10 Nov 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adversity, an attitude of the heart, be patient toward all men, comfort the feebleminded, divine help, don't render evil for evil, faith, faithful is He that calls you, Friday chant, holy spirit, in every thing give thanks, Jesus Christ, joy, LOVE, obedience to God's will, pray without ceasing, quench not the Spirit, reconciled back to the Father, rejoice evermore, return backsliders to your fold, sacrifices, salvation, sanctify you wholly, separated by the throes of sin, simmering discontent, support the weak, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, thanksgiving, the error of their ways, the God of peace, this is the will of God in Christ, trials and tribulations, truth, wake up and smell the coffee, warn them that are unruly, wisdom, wise guidance
1 Thessalonians 5:24. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
And as always, the usual worldwide shout of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ reverberated far and wide this Friday morning. And I can’t complain too much because I’m feeling a tad better, on the way to a full recovery, and the sun’s shining brightly out there amongst the clouds with a decent temperature! So there is cause for joy and thanksgiving! And talking about joy and thanksgiving, I just got the zeppo (smile) to turn to Bruh Paul’s warning to the Thessalonians, where he writes these remarkable words of Christian faith. So let’s pay attention, as he admonishes the church, both then and now.
‘Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly (insubordinate), comfort the feebleminded (faint-hearted), support the weak, be patient toward all men. See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5:14-18) Yes friends, those are some good words for us to meditate on this Friday morning as we end our workweek and begin our weekend of rest and rejuvenation. (smile)
And we all know those words are not easy to follow, especially in the evil and hateful climate that currently exists in our world. But Jesus told us from the very beginning that the Christian life would not be easy, but be full of trials and tribulations, requiring sacrifices and adversity. However, with His Holy Spirit dwelling within us, we would be well able to carry out whatever duties were required of us, provided we obeyed the leading and prompting of said Holy Spirit, for our God NEVER asks us to do anything without giving us the wherewithal to do it. Whatever He asks us to do, He conveniently anoints us to do it.
So, the onus is upon us when things don’t get done. And over the last couple of generations we have become a very disobedient and ungodly people thus the sorry state of our world. But despite our lack of obedience, the Lord doesn’t ever give up on us. He’s always there, encouraging us through the power of the Holy Spirit, so that we can repent and come back into His fold. Yes, it’s hard to rejoice and give thanks in all things, but that’s the plan the Lord has mapped out for each of us.
Yuh think Jesus wanted to go to the cross for a bunch of ungrateful sinners? Definitely not! But the Father asked it of Him, and being the obedient and LOVING Son that He was, He sacrificed his sinless self on the cross at Calvary so that we could be reconciled back to the Father, from whom we’d been so long separated by the throes of sin. And since the Father’s eventual plan is for each believer to be a facsimile or copy of the Son, then we have to learn to conform to some things that seem difficult and even unfair, knowing that in the end, the Lord will work it all out for our good!
Another thing, this prayer without ceasing, simply means that the Lord is always in our thoughts as we go through the day, and we’re either asking Him for help to handle what ever is before us, or giving Him thanks for helping us. It’s more an attitude of the heart than constant words coming out of our mouths. Furthermore, that attitude of prayer will help us to maintain gratitude in the face of adversity.
And the next few verses of Bruh Paul’s admonishment are just as important, as he writes: ‘Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast to that which is good. Abstain from all appearance (every form) of evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly (set you apart for His holy purpose); and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.’ (1 Thess. 5:19-24)
Ah mih people, it’s not an easy life, but overall it’s an excellent life, the best one we can possibly live on this earth. And the scholars offer these explanations on that verse, ‘Quench not the Spirit.’ They say: ‘Quench means putting out fire in Matthew 12:20, Ephesians 6:16, and Hebrews 11:34. Here it is employed metaphorically to mean “stifle” or “suppress.” The Christian can stifle the Holy Spirit’s workings by hindering Him from leading the believer to rejoice (vs. 16), to pray (vs. 17), to give thanks in adversity (vs. 18), and by despising prophetic utterances (vs. 20) inspired by the Spirit.’
So you see my fellow saints, everything is wrapped up in one big parcel, but we have the awesome help of the Holy Spirit to unravel anything we don’t understand. Remember the Holy Spirit is our Helper, our Comforter, our Guide, Jesus Christ, the Spirit of salvation in us! And let’s not forget that last verse we read: ‘Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.’ (1 Thess. 5:24) We need to truly believe that if we’re going succeed and enjoy the abundant life that Christ died for us to have, both here on earth, and in heaven above.
Now let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant asking for divine help in this dire time of need. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.
And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And having said that, we now need to do the obvious; turn from our evil ways and sincerely seek the Lord! Much LOVE!
…divine help occurs in direct proportion…to obedience to God’s will…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
27 Oct 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a disgruntled populace, a means of restoring faith in you, all men shall know ye are my disciples, and now abideth faith hope love, as unto the Lord and not unto men, being obedient to God's will, do it with all thy might, don't like our jobs, embrace your love and compassion, for ye serve the Lord Jesus Christ, Friday chant, going the extra mile, he that doeth wrong, if ye have love one to another, if you love me keep my commandments, Jesus Christ, LOVE, love covers a multitude of sins, Love makes the world go round, of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of inheritance, omnipotent help, only for the money, return backsliders to your fold, shall receive for the wrong that he hath done, simmering unrest, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the error of their ways, the example we faithful believers set, the greatest of these is charity (love), the Ten Commandments, there is no respect of persons, there is no work device knowledge nor wisdom in the grave, trusting faith, turning the other cheek, ungodly times, whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, whatsoever ye do do it heartily, wisdom, wise guidance, work by rote
Colossians 3:23. And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
So it’s Friday, and the universal shout of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ has gone up all around the world! What a world! When all we seem to live for is Friday and the upcoming weekend. It’s all about getting away from the boring, same old, same old jobs that we do during the week, a lot of them by rote, that’s automatically, without having to think about what we’re doing. And, unfortunately, not a great percentage of us like our jobs, we just put up with them because they earn us the money to keep our lives going.
What a sad thing it is when so many of us spend a lifetime doing jobs that we don’t like and are just looking forward to retirement and the time when we no longer have to do those mundane and boring jobs. It doesn’t say a whole lot for our society, when so many of our populace are disgruntled and dissatisfied. But thankfully, today we will learn how to avoid that self-defeating attitude of despising our jobs.
First up, these wise words of Bruh Paul in his letter to the Colossians. ‘And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Jesus Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.’ (Col. 3:23-25)
And all that means is that believers, regardless of our station in life – be it the lowliest worker or highest paid leader – ought to do the best work they can despite their circumstances, to work as though they were working directly for God and not for men. And that’s a fact too, because in the long run, it’s the Lord who will richly reward them for their good work, while repaying, without partiality, the wrong doers with judgement for their evil deeds.
And just in case you don’t believe Bruh Paul, then listen as Cousin Sol puts in in his perspective, writing as the Preacher in Ecclesiastes. He writes: ‘Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.’ (Eccl. 9:10) And isn’t that the awesome truth! It certainly is. That means whatever we do on earth is our portion to do, since there’s no working in the grave. Thus, we ought to do to the best of our ability and as though we’re doing it unto our Creator, Almighty God!
And above all, remember these key words of Jesus to the disciples: ‘If you LOVE me, keep my commandments.’ (John 14:15). Now that also pertains to us in this age. And what does He mean by that? He means that we should not only keep the basic Ten commandments, but also the moral commandments that He gave us. Like LOVING one another, going the extra mile, turning the other cheek, doing unto others as we desire them to do unto us, being excellent and diligent in our work, not being too judgemental or critical of others, especially when we’re guilty of the same things.
It’s those sorts of things that Jesus was more concerned about, things that were not written down as Old Testament law, but as His New Testament directives. It’s well documented about not killing and stealing nor committing adultery, but not His ways and the ways He wants us to follow. And besides, they were and still are in direct opposition to those of the world. And as He said earlier on: ‘By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:35)
Yes my fellow believers, ALL that Jesus teaches can be confirmed in one small but ever so powerful word: LOVE! If we go about showing the LOVE of Jesus, doing the same basic things He did, to the best of our human capabilities, then we’re keeping His commandment. For remember Bruh Paul’s treatise on LOVE in what we term the LOVE chapter; that’s 1 Corinthians 13:, where he enlightens us on all the wonderful things that constitute LOVE. Things like long-suffering, kindness, not given to boasting or arrogance, doesn’t behave rudely or selfishly, doesn’t think nor rejoice in evil, but rejoices in truth, etc. etc.
Then he ends with this perfect gem: ‘And now abideth faith, hope, charity (LOVE), these three, but the greatest of these is charity (LOVE).’ (1 Cor. 13:13) Oh my people, LOVE is indeed God’s greatest attribute, and He expects His followers to walk in the footsteps of His Son Jesus Christ, whom He gave to be crucified for our sins because He LOVED us. It’s as simple as that my brethren. The Lord doesn’t expect anything from us that He won’t do or hasn’t done himself.
And as we go out today, let’s remember these most poignant and true words of Peter. ‘And above all things, have fervent charity (LOVE) among yourselves: for charity (LOVE) shall cover the multitude of sins.’ (1 Pet. 4:8) And isn’t that the gospel truth! The LOVE of God towards us made Him send Jesus to die and cover our sins, and the LOVE we show to others, also covers both their sins and ours. So in one word, it’s all about LOVE! And having come to that awesome conclusion (smile) let’s now go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking the deep and sincere LOVE that we need to restore some sense of balance to our angry and terribly unbalanced world.
As one voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And the only way to receive divine help is by turning away from our evil deeds and being obedient to God’s will. So let’s do that now nuh, if we truly desire to hear a positive word from heaven. Much LOVE!
… LOVE makes the world go round…both literally and figuratively…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
16 Oct 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: according as he commanded them, divine help, enjoy the abundant life, face storms with a good attitude, faith, found grace in your eyes, his sons did unto him, hold on to God, humble ourselves, I will come again, it was a very great company, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep God first place in our lives, LOVE, mass confusion in our world, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, negative situaions, obedience, only a prayer away, Praise the Lord, pray, sinned and disobeyed your Word, the days o his mourning, the God who heals, the land of Canaan, the mourning of Egypt, the threshing floor of Atad, weekend slumber, wise guidance
Genesis 50:12. And his (Jacob’s) sons did unto him according as he commanded them.
And as surely as the sunshine follows the rain, and the moon the sun, so does Monday follow Sunday. It’s a day that many of us don’t like because it wakes us from our weekend slumber, but it’s all a part of this thing we call life, and instead of complaining about it, we had better grab it by the tail and swing with it, if we want to enjoy the abundant life that Christ died for us to have. And all God’s people said, ‘Praise the Lord!’
Yes, for our own sakes, we had better hold on to God. Do like Bruh Joseph did despite his many trials and much tribulation, most of which were unfair and unjust. And as the Lord promised, when the time was right, He came through for him. The Lord will do the same for each one of us who faces our storms with a good attitude and keep Him first place in our lives.
Now, the last time we saw Bruh Joseph his father Jacob had died after blessing his sons and making them promise to bury him in the land of Canaan with his fathers, Isaac and Abraham. Bruh Joseph had therefore had Jacob’s body embalmed and the Egyptians mourned for the patriarch for sixty days.
The Bible then tells us: ‘And when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spake unto the house of Pharaoh, saying, If now I have found grace (favour) in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying, My father made me swear, saying, Lo, I die: in my grave which I have digged for me in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me. Now, therefore let me go up, I pray thee, and bury my father, and I will come again. And Pharaoh said, Go up, and bury thy father, according as he made thee swear.’ (Gen. 50:4-6)
It’s obvious that Pharaoh was very proud of and understanding where Bruh Joseph was concerned. And he had just cause because Bruh Joseph had saved Egypt from certain ruin during the years of the severe famine, and even made Pharaoh richer than he had previously been.
Thus, the Bible relates: ‘And Joseph went up to bury his father: and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt. And all the house of Joseph and his brethren, and his father’s house: only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen. And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen: and it was a very great company.’ (Gen. 50:7-9)
Wow! Jacob certainly had a big, royal-like send off. But he deserved it for he was indeed royalty; the patriarch of Israel. And it’s interesting how the Egyptians treated the Hebrews in the early days, as opposed to four hundred years later, under the Pharaoh who supposedly didn’t know of Bruh Joseph and the history of the Hebrew children in Egypt.
And the Good Library continues: ‘And they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond Jordan, and they mourned with a great and very sore (solemn) lamentation: and he made (observed) a mourning for his father seven days. And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the floor of Atad, they said, This is a grievous mourning to the Egyptians: wherefore the name of it was called Abel-mizraim (Mourning of Egypt), which is beyond Jordan.’ (Gen. 50: 10-11)
Imagine that nuh, the great sorrow expressed by the Egyptians over a Hebrew man. That was when the Hebrews were a mere handful of people, before they grew into such a substantial amount of people, that they threatened the Egyptian’s security, and had to be enslaved to keep them quiet.
‘And his (Jacob’s) sons did unto him according as he commanded them. For his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field for a possession of a buryingplace of Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre. And Joseph returned into Egypt, he, and his brethren, and all that went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father.’ (Gen. 50:12-14)
Oh mih people, can you imagine the spectacle that funeral must have been? With Egyptians and Hebrews, chariots and horses, plus food carts and whatever moving over the land from Egypt to Canaan. And on the way to Canaan land, they stopped for seven days and partied on the threshing floor of Atad. It was such an immense spectacle that the Canaanites changed the name of the place to Abel-mizraim (the Mourning of Egypt).
At that moment in time, all of the great Hebrew patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, had finally been put to rest in the land that their God had promised to their descendants. And the Hebrew people went on growing and prospering in the land of Goshen in Egypt, through the generous auspices of their great God. Likewise, we can also prosper if we sincerely turn to Him for help… and do we ever need a monumental amount of help in our world right now.
So, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, let’s go to the throne of grace in confident humility and ask for divine help to handle our many earthly problems. As one voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
It’s obvious then, that our next step is to change our evil ways…if we truly desire to receive divine help. Much LOVE!
…with sincere obedience…divine help is only a prayer away…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
13 Oct 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fruitful bough, be responsible, blessings of heaven above, blessings of the breasts, crying out for help, divine help, Friday chant, Friday the 13th, he whom thy brethren shall praise, Him to Whom It Belongs, his clothes in the blood of grapes, introduce a new flock of believers, Jesus Christ, Lion of the tribe of Judah, LOVE, on the crown of the head, on the neck of thine enemies, one truth from the Bible, return backsliders to your fold, simmering unrest, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the error of their ways, the example your faithful believers set, the Messiah, the sceptreshall not depart from Judah, the twelve tribes of Israel, the unexpected storms, the weekend, thy father's children shall bow down before thee, until Shiloh come, wake up and and smell the coffee, washed his garments in wine, wise guidance, worth more than all the wisdom of man
Genesis 49:8. Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: …thy father’s children shall bow down before thee.
And it’s one of those Friday the 13th days, when all the old wives tales surface. Tales like don’t walk beneath a ladder today, or don’t let a black cat cross your path. There’s also the superstition that the number 13 itself is unlucky, that’s why you don’t find 13th floors in buildings or elevators. But be that as it may, we’ll still joyfully declare ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here at last!’ Although this was just a four-day work week. (smile) So, without further ado, let’s get down to the Father’s business. That means to continue looking at Bruh Joseph’s amazing and intriguing story, as we promised if God spared life. And since He most mercifully did so, let’s get to it!
We’ve reached the point where the old patriarch Jacob, hitherto known as Israel, calls his sons together to bless them. And it’s from him that we derive the twelve tribes of Israel. Now there are actually eleven sons of his loins, but we’ve seen where He adopts or calls the first two sons of Bruh Joseph his. But when the Promised Land is divided up, Bruh Joseph doesn’t have a tribe, but his two sons do, which makes it twelve. Anyway, Jacob on his deathbed calls his sons together and blesses them according to the order of their birth, with Reuben the oldest first, and Benjamin, the youngest last.
The scholars tell us: ‘Jacob concludes his life as other saints who spoke a blessing before their end: Isaac (Gen. 27), Moses (Deut. 33), Joshua (Josh. 24), and Samuel (1 Sam. 12).’ Now, we don’t have either time nor space to go through all the blessings, so we’ll only go through the two most important ones, Bruh Joseph’s, because it’s his story we’re dealing with, and Judah’s because his line turned out to be the most influential. And just for interest’s sake, those two have the longest blessings.
So, let’s begin with Bruh Joseph’s blessing. Jacob said: ‘Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall. The archers have sorely (bitterly) grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: But his bow abode in strength (remained strong), and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)
Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under (beneath), blessings of the breasts, and of the womb: The blessings of thy father have prevailed (excelled) above the blessings of my progenitors (ancestors) unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.’ (Gen. 49:22-26)
Yes friends, though Bruh Joseph was separated from his brothers through envy and jealousy, the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob kept him strong, showed him favour in his many trials, and eventually blessed him with great honour and material wealth, and he would go on to do well, if he kept walking with the Lord.
As for Judah, Jacob said: ‘Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in (on) the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee (reminiscent of Bruh Joseph’s dream). Judah is a lion’s welp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped (crouches), he couched (lies) down as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?
The sceptre (symbol of kingship) shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering (obedience) of the people be. Binding his foal (donkey) unto the vine, and his ass’s (donkey’s) colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: His eyes shall be red with (darker than) wine, and his teeth white with (whiter than) milk.’ (Gen. 49:8-12)
And what does all of that mean eh? Let’s get some insight from the scholars. They say ‘The key thought is expressed as the sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. The sceptre was a symbol of royal power. Lawgiver, according to Speiser, refers to a mace. Etymologically (in its origins), it is something pertaining to a legislator or one in authority, and from the context, an analogue of (comparison to) the sceptre. When a dignity was seated, the staff would rest between his feet.
Jacob was not saying his (Judah’s) rule would end when Shiloh came. On the contrary, this term denotes the turning point at which the superiority of Judah will continue, and at that time to be enlarged to embrace all nations. Shiloh is a hidden name for Messiah; it is made up of three grammatical parts (sh–l– oh) meaning “Him to Whom it (the Sceptre or Kingdom ) Belongs.” It is not to be taken as a proper name for Messiah, nor does it refer to the town where the tabernacle was later established, for this would be meaningless prophetically.
The phrase and unto him shall be the gathering of the people be means, literally, “And unto him shall be the obedience of the peoples.” This can refer only to the Messiah. Thus the reference to a lion in verse 9 points to that One who is called “the Lion of the tribe of Judah.” (Rev. 5:5). Verses 11 and 12 describe the millennial prosperity (cf. Is. 11:1-9; Ezek. 34:23-31; Amos 9:11-15).’
Yes my people, it sounds very complicated and difficult to understand, but the long and short of the story is that Judah would be the tribe, the line from which the Messiah, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ would come. That’s why Jacob prophesied so mightily in Judah’s blessing. And it just goes to show all the foreshadowing that the Lord did when compiling His Word. Even from the days of Jacob a Messiah was in the works. That’s why we say the Lord is indeed the greatest dramatist there is! But He is also the Creator and Controller, the One to whom we need to go for divine help for our earthly problems. So, let’s do that right now nuh, through our Friday Chant.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And the operative words in that prayer my people are ‘by the example, we, your faithful believers set.’ So please, let’s be about setting a good example nuh. Much LOVE!
…one truth from the Bible…is worth…more than all the wisdom of man…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
06 Oct 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a shrewd operator, be obedient ot God and His Word, be servants unto Pharaoh, birth of the Jewish nation, buy us and our lands for bread, compassion, divine help, earthly problems, famine, Friday chant, gave them bread in exchange for livestock, give the fifth part unto Pharaoh, His unfailing goodness grace and mercy, Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house, labour migration, let us find grace in the sight of my lord, LOVE, no bread in all the land, Praise the Lord, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, thou hast saved our lives, throne of grace, tthe feudal system, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee, wherefore shall we die, wise guidance
Genesis 27:45. Thou hast saved our lives: let us find grace (favour) in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants.
And the rains came… Yes friends, at long last some rain fell in my area last night. And the beauty of it all is that this Friday morning has opened, clean, fresh, bright and sunshiny! And the temperature isn’t too bad either, in the high teens. So, when we say, ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ we have more to be thankful for than just the end of the workweek and the start of the weekend. Give our good God some praise and thanks nuh, for His excellent kindness to us, this first Friday in October 2023. And all God’s people said a loud and grateful, ‘Praise the Lord for His unfailing goodness, grace and mercy to the children of men!’
Now, let’s see what’s happening with Bruh Joseph and his family in the land of Egypt. In our last episode we saw where Jacob and his family came to Egypt during the famine, met Pharoah and got his permission to settle in the fertile land of Goshen, where Bruh Joseph provided generously for them. Meanwhile, the Bible informs us: ‘And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore (severe), so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted (languished) by reason of the famine. And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn (grain) which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house.’ (Gen. 47:13-14)
Bruh Joseph was certainly a shrewd operator, a true son of Jacob’s loins. (smile) But that was not the half of it. For the Bible continues: ‘And when the money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? For the money faileth. And Joseph said, Give your cattle (livestock); and I will give you (bread) for your cattle, if money fail. And they brought their cattle (livestock) unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses (donkeys): and he fed (supplied) them with bread (in exchange) for all their cattle for that year.’ (Gen. 47:15-17)
Now, you’d think that would have solved the situation, but no, it only intensified the drama, because as the Good Library tells us: ‘When that year was ended, they came unto him (Joseph) the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord hath also our herds of cattle (livestock); there is not ought (nothing) left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies and our lands. Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our lands? buy us and our lands for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate.
And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharoah; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed (was severe) over them: so the land became Pharaoh’s. And as for the people, he (Joseph) removed (moved) them to the cities from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof.’ (Gen. 47: 18-21)
Bubba! Bruh Joseph was practicing a form of labour migration, moving people around for employment purposes, long before it before it became popular (smile). However, there was one exception to Bruh Joseph’s total ‘Pharaohanization’ of the land. ‘Only the land of the priests bought he not; for the priests had a portion assigned (rations allotted) them of Pharaoh, and did eat their portion (rations) which Pharaoh gave them: wherefore they sold not their lands.’ (Gen. 47:23) So, in all of Egypt, only the lands of the priests did not officially belong to Pharaoh.
Now, I wonder what Pharoah was saying to all the accumulation of wealth and property and power that Bruh Joseph was piling up in his name? And I guess, since he was a human being with a selfish and greedy sin nature, that must have thrilled him. But neither Pharoah nor us, had heard or seen the last of Bruh Joseph’s accumulative and power building moves.
Listen, as the Bible relates it: ‘Then Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh: lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land. And it shall come to pass in the increase, that ye shall give the fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones. And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: let us find grace (favour) in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants. And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt unto this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth part; except the land of the priests only, which became not Pharaoh’s.’ (Gen. 47:23-26)
Mama oh Mama! Bruh Joseph might just have begun the feudal system in Egypt, a system whereby, in a simplified form, the lower classes worked the land and other industry for the upper classes in return for food and protection. One commentary says: ‘It can be broadly defined as a system for structuring society around relationships derived from the holding of land, known as a fiefdom or fief, in exchange for service or labour.’ And it’s a system that found great purchase during the medieval and middle ages in Europe.
Ah friends, did Bruh Joseph turn out to be a saviour or a monster? Was that the plan he had in mind all along, or did it just happen as the circumstances were played out. Who knows? But it’s for sure that the teenaged Hebrew lad sold into slavery by his jealous and evil brothers, with the help of our great God, did have a major impact on the land of Egypt and the lives of the Egyptians, as well as laying the foundations for the birth of the Jewish nation, the seed of Abraham, promised to him so long before by his faithful and awesome God.
And just like the Lord helped Abraham and his descendants back then, He still helps us when we go to Him in sincere and humble obeisance. So, let’s do that right now nuh, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking heavenly help for our earthly problems. Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help.
Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you.
Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And if we hope to see divine changes, then we need to do as we said…wake up and smell the coffee! Much LOVE!
…the ONLY way to get divine help…is by being obedient to God and His Word…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
29 Sep 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: at the drop of a hat, be responsible, between a rock and a hard place, boomerangs back on us, chickens coming home to roost, divine help, Friday chant, God did send me before you to preserve life, introduce a new flock of believers, Jesus Christ, knocked them down with a feather, machinations, made me a father to Pharaoh, mercy, problems escalating, return backsliders to your fold, struck fear in their hearts, sunshine lollipops and roses, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the apex, the climax of the story, the error of their ways, the moral of the story, the thrilling saga, the tremendous ramifications, throne of grace, to preserve you a posterity, turn into a nightmarish scene, wake up and smell the coffee, wisdom, wise guidance, wrong doings come back to haunt us
Genesis 45: 5b. for God did send me before you to preserve life.
And today when we say, ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ we truly mean it, because it’s just another beautiful day in the life! Sunshine, lollipops and roses! Oh friends, it’s too good to be true, but we had better enjoy these wonderful days while we have them, for the weather is so contrary these days, that it can turn into a nightmarish scene at the drop of a hat.
So, let’s give our great God thanks and praise for all the many undeserved blessings He’s so generously bestowed on us. And all God’s children declared (yesss!!!): ‘We thank You Lord for Your goodness and mercy. Please help us to truly appreciate them and live the way You desire, in sincere obedience to You and Your word. This we pray in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And now it’s time to turn to the next episode in the thrilling saga of Bruh Joseph that set the stage for so much stuff, many, many moons ago. And some of us who don’t know Bruh Joseph’s story will be surprised to know the tremendous ramifications it had in the world back then, and still has to this day. Now, we saw yesterday where Judah implores Bruh Joseph to keep him as a slave instead of Benjamin, because if they returned without Benjamin, it would surely kill his father.
And finally friends, we’ve reached the apex, the climax of the story. Bruh Joseph, set between a rock and a hard place by his brother’s heartfelt plea, finally breaks down. The Bible tells it thus: ‘Then Joseph could not refrain (restrain) himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren!’ (Gen. 45:1)
Yes mih people, our ingenious machinations always catch up with us at some time or the other. And now the chickens are finally coming home to roost between Bruh Joseph and his brothers. And the Good Library continues: ‘And he (Joseph) wept aloud: and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard. And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him, for they were troubled (dismayed) at his presence.’ (Gen. 45:2-3)
What an incredible moment that must have been in the brothers’ lives! Discovering that this powerful, well-dressed Egyptian-looking man was there long lost brother obviously came as a big surprise, you could have knocked them down with a feather! And furthermore, the revelation must have struck tremendous fear in their hearts, as they remembered the terrible deed they had done to him so long ago. Oh mih bredrin, our wrong doings, do come back to haunt us, so please, let’s refrain from them as much as possible nuh, so we won’t have them boomerang back on us at some future date.
Anyway, the heightened drama of the saga continues: ‘And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved or angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.’ (Gen. 45:-5) Wow! Bruh Joseph had finally understood what God was doing in his life! Wish many more of us could do the same, for we would cause ourselves much less pain and heartache.
And Bruh Joseph continues to reveal the situation to his brothers. ‘For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing (plowing) nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity (a remnant) in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharoah, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.’ (Gen. 45:6-8)
Mama Mia! What must the brothers have thought? They must have trembled with fear. It’s surprising that none of them fainted. But according to the scholars: ‘In spite of many assurances, this uneasiness before their brother persisted for many years (cf. 50:15). They were literally “terrified, trembling.” Joseph gave a clear testimony to God’s working providentially in his own life when he said: God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity … and to save your lives … so now it was not you that sent me hither, but God. The phrase He hath made me a father unto Pharaoh is an expression applied to Egyptian viziers (Prime Ministers) as far back as the third millennium B.C.’
Yes, my fellow believers, we finally see and understand what God was doing in Bruh Joseph’s life! All the trials and tribulations he unfairly underwent were necessary for him to become the Leader and Saviour of his family as the Lord’s script required. That’s why I keep repeating that our God is the greatest dramatist ever! No one else can envision and produce the kind of ups and downs, the ins and outs and connect the dots like He can. And I’m sure that many of us today are being used in the same manner, for some uplifting purpose of which we’re completely unaware, and consequently undergoing troubles that we don’t understand.
But the moral of the story is that we must leave it all in God’s hands, for He created us, as well as the plans for our lives, which He solemnly promised were for good and not calamity, to give us a future and a hope, just like He did for Bruh Joseph and his family way back when. So, let’s not get upset and angry with God when we undergo stuff that seems unfair, for He’s working it all out for our good, just in His way and time. And if we faithfully endure with Him, we’ll eventually see the masterpiece that He’s planned for our lives finally blossom forth, and then we’ll fully understand His amazing dramatic potential. (smile)
Now, let’s go to Him, at the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, confidently, but humbly asking for divine grace and wisdom in these very serious times of need. As one voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help.
Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And if we truly want to see divine help, then we need to do what it requires; that’s turning from our evil ways, and being obedient to God’s dictates! Much LOVE!
…the Lord’s plans for our lives…are seldom clearly understood…but through sincere faith and total trust…we can see them through to fruition…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
18 Sep 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a merciful forgiving and gracious God, alleviate our many problems, as the day follows the night, batter down the enemy, come sunshine or rain, difficult to get over the loss of a child, divine help, fighting tooth and nail, for God made me forget all my toil, God hath caused me to be fruitful, God's people rise up and fight as one, humanitarian age, humble ourselves and pray, in all the land of Egypt there was bread, in the land of my affliction, Jehovah Rapha, Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt, Joseph's youngest brother Benjamin, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, mass confusion in our world, Monday follows sunday, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, peradventure mischief befall him, Satan's evil empire, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, that we may live and not die, the best method of defence is attack, the famine was so sore in all lands, the God who heals, the seven years of famine, the sunshine the rain, these times of plenty, turn from our evil ways, unite as one, wise guidance
Genesis 42:3. And Joseph’s ten brethren (brothers) went down to buy corn (grain) in Egypt.
And as the day follows the night, and the sunshine the rain, likewise Monday follows Sunday, come rain or shine! (smile) Yes friends, that’s just the way it is, how the universe was set up by its Creator, Almighty God. And try as hard as we might, we won’t change it, one day will always follow the next like clockwork. It therefore behooves us to just try and make the best of those days called Mondays. With the Lord’s help, prepare to meet them head on, don’t try to run away from them, for remember, the best method of defence is attack!
So, with those words of wisdom for this Monday morning, let’s get back to the riveting story of Bruh Joseph in Egypt. We last saw him in the seven years of abundance, during which time the Lord blessed him with two sons by his Egyptian wife Asenath; the first he called Manasseh, ‘for God, said he hath made me forget all my toil, and all my Father’s house.’ (Gen. 41:51) In other words, the hardship brought upon him by his envious brothers was a thing of the past. And the second son, he named Ephraim, ‘For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.’ (Gen. 41:52)
Now, it’s time to move on to the drama of the seven years of famine. And the Bible informs us thus: ‘And the seven years of plenteousness, that was in the land of Egypt, were ended. And the seven years of dearth (famine) began to come, as Joseph had said: and the dearth (famine) was in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharoah for bread: and Pharoah said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph, what he saith to you, do.
And the famine was over all the face of the earth: And Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore (became severe) in the land of Egypt. And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn (grain); because the famine was so sore (severe) in all lands.’ (Gen. 41:53-57)
And yuh know what friends, right now there is severe famine in many countries, in many parts of the earth, but the sad part is that those experiencing the famine either have no means, that’s money or transportation, to go and buy food elsewhere, assuming that other countries would even sell it to them. Yes, even in this supposed humanitarian age, and these times of plenty, way too many people around the globe are starving for food and the other basic necessities of life; clothing and shelter.
But then, all the natural disasters that have recently struck our world; forest fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and earthquakes, pandemics, just to name a few, are only making life increasingly difficult for all of us to handle. And that’s why we so badly need a LOVE REVOLUTION: a powerful uprising of LOVE for God and each other, under the compassionate and protective umbrella of the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! For that’s the only way we will ever break ourselves out of the total mess, the strife, the resentment, hatred, anger and ungodliness in which we’re currently mired.
Unfortunately though, the soldiers of Satan’s evil empire are fighting us tooth and nail to prevent the LOVE REVOLUTION from being successful. And the only way to counter that is by increasing our godly ardour and valiantly fighting back safely clothed in the full armour of God. So, since we know what to do, let’s get together and do it nuh! Let’s unite as one and batter down the enemy, for it’s what our Lord and Leader, Jesus Christ expects of us. And all God’s people said a loud and positive ‘Amen! So be it!’
Now, let’s get back to that famous famine where Bruh Joseph was the man controlling the food. And this is where the drama really gets ramped up. The Good Library records: ‘Now when Jacob saw that there was corn (grain) in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another? And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn (grain) in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die. And Joseph’s ten brethren (brothers) went down to buy corn (grain) in Egypt. But Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief (some calamity) befall him.’ (Gen. 42:1-4)
Ah mih people, yuh see how difficult it is, if not impossible, to get over the loss of a child, especially a favoured one. It’s obvious that Jacob was still thinking, some twenty years later, about what had happened to his other young son Joseph, and was afraid to let Benjamin, the child of his old age out of his sight. But what Jacob and the rest of us consistently fail to remember is that the life of mankind is strictly controlled by the greatest dramatist and planner in existence, that’s the Lord God Jehovah! And having made that oh so true statement, let’s take this precious opportunity to go to Him, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, for divine help with our many earthly problems.
As one voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And since we’ve just said, that to get divine help, we need to humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek God’s face, let’s do just that nuh! Much LOVE!
…Satan can be defeated…but only if God’s people rise up and fight as ONE…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
01 Sep 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a badge of honour, a future and a hope, busyness, coddling a pent-up rebellion, don't know whether we're coming or going, drunk or sober mind your business, embrace your love and compassion, for His name's sake, Friday chant, get away from alarm clocks, God has our best interest at heart, he leadeth me beside still waters, he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness, he maketh me to lie down in green pastures, he restoreth my soul, I know the thoughts I think toward you, I shall not want, introduce a new flock of believers, labour day weekend, LOVE, Once in a while we can, once in a while we can do what we want to, One Year Book of Bible promises, only God can satisfy our deepest longings, our competitive society, return backsliders to your fold, running on the treadmill of life, show them the error of their ways, simmering unrest, take a break, the constantly spinning merry-go-round of life, The Lord is my shepherd, the shattering pressures, the unexpected storms, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end, wake up and smell the coffee, wise guidance
Psalm 23:1. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
And as we open our day and say ‘TGIF Thank God it’s Friday, and the weekend is here at last!’ we are beholding a bright, new, sunshiny day, as well as a new month, that of September, which unfortunately spells the end of the summer vacation season, and a return to work and school. But them’s the breaks, as Job so rightly said, we can’t expect to have all good and no bad, at least what we consider bad. (Job 2:10)
Now, if the weather forecasters are to be believed, September is supposed to come in like a lion with a week of hot temps, and not like the lamb it usually is, bringing cold temps after Labour Day. And this is the Labour Day long weekend, so you know the partying will be plentiful, but I’m pleading with us, to not overdo the celebrations, and as Granny would say: ‘Sonny boy, please, ah beg yuh, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business!’ Yes friends, this weekend, please, let’s all mind our business, and let’s be sober, rather than the former state nuh. (smile)
Now here’s an interesting and encouraging tidbit from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s titled ‘Once in a While We Can.’ So please read with me: ‘One bright Sunday when I was twelve, I didn’t want to go to church. I wasn’t coddling a pent-up rebellion. I simply pictured a leisurely day away from “have to” things. How to explain and be understood! Finally I just blurted it out as Mother prepared breakfast.
She listened attentively. “Honey,” she said calmly, “we can’t always do what we feel like doing without hurting someone.” That settled it, I thought. I was sorry I had asked. Suddenly I heard. “But once in a while we can do what we want to – just because we want to. You may stay home this Sunday.” The memory of that day is still vivid. Not because I stayed home from church, but because I learned a profound lesson. Once in a while we can!
Once in a while we can get away from alarm clocks, peanut-butter jars, milk cartons… away from the shattering pressures of our competitive society. Once in a while we need to get away from work, family, friends, and pressing commitments. Often we lose the capacity for personal enjoyment. Once in a while we need to walk, think, and meditate. Only God can satisfy our deepest longings. He longs for us to share our private secrets with Him. Once in a while we can.’
And is all of that ever so true my fellow believers! Our world is so competitive, so busy and running 24/7 that we can’t always be running on the treadmill of life and be successful. No! Sometimes we just have to get off of the constantly rolling treadmill, take a break from the constantly spinning merry-go-round and refresh ourselves. Take some time for us to think and walk peacefully, not at the pace our world wants to go. And in those quiet and thoughtful moments, our thoughts ought to be centered on our Creator, Almighty God, the ONLY ONE who can truly satisfy the longings of our troubled and tired souls.
Ah friends, our world is so busy, with most of us busy but going nowhere fast, or nowhere at all. Busyness these days is looked upon as a badge of honour. And it’s the number one excuse for not keeping our promises. ‘Oh, I was so busy!’ Busy doing what? Stuff the world considers important, but God considers unimportant! The world has us running so fast that oftentimes we don’t know whether we’re coming or going. It’s time to stop and consider our priorities my people. That is if we want to make it to the end, all in one piece.
And the only way to do that is by having the Lord God Jehovah as our Number One Priority, while following His will and plan for our lives. Remember what He says in Jeremiah? ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you and expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer. 29:11) Now does the devil have your best interest at heart? No way! He just wants you to do his evil will and couldn’t care less what happens to you, once you do it.
But our great God is different. He always has our best interest at heart, because He truly cares about us. We’re His creation and He wants us to spend eternity with Him, not with the evil Satan. That’s why He went so far as to send His sinless Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross at Calvary so our sins could be bought and paid for with his precious blood. Now doesn’t that spell compassion and care? It certainly does.
And before I forget, (smile) let’s see what’s the Bible Promise for today’s writing. And boy oh boy, it’s these marvelous words of Bruh David, but in the NLV translation. ‘The Lord is my shepherd, I have everything I need. He lets me rest in green pastures; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honour to his name.’
I’m sorry though friends, that translation doesn’t cut it for me. So, let’s declare (yesss!!!) the real McCoy nuh. ‘The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.’ (Ps. 23:1-3) Now that sounds more like it! And yes, I am biased towards the King James Version! (smile)
Now let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking help for our many earthly problems. As one voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help.
Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And having committed all of that to prayer, it will be in our best interest to keep our promises and improve our evil ways. Much LOVE!
…the Chrisitan life should not be a constant merry-go-round…every so often…we need to come off and take a break…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
28 Aug 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bitter pill in his mouth, a toothless lion, bring glad tidings of good things, disciples are on duty 24/7, how beautiful are the feet, impenetrable suit of spiritual armour, Jehovah Rapha, longsuffering, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, no weapon formed against thee shall prosper, of them that preach the gospel of peace, perseverance, put on the whole armour of God, sincere repentance, Spirit led freedom, takes root in a person's life, the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the God who heals, the Great Commission, the helmet of salvation, the heritage of the servants of the Lord, the keys of hell death and the grave, the shield of faith, the truth of the gospel, the two edged sword of the Spirit, turn from our evil ways, wise guidance, with a loud bark but no bite
Romans 10:15. How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things.
Hold on children…Yes, children of God…Please hold on securely to Jesus this Monday morning, as the evil one and his ungodly minions get their ammunition together in the workplace, to try and belittle you, to discount your witness and testimony for our Lord and Saviour! But remember our God faithfully promised that ‘No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me, saith the Lord.’ (Is. 54:17)
Yes my fellow believers, that’s the promise of our faithful God, who’s stating that ‘anyone who is seeking to do evil against believers will fail. Though for a time it may seem that we are defeated in a situation, God assures us the victory.’ So please don’t let the loud mouths pushing Satan’s agenda, to discombobulate or confuse you with their foolishness. You have your own agenda to foster and promote, the Great Commission of Christ. And as the Bible says: ‘How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things.’ ( Rom. 10:15)
Now, that’s what you’re about: beautiful feet spreading the good news and glad tidings of Christ’s gospel, and nothing in this world is more important than that! And I like this commentary on that scripture. ‘Paul knows that the feet of the gospel preachers are beautiful because of the nature of the gospel. The good news of Jesus Christ sets people free from sin, destruction and eternal judgment. When the truth of the gospel takes root in a person’s life they are given Spirit led freedom to overcome all vices of life.’
Wow! That’s why it’s so wonderful to spread the good news of Christ’s gospel! And that’s exactly why the devil doesn’t want us spreading it. He knows that once it gets into your system, your inner man, he’s lost the battle, and he can’t stand losing, it’s like a bitter pill in his mouth, especially after Christ Jesus won the victory over death, hell and the grave, took away the keys to those places and left him a toothless lion just running around with a loud bark, but no bite.
So today, let’s wind up our faith, raise our confidence sky high with all the scriptures buried deep in our hearts, and unleash them against the enemy and his evildoing cronies, letting them know that they are in a serious spiritual battle and the children of God, the saints of the Most High God are not to be toyed with, or considered to be easy pickings. (smile) Especially not when we’re dressed in our immaculate and impenetrable suit of spiritual armour; the whole armour of God, that allows us to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.
No sir! We are indeed invincible when our loins are girded with the belt of truth, our chests protected by the breastplate of righteousness, and our feet shod with the preparation or eagerness of the gospel of peace, and our heads protected by the helmet of salvation. And armed to the teeth with the shield of faith in one hand to quench the fiery arrows of the evildoers, and in the other hand, the mighty two-edged sword of the Spirit, that’s the inerrant and infallible word of God! And as a lagniappe or extra, in our back pockets we have the awesome power of prayer to guide us with all perseverance and longsuffering! (Eph. 6:10-18)
Now, how can anyone thus prepared for battle be defeated eh? No way Jose! Ah friends, that’s the way we need to go out every day, dressed to the nines with God’s armour, unleashing His amazing word, while filled with His Holy Spirit who leads and guides us in spiritual battle. And yes, it all sounds wonderful and heroic, but the truth is it takes plenty of practice, plenty of sacrifice, plenty humility, and plenty backbone and belly. Like everything we want to be good at, we have to spend a lot of time on it.
Thus, to be good at spiritual battle means reading, studying and meditating on the word, knowing it, so you can put it into action. Then continually going up against Satan’s temptations and besting him nine times out of ten. And believe you me, when you tell the Lord that you want to be a warrior for Him, He is going to provide you with lots of opportunities to prove yourself. So it’s not an easy task to live and fight for Christ, but it’s very interesting and rewarding. And here are the basic credentials Christ set out for discipleship. ‘If any man will come after (follow) me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23)
Yuh see that mih bredrin, following Jesus calls for daily involvement, daily participation in activities on His behalf; be it beating down the devil and his evil cronies, spreading the gospel, or simply being kind and offering an encouraging smile to someone in need. Once you’re a disciple of Christ you’re always on duty, 24/7! And we need to remember that as we go out to do battle today.
Now let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, to ask for divine help to handle our many earthly problems. Altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world.
Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And as always, to receive divine intervention, we need to improve our covenant behaviour! Much LOVE!
…being a true disciple of Jesus…means putting your best foot forward…as often as possible…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
25 Aug 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a means of restoring faith in you, a new flock of believers, as the day follows the night, backsliders, commit thy way unto the Lord, compassion of Jesus, delight thyself also in the Lord, error of their ways, evil and ungodly times, fret not thyself because of evildoers, Friday chant, give thee the desires of thine heaert, God is good to Israel, God's promised never to leave nor forsake us, he shall bring it to pass, I saw the prosperity of the wicked, I was envious of the foolish, increase in riches, Jeusus is faithful, LOVE, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity, omnipotent help, prosperity of the wicked, simmering unrest, sin is enticing, stand strong and steadfast, sunshine lollipops and roses, test his own personal relationship with God, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the repercussions of sin, the righteous are chastened, the ungodly who prosper, the weekend, their eyes stand out with fatness, thou shalt be fed, trust in the Lord and do good, trusting faith, violence covereth them as a garment, wise guidance
Psalm 73:3. For I was envious at the foolish (boastful), when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
And after a wet and foggy night, Friday has turned out somewhat sunny, but the cloud cover is still there threatening the blue skies that are peaking out. (smile) But that hasn’t stopped us from zestfully proclaiming: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here at last!’ And believe me, as August is winding down, there won’t be many more warm and pleasant weekends, as the cold weather begins to take over. But we know that we can handle whatever comes against us, because we have Jesus on our side, and He’s promised never to leave nor forsake us. (Heb. 13:5) Give Him some thanks and praise my brethren, for He is as faithful as the day follows the night.
Ah friends, as I was perusing the Good Library, looking for something to write on, I came upon Psalm 73, a psalm of Asaph, titled ‘Prosperity of the Wicked.’ It’s one I know, but haven’t read for some time, and it suddenly struck me as being very appropriate for these evil and ungodly times. For it points out how easy it is to lose our faith and fall into evil doings, when we see the wicked prosper in spite of their ungodliness. Now, the scholars have some wonderful explanations on it, so I’ve decided to follow their lead.
They say: ‘This psalm is another dealing with the problem of the prosperity of the wicked. Unlike Psalm 37, however, it does not emphasize the brevity of that prosperity.’ And Psalm 37 is Bruh David’s famous psalm that says: ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.’ (Ps. 37:1-2) However, the author of Psalm 73, Asaph, ‘observes that sometimes the bounty achieved by the wicked does in fact last throughout life (v.4)’ And we have all seen the wicked prosper throughout their entire lives.
But Asaph ‘emphasizes every believer’s need to test his own personal relationship with God. That alone provides the ultimate satisfaction available to the believer who witnesses the affluence of the wicked. The psalm contains two key parts, first the psalmist describes the problem of the wicked’s prosperity (vs. 1-16). Not only is it an objective fact (vs. 4-12), but it almost caused him to stumble spiritually and lose his faith (vs. 1-3, 13-16) So now that we have some idea of what the psalm is all about, let’s read it together.
‘Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean (pure) heart. But as for me, my feet were almost gone (I almost stumbled); my steps had well nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish (boastful), when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no bands (pangs, pain) in their death: but their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men. Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain (serves as a necklace); violence covereth them as a garment.
Their eyes stand out with fatness (bulge with abundance): they have more than their heart could wish. They are corrupt (scoff), and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily (proudly). They set their mouth against the heavens: and their tongue walketh through the earth. Therefore his people return hither: and waters of a full cup are wrung out to (drained by) them. And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High? Behold, these are the ungodly who prosper (who are always at ease) in the world; they increase in riches.’ (Ps. 73:1-12)
Oh my people, haven’t we all seen what Asaph is speaking about in these evil and wicked times, when the rich seek even more than they can ever use, but their greed is so rampant that they are willing to oppress and even kill the poor to satisfy their greedy and lustful desires. And despite their greed, evil deeds and ungodliness, they prosper in this evil and ungodly world. Meanwhile, the righteous are chastened, as Asaph writes.
‘Verily I have cleansed my heart (kept my heart pure) in vain, and washed my hands in innocency (innocence). For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning. If I say, I will speak thus: behold I should offend against (would have been untrue to) the generation of thy children. When I thought to know (understand) this, it was too painful for me (troublesome in my eyes); Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.’ (Ps. 73: 13-17)
Yes my brethren, in spite of Asaph’s righteousness, it was not until he went into the Lord’s sanctuary that he truly understood what was happening! And it can indeed be incomprehensible to many of us who try to live godly, and yet see the wicked prosper in their evil deeds and schemes. But we have to hold on to our faith, and believe as Bruh David says that eventually they will be destroyed. Unfortunately, it might not be in our lifetime, or even theirs, but the Lord has promised to destroy the wicked, and we all know that He’s faithful to keep His promises.
In the meantime, if we want to stand strong and not fall for, or stumble into the prosperity of the wicked, we also have to take these words of Bruh David very seriously, where he says in Psalm 37: ‘Trust in the Lord and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on his faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday.’ (Ps. 37:4-6)
And I know that’s all easy to say, but doing it under the shadow of the wicked’s prosperity takes a lot of effort, sacrifice and faithfulness in God. But that’s what we signed up for when we received Jesus as Lord and Saviour. He will make a way, where there seems to be no way, and He will supply all of our needs, and no weapon formed against us will ever prosper, but at the same time we must realize it won’t all be sunshine, lollipops and roses, for no life is ever like that, not even the prosperous wicked.
And if God spares life, we’ll continue with Psalm 73 tomorrow. Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking help to handle all the evil and ungodliness that’s coming against us. As one voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help.
Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you.
Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Now, it’s up to us to keep our promises, and do our part, so that heaven can do its part! Much LOVE!
…sin is indeed enticing…but are the sure and serious repercussions of sin…truly worth it…
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