14 Jun 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a piece of the pie, abundant life, action, aggressive, asaph, be thou envious, Beelzebub, Christians, come with the territory, doused with gasoline, earthly wealth, engulfed in flames, envious of the wicked, evildoers, fear, fellow believers, followers of Christ, foolish, Fret not thyself over evildoers, God is good to Israel, God is in control, good old days, gospel truth, grin and bear them, halfway home, heavenly Father, help, life, looking forward, mishaps, my hands are on the plough, my help comes from the Lord, my steps had slipped, Niagara Falls, of a clean hesrt, poison our lives, progress, protect us from harm, Ralph Waldo Emerson, righteousness, Saskatchewan, seek ye first the kingdom of God, sell our souls, spiritual realm, store up treasures, the breath of life, the end times, the fires of hell, the prosperity of the wicked, the workers of iniquity, toxic chemicals, upward, violence, violent, Wednesday Wail, worry
Psalm 37:1. Fret not thyself because of evil doers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
Ah friends, what a world we’re living in today eh, when you can wake up and hear that a tanker truck with toxic contents overturned on a major highway in southern Ontario yesterday afternoon in St. Catherines, close by to Niagara Falls.
Also to hear that two children under 12 were doused with gasoline and set on fire by another under 12 year old boy in the Western Province of Saskatchewan. And then to see live, an apartment building in West London, England, its 24 floors being engulfed in huge flames, and the firefighters helpless to rescue many of them.
Ah Lord eh! Sometimes it makes you long for the supposed good, old days, when we didn’t have toxic chemicals being ferried along our highways like ordinary stuff, and apartment buildings weren’t so tall, and young children weren’t as aggressive and violent.
But we’ve opted for supposed progress and those things come with the territory. So now we just have to grin and bear them.
But here’s the good news; we Christians don’t have to be worried over the stuff that can, and oftimes will happen, because we know that our God, our powerful heavenly Father is in control of ALL things and He will guide and protect us from harm.
And here is an interesting quote to help us in our daily lives, courtesy of Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1882), the famous American lecturer, essayist and poet. Ralph is reputed to have said: ‘Sorrow looks back, worry looks around, but faith looks up.’
Oh my fellow believers, what great advice for these trying times. We can’t afford to be looking back or around, but upwards, because that is where our help comes from.
As the psalmist so rightfully declared: ‘My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth, He will not suffer thy foot to be moved (to slip): He that keepeth thee will not slumber,’ (Ps.121:2-3) Gospel truth friends!
And the sad fact is that too many Christians are too worried about the sad state of our world. Now we must be concerned about it, but the truth is that most of us can do nothing to prevent the mishaps and the violence, so why worry eh?
We need to be more concerned about the things we have control over, and make sure that they go right, and simply leave the rest to God. Our worrying will in no way change some of the awful stuff that’s happening, so we don’t need to poison our own lives with fear and worry.
And that brings us to the wonderful advice of our Bit; immortal words of Bruh David. ‘Fret not thyself because of evil doers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.’
Yes, my precious people of God, it doesn’t pay to be envious of the wicked, because their time will be short, for the Lord will mow them down like grass under a mower, and burn them in the fires of hell.
And we have a very good example of worrying about the evildoers in the words of the psalmist Asaph. He writes in Psalm 73 – The mystery of prosperous wickedness. ‘Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean (pure) heart.
But as for me, my feet were almost gone (my feet had almost stumbled); my steps had well nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish (boastful), when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.’ (Ps.73:1-3)
Oh my fellow believers, I know that the wicked and evil are seemingly prospering in these end times, and we all want a piece of that pie, but are we going to sell our eternal souls to Beelzebub for a little earthly wealth and prosperity, none of which we can take into the eternal spiritual realm?
That would be incredibly foolish, though many of us are doing it. And the simple solution is that if we sincerely follow Jesus’ admonitions, we can also become prosperous and wealthy in earthly terms, as well as store up treasures in heaven.
Listen to these faithful words of our Lord and Saviour. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33)
Plain and straightforward friends: seek God first, and He will give you all you need to live an abundant life here on earth. For as Jesus later said: ‘I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10)
And having been reminded of all that my faithful followers of Christ, and having inwardly digested it, let’s go home joyfully declaring our Wednesday Wail.
In strong voice as one body, let’s wail! ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Now let’s go out and put it all into action, because that’s the only way to make it worthwhile in the sight of Jesus. Much LOVE!
…the eyes of ALL Christians…should be looking forward and upward…
20 May 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a person of success, a person of value, Abraham, affectionate, angels, Anselm, Beelzebub, blood siblings, brotherly LOVE, chasing money, chasing passion, Christians, conceits, convertible cars, disunity, enjoy, entertain strangers, evil, fallen on deaf ears, for brethren to dwell in unity, fraudulent behaviour, friends, go the extra mile, how good and how pleasant it is, illness, in the eyes of the world, Jesus, jobs in jeopardy, lazy hazy day, left hand, live peaceably, Lot, low estate, more than you are paid to do, negative vibes, outsmarted, peace, put our best foot forward, quotes, resentment, right hand, running down money, shirt-sleeves, spring time, strain, stress, strife, the same mind, tough times, true value breeds success, unity, we be brethren, wealth of the world, whatever we sow we shall reap, worry
Psalm 133:1. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
And then it was Saturday; beautiful spring time in the northern climes! Wow! We just can’t wait for summer to come, after experiencing those two days of summer weather this past week.
Everybody was out in their shorts and shirtsleeves, walking, riding, the tops of the convertible cars down, with their hair blowing in the wind. I don’t think we’ll see as much of that today though, because it won’t be so warm. Today is shaping up to be a somewhat lazy, hazy day, at least hopefully for me, although I need to go and get some undecipherable noise on my chariot fixed.
But however it turns out, since it’s Saturday, let’s look at some of our friend Anselm’s recent quotes, which are always aimed at inspiring us for a better tomorrow. And this week they were short and pithy – to the point – forceful, clever – like: ‘Try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value.’
And there’s great truth in that simple statement, for success comes in many different forms, and not all of them add value to us or our society. So you can be a successful person, in the eyes of the world, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you are valuable, especially in the eyes of Jesus. All the successful but evil people in this evil world aren’t valuable to Jesus or most of us, for in His realm, true value breeds success, not the other way around.
And I like this quote. ‘Stop chasing the money and start chasing the passion.’ Oh friends, if more of us supposed Christians would only stop running down the money and the non-lasting wealth of the world, we’d not only be happier, but much more useful in service to Jesus. We run down the world’s riches, but we don’t have time to enjoy them. What we need more in these tough times is sincere passion; a desire to do good and not evil, to work diligently for Jesus rather than for Beelzebub!
And this last quote is awesome. ‘If you are willing to do more than you are paid to do, eventually you will be paid to do more than you do.’ Words of biblical content my people! Jesus always inspired us to go the extra mile, to put our best foot forward, give more than we are asked, because in due time whatever we sow, we will reap in greater abundance.
Unfortunately though, that idea of doing more than we’re paid to do has fallen on deaf ears. The treat today, is to do ever less than we’re paid to do, then smirk and think we’ve outsmarted our employer. Oh, we just might do that, but constantly robbing our employer of our paid time will certainly put our jobs in jeopardy. And remember, God is watching our every move, and if we Christians succumb to such fraudulent behaviour, we’ll definitely hear about it later from Him.
So friends, it’s all to our betterment, if we live a useful, valuable and passionate Christian life. Not foolishly running down the things of the world, which don’t last anyway, and only cause us all kinds of worry and illness from the stress and strain of trying to acquire them.
And all of that just leads to our wonderful Bit. ‘Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!’ And that’s the living truth my people!
I don’t know, but something must be wrong with me yes, because I see others living in disunity and resentment and so much negative vibes around them and they seem to enjoy it, to flourish in it. Steups! I could never live so nuh. And as I’ve told my children many a time, if they ever live in such a sad state, I will come back and haunt them! (smile) That’s because there’s NO good reason for brethren, especially blood siblings, to live in continual disunity.
Now let’s look at an instance in the Good Book pertaining to brethren not living in unity. And it has to do with Lot and Abraham, when their cattle herders were not getting along, because there was not enough land for all the cattle to feed equitably.
‘And Abraham said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.’ (Gen.13:8-9)
Now doesn’t that make sense friends? It surely does! Why fight amongst each other, when there is ALWAYS some way to mitigate the negativity. We just have to want to badly enough.
Now hear these words from Bruh Paul to the Romans. ‘Be kindly affectioned (affectionate) one to another with brotherly LOVE; in honour preferring one another (giving preference to another)… Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not (do not set your mind on) high things, but condescend to men (associate with men) of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits (estimation)… If it be possible, as much as lieth in (depends on) you, live peaceably with all men.’ (Rom.12:10, 16, 18) Such words of wisdom my brethren!
And we’ll close with these famous words from the author of Hebrews. ‘Let brotherly LOVE continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.’ (Heb.13:1-2)
Yes friends, it’s all about living in unity…What else can it be about eh? Much LOVE!
…only in unity can our world ever hope to find peace…
18 May 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: act with faith, be as wool, blot out thy transgressions, Charels Stanley, charles stanley, Christians, clear direction, come boldly to the throne of grace, commune with nature, courage, creativity, curse, earthly pilgrimage, easy pickings, eternal life, eternal separation, evil doings, expectant faith, faith, fat of sacrifices, favour, foundation, grace, high priest, hungry hope, in time of need, iniquities, Jesus Christ, justified, let us reason together, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, Lucifer, magnanimity, magnificence, mercy, negative word, pawns, praise, pray with faith, prosper, red like crimson, Redeemer, remembrance, right mind, salvation, second guessing, succeed, success, summer-like day, sweet cane, sympathy, Thursday Blessings, wake up with faith, white as snow, wisdom, wishy-washy, without sin, worry, worship, your sins be as scarlet
Isaiah 1:18. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Oh friends, thankfully, in my neck of the woods, another beautiful summer-like day is in the offing! Glory to God!
Yesterday’s temperature was in the high twenties! Wow! And today is expected to be around the same. We’ll take those early glimpses of summer anytime! And though the wind was a bit blustery yesterday, it wasn’t too hot and humid.
Oh, I even got to sit on my front porch for the first time this year at minutes to three this morning and quietly commune with nature and my wonderful Creator. It can be so nice and quiet and conducive to communing at that hour of the morning.
Only problem though, is that the earlier cool breeze suddenly developed into an angry wind and drove me inside after about ten minutes. But I’ll take ten minutes of peace and quiet outside at that hour any day!
Now here is a li’l something on prayer, I believe I got from Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley) recently. He says that we should ALWAYS ‘Pray with faith, not with sympathy. Wake up with faith, not with worry. Act with faith, not with second guessing.’
That means, as Christians, ALL our actions should have faith as their underlying foundation. That’s why the Bible strongly advises: ‘Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.’ (Heb.4:16)
Yes my people, our High Priest Jesus Christ knows all that we’re going through, for He went through the same temptations and troubles, but without sin. So there’s no need to be wishy-washy when we come to Him in prayer, but with hungry hope and expectant faith.
And friends, our God is so wonderful that He invites us in our Bit to come and sit and reason with Him. ‘Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.’
Now which other God is so secure in themselves to ever dream of doing such a thing eh? NONE whatsoever! That just shows the magnanimity and magnificence of the great God we serve and worship! A God who sincerely wants His most beautiful and important creation to repent of their abominable sins and come back to being one with Him.
Why do you think He went to all that trouble to send His One and Only Son Jesus to die for us eh? He didn’t have to do it, but His heart was so filled with LOVE for us that He would have been terribly unhappy to just leave us as pawns, as easy pickings for Lucifer and his evil doings.
And it’s not just once that He invited His people to come and reason with Him. Listen to this other time in Isaiah, when the prophet talks about the Lord, the ONLY Redeemer.
‘Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled (satisfied) me with the fat of thy sacrifices: but thou hast made me to serve (burdened me) with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities.
I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. Put me in remembrance: let us plead (contend) together: declare thou (thy case), that thou mayest be justified.’ (Is.43:24-26)
Yeh friends, even though we bombard the Lord with our sins, and no sincere praise and worship, He is still open to talking and reasoning with us.
Wow! I don’t see how any man in his right mind could ever pass up such an opportunity nuh, especially when the stakes are so high; eternal life with Jehovah God, or eternal separation from Him.
Those are the options my brethren, and I can guarantee you that the last one will not be very nice, so why don’t we just be wise and sincerely accept God’s wonderful offer of salvation and eternal life through His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ?
That will put us right over the top! And we have to do it ASAP, meaning RIGHT NOW; for if we die, or Jesus returns before we accept Him as Lord and Saviour, we’re definitely headed for eternal separation. Nuff said.
So for those of us who are on the right track, let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings; the wonderful favour that God has showered down on us.
In strong and true belief now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life!
I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Now let’s go out and encourage others to walk in those godly blessings with us, as Jesus so emphatically desires. Much LOVE!
…to walk this earthly pilgrimage with Jesus…is to wisely walk the path of salvation and eternal life…
14 Mar 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a believer in Jesus Christ, a persoanl faith commitment, a storm of wind, a struggle, afaid, beloved of God, calm, cancelled flights, cold, come to grips, commands, commitment, cough, decision, disciples, doing your best, everlasting truth, excellence, failure, faith, faithful, friend of Jesus, glory hallelujah, God works in mysterious ways, gospel truth, He maketh the storm a calm, heart problems, hurry, in the midst of them, Jesus Christ, Luke, M.R.I, marvelled, maturity, mighty works, neck of the woods, notice of cancellation, perish, rebuked the wind, reeling, share His love, snow, storms of life, the answer to everything, the Good Book, the New testament, the only one, the other side, the person of Christ, the raging of the water, the real McCoy, the sea of Galilee, the water, the waves are still, the wind, they obey him, trappings, trust, truth, Tuesday Mantra, unfavourable conditions, what manner of man is this, where is your faith, with Jesus on our side, witnessing, wondered, working them out for our benefit, worry
Psalm 107:29. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
And then the snow came…white and plentiful! (smile) Yes friends, it does look beautiful out there, with the area all covered in white. It began yesterday afternoon and is scheduled to go in to tomorrow, Wednesday.
Hundreds of flights have been cancelled at the airport. They haven’t even gotten around to cleaning the lanes in my area as yet, so much of the white stuff has fallen. And it’s not only snowy but cold too. The temperature in my neck of the woods is around minus 11 Celsius. Hn!
And the best part of the whole scenario is that I am scheduled to go into the big city of T.O. for an M.R.I. on my heart this morning at 11:15. Well what do you know? That doesn’t seem to be happening nuh!
With my supposed heart problems, I’m definitely not going to fight the treacherous roads and weather to go into the city. And they can charge me the hundred dollars for not giving them 2 business day notice of cancellation, which I’ll fight anyway.
And on top of all that, I’ve been fighting a cold all weekend, which today has morphed into a cough. So I obviously can’t go and lie quietly in their disgustingly loud machine for the half an hour or forty-five minutes that it takes.
Now don’t get me wrong, I do want to get the procedure done, but not under these unfavourable conditions. End of tirade! (smile)
And before we get into our Bit, here’s an interesting quote from my ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU’ Poster. It says: ‘If you are doing your best, you won’t have to worry about failure.’
And that’s gospel truth friends! Once your mind is focused on excellence, you won’t have time to consider failure. And if you’re a believer in Jesus Christ, then that’s even more of a gospel truth, because with Jesus on our side we can’t fail!
We might make mistakes and feel like failures, but since with Jesus there is no giving up, and since failure only comes when you give up, then through pure logic, true believers never fail. Ah mih people, I know it’s a tad convoluted, but it’s all true. (smile)
Now here is our Bit which resounds with everlasting truth. ‘He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.’
Yes my fellow believers that’s indeed what our wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ does! Yesterday we read about the metaphorical stuff before our Bit about sailors drunkenly reeling around in storms on the sea, today we’ll read about the real McCoy.
Listen to Luke’s account in the Good Book. ‘Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he (Jesus) went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over to the other side of the lake. And they launched forth.
But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled (filling) with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to him (Jesus), and awoke him, saying, Master, Master, we perish.
Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was calm. And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered (marvelled), saying one to another, What manner of man is this! For he commandeth even the winds and the water, and they obey him.’ (Luke 8:22-25)
Ah my people, it was the same God-man who created the wind and the water, so obviously when He spoke to them they would listen to Him! And Jesus is asking us the same thing today: where is our faith in Him in the midst of all our storms of life?
Do we run afraid to Him, or are we faithful enough to believe that He is already in the midst of them with us, working them out for our benefit?
Now the latter just shows more maturity, but the important thing is that we come to Him in all aspects of our lives, be they stormy or not. For He is the ONLY ONE who can truly calm anything that’s happening with us.
And the scholars offer these explanations. ‘8:23. The Sea of Galilee is surrounded by mountains. High winds sweep down suddenly from these heights, whipping up the sea.’
‘8:25. It was a struggle f or the disciples, as for others, to come to grips with the person of Christ. Witnessing His mighty works helped, but a personal faith commitment still had to be made. The decision would not have been an easy one.’
No my people, it would not have been easy for those disciples way back then, seeing this ordinary looking man calming the wind and the sea.
It’s still difficult for many of us today, even knowing what we know, with all the trappings of the New Testament and the teachings down through the last two thousand years. Imagine their dilemma nuh!
And we’ll go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra in all sincerity and truth. As one 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!’
Oh precious people, how wonderful it is to be the beloved of God and the friend of Jesus! Glory Hallelujah! Now let’s go out and share it with the world as He desires nuh! Much LOVE!
…Jesus is simply the answer to …EVERYTHING…
P.S. I just called the hospital and cancelled my appointment, and they didn’t charge me the hundred dollars. Glory to God! Only thing is that the next available appointment is in May. But who knows, by then I might not even have a heart problem, the way our mighty God works in mysterious ways. (smile) Much LOVE!
08 Mar 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, action, associate with Jesus, be of good cheer, bondage, chains, circumstantial happening, commitment, conscience, dying on our behalf, ephemeral, fickle, frail, frees us from fear, glory hallelujah, halfway home, happiness, held us captive, higher than your thoughts, Holy Triumvirate, i have overcome the world, intimate association with Jesus, Isaiah, Israelites, Jesus Christ, joy, keep your hearts and minds, last a lifetime, let it be afraid, let not your heart be troubled, LOVE, Lucifer, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, not as the world giveth, not looking back, ole crook, overcome, peace, Philippians, Praise the Lord, promises, relationship, sacrificial work, selfless love, setting us free, sincerity, sins, source of happiness, thanks and praise, the breath of life, the coming of Jesus, the first born Son, the Good Book, the joy of the Lord, the Lamb that was slain, the norm, the nrothern climes, the peace of God, them's the breaks, thoughts, through Christ Jesus, tranquility, tribulation, truth, ways, Wednesday Wail, which passeth all understanding, wicked world, wisdom, worry
Philippians 4:7. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
And then it was Wednesday; a bright and sunshiny day in my area, though not as warm as yesterday. But I’ll gladly take it! Anytime the weather is above freezing in the beginning of March, and I’m in the northern climes, then I’m happy.
But that’s not the true source of my happiness, and I hope that something as ephemeral as the weather is not your source of happiness either.
You know what? I don’t like the term happiness in this context, because it smacks of a circumstantial happening, something that doesn’t last long, and what I have is hopefully going to last a lifetime; that’s joy in my soul because of my close and intimate association with Jesus Christ!
And all God’s people declared a loud, proud and grateful, ‘Praise the Lord! Glory Hallelujah! Give Almighty God thanks and praise for the sacrificial work, the selfless LOVE of Jesus, the wonderful act of dying on our behalf, of taking our sins upon His conscience and setting us free from the most undesirable bondage of sin, and the shameful, ridiculous chains that the ole crook Lucifer held us captive in! Glory Hallelujah for the Lamb that was slain for us!’
Ah friends, it’s so sad that so much of our world doesn’t know the joy that comes from having a safe, sound, secure and intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, the first-born Son of the Lord God Jehovah. For it’s only through such a relationship can they ever hope to have true peace and joy in their hearts, bodies, souls and minds.
What did Jesus have to say about that? ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27)
And again He told the disciples: ‘These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)
Now in the natural, that might seem impossible. How can one have peace in a world full of trials and tribulations eh? But the kind of peace we’re talking about is the kind that Bruh Paul wrote to the Philippians about in our Bit:
‘And the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’
Ah my fellow believers, that is the kind of peace we receive, the tranquility that frees us from fear and worry, when we associate with Jesus; the peace of God that passes all human understanding! Glory Be!
Remember what Isaiah said to the Israelites on the Lord’s behalf? ‘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 higher than your thoughts.’ (Is.55:8-9)
It’s a divine peace bestowed on us by our Higher Power. And isn’t that beautiful friends? It surely is! Having an intimate Being who’s mentality and everything else is greater and better than our frail and fickle self lends us so much confidence, so much assurance that we can rely on Him to look after us in all situations. Wow!
And that’s what brings us joy! Yeah mih people, JOY is the word I’ve been seeking all along! Why? Because that gives the impression of something other than just a circumstantial happening that’s bringing light and LOVE into my life.
It’s a longer lasting expression of contentment and satisfaction. And besides, the Good Book tells us; ‘for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ (Neh.8:10)
Yes friends, when we have the Lord living in and through us, we not only have joy, but a peace that passes all understanding, which in turn helps us to deal successfully with all the trials and tribulations that we encounter in this wild and wicked world.
And that’s why Jesus could have told us to be of good cheer, for He has already conquered the world.
Now, armed with all that wonderful stuff, all God’s glorious promises, most of them fulfilled by the coming of Jesus, why would I want to associate with anyone else but Him eh? No way Jose!
That brings us to our Wednesday Wail, where we reemphasize our commitment to the Holy Triumvirate that directs our lives. So let’s belt it out with all sincerity and truth nuh, as is our wont.
As one now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And having said all that, and believing it too, let’s go out and put it into action by living the way Jesus desires of us nuh, for therein is eternal wisdom. Much LOVE!
…only in sure communion with Jesus…can we live with sure contentment here on earth…
P.S. Please excuse the lateness, but as usual my sleeping and waking hours don’t seem to fall within the norm, as a friend told me on the phone some fifteen minutes ago. (smile) But them’s the breaks! Much LOVE!
06 Dec 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: be content, be nor dismayed, be strong, beloved children of Almighty God, caring, challenging weekend, Christians, conduct, covetousness, David, encouraging words, ever-present help of God, faith, faith building, fear not, flying colours, friends, grace, grace and mercy of God, he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, Herculean task, hurry, Jesus, magnanimous god, majestic, mercy, Moses, neither forsake thee, of a good courage, praise his holy name, Praise the Lord, promise, share His love, Solomon, the beloved of God, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the Godhead of the Holy Trinity, the Good Book, the Holy Trinity, the Lord goes before thee, The Lord is my helper, the Lord thy God is with thee, trust, trust my friend, Tuesday Mantra, understanding God, weak, what a privilege, whining, wishy-washy, worry
Deuteronomy 31:8. And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
Ah friends and neighbours, at last there is some decent heat in the ole homestead! Praise the Lord!
It has indeed been a challenging weekend without proper heat. A couple of heat space savers can never replace a central system. But through the good grace and mercy of our wonderful God we made it through. Praise His Holy Name!
You know you always hear about certain situations and imagine what they feel like, but not until you personally go through them do you really appreciate the good side of the equation. Hn! Now I know what it’s like to be without proper heat for a cold weekend. (smile)
But we’ll simply chalk that up to faith building, because that’s exactly what it was; an exercise to see how we’d react under less than perfect conditions. But again, with the ever-present help of our magnanimous, caring and understanding God we came through it all with flying colours! Please give Him the wonderful praise He so rightfully deserves!
And on this chilly Tuesday morning, to further boost our spirits and our faith, let’s declare our Tuesday Mantra with sincere enthusiasm and strong belief, otherwise, we’re simply wasting our time.
In unison 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!’
Yes my people, that’s indeed who we are; beautiful and beloved children of Almighty God! Wow! What a privilege! And to make our situation even better, we are also friends of our wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! It certainly couldn’t get any better than that my faithful, believing brethren!
But we’re wrong, it does get better. Listen to our Bit nuh. ‘And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.’
Ah mih people, what a majestic and magnanimous God we serve! He had Moses make that statement to Joshua when he assumed leadership of the Israelites many moons ago, but the excellent thing is that that awesome promise still exists today, and still applies to each and every one of us who proclaims true belief and faith in the Godhead of the Holy Trinity.
No other supposed deity makes such a promise…and faithfully keeps it too. That’s why I find it mind-boggling when others say they don’t believe in the ONE true and LIVING God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Now hear the refreshing and encouraging words of Moses to the people of Israel, before he spoke our Bit to Joshua. ‘Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Deut.31:6)
Oh friends and faithful believers that ought to resonate deeply within our souls, because it is the gospel truth! And it’s a promise that’s been used, been given several times throughout the Good Book. Let’s look at a few of them, beginning with the Lord’s words to Joshua after Moses died and he took on the Herculean task of leading the Israelites.
‘There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Josh.1:5) And it’s a promise the Lord faithfully kept.
But in the very next verses, the Lord point out Joshua’s responsibility. ‘Be strong and of a good courage… Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest do all the law which my servant Moses commanded thee… Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.’ (Josh.1:6, 7, 9).
Yes precious people of God, three times in four verses the Lord commanded Joshua to be strong and courageous, and it’s the very same message that He’s sending out to each of us today. We need to believe His promises and stand strong and faithful upon them.
Now hear Bruh David’s words to Cousin Sol re the building of the temple. ‘And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the Lord God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord.’ (1 Chr.28:20)
The same thing applies to us today my brethren: The Lord will be with us all the way in our service to glorify His name. He will not fail nor forsake us, so we have no reason to be afraid and dismayed.
And we’ll end with more encouraging words, this time from Hebrews, re Service well-pleasing to God. ‘Let your conversation (conduct) be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall (can) do unto me.’ (Heb.13:5-6)
Ah mih fellow believers, from the beginning of the Good Book, right through to the end, we’ve been admonished to be strong and courageous because our omnipotent God will never fail not forsake us.
Please let’s take it all to heart and go out and fight the good fight nuh, knowing that the Creator of the universe is always with us. It’s the only way to successfully handle this earthly pilgrimage. Much LOVE!
…weak, whining and wishy washy Christians…cannot do God’s work successfully…
22 Nov 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool, a nuisance, a pronouncement of victory, all things I have commanded you, almighty god, ambassadors, authority, backsliders, baptizing them, Christ's Church, christianity, Controller of the universe, converting, converting influence, converts, Creator, disappointed men, disciple, discipleship, eight hours sleep, eternal life, evangelizing, ever-faithful, faith, friendship, getting old, glory hallelujah, go ye, gospel, grand finale, help, hurry, I am the beloved of god, I am with you always, I can trust my friend Jesus, I'm not what I do, I'm not what I have, I'm not what people say about me, in the name of, Jesus Christ, lack of interest, Living Lord, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, loved unconditionally, martyred leader, power, proclaim His gospel, promise of salvation, promises, proselytizing, resentment, resistance, reverential devotion, salvation, selflessly, share His love with the world, sinless life, sins, something else, teach all nations, teaching them to observe, thanks, the church, the end of the world, the evil influence, the Father, the Great Commission, the Holy Ghost, the prince of darkness, the risen Saviour, the SON, the vehicle of Christ's mission, things of God, things of the world, to pay for our sins, triumphant, trust, Tuesday Mantra, victory, walking to the beat of the world, worry
Matthew 28:19. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Ah friends, I don’t know who decided that we need eight hours of sleep per night nuh, but it obviously does not apply to me. Why am I saying that? Because last night, after a busy day, I decided to go to bed fairly early, around 11 p.m and get a good night’s rest.
But lo and behold, when I got up at 6 this morning, my ole back was a mess. I was stepping around gingerly, like an old man. (smile) I had to go and find my back brace and put it on, something I have not done in ages.
The sad part is that I know I can’t lie in bed for such long periods, but it never reverberated in my brain, (smile) until I got up. This getting old is something else yes!
But yuh know what? If that is my biggest problem for today, then I’m certainly giving much thanks, since it’s something I can handle. Anyway, let’s get the day started with our Tuesday Mantra, to renew our faith and trust.
As one 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!’
Yes friends, we have it all! Glory Hallelujah! We are LOVED unconditionally by Almighty God, the Creator and Controller of the universe, and we have a most wonderful friendship with His Son, Jesus Christ, who selflessly laid down His sinless life to pay for our abominable sins.
Wow! It couldn’t get any better than that nuh mih people! And all we have to do is to share His LOVE with the rest of the world; tell them about His wonderful gospel, the faithful promise of salvation and eternal life, if they make Him their Lord and Saviour too.
But unfortunately, that isn’t as easy to do as it sounds, because we get a lot of resistance, resentment and lack of interest from the masses, who, under the evil influence of the prince of darkness, are more into the flimsy, worthless things of the world, rather than the everlasting things of God.
That doesn’t mean we have to stop trying. In fact it ought to make us try harder, as we follow Jesus’ directive in our Bit, what is known as the Great Commission. ‘Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.’
Ah mih people, proselytizing, evangelizing, converting and baptizing are to be our earthly tasks. And we need to take them seriously, though not to the point that we make a nuisance or a fool of ourselves.
And here is a very important scripture that directly relates to Jesus’ directive. Before our Bit Jesus said to His disciples: ‘All power (authority) is given unto me in heaven and in earth.’ (Matt.28:18) That means Christ indeed had the authority to give the order that He then gave.
Now our Bit was only the first part of the Great Commission, hear the rest of it. ‘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.28:20)
Yuh see my fellow believers, even when Jesus gives us a task to do, He doesn’t leave us all alone to do it. He promises to be always with us, and we all know that He is ever faithful to keep His promises.
So why aren’t we doing better than we are eh? Why are people leaving the church in droves and walking to the beat of the world eh? I don’t know. What I do know is that we’re not doing such a bang up job for Jesus, and we definitely need to come up higher.
Now listen to some interesting info from the scholars on the subject. ’28:18-20. The Great Commission brings the first Gospel to its grand finale. Christianity is not represented here as the mere reverential devotion of disappointed men who honour their martyred leader.
Here is a far different scene. The triumphant, living Lord sends forth His ambassadors to proclaim His gospel throughout all the world. The Great Commission is not just an order but a pronouncement of victory (mundus regium Christi) by the risen Saviour through His disciples.
All power or authority (Gr. exousia) is now in the hands of Christ, in heaven and on the earth. On the basis of that authority and power the Christian disciple is to carry out the Great Commission of the church.
Go ye, though a participle, conveys the force of a command: “Go.” In other words the idea expressed is that you must go and make disciples. Teach all nations can be translated “disciple all nations.” Thus the converting influence of the gospel is indicated here.
The “all nations” clearly indicates that the commission to the church is a worldwide one, encompassing the entire missionary effort. The church is not to be merely “missionary-minded.” The church is the vehicle of Christ’s mission to the world.’
Ah friends, the scholars really give it to us there! From what they say, Christ’s church is not doing as well or as much as it should, else we’d be having more converts than backsliders.
Anyhow, the church, though one body, is made up of many individuals, and it all begins with each of us. So today, please let’s take a serious look at how the Great Commission is being enacted in our own lives; if we are doing our best to enforce it.
And as always, whatever answer we come up with, let’s turn to our heavenly Father and ask Him to help us do better, because we can always do better. And He never refuses a sincere plea for help. Much LOVE!
…discipleship means living our lives as Christ’s ambassador…and a worthy one at that…
25 Oct 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a purpose, a two way street, alive and kicking, almighty god, assurance, born of God, bounden duty, character, confess, conquerors, defeat, dominate, dreams come true, enjoy the fruits of our labour, enthusiasm, faith, fall into our laps, friend of Jesus, God is LOVE, God's character, God's flock, God's people, harm, heavenly Father, hope, hurry, hypocrites, impart the will, in all these things, Jesus is the Son of God, John the apostle, joyful, judgement, LOVE, LOVE is of God, love is perfected, LOVE one another, nay, need not fear, no man hath seen God, obituaries, one more day, P.S. I Love You, partnership, perfected, Pharisees, pseudo-religious, rest on our fannies, share His love, song of thanks, testify, thankful words, thankfulness, the beloved of God, the capacity to love, the greatest of these is love, the Saviour of the world, the Spirit of God, the supremacy of love, this is the day the Lord has made, through him that loved us, triumphant blessing, trust in Christ, trust Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, we are more than conquerors, we will rejoice and be glad in it, what a joy, work while they dream, worry
Romans 8:37. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.
One more day; one more day to be alive and kicking and enjoy God’s expansive favour! Oh what a joy that ought to be my people! Just to know that our names will not be read in today’s obituaries should bring forth a glorious song of thanks and praise to our heavenly Father.
Consequently, our mouths should be uttering joyful and thankful words like the psalmist did: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’ (Ps.118:24)
Yes friends, the Lord has kept us alive for a purpose; to continue the good work He has planned for our lives, and also to enjoy the fruits of our labour.
Now here’s a wise li’l secret from my ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU’ Poster: ‘Dreams come true for those who work while they dream.’
Yes my brethren, in this life we ought not to just sit and wait for things to happen, for God to just bring them to pass, but we must also do our part in the wonderful partnership we share with Almighty God.
Remember it’s a two way street; we do what we can, and wait patiently, enthusiastically and expectantly for God to do His part. We don’t just rest on our fannies and expect it to fall into our laps.
Now let’s declare our Tuesday Mantra with sincere enthusiasm and thankfulness because the reality of the situation is exactly what it deserves.
As one 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!’
Oh my people, my people, what a glorious truth! We aren’t what the world says or thinks about us, but we are God’s beloved, and Jesus’ friend! Wow! That means the world cannot beat or defeat or do us any real harm, because we are God’s people!
Oh what a triumphant blessing! But please remember the last part of that declaration; we need to share the LOVE of Jesus with the rest of the world. That’s our bounden duty.
And it all rolls right into sync with our wonderful Bit: ‘Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.’
Ah friends, how much more favoured can we be eh? Not much more really. We are God’s flock, and He LOVED us so much that He sent His only son Jesus to die on the cross at Calvary so that we could be reconciled unto Him. How wonderful is that eh!
And today we’re going to continue looking at the portion of our Bit that deals with LOVE. And John the apostle deals with it wonderfully in His first epistle. Let’s listen some to him.
‘No man hath seen God at any time. If we LOVE one another, God dwelleth in us, and his LOVE is perfected in us. Hereby we know that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.’ (1 John 4:12-15)
Now here are some thoughts from the scholars. ‘4:11-13. God’s character, through His Spirit, is to shape and progressively dominate the character of the believer. The Spirit of God imparts the will to LOVE.’
Yuh see that friends? If we don’t have the Spirit of God within us, then we won’t have the capacity to truly embrace the emotion of LOVE.
‘4:15. This helps provide the context for rightly understanding verse 7. Trust in Christ as the incarnate Son of God makes genuine, God-wrought LOVE possible.’
And if we don’t remember what verse 7 says, let’s refresh our memories. ‘Beloved, let us LOVE one another: for LOVE is of God; and every one that LOVETH is born of God, and knoweth God.’ (1 John 4:7)
That means friends, that only those who truly believe that Jesus is the Son of God, can possess the LOVE of God. Now let’s continue with John’s theorizing.
‘And we have known and believed the LOVE that God hath to us. God IS LOVE; and he that dwelleth (abides) in LOVE dwelleth (abides) in God, and God in him.’ (1 John 4:16)
And hear the scholars explain that. ‘4:16. John, like Paul (1 Cor.13:13), stresses the supremacy of LOVE as a characteristic of God and therefore as a dominant characteristic of the true believer.’
Is LOVE a dominant characteristic of our lives my people? I surely do hope so, otherwise we’re just being hypocrites like the pseudo-religious Pharisees of old.
And we’ll end with this very important verse. ‘Herein is our LOVE made perfect (LOVE made perfect among us), that we may have boldness in the day of judgement: because as he is, so are we in this world.’ (1 John 4:17)
Yes friends, when true LOVE exists among us, then our confidence rises to its zenith!
The scholars explain that verse thus. ‘4:17. Herein points back to verse 16. By dwelling in LOVE, and thus having God dwelling in him, the believer gains the priceless assurance that he need not fear the coming judgement. This is our assurance, if we LOVE in this world as He does.’
Oh friends, the importance of LOVE, within each individual believer, and consequently between all believers can never be overstated, for it’s the supreme characteristic by which the true believers in Almighty God and true followers of Christ are known.
Please, let’s critically examine ourselves today, and see how our own characteristic of LOVE shapes up, and then, ask God to help us do better, for we can all do better. Much LOVE!
…and now abideth…faith, hope, LOVE…these three…but the greatest of these is LOVE… (1 Cor.13:13)
11 Oct 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bonanza, a Christian life, a golden platter, abominable sins, all praise be to, an integral part of our lives, antidote, anxious, are ashamed of, be careful fro nothing, belief, blessings, busying ourselves, call upon his name, children of God, common task, convicts, cower, enthusiasm, eternal life, favour, first fruits, give thanks, Glory be, god the father, godly faith, good report, graciousness, guard your hearts and minds, harvest, honest, hurry, Jesus, King of Kings, life, Lord of Lords, LOVE, make known his deeds, meditate, moderation, motto for Christian success, noble, occupying our minds, passeth all understanding, Philippians, praise, prayer, pure, reconciliation with the Father, refuse to acknowledge Jesus, rejoice, Rejoice in the Lord always, responsibility, salvation, sense of purpose, share His love, shirk our responsibility, smorgasbord, supplication, thanksgiving, the Alpha, the beginning, the beloved of God, the daily grind, the end, the good news, the heathen, the Holy Spirit, the Lamb, the Lord is at hand, the Messiah, the Omega, the peace of God, the Prince of Peace, the right activities, the SON, the Son of God, them's the breaks, think, through Christ, tranquility of mind, true, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, unto the Lord, virtue, work, worry
Psalm 105:1. O Give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.
Aye friends, it’s Tuesday; Thanksgiving weekend finish now, which means you have to get up and go back to the daily grind and common task; something called work. Hn!
And I know that many of us are feeling like we usually do on a Monday morning, possibly worse, because of all the Thanksgiving celebrations, but as the man says, them’s the breaks! As the Good Book says, if you want to eat, you have to work. (2 Thess.3:10)
But don’t worry my fellow believers, just as we have an antidote for Monday’s problems, we also have one for Tuesday’s. So without further ado, let’s declare our Tuesday Mantra with the enthusiasm, belief and sense of purpose that it deserves.
As one 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!’
Glory be, my people! What a bonanza of godly faith, favour and blessings! Just imagine nuh, we are beloved children of Almighty God, the Creator and Controller of this great and magnificent universe! Mama Mia!
You’d think it couldn’t get any better than that. But it does get better. We are also not defined by what the evil, ungodly world says and/or thinks of us.
And now here’s the crowning glory: we are friends of the ONE and ONLY Son of God; Jesus, the Messiah, the Prince of Peace, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End!
And that’s not all: He’a also the Lamb that was led to the slaughter for our abominable sins, who once and for all paid the sin debt in full for all those who believe in Him, thus making reconciliation with our heavenly Father possible!
Now when we put all of that together, there’s indeed nothing better on the face of God’s great planet earth!
And all of God’s people loudly, proudly and gratefully declared: ‘All praise be to the name of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; the Holy Trinity, who blesses and looks after us with everlasting care, compassion and LOVE!’
Yes my faithful brethren, we are indeed the cat’s pajamas! (smile) But we also need to remember that there are two parts to everything; the blessing and then the responsibility. We have already received the blessing; God’s favour and grace, now we need to accept the responsibility which those awesome blessings bring.
And what’s that responsibility you ask? It’s simple, just like our Messiah, our Friend Jesus; go out and share His LOVE with the rest of humankind. Tell others about Him, the good news of salvation and eternal life that He has bought for us with His sinless sacrifice on the cross at Calvary.
Now that’s certainly not too much to ask eh, after all that He has done for us? So why then do so many of us cower, are ashamed of and refuse to acknowledge our Friend and Saviour Jesus before the heathen eh?
I don’t know all the reasons why, but I do know that we’re not keeping our part of the bargain, shirking our responsibility, when we don’t spread the wonderful news of Jesus’ gospel.
And I do hope that the Holy Spirit, which dwells within us, convicts us each and every time we shirk that responsibility, until we are mature and faithful enough to stand strong and steadfast, proud and true in the name of Jesus.
Now here is how the psalmist quotes that responsibility in our Bit. ‘O Give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.’
Yes friends, it’s all one big smorgasbord that’s termed life; giving thanks for our blessings, calling upon Him for faith and favour in a wonderful relationship, and letting others know about His mighty deeds down throughout the ages!
Ah mih people, as we said yesterday, thanksgiving is not a one time thing; simply the act of bringing the first fruits of our harvest to God on a particular day, but something that should be an integral part of our lives, each and every day.
And I don’t think anyone puts it better than Bruh Paul in his missive to the Philippians. He declares: ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation (graciousness) be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. (His return is imminent).
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 (the tranquility of mind) which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ.
Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest (noble), what soever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise (anything praiseworthy), think (meditate) on these things.’ (Phil.4:4-8)
Oh my fellow believers, Bruh Paul has laid it all out on a golden platter for us! It’s not always easy to live a Christian life, but we can certainly try by occupying our minds with the right things and busying ourselves with the right activities. That’s the motto for Christian success. Much LOVE!
…if we truly want to know and LOVE Jesus…then we first have to get to know Him…by studying and meditating on His Word…
19 Sep 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: attributes, aura of love, Christians, complaining, confidence, count the ways, Creator of the universe, dependability, don't want to work, enthusiasm, entitled, evil, faith, faithfulness, fear, fertile ground, friends, generosity, gentleness, gifts of the spirit, gladness of heart, glorious kingdom, goodness, handouts, holy spirit, humble servants, in prayer, inroads, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, John Kennedy, joy, kindness, lazy, lies, long-suffering, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, lusts, meekness, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, passions, patience, peace, perks, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, sacrificial giving, salvation, self-control, spiritual armour, spread the gospel, steadfast faith, taunts, temperance, the fruit of the spirit, the lust of the flesh, the weekend, the world owes them a living, tranquility of mind, trust, truth, turn to God, ungodly world, useful purpose, virtues, walk in the Spirit, walking in the flesh, walking in the Spirit, what you can do for your country, wiles, work, worry
Galatians 5:16. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
‘Monday, oh Monday! Oh how do I LOVE thee? Let me count the ways…’ (smile)
Ah friends, so many of us dislike Monday, and it’s such a wonderful day… And I hear all the steupsing and complaining of those who disagree with my praise of Monday. That’s because we haven’t handled the weekend right, or we just blooming lazy and don’t want to go to work, but yet still expect to enjoy all the perks of working.
Anyway, the long and short of the story is if you expect to eat, then you must work, as per Bruh Paul to the Thessalonians. (2 Thess.3:10) Too many of us nowadays, including supposed Christians, feel entitled, are expecting hand outs and believe that the world owes them a living.
But the truth is my brethren, the world owes us nothing whatsoever! We owe the world, to try and make it a better place than how we found it. How did John Kennedy, the U.S President put it? ‘Consider not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.’ And that’s how it ought to be!
Enough palaver though, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn and get ourselves together to go out and make the world a better place.
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!’
That wasn’t bad at all my people, somewhat raspy, but it put a smile on the face of our choirmaster Jesus. And that’s the important thing; keeping Jesus happy with our earthly doings. And the very best way to do that is by being obedient to our Bit. ‘This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.’
Now yesterday we looked at what basically constituted walking in the flesh, today we’ll check out what it means by walking in the Spirit. Listen to Bruh Paul expatiate to the Galatians. (smile)
‘But the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness (kindness), goodness, faith (faithfulness), Meekness, temperance (self-control): against such there is no law.’ (Gal.5:22-23)
Yes friends, those are the attributes that a Christian is supposed to show when walking in the Spirit. And the scholars give us a lengthy explanation, which I feel compelled to share, since it will help our understanding of the situation.
‘5:22. The word fruit is significant for three reasons. (1) It means the result, product, outcome or effect produced by the Spirit in the believer’s life. (2) Unlike “the gifts of the Spirit” (plural), only some of which are given to a Christian, each believer is to have all nine virtues composing “the fruit of the Spirit” (singular). (3) As fruit on a tree takes time to grow and mature, so the Spirit does not cultivate these virtues in the believer’s life overnight.
LOVE is the willing, sacrificial giving of oneself for the benefit of another without thought of return. Joy is the gladness of heart. Peace is tranquility of mind, freeing one from worry and fear. Long-suffering is patience with others, the opposite of a short temper, a disposition quietly bearing injury. Gentleness is kindness. Goodness is generosity. Faith is dependability.’
‘5:23. Meekness is gentleness, that is courtesy and consideration in one’s relations with others. Temperance is self-control, that is, the ability to harness and control one’s passions and lusts.’
There we have it my people, a breakdown of the nine virtues that are associated with the fruit of the Spirit. Yuh see, a lot is expected of us Christians, because our Lord and Saviour, our indisputable Leader, Jesus Christ, expects excellence from His followers, not some wishy-washy, leggo-beast, compromising, sitting on the fence behaviour.
And we all know it’s not easy to come up higher in this evil world, but it doesn’t happen overnight. As the scholars remind us these virtues take time to grow and mature, as the Holy Spirit that dwells within us nurtures them.
So please, let’s not beat up ourselves if we are falling down in any virtue(s), because that does not help the situation. When we find we’re not measuring up to our true potential, let’s turn to God in prayer and ask Him for help in whatever area we’re lacking in.
You know He’ll never refuse us anything that makes us more like His wonderful Son, Jesus Christ. So let’s sincerely and faithfully work at those virtues as we go out and face the enemy today and everyday of our earthly lives. It’s oh so necessary, if we are to spread the gospel to the whole world and fulfill Jesus’ LOVE Revolution. Much LOVE!
…Christians ought to be fertile ground…so that the Holy Spirit can grow good fruit within them…
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