29 May 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a spirit of fear, absentee ruler, be responsible, bring backsliders back to your fold, casting of blame, compassion, confused world, Covid-19 virus, crapaud smoke we pipe, desperately needed stability, differences of opinion, disagreement, disciplined mind, divine plan, Friday chant, God hath not given us, gospel truth, heightened calamity, his thoughts higher than ours, lockdown restrictions lifted, LOVE, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient God, pandemonium, physical distancing, physically harder, power, resentment, resoring faith, rhetoric, sound mind, stand strong, stay safe, steadfast action, talk is cheap, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the error of their ways, the reins of his universe, trusting faith, very present on His throne, wake up and smell the coffee, weak-kneed ruler, what a crazy world we live in, wise guidance
2 Timothy 1:7. For God hath not given us a spirit of fear; but of power (His Holy Spirit), and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.
And then it was Friday, the last day of the normal workweek; a week of heightened calamity and tension, hatred and overflowing resentment around the world… all of that within the current upheaval caused by the Coronavirus pandemic. Oh friends, our world is now in a state ripe for exploding, and if we don’t lessen the tension soon, it will certainly explode. At one stage the pandemic seemed to be bringing us together, but with all the divisive rhetoric spouted on it, highlighting differences of opinion on what it is and where it came from and how to cure it, the obvious and nasty casting of blame and if it’s even true, the stage is set for a lot of national and international disagreement.
But faithful saints of Christ, please let us remember who created this universe; our omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent God! And let’s not forget that He is still in complete control of it and whatever goes on therein, and He is not an absentee or weak-kneed ruler, but He’s very present on His throne and has the reins of His universe well in hand. And that means He knows what is happening and why He’s allowing it. It’s all happening according to His divine plan. Remember His thoughts and ways are higher than ours so we’ll not understand all that happens.
Therefore we must not let fear, worry, anxiety and all the other negative emotions bury us under their heavy yoke and cause us to lose faith, for faith in Almighty God is the only thing that will successfully see us through all the current problems we’re facing. Remember that majestic and most assuring verse of scripture from Bruh Paul to Timothy and now to us: ‘For God hath not given us a spirit of fear; but of power (His Holy Spirit), and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’
Well NOW IS THE TIME for us to put that verse into steadfast action; to stand strong and faithful in the reverence, assurance, wisdom and LOVE of our great and faithful God! Remember, in His Word, He also says that he who survives to end will receive a crown of glory. So please let’s fight the good fight, run whatever race we have to run with diligence and excellence and the utmost faithfulness, so that we can prevail in the end. And no, I haven’t forgotten that today being Friday, many of you are looking forward to what the ordinary workingman has to say.
And as always, he opens – though somewhat less energetically than usual – with this proclamation: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! And thank God the weekend is here at last too. It’s the second week of work since some of the lockdown restrictions lifted…the first full one, since last week Monday was Queen Vic holiday. And am I ever glad to see the weekend, because after such a long time off work, the body’s gotten soft and flabby and thus the work’s become physically harder. And I still need to get back accustomed to waking up so early in the morning.
But what a crazy world we live in eh Dr. Jack? Like they let some of us out from the zoo, the way we behaving like wild animals with no responsible physical distancing and such, although we still in the throes of the pandemic! Steups! Mankind is something else yes! That’s why they say we’re our own worst enemy…and that’s the gospel truth! No other animal quick to destroy themselves as we humans are. And sadly my views doh make any difference to anybody nuh. All I could do is my best yes…and hope and pray that people soon wake up and realize how bad the situation is oui… Otherwise crapaud certainly smoke we pipe!’
And there’s no doubt whatsoever about it friends, if we don’t wake up very soon, there will be pure pandemonium around our world; pandemonium like we’ve never seen before, or might ever see again! And as individuals, there’s not much we can do about the situation, but together, as the Church, as Christ’s body in this confused world, we can stand together and make our voices heard, and behave in a right and responsible manner, and hope and pray! So let’s start with the praying part right now nuh, our Friday Chant.
As one now, in strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. It’s been pretty rough…some of it from work, as many of us are now back to work in varied ways, but most of our anxiety still comes from all the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus still causing. We not accustomed to that Lord, and it really telling on us. But with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat this virus.
So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the sure and wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who have to go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, so that we can avoid any more serious setbacks. And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to also bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways.
It’s also a good opportunity to introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion because of the way we, your faithful believers, handle the situation. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Yes friends, we’ve fulfilled the praying part of the solution, let’s now turn our attention to the hope and responsible behaviour that must be done if we’re to be successful in defeating this virus and bringing some desperately needed stability to our world! Much LOVE!
…talk is cheap…especially when action is what’s needed…
04 May 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a derision, affliction, alive and kicking, an easy row to hoe, blessed is the nation, come short in obdeince, committal, compliance, cycle of life, direction, essential, faithfully promised, great is thy faithfulness, hear and answer our prayers, his compassions fail not, hope and wait quietly, humble servants, inner belief, It is of the Lord's mercies, laughingstock, live in concert, lockdown, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, omnipotent Creator, plaguing this earth, praise Your Holy Name, saints in Christ, scourge, seek your face, stable character, the Lord's salvation, the rod of his wrath, total trust, tumbling tumbleweed, unconditional LOVE, we are not consumed, whose God is the Lord, wise guidance
Lamentations 3:22. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
As the tumbling tumbleweed tumbles; as the cycle of life cycles; so do we saints in Christ live in concert with our omnipotent Creator! Wow! What magnificent imagery! That’s why they say B.S. baffles brains! (smile) It’s Monday morning friends, and we’re alive and kicking, so regardless of what tragedies are happening in our world, let’s give much thanks and praise to the Almighty that we’re not too badly off, and most of us are fairly safe, have a roof over our heads, and are well-fed!
Many others around our world are having it much rougher than us and they’re not complaining, so we shouldn’t either, although, unfortunately, that has recently become the prevalent nature of our privileged, entitled and irresponsible society. And the best way to live in concert with out Creator is by communing with Him through the medium of prayer. So let’s do that right now nuh, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, recently reworked for this pandemic time. As one, strong, humble, but confident voice, let’s come before His heavenly throne in sincere prayer.
‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive, and hopefully haven’t contracted the virus that’s causing havoc around our world. Despite the crucial lockdown, those of us considered essential, still have go to work, and we’re somewhat fearful, because we have no idea, how, when and where the virus might strike.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction.
Please show us how to successfully handle this scourge that’s plaguing the earth, and help the scientists to find a positive solution, a sure antidote to it as quickly as possible. And for those who have already contracted the virus, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them Father. Show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land 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!’
Yes, precious people, I’m sure the Lord heard our prayer because I know that our hearts were quite sincere, for we are awfully anxious and scared of the somewhat unrelenting stranglehold that the Coronavirus currently has on our world. But please, let’s remember what we said above in our prayer, about repentant hearts. We need to show that in our behaviour, keep our promise, if we expect the Lord to keep His and heal our world. Remember Cousin Sol told us yesterday not to make promises, especially to God, and not keep them. (Eccl. 5:4-5) So let’s work sincerely and diligently on that repentance nuh.
And to help us do that, hear are some encouraging words from the prophet Jeremiah when he was lamenting the sins of his people Israel, who were then going through a rough time for their sinful disobedience. It seems like everything and everybody was against them. And at one stage Jeremiah declared (steups!): ‘I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath. He hath led me, and brought me into (made me walk in) darkness, but not into light. Surely against me is he turned; he turneth his hand against me all the day…’ (Lam. 3:1-3) Then he goes on to tell of the many things Israel had suffered at the Lord’s hands. (Lam. 3: 4 13)
And furthermore: ‘I was a derision (laughingstock) to all my people; and their (taunting) song all the day. He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood. He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes. And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity (good). And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the Lord: Remembering (remember) mine affliction and my misery; the wormwood and the gall (bitterness). My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled within me (is bowed down).’ (Lam. 3:14-19)
Ah friends, Israel was in real bad shape, like we are today, and I know a lot of us are lamenting over our many problems, many of which have befallen us because of our sinful and disobedient attitude towards God. But if we continue listening to Jeremiah we’ll discover that things are not as bad as they seem or can get.
‘This I recall to mind, therefore have I hope. 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. The Lord is my portion saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam. 3:21-26)
Oh my people, please, let’s do like Jeremiah and remember that our God is a great God nuh, compassionate and merciful as no one else. It is because of that compassion and mercy that we are not destroyed, as we deserve to be. And moreover, each new day, He brings new mercies and compassion to the table because of His overwhelming and unconditional LOVE for us. He is indeed a faithful God, and we need to be faithful too if we really want to see all the good things He has in store for us.
And the scholars tell us that ‘real faith is more than inner belief, even more than whole-souled committal. It is a condition of the soul marked by such a stable character and attitude of total trust that the believer’s whole life is imbued with consistent, responsible service to God (cf. 1 Sam. 26:23; Ps. 37:3-6). From the biblical standpoint, true faith results in faithfulness in one’s life.’
Yes friends, faithfulness in this sinful word is not an easy row to hoe, but with the Lord’s help and our determination, we can certainly do much better than we’re currently doing. Much LOVE!
…blessed is the nation…whose God is the Lord… (Ps. 33:12)
01 May 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a rite of spring, admire, almighty god, amypole dances, animal blood sacrifices, ask for the old paths, backsliders sinful world, Brad may, calamity, celebrate workers rights, confusion, contentment, Controller, Coronavirus, Covid-19, Creator, damned if they do, damned if they don't, disobedient society, divine revelation, exalt His holy name, faithful believers, find rest for your souls, flowers, Friday chant, grace, grin and bear them, handle the situation properly, hang all the law and prophets, havoc, hit the nail on the head, I will bring evil, lockdown, Love the Lord thy God, Love thy neighbour as thyself, May Day, Mayday, ordinary workingman, pandemic, precious blood, protests, provider, remove God, resurrect its deadly head, reverence, Rick Jeanneret, riots in the streets, slave master, stand ye in the ways, standing strong and steadfast, stubborn disobedience, the Good Book, the people perish, the prophet Jeremiah, the Ten Commandments, them's the breaks, this too will pass, tragedies, true peace, walk therein, we will not walk therein, where is the good way, where there is no visioin, which is the great commandment, who has the answers, will all thy heart mind and soul, wise guidance
Matthew 22:36. Master (Teacher), which is the great commandment in the law?
‘May Day, May Day, May Day, May Day, May Day, Brad May wins it in overtime….!’ That was the memorable call of announcer Rick Jeanneret on April 24 1993 when tough guy Brad May scored the overtime winner in the hockey playoff game between the Buffalo Sabres and Boston Bruins. But ‘Mayday’ is also an internationally recognized radio word to signal distress. May 1, is also celebrated as May Day, a rite of spring with flowers, maypole dances and other gaiety.
And last but not least, May Day, May 1 is also a day to celebrate workers rights, ‘commemorating the many historic struggles and gains made by workers and the labour movement,’ and it’s a holiday in many of the approximately 66 countries in which it’s celebrated. Although, according to one web site, the recognition of the Labour Movement is not celebrated on that day in the country where it all began, the U.S. In both the U.S and Canada Labour Day is celebrated on the first Monday in September.
So May Day is really many things in our modern society. And I guess May 1 2020 will also go down in history as the May Day that the Coronavirus pandemic kept us all indoors, with no real celebrations of spring, or labour rights, or anything really! (smile) But them’s the breaks mih people, we just got to grin and bear them! And I wonder how the ordinary workingman is taking it all eh?
Here’s how: ‘Chuh! Ah tired saying TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui, because it don’t really have no more real significance. Every day is just like the one that went before, and the next one that coming. Nothing different to look forward to. Hn! Never thought I’d ever miss going to work nuh! But such is life. Ah guess when yuh accustomed doing something for so long, to just drop it without no warning for so long does bring some yearning for it. The slave master must be livid too since his business shut down completely and he not making any money.
But I know he home resting comfortably, not having any real wants, because he personally could afford the shut down, is the people who working for him that can’t afford it. And sometimes now, when I see the protests about going back to work it gets me angry, and I want to join in. But the sensible part in me warns me that we need to take things easy and sensible, because if we open back up too soon, this virus chupidness could just resurrect its deadly head again! Steups! So who really have the answers eh? Hope they find a way to stop it soon yes, else we might just have riots in the street, with so much people not having much money or food to eat! Ah Lord, what’s next eh?’
And did our ordinary workingman hit the nail right on the head there mih bredrin! Things are indeed getting somewhat tense this last meeting. But as I said yesterday, our leaders are damned if they do, or damned if they don’t! Because there are so many people calling for either the lockdown, or reopen action, they really find themselves in a rather tough situation. It’s certainly a tough time to be a leader, and history will merely judge them by the eventual results, without any consideration to the many unknown variables that were then playing out.
But my fellow saints in Christ, we have one solid answer, or starting point for it all; that most satisfying form of communication between ourselves and the impregnable fortress we call God; we talking about prayer! So let’s get to talking to Him nuh, through our rejigged Friday Chant for this Covid-19 season. All together now, as one strong voice, with sincere and pleading hearts: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. It’s been pretty rough…though not from work, but from all the confusion and havoc that the Covid -19 virus causing. We not accustomed to that Lord, and it really telling on us.
But with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat this virus. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the sure and wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible.
And please use this situation to also bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, and also introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion because of the way we, your faithful believers, handle the situation. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Ah friends, we just have to keep on praying and hoping and eagerly and expectantly waiting in strong faith for God to move, while doing whatever little we can do to help the situation, be it stay at home and observe social distancing, or be out there on the front lines standing strong and steadfast, if you’re an essential worker! There’s only one thing we can be sure of; this too will pass, as so many other tragedies have. We just have to wait for God’s time.
And the Good Book opened this morning to this most appropriate scripture, the words of the Lord our God through the mouth of the prophet Jeremiah. ‘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. Also I set watchmen (prophets) over you, saying, hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken.’ (Jer. 6:16-17)
Oh my people that accounts for a lot of our problems right there! Our stubborn disobedience and hard-heartedness has made our lives unnecessarily difficult. And when you factor in our sinful, foolish and impossible effort to remove God completely from our society, it just makes our situation even worse. And God said it quite plainly through Jeremiah. ‘Hear, O earth: behold I will bring evil (calamity) upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it.’ (Jer. 6:19)
And the Lord did indeed punish Israel for not obeying Him. So why yuh think He won’t do the same to our ever so sinful and disobedient society eh? And please don’t tell me any foolishness about that was the Old Testament! For neither do God’s laws nor His nature change! The only thing that has really changed from the Old to the New Testament is Jesus coming and allowing us to be saved and our sins atoned for by grace and His precious blood, rather than animal blood sacrifices. The Ten Commandments are still the Ten Commandments, regardless of whether we faithfully teach them or display them publicly.
And likewise, the answer to the sarcastic, pompous and tempting question: ‘Master (Teacher), which is the great commandment in the law?’ Per Jesus, it’s still the same as it always was and ever shall be: ‘Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ (Matt. 22: 37-40)
Precious people, until this world starts acknowledging that Almighty God is its Creator, Provider and Controller and that we need to admire, reverence and exalt His Holy Name, while walking in sincere LOVE for each other, our world will never know real or true peace and contentment! Much LOVE!
…where there is no vision (divine revelation)…the people perish… (Prov. 29:14a)
24 Apr 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a no-brainer, acclamations, according to his riches in glory, alive and kicking, another day in the life, as for me and my house, bondage in Egypt, Book of the Law, bring backsliders back to your fold, but by every word, by bread alone, by the Word, chosen people, compassion, confusion, Covid-19, day and night, defeat this virus, delve into God's Word, doing good and not evil, faith, faithful believers, Friday chant, God will supply all of my needs, have good success, havoc, hope, I can do all things, Israelites, it is written, like we all in jail, loss of life, LOVE, make thy way prsoperous, man shall not live, meditate therein, Moese, no end in sight, not accustomed, onipotent help, ordinary workingman, out of the mouth of God, overtime, pandemic, panic, praying, pretty rough, reading, saints in Christ, smell the coffee, social distancing, stand strong and steadfast, telling on us, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the body dies, the Lord has made, the spirit lives, this is the day, this too shall pass, through Christ, through Christ Jesus, to get me over the top, trials and tribulations, unexpected storm, wait expectantly, wake up, we will rejoice and be glad in it, we will serve the Lord, who strengthens me, wise guidance, without bread
Matthew 4:4. It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Aye mih people, it’s another day in the life; another uncomfortable and unpredictable day in the sojourn, the pandemic and panic of Covid-19, with no end really in sight as yet, just more confusion, so let’s do the wise and smart thing and begin our day with some age old encouragement nuh, some acclamations that have been tried and tested and found rather useful down through the ages of time! And if that isn’t a Bruh Paulian sentence, I don’t know what is! (smile)
So please declare out loud with me: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it!’ (Ps. 118:24) And on top of that: ‘God will supply ALL of my needs according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus, our wonderful Lord and Saviour!’ (Phil. 4:19) Mama Yo! What could be more encouraging than that eh? Well this: ‘I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me!’ (Phil. 4:13) And yuh feel that divine and supernatural strength just flowing through your veins now mih people? I know you do! Because we just know that ‘If God is for us, who the hell can be against us eh? (Rom. 8:31) Not a single, bloody soul my faithful brethren!
Because He is the most powerful being in the universe, and if He’s got our back, then we’re safe like nobody or nothing else can make us! Therefore, with ALL of that wonderful stuff going for us from and through our omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent Creator, we can truly and faithfully declare these marvellous words that Joshua declared so long ago: ‘As for me and my house, we WILL serve the Lord!’ (Josh. 24:15) Yes, precious people, as long as we draw breath on this earth, regardless of whatever trials and tribulations may come against us, let us not stray from that tried and true path that leads through Jesus Christ, right to the throne room of Almighty God in the high heavens! Amen!
And I don’t know about you all, but that has certainly energized me! (smile) So, since it’s Friday, let’s hear what the ordinary, most likely out of work, workingman has to say nuh. And as always, he opens with: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ (but not with his usual enthusiasm and expectant tone.) ‘Chuh! But that sounds so hollow though, since there’s nothing to look forward to. Friday’s become just like any other day, not the prelude to the weekend, like it was when I was working. Doh even remember when last I worked. This Covid-19 nonsense been going on for so long now.
Thankfully though, I’m now getting a few dollars from the government that helps to pay the mortgage and put some food on the table…but it’s definitely not enough to do everything. I can’t even work a li’l overtime to get me over the top. Ah Lord eh! When it all going to end eh? Like we all in jail yes! Can’t even go outside and talk to nobody…got to keep this social distancing foolishness…oh I know it’s necessary, but it’s still seems foolish…staying six feet from people when yuh see them, even though yuh ent see nobody in a long time! Steups! But ah guess we still have to give God thanks that we still alive and kicking some, and as they say, this too shall pass…just hope it don’t take too much longer to pass nuh…’
Yes my fellow saints in Christ Jesus, that’s how this lonely, anxious and unpredictable time is affecting a lot of us, believers included. That’s why it’s ever so necessary for us to delve into God’s Word and find encouragement to keep us going strong in faith and courage. Remember Jesus’ rebuke to Satan when he tempted Him in the first time in the wilderness about making bread from stone. Now that would have been a piece of cake for Jesus to accomplish, but then He would have been bowing to Satan’s request, which as the Son of God, He could not do; therefore He replied: ‘It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.’
He was referring there to Moses earlier warning to the Israelites way back when they came out of bondage from Egypt and the Lord was teaching them how He wanted them to live as His Chosen People. (Deut. 8:3) And that provision still stands today my people. In the Word of God is where we find ALL that we need to successfully live this life! It’s our Guidebook for earthly living! And the Lord specifically said it to Joshua when He made him the leader of the Israelites after Moses’ death.
‘This book of the law shall not depart out of 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 shalt thou have good success.’ (Josh. 1:8) Oh my people, my fellow saints in Christ, what more has the Lord God Almighty has to say to us to make us listen and get into His most marvellous Word eh? He’s stated it as clearly as possible: when you read it consistently and study it, then put it into practice, then you’ll be successful and prosperous! That’s a no-brainer!
But we’ve become so blooming full of ourselves and figure the li’l knowledge we have is so great, that we refuse to follow the simple, but tried and trusted way set out in the Lord’s guidebook. That’s foolish friends, especially in these disturbing and scary times. So let’s get wise and return to the Good Book nuh, where we can find enormous encouragement, assurance, grace, mercy, forgiveness, salvation and eternal life! It’s the ONLY answer to ALL our problems! Now let’s go home doing what we’ve also been encouraged to do, communicate with Holy God through prayer; our rejigged Friday Chant.
As one sincere voice now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. It’s been pretty rough…though not from work, but from all the confusion and havoc that the Covid -19 virus causing. We not accustomed to that Lord, and it really telling on us. But with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat this virus. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the sure and wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible.
And please use this situation to also bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, and also introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion because of the way we, your faithful believers, handle the situation. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And then we do what the Good Book says: wait expectantly, displaying hope and faith; keep on reading and praying, and doing good and not evil. Much LOVE!
…without bread…the body dies…but the spirit lives by…the Word…
17 Apr 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's wisdom, a global madhouse, a high priest, a lot of leeway, a serious breakthrough, and their children for ever, appearance, as a joke, be devoured by the sword, be willing and obedient, being made perfect, compassion, confident, confusion, constant boredom, contrite, Covid-19, Covid-19 Friday Chant, death on the cross, deceptions of the enemy, disobedience, disobedient, eat the good of the land, embrace your love, faithful believers, found in fashion, get deh act together, grating on people's nerves, havoc, he learned obdience, hope and pray, humble, it might be well with them, keep all my commandments, lies, magnified him, money and food problems, nothing's been changing, nothing's ben happening, obedience, obedient, obedient uto death, oninous declarations, overrule the Creator, pandemic, rebel, rebelled against God, refuse, Satan's story, sincere, stark raving mad, the author of eternal salvation, the heart of the matter, the highest name, the order of Melchizedek, the raging fires of hell, the things he suffered, the workingman's song, there were such a heart, they would fear me, though he were a Son, too much free time, wise guidance
Deuteronomy 5:29. O that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever.
And then it was Friday – late on Friday! Due to certain circumstances beyond my control I could not get an earlier start. And yes mih young daughter, you contributed to it, so please don’t tell me that I’m always making excuses for the lateness of the Bit. (smile) Anyway, the ordinary workingman is bugging me to sing his song, so let’s hear what he has to say this week nuh.
‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! But to what avail really eh, since I haven’t been working for so long now. Steups! Don’t even remember what the work was all about! And since nothing’s been happening, nothing’s been changing – everyday is like the one before. That means the weekend is no longer that important. I don’t have a break from the slave master work…
Chuh! What I blooming-well need is a break from this constant boredom of doing nothing! Too much free time on mih hands! Don’t know how much longer I can handle it without going crazy nuh! This Covid-19 thing grating on people’s nerves now, and if it continue much longer, going to cause even more mad people in the world than we had before it began! And after all this time, all they still telling we is how much people still catching it and how many still dying from it! And the sad part is that everybody telling yuh something different, so yuh doh really know what to believe!
Brother! Ah wish they could get deh act together yes! But leh we hope and pray that they soon find a cure yes, a vaccine or something to stop it spreading, so people could go back out to work and play, else the world might just implode on itself and cause even more problems. Right now ah simply thanking the Lord for getting me through each and everyday without going stark raving mad!’
And that’s quite true friends, if something solid isn’t found soon, we might just have a global madhouse to contend with, because people are going stir crazy, and we already having a hard time keeping them from gathering and practicing social distancing. But as the workingman quite wisely said, we need to hope and pray that we have a serious breakthrough soon, because things are getting a tad controversial, with money and food problems, as well as some people wanting things to open up and others wanting them to stay closed.
So let’s get to the heart of the matter and do the first and most important thing in situations like these nuh, that is pray. And I’m chuckling here when I think that we now have special Covid-19 prayers for Mondays and Fridays. Hn! What next eh? So as one sincere, humble and contrite but confident group, lets call on our heavenly Father for help by declaring (ah ha!) our Covid-19 Friday Chant.
In strong voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. It’s been pretty rough…though not from work, but from all the confusion and havoc that the Covid -19 virus causing. We not accustomed to that Lord, and it really telling on us. But with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat this virus. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the sure and wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible.
And please use this situation to also bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, and also introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion because of the way we, your faithful believers, handle the situation. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic as a means of restoring faith in You and Your Word, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And now that we’ve prayed; done the first and most important thing, let’s do the second with as much confidence nuh; obey the rules and regulations set up to help stop the spread of the deadly virus! Now yuh know what’s got us into this dreadful situation in the first place is lack of obedience – lack of obedience to God’s Word! From the very beginning man was disobedient – Adam and Eve did not listen to God and thus suffered expulsion from the Garden of Eden and a rough life of sin and sorrow and hard work, that’s been with us ever since.
The Israelites promised to be obedient to God, but how many times did they turn away from Him to worship idols and other non-gods eh? Several times. But when the heifer dust hit the fan, they quickly repented and came back rejoicing! The Lord even grieved and felt despair for them: ‘O that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever.’ (Deut. 5:29) And so it has been on down through the ages – insolent disobedience to God by man. Until it’s our turn now.
And we’re so bold-faced and have gotten so big for our britches that we are endeavouring to kick God completely out of society forever. Hn! What a joke, what ‘uppitiness’ on our part, to want to kick the Creator and Controller of the universe out of His creation! Don’t we remember Satan, Lucifer’s story? He was an Archangel, but wanted to be God and rebelled against the Almighty! And where is he now eh? In the raging fires of hell with all the foolish angels who sided with him.
And friends, our current problem is nothing more than a test to see if we have our heads screwed on right, and are wise enough to pick sense from nonsense, and to stop believing the lies and deceptions of the enemy, and also our own press, but to turn back to the ONLY ONE who can save us in this time of great need, the Lord God Almighty, the Creator of this universe and all therein! Isaiah also said it a long time ago: ‘If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured by the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.’ (Is.1:19-20)
I don’t know why we seem to take the Lord’s ominous declarations as a joke nuh, since there are numerous occasions in His Word where they have been manifested. Oh friends, obedience is the number ONE thing in God’s playbook! You can’t claim to believe and be disobedient! Listen to this telling scripture: ‘And (Jesus) being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ (Phil. 2:8)
Yes my brethren, even Jesus as a man, was obedient to His heavenly Father. He said it over and over that He only did what the Father told Him to do. And yuh see how the Father magnified Him by giving Him the highest name and having everyone bow to Him!
And hear this last scripture: ‘Though he (Jesus) were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered: And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that OBEY him. Called of God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.’ (Heb. 5:8-10) That is obedience at the highest level. And He was again rewarded for His obedience!
So if Jesus was obedient when He was God in man’s form, who are we to do otherwise eh? We’re foolishly following Satan and attempting to let the created rule the Creator. Friends, though the Lord might give us a lot of leeway, that will NEVER happen in the His universe! Much LOVE!
…to think that the created can overrule the Creator…that’s a fool’s wisdom…
06 Apr 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: answer our prayers, antidote, anxiety, as amny as I love, be zealous, blatant disregard of rules, Calvary's hill, chasten, chastisement, come short in, compliance to your word, confession, Covid-19, crucified on the cross, despise not God's chastening, discipline, essential task, fearful, forgive us, futile attempts to remove God, germ warfare, Good Friday, hateth his child, heal our land, Holy Week, humble servants, I rebuke, Immortal words of Jesus, in limbo, Jehovah Rapha, jeopardy, Jesus is standing at the door, knocking, LOVE, make a vow to God, manifold sins, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, never-ending love, obedience, Our Father, panic, plaguing the earth, please let him in, praise Your Holy Name, repent, repentance, Revelation, scourgeth every son, sinful level, spareth the rod, sufferation, we have all sinned, who art in heaven, wise guidance, World Wars
Revelation 3:19. As many as I LOVE, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
So we’ve rolled into ‘Holy Week’ where we see Jesus go through a rather intense and emotional time, knowing that the occasion He was born for, His essential task, was close at hand. He knew it would all lead to a setta ‘sufferation’ on our behalf, ending with His crucifixion on the old wooden cross on Calvary’s Hill on Good Friday. And it’s struck me as being somewhat symbolic that at the same time Jesus is going through His adversity, this year, we are also going through some of the roughest times we’ve ever experienced in the world, with this Covid-19 virus situation.
We’re locked down, with our lives in serious jeopardy and essentially in limbo, keeping away from others, no work and no pay, the streets are for the most part empty of both humans and traffic, people are sick and dying, some can’t even get attention for illnesses because the Health System can’t handle it. Panic, anxiety and fear are rampant, and we can’t get any sure and true answers to when and where and how it will all end because no one really knows. It even seems like a more fearful and disastrous time worldwide, than during the two world wars we fought in the early part of the last century.
At least then we knew our enemy and what weapons it would take to defeat Him, but in this time of ‘germ warfare’ which has hit us so unexpectedly, we have no real knowledge of it, even where it came from, much less a cure for it. And I’ve said all of that, just to ask this question: do we see the mysterious moving of the Father’s hand in it all? I think we should, because I firmly believe that this is a worldwide wake-up call for confession and repentance. And even if it’s not, then the wisest move we can make is still to turn back to God and confess our manifold sins and wickedness, for there’s no doubt that the current state of mankind is possibly at the most evil and sinful level it’s ever been.
Please friends, let’s not fool ourselves into thinking that the omnipotent God, who still sits on His heavenly throne and still controls the world He created, will allow us to get away indefinitely without some kind of chastisement for our blatant disregard of His rules and regulations and foolish, futile attempts to remove Him from our society? Remember the Lord LOVES all whom He has created with a deep and burning, never-ending LOVE, and He doesn’t want to lose even ONE of His most valuable creations to the enemy. So if we step out of His will for too long, it’s only expected that He will try to correct us, to bring us back into line.
This scripture tells the story of God’s discipline: ‘For consider him (Jesus) that endured such contradiction (hostility) of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds (become discouraged). Ye have not yet resisted unto blood (bloodshed), striving against sin. And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children (sons), My son, despise not thou the chastening (discipline) of the Lord, nor faint (be discouraged) when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord LOVETH he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?’ (Heb. 12:3-7)
Unfortunately, in this soft and irresponsible world the answer to that question is too many sons are not chastened, and that’s partly why our world is in such a sinful mess. Remember Cousin Sol’s words of wisdom: ‘He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that LOVETH him chasteneth him betimes (promptly)’ (Prov.13:24) Yes friends, LOVE and discipline go together. And not sparing the rod doesn’t necessarily mean child abuse as so many of us preach today, then wonder why our children have turned out the way they are, and hence the behaviour in our society is less that satisfactory.
So yes, I do believe it’s a warning, and a serious one at that. It could mean that the Lord is just tired with our sinful shenanigans, or that Christ is coming back sooner than we expect, or even both. Anyway friends, please, I implore us, let’s take this next scripture to heart nuh, these immortal words of Jesus to John in his vision of revelation. ‘As many as I LOVE, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.’ As always, Jesus puts it as plainly and simply as possible. So let’s take His wise advice and do that right now nuh, by coming to God in sincere prayer, declaring our Covid-19 Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
All together now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive, and hopefully haven’t contracted the virus that’s causing havoc around our world. Despite the crucial lockdown, those of us considered essential, still have go to work, and we’re somewhat fearful, because we have no idea, how, when and where the virus might strike.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction. Please show us how to successfully handle this scourge that’s plaguing the earth, and help the scientists to find a positive solution, a sure antidote to it as quickly as possible.
And for those who have already contracted the virus, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them Father. Show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land 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!’
Now let’s hold true to that promise, for remember Cousin Sol says the worst thing we can ever do is to make a vow to God and not keep it. Better not to have made it at all. (Eccl. 5:4-5) Much LOVE!
…Jesus is standing at the door of our hearts knocking…please, please…let’s open them and let him in nuh…
30 Mar 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: antidote, be glad, be kindly affectioned, bless and curse not, brotherly LOVE, Covid-19, depression, diligent, direction, excellent, faith, fearful, fervent in spirit, find a positive solution, for our good, forgive us, god is still on his throne, handle this scourge, heal our land, hear our prayer, hope, hope deferred, humble ourselves, humble servants, it is a tree of life, Jehovah Rapha, keep His promise, lockdown, maketh the heart sick, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, our Father who art in heaven, patient in tribulation, plaguing the earth, pleading, praise Your Holy Name, prisoners of hope, rejoice in his salvation, rejoicing in hope, repentance in our hearts, sincerely seek your face, the God who heals, the greatest of these three is love, the redeemed, the song of praise, to work everything out, turn from our evil ways, turn you to the stronghold, virus, wait on the Lord, weep with them that weep, when the desire comes, wise guidance, work habits
Proverbs 13:12. Hope deferred maketh the heart sick; but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.
Arise people, it’s Monday, the start of another week of work, even for those of us who are working from home. Let’s not abuse the privilege and try to be just as diligent and excellent in our work habits as when we had to physically venture out into the evil world. Nothing much has changed; confusion, uncertainty and panic still abound, but more importantly, our great and wonderful God is still on His heavenly throne overseeing things! And in that everlasting fact, we can put our sincere hope, faith and trust, knowing that He will keep His promise and work everything out for our good eventually. But we still have to do our part in the partnership, and at this moment, that’s prayer.
So right now, in this turbulent time, let’s come before the Lord and ask for His help, as we pray our Covid-19 Monday Morning Battle Hymn, in strong voice, with sincere hearts. ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive, and hopefully haven’t contracted the virus that’s causing havoc around our world. Despite the crucial lockdown, those of us considered essential, still have go to work, and we’re somewhat fearful, because we have no idea, how, when and where the virus might strike.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction. Please show us how to successfully handle this scourge that’s plaguing the earth, and help the scientists to find a positive solution, a sure antidote to it as quickly as possible.
And for those who have already contracted the virus, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them Father. Show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land 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!’
Now we just have to do like Bruh David says: ‘Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait (in faith), I say, on the Lord.’ (Ps. 27:14) And when we have faithfully waited on the Lord, you know what will eventually happen? We will sing the song of praise of the redeemed, like Isaiah writes: ‘And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.’ (Is. 25:9)
Oh friends, there is no better feeling than having waited faithfully, eagerly and expectantly for God’s promise, to be fulfilled in His time, and then having it come to pass. And all God’s children declared a loud and grateful: ‘Praise the Lord! Bless His holy name; now and forever!’ And do we ever need to do that as often as possible, since He is indeed very worthy to be praised! Now hear these words of further encouragement from Cousin Sol: ‘Hope deferred maketh the heart sick; but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.’
And isn’t that the gospel truth friends! For as the scholars explain: ‘13:12. Hope deferred depresses, but its fulfillment revitalizes.’ That’s an indisputable fact! When our dreams and hopes don’t come true, we tend to fall into bouts of depression. But when they come to pass…oh boy…the joy that they bring is overwhelming. That’s why friends, we need to do like Zechariah advises: ‘Turn you to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope: even today do I declare that I will render (restore) double unto thee.’ (Zech. 9:12) And you know who is the stronghold He speaks of? Zion’s future King; Jesus Christ!
Oh my people, our ONLY true help in this time of crisis is the Creator and Controller of our Universe, the Lord God Almighty, in conjunction with His Son, Jesus Christ, the name above all names, who redeemed us by His sacrificial death on the cross at Calvary, and His Holy Spirit, who works His miracles in our souls and spirits! So please, this Monday morning, in this time of pandemic, let’s not lose hope in our great God and His faithful promises. Instead, let’s ramp up our hope, and do like Bruh Paul wrote to the church at Rome:
‘Let LOVE be without dissimulation (hypocrisy). Abhor that which is evil; cleave (cling) to that which is good. Be ye kindly affectioned (affectionate) one to another with brotherly LOVE; in honour preferring (giving preference to) one another; Not slothful in business (lagging in diligence); fervent (boiling over) in spirit; serving the Lord; Rejoicing in hope; patient (persevering) in tribulation; continuing instant (steadfastly) in prayer; Distributing to the necessity (needs) of saints; given to hospitality. Bless (speak well of) them which persecute you: bless and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.’ (Rom. 12:9-15)
And don’t tell me we can’t do those things friends, because they are all a part of basic Christianity, a part of the foundation, the example Jesus laid down for His church to follow! And believe me, we, the church of Christ, need to do them more than ever in these cruel and trying times, if we desire and expect to have any hope of survival. Much LOVE!
…and now abideth faith, hope, LOVE…but the greatest of these three is…LOVE… (1 Cor. 13:13)
06 Jun 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a conscious decision, a son of Abraham, abundant life, abundant love, believed, beloved of God, boring death, born again, brand new, company of Jesus, discouragement, dr robert h schuller, evil world, exciting life, exquisite, failure, faithful brethren, forgiving, friend of Jesus, generous, glory, God sent not His Son, guiding light, hope, Hour of Power Devotional, humble, I come alive, I will move, kind, Love of Jesus, loving, merciful, might be saved, pardon, power, promised never to leave nor forsake us, ready access, saving grace, separated from God, shame, shield, spiritual mystery, strength, success, sweet, tax collector, thanks and praise, that which was lost, the best thing, the only begotten Son of God, the providence of God, the saving power of Jesus, the world through him, to condemn the world, Tuesday Mantra, unique, walking with Jesus, walks beside before behind, weakness, wherewithal to face, wise guidance, Zaccheus
John 3:17. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Ah friends, on this somewhat damp and dreary looking June morning, it’s ever so important for us to have the unique and exquisite LOVE of Jesus flowing sincerely, briskly and securely in our hearts, so that we can have ready access to the wherewithal to face whatever may befall us today.
Yes my faithful brethren, only the overwhelming, the ever abiding and abundant LOVE of Jesus has the power and the spiritual mystery to carry us through each and every day of our lives.
Therefore, as we open our eyes to greet each and every new day, we ought to give Him thanks and praise and ask for his wise guidance as He accompanies us on our earthly journey.
And that He does friends! Having promised never to leave nor forsake us, He walks beside, before and behind us each and every minute of each and every day, once you accept Him as your Lord and Saviour.
As the psalmist says, He’s our shield and guiding light. NEVER forget that!
Now here is a simple but stirring and heart-moving prayer from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr, Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional. It’s also simply titled; ‘I Will Move…’ I’m sure I’ve shared it before, but it’s one of those prayers that are certainly worth sharing again and again.
Please pray with me. ‘Lord, I want your heart to be my heart. For in you I come alive, moving ahead from boring death to exciting life! In your promises, I will move from discouragement to hope.
In your pardon, I will move from shame to glory. In your power, I will move from weakness to strength. In your providence, I will move from failure to success! Thank You Lord. Amen.’
Oh friends, that is ALL so true! It’s only with the promises, the power, the pardon and providence of Almighty God that we can truly move from death to life, abundant life that is, and have lasting success in this evil world.
That brings us to our Bit: ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’
And if you believe that with all your heart, soul, body and mind, then you’re on your way to a great life in the wonderful and unique company of Jesus!
Wow mih breddren! It couldn’t get any better than that! Hanging out with Jesus is the BEST THING that can ever happen to a human being! And if you already know Jesus, you’ll know that what I’m saying is absolutely true!
Oh, I’ve just got to say it again: ‘Wow, mih breddren! Walking with Jesus is the BEST THING that can ever happen to a human being!’ (smile)
He’s so sweet, and kind, humble, LOVING, generous, forgiving, merciful and gracious…etc…etc! And once you truly get to know Him, every so often, you’ll sit down and ask yourself, ‘how ever did I live before He came into my life eh?’
Well you simply weren’t living before that, just existing. But once Jesus entered your life, He made you a brand new person, regenerated you, made you to be born again spiritually…and everything changed…your mindset, your view of life, your habits and behaviour, all began to change for the better. That’s the saving power of Jesus friends!
As our Bit says, He didn’t come to condemn but to save. However, it doesn’t happen automatically; we need to accept His saving grace, that free gift of God.
As Jesus says after our Bit: ‘He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.’ (John 3:18)
So you see friends, it’s a conscious decision that every one of us has to make; to either believe or not believe in Jesus, the only begotten Son of God!
And the scholars offer this explanation. ‘3:18. This verse answers the question, “Why do people go to hell?” It is because they do not believe in Jesus.’
That’s straight and to the point people! It couldn’t be any simpler. Believe and you’re saved; don’t believe, and you spend eternity separated from God, the worst thing that could ever happen to a human soul.
And we’ll give one more example of the saving grace of Jesus, His words after He had lunch with the tax collector Zaccheus.
After Zaccheus repented of his sins, ‘Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.’ (Luke 19:9-10)
And the scholars tell us: ’19:10. The words seek, save, and lost all appear elsewhere in Scripture in a shepherd context. This verse may be taken as the kernel statement of the central theme of Luke: Jesus is the compassionate, searching Herdsman who seeks to save those who can by no means save themselves.’
Truer words were never written friends! And since we believe it all, we can go home joyfully and sincerely declaring our Tuesday Mantra.
All together now, in strong voice and confident humility: ‘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!’
All glory and honour to our most kind and LOVING Saviour! Now let’s go out and share His LOVE and friendship as He desires of us. Much LOVE!
…when Jesus comes into our hearts…His light and LOVE…will faithfully lead and safely guide us…
30 Oct 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a desert island, a leader, adversity, all loves excelling, allies, alone, Alpha and Omega, Amalekites, chains of sin, character, Charles Wesley, circumstances, dancing, faith, faithful mercies crown, forked tongues, freedom, friendship, from glory to glory, generosity, God's promises, godliness, gratitude, groaning, he encouraged himself in the Lord, human help, inquired at the Lord, integrity, joy of heaven, joyous hymn, Judah, liberty, lost in wonder, LOVE, love divine, loyalty, moaning, never giving up, new creation, Philistines, praise and worship, pressures of life, raise our voices, seek God's strength, sharing, singing, spoil, spotless, the things of Jesus, things of the world, true surrender, trust, wallow in the mire, wisdom, wise guidance
1 Samuel 30:6b. …but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.
Okay friends, this Sunday morning let’s begin our praise and worship with this joyous hymn, penned by Charles Wesley. It’s one we all know and treasure, so let’s raise our voices to the heavens in harmony and true surrender, believing what we sing.
All together now: ‘LOVE divine, all LOVES excelling, Joy of heaven to earth come down; Fix in us thy humble dwelling; All thy faithful mercies crown! Jesus, Thou art all compassion, Pure unbounded LOVE Thou art; Visit us with Thy salvation; Enter every trembling heart.
Breathe, O breathe Thy LOVING Spirit, Into every troubled breast! Let us all in Thee inherit; Let us find that second rest. Take away our bent to sinning; Alpha and Omega be; End of faith, as its Beginning, Set our hearts at liberty. Come, Almighty to deliver, Let us all Thy life receive; Suddenly return and never, Never more Thy temples leave.
Thee we would be always blessing, Serve Thee as Thy hosts above, Pray and praise Thee without ceasing, Glory in Thy perfect love. Finish, then, Thy new creation; Pure and spotless let us be. Let us see Thy great salvation Perfectly restored in Thee; Changed from glory into glory, Till in heaven we take our place, Till we cast our crowns before Thee, Lost in wonder, LOVE and praise.’
Ah mih people, what a beautiful hymn! And it resonates with so many practical aspects of our faith, of our everyday lives. For instance it talks about, ‘take away our bent for sinning.’ Now I can’t think of a better desire than that! Then we sang ‘set our hearts at liberty.’ Oh how good that would be – freedom from the restrictive chains of sin!
And then we’d truly be a ‘new creation… changed from glory to glory…lost in’ the awesome wonder that’s Jesus, as we serenade and praise Him with true LOVE!
Oh friends, I guess that’s what you’d call the perfect Christian. Unfortunately though, too many of us don’t even come close to being perfect. For one thing we still speak with forked tongues, and still desire to wallow in the mire of the things of the world, instead of the things of Jesus.
Remember, we’re just supposed to be in the world, but not a part of it. And that can sometimes get difficult and confusing, but please remember too that our lives are in the best hands that exist – Almighty God’s. And nothing is too hard or too difficult for Him to do on our behalf.
So when the pressures of life get to us, we feel all alone on a desert island and no human help seems to be forthcoming, it’s Jesus we need to turn to. We need to do as our Bit says: ‘…but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.’
Yes friends, when Bruh David’s people wanted to stone him because their families had been taken captive and their city burnt, he had no alternative but to encourage himself in the Lord, to let his faith rise up and seek God’s strength and wisdom.
The Good Book tells us: ‘And David inquired at the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? Shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.’ (1 Sam.30:8) And so said, so was it done!
Bruh David pursued the marauding Amalekites with his six hundred men, but along the way, at the brook Besor, he left two hundred behind who were too weak and faint to go on. And as the Lord would have it, they found a young Egyptian slave whom the enemy had left behind because he was sick, and after feeding and reviving him and promising not to slay him, he led them to the Amalekites camp.
‘And when he (the slave) had brought him (David) down, behold they (the Amalekites) were spread abroad upon all the earth, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah.
And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels and fled. And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives.’ (1 Sam.30:16-18)
Yuh see friends what is possible when we totally surrender our lives to the Lord and place our complete trust in Him. If Bruh David had just sat around moaning and groaning like the rest of his men, they might probably have ended up stoning him. But instead, ‘he encouraged himself in the Lord his God.’ And why wouldn’t he eh? He’d be rather foolish not to, after all the wonders and miracles that the Lord had previously done in his life?
Now that’s where a lot of us fall down my people. When times get real rough, we tend to forget God’s promises and all that He’s already done for us. But that’s the time when we need to remember His many blessings and mercies, so that our faith can be lifted, our trust in Him strengthened, and our circumstances turned around through His wise guidance.
And I want to close with this example of Bruh David’s godliness and generosity. After they defeated the Amalekites and returned with all the spoil, the selfish ones who had fought declared that the two hundred, who had remained at the brook of Besor, should only get back their families and none of the spoil.
But Bruh David overruled them. ‘Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the Lord hath given us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand.’(1 Sam.30:23) Then he made it a law from henceforth that all should share in the spoils of war. He also sent some of the spoil back to the people of Judah who had suffered at the hands of the Amalekites.
And the scholars offer an interesting take on Bruh David’s doings there. ’30:26-31. David’s sharing of the spoils of the victory over the Amalekites not only assured them of his gratitude for their friendship and help during his days of flight from the presence of Saul, but would convince his allies of his loyalty, despite the time spent with Achish (the Philistine king). Moreover, it would prepare their hearts for his soon-coming kingship.’
Ah friends, that’s what Christianity is all about; integrity, character and sharing the spoils God has blessed you with, especially if you’re a leader! Much LOVE!
…true faith means…never giving up…even under the greatest adversity…because our God is always there to help us…
06 Nov 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sovereign God, adversity, belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, Bruh Paul, church at Corinth, corrupt the word of God, death, death unto death, display of infinite power, easter morning, Ella Wheeler Wilcox, empowered, ever-watchful eye, flesh and blood, Gentiles, get excited, God is worthy to be magnified, gospel truth, helmet of salvation, holy spirit, human race, I can do all things through Christ, in the sight of God, incense, indisputable truth, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, Jesus has promised never to leave us, Jesus occupies first place in our lives, Jesus triumphed over Lucifer, Jesus' sacrificial death, leads us to triumph in christ, life unto life, LOVE, makes known the fragrance of his knowledge, never to forsake us, nothing to worry about, on the cross of Calvary, overcome, perish, plan of action, powers of darkness, praise God, principalities, put on the whole armour of God, resurrection, rise above, sandals of peace, saved, Scrip-Bit, shield of faith, slaves, speak in christ, spiritual wickedness, stand, surrender to the will of Jesus, sweet aroma, sweet fragrance, sword of the Spirit, thank God, thanks be unto god, the fold of Jesus, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the grave, the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the universe is unfolding as it ought to, the way the truth and the life, the work of god's hands, there is nothing we cannot live down, triumph, trouble, victory, walk hand in hand with Jesus, wise guidance
2 Corinthians 2:14. Now thanks be unto God , which always causeth (leads) us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour (fragrance) of his knowledge by us in every place.
Well a good Thursday morning to you my Friends and Scrip-Bit family members! And isn’t it wonderful and immensely reassuring to know without a doubt, that the universe is unfolding as it ought to, under the ever-watchful eye and wise guidance of its awesome Creator, Jehovah God?
Ah my people, it certainly is! When we have Jesus occupying First Place in our lives, then there’s NOTHING we ought to worry about, for He has promised to NEVER leave us, to NEVER forsake us, and to ALWAYS lead and guide us through His Holy Spirit which dwells in the body of every single person who believes that He is indeed the Way, the Truth, the Light and the Life, and has surrendered their lives to His will, His wise plan of action for them.
Hn, hn, hn! What a sentence Friends, but one of indisputable truth! That’s why we believers can all genuinely declare: ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me!’ (Phil.4:13)
And that’s also why American author and poet, Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850-1919) could convincingly say that ‘There is nothing we cannot live down, rise above and overcome.’ We become empowered through the Spirit of Jesus Christ, so that we can triumph over whatever adversity or trouble that comes against us.
And that word ‘TRIUMPH’ is one we ought to think about continually, use often and get excited about my people, because there’s been no greater triumph in this world than that of Jesus over Lucifer, death and the grave, obtained by His sacrificial death on the cross, that was then solidified by His glorious resurrection on that joyful and triumphant Easter morn!
No wonder Bruh Paul could say in our Bit to the church at Corinth: ‘Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth (leads) us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour (fragrance) of his knowledge by us in every place.’
Yes Friends, victory is ours, if we walk hand in hand with Jesus!
For as Bruh Paul continues after our Bit: ‘For we are unto God a sweet savour (the sweet fragrance) of Christ, in (among) them that are saved, and in (among) them that perish: To the one we are the savour (aroma) of death unto death; and to the other the savour (aroma) of life unto life.
And who is sufficient for these things? For we are not as many, which corrupt (peddle by trickery) the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of (from) God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.’ (2 Cor.2:15-17)
And the scholars explain all of that thus: ‘2:14-17. Triumph (cf.Col.2:9-15): The imagery conveyed in use of this term is of the Roman general who marched in victory with his entourage, consisting of two groups: them that are saved, and …them that perish.
The former group referred to those allowed to live as slaves of the empire. The latter group comprised the condemned, who were being led to their death. Each group carried burning incense. The one was, verse 16, a savour of death unto death, the other was a fragrance of life unto life.
Calvary was the mighty display of the infinite power of a sovereign God. The human race was divided into two categories: those of life unto life and those of death unto death.’
Thank God, my people, that we are firmly ensconced in the life unto life group, which holds Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, as Calvary was indeed a triumphant display of God’s awesome might and power! And most important of all, it brought us Gentiles into the sphere, the fold of Jesus, a most sacred and holy place where we’d never been before.
And all God’s people gave out with a loud and appreciative shout of: ‘Praise God! Praise His Holy Name, for He is indeed worthy to be praised and glorified!’
Yes Friends, Jesus has triumphed over the powers of darkness and evil! ‘And having spoiled (disarmed) principalities and powers, he made a show (spectacle) of them openly, triumphing over them in it.’ (Col.2:15) That’s for certain sure my brethren!
And here is an interesting explanation of that verse by the scholars. ‘2:15. Having spoiled principalities and powers: By the Cross God disarmed or deprived Satan and all his demonic horde of the power and sway with which they formerly gripped the Colossians. By this statement Paul might well have asked the Colossians, How can you give ear to any doctrine advocating angel worship (v.18), when they are all subject to God?’
And so they truly are! But unfortunately these evil powers of darkness refuse to give up the fight, although they know that they have lost the war, and we live in a world where they still rule and control a lot of people and stuff.
That’s why Bruh Paul wisely reminds us to: ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye might be able to stand against the wiles (schemes) of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world (age), against spiritual (spiritual hosts of) wickedness in high places.
Wherefore take unto you (take up) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.’ (Eph.6:11-13)
Yes my people, everyday when we arise, we need to put on the spiritual armour of God – helmet of salvation, breastplate of righteousness, sandals of peace, belt of truth, shield of faith, and the sword of the Spirit – so that we are protected from the enemy’s wickedness.
Otherwise, he is going to find some dark and dismal means to invade, to infiltrate our souls. And we definitely don’t want that to happen. So let’s make sure that we’re clothed at all times in that protective armour!
And we’ll close with a simple statement made by a psalmist long ago, but one which displays great faith and assurance in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In praising God for His goodness, the psalmist unequivocally declares: ‘For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.’ (Ps.92:4)
And that my people is gospel truth! So let’s go out today, and everyday, believing it, so that we can do wonders, be triumphant in the name of Jesus Christ! Much LOVE!
…when the great triumphs of this world are listed…Jesus at Calvary…is ALWAYS NUMBER ONE…
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