, Lazarus the beggar, let your light so shine, lies, long and short, make use of opportunity, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, narrow path, no second chance, run and bawl, see your good works, shine, sinful, stand ye in the ways, strength, taunts, the light of the world, the rich man, thy light has come, tormented in this flame, truth, unfair, unwise, walk therein, we will not walk therein, where is the good way, wiles, wisdom
Jeremiah 6:16. Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.
‘Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee!’ (Is.60:1) Yes friends, the LIGHT of the world has come; Jesus is with us, so please, let’s rise and shine the way He wants us to nuh! Remember He said, ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt.5:16) And that is exactly what we need to do as we go out into the world this Monday morning to face the enemy and all his evil, subservient minions.
And yes, sometimes it’s difficult, but we have the answer, the antidote that will get us going; our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, where we cry out to a merciful, LOVING, generous and forgiving God for health and strength and wisdom to face down the enemy and defeat him, all in Jesus’ name! So let’s get with it nuh. All together now in strong voice and sincere belief, because that’s the only way it works. (smile)
‘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, yuh feel it…yuh feel the rejuvenation that’s now taking place in your body, soul and spirit? That’s the working of the Lord’s Spirit in answer to our prayer! Oh what a wonderful God we serve and worship my people! Give him some thanks and praise nuh for all He does for us undeserving children of men!
And all God’s children declared (right ho!) a loud and proud and grateful: ‘Thank You Lord for all that you’ve done for us, are doing right now, and have promised to do in the future! We praise and bless Your holy name and give You the LOVE you want and deserve through Your Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Oh what a powerful tool is prayer my people! It’s God’s way of communicating with His children, and there is no power on earth greater than it, because that’s the way God set it up. And yes, prayer is very important in our lives, but like we all cry out that we have rights, few of us also consider the fact that rights bring responsibilities! Likewise, the ability to have prayer, also brings the responsibility of obedience. Hn!
What’s that many of us ask eh? (smile) It’s simple: if you want to enjoy God’s goodness, then you have to be obedient to His ways and desires, and walk the straight and narrow path that He decrees. Note what Jeremiah said on His behalf, long before Jesus came and told us same thing. ‘Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.’
And yuh know what friends, the Lord’s saying the same thing to us in this turbulent, evil and ungodly time. And yuh know the sad part is that we are saying the same thing, behaving in the same foolish and unwise manner as the people of Judah did so long ago. We are refusing to walk the straight and narrow path that God decrees we must if we are to live life eternal with Him. How stupid is that eh? VERY!
Hear how the scholars explain that verse nuh. ‘6:16. The people’s stubborn refusal to walk in the traditional ways of true righteousness is often mentioned by Jeremiah (12:16; 18:15; 23:12;31:21). Moving in their own paths and following their own way could only lead to Judah’s destruction (cf. Prov. 14:12) The contrast of the way of righteousness and life with the way of the ungodly and death is often made in the Scriptures (e.g. Ps.1; Matt. 7:13-14).’
And if that was true then, why do we think it’s not true now eh? Because we stubborn and own way and rebellious and want to follow our naturally sinful and evil nature! As simple as that! We ought to know better, but the devil and the world have us so wrapped up in their clutches that we can’t see the forest for the trees. We just like li’l children when their parents tell them not to do something they still go ahead and do it, and when the consequences hit them they run and bawl for mammy and daddy!
But friends, if we don’t get with the programme before Jesus comes back, it won’t have no mammy and daddy for us to call out to nuh! Because once that last trumpet sound, is all over but the moaning and groaning and gnashing of teeth! Yuh hear what Cousin Sol said so long ago? ‘There is a way which seemeth right unto a man; but the end thereof are the ways of death.’ (Prov.14:12) And if anybody should know is Cousin Sol, because he had the means and time to experiment and he went through it all.
And remember what happen to the rich man when he ended up in Hades? ‘And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus (the beggar who use to sit by his gate in the good times) that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ (Luke 16:24) But it couldn’t happen because there was a great gulf between heaven and Hades, plus the rich man when he had the opportunity did not make use of it.
And the long and short of the matter is that after death there is no second chance! Amen! So please, please, I implore us to be wise and make good use of the opportunities we have now! Much LOVE!
…in life…there are many chances…but come death…there are NONE…!
30 Mar 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Anselm, aspires to inspire, blessings, comes into the world, courage to continue, failure, failure is not fatal, fools, friend, giving up, God is light, God's attribute, gospel truth, growing in Christ, in him is no darkness, Jesus saved us, keep on learning, lights every man, looking for love, LOVE, pick sense from nonsense, rest on the plateau, say something, settling down, shut up, social media, something that finds you, something to say, something you find, success is not final, sweet Tobago, thanks and praise, the duchess worried, the Holy Spirit, the true light, walk in darkness, walk in light, wisdom, wise men speak
John 1:9. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
And then it was Saturday, a day of rest. All the confusion of getting from there to here and settling down in Sweet Tobago has finally gotten to me. (smile) Would you believe I was up around 7, had coffee on the porch, gave some thanks and praise for all my many blessings, then went back to bed? That had the duchess worried about me because that’s not my style.
And would you believe that I got up again around 9, had coffee again, and I can go back to bed again? But no! I am going to stand up strong and write the Bit before going back to bed, it is already late, can’t allow it to be much later. And with all that jawing, (smile) since it’s Saturday, let’s turn to the quotes we received from our friend Anselm this week, as he sincerely aspires us for a better tomorrow.
And this first one is very interesting and applicable to our lives as true believers in Jesus Christ: ‘Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.’ Yeh friends, when we achieve success in whatever walk of life, that is not our final pinnacle, we don’t just stop there and rest on that plateau, but we keep on learning and attempt to have more success, for resting on our laurels just gives the enemy a brighter spot in our lives.
As true believers, we need to keep growing in Christ until the day He takes us home. And we all know that what we term failure is not the end, but just the beginning of getting up and starting again. Remember there are no words in Jesus’ vocabulary like ‘failure’ and ‘giving up!’ And He imbues us, through His Holy Spirit with the courage to carry on. So we are not lacking in any way!
Then there’s this: ‘The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.’ And that’s the living truth my people! When we as good and righteous men do nothing to rectify a wrong situation, then the evil people win! Oh, we often say that it’s not our business and we’re not going to get involved, but what yuh think happens when we don’t eh? The bad guys win! No decision is a decision!
That brings us to this interesting quote: ‘Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something.’ And isn’t that the awesome truth! Just look at the amount of nonsense that fools are talking over social media nowadays eh! It’s appalling, like we have no life unless we’re totally involved in it. But all power be to them yes, I beg to refrain from it! I talk enough foolishness without spreading it on all the forms of social media that we have nowadays. (smile) Oh, how our society would be greatly improved if some of us would just shut up!
And the next quote says: ‘LOVE isn’t something you find. LOVE is something that finds you.’ And I guess there’s some truth to that, because ofttimes when we go searching for LOVE we don’t find it, but it’s at the most unexpected and unsuspecting times that LOVE falls right in out laps! I’m sure many of us have fallen in LOVE when we least expected it, with people we’ve least expected to fall in LOVE with! (smile) But that’s the nature of LOVE; God’s greatest attribute! It can hit you at any time, in any place, with anyone! Glory to God!
And the last quote says: ‘It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.’ And that my friends is the God-awesome truth! When our world and circumstances are the darkest, that’s when we have to focus most intently and intensely on the light that’s there in our souls, but hidden from us just then. The name of that light that’s always there is Jesus! Yes friends, as John says: ‘That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.’
Yes my brethren, even if you profess not to believe in Jesus, His light has been branded, burnished into your soul on the day you came to be. There’s a li’l pocket in each of us which can only be filled by God, and in there is that true light that shines at the end of the tunnel, we just have to seek it with all our hearts, souls, bodies and minds, it doesn’t just show up, and even if it should, we still have to receive it and accept it, that’s a condition of having the light shine in our lives.
And now listen to these fateful words of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ on the subject of the Light. ‘Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light…’ (John 12:35-36)
There you have it friends, Jesus declaring that He was the Light of the world! And we all know that Jesus does not, cannot lie, so that must be gospel truth! And His wise advice to the people of His time, to walk in the light, has also been given to us in these turbulent and very strife filled times. However, just like the people of Jesus’ day refused to accept His advice, in like manner, a whole lot of us nowadays are also refusing to accept that heavenly wisdom.
Chuh! How foolish that is my people, because Jesus is the ONLY ONE who can shine true light on our dark times. But I guess until we really reach the end of our rope, we don’t consider it important to turn to Jesus for help. But that’s so unwise my brethren, because the Father made us, Jesus saved us, and the Holy Spirit dwells in us to show us the way to the true Light. You can’t get away from those facts my brethren, so please let’s make up our minds to seek the true light which will brighten our world for ever and ever nuh! That’s wisdom at its brightest! Much LOVE!
…God is light…in him is no darkness at all… (1 John 1:5)
P.S. Yes, it is late and long, and probably a tad ditzy too, (smile) but I know that with the wisdom of Jesus indwelling you, you can pick sense from nonsense! (smile) Much LOVE!
25 Mar 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a joyful time, a living soul, a roof over our heads, adrenaline, antidote, atone for our sins, aura of love, choice scriptures, Christians, condemn the world, confidence, corroborate, Creator of the universe, destiny of Monday, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, faith, fondness for man, friends, glorious kingdom, glory to God, God created, God so loved the world, grace, hate, have everlasting life, holy spirit, honour, humble servants, in the beginning, invincible, Jesus Christ, Jesus redeemed us, jobs, joy, let everything that hath breath, lies, LOVE, LOVE to hate, man fell from grace, miraculous act, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, negativity, power, power in the Word, Praise the Lord, put food on the table, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, salvation, shall not perish, sinless life, spiritual armour, spoke into being, steadfast faith, taunts, the breath of life, the heaven and earth, the Word, thou art worthy O lord, to receive glory, to save the world, trust, truth, ungodly world, unto him that sitteth on the throne, unto the Lamb for ever, whosoever believeth in him, wiles, wisdom
Revelation 4:11: Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are (by your will they exist) and were created.
Awright friends, the work cycle has come full circle again! (smile) Yeh, unfortunately it is that famous day that we all LOVE…LOVE to hate…Monday! What a sad way to spend a lifetime eh, being disliked by the many you try to help! But that’s the destiny of Monday! When you’re first, the majority of the negativity falls on you, especially when it has to do with humankind going to work after a short respite. (smile)
But in this life we have to do what we have to do, and going to work on a Monday is paramount amongst those have to do things! That is if we’re lucky or blessed enough to have a job, and we desire to put food on the table and have a roof over our heads. And if we don’t, then there’s absolutely no reason to work! Enough with the philosophy though, it sounds good, but it doesn’t bring home the bacon! (smile)
We all know we’ve got to go, so let’s get ourselves together and do it afraid and/or unwillingly nuh, many other lives are depending on us. And as always, to help boost our spirits, let’s summon up some confidence and enthusiasm and declare (steups – wrong, wrong, wrong) our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, our wonder antidote for whatever ails us on a Monday morning.
As one 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!’
And we can both see and feel it working right away by the rush of adrenaline now coursing through our bodies and the sudden spring in our step. So let’s just keep it going and get out there and do our thing for Jesus! Glory to God! And does our God ever deserve much glory! As the Good Book proclaims: ‘Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are (by your will they exist) and were created.’
Now if you ever want to know what truth really is, then you can use that passage as a definition, because that’s just what it is – TRUTH! And we’re using the same Bit as yesterday because I want to touch on some choice scriptures that corroborate those words.
And in the very first words of the Good Book, we discover the biggest truth: ‘In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.’ (Gen.1:1) And from nothing too – through an instantaneous and miraculous act! What power, what absolute and marvellous power that signifies! And then He spoke everything else except mankind into being! That’s why there’s such awesome power in the Word and we believers ought to make much more use of it than we currently do.
And even when He formed man’s physical body out of the dust of the ground, He had to breathe the breath of life into him before he could become a living soul. (Gen.2:7) That shows another extension of God’s amazing power! First He created the heavens and the earth from nothing, then He spoke the rest of the stuff into existence, and finally He breathes the breath of life into man! Wow!
Please note His fondness for man in the fact that He didn’t just talk him into existence, but took the time and effort to personally mould him with LOVE and affection and attention to detail, for man is the most complex of His creations. And even when man fell from grace through his addiction to sin, God did not give up on Him. Listen to these momentous words from the Son of God, who eventually gave His sinless life to pay for our sins.
‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:16-17) Oh my people, in these troubled and turbulent times, those are words for us to live by! No others will get us through!
No wonder John saw in his vision of the new heaven, where the beasts and elders fell down before the Lamb: ‘And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book (the Book of Life) and to open the seals thereof, for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred (tribe) and tongue and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.’ (Rev.5:9-10)
Yes friends, that’s what Jesus did for us. Consequently, John continues: ‘And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.’ (Rev.5:13)
And that’s how it ought to be…and how it will be my fellow believers! So let’s stand strong and steadfast in faith nuh, if we want to be numbered amongst the thousands and ten thousands witnessing that wonderful spectacle at some time in the future! What a joyful time it will be! Much LOVE!
…let everything that hath breath…praise the Lord…praise ye the Lord… (Ps.150:6)
22 Mar 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a busy week, a hundredfold, answer for our words and deeds, bear much fruit, boundary lines, brought forth fruit, burgers, compromising, cook on the grill, create havoc, drinking something cold, earthly lives, electronic gadgets, faith, faithfulness, fateful day, fearful stuff, fell upon stony places, fellowship, finally spring, firmly planted, fowls devoured them, Friday chant, fruit fo the Spirit, fun, furthering your glorious kingdom, generous help, gentleness, getting me through another week, goodness, had no root, he who hath ears to hear, hypocritically, immediately sprung up, in Jesus name, joy, judgement day, kindness, let him hear, let our guards down, lock up whole winter, lolling on the deck, long-suffering, lose our joy, LOVE, March break, meekness, my time, no deepness of earth, other fell into good ground, outside in shirtsleeves, parable of the sower, party, peace, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, rest, rooted in his soul, scorched, seeds fell by the wayside, self-control, sixtyfold, steaks, temperance, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the enemy, the word of the Lord, thirtyfold, thou good and faithful servant, too far apart, video games, weekends, welcome, welcoming words, wisdom, wishy-washy, withered away, workingman's song
Matthew 13:8-9. But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. He who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Well at last it’s Friday! And many tired but grateful sighs emanate from many tired lungs and bodies, especially those who returned right at the last minute from the March Break and had no time to rest before heading back out to work on Monday. It’s a cruel world friends, a mighty cruel world, especially if you don’t have Jesus as your Lord and Leader.
Yeh, Christians have it hard too, but they have the internal peace and LOVE that Jesus brings to the hearts and souls of His followers, and thus we are able to handle the cruel world with much more sense and sensibility (smile) than the unbeliever. So if you want to be able to handle this cruel world with greater confidence, then the answer is JESUS! Give Him some much deserved thanks and praise my fellow believers!
But since it’s Friday, the workingman is also waiting in the wings to sing his Friday song. So let’s hear what gems of wisdom on life, that he has to offer us today. And he shouts out his usual opening: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! It’s been a busy week…but the weather’s not been bad! And yes, it’s finally spring! So we’ll soon be outside in shirtsleeves and such, barbecuing, lolling on the deck drinking something cold and waiting for the burgers and steaks to cook on the grill!
Wow! Yuh believe it? Springtime is here once again…and then it will be summer! Chuh! Gway with this winter business yes! Time to get the children and them outa the house too, where they lock up whole winter playing foolish video games. Children suppose to be outside playing, be it rain, snow or shine!
But sadly not these modern-day ones who have so much electronic gadgets to play with. Some of them don’t even know what outside looks like nuh! But I not going to kill mihself over them nuh, I know what I like to do and I’m going to do it, especially when it comes to the weekend – party, party, party! Mama Yo! That’s my time! Thank God for Fridays and weekends yes!’
Ah mih people, the workingman does make some good points in his weekly song, but it’s just that it’s usually too far over the edge, too far out on the limb for us believers in Jesus Christ! The boundary lines are set too wide apart, too much freedom to wander into the evil world, when Jesus desires His people to follow the narrow but safe path that leads to and through Him to eternal life.
Consequently, our Friday Chant differs a lot from the workingman’s song. So let’s chant our Friday Chant now with just as much enthusiasm as the workingman had in his song nuh. (smile) Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen!’
Yes friends, believers are also entitled to fun, to a natural enjoyment in Christ, but we cannot let out guards down, for as soon as we do, the enemy will just jump in there and try to create havoc in our lives. Remember that’s his main aim; to disrupt our lives in Jesus! And we can’t afford to let him do that, otherwise we’ll lose all our joy and peace and become even more miserable than the unbeliever. And believe me, there’s nobody as miserable as a miserable believer! (smile)
That’s why we need to remember Jesus’ parable about the sower and keep it first place in our minds. ‘Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up. Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith (immediately) they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:
And when the sun was up, they were scorched, and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. He who hath ears to hear, let him hear.’ (Matt.13:3-9)
Yeh friends, he who has ears to hear let him hear! Let him hear the Word of the Lord, and let it be firmly planted and rooted in his soul, so that neither thorns, nor the sun nor the fowls of the air can uproot or scorch it, and thus it will bear much fruit in their lives.
Oh how Jesus desires us to bear the fruit of the Spirit in our earthly lives so that we can teach others about Him, but more importantly live the life we preach, that we’re currently so good at talking about but unfortunately living it very hypocritically.
Ah my fellow believers, if we’d only seriously read, study and meditate on God’s Word, so that it becomes deeply rooted in our hearts, then we’d be more likely to produce things like LOVE, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness (kindness), goodness, faith (faithfulness), meekness and temperance (self-control), which make up the basic fruit of the Spirit! (Gal.6:22-23)
Now that’s what the world needs to see from believers! Not the wishy-washy, compromising, fearful stuff we’re currently showing them!
Remember though friends, that each of us will have to answer individually for our words and deeds come the judgement day, so please let’s try our best to do what is right, to run a worthy and worthwhile race, so that when that fateful day comes, the Lord will embrace us and joyfully say: ‘Welcome thou good and faithful servant!’
Friends, there are no better welcoming words than those, so let’s live the kind of life that will cause the Lord to eventually say them to us nuh. That’s wisdom of untold proportions! Much LOVE!
…only with the Word…deeply rooted in our souls…can we produce…the fruit of the Spirit…
18 Mar 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: able to comfort, adoration, adversity, afraid of a mortal man, antidotes, aura of love, be cheerful, blessed be God, by the comfort, characterized by mercy, Christianity 101, comforted, comforted in Jerusalem, comforts us in tribulation, confidence, defeated hell death and the grave, deliver us, deliverance, enthusiasm, evil world, exotic locale, friends, from glory to glory, from God the Father, gave himself for our sins, grace be to you, heartfelt prayers, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, humility, invincible, joy, lies, LOVE, made as grass, March break, mercy, miracle powers, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, our Lord Jesus Christ, overcome the world, peace, praise, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, reverential homage, righteousness., salvation, shaking it rough, sincerity, sonship, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, the Father of mercies, the God of All Comfort, the Son of man, them which are in trouble, trust, ungodly world, we are comforted ourselves by God, wisdom, woeful times, Zion's future
2 Corinthians 1:4. Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble (tribulation), by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
Oh my friends and Scrip-Bit family members, in the immortal and reassuring words of Bruh Paul to the Galatians, I greet you similarly this Monday morning: ‘Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ. Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world (age), according to the will of God, and our Father: To whom be glory for ever and ever.’ (Gal.1:3-5)
Ah mih people, he say’s so much in just one mouthful. But we need to remember those very basic but oh so fundamental facts of our faith if we are to grow strong and mature in it from glory to glory. But I know that some of us are shaking it somewhat rough this morning, especially those who have just come back from a March Break vacation in some warm, exotic locale and now have to immediately go back to work in the cold weather. But that’s life!
Remember that Jesus said we’d surely face adversity in this world, but we ought to be cheerful about it, because He had already overcome the world. (John 16:33) Yes, He has indeed defeated hell, death and grave, but it’s not always easy to just grin and bear our adversity, that’s why we have antidotes for times like this one, it’s called our Monday Morning Battle Hymn! And for it to help us we have to declare (right ho) it together in all sincerity and humility.
So let’s send our heartfelt prayers up to heaven nuh, as one strong, unified and harmonious voice. ‘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!’
And we know our prayer was heard and answered by our wonderful heavenly Father because we can already feel our spirits lifting and the adrenaline beginning to flow through our mortal bodies as his Holy Spirit works its miracle powers in our souls! Praise His holy and faithful name my people!
That brings us to some more of Bruh Paul’s memorable words, this time to the Corinthians: ‘Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort. Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble (tribulation), by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.’ (2 Cor.1:3-4)
Mama Yo! What a wonderful God we serve and worship my brethren! And the scholars offer this explanation. ‘1:3-4. Blessed (Gr. eulogetos –well spoken of) is used in the New Testament of God (e.g. Eph.1:3). It is a term of adoration and praise. The Father of mercies: The mercies in view here include everything here from deliverance from the world, sin, and Satan, to participation in sonship, light and life. But the force is even more than this. The stress is that the Father is characterized by mercy (cf. Ps. 86:5; Dan.9:9; Mic.7:18).’
Yes friends, those mercies of the Father run the whole gamut of our human and spiritual existence in both the now and the hereafter! That’s what makes Him such a wonderful Deity; He has provided for us in all situations! We don’t have to worry about a thing; just believe sincerely in His Son and be obedient to His will! And I strongly advise you all to take a moment and look up those scriptures suggested by the scholars. I just did, and they are indeed beautiful and useful ones.
But my favourite of those two verses is our Bit. Bruh Paul says that our God is also the God of all comfort, and I like how He uses that attribute; to comfort us, so that we can also comfort others who are facing adversity. Chuh! What a wonderful plan! Only our God could think up something like that! (smile)
And the prophet Isaiah says it thus of our God when proclaiming that the faithful will be comforted. ‘I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a (mortal) man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass.’ (Is.51:12) And again, when talking about Zion’s future hope, Isaiah reminds us that God will not forsake us, but ‘As one when his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.’ (Is.66:13)
Ah my fellow believers in Jesus Christ, there’s not much more for me to say because the scripture says it all! So let’s be wise and faithful and look to God for mercy and comfort nuh, so that we can share them with others, as He so desperately desires of us in these sad and woeful times. That’s Christianity 101! (smile)Much LOVE!
…from our heavenly Father comes…all that we have…and all that we are…so to whom then should we pay reverential homage…
11 Mar 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a tongue lashing, Adam and Eve, answer to our prayer, cocktail, commitment, complain, conquerors, drives my engine, enthusiasm, Ethan, evil world, experience a letdown, faith, fellowship, forthrightness, friends, God's faithfulness, God's sure promises, gospel truth, grace, great is thy faithfulness, gung ho, his compassions fail not, holy spirit, humble servants, in due time, in the heavens, invincible, Jesus, joy, lies, LOVE, loving-kindness, make known thy faithfulness, March break, mercy, miserable tired, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, new every morning, not consumed, O Lord, reacheth into the clouds, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, renews our energy, rest, righteousness., saints, salvation, settled in heaven, sing of the mercies, spiritual armour, taunts, thy faithfulness, thy word, trust, ungodly world, unto all generations, weary souls, wiles, wisdom
Psalm 36:5. Thy mercy (LOVING-kindness), O Lord, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.
Stop it friends, stop it! Stop being miserable and tired on a Monday morning when you have to get up to go to work. You’ve known that from Friday evening when you stopped working, and if you had done what you’re supposed to do, get some rest and relaxation and fellowship with other believers on Sunday and refuelled your spirit, then you would be all ready and gung-ho to go out and labour diligently for Jesus this morning.
Yes, every so often we need a tongue lashing because we complain when we ought not to. (smile) But I guess that’s human nature. And to be truthful, regardless of how you prepare for Monday morning, when it does roll around, we still experience a letdown, a drop in that spiritual fervour we had ramped up for it.
But not to worry my faithful believers, our God is good and oh so faithful, and if we ask Him nicely (smile) to fix it, then He will. That’s His ever-faithful promise! So let’s do that right now nuh. Let’s ask Him in all sincerity and humility but confidently, to improve our spiritual fervour so we can diligently do His will. So as one strong voice, let’s pray that mighty prayer, our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
‘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!’ And I can just see our eyes light up and our movements get brisk as we now move with a sense of purpose as the Holy Spirit renews our energy and commitment in answer to our prayer!
But that’s only for those of going to work. To those of us lying somewhere on a sandy beach in a warm climate enjoying the March Break, it just makes us chuckle as we raise an early morning cocktail to our lips, or get up and run into the brilliant blue waters and immerse ourselves in it! (smile) And I have to tell myself to shut up, because I’m just raising my own longing for some sea, salt, rum and sand!
In due time though…in due time the Lord will come through for me! I know He’s faithful! He’s done it before, so why won’t He do it again eh? No good reason my brethren. So let’s talk a li’l bit about God’s faithfulness this morning nuh. I experience it every day when I come to write the Bit, because it’s His faithfulness that drives my engine. But let’s see what some of the other more important saints had to say about it.
In Psalm 36 – The Steadfast LOVE of God – Bruh David describes it thus: ‘Thy mercy (LOVING-kindness), O Lord, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.’ (Ps.36:5) Yes friends, God’s faithfulness is as vast as the space between the earth and the clouds. And Bruh David should know about that, because he experienced it to the max; even when he did not deserve it!
Meanwhile the author of Psalm 119 declares (right ho): ‘For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled (stands firm) in heaven. Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth (stands). (Ps.119:89-90) Please note my people, that the Lord’s faithfulness is not only there for some, but for ‘ALL generations.’
It was there for Adam and Eve, it’s there for us, and it will be there for the last humans on planet earth, whenever the Lord decides to call it a day. So there’s no need to worry about having faith in Him. He’s the same yesterday, today and forever, and His promises are always kept. He has safer and better hands than All State. (smile)
Now hear how Ethan the Ezrahite puts it in his great Psalm – Psalm 89 – God’s sure promises to David. ‘I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations. For I have said, Mercy (LOVING-kindness) shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.’ (Ps.89:1-2)
More acknowledgements of our God’s forthrightness and trust! And this March Break Monday morning we going to keep it short and sweet, so we’ll end with this most popular scripture that all of us LOVE to quote, but don’t truly believe when it really matters. Here these immortal words of Jeremiah: ‘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’s the gospel truth!
But friends, yuh know what? We don’t need the old timers to really tell us how faithful our God is nuh, because most of us have experienced it in some form or fashion! And if we have experienced it, then why do we still doubt it and have problems accepting it as gospel truth eh? So please, let’s stop believing what the deceitful and evil world says nuh, and start believing what our God says! That’s wisdom of the highest order! Much LOVE!
…if you can’t have faith and trust…in the One who created you…then whom will you have them in eh…
04 Mar 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all thy getting, almighty god, ask God, aura of love, Bomb Competition, Carnival Monday, Christians, confidence, doubleminded man, doubting, enthusiasm, exalt wisdom, forsake her not, friends, get understanding, get wisdom, gives liberally, good doctrine, grin and bear it, holy spirit, humble servants, in Jesus name, instruction of a father, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, keep my commandments and live, let thy heart, lies, LOVE, love her, mas, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Ole Mas, promote thee, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, retain my words, reverential awe, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, steelband, taunts, the fear of the Lord, the principal thing, the sight of my mother, the words of my mouth, them's the breaks, trust, ungodly world, unstable, wavering, wiles, wisdom
Proverbs 4:7. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
And the clock ticks…and the seconds, minutes, hours and the days roll by…until they come to Monday…then they just seem to stop, to hang there in mid-air, as though everything suddenly gone in limbo! Oh how we wish that were true eh and we didn’t have to get up and get out and begin a new work week!
And for many of us it’s actually true because this is Carnival Monday, the beginning of the yearly bacchanalian festival in several parts of the world the two days before Ash Wednesday…but nothing to touch the Ole Mas celebration in T&T this Monday morning!
That is where you get real down and ‘dutty’ (dirty), playing in any ole and dirty looking costume, but making sure yuh ketch a steelband coming down the road beating a sweet bomb tune, so you and yuh lady and yuh friends and them could carry on in the street, wine down in the road, carray yuh body any ole how, (ramajay), and just get on bad and disgusting. (smile)
Well that use to be ole mas, don’t know what it morph into these days since I don’t take part in it again. Don’t even know if they still have Bomb Competition – the steelbands beating some favourite tune as they come out on the road Monday morning, vying for Best Bomb Tune. And ah laughing here as I remember some of them ole times.
But leh we move on yes, because some people have to go to work, and they even more distraught than ever because they missing carnival in T&T. So to help us all this Carnival Monday, let’s belt out we Monday Morning Battle Hymn, even if we heart not truly in it, and we mind somewhere down in T&T misbehaving in the road. (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!’
And yeh friends, ah know we feeling better after that, but still…we’d rather be somewhere else partying, making a fool of we self, in the hot weather. But them’s the breaks, so we just have to grin and bear it and get out there and labour in Jesus name. Yeh, reminisce li’l bit every so often, but doh daydream the day away on the people work nuh, because then you’ll be stealing their time and Jesus wouldn’t approve of that. (smile)
Break the spell by telling yuhself that if God spare yuh life, next year Carnival not going to catch yuh up here in this cold weather, but in some warm, tropical climate playing a serious mas, and then seriously start saving yuh money and vacation time from now! And since I know plenty of you won’t like my suggestions, I’m turning to Cousin Sol to pass on a father’s wisdom. Hope you’ll listen to him, cause he was once the wisest man in the world.
‘Hear ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law. For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments and live.
Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline (turn away) from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: LOVE her, and she shall keep thee. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.’ (Prov.4:1-7)
Yes my brethren, wisdom, knowledge and understanding are the most important aspects of living a fruitful and sensible life. And how do we get all that? Friends, it begins with this warning from Cousin Sol: ‘The fear of the Lord (reverential awe) is the beginning of knowledge (principal beginning): but fools despise wisdom and instruction.’ (Prov.1:7)
Ah mih people, until and unless we revere the Lord God Almighty, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, true wisdom, knowledge and understanding will NEVER be ours. Why? Because that’s where it all comes from!
As James says: ‘If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not (without reproach); and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering (not doubting). For he that wavereth (doubts) is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.’ (James 1:5-8)
Yuh see friends, a wise life all has to do with reverence for God, blended with sincere trust and faith in His Word, His promises and plans for our lives. And Cousin Sol ends that li’l speech by declaring (right ho): ‘Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou doest embrace her. She shall give to (place on) thine head an ornament of grace, a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.’ (Prov.4:8-9)
Yes my people, that’s how powerful and important true wisdom and understanding are in our lives. We talking about that wisdom and understanding which comes from and through God, not the worldly stuff. So stop with all the horrors about carnival! Now that we finally see the light nuh, leh we go and do the people work and forget about carnival, because that is what Jesus expects of us. (smile) Much LOVE!
…thinking too much about mas…is not a sign of true wisdom…(smile)
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