23 Jul 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a discipline always costs, a listening ear, a man of understanding, A Quiet Tongue, a revealing fact, anger distracts from, anger inflames talk, at my guilty heart, be swift to hear, before my mouth, beloved of God, Bible Study, circled them with red ink, communication technology, convenient for us, cringed, does not produce, ear-hurting noise, esteemed, even a fool, explosive rhetoric, expounding, feel more comfortable, first chapter of James, friend of Jesus, he that refraineth his lips is wise, he that shutteth his lips, help me to obey, hurry, I wanted to run. kept battering awaya, in god's eyes, is considered wise, it is best, keep the door of my lips, let every man, listening is a discipline, listening to God, my beloved brethren, my enlightened insight, not become angry, octopus-like tentacles, One Year Book of Bible promises, Ruth Harms Calkin, set a watch, share His love, slow to speak, slow to wrath, social media, solve the predicament, speak little, talk inflames anger, the multitude of words, the price, the righteousness of God, the way of the dodo, the wrath of man, to list much, trials require silence, Tuesday Mantra, wanteth not sin, what I do, what I have, when he holds his peace, worketh not, world leaders, worry
James 1:19. Wherefore my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
And then it was Tuesday…Whatever happened to Monday eh – the day that we thought would kill us, that we’d never get through? Ah mih people, like all those other Mondays, which we thought would be so destructive to our psyche and body, it has gone the way of the dodo, spinning uselessly into the annals of History, no more to be seen again!
Wow! What philosophical enlightenment! (smile) But here is something that we seemingly cannot, or just will not put into practice: ‘A Quiet Tongue!’ This from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. I just could not pass it up because it’s so apropos to our loud and oh so talkative times! I’ve shared it before, but it’s one of those reminders that we need to hear again and again.
Please pray with me: ‘Lord, a revealing fact Began to surface today: I talk more than I listen. I seem to be thoroughly convinced That my ideas My inspiring experiences My bits of wisdom Are exactly what all my friends need. Too often I break into conversations Confident that my enlightened insight Will solve the predicament – Whatever it is. Obviously I feel more comfortable When I’m expounding.
But this morning at a Bible Study I cringed when I read Your command In the first chapter of James: “Don’t ever forget That it is best to listen much Speak little, and not become angry.” At first I wanted to run. But as the words kept battering away At my guilty heart I finally circled them with red ink. Now, Lord, please help me to obey them. Remind me daily, hourly That listening is a discipline and a discipline always costs. I know I must pay a price. The price for me Is a listening ear And a quiet tongue.’
Mama Mia! How true is that of so many of us, believers included! And the sad part is that the sudden surge in communication technology has made it even worse. It’s like a free for all out there now with the advent of social media and all its octopus-like tentacles, reaching into every aspect of modern day society and creating such a loud, ear–hurting noise that many of us have to run from it. Or we’d be wise to run from it.
We talk so much that half the time we don’t even know or understand what we’re saying. But you can’t say that to anybody, because we all feel we’re so knowledgeable about whatever situation we choose to expound on. The truth is though, that most of us don’t know a blooming important thing about most of the things we choose to expound on! (smile)
And we’d be so much better off if we’d just shut up for a while and listen, that’s listen attentively, rather than talk, than break into conversations that we know li’l if anything about. What a quiet and wonderful place our world would be if only Christians did that eh! And it’s not like that the Good Book has not commanded us to do so. But who listens to the Good Book nowadays eh, unless it’s something that’s convenient for us eh?
And the Bible verse for our poem and our Bit for today is that of James’ awesome warning. ‘Wherefore my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not (does not produce) the righteousness of God.’ (James 1:19-20) And is that ever so true friends!
Now hear these explanations from the scholars on those two verses. ‘1:19. This is a key verse because it expresses three topics that James develops later: hearing, verses 19-27; speaking, 3:1-12; and wrath, 4:1-12.’ That’s stuff we’d do well to read and put into practice! ‘1:20. Trials require silence and patience because talk inflames anger, and anger inflames talk. Anger also distracts from listening to God.’
You can’t dispute that friends. But who listens nowadays eh? Not too many of us, since we all want to be the focus of everybody else’s attention! But hear these wise words from Cousin Sol nuh: ‘In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.’ (Prov.10:19) Gospel truth that! The more we talk the more chance we have of committing sin.
And then there’s this: ‘He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent (calm) spirit. Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace (keeps silent) is counted (considered) wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.’ (Prov.17:27-28)
Oh mih breddren, mih breddren, what wonderful words of wisdom and advice from the supposedly wisest man that ever lived; Cousin Sol! Please, please, let’s wake up and take it nuh, because we’re talking ourselves into more and more difficulties and disasters every day. Just listen to the explosive rhetoric that’s being passed back and forth by our world leaders today nuh; it’s nothing but ammunition for anger, strife and war, of which we already have more than enough in this troubled world.
So I implore us to not heighten the ammunition level, but rather lower it, by talking less and listening more. And now that we’ve taken all of that o heart, written it indelibly in our souls, bodies and minds, (smile) let’s go home declaring (steups, wrong again!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know in no uncertain terms, who and whose we are.
In strong voice with a sincere sense of purpose: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And now it’s time for us to go out and share that unconditional, undying LOVE and friendship of Jesus with others, as He so greatly desires of us! Much LOVE!
…set a watch (guard), O Lord…before my mouth…keep (watch over) the door of my lips… (Ps.141:3)
16 Jul 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a discerning heart, a holy fire, a Spirit, an enquiring mind, as smooth as oil, backbone, be of good courage, be strong, belly, burning, but David encouraged himself in the Lord, courage, Daily Bread Devotional, degenerate world, distractions, encourage each other, encouraged in the faith, encouraged the goldsmith, encouragement, enemy attacks, everyone said to his brother, evil, friend of Jesus, holy spirit, hopelessness, hurry, inherit the land, Joshua, judgement day, keep us strong, lightning quick communication, Moses, positive encouragement, radiation treatment, share His love, side effects, sutains us, the carpenter, the gift of joy, the Promised Land, their neighbour, they helped everyone, to know and love you, to persevere, to will, tools of ministry, Tuesday Mantra, ungodly world, water to the soul, wonder in all your works, worry
Isaiah 41:6. They helped everyone his neighbour; and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage (Be strong).
It done, it done! Yes friends and family, the radiation business finally done! Thank the Lord! I went back yesterday for the final zap and it went off as smooth as oil, none of the problems of last Friday! Let’s just hope that it accomplished what it was meant to accomplish, because I really don’t want to go back through the inconvenience and side effects again.
So all I can say is, ‘Thank You yes Lord! Thank You for bringing me through it safely, and I’m leaving everything in your hands. But please give me a break from all the medical issues nuh. I know you are trying to lengthen my life, but by the same token, it does get a bit tiresome and discouraging. Anyway Lord, my life is in your hands, please do as you will with it. Amen!’
Ah mih people, yuh think it easy? No, it not easy nuh! And remember that Jesus didn’t have it easy either, and He said that we’d face trials and tribulations in this evil and ungodly world, but we were to have peace and be of good cheer, because He had overcome the world. (John 16:33)
And we all know that that is much easier said than done, especially with all the distractions and enemy attacks that we are currently facing in this degenerate world. But if we are serious and truly turn to Almighty God for help, we WILL be able to handle the world like Jesus recommended. So let’s look at some encouraging stuff nuh.
And first off is this footnote from a Daily Bread Devotional. It tells us that ‘Encouragement is water to the soul!’ And is it ever my people! For just like our physical bodies need water to survive, so does our souls need encouragement to stay hopeful and alive! Without positive encouragement, we all will sink to undesirable depths of hopelessness, something that Jesus doesn’t want us to ever do. That’s why we need to get together and encourage each other.
But in these days of lightning quick communication, we can also encourage each other from afar. The important thing is to keep in contact with people of the faith. Now here is this prayer of encouragement, enshrined in plastic, (smile) that I found on my desk from the Anglican Church, Diocese of Toronto. Please pray with me: ‘Sustain us, O Lord, with Your Holy Spirit. Give us an enquiring mind and discerning heart, the courage to will and to persevere, a spirit to know and to LOVE You, and the gift of joy and wonder in all your works. Amen!’
Ah friends, a simple but ever so far-reaching prayer! And it asks for exactly the things we need to get us successfully through this trouble-filled world. And I do hope that it encouraged us, that it strengthened our backbone and belly some, (smile) caused us to stand up a li’l stronger and straighter, and to keep the faith in, and of Jesus, burning like a holy fire in our souls, bodies, hearts and minds!
Wow! What a way the ole fella waxing philosophical and encouraging this Tuesday morning in the wonderful summer of 2019! (smile) But that’s the way it’s supposed to be. That’s the whole purpose of the Bit; to keep us strong and encouraged in the faith! So if I’m not encouraging you, then I’m not doing what the Lord requires of me…And no way, do I want Him to ask me, come the judgement day, why I didn’t do what He asked. So let’s keep up with the encouragement nuh. (smile)
Brother! Is it ever a smiley kind of day! But that’s how it ought to be anyway. (smile) And it’s no mistake that within a couple of chapters of the Good Book that the Lord commanded Moses to encourage Joshua. ‘But Joshua, the son of Nun, which standeth before thee, he shall go thither (into the promised land): encourage him: for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.’ (Deut.1:38)
And the Lord commanded Moses again when He took him up the mountain to see the Promised Land from afar. ‘But charge (command) Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him: for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which thou shalt see.’ (Deut.3:28) That shows how big our God is on encouragement, and so should we be too.
Now hear this wonderful and encouraging scripture from Isaiah, re the final restoration of Israel. ‘They helped everyone his neighbour; and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage (Be strong). So the carpenter (craftsman) encouraged the goldsmith (refiner), and he that smootheth with the hammer, him that smote (struck) the anvil, saying, It is ready for sodering (of the soldering, it is good): and he fastened it with the nails (pegs), that it should not be moved (totter).’ (Is.41:6-7)
Ah mih people, if only the saints of Jesus would be as encouraging to each other eh! What a wonderful world this would be! But too often, those who should encourage us, discourage us instead, and then we need to take matters into our own hands, like Bruh David did when his men wanted to stone him, after the Amalekites burned down their city of Ziklag and took all their women and children captive. The Good Book tells us: ‘But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.’ (1 Sam.30:6b)
Yes precious people of God, we can’t always depend on others to encourage us, but when the heifer dust hits the fan (smile) we need to also be able to encourage ourselves in Jehovah God. That’s when the true strength and maturity of our faith really shows out. So please be encouraged today…and everyday, for we serve an encouraging and faithful God!
Now let’s show that faith by declaring (yeh!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know who and whose we are. In strong voice and sincere hearts: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
Wonderful friends, wonderful! Now let’s go out and fulfill that promise by encouraging others, through sharing Jesus’ LOVE and friendship with the less fortunate. That’s His ultimate desire! Much LOVE!
…encouragement…one of the believer’s most important tools…in his or her ministry…
09 Jul 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a doting grandfather, a little while, a miserable night, a woman in travail, ask and ye shall receive, ask in my name, beloved of Jesus, christ died for us to have joy, Christians, circumstance, commandments, determine happiness, enlightenment, friend of Jesus, gospel truth, grow and thrive, have I spoken unto you, hurry, joy, kept my father's commandments, labour, lament, my favourite word, my joy might remain in you, One Year Book of Bible promises, pain-killers, radiation treatment, Ruth Harms Calkin, selfish, share His love, sorrow turned into joy, sweetly honest, the branches, the joy of Christ in us, the joy of the Lord is your strength, the vine, these things, Tuesday Mantra, ungodly stuff, weep, wisdom, worry, ye shall not see me, ye shall see me, you can't fake joy, you can't hide joy, your heart shall rejoice, your joy might be full, your joy no man taketh from you
John 15:11. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
What a lousy, miserable, pain filled night! Yes mih first born, the ole fella complaining! (smile) And I’m sure if you had a night like I had, you’d complain too! Can’t find a comfortable position in which to sleep, because everyone I try, some ole broken down joint cried out in anguish. Then having to get up every couple hours to go to the bathroom, courtesy of the radiation treatment.
Steups! Is a good thing this radiation nonsense finish this week yes! Couldn’t handle no more of it nuh. Is since May I’ve been going down to the hospital every blooming day for the treatment. Now is July, time for it to done oui! And the sad part is that I try to stay away from the pain killers, since I’m already a walking pharmacy (smile) but this morning I had no choice, had to get some of father’s li’l helpers to keep the ole bod moving sprightly. And that’s my rant for this morning! (smile)
Now here is what we should all be having…JOY! Yes friends, that’s the watchword for today – JOY! And we’ll check it out from a poem of the same name from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. Please pray with me: ‘JOY! My favourite word. Circumstances may determine my happiness But, Lord, You determine my joy. Joy is sweetly honest. No wonder the minister said: “You can’t hide joy if you have it – You can’t fake it if you don’t.” Who can manufacture it, Lord? Joy is Your creation. Who may have it? Anyone who asks. Thank You, Lord For JOY!’
Yes mih people, JOY is of the Lord! And as the poem says, anyone one who wants it can have it, they just have to ask for it! Now are we asking the Lord for joy? Or are we merely living with happiness determined by our earthly circumstances? I certainly hope we are doing the former because that is what Christians ought to have; it’s what Christ died for us to have.
Hear these immortal words of our Lord and Saviour nuh, while talking to the disciples about Him being the vine and they the branches, who need to stay connected to Him, if they expect to grow and thrive. ‘If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my LOVE; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his LOVE. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.’ (John 15:10-11)
Oh friends, you can’t beat that! The joy of Christ in us enables us to handle any situation that comes against us with wisdom and steadfastness. We don’t get wishy-washy because of our circumstances. Now hear some more of Jesus talking to the disciples on the subject of joy. At one stage He told them this li’l riddle: ‘A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.’ (John 16:16)
Obviously the disciples were confused and muttered amongst themselves over what His words meant. And Jesus, sensing their confusion, explained it to them. ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. A woman when she is in travail (labour) hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of (has given birth to) the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man (human being) is born into the world.
And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.’ (John 16:20-24)
Ah mih people, words of true wisdom and enlightenment from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Words that have stood the test of time and are still applicable to these evil and troubled days! Just knowing that with Jesus in us, and we in Him, and being sure that He will come again to take us home, to be with Him in paradise forever, ought to be such a great motivator for us to live and die for Him.
And when you add that last piece about asking for anything in His name and the Father will grant it…Hn! Our lives ought to be overflowing with joy everlasting! For no other faith, religion, or whatever you choose to call it, offers that kind of assurance and satisfaction. Now obviously Jesus is not referring to asking for selfish, ungodly stuff, but things that fall under the Father’s will.
Too many of us though use those words to ask for selfish, ungodly stuff, and when we don’t get it, rail against God and His word. But please remember that God is not sitting in heaven like a doting grandfather to just give us any and everything we want. He has a universe to run, and doesn’t have time for our selfish, childish, petulant needs. We have a serious part to play in this world, so please friends, let’s play it nuh.
And as the Bible verse attached to our poem says: ‘Don’t be dejected or sad, for the JOY of the Lord is your strength.’ (Neh.8:10) And that’s the gospel truth friends! That’s why the enemy always targets our joy in his attacks. He knows that if he can take away our joy, then we’ll become weakened, like Samson, when Delilah cut off his hair. (smile)
And with all of that encouragement and assurance running through our souls, spirits and bodies, let’s go home now, joyfully declaring (right ho!) our Tuesday mantra, gladly telling the world who and whose we are. As one strong voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
Oh friends, what joy our sharing Jesus’ LOVE and friendship with the world will bring both to us down here on earth, and to those in heaven above! So let’s get out there and share it nuh! Much LOVE!
…though living for Jesus…can be sometimes difficult…we still experience joy…unbelievable joy in doing it…
02 Jul 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a little member, a world of iniquity, anger, attentive, avoidance of unnecessary trouble, be acceptable in thy sight, be pleasing to God, bless God, boasteth great things, bounden duty, cantankerous world, considering our response, courteous, curse man, defiles the whole body, friend of Jesus, fuller life, gentle reactions, gospel truth, guards his life, he that guards his mouth, hurry, informative, insight, kind, listening love, LOVE, my mouth shall show forth thy praise, my redeemer, now for now society, O Lord my strength, open thou my lips, opinionated, patient, power of the Lord, reward of cautious speech, saints in Christ, sarcastic retorts, share His love, strife, the meditation of my heart, the party over, the tongue, the tongues is a fire, the words of my mouth, thoughtless and selfush words, thoughts and words, trite answers, truly listen, Tuesday Mantra, wisdom, worry
Psalm 19:14. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength (my rock), and my redeemer.
Well an end to all good things must be, so the Canada Day party is over now, with some rain in the early morning hours and some cloudy skies. But thankfully no showers of blessings spoiled the party! (smile) Now it’s time to return to the daily grind and common task.
Yeh, the radiation treatments are upon me again… the ole bod must have breathed a relieved sigh at the lack of treatment for three whole days. (smile) Only another couple of weeks to go though. And since the Lord promised to see me through whatever He chooses to put me through, then I’m not worried about the outcome, just dying for the very inconvenient everyday visit to the hospital to end. But patience…and a stiff upper lip friends! (smile)
Anyhow, let’s check out this important gift from our One Year Book of Bible verses with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin nuh. It’s titled ‘LISTENING LOVE!’ Please read with me: ‘Listening LOVE is one of the greatest gifts we can give our mates, our families, and our friends. Too often we settle for surface talk or icy silences, for monologues or cutoffs, for defences. What a difference when we follow the principles of listening LOVE!
Listening LOVE is courteous. It says… I will strive not to interrupt or outguess you. I will not finish your sentences or break into your thoughts. Listening LOVE is attentive. It says… I will give you my undivided attention. I will not turn you off or leave you isolated. Listening LOVE is patient. It says… I will not rush you or insist on a right-now conclusion. Listening LOVE is kind. It says… I will not shame you with sarcastic retorts. I will not belittle you.
Listening LOVE is objective. It says… I will try to be informative rather than opinionated. I will not attempt to think for you. Listening LOVE is unselfish. It says… I will guard against overconfidence and trite “spiritual” answers. Listening LOVE is prayerful. It says… I will pray for insight, for wisdom, and for gentle reactions.’
Oh my people, how wonderful our world would be if we would all show just a li’l more Listening LOVE! If we’re truthful, we’d all acknowledge that too often we interrupt, belittle, are impatient, unkind and otherwise in our conversations, and thus they do not go as well as we want them to, or as they ought to go. Half the time we don’t even truly listen, but while the other person is talking, we are considering our response, and thus miss half of what they are saying.
And we can’t blame it all on this fast, now for now society in which we now live, but must cast some of the blame on our impatient, know it all selves. I know I’m guilty of some of that ‘unlistening’ LOVE, and sometimes when I catch myself doing it, I berate myself for it, but it’s not easy to change our accustomed behaviour.
However, there is help for us in the power of the Lord our God, beginning with the Bible verse that’s allocated to our poem today. Yeh friends, the immortal words of Bruh David is our Bit for today: ‘Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength (my rock), and my redeemer.’
Oh my fellow saints in Christ, it’s ever so important that our thoughts and words be pleasing to our heavenly Father. But as with so much of life, we can’t do it on our own, that’s why everyday we ought to ask Him for the power to think and speak wisely…in other words, with listening LOVE.
And there’s no doubt that a lot of the strife and anger that currently exists in our world are caused by thoughtless and selfish words. No wonder Cousin Sol could warn us that ‘He that keepeth (guards) his mouth keepeth (guards) his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.’ (Prov.13:3) And the scholars explain that verse thus: ‘13:3. The reward of cautious speech is fuller life and the avoidance of unnecessary trouble.’
Truer words were never spoken friends! Many of us would have so many fewer problems if we’d only watch what we say! That’s why Bruh David seriously asked the Lord in Psalm 141 – Prayer for help in trouble. ‘Set a watch (guard), O Lord, before my mouth; keep (watch over) the door of my lips.’ (Ps.141:3) And if a man of Bruh David’s faith and religious stature could make such a plea, who are we, living in a much more evil, contentious and cantankerous world, not to do the same eh?
And listen to some more of Cousin Sol’s wise words on the mouth. ‘Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue, keepeth his soul from troubles.’ (Prov.21:13) Gospel truth that my brethren!
And we don’t have time or space to write all that James says about the tongue, but hear these few words. ‘Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter (forest) a little fire kindleth (sets on fire)! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire of hell.’ (James 3:5-) And we all know that’s gospel truth!
The tongue is impossible to tame without God’s help, and it is the cause of many of the world’s most serious problems. What we seriously need in today’s world is Bruh David’s plea: ‘O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise.’ (Ps.51:15) What a wonderful world this would be, if we were using our tongues to praise God rather than curse our fellow man!
And having read and digested all of that, let’s go home declaring (wrong again!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know who and whose we are. In strong voice and sincere sense of purpose: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And if we’re truly sincere, then let’s go out now and share that friendship and LOVE of Jesus with those who unfortunately don’t know Him. That’s our bounden duty as faithful believers! Much LOVE!
…it’s not right…to curse man…and then bless God…with the same tongue…
25 Jun 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a joy to behold, alive and kicking, Alpha, bounden duty, Christians, Day of Pentecost, death is swallowed up in victory, dwell in you, ending, exaltation, fear not, First and Last, friend of Jesus, give life to, gives us the victory, Hallelujah, hath God raised up, hurry, in exile, in god's eyes, Jesus is alive, John, message of reassurance, no match for, Omega, paid for our sins, Patmos, praise, Praise the Lord, resurrection power, saints in Christ, selflessness of Christ, share His love, sin, substitutionary death, the Almighty, the beginning, the beloved of God, the cross of Calvary, the disciple Jesus loved, the grip of the grave, the most joyful people, the power of God, the Revelator, the Spirit of him, the sting of death, this Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, victory, was and is to come, we all are witnesses, white on rice, worry, worship, your mortal bodies
Acts 2:32. This Jesus hath God raised up, wherefore we are all witnesses.
Oh what a beautiful morning! Oh what a beautiful day! And it is indeed a beautiful day in my neighbourhood! But you wouldn’t believe that daunting shower of rain that fell around midnight last night! Thought for sure it was going to be a ‘riney’ day. But thanks be to God, when I awoke it was bright and sunshiny with everything washed clean by God’s showers of blessings. Isn’t He a most wonderful God? He most surely is!
And a note of info here: the ole fella is two thirds of the way through his radiation treatment, 20 down, 13 more to go! Wow! And so far, all thanks, as always, be to God, I haven’t experienced any serious side effects! But the best news of the day my faithful brethren is that Jesus is still alive! Alive and kicking! Kicking gloriously too! Like a powerful and artful kick-boxer, He’s just a joy to behold in His wonderful moves! He’s all over His opponents like white on rice! (smile)
And just to give you a glimpse of how majestic and beautiful our Lord and Saviour is, check out this quote from a Daily Bread Devotion. ‘The grip of the grave is no match for the power of God!’ And all God’s people declared a loud and proud: ‘Praise the Lord! Hallelujah! For He is indeed a mighty and powerful God, deserving of much praise, exaltation and worship!’
And is He ever my people! For who do you think had the resurrection power to raise Jesus from the dead eh? None other than Almighty God! As Peter declared (right ho!) to all of Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost: ‘This Jesus hath God raised up, wherefore we are all witnesses.’ Yes friends, the Father raised the Son from the dead after He had paid for our sins on the cross of Calvary.
Thus Bruh Paul could say with great assurance to all who believe in Jesus Christ: ‘But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken (give life to) your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.’ (Rom.8:11)
Glory Hallelujah my fellow saints in Christ! Just like the Father raised Christ from the dead He will also raise all those who sincerely believe and obediently follow in the footsteps of His wonderful Son! That means us! And since Christ has defeated hell, death and the grave through His substitutionary death and most awesome and amazing resurrection, the victory is already ours. Glory to God!
No wonder Bruh Paul could also quote from the Old Testament Scriptures: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave (Hades, hell), where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (1 Cor.15:54-57) How can we not then, as believers in Christ Jesus be thankful and joyful eh, since victory is already ours through the magnificent work and selflessness of Christ?
That’s why Christians ought to be the most joyful people on God’s great earth! But unfortunately too many of us supposed believers are so miserable, dragging around and unhappy that it’s not funny, which just makes a mockery of Jesus’ great sacrifice on our behalf. Oh, by the way, the Old Testament verses that Bruh Paul quoted above there came from Isaiah.25:8 and Hosea 13:14.
And Jesus Himself told His disciples, after Peter acknowledged that He was indeed ‘the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ (Mat.16:16): ‘And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter (a stone), and upon this rock (large stone) I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.’ (Matt.16:18)
And please realize that Peter himself was not the rock that Jesus meant to build on, but the entire discipleship that He had put together. They would be responsible for building the church, for going to all nations and witnessing, teaching and baptizing in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.
And coming up, is what Jesus said to John, as He revealed awesome wonders to the disciple that He LOVED while on earth. Who knows whether John was being presumptuous or not when he wrote that in his gospel. (John 13:23) (smile) And it can be argued that he was right since Jesus chose him to be the Revelator of those things to come, while in exile on the island of Patmos for preaching Christ’s gospel.
And John says of his encounter with Jesus: ‘And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell (Hades) and of death. Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter.’ (Rev.1:17-19)
I have to chuckle here, because John’s initial reaction to encountering Jesus in all His glory in the vision was one of fear, and who would not be afraid under those circumstances eh? But as was so typical of Jesus while on earth, He used one of His favourite lines to His beloved disciple. ‘Fear not.’
And friends, today He is still giving us that same message of reassurance and conviction, that as true believers in His power and glory, we have nothing to fear. And we all said, a loud and confident: ‘AMEN!’ Now let’s go home displaying that confidence as we declare (yeh!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know who and whose we are.
In strong voice and sincere sense of purpose: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And our bounden duty now is to go out and action those statements we just declared. Much LOVE!
…I am Alpha and Omega…the beginning and the ending…saith the Lord…which is…and which was…and which is to come…the ALMIGHTY… (Rev.1:8)
P.S. Not making any excuses for the Bit being somewhat late. I just got up late. (smile) Much LOVE!
22 Jun 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a sound mind, a spirit of fear, angry, Anselm, antidote, anxiety, anxious, aspire to inspire us, assume negative intent, be careful for nothing, be made known unto God, beginning of summer, but in everything, by prayer, Christians, complexities, depressing life circumstances, don't make a decision when you're angry, Emotional Quotient, feeling sorry for themselves, glory to God, handle life, in perfect peace, is stayed on thee, Jesus Christ at the helm, keep our focus on god, let your requests, most positive people, obese, of love, our minds, overweight, perpetrators of doom and gloom, positive intent, power, practical circumstance, putting yourself down, reasoning, righteousness, Satan's most successful tools, seek ye first the kingdom of God, supplication, the battlefield for our souls, the Holy Spirit, the mire of life, the presence of Christ in our lives, thou wilt keep him, wallowing in negative thinking, whose mind, wisdom, with great aplomb, with thanksgiving, worry
Isaiah 26:3. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on (sustained by) thee: because he trusteth in thee.
Oh, it was a pretty good official beginning of summer yesterday! It wasn’t hot, hot, hot, (smile) but it was sunny and a decent temperature, somewhere in the low twenties. But according to the weatherman, it’s going to be warm and rainy the next week or so, even with some thunderstorms thrown in for good measure! But that’s nothing new! It’s been the norm for the last li’l while. (smile)
So we can handle it with great aplomb, just like we handle everything else the enemy throws at us, with Jesus’ help of course, as we confidently declare. Chuh man! It looks like I can’t spell the word ‘declare’ and it’s various parts even if my life depended upon it! But I spelt it right there though! Glory be! So let’s declare then (right ho!). ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!’ (Phil.4:13)
Now that’s the only reason why we are able to handle life and all its complexities with great aplomb; because of the presence of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in our lives, operating as the Holy Spirit. Glory to God for his wonderful doings in the lives of the children of men! But enough suh-so suh-so, (smile) some people are waiting this glorious looking Saturday morning to hear what our friend Anselm had to say in his quotes this past week, as he sincerely aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
Hear this first one: ‘When you assume negative intent, you’re angry. If you take away that anger and assume positive intent, you will be amazed. Your emotional quotient goes up because you are no longer almost random in your response.’ Now that’s mostly true. I think though that the first line should read: ‘When you’re angry, you assume negative intent,’ because when you’re negative it doesn’t always mean that you’re angry. You can certainly be negative without being angry. But making a decision when you’re angry is the worst thing you can do. The only decision to make then is to decide to make none at all!
Then there’s this one that fits into the same category as the last. ‘People deal too much with the negative, with what is wrong. Why not try and see positive things, to just touch those things and make them bloom.’ For sure! Our society certainly focuses too much on what’s wrong, rather than on what’s right, on what we’ve lost, rather than on what we still have! That only leads us to being perpetrators of an overall doom and gloom attitude, which just drives us further down into the mire of life.
We need to be as positive as we can in this life, and Christians should be the most positive people on the planet because we have the best life, both here on earth and in the future going for us with Jesus Christ at the helm! But unfortunately, in too many instances, Christians turn out to be some of the most negative and feeling sorry for themselves people on the planet.
But here is a practical circumstance that many of us fall into because of our wallowing in negative thinking. ‘Stop allowing yourself to focus on depressing life circumstances – including focusing on being depressed about your weight. All this negative focus will only lead you to feeling bummed and wanting to pig out. Instead, consciously focus on happy life circumstances you enjoy doing, and create more of them.’
Now this sense of weight insecurity is rampant in our society today, and granted many of us need to lose a lot of weight because there are definitely too many overweight and obese people in our society. But the right way to go about it is not to get overly worried and negative since that attitude will only make matters worse. The most important thing there is to first accept the fact that you are overweight and seriously decide to do something about it, without putting yourself down.
Because, here’s what happens when we give into the negative circumstances in life: ‘Worry and reasoning are two of Satan’s most successful tools. He’ll get us started with one negative thought and then sit back and watch us finish ourselves off.’ And isn’t that the gospel truth my people! Remember the battlefield for our souls is our minds, and once the enemy is able to inject one false or negative thought there, then it’s downhill all the way after that!
And that’s why Isaiah so rightly and wisely proclaimed in his hymn of praise: ‘Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on (sustained by) thee: because he trusteth in thee.’ Yeh friends, when we keep our focus on God, He keeps our minds in good, positive and godly functioning.
That’s also why Jesus recommended to the throng during the Sermon on the Mount: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things will be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33) The Lord knows what we need and want before we even do, and He’s sincerely and faithfully promised that if we keep Him first in our lives, make Him the Number ONE priority, then He will look after us in spades!
Likewise, Bruh Paul told the Philippians thus: ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil.4:6-7) And that my friends is wisdom of the utmost proportions!
And we’ll close with these marvellous words of truth from Bruh Paul to Timothy. ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.’ (2 Tim.1:7) Please my people, let’s use that sound mind that God has given us nuh! Much LOVE!
…for ALL anxiety…the antidote is…simply prayer with thanksgiving…
04 Jun 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a name above every other name, all knees must bow, ambassadors of Christ, Apollos watered, become the chief cornerstone, blessed, bounden duty, can no man lay, changeable circumstances, church at Corinth, continue for ever, continue into eternity, digged deep, do not what I say, fools, for other foundation, foundation, friend of Jesus, God gave the increase, gospel truth, Guide, hurry, hypocrites, in god's eyes, irremovable rock, it is marvellous in our eyes, it was founded upon a rock, Jesus Christ, laid the foundation of the earth, leader, Lord, loved, of old, Paul planted, rocket science, saviour, share His love, simple logic, steady, sure, that is laid, the flood arose, the heavens, the parable of the wicked husbandman, the ruin of that house was great, the same yesterday today and for ever, the solid foundation that's Christ, the stone the builder rejected, the stream beat vehemently, the work of thy hands, they shall perish, those who faithfully serve, thou shalt endure, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, unchangeable, which is Jesus Christ, worry
1 Corinthians 3:11. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Ah friends, isn’t it somewhat strange and very disconcerting how life and its circumstances can and does change on us very suddenly, so often without any warning whatsoever? Some of us went to bed last night but did not arise this morning, while others went to bed under wonderful circumstances and woke up to horrendous ones!
Chuh! Life is like the weather; which can change from one position to another in the blink of an eye. And I had a good example of that this very day. I got up earlier on this morning and looked outside, and was it ever bright and sunshiny, looked like it was going to be a glorious day. Hn! But an hour later when I looked outside again, it was more cloudy than sunshiny!
What happened to change it so fast eh? Who knows? But that just goes to show how blessed and LOVED we are by having the unchangeable, the irremovable ROCK called Jesus Christ as our Lord, Saviour, Leader and Guide. As the Good Book so eloquently and rightly declares (yes!): ‘Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.’ (Heb.13:8)
Glory be mih people! Give Him praise and thanks for being so unchangeable, for being so steady and sure, that we can rely upon Him in and for ALL things!
And so long ago, the psalmist said it this way: ‘Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure (continue): yea, all of them shall wax (grow) old like a garment; as a vesture (cloak) shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: But thou art the same, and the years shall have no end. The children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed (descendants) shall be established before thee.’ (Ps.102:25-28)
Yes, my fellow saints of Christ; the Lord founded the heavens and earth and all therein, but eventually that shall all pass away, but not the Lord, the Creator Himself. And those who faithfully serve and worship Him will continue into eternity with Him! Wow! What a wonderful promise! That ought to just make us jump and shout for joy!
And if by chance you don’t believe the psalmist (smile) then listen to Jesus Himself: ‘And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built a house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built a house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.’ (Luke 6:46-49)
Oh my people, Jesus could not have made it any clearer than that! He is the ROCK, the foundation upon which we ought to build our lives! And He said it plainly during the telling of the parable of the wicked husbandman, when He quoted Psalm 118:22 and Isaiah 28:16. ‘Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builder rejected, the same is become the head of the corner (chief corner stone): this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?’ (Matt.21:42)
And yes friends, it’s oh so glorious in our eyes! But the problem is that we hear and see all that Jesus did, and does, but we still don’t take Him seriously, and foolishly keep building our houses, our lives on the crusty, feeble and deceitful things of this wicked world! Now that could not be termed wisdom in any sense of the word!
And if we seriously consider ourselves followers and ambassadors of Christ down here on earth, then we can’t hear what He teaches and not respond to it favourably, else we’ll be both hypocrites and fools!
That brings us to the immortal words of Bruh Paul when the church at Corinth was having problems with whom to follow, Bruh Paul or Apollos. ‘Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither is he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.’ (1 Cor.2:5-7)
Yes friends, whatever we do, in Christ’s name, it’s God who makes the good stuff happen! However, even more importantly, as we’ve been saying all morning, (smile) it’s of the utmost importance that we build our houses, our lives on the solid foundation that’s Christ: ‘For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.’
And that’s gospel truth my brethren! The ONLY foundation worth building on in this evil, crazy, ungodly, strife-filled world is our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! That’s why the Father gave Him a name above every other name, and decreed that ALL knees shall eventually bow to Him and call Him Lord! So let’s not be foolish and go building our precious lives on anything else eh, because all else is merely sinking sand!
Now, having read, and digested all that wisdom (smile) let’s go home declaring (steups!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know who and whose we are. In loud and sincere voice now: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And the next move is to obviously go out and do what we just said; share the wonderful LOVE and friendship of Jesus with others who don’t know Him, so that they too can have the joy and peace that we have! And remember, that’s not a favour we’re doing Christ, but it’s our bounden duty! Much LOVE!
…if the foundation is not solid…then the building won’t stand the test of time…that’s simple logic…not rocket science…
28 May 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a merry springtime dance, Abednego, assured of God's goodness, beloved of God, conscious effort, Daniel, Darius, dominion until the end, eternal life, fiery furnace, forgiveness of sins, friend of Jesus, grace, he will deliver thee, hurry, Jesus Christ, less talking, like the Son of God, make a difference, mercy, Mesach, Nebuchadnezzar, not even smelling of smoke, of the shadow of death, peace be multiplied, righteous and godly living, salvation, shadrach, share His love, steadfast forever, the God of Daniel, the king spake to Daniel, the living God, the Love of Christ, the valley, thou servest continually, thy God, to follow jesus, Tuesday Mantra, ungodly circumstances, wet and wooly, work everything out for good, worketh signs and wonders, worry
Daniel 6:16b. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.
And yes, it’s a wet and wooly Tuesday morning in my area, with the wind leading the trees in a merry springtime dance! But they seem to be handling it quite well with their new green leaves and strong springtime branches! Likewise, we saints of Christ ought to be handling the evil and ungodly circumstances of this world with the same kind of fervour, because we have a great, good and wonderful God looking out for us!
Glory be my people! He’s so concerned about us that He’s even numbered the hairs of our heads, and NOTHING happens to us that He doesn’t know about, so this Tuesday morning, let’s rise up and greet the day with the awe and splendour it deserves nuh, as we boldly proclaim: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’ It’s the only way to go my faithful brethren, if we want to enjoy heaven down here on earth, like Christ died for us to do.
And let me remind us once again of this awesome bit of truth from a Daily Bread Devotional: ‘In the darkest hours of life, only through the eyes of faith, can we see the LOVING hand of God!’ And yuh better believe that yes friends! For when those dark and dreadful times come, when you feel like you’re walking through the valley of the shadow of death, it’s only if your faith is real strong that you can even think about God, much less believe that He’s in the midst of it with you, and will work everything out for your good!
We just have to look at the example of those three Hebrew boys, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who refused to worship the idol of King Nebuchadnezzar, and were thrown into the fiery furnace. Neb was so angered by their refusal that he commanded that the furnace be heated seven times hotter than normal, and the mightiest men to bind them up and throw them in the fiery furnace.
And what happened eh? The fire was so hot that it killed the men who threw them in, but those boys came out scot free, not even smelling of smoke. Mama Yo! And what’s interesting is that Neb in his fury saw four men loose walking about in the furnace, when only three were thrown in. ‘And the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.’ he recounted. (Dan.3:25b) Neb obviously had no knowledge of Christ, but he realized that someone greater than Him was in there with the boys.
And Daniel in the lion’s den proved the same point my faithful believers in Christ! The king, Darius, didn’t want to put Daniel in the lion’s den, but the law forced him to do so. But hear the awesome words he spoke to him before doing so. ‘Thy God, whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.’
Wow people! If an idol-worshipping king could sense God in Daniel’s life, and be so assured of His goodness and power, why can’t we sense Him in ours eh, and be thus assured, when we have greater knowledge of the Almighty, than those long ago faithful had? I truly don’t know why. Yuh know, sometimes the more information you have, the more confused you get.
It’s like having too many options, you don’t really know which one to choose. And do we ever have a bunch of options in this current world, options that are trying to drag us in all different directions at the same time. But friends, we only really need ONE, and that’s the ONE offering Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour! Mama Mia! There’s nothing better than that!
And it’s not like we don’t know it? Because there’s no other option offering us, forgiveness of sins, mercy, grace, salvation and eternal life in heaven for simply believing! But we’re so blinded by our sin and the false and fickle goodies that the world throws our way, that we dither, sit on the fence, hoping that somehow it will all work out. But it won’t friends, unless we make the determined and conscious effort to follow Jesus Christ!
And it’s interesting what the Lord made King Darius write to all the people under his rule after He rescued Daniel from the lion’s den. ‘Peace be multiplied unto you (shades of Bruh Paul). I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men (must) tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and steadfast forever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end. He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in the earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power (paws, hands) of the lions.’ (Dan.6:25-27)
Oh friends, that realization was made long, long before Jesus came, and it has stood the test of time! So why can’t we accept and believe it eh? Why do we have so much trouble living the life Jesus wants us to live eh? But turning back to Daniel’s life, I believe its most important aspect is the mighty effect his righteous and godly living had on those around him. It turned a pagan king into a believer, or at least one who recognized that there was a power mightier than him.
And yuh know friends, that’s all that Jesus is asking of us today; to live our lives in such a manner that others will see our truth, to walk our walk, so that they too will want to have what we have; the LOVE of Jesus Christ in our hearts, souls, bodies and minds! We are the tools He wants to use to change the world. So let’s live up to that holy billing nuh! (smile)
Now let’s go home loudly and proudly declaring (yes!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting this evil and ungodly world know who and whose we are! As one now: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And the next step is to go out and sincerely share that awesome LOVE and friendship of Christ! Much LOVE!…
Christians need to do much more doing…and far less talking…if they want to make a real difference…
21 May 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a beautiful morning, a channel, a covenant, a day for all, a dog chasing his tail, address asap, All, all I ask for, anger, beloved of God, bitter criticism, chilly, cry out for mercy, denunciation, diatribe, endless, foolish pride, full of ourselves, give thanks, God is good, God's grievances, God's patience, God's wrath, grace shall abound, guiding, he is good, his mercy endures forever, holy spirit, hurry, I shall receive, in thisne anger, in thy hot displeasure, keep our half, leading, LOVE, loving-kindness, my needs shall be supplied, narcissism, negative things, neither chasten me, partnership with God, pick sense from nonsense, provided for, pussufooting, rebuke me not, share His love, sufficiency for all things, the promises are mine, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, unto the Lord, with me always, worry
Psalm 136:1. O Give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy (LOVING-kindness) endureth for ever.
Well it’s a beautiful morning – a tad chilly though, but one designed to energize us to get up and go to work after such a wonderful long weekend! And the weather actually behaved! Except for some gusty winds there wasn’t much precipitation at all!
Let’s hope that we will get some more sunshine and less rain for the next little while, so that the flooded, satiated land will get a chance to dry out and be ready for planting the crops we so badly depend on to keep our comfortable lives in that comfortable condition. (smile)
And just to show us how blessed and LOVED we are, please check out this most appropriate poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. And NO, I don’t go looking for them, they come and find me! (smile) And this one is simply titled ‘ALL!’
Please pray with me: ‘O God Thank You, thank You For your reiterated ALL…You have promised: ALL my needs shall be supplied. ALL grace shall abound toward me. ALL the promises are mine. ALL things asked I shall receive. ALL sufficiency for ALL things. You are with me always ALL the days… And today!’
Oh precious people of God, ALL of that is gospel truth! So how can we ever truly clam to be not blessed, not LOVED, not cared for, etc. etc! NEVER! For the Lord God Jehovah, our Creator, and great Provider has provided for us in all things, instances and cases!
We just have to get ourselves together and do whatever it takes to realize them because they are not going to simply fall in our laps without any effort from us. We need to understand that we’re in a covenant, a partnership with God and there are certain things we have to do to keep our half of the bargain!
The problem is though that we just like to talk our half and don’t get up off of our fat, lazy and comfortable fannies to do our Bit! But friends, we’re just shortchanging ourselves when we adopt that unwise attitude, for the Lord has so much in store for us, more than we can ever ask or imagine, but we won’t get it until we begin seriously asking, knocking, seeking for and doing it!
And I’m laughing here because all of that was just one straight piece of diatribe (bitter criticism, denunciation), flowing without a break! I guess I feel strongly that we complain about stuff that we would not have to complain about if we did what we ought to do!
And don’t get me wrong; I’m a part of the problem too. It’s just that Christ died so horribly, so that we could have so many good things, and then we don’t do what we need to do to have them, that it seems to make His death and suffering a wasted effort. I know He’ll NEVER say that, but the way we abuse and not use the provisions that He’s made available to us is a sin in itself!
And don’t ask me where ALL of that is coming from, because I don’t know. It’s definitely not something I planned to write. So I guess whomever, or whatever is leading and guiding me, hopefully the Holy Spirit of God, must want those things to be aired. So in fact, I’m just a channel for God’s grievances; negative things He wants us to address a.s.a.p! (smile)
And yes friends, our wonderful God does have grievances against us…and we ALL know what they are! And we’re so full of ourselves, of foolish pride and narcissism, that instead of attending to the grievances of God in our lives, we simply go on about our merry way and expect it ALL to work out, because our God is so good!
Steups! Oh my people, our God is good yes, but we can never bear the full force of His wrath… and that’s what we will bear if we don’t smarten up soon and attend to the matters that He’s unhappy with! End of Sermon! (smile)
And the scripture verse assigned to our poem is taken form Psalm 136, that psalm of wonderful praise to our great God, and it’s also our Bit: ‘O Give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy (LOVING-kindness) endureth for ever.’ And yes my faithful saints of Christ, that is ALL ever so true!
However, there is also another side to the coin, and Bruh David captures it well in Psalm 6, his prayer for mercy. ‘O Lord, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.’ Ah mih people, our God’s patience is endless, but there comes a time when even He, gets fed up with our pussyfooting and running around like a foolish dog chasing its tail. And at those times His wrath, His chastening is ever so evident in our lives, and we cry out for mercy!
But the long and short of the matter is if we had done as He asked, we would not have had to cry out for mercy! End of story! Yes friends, I do hope it ALL makes sense. But then I also know that the Lord has given us ALL the power to pick sense from nonsense! (smile)
So let’s go home declaring (steups…wrong again!) our Tuesday Mantra, telling the world, who and whose we are! All together now: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And if we sincerely believe it, then we need to go out and share that LOVE and friendship with others who don’t have it, for that’s what He expects of us! Much LOVE!
…we ALL have ALL that we need to live this life for Jesus…we just have to put our minds, souls and bodies to it…
P.S. Today certainly seems like a day for ALL! (smile)
27 Apr 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a ladder, a lifeboat, Anselm's quotes, aspire to inspire, be a lamp, be of good cheer, courage, crucifixion, do what is right, don't depend on others, don't worry about what you can't control, eternal life, excessive rain, flooding, for your own happiness, gives his life for the sheep, glorify your Father, God sent not His Son, help heal someone's soul, horrific torture, howling wind, i have overcome the world, in heaven, in me, into the world, Jesus, Jesus' amazing love, Jesus' friendship, let your light so shine, light of the world, like a rocking chair, live a righteous life, man's selfish nature, might be saved, not what is easy, put our best foot forward, reassurance, sacrifice, salt of the earth, salvation, see your good works, shining example, take advantage of our situations, take responsibility, the good shepherd, the right thing, the world through him, to condemn the world, to make you happy, tribulation, Tuesday Mantra, wasted energy, what is popular, with God's help, won the victory, worry, ye might have peace
John 3:17. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Ah friends, thankfully my area did not get as much rain as expected yesterday, but we did get a lot of wind! Chuh! The wind howled most of the afternoon straight through the night, and at 7.30 this cloudy Saturday morning it is still carrying on out there. At one stage I wanted to go out the street and run some errands, but after hearing the wind on a particularly loud pass with stuff rattling all around, I decided to leave them for another day. (smile)
Let’s hope that no serious damage was done to any properties around here. Unfortunately though, several places around the country have been flooded due to excessive rain. The least we can do is pray for them, but if we can also help in any other way, please let’s do so.
Ah mih people, when it’s not one thing, it’s another yes! But that’s life, and fortunately, as true believers in Jesus Christ we have the wherewithal to withstand all the stuff that comes against us in this crazy world. Give Him some much deserved thanks and praise my brethren!
And since it’s Saturday, let’s have a look at the quotes that our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And this first one is awesome truth: ‘Take responsibility for your own happiness, never put it in other people’s hands.’
Oh friends, that’s one of the first things we ought to learn in this life: we are responsible for our own happiness! We can’t depend on others to make us happy, because too often they will take advantage of our situations and instead cause us unhappiness. It’s just a part of man’s selfish nature!
And then there’s this: ‘Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, shift your energy to what you can create.’ More awesome truth my people! Why worry about something you have no control over eh? Remember our Tuesday Mantra, where we don’t hurry or worry, just go about our business basking in Jesus’ awesome friendship and sharing His amazing LOVE with the world?
Worrying just brings wasted energy. As Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) likes to say, ‘Worry is like a rocking chair, you can do it all day, but it will get you nowhere.’ Instead, we need to use that energy we waste in worry on stuff that’s productive and moves our lives along.
Now hear this: ‘Do what is right, not what is easy nor what is popular.’ That’s nothing new, because we’ve been taught that all our lives. However, the problem is that the right thing is usually not easy or popular! It’s often very difficult and very unpopular, especially if you’re trying to live a righteous life with Jesus as your bright and shining example.
But please note, Jesus didn’t do what was easy or popular. He went against the religious hypocrites of His day, and suffered horrific torture and crucifixion for His beliefs and earthly agenda. Now most of us won’t have to make such a critical and crucial sacrifice, but we will be required to make lesser ones, all in His name, because that’s what He was and is all about; sacrificing for others!
And He gave us that awesome reassuring scripture to hold on to when things get difficult. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)
What a mighty and magnificent scripture that is my brethren! It gives us something to hold on to, to take courage from, knowing that Christ has already won the victory over the evil world, and we just have to hang in there and put our best foot forward.
And all of that just segues nicely into the last quote: ‘Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder. Help someone’s soul heal. Walk out of your house like a shepherd.’ Glory to God my people! That’s what Jesus is asking of every believer: help somebody! That’s why He came to earth, to help us! As He said so plainly: ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’
Mama Mia! Therefore, if we want to be true believers and followers of His, our earthly days should also be spent helping others, like He helped us. Remember, the Father doesn’t want to lose even one of His most precious creation to the enemy, that’s why Jesus called us out to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. (Matt.5:13-14)
Salt adds flavour to stuff and also helps it last, while light shines through the darkness and shows the way. That’s what Jesus did for us: He came to earth as the LIGHT of the world, shining His awesome light into this dark and evil world and illuminating it, showing those who believe in Him a straight and narrow path to walk safely along, leading to salvation and eternal life!
And right now, because He can’t be several places at once, He’s imbued us with His Holy Spirit to lead and guide us, so that we can truly become His hands, ears, eyes and feet down here on earth, and take responsibility for showing others the way out of their darkness into His brilliant and life-saving light. And to do that effectively, we need to do as he asked: ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt.5:16)
Oh my faithful saints in Christ, it’s obvious that we’re not doing such a good job on that request, otherwise our world wouldn’t be in such a topsy-turvy, evil, ungodly, strife-filled mess. So please, let’s pledge today to do better nuh, for Christ is depending on us. And if we get real serious about it, with God’s help, we can certainly make our world a better place to live, both for our descendants and ourselves. Much LOVE!
…I am the good shepherd…the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep… (John 10:11)
P.S. Let me apologize for the confusing dates on yesterday’s Bit. The first one said the 26th, which was right, but the second said the 27th. Friends, the ole fella is only human, so as Jesus taught us, please forgive him. (smile) Much LOVE!
Visit the Scrip-Bit Blog at https://randyopbrien50.com
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