04 Dec 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adrenaline, ambassadors, aura of love, bombarded, buffeted, Christians, Christmas, compromise, confidence, conquerors, diligent, disciples, drinking, eating, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, evil forces, excellence, faithful, fear, festive season, forgiveness, friends, glorious kingdom, glory to God, holy spirit, humble servants, invincible, Jesus, jobs, laziness, lies, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, negative pangs, no man can work, not afraid, of him who sent me, peace, preparations, presnets, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, run away from work, salvation, Samaritan, servants, shopping, spiritual armour, state of mind, steadfast faith, suffering, the last days, the night cometh, the reason for the season, trust, truth, ungodly world, up to par, useful purpose, week of work, while it is day, wiles, wisdom, work, work the works
John 9:4: I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
So friends, as we rush headlong into the festive season of Christmas, let’s not forget the real, the ONE and ONLY reason for Christmas: Jesus! Not the shopping, the presents, the eating and drinking and otherwise.
And yuh know, life is so strange, that on most Monday mornings many of us have a hard time getting out of bed to go to work, but in this Christmas time we eagerly roll out because we have shopping and other preparations to make before the big day! Don’t know if some of our employers are, or will be very thrilled by that nuh, because this is when we take a lot of paid time off, in other words, run away from work to go shopping etc.
Thank the Lord that I don’t have any personal preparations to make! (smile) I’m just trying to keep my life on an even and balanced keel during this crazy time. I think I’ll spend the time I would normally devote to preparations in pondering on Jesus and all that He means and stands for. That ought to serve me in better stead than busily running around the place trying to accomplish what the world considers important at this time of the year.
And having said all of that, let’s turn to our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, our picker-upper to help us get out the door in a Jesus state of mind. In loud, enthusiastic voice now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN! ‘
Yes mih people, that was an excellent rendition! Our choirmaster Jesus was pleased with it. So now let’s get out on the road and keep that level of adrenaline flowing and our spirits bubbling with His energy and Spirit, as we do His ambassadorial work, furthering His LOVE Revolution! Mama Mia! The ole fella’s in good form this morning! (smile)
That brings us to our rather appropriate Bit: ‘I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.’
And please note the picking of that Bit wasn’t my doing; it was divine guidance. As always, I asked for guidance on what to write on, and as I opened the Good Book, my eyes fell on that verse. Glory to God! He is such a wonderful, LOVING and faithful Deity! That’s the only reason why I can write the Bit every day.
Oh friends, just as Jesus had to do the work of the Father who sent Him, as His disciples and ambassadors, we too need to do the work that Jesus’ commissioned us to do. ‘…Teaching all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always(s), even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt.28:19-20)
And Jesus was very diligent in doing the Father’s work. Listen to Him as the disciples offered Him food after He had spoken to the Samaritan woman at the well. ‘My meat (food) is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.’ (John 4:34)
Oh my fellow believers, Jesus certainly wasn’t skylarking on the Father’s job. Likewise we should all be diligent in doing Jesus’ work. Unfortunately though, too many of us are not as diligent as we should be, and thus Jesus’ work is suffering; suffering from the negative pangs of fear, compromise, and simple laziness. That’s not good my people.
Remember Jesus said we should be the salt of the earth and the light of the world, so that the world could look to us and see His wonderful reflection in us, and thus want to come to Him for succor; to enjoy His awesome LOVE, grace, mercy, forgiveness, redemption, salvation and eternal life. And it’s obvious to even a blind person, that we’re not doing a bang up job, because people are turning away from God in droves.
If our diligence and excellence were up to par, unbelievers would be beating down Jesus’ door to get into His kingdom. Now that shoddy work doesn’t look very good on us my brethren, especially as the last days come into view. So please, I implore us to take very seriously the words of Jesus in our Bit, and let’s go about His business as He went about the Father’s business. That’s the only way we’ll ever conquer the evil forces of this evil world and win the unbelievers to Him. Much LOVE!
…until He comes again…Jesus’ work is never done…
08 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living
Tags: a good-looking day, a modicum of circumspection, acquainr thyself with God, be at peace, Beelzebub, better late than never, boundaries, call upon me, carousing, defense, disaster, drinking, earthquakes, eat drink and be merry, eating, Eliphaz, enthusiasm, exaltation, fires, Friday chant, furthering God's kingdom, gain a foothold, glorify, go overboard, good weather, he shall hear thee, heartbreaking situation, hurricane Irma, hurricanes, I will deliver thee, in Jesus' name, in the day of trouble, in thine heart, invitation, Jesus, Job, lay up his words, lift up thy face to God, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, man's best bet, men are cast down, natural disasters, omnipotent god, pay thy vows, pray, prayer, problems, pureness of hands, raveages, refreshed, relax, renewed, repented, return to the Almighty, save the humble, sensible solution, soul body and mind, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the Caribbean, the Good Book, the innocent, The Israelites, the law, the light shall shine, the most powerful force, the weekend, the workingman, thou shalt glorify me, time of need, trouble, warnings, week of work, work, worry
Psalm 50:15. And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.
Oh friends, it’s shaping up to be a good-looking day in my neighbourhood, and the workingman was out early singing his song. ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! And soon, no more work! It’ll be a beautiful weekend, with all the good stuff happening; like eating and drinking and carousing, paying no mind to the problems that surround us.
God gave us the weekend so that we could relax and enjoy it, not to work or worry. So that’s exactly what we going to do. Eat, drink and be merry! Thank God for Fridays and the weekends yes!’
Ah mih people, a lot of what he says is true; God did give us the weekends to rest and relax, but not to go overboard. Remember, we need to have certain boundaries that we don’t cross and thus allow Beelzebub to gain a foothold in our lives. A much better incantation would be our Friday Chant, which contains those boundaries.
Let’s declare it now nuh, with the same enthusiasm that the workingman declared his song. ‘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 my people, we always have to be cognizant of what comes after the weekend. Otherwise, come Monday morning, when we have to go back to work, we’ll be too tired and wasted and of no use to either God’s kingdom or ourselves. That’s why ‘a modicum of circumspection’ is always necessary my brethren.
But unfortunately, today, many of our fellow men around the globe won’t have the luxury of enjoying good weather or the weekend, because of hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes or some such natural disaster.
Please, let’s remember to pray for them sincerely. We can’t help them all with money or other worldly stuff, but we CAN help them all with PRAYER, the most powerful force in the universe.
What a heartbreaking situation it is to see your fellow man suffering the ravages of disaster, like Hurricane Irma is causing down in the Caribbean, and you can’t do much to help them physically. But as true believers we can call on our great God to help them in their time of need.
Our God said it: ‘And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.’ Yeh friends, that’s the faithful invitation of our omnipotent God! And in these very trying end times, it’s the most sensible solution we can ever consider.
As we keep saying, who knows whether all the numerous disasters occurring around our planet right now are warnings from God? They might be, as well as they might not be. But the wisest path we can take is to consider them warnings as our sinful and ungodly world plunges down to hell with one unwise step after another.
Oh friends, please take note of the Israelites, who, when they found themselves in trouble for turning away from the God of their fathers, repented and turned back to Him, and he welcomed them back with opened arms. We desperately need to do the same.
Listen to this scripture where Job’s friend Eliphaz after accusing him of sin, implores him to repent. ‘Acquaint now thyself with him (God), and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee. Receive, I pray thee, the law (instruction) from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart.
If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles (tents). Then shalt thou lay up gold as (in the) dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks. Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defense (gold), and thou shalt have plenty of silver.
For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God. Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows. Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.
When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up (exaltation); and he shall save the humble person. He shall deliver the island of the innocent (the one who is not innocent): and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands.’ (Job 22:21-30)
Oh my people, there it is, the solution for all our problems, written in the Good Book ages ago, and nothing about it has changed. So what are waiting for eh?
Come on Christians, we need to up the ante in these disastrous times and get Jesus’ LOVE Revolution running full steam ahead. That’s the ONE and ONLY answer to our lost and ungodly world! Much LOVE!
…in times of trouble…man’s best bet is to…PRAY…
P.S. Please accept my apologies for the lateness of the Bit. Though I went to bed early, by my standards, (smile) some new medication kept me bogged down for longer than I expected. But better late than never! Much LOVE!
05 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: according to my righteousness, action, adversity, afraid, back to school, beloved of God, break a nail, Christ's body, Christian lives, christianity, clean up our act, cliques, commitment, commitment to excellence, compromises, delight in him, departed from God, dissension, divisions, do right, do wrong, dr robert h schuller, dreaming, easy life, Elihus, end times, enlightened, excellence, extra mile, faith in action, faithfulness, fighting amongst ourselves, foolish, forgiveness, forgiving God, frail, friend of Jesus, fun and frolic, further Christ's kingdom, God rewards us, God's Word, he recompensed me, hell, his eyesight, honest, hypocritical lifestyles, Job, kept the ways of the Lord, Labour Day, lack of commitment, LOVE, merciful, obedience, perfect, Pharisees, Possibility Thinking, pray unto God, redeem his soul from the pit, righteousness, rocket science, share jesus' love, summer, talk, the cleanness of my hands, the easy way out, the light of the living, the Lord rewarded me, the party's over, Tuesday Mantra, up front, upright before God, walking our talk, work, worthwhile difference
Psalm 18:20. The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
Well friends, it’s the Tuesday after Labour Day, which means that all the fun and frolic of summer is drawing to an end. As the D.J plays that famous last tune: ‘The party’s over my friends. It’s time to call it a day…’ Yeh mih breddren it’s back to school and work time now.
And to add fuel to that fire, here’s a li’l blurb from Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) on the subject. He says: ‘Possibility Thinking isn’t just dreaming. It’s faith in action. That translates into W-O-R-K with a patient commitment to excellence.’
And that is exactly what our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ expects of His followers; a serious commitment to excellent work! And in these end times, we all need to step up our work in and for the kingdom of Christ.
He’s losing more followers than He’s gaining, and that’s due in large part to our lack of commitment, our compromises, generally taking the easy way out and preferring to enjoy the easy life of the world, rather than go the extra mile for Christ.
Why? Because that might include some ‘sufferation,’ some adversity on our part, and we’ve gotten so soft and afraid of adversity nowadays, that we’d rather allow Christ’s work to suffer, than we break a nail trying to further His kingdom.
And when the unbeliever looks at our hypocritical lifestyles, what can we expect but criticism and disbelief eh? Too many of us are not living true Christian lives; we’re like the Pharisees of old, who preached one thing in public and did something completely different in private. That’s why Jesus continually lambasted them.
And if we seriously believe in Jesus and sincerely want to do His work and try our best to become like Him, then we’ve got to clean up our act, and begin walking our talk. Oh, many of us are doing it, but definitely not enough to make any worthwhile difference.
There are too many divisions in Christ’s body, too many cliques and too much dissension for it to function at a consistently high level, and until we stop fighting amongst ourselves, Christ’s church will not grow the way it is supposed to.
That brings us to our Bit. ‘The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.’ And that’s exactly what happens in God’s kingdom; we’re rewarded for our faithfulness and obedience to His Word.
And Bruh David continues in his thanksgiving for deliverance from his enemies, after our Bit: ‘For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God. For all his judgements were before me, and I did not put his statutes from me.
I was also upright before (with) him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity. Therefore hath the Lord recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.’ (Ps.18:21-24)
How much plainer can it be eh friends? We do right and the Lord rewards us. We do wrong, and He doesn’t. Oh my brethren, Christianity is not rocket science. It’s simply believing in God and doing our best to be obedient to Him and His word.
God doesn’t expect us to be perfect. He knows we will make mistakes, because we’re frail and foolish, (smile) that’s how He made us. But He does expect us to try our best. And that is simply what too many of us supposed believers are not doing.
Now listen to Job’s friend, Elihu, as he reasons with Job about God’s forgiveness when men repent. ‘His flesh shall be fresher than (young as) a child’s: he shall return to the days of his youth: He shall pray unto God, and he will be favourable unto him (delight in him): and he shall see his face with joy: for he will render (restore) unto man his righteousness.
He (God) looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not; He will deliver (redeem) his soul from going into the pit (hell), and his life shall see the light. Lo, all these things worketh God oftentimes with man, To bring back his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living.’ (Job 33:25-30)
Yes friends, our God is a most merciful and forgiving God, but we have to be honest and up front with Him. Now let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, which clearly states who and whose we are.
‘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!’
So let’s go out and share that LOVE nuh, for that’s what Jesus desires. Much LOVE!
…Jesus calls us to action…much more than to talk…
21 Aug 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fortress, a paycheck, a refuge, all my fears, amenity filled, assurance, aura of love, buoyed spirits, Christians, confidence, deliver him, diligent soldiers, enthusiasm, evil, for Jesus' sake, for our good, friends, God's work, good cheer, he delivered me, he heard me, holy spirit, honour him, humble servants, I sought the Lord, in our hands, invincible, ironic situation, Jesus Christ, jobs, join the fray, keep a roof over our heads, Knowing God Intimately, lies, light, live high on the hog, long life, LOVE, modern day life, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, no work no eat, overcome the world, problems, raised spirits, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, rest, salt, salvation, satisfy him, servants, set him on high, spiritual armour, spread the good news, steadfast faith, surrender, taunts, the answer to everything, the enemy's ranks, the LOVE of Jesus, the oppressed, times of troubles, tribulation, trust, truth, ungodly world, wiles, wine and roses, wisdom, work
Psalm 34:4. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
And now it’s Monday friends, so what’s the action eh? And everybody throws their hands in the air and excitedly shout: ‘Work! Monday means it’s time for work! Work! Work! Work!’
And I know that some of you might think me crazy to even come up with such a scenario, since nobody ever behaves like that, but technically speaking that’s the way it ought to be. Why is that, you demand?
Well for one it gets us out into the world to spread the good news and LOVE of Jesus, and secondly it earns us a paycheck so we can buy food and clothing and keep a roof over our heads. As Bruh Paul says, ‘no work, no eat.’(smile) (2 Thess.3:10) So as true Christians, anyone of those reasons should get us excited enough to want to go to work.
But unfortunately that’s not the case; very few of us even want to go to work, much less get excited at the thought, but we still expect to eat heartily and otherwise live high on the hog. This easy, amenity filled, comfortable modern-day life has certainly spoiled us. And the sad part is that many who want to work, can’t find any – another ironic situation in our screwed up society.
But for those of us who are blessed to have jobs, please let’s get it together and go out and do our best, as Jesus desires of us. And if you’re not feeling up to scratch this particular Monday morning, then please sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with me, it’s guaranteed to lift your spirits and get your adrenaline running.
So all together now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Yeh friends, that was surely encouraging! I can already feel your buoyed spirits, so let’s get a move on and join the fray on behalf of Jesus. Let’s be strong and diligent soldiers in His army. Let’s go out there and be worth our salt, let our lights shine brightly in the darkness of this evil world. It would be so wonderful if we could illuminate the entire world with the brilliant light that’s Jesus!
That’s what the Father desires of us, so that He doesn’t even lose one of His magnificent creations to the enemy. It’s all in our hands my brethren, so please, let’s make it happen nuh…for Jesus’ sake.
That brings us to our Bit. ‘I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.’ What wonderful assurance emanates from those words my fellow believers! Bruh David lived them personally, which means we can do the same.
As I’ve been saying over the last couple of days, seeking the Lord is the wisest and most important decision we can ever make in this life, for what happens in the next life all hinges on what we do now. But enough preaching, (smile) let’s hear what the Word has to say about it all.
First hear Bruh David from Psalm 9 – Praise for God’s justice. ‘The Lord also will be a refuge (stronghold) for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.’ (Ps.9:9-10) Words of absolute truth my fellow believers! NOBODY who has ever put their sincere trust in God can say He has forsaken them!
Now listen to these words from Psalm 91 – God is a refuge and a fortress. God says: ‘Because he hath set his LOVE upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation.’ (Ps.91:9-16)
Powerful words my brethren, though we can’t expect to have no problems in this life. Remember following Jesus is not all wine and roses, but as He said: ‘In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33b)
So let’s go out this Monday morning with raised spirits and complete assurance, while we enthusiastically and diligent do God’s work, knowing that despite the problems which may come, He’ll eventually work them all out for our good. Much LOVE!
…knowing God intimately…is the answer to everything…
31 Jul 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a nightmare, Abraham Isaac and Jacob, adrenaline flowing, antodote, aura of love, character traits, Christians, commit thy works unto the Lord, confidence, conquerors, diligence, diligently, enthusiasm, faithfulness, go to work, good and right, grin and bear it, he prospered, heartfelt sincerity, Hezekiah, humble servants, idol worship, in the law, in the service, integrity, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, lies, LOVE, LOVE to hate, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, poor drivers, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, rest, rise to the task, salvation, speeding, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, the commandments, the heathen, the house of God, the Lord's work, to seek his God, traffic jams, treacherous journey, trepidation, trust, truth, ungodly hour, ungodly world, walking hand in hand with Jesus, weaving in and out, wisdom, with all his heart, work
2 Chronicles 31:21. And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.
And then it was Monday! Yeh friends, it’s that day that we all LOVE to hate, because it means we’ve got to get up out of our warm, comfortable beds at some ungodly hour and get ready to go to work many miles away, facing terrible traffic jams all along our route. It might even mean having to awaken the children and get them to the baby sitter before you even head out on your treacherous journey.
And yes friends, getting on the road these days is nothing but a nightmare; you never know what will happen with the numerous cars on the insufficient roads and the numerous poor drivers unwisely speeding and weaving in and out of the backed up traffic. So there is some amount of reasonable and expected trepidation come Monday morning, but that’s how the society is set up, that’s how we make our living.
And very few of us are blessed to have it any other way. So we just have to do what the saying says: ‘grin and bear it, and do what we have to do to survive and eventually prosper. But my brethren, whenever we’re walking hand in hand with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, that is exactly what will happen.
But it’s not always easy to get moving early in the morning, that’s why we have an antidote for those Monday difficulties, called our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, which gets our adrenaline flowing and causes us to rise to the task. So let’s belt it out now in unison nuh, with plenty enthusiasm and heartfelt sincerity.
‘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, the enthusiasm was somewhat lacking, but our choirmaster, Jesus, saw the hungry hope and expectant faith in our hearts and was reassured by it. So now that our motors are humming, let’s go out and work diligently and excellently for Jesus nuh, because that’s what He expects of His followers.
And we have a wonderful example in our Bit of how doing all we do for the Lord with a sincere heart, eventually benefits us. The Good Book tells us: ‘And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah, and wrought that which was good and right and truth before the Lord his God. And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.’ (1 Chr.31:20-21)
Those words refer to King Hezekiah when he turned Judah away from idol worship and restored them to worshipping the God of their fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And please notice my brethren, his heart was faithful in all he did and the Lord caused him to prosper. He will do likewise with us if we faithfully seek and serve Him.
And another interesting example of diligence in the Lord’s work is that of Nehemiah when he was rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. His enemies Sanballat and Tobiah tried to tear him away from it, so it would languish and they could destroy him. But Nehemiah had God’s Spirit working in him.
‘And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you. Yet they sent unto me four times after this sort, and I answered them after the same manner.’ (Neh.6:3-4)
Yes my fellow believers, that’s how the enemy will try to distract us from doing the Lord’s work. In the meanwhile though, Nehemiah had half the workers armed on the wall prepared to fight, while the other half worked. (Neh.4:13-18)
And wonder of wonders: ‘So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul (Aug –Sept), in fifty and two days. And it came to pass, that when all our enemies heard thereof, and all of the heathen that were about us saw these things, they were much cast down in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was wrought of (accomplished by) our God.’ (Neh.6:15-16)
And who says our great and wonderful, omnipotent and magnificent God doesn’t work in wonderful ways eh!
And we’ll end with this wise and wonderful verse from Cousin Sol. ‘Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.’ (Prov.16:3) Yeh friends, when we commit our work to God, our plans prosper! That’s wisdom of eternal proportions! Much LOVE!
…integrity…sincerity…diligence…excellence…faithfulness…are some of the character traits EVERY Christian ought to have…
24 Jul 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a green olive tree, abundance of riches, adrenaline, antidote, aura of love, Beelzebub, burdened, calamity, Christians, confidence, Corinthians, Egypt, enthusiasm, eternal life, faith, famine, friends, glorious kingdom, God meant it for good, God was with him, grace, he who tarries is lost, humble servants, ignorant of our trouble, invincible, Jesus' work, jobs, keep Jesus first and foremost, keep the family going, lies, LOVE, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, righteousness., salvation, spiritual armour, spreading His word, tarry, task of kingship, the Good Book, the mercy of God, the sentence of death, the trump's sounding, the wake up call, Though he slay me, thought evil, tribulations, trust, truth, ungodly world, wisdom, work, yet will I trust him
Job 13:15a. Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him…
Up and at ‘em friends! The trump’s sounding the wake up call, and we can’t afford to tarry, for he who tarries is lost. (smile)
Yeh mih people, unfortunately it’s Monday morning and work calls, got to get out and make some bread to keep the family going, keep them in the fashion to which they’ve become accustomed.
In addition to that, we also need to get out there and do Jesus’ work; important work that He’s depending on us to do – spreading His word to all and sundry so that they can receive salvation and eternal life, for the Father doesn’t want to lose even one of His creation to Beelzebub. So you see it’s of the utmost importance that we get up and get a move on.
And I know some of us find it hard to get going on a Monday morning, for whatever reason, that’s why we have the appropriate antidote for your Monday problems. It’s called our Monday Morning Battle Hymn and it activates all our faculties, gets the adrenaline flowing so we can function like the true conquerors we are in Jesus.
So let’s shout it out now nuh, in strong voice and much gusto. ‘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!’
Good showing friends, good showing! Our choirmaster Jesus was pleased with that rendition. Now let’s keep the energy and the adrenaline flowing by getting out onto the highways and byways with Jesus first place in our hearts. And let’s profoundly proclaim like Job did in our Bit: ‘Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him…’
Yeh friends, unconditional trust in Jesus Christ is essential in our faith walk. As Job said, though the Lord put him under, he would still trust him. That takes mucho mucho faith. And unfortunately, it’s only as we go through trials and tribulations that we build faith. That’s why so many righteous people in the Bible went through so much calamity.
Check out Moses, Bruh Joseph, Bruh David and Bruh Paul. They were champions of faith, but they also suffered much tribulation for their belief. But yuh know what fellow believers, throughout all their trials the Lord was with them every moment and every step of the way.
The Good Book tells us that in every rough spot Bruh Joseph found himself, God was with him and made him well-liked. And listen to his words when he finally accosted his scalawag brothers as Prime Minister of Egypt, the second most powerful man in the most powerful country in the world, when they came begging for food in the time of famine. ‘But as for you, ye thought (intended) evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.’ (Gen.50:20)
Likewise friends, a lot of times when disaster strikes us, God is allowing it to make us strong, to prepare us for our destiny. Look at the amount of stuff Bruh David went through after he was anointed by Samuel, but before he actually became king. That was to prepare him for the immense task of kingship. And he turned out to be the best king Israel ever had.
But listen to his words from Psalm 52 – Caution to the prideful wicked – words that are not as popular as some others, but still very meaningful. ‘Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness (destruction). But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever. I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints.’ (Ps.52:7-9)
Wow! What a powerful declaration of trust on Bruh David’s part, despite all the calamity he went through. And don’t talk about Bruh Paul…Hn! His life was just one calamity after the other; shipwreck, beatings, stoning’s, jail, etc. etc. But hear his words to the Corinthians.
‘For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble (tribulation) which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure (burdened), above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life. But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead. Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us.’ (2 Cor.1:8-10)
Now that is what you call great faith, which can only be based on great trust in Almighty God! So friends, I implore us this Monday morning as we get back into work mode, please, let’s keep Jesus first and foremost in our hearts, souls, bodies and minds as He desires of us, so that we can do His work. Let’s trust Him implicitly and thus grow in faith. Much LOVE!
… faith grows…when trust grows…and vice-versa…one cannot grow without the other…
07 Jul 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all work and no play, almighty god, authority, blessed morn, death, each step I take, enjoyment, eternal life, fellowship, find a balance, folly, forgotten, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, futility, generous God, generous help, grasping for the wind, Hades, heavenly Father, hell, historical experiment, honour, in God's image, in Jesus' name, Jesus Christ, labour, light excells darkness, like the beasts that perish, Lucifer, madness, makes Jack a dull boy, man that is in honour, material accomplishment, North Americans, our Lord and Saviour, perish, relationship with Jesus, relaxation, remembrance, rest, righteousness, sensible thing, Solomon, storing up, subdued outlook, summer, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, thanks and praise, the fool, the gifts of God, the lowest beast, the weekend, the wise man, things done under heaven, tricky situation, under the sun, understanding, understands not, vanity, vexation of spirit, walks in darkness, wants and needs, wastrel, wisdom, work, workweek, wrongdoing
Psalm 49:20. Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.
Well a bright and blessed morn to all you my fine, upstanding, Scrip-Bit friends, families and neighbours! May Almighty God shine down on all our lives this sunny Friday in July and cause us to walk in His righteousness.
And all God’s children declared a loud and proud: ‘Thanks and praise to our heavenly Father who meets all our earthly wants and needs from His abundant store of grace and mercy through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Yeh friends, we indeed have to be thankful for all that our most generous God has blessed us with, since for whatever reason, He hasn’t done so to lots of others. And this has been a short workweek for North Americans, so they will either go to the cottage to rest, or to rack up the summer partying season that’s just begun.
And the shout all over town will be something like: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! That means the weekend, the long awaited weekend is finally here and we can get into our cups with gay abandon! Wow! What a time we going to have this early summer weekend! Thank God for summer, for Fridays and weekends yes!’
And we’re all truly grateful for the summer weather and weekends, but we just celebrate them differently. The believer has a more subdued outlook, as stated in our Friday Chant, to lessen the possibility of his getting into all sorts of wrongdoing.
Please declare it with me. ‘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.’
That brings us to our Bit: ‘Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.’
Yes my people, the Lord made us in His image and gave us authority over all the other living things on earth. (Gen.1:26) He also gave us the power to get wisdom and understanding. And when we don’t use that power wisely, and don’t appreciate the gifts of God, we become just like the lowest beast of the field.
Hear how Cousin Sol puts it in his experiment in Ecclesiastes to ‘seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven.’ (Eccl.1:13)
Now remember that Cousin Sol was rich and had the time and wherewithal to conduct such an experiment. He says: ‘And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do after the king? even that which hath been already done. Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as the light excelleth darkness.
The wise man’s eyes are in his head: but the fool walketh in darkness: and I myself perceived also that one event (death) happeneth to them all. Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity (futility).
For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool.’ (Eccl.2:12-16)
Oh friends, as the scholars tell us: ‘2:12-16. Wisdom is better than folly (vs.12-14), but both are useless when one comes to death.’
However friends, I would like to add an addendum to that statement. (smile) In these end times, the wisdom of following Jesus Christ, of having Him as your Lord and Saviour when one comes to death, is clearly superior to the folly of not having a wonderful, life-saving relationship with Him.
For therein lies the path your spirit will take after death; either eternal life with Christ in heaven, or everlasting separation from Almighty God with Lucifer in Hades. And I wouldn’t wish the latter on my worst enemy.
Then Cousin Sol continues: ‘Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity (futility) and vexation of spirit (a grasping for the wind). Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken (toiled) under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.
And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have showed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity (futility) Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took (toiled) under the sun. (Eccl.2:17-20)
And the scholars explain: ‘2:17-20. Part of the futility of trying to find fulfillment in material accomplishment is the fact that one must leave the fruit of his work to another who may well waste the accrued benefits. I hated life (v.17) is translated correctly and should not be misunderstood as “I hate life.” It is clearly the temporary conclusion about Solomon’s historical experiment.’
Ah friends, it’s a tricky situation: we need to work and store up something for rainy days, but we cannot let that be the end all and be all of our existence, because we won’t have the time to enjoy our own lives, and then might leave our vast wealth to some wastrel who doesn’t appreciate it.
So the sensible thing is to find a balance between work, enjoyment and storing up, and that can only be done properly with the help and guidance of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. End of story! Much LOVE!
…all work and no play…makes Jack a dull boy…but all play and no work…sends the fool to hell…
15 May 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a shelter, abundant in goodness and truth, antidote, appreciation, attributes, aura of love, condemn self, confidence, cup of java, earthly pilgrimage, enthusiasm, expectant faith, faith, fear, friends, glorious kingdom, goodness, gospel truth, grace, gracious, gratitude, hoarded, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, hungry hope, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, judging others, lies, long-suffering, LOVE, meet the enemy, merciful, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Moses, Mother's Day, peace, plots of man, Praise the Lord, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, repentance, rest, righteousness., spiritual armour, steadfast faith, sure conquerors, taunts, the goodness of God, the land of the living, the Lord God, the Lord passed by, the state of our livers, the strife of tongues, the Ten Commandments, throughout the year, trust, truth, ungodly world, wiles, wisdom, work
Exodus 34:6. And the Lord passed by before him (Moses), and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.
Well mih breddren, the Mother’s Day celebrations over now! Hope we celebrated our mothers in fine style, but that we’ll also show them a greater level of appreciation and gratitude all throughout the year, rather than on just this one day. I know they like the fuss and bother on their special day, but I’m sure they’ll prefer to have a li’l of that each and every day where possible.
Anyway, it’s time to get back to the common grind and daily task, the humdrum aspects of a working life, so that we can enjoy the fruits of our labour. And I know that many of us are suffering from too much celebrating, and it’s difficult to get up and face the very idea of going to work, but get up and go, we must.
So to help us with the Monday morning wake up, we have this antidote, this prayer called the Monday Morning Battle Hymn that jolts us awake even better than a hot, strong cup of java. (smile) So let’s sing it now with lots of enthusiasm, expectant faith and hungry hope nuh.
‘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!’
That was pretty good friends, considering the state of our livers! (smile) Jesus, our choirmaster smiled knowingly at some of the harshness, but He respected and acknowledged our enthusiastic effort. So with the adrenaline bubbling in our veins, let’s go out now and take the battle to the heathen, this Monday morning in Jesus’ name, for the glory of God the Father!
And all God’s people declared a loud and proud: ‘Praise the Lord! His goodness reigns forever!’
And that it surely does, as the Lord Himself proclaimed to Moses when he went up the mountain the second time for the tables of stone containing the Ten Commandments. ‘And the Lord passed by before him (Moses), and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.’
Now that’s our great God Himself, extolling some of His many wonderful attributes, goodness being one of them. And since we know that he cannot lie, then we must accept His words as gospel truth. Now, let’s just look at a few scriptures, from the human perspective, which prove the point.
And one of the most well-known is that verse from Psalm 27 – The Lord is my light and my salvation, where Bruh David ardently proclaims: ‘I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.’ (Ps.27:13)
So true friends, so true! What’s the purpose of having this good God eh, if we can’t experience some of His goodness in our earthly pilgrimage?
Now hear another mighty man of God, Bruh Paul, as he admonishes the Romans re judging others is to condemn self. ‘And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgement of God? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?’ (Rom.2:3-4)
Ah mih people, so wonderful is God’s goodness that it leads us to repentance! Praise his Holy Name!
And listen to Bruh David again, this time from Psalm 31 – In thee O Lord, do I put my trust. ‘Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! Thou shalt hide them in the secret (places) of thy presence from the pride (plots) of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion (shelter) from the strife of tongues.’ (Ps.31:19-20)
Oh friends, we can’t ask any more than that from God! He’s got all those who believe in Him covered on all fronts. And what’s the purpose of all that goodness eh? So that we can go forth here on earth and proclaim it, as well as show it through the way we live our daily lives. The Lord’s goodness is meant to be shared my people, not merely hoarded for one’s own good!
Now let’s go out today and show it in spades nuh; let’s broadcast it to all and sundry: the Lord is GOOD! He is GOOD INDEED! Much LOVE!
…true goodness can only beget goodness…
09 May 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a father's wisdom, adversity, advice, almighty god, beloved of God, calamity, Christian maturity, decisions, disaster, doctrine, failure, final, friend of Jesus, from glory to glory, giving thanks, Glory to God! flooding, hear ye children, heartfelt thanks, in Jesus' name, instruction, know understanding, knowledge, Law, logic, LOVE, Missouri, my thoughts are higher than your thoughts, my thoughts are not your thoughts, my ways are higher than yours, no giving up, on the move, seek first the kingdom of God, seeking, slaving, success, the broad and destructive path, the heavens are higher than the earth, the instruction of a father, the words of my mouth, this is the day the Lord has made, times, trials, tribulations, true, Tuesday Mantra, understanding, valuable, water damage, we shall rejoice and be glad in it, work, your ways are not my ways
Proverbs 4:1. Hear ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.
And then the rains stopped… Glory to God! And the bright sunshiny, though still not so warm days returned! But thankfully, we didn’t experience the flooding and extensive water damage that the people in the U.S. state of Missouri experienced last week.
Another day of that awesome rain would certainly have put us up to the flooding level. But all thanks to our wonderful God, we did not reach it. And thus we are bold to say: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we shall rejoice and be glad in it!’
Oh friends, we never know how truly blessed we are until we see disaster and calamity happen to others nuh, and only then do we give some heartfelt thanks. But it ought not to be so. We ought to be giving thanks continually, both in the good and bad times.
Oh, we all know that it is difficult to give thanks when things are going awry, but that aspect only comes with Christian maturity, and Christian maturity only comes with adversity, with trials and tribulations, which serve to make us stronger in our faith.
Yes friends, it’s a vicious cycle that we cannot get around, if we want to grow in our faith, in our likeness to Jesus. That brings me to this quote from my ‘P.S. I LOVE You,’ Poster. ‘No failure is ever final – nor is any success.’
And as Christians we ought to strongly believe that and diligently put it into action. For remember, in Jesus’ world there is no giving up, so when we fall, we need to get back up, dust ourselves off and get back in the race; that awesome race of life in which we’re involved.
And when we are successful, we cannot afford to rest on our laurels, but continue moving upwards and onwards in Jesus. As the Good Book tells us; from glory to glory!
So as true believers, we ought always to be on the move, in some form and fashion, never standing still, never just sitting on our fannies and ‘narcissistically’ admiring, being absorbed only in our own lives, for there is always work to be done in Jesus’ name!
And thus we come to today’s Bit: ‘Hear ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.’
Ah mih breddren, instruction and understanding are ever so important in our Christian walk of faith! If we don’t receive good instruction, and then don’t understand it properly, we’ll most likely go astray, down the broad and destructive path.
Now a father’s job is to impart proper knowledge and instruction to his children, which unfortunately many fathers aren’t doing today, thus many children are going astray. But let’s listen as Cousin Sol continues his treatise on a father’s wisdom.
‘For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law. For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments and live.
Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline (turn away) from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: LOVE her, and she shall keep thee.’ (Prov.4:2-6)
Oh my people, what wonderful words of advice from Cousin Sol on the getting of wisdom and understanding! And it’s not really rocket science nuh, but pure and simple logic. If we have wisdom and understanding, then we’ll make wise and intelligent decisions in our lives. And what more can we ask but that eh!
The only problem though is whose or what wisdom and understanding are we seeking – that of the world, or that of Almighty God? Obviously they are both different, hold different things valuable and true.
But since we claim that God is our Creator, Controller and Provider, then it would seem that we should be seeking His wisdom and understanding, since it is higher than man’s.
As the Lord so plainly tells us through Isaiah: ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ (Is.55:8-9)
So why would we want to follow man’s wisdom eh? Because it is more attuned to the lusts and desires of our flesh! Simple as that!
God’s wisdom needs us to first seek His kingdom, and His righteousness, and then all the things we need would be given to us. We don’t have to go seeking and slaving after them, like we have to do, if we follow man’s wisdom.
Now doesn’t it make more sense to follow God, rather than man eh mih breddren? It certainly does! God might have more restrictions, but believe me, they are all their for our benefit. So with all of that in mind, let’s go home now declaring our Tuesday Mantra, which tells us who and whose we are, without a shadow of doubt.
As one solid group now: ‘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!’
How wonderful it is to be the beloved of God and the friend of Jesus! Now let’s go out and show the world that LOVE and friendship of Jesus and our heavenly Father, like we’re supposed to. Much LOVE!
…as for me and mine…we will serve the Lord…
P.S. Please excuse the lateness of the Bit. It ‘s just one of those days. (smile) Much LOVE!
13 Mar 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a decent lifestyle, aura of love, bright and early, calm, carnal, chutzpah, confidence, conquerors, Creator of the universe, distresses, do business, dreaded day, eat, enthusiasm, Ethan the Ezrahite, friends, fun, generous help, glorious kingdom, God's mighty wings, God's wonderful works, He maketh the storm a calm, hit the road, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, improved result, inroads, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, licentious, lies, like a drunken man, lord god almighty, LOVE, lustful, mercy, mistake, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, perky, Praise the Lord, protection, rage, raucous, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, safety, sailor, salvation, spiritual armour, stagger, steadfast faith, storm, storms of life, taunts, the children of men, the helm, the infidel, the only God there is, the stormy wind, the waves are still, the workingman, trials, tribulations, trust, truth, ungodly world, verve, weekend, wiles, wisdom, wit's end, work
Psalm 107:29. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
And then it was Monday; that dreaded day of the workingman! But as we keep saying friends, if you want to eat, then you have to work. And if you want to work without too many problems, then you have to live a decent lifestyle.
You can’t expect to be carnal and licentious and lustful all weekend, then get up bright and early and perky on Monday morning and head out. But many of us still do it, somehow expecting to make the same mistake and see an improved result. Sorry friends, it just doesn’t happen that way.
But we have some help for you; it’s called our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. It wakes you up, rejuvenates you, and gets you ready to hit the road, refreshed and energetic. So let’s sing it now nuh, with plenty enthusiasm and verve and chutzpah and all those other good things which enhance a song.
In strong voice and perfect harmony: ‘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!’
Now that was good friends; a li’l bit raucous and rough, but certainly not lacking in enthusiasm! And most importantly, it brought a chuckle to Jesus, our choirmaster’s spirit. He appreciated the energy we put into it. So now we’re ready to go out and do battle with the infidel in Jesus’ name, because it’s only in His name are we ever going to be victorious!
And today my brethren, we have a very interesting, truthful and awesome Bit, but before we get to it, let’s hear it in context. It comes from Psalm 107 – God’s wonderful works to the children of men.
The psalmist writes: They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in the great waters; These see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep. For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit’s end. Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then they are glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired heaven.’ (Ps.107:23-30)
Oh friends, what an omnipotent but merciful and magnanimous God we serve and worship! He has power to cause storms both on the seas and also in our lives, but He also has the awesome power to still, to calm those same raging storms!
The important thing to note is that when the storms rage around us, and we stagger and reel like drunks, we need to call out to Him for help and mercy. And you’ll notice that’s exactly what we’ve done in our opening this morning.
We’re faced by a storm of not wanting to get up to go to work, but we know we have to, so we cried out to Him in our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, and He mercifully gave us the grace and strength to go out and do His will. How awesome is that eh my people?
There’s NO OTHER GOD LIKE OURS! In fact our GOD, IS THE ONLY GOD THERE IS! Matter fix! (smile)
So please, let’s not allow the storms, the trials and tribulations of life to get us down, or rather keep us down, for we have the most powerful Being in the universe as our God to turn to, and He has faithfully promised never to leave nor forsake us, once we stay under the protection and safety of His mighty wings.
And if you don’t believe me, listen to Ethan the Ezrahite, as he talks about God’s sure promises to David from Psalm 89. ‘O Lord God of hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee? Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.’ (Ps.89:8-9)
Yes my brethren, the universe is the Lord’s and all therein! Let us never forget that and like true and wise believers, act accordingly during the storms of life that we all must face. Much LOVE!
…when storms rage…let Jesus take the helm…for He is the best sailor there is…
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