24 Nov 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a dark side, a light side, against His will, Anselm, aspires to inspire us, attached to someone, ballyhooed idea, basic premise, being a believer in Jesus, believe something, call us home, caught out in the dark, certain death, choose which way, Christ hath made us free, conduit to freedom, control the minds, controlling tentacles, entangled again, eternal life, faithful believers, fake criticism, forever young, forgiveness, free, free choice, free indeed, freedom, friend, gift of God, glimmer, grace, gravitate to the light, His sinless life, in my thoughts, jealous, Jesus, Jesus will return, late night parties, live our lives, make you free, mercy, most powerful entity, my body, my spirit, no critics, no success, on the aged side, paid for all our sins, peace with Jesus, prince of darkness, quotes, right now, sacrificed, separate peace from freedom, set us free, sinners, sleeping in, stand fast, thanks and praise, the day nor the hour, the evil one, the liberty, the Light, the Lord God Almighty, the masses, the media, the SON, the Truth, the wages of sin is death, the Way, the yoke of bondage, time to turn it around, undeserving children of men, unmerited favour, wisdom, wisest decision, work miracles, youth
John 8:36. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Oh friends, it’s Saturday; the day of late sleeping in and of late night parties! Mama Yo! That’s my kind of day! As you can see I’ve availed myself of the first, but doubt I’ll do so for the latter. (smile) Anyway, I do hope you youngsters can avail yourself of both, like I did in my youth.
Come to think of it…that youth now seems like it was a long long time ago, a mere glimmer in my thoughts. And you don’t need to rub it in and tell me that yes, my youth was a long time ago, because no one knows that better than me. (smile) And though my body might be a bit on the aged side, my spirit will remain forever young, thanks be to our great God! Give Him thanks and praise my people, for His wonderful grace, mercy and forgiveness to the undeserving children of men!
And since it’s Saturday, let’s look at some of the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this week, in his noble effort to inspire us for a better tomorrow. Hear this first one: ‘If you have no critics you’ll likely have no success.’ And that’s basically true, because there are so many people out there who will be jealous of your success that they will find even the smallest and most fake criticism, to try and disrupt your success.
So if you’re seeking success in this evil world, then make sure you’re ready for and up to criticism. And the more success you have, the harsher the criticism will usually be.
And the nest quote says: ‘Humans have a light side and a dark side, and it’s up to us to choose which way we’re going to live our lives. Even if you start out on the dark side, it doesn’t mean you have to continue your journey that way. You always have time to turn it around.’ Now the basic premise of the statement is true; we do have dark and light sides, and we can turn them either way, the problem though is the last sentence, concerning time to turn them around.
Please friends, please note that we don’t ALWAYS have time to turn our lives around, for none of us knows the day nor the hour that Jesus will call us home, or return to earth a second time, and once that happens all bets are over. So I would suggest that if we’re living on the dark side, that we gravitate to the LIGHT, which is Jesus, RIGHT NOW, to avoid getting caught out in the dark.
For as I keep saying, that’s the worst thing that can ever happen to a human soul; forced to endure eternity in the dark with the prince of darkness, the evil one, and not in the light with Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Light!
And then there’s this: ‘The media’s the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that’s power. Because they control the minds of the masses.’ Now in a sense that’s true, since the media does spread its controlling tentacles far, wide and deep.
But have no doubt of this my faithful believers; the Lord God Almighty IS, and always will be, the mightiest power on this earth, His Creation, which He controls with an iron fist. Have you ever seen the media work miracles in your lives? Have they provided food, clothing and shelter when you so badly needed them? But the Lord God has done it all…and more!
The Lord can make us believe anything He wants us to by merely thinking it. But for some reason, in His ultimate wisdom, He gave us free choice, which allows us to go against His will. The media can’t do that. So although they are powerful, they ARE NOT, the most powerful entity on earth! Matter fixed!
Now the next quote says: ‘You can’t separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom.’ And that’s definitely not true! We can have peace with and in Jesus though we are enslaved! Freedom is a much ballyhooed idea that has caused more problems in this world than anything else, and we still are not free, because it seems impossible to be truly free.
We always need to believe something, or become attached to something or someone, which controls our minds and behaviour, thereby making us not free. But friends, the greatest amount of freedom one can have is by being a believer in Jesus Christ. For as our Bit says: ‘If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.’
Oh friends, please be wise and listen to Jesus nuh. He came to earth and sacrificed His sinless life to set us free from the certain death we were heading towards as sinners. As the Good Book wisely declares: ‘For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Rom.6:23)
And the scholars explain: ‘6:23. Wages: Emphasizes what we deserve. Gift of God: Emphasizes God’s unmerited favour.’ So my brethren, yuh see the great difference between what we deserve and what we can achieve through Jesus! Glory Be!
And Bruh Paul puts it this way to the Galatians: ‘Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.’ (Gal.5:1) Yes friends, Christ through His death on the cross paid for ALL of our sins, but you need to believe in Him, before you can be set free, for He is the ONLY conduit to that freedom; the greatest and most important freedom in God’s universe.
Please accept Him in your hearts, minds, souls and bodies today. It will be the wisest decision you have ever made. Much LOVE!
…only in Christ…can a human being enjoy true freedom…freedom from worry…freedom from want…freedom from death…
28 Sep 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a future, a hope, a little too far, alive and kicking, an expected end, appreciation, at hand, back-breaking week, be glad in it, believers, broad is the way, calamity, chant up a storm, circumspection, damnation, eat and drink, enjoy, enthusiastic, enticement of the enemy, eternal life, eternity, everlasting life, evil minions, exuberant, fellowship, few find it, forgive us, forgiveness, fraught with difficulty, Friday chant, fun, furthering your glorious kingdom, generous, generous help, get a foothold, good for a man, have mercy, hell fire, human souls, in Jesus' name, in soul body and mind, leadeth to destruction, leadeth unto life, loving thoughts, Lucifer, magnanimous, mama yo, mislead agenda, muddy the waters, narrow is the way, never regret it, not evil, not to tread, obedience, obeisance, only one way, opens wide the door, our best interest, pay the price, praise, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, rest, salvation, seek to enter in, sincere repentance, slave-like labour, Solomon, strait is the gate, strive to enter, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, thanks, the celebrating thing, the error of our ways, the fruits of his labour, the Life, the limb of freedom, the Most High, the Truth, the Way, the weekend, the wisest man ever, the workingman, this is the day the Lord has made, thoughts of peace, through Jesus, time to celebrate life, to tread, Triune God, truth, two short days off, victory, we will rejoice, week of work, wide is the gate, wiggle room, wisest decision
Matthew 7:14. Because strait (how narrow) is the gate, and narrow (difficult or confined) is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Awright friends, it’s bright and sunshiny out there, so let’s get with the thanks and praise, as we all joyfully declare: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’
And we’d be very foolish and ungrateful not to do so my brethren, because that’s why the Lord made the beautiful day – so that His precious people could enjoy it. Glory to our Most High God, whose kind, gracious and LOVING thoughts are always upon us, ‘thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer.29:11)
Yes my dear brethren in Christ, our God only has our best interest at heart, but we foolishly screw it up when we don’t pay Him His much-deserved obeisance and obedience. Anyway, He’s also overflowing with forgiveness, so when we realize the error of our ways and come to Him in sincere repentance, He WILL have mercy on our poor human souls, and forgive us. That’s just how magnanimous and generous He is!
And that’s why the workingman, even in his somewhat mislead agenda, can cry out in thanks and appreciation this Friday morning to the Most High: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! MamaYo! The weekend is at hand; the time to celebrate life is upon us. So what we waiting for eh? Let’s celebrate life!
We alive and kicking, and the wisest man ever, Solomon, said that it was good for a man to eat drink and enjoy the fruits of his labour! So leh we do that nuh, celebrate the end of another back breaking week of slave-like labour, as we give thanks for Fridays and weekends!’
Ah friends, as always, I have no complaints re the workingman’s song, except that he takes the celebrating thing a little too far, so that he opens wide the door for Lucifer and his evil minions to get a foothold in his soul. And that’s why, as believers, our Friday Chant is somewhat different; still exuberant and enthusiastic, but with tighter boundaries and a li’l more circumspection. So let’s chant up a storm now nuh, as we declare our thanks for the weekend to Almighty God.
‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes people, we have to be careful to not go too far out on the limb of freedom, so that we don’t allow the enemy to muddy our clean, clear waters. And remember too, that not because a wide door or path has been opened to us, that we have to go through or take it, for oftimes, it is the enticement of the enemy.
That’s why Jesus warned us: ‘Enter ye in at the strait (narrow) gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in there at. Because strait (how narrow) is the gate, and narrow (difficult or confined) is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.’ (Matt.7:13-14)
And that’s the God awesome truth friends! Living and working for Jesus, does take away some of our wiggle room. (smile) Meanwhile, Luke puts it thus: ‘Strive to enter in at the strait (narrow) gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.’ (Luke 13:24) Yes my brethren, the way to eternal life is narrow and fraught with difficulty, and only those who sincerely seek it and are willing to pay the price will find it.
And it’s not only narrow, but there’s only ONE WAY, that through Jesus, as He succinctly informed doubting Thomas. ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:6) Right there you have that narrow, one-way street to eternal life my people! Jesus didn’t mince words; He told it exactly like it is: ONLY through Him can one get to the Father and bypass eternal damnation with Lucifer in the lake of fire!
So what’s it going to be eh: eternal salvation in the amazing company of our Triune God, or hell fire and damnation with the fallen angels? It’s a decision each individual has to make for themself; nobody else can make it for you. They can suggest it, or even lead you to that narrow path, but it’s always going to be your decision to tread or not to tread it.
Let’s hope today my people, that we all make the wise decision; that to follow Jesus on the narrow but difficult and self-sacrificing path to victory and everlasting life. It’s the best and wisest decision we can ever make in this lifetime! And we will never regret it, all the way through eternity! Much LOVE!
…if Christ…who cannot lie…says He is the ONLY way to the Father…then it must be true…
14 Jul 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a term of reproach, accept His invitation, another person's perspective, Anselm, aspires to inspire, be brave, bitter rivals, bounden duty, burden is light, capacity to run, come unto me, compassion, cynical, empathy, excitement, experience, figurative, followers of Jesus, for a better tomorrow, fulfilling the commandment, Gentile ancestry, gentle, great is thy faithfulness, grow in Christ, heavy laden, his compassions fail not, hot summer's day, humble, I am meek and lowly in heart, I will give you rest, individual prisms, insult, joy, judgemental, labour, learn from me, life is short, live on the safe side, LOVE, love thy neighbour, material, new every morning, not consumed, nothing can substitute experience, objective experience, old fogies, pampered, parable, per Jesus' example, provocative, reality, repulsive, selfish people, shone a poor light, step out of our comfort zone, suffering mankind, take my yoke, take risks, the ability, the Good Samaritan, the great invitation, the Lord's mercies, time's not waiting on us, to fully experience life, turn to Jesus, ultimate truth, understanding life, use the time, wealth, wisdom, wisest decision
Lamentations 3:22-23. 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.
Ah mih Scrip-Bit breddren another hot summer’s day is in the offing… But what do we expect eh? It’s summer! It’s supposed to be hot! We’re just a bunch of pampered, selfish people, who only want it to be the way we want it! It’s a good thing though that our God thinks differently. (smile)
Anyway, it’s Saturday, so let’s get going with some really interesting quotes this week from our friend Anselm, who aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And the first one says: ‘Wealth is the ability to fully experience life.’ And that’s no lie friends, for all the material wealth in the world cannot be compared to the figurative wealth, talking about wisdom and experience and simple joy that one gets from living a full and productive life.
That brings us to this next quote that’s tied up with the first. ‘Life is short and the older you get, the more you feel it. Indeed, the shorter it is. People lose their capacity to walk, run, travel, think, and experience life. I realize how important it is to use the time I have.’
And is that ever so true! When we’re young, energetic and supple, we feel like time is there waiting on us, like we have oodles of it. But the older we get, the more restricted our bodies become and we realize that time’s not waiting on us, and we need to use whatever we have left in a big way. The old fogies like me, will recognize the ultimate truth in that statement. (smile)
Therefore, one has to ‘Be brave. Take risks. Nothing can substitute experience.’ That also relates back to our first quote, because we all know that a life lived on the safe side does not produce any real joy and excitement, just a bland, so-so existence, and that’s not the kind of life that Jesus died for us to have.
We were put down here to experience life, not merely go through the motions. That means we need to step out of our comfort zone and take some risks every so often; for that’s the only way we will ever grow, both in Christ and in the living world.
And the last quote is rather eye opening: ‘Empathy begins with understanding life from another person’s perspective. Nobody has an objective experience of reality. It’s all through our own individual prisms.’
Yes friends, if we could only see life through another’s eyes, we would not be as judgemental and cynical and repulsive and repugnant as we are. And only when we try to understand another’s position or circumstance can we have that wonderful trait called empathy, which is just another name for compassion.
That brings us right to our Bit. ‘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.’
h mih people, it’s the Lord’s empathy towards us that has us breathing and experiencing another day in His world! That’s what Jesus had for us, that’s why he came and died to pay for our sins, and it’s the same thing we need to have for others, even though they may be different in many or all respects from us. And I want to finish the scriptures on compassion today, so let’s get right to it.
And the first scripture comes from a parable of Jesus, one we all know and talk about but don’t practice nearly as much as we ought to, else life would not be as bad as it is. (smile) That’s the parable of the Good Samaritan. The Levite and the priest, supposedly good and religious people, passed by the wounded man on the ground with nothing but a mere glance.
Regardless of what excuses they might have had for their behaviour, in Jesus’ eyes, they were heartless, unsympathetic people. ‘But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him.’ (Matt.10:33) And we all know the story of how he looked after him, took him to an inn and paid for his recovery.
And the scholars offer a good explanation of the situation surrounding the parable. ‘10:33. Jews and Samaritans were bitter rivals (John 4:9). The Samaritans were despised for having at least partially Gentile ancestry (due to Assyria’s conquest of Samaria in 721 (B.C) and for having a different worship centre (Mount Gerizim; John 4:20).
Thus Jesus’ parable was highly provocative. Samaritan was to Jesus’ hearers automatically a term of reproach. To portray a Samaritan as fulfilling the commandment (see v.27) (LOVE thy neighbour as thyself), but Jews as circumventing it, would be a supreme insult to the listening lawyer (v.25) and to the rest of the audience.’
Unfortunately though my brethren, that’s exactly how a lot of us supposed believers behave, while unbelievers offer more empathy, sympathy and compassion to their fallen brethren. And just like it shone a poor light on the priest and the Levite, it likewise shines a poor light on us. So let’s try and be more supportive of others nuh, regardless of their race, creed or class, because that’s what Jesus asks of, and expects of His followers.
And we’ll end this series of messages on compassion with the most important scriptures of them all on the subject; Jesus’ Great Invitation to a suffering mankind. ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:28-30)
Oh my people, my people, what a magnificent offer! No one else has ever offered such an invitation besides Jesus, because NO ONE else had, or has the ability to keep it! So please, I implore us, in these crazy times, let’s turn to Jesus and accept His invitation nuh, it’s the wisest decision we can ever make. And furthermore, let’s also try and get others to do the same, for it’s our bounden duty as followers of Christ! Much LOVE!
…the Christian life is all about…compassion…compassion…compassion…as per Jesus’ example…
27 Jun 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a little child, a new creation, abides for ever, area of obedience, be not conformed to this world, be transformed, can't serve two masters, clear direction, come to our senses, compromise, confidence, conformity with God, devotion to God, disquieted, disturbed, Divided Heart, does the will of God, earthly wealth, evil desire, food crops, glad to be alive, glory hallelujah, go up in smoke, half-motivated, half-satisfied, halfway home, human existence, inhospitable desert, Jesus advocating, jump rope, living for Jesus, LOVE, love not the world, lust, Mammon, miserable, mix weeds with seeds, nature to admire, not looking back, obey, One Year Book of Bible promises, perfect will of God, pledge loyalty, pointed question, pride of life, prodigal son, rain, receive good and no bad, righteousness, rock her doll, Ruth Harms Calkin, saint, seek first the kingdom of God, side trips, sin, sinner, solid ground, stoic, surrender our all, take it to the Father in prayer, thank God, the breath of life, the far country, the love of the Father, the renewing of your mind, the things in the world, the world passes away, tormented, walk a straight path, Wednesday Wail, welcomes us back, wisest decision
1 John 2:15. LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him.
Oh friends, like Job so famously said, we can’t expect to receive good all the time and no bad. That means we can’t expect glorious sunshine every day, there must be some rain too. And really, the rain’s not bad nuh, it’s just the opposite of sunshine, and it is in fact very good itself, for if we had no rain there’d be no food crops or beautiful nature to admire, just a dry, brown inhospitable desert.
Hn! And all of that just to say it’s a rainy day in my neighbourhood today. (smile) Now here’s a poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. Don’t know if I’ve shared it before, but when I read it yesterday, it reminded me so much of our behaviour, that I just had to share it. It’s titled ‘Divided Heart,’ like ours are so much of the time.
Please pray with me. ‘Lord I am so often tormented By my lack of clear direction – So often disturbed By my divided heart. I am like a little child Who wants to rock her doll And jump rope at the same time. I want to obey You in part If I can choose the area of obedience. I want to be real except at those moments When compromise is more appealing. I want to be half-motivated And half-satisfied with things as they are.
I want to walk a straight path If now and then I can enjoy A few side trips into the far country. I don’t want to be a miserable sinner but neither do I feel excited About being a stoic saint. I want to be partly Yours And partly my own. But in the secret chamber Of my divided heart I am so often disquieted By the pointed question: “Why do you so foolishly Mix weeds with seeds?”
Now isn’t that a very good question my brethren? We all do it at some time or the other, because we find it difficult to surrender our ALL to Christ. And oh, do we ever want to choose our areas of obedience to God! But God wants it ALL! And isn’t it a good thing, that when we foolishly take a side trip into the far country, like the prodigal son did, He welcomes us back with open arms when we come to our senses!
And yuh know what friends, there’s no reason to be a miserable sinner or a stoic saint, because we’ve become a new creation in Christ, which puts us on firm and solid ground, makes us able to go to the Father with confidence and ask for whatever we need, with Jesus right there advocating on our behalf. So there’s no need to compromise; just take it ALL to the Father in prayer!
And the Bible Promise for that prayer is also our Bit for today; those famous words of John in his first epistle. ‘LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him.’ Yes my people, it’s that simple. As Jesus said, you can’t serve two masters at the same time; you can’t serve God and mammon (earthly wealth) too. (Matt.6:24)
And John continues: ‘For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.’ (1 John 2:16-17)
That puts it so plainly and simply my people; all the evil things of the world will one day disappear, go up in smoke, but those obedient to God’s will, will live forever Now it’s your decision to make; whether you’ll go up in smoke, or live forever.
And the scholars tell us: ‘2:16. World for John signifies the evil desire and sin so much a part of human existence.’ Therefore we are to sincerely pledge our loyalty and devotion to God first and foremost. Like Jesus said: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things (worldly needs) shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33)
And we’re going to add Bruh Paul’s voice to it all, as he wrote to the church at Rome. ‘And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.’ (Rom.12:2)
Yeh friends, again we’re reminded that it all takes place FIRST in our minds; that’s where the change needs to be made before it can me manifested anywhere else. Unless we bring our minds into true acceptance and conformity with God, His will and His word, we’ll continue to follow the unhealthy and ungodly value systems and evil conduct of the world. Nuff said!
Now for those of us who have made the right decision and are truly trying to be righteous, (smile) let’s go home sincerely acclaiming to the world, our position in Christ, by declaring our Wednesday Wail. Altogether in strong voice now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And what a glorious future that will be! Our puny minds can’t even imagine it. But we know that it will be great, because Jesus promised it! Much LOVE!
…truly living for Jesus…is the wisest decision a human being can ever make…
03 Jun 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better frame of mind, a brutish man, a fool, a rough morning, bear the negative stuff, beauty of fellowship, best laid plans, boost your spirit, bring forth fruit, clothed in majesty, comings, courts of God, crying out for mercy, doddered our way, don't understand, encouraging words, fellowship, finite minds, flourish, give thanks unto the Lord, Glory be, God laughs, goings, grace, grow strong, handshakes, hell death the grave, how great is our God, Hugs, in old age, intimate gathering, it is a good thing, justice, kisses, lamb, like the palm tree, lion, loved on me, man plans, mercy, might, more than conquerors, mortal words, my heart will sing, my rock, mysterious movements of God, no unrighteousness in God, O most High, old bones and joints, on our behalf, plans of mice and men, power, refresher testimony, sacrifice, sing praises, splendour of a king, the believer's life, the cedar of Lebanon, the Godhead, the importance of fellowship, the Lord God Jehovah, the Lord is upright, the name above all names, Three in one, to church, to thy name, Tomlin, truth, undeserving children of men, very deep, wisest decision, worthy of our praise
Psalm 92:1. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High:
Sorry friends, but it has just been a rough morning. I even went to bed at a decent hour, feeling all right too, intending to get up early and write the Bit before going to church.
Hn! But as they say, ‘the best laid plans of mice and men oftimes go astray,’ as well as, ‘Man plans, but God laughs.’ Hn! And was He ever chuckling this morning because he had a different plan in mind for me.
In the first place I did not get up as early as intended, and then all the old bones and joints were crying out for mercy. Brother! It boggles the imagination to wake up feeling worse than when you went to bed.
Nevertheless, my ailing and aching chariot and I doddered our way to church. And was it ever the wisest decision, for in the small, intimate gathering that characterizes the early service, everybody LOVED on me! Wow! Glory be my people!
That’s the beauty of fellowship! That’s why fellowship is so important in the believer’s life. You get hugs and kisses, handshakes and physical contact which we all need, as well as encouraging words to boost your spirit.
And though the LOVE I received didn’t take away or ease my aches and pains, it certainly lifted my spirit and helped me to bear the negative stuff in a better frame of mind.
And I guess that was God’s plan: He thought I needed a personal refresher testimony to the importance of fellowship that I keep preaching about. Ah Lord eh! The mysterious movements of our God! Who knows His comings or goings? None but Him! (smile)
So in honour of His name and great glory, let’s do as our Bit declares: ‘It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High:’ Yes, let’s sing praises for the Lord’s goodness.
And today we’ll sing some new, contemporary music written by Chris Tomlin, Ed Cash and Jesse Reaves, titled ‘How great is our God!’ You can check out You Tube for Chris Tomlin’s version.
Now let’s raise our voices in praise: ‘The splendor of a King, clothed in majesty Let all the earth rejoice All the earth rejoice He wraps himself in Light, and darkness tries to hide And trembles at His voice Trembles at His voice (Chorus: How great is our God, sing with me How great is our God, and all will see How great, how great is our God)
Age to age He stands And time is in His hands Beginning and the end Beginning and the end The Godhead Three in One Father Spirit Son The Lion and the Lamb The Lion and the Lamb (Chorus) Name above all names Worthy of our praise My heart will sing How great is our God.
Name above all names Worthy of our praise My heart will sing How great is our God. (Chorus: How great is our God, sing with me How great is our God, and all will see How great, how great is our God (2).’
And that’s the gospel, indisputable truth my brethren! Our God is indeed great and worthy to be praised! The song does Him full justice, as full as our mortal words and thoughts can do Him justice.
And the psalmist proclaims later on: ‘O Lord, how great are thy works! And thy thoughts are very deep. A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this.’ (Ps.92:5-6) But thankfully my people, we’re neither brutish nor fools, so we understand the might and power of the Lord God Jehovah, as much as our finite minds can understand it!
And furthermore, the psalmist declares: ‘The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow (strong and tall) like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat (plump) and flourishing (green); To show that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.’ (Ps.92:12-15)
Oh friends, oh friends, yuh see what happens when we accept the Lord and hold on to His righteous right hand? We grow strong and tall and even flourish and prosper and bear good fruit in our old age! Glory to the Most High for His grace and mercy to the undeserving children of men!
So why are we foolishly looking to other avenues for righteousness and prosperity eh, when only the Lord in His high heaven can do it with any certainty? We’re just letting the enemy lead us astray. And it’s high time we stop doing that. Remember friends, Lucifer only has power over us when we allow him to, for Jesus has already conquered, hell, death and the grave and nothing can stop us.
As the Good Book says: we’re more than conquerors; like Jesus we’ve conquered life and the enemy through His victory. So let’s live like it’s true nuh, otherwise Jesus just wasted His time and life in sacrifice on our behalf. Much LOVE!
…great is our Lord…and of great power…His understanding is infinite…so sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving…sing praise upon the harp to our God… (Ps.147:5,7)
28 Feb 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a cloudy day, a pathway to peace, abominable sins, accepting hardship, better to be safe than sorry, controls the lives of men, courage, crapaud smoke we pipe, deep in their hearts and souls, despise wisdom, enjoying, ever-faithful, eyes fixed straight ahead, fear, foolish, fools, glorious future with Jesus, grace, great urgency, grim reaper, halfway home, hands on the plough, instruction, let wisdom have her say, living for Jesus, living one day at a time, make all things right, memorable day, miss out, mortal men, not looking back, one moment at a time, place in heaven, preparations, promises, reasonably happy, reverential awe, sacrifice, salvation, serenity, shining brightly, sincerity, sinful world, sinless life, supremely happy, surrender, take stock of Almighty God, the beginning of knowledge, the breath of life, the fool hath said in his heart, the forever joys of heaven, the history of mankind, the Serenity Prayer, the SON, there is a God, there is no god, things that cannot be changed, to God 's will, trusting God, truth, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, wisest decision
Proverbs 1:7. The fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the beginning (principal beginning) of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
So it looks like it’s going to be a somewhat cloudy day in my neighbourhood, but the important things is that the light of the SON is shining brightly all over the world, wherever there are believers in His holy name!
And all God’s children declared a loud and grateful, ‘Thanks be to the Father for Jesus, who’s sacrifice of His sinless life paid for all of our abominable sins!’ And was that ever a great and most memorable day in the history of mankind!
Now listen to something I discovered the other day; the original form of the Serenity Prayer. I never even knew it existed, just knew of the short version that’s popular. But here is the real McCoy. (smile)
Please pray with me: ‘God give me the grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed. Courage to change the things which should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other. Living one day at a time. Enjoying one moment at a time. Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace.
Taking as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is. Not as I would have it. Trusting that You will make all things right, if I surrender to Your will, so that I may be reasonably happy in this life. And supremely happy with You forever in the next. Amen!’
Ah mih people, isn’t that beautiful? It surely is! The short version is okay, but this longer version say it so much better. Oh, if we could only parcel or packet it and give it to each believer to keep deep in their hearts and souls! How much more effective we’d be in this tremulous world.
Remember, taking it as it is, like Jesus did, and not trying to make it what we want it to be. Having the grace to know what’s what, and then the wisdom and courage to change what’s necessary. And above all, trusting the Lord and surrendering to His will, so that we can be happy here on earth.
And I sincerely hope you know friends, that the only way we’ll ever be happy on earth is by trusting God and surrendering our will to His. Nothing else will ever work! And that just sets us up for the supreme happiness of being with the Lord in heaven forever! What a magnificent time that will be!
But first we have to set it up from down here on earth, make the necessary preparations for that great time while we are yet mortal men. That makes it a matter of great urgency, for none of us knows when the grim reaper will come calling. And if he comes before we’ve made the necessary preparations, then crapaud smoke we pipe!
And it will be very foolish to miss out on the forever joys of heaven, just to enjoy some of world’s now for now, short lasting, deceptive, carnal pleasures. That’s why Cousin Sol solemnly warns in our Bit: ‘The fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the beginning (principal beginning) of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.’
Yeh friends, we are certainly being foolish if we don’t take stock of Almighty God and all that He brings to the table. Listen to what Cousin Sol says later on in Proverbs. ‘Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man, rather than a fool in his folly.’ (Prov.17:12)
Can you imagine that my brethren? A fool and his folly is so dangerous, that Cousin Sol believes it’s better to encounter a mother bear robbed of her cubs. And we all know how mother bears get very angry when her children are taken away from her. So what does it say about a fool eh, if it’s better to have an encounter with a desperate and angry animal than to be in cahoots with a fool?
And Bruh David says in Psalms 14 and 53, when he talks about the foolishness of men: ‘The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.’ (Ps.14, 53:1a) Now that certainly is foolishness! How can there be no God eh? There must be some greater Being than man.
So how was everything made that was made eh? It just evolved from nothing? I very much doubt it. Friends, believe me, there is a God, who looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any that do understand, and that do seek Him. He controls the lives of men and the fortunes of the universe.
Don’t let anyone try to fool you and tell you otherwise, because they would be playing with your salvation and your future place in heaven. It’s better to be safe than sorry, especially where Almighty God is concerned. Wisdom dictates that we live as though there IS a God, trusting our earthly lives completely to Him.
And there are so many instances of God’s reality in so many believers’ lives, that it’s totally foolish to think and/or believe otherwise. So please let wisdom have her say. And having put that foolishness to rest, let’s declare our Wednesday Wail, gloriously telling the world of our situation with Jesus.
In sincerity, truth, and loud voice now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And we all know that that future will indeed be glorious, because Jesus promised it, and His promises are ever-faithful and true! Much LOVE!
…living for Jesus…is the wisest decision…a man can make…
26 Mar 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a leader, a witness, abundance, accept God's offer, afraid of free stuff, always working for our good, amazing offer, belt of truth, blessed eternity, breastplate of righteousness, can't come to the Father but through Jesus, caught in schemes, chutzpah, come buy and eat without money, come to the waters, come unto me, commander, covenant, deal, delight in fatness, don't have any money, eternal life, eternity, everlasting, everlasting life, example of righteousness, flocking to God, forgiveness, fountain of water, free gift of grace, get up and go, God is always with us, helmet of salvation, immortal, incline your ear, Isaiah, Jacob's Well, judgement day, loving kindness, Lucifer, magnanimity, magnificent God, mercy, milk, moan and groan, never thirst, no need to worry, on the outside looking in, pass up, poison, poisoned dart, powerful God, Praise the Lord, salvation, Samaritan woman, sandals of peace, scam, shield of faith, sounds too good to be true, sour and sombre mood, spiritual offer, suit of spiritual armour, sure mercies of David, sword of the Spirit, taken in, testimony to god's mercy, Thank the Lord, the best, the Good Book, the greatest offer ever made to man, the Life, the Truth, the Way, thirst again, we can handle whatever comes against us, who ever's thirsty, wine, wisest decision, word to the wise, words of jesus, your soul shall live
Isaiah 55:1. Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money, come ye, buy and eat: yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price.
Oh Friends, the ole fella’s in a somewhat sour and sombre mood this Wednesday morning. In fact from since last night he’s been that way. And there isn’t any good or valid reason for it, because I’m fine in all other aspects of life. But I just don’t have the chutzpah, the get up and go that I usually have.
Even stuff that usually thrills me, didn’t do so last night. I guess the mind, body and soul are either tired, or that wily Lucifer espied a little hole in my armour and sneaked in a poisoned, fiery dart.
But yuh know what mih people, we’re going to correct that right now by putting on a new suit of spiritual armour…
There, it’s done! I have on a new suit with no blemishes whatsoever! I’m fully dressed in my helmet of salvation, breastplate of righteousness, belt of truth, sandals of peace, shield of faith, and by my side is my trusty sword of the Spirit, my Good Book!
So Lucifer won’t be able to get in again, and we’ll freeze out what little poison is left in my soul. Thank the Lord!
Yes Friends, the ole fella’s spirit is already on the rebound. Praise the Lord! And there’s really no need to ever worry, because we can handle whatever comes against us since we serve and worship a powerful and magnificent God who is always with us, working for our good.
And He declares His awesome magnanimity right here in the words of our Bit. ‘Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money, come ye, buy and eat: yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price.’
Oh my people, that’s one deal no human being can beat or afford to pass up!
But strangely enough, many of us are doing just that; passing up the greatest offer ever made to man! We’ll flock to some business place that claims to have a fantastic deal, although more times than not it’s a scam, but very few of us are flocking to God for this free gift of grace. How sad my brethren!
But I guess we’re all afraid of free stuff and things that sound too good to be true. However, everyday many of us are still being taken in, caught in schemes that sound way too good to be true. We plunk down our hard earned cash, only to see it disappear into the wild, blue yonder. Then we moan and groan about if we’d only known.
Steups! On the contrary friends, this offer of God is one we’ll moan and groan about, because we HAVE NOT ACCEPTED IT! For come the judgement day, there’ll be no excuses or chances to make it right. So please listen, and wisely accept God’s offer, RIGHT NOW! Believe me, it’s the wisest decision you can ever make in this life!
And moreover, it will directly affect what happens to you from the day your body returns to the dust from which it was made, right through to eternity. Now you obviously don’t want to experience anything but the BEST in eternity, and this free offer of grace, salvation and eternal life is the ONLY THING that can guarantee you a blessed eternity!
And we saw yesterday that if you accept this spiritual offer, your soul will delight in fatness, in abundance. (Is.55:2) And there’s even more to this amazing offer, as Isaiah declares: ‘ Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live, and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.’ (Is.55:3)
Oh brother, if you ever received the same kind of mercies that Bruh David received, then it means you’ll be deluged with mercy and LOVING-kindness, because that’s how the Lord treated him!
And consequently, Isaiah could declare: ‘Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.’ (Is.55:4)
The Lord also holds out Bruh David as an example to us of righteousness, as a witness, a leader, a testimony to His awesome mercy and LOVING-kindness. But we’ll never enjoy any of that abundant mercy and LOVING-kindness until we accept God’s free gifts of grace, mercy, forgiveness, salvation and eternal life.
And we’ll close with some immortal words of Jesus… Sorry, all of Jesus’ words are immortal. These particular ones come from His conversation with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well.
‘Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall NEVER thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well (fountain) of water springing up into everlasting life.’ (John 4:13-14)
Oh my brethren, that’s it right there in a nutshell! If you want to enjoy everlasting life, then you HAVE TO ACCEPT Jesus’ offer of spiritual upliftment. IT’S THE ONLY WAY!
Please remember that and act on it RIGHT NOW nuh, because we don’t know when Jesus will return, but once He does, it will be too late.
As they say, a word to the wise is sufficient, so please be wise today my brethren and make sure that you’re on the wonderful inside when Jesus returns, and not on the damned outside sorrowfully looking in. Much LOVE!
…I am the WAY…the TRUTH…and the LIFE…NO MAN cometh to the Father…BUT BY ME… (John 14:6)
21 Oct 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a name above every name, alive, aura of love, author of salvation, bang for your buck, Beatitudes, blessed, call to repentance, confidence, death, death of the cross, divine wisdom, down to earth, enthusiasm, every knee shall bow, every tongue confess, evil, exalted, fellowship, G;ory Hallelujah, glory days, Glory of the Father, God's will, good of the land, haughty, high priest, holy spirit, hope, humble, humble servants, inroads, invincible, Jesus Christ, Jesus' philosophy, Jeus Christ is Lord, jobs, kingdom of heaven, lies, LOVE, Monday, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, mouth of the Lord, nothing's impossible, obedience, obedient, pagan world, poor in spirit, proud, rebel, Red Letter Day, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, rest, rock heaven and earth, rock-star status, saviour, self-control, Sermon on the Mount, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, sure conquerors, truth, ungodly, ungodly world, unwise habit, useful purpose, weary souls, weekend, wicked taunts, wiles, willing, wisdom, wisest decision
Matthew 5:3. Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Ah Friends, it’s Monday once more! I hope we’re all up bright and early and rearing to go after a weekend of rest and fellowship. (smile) Oh I know that plenty of us are still mired in the weekend party-going scene and are thus suffering the Monday morning blues and the miserable side effects that unwise action entails.
But I’m alive, therefore I have hope, that eventually we’ll all kick that unwise habit and get ourselves back to the glory days, when Monday was a day we all looked forward to with excitement rather than dread.
However, in what ever state you are this Monday morning, this is the perfect opportunity for us to all join together and rock heaven and earth with a splendiferous rendition of our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. (smile)
So Friends, with one, loud, sweet, tuneful, harmonious voice, let’s rock! ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Ah mih breddren, that was indeed a rocking rendition of our Battle Hymn! Even Jesus was rocking along with us! Now let’s get out into the evil ungodly world that surrounds us, and instead of carrying that rock-star status with us, let’s follow the divine wisdom of Jesus and be like what our Bit says: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’
And that’s the exact attitude that Jesus expects ALL His followers to genuinely have and sincerely display to all and sundry!
Now some of you might not recognize our Bit, but it’s the first of the Beatitudes, part of Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount, where He first sat down and taught His disciples and the people gathered round Him, His basic philosophy and expectations of those who desired to follow Him. Others of you might also be wondering what exactly does the Bit mean.
Well the scholars give us a very good explanation, so we’ll run with it. ‘5:3. Blessed means “happy.” This is a basic description of the believers’ inner condition as a result of the work of God. These Beatitudes, like Psalm 1, [please read] do not show a man how to be saved, but rather describe the characteristics of one who has been saved.
The poor in spirit are the opposite of the proud or haughty in spirit. They have been humbled by the grace of God and have acknowledged their sin and therefore their dependence on God to save them. They will inherit the kingdom of heaven. Kingdom of heaven is a general designation of the dwelling place of the saved.’
Consequently my people, even though we attain to such heights as being the most powerful person in the world, or the richest, or the wisest, or the strongest, or the most celebrated, if you desire to follow Jesus, He still expects you to have a humble, down to earth attitude, with total surrender to, and complete trust in His heavenly Father, relying on Him for all guidance and direction.
Oh Friends, it’s a simple philosophy; one of obedience and self-control, but nonetheless a difficult one to embrace and successfully cultivate, especially when you have the pagan world which surrounds us, pushing all sorts of wicked, ungodly things at you. But as we keep saying, if you’re serious about doing something that’s within God’s will, and you engage Him to work with you, then NOTHING’S IMPOSSIBLE.
And we’ll close with some scriptures that drive home the point. First off, listen to Isaiah as he calls Israel to repentance. ‘If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.’ (Is.1:19-20) That’s very simple and straightforward Friends.
Now hear the author of Hebrews: ‘Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of salvation unto all them that obey him. Called of God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.’ (Heb.5:8-10)
And lastly, listen to Bruh Paul talk about Jesus to the Philippians. ‘And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name. That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of (those) things in heaven, and (those) things in earth, and (those) things under the earth. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father.’ (Phil.2:8-11)
Yuh see Friends, Jesus was highly rewarded and exalted for His obedience to the Father’s will, and if we follow Jesus, we also shall be divinely reward. ‘Glory Hallelujah!’
So my fellow believers, let’s make today a Red Letter Day nuh; by seriously considering, and pondering all that we’ve said, and then deciding to work not only closely with Jesus, but also solely for Him. It’s the wisest decision any human can ever make on this earth, because that’s the only way to get into the kingdom of heaven. Much LOVE!
…unfortunately fools don’t realize it…but working for, and with Jesus…gives you the biggest bang for your buck…
SCRIP-BITS 