17 Oct 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a draft of air, a glorious future with Jesus, a long road, a longing ache, a perfect heart, a terrific boss, bitterly, bursting with thnaksgiving, captain of my people, colourful sails, deity, dog days, doldrums, eagles, enjoy it, faithfulness, Father of all creation, fifteen years, generously rewards, glory, Glory Halleujah, good in thy sight, grace, gratitude, greatly deserves it, halfway home, heal thee, hearing the surf, heart and soul, Hezekiah, honour, in truth, iron birds, Isaiah, Jamaica, joy, king of Judah, Land of Wood and Water, laughter, loving kindness, mercy, Most High God Jehovah, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, never miss the water, not turning back, obedient to God's will, out of danger, planes, praise, profuse praise, promise, Sea Breeze, set thine house in order, sickness, tears of joy, the breath of life, the captain of my people, the Lord of hosts, the word of the Lord, thy prayer, till the well run dry, unto death, unto thy days, walked before thee, we will follow the Lord, Wednesday Wail, wept sore, Xaymaca, zeppo
2 Kings 6:a. And I will add unto thy days fifteen years…
All praise and honour, glory and exaltation to the Most High God Jehovah, the Lord of hosts, the Great I AM, the Father of ALL Creation! Please give Him much thanks and praise, because He greatly deserves it! He is indeed most worthy of all our thanksgiving! Praise His Holy Name!
And if you’re wondering why such profuse praise to Almighty God at the beginning of the Bit…well it’s simple: My heart and soul are just bursting with thanksgiving and gratitude, because once again He has shown His amazing faithfulness in my life. Yes friends, during the dog days, the doldrums of my illness, I would lie in my bed and hear and see the planes going by in the distance like eagles gliding along on a draft of air, and my heart would just fill with a longing ache to board one of those iron birds and just fly away to some exotic destination.
But yuh know what mih people? In those sad, sick and frustrating times, the Lord would gather me in His Ever-LOVING arms and comfort me with the promise that one day soon, I would fly away on an iron bird to an exotic destination. And friends, in all faithfulness, through His exceeding grace, mercy and LOVING-kindness, the Lord has kept His awesome promise. And that’s why my inner being is just bursting with joy and thanksgiving, and tears of joy are filling my eyes and flowing down my cheeks.
Oh mih people, the ole fella is in J.A, Jamaica; in Xaymaca, the land of wood and water…and beautiful women! Seen quite a few already! (smile) Glory be to the Most High God Jehovah! And the sea, sand, salt, sun…and rum are most excellent, just as the Lord promised! Had a colourful, red, green and blue shark-bite cocktail last night. (smile) How can I therefore not LOVE Him and proclaim His awesome name eh?
Oh my faithful believers, our God is indeed a most wonderful Deity, a terrific Boss, a hard taskmaster who expects diligence and excellence from us, but who also generously rewards us when we are obedient to His Holy Will! Praise His name my people, for there’s no other like Him!
And now, as I write this, feeling the cool sea breeze float through the open door, hearing the surf break upon the sand and see the small boats with their colorful, blue, yellow and green sails, and hear the laughter of other travellers down below, I can’t help but realize how blessed I am! Glory to God!
And as I just read this over, tears again filled my eyes. It’s been a long road my brethren, almost two years of sickness…and not completely out of danger yet. I was so close to going home to Him, but He gave me a reprieve, for which I am everlastingly grateful! As they say here in J.A: ‘yuh never miss the water until the well run dry!’ In my case I was blessed that my well had not run completely dry. So friends, let me seek for a scripture that will admirably fit our Bit today. Soon come!
Oh friends, it didn’t take long. Before I could even open the Good Book the zeppo came; the sickness of Hezekiah, king of Judah. The Good Book says: ‘In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah, the son of Amoz came to him and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live. Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, saying, I beseech thee, O Lord, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore (bitterly).
And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came again to him, saying, Turn again and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the Lord. And I will add unto thy days fifteen years…’ (2 Kin.20:1-6a)
Oh friends, I don’t know if I can compare my sorrow and weeping and goodness to Hezekiah’s nuh, but I do know that there was a lot of prayer and some tears. And the Lord in His mercy saw fit to grant me some more time here on earth. I don’t know if it’s fifteen years, or more, or less, but I do know that however much it is, I will enjoy it, and will praise and exalt His Holy name as much as I can, because He has been so good to me and mine. Glory be people!
When someone is good to us, we tell and show them thanks, so why not to our Maker and God eh? And I know that I’m not the only one so blessed, so why aren’t we praising and thanking our Saviour much more than we are eh? I don’t know the answer nuh, but it’s time to go home, so let’s declare our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know our position in Christ Jesus.
As one strong voice now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And if Jesus promised that it will be glorious, then I know it will be so indeed! Much LOVE!
…as for me and mine…we WILL follow the LORD…no doubt about that…
P.S. Sorry that it’s so late, but I was really tired after the long journey…no longer accustomed to it (smile) and I just got the necessary energy to set up my stuff. And as always, when I’m on vacation, I can’t guarantee what time the Bit will go out, (smile) but you will get it. Much LOVE! Time for the beach now!
03 Nov 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abused and rejected Jesus, all bare him witness, all that we can ever need, all they in the synagogue, appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, battened down the hatches, be called trees of righteousness, blessed with sunny and warm days, but Jesus passing through the midst of them went his way, cast him headlong over the cliff, challenge Jesus' authority, come to know and love him like we do, comfort all that mourn, console them that mourn in Zion, disicpline, don't have to worry, don't have to hurry, duty bound, faith, filled with wrath, first Tuesday in November, God gifted us Jesus to be our Lord and Saviour, heal the brokenhearted, his commandments are not burdensome, his commandments are not grievous, holy spirit, in god's eyes, is not this Joseph's son, Jesus Christ, Jesus read Isaiah's prophecy in His hometown of Nazareth, Jewish unfaithfulness, led him to the brow of the hill, LOVE, mercy, more than you sow and later than you sow, never look a gift horse in the mouth, no prophet is accepted in his own country, only fools refuse God's gifts of salvation and eternal life, opening of the prison to them that are bound, preach good tidings to the poor, preach good tidings unto the meek, proclaim liberty to the captives, proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, repercussions, rose up and thrust him out of the city, salvation, sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, share His love with my neighbours, share the amazing love and friendship of Christ, that God might be glorified, the beloved of God, the cold weather, the day Jesus visited his hometown of Nazareth, the day of vengeance of our God, the eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on Jesus, the Father's great love for His human creation, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, the gifts of salvation and eternal life, the importance of Isaiah's propehecy, the Lord God hath appointed me, the oil of joy for mourning, the planting of the Lord, the Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, this day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears, this is the love of God, to give unto them beauty for ashes, to live in peace and harmony discipline is essential, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, we keep His commandments, when they heard these things, wisdom, wondered at his gracious words, work to earn our salvation, you reap what you sow
Today’s Scrip-Bit 3 November 2026 Luke 4:21.
Luke 4:21. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears (hearing).
And on this first Tuesday in November, it’s another fairly sunny and warm day in my neighbourhood, with a few dark clouds floating around trying to be a threat to the sunshine, but I’m pretty sure they won’t prevail. On the other hand, I don’t know how and why we’re so blessed to be getting so many sunny and warm days this late in the year, but we’ll certainly accept them with much gratitude, because when the cold weather does hit, and be sure it will eventually, we won’t be seeing any of them for a long while.
That brings to mind the old adage, never look a gift horse in the mouth. (smile) And I believe that adage is very appropriate in the case of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Because of the Father’s great LOVE for His human creation, He gifted Jesus to us to be our Saviour, to be all that we can ever need, but we’re so ungrateful that we challenged His authority and presence, abused and wholeheartedly rejected Him. Now if the Lord had said we had to work exceedingly hard to earn our salvation, we would have indeed battened down the hatches and done it.
But because the gift of salvation and eternal life are basically free, only needing us to accept Christ as Lord and Saviour, and live a decent moral life, we find that’s too easy and not very believable. It points to the foolishness of man’s supposed wisdom that says, if it’s too easy, then something’s wrong. Thus we’ll go to all kinds of lengths and difficulties to accomplish hard stuff, but the easy stuff we’ll neglect or simply pass by, even though it’s to our benefit to accept it. That recalls the interesting and oh so true saying of John in his first epistle. ‘For this is the LOVE of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous (burdensome).’ (1 John 5:3)
No my people, the Lord’s commandments are certainly not burdensome. Yes, they will take some discipline, but for man to live together in peace and harmony anyway, discipline is essential. And we show our great disregard for God’s commandments by having plenty discipline to do the wrong things and not enough to do the right ones. But let’s remember that favourite saying of the late Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley); ‘You reap what you sow…more than you sow…and later than you sow.’ Meaning that there will be repercussions for whatever you do, and sometimes they will be very harsh and difficult to accept, but it’s what you sowed.
So, it’s wise to consider what we are sowing before we sow it, since we’ll most likely get a big harvest, of either bad or good, depending on what we sowed. And I’m chuckling here, because I don’t know how I got into that sermon above there, since the Good Book opened this morning at Isaiah’s prophecy of the things that the Messiah, Jesus would come to earth to do. The passage is titled, The Acceptable Year of the Lord. And Isaiah writes: ‘The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord God hath appointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek (poor); he hath sent me to bind up (heal) the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto (console) them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.’ (Is. 61:1-3) Ah friends, it’s a lot of stuff that Jesus would be doing, and it’s not only to help us foolish humans, but also to glorify God the Father. And glorifying our heavenly Father has also become our duty, because it’s one of the reasons He created us in the first place.
And the importance of Isaiah’s prophecy was shown on the fateful day that Jesus visited His hometown of Nazareth. As was His habit, He went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and they gave him the book of Isaiah to read. Jesus found the passage that we’ve just read, about ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,’ but stopped at, ‘To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.’ (Luke 4:18-19) And per the scholars, that indicated that the day of vengeance (final judgement) had not yet come. After that Jesus closed the book, returned it to the minister, and sat down.
‘And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears (hearing). And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?’ (Luke 4:20-22) And that began the controversy. For Jesus began telling them some truths about their Jewish unfaithfulness. (Luke 4:23-27) ‘And all they in the synagogue when they heard these things, were filled with wrath (rage), And rose up , and thrust him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him headlong (over the cliff). But he passing through the midst of them went his way.’ (Luke 4:28-30)
Can you imagine it? The people of Jesus’ own home town Nazareth, not only rejecting Him, but worse yet trying to kill Him! It proved His words to them: ‘No prophet is accepted in his own country.’ (Luke 4:24) And it’s the truth. Many famous people are not as well received in their home towns as they are in other places. Unfortunately though, time and space are against us, but hopefully we did further enrich our scriptural knowledge. (smile) Now, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel.
As one strong and sincere 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 my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’ And having said that, we’re now duty bound to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him as we do! Much LOVE!
…only fools refuse God’s gifts of salvation and eternal life…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
02 Nov 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a debt we can never repay, a heinous fate, a man of sorrows, a new week of work, acquainted with grief, as sheep going astray, bare our sins in his own body on the tree, be made the righteousness of God in Christ, be set free, become discouraged in your souls, being dead to sins, bruised for our iniquities, buffeted and bombarded by the enemy's evil schemes, by whose stripes ye were healed, can't make head nor tail of what's happening, carried our sorrows, Christ also suffered for us, Christ's sufferation, committed himself to him that judgeth righteously, consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners, deceit, despised and rejected of men, despising the shame, encompassed about, endured the cross, esteem him stricken, faith, falling apart, feel deep in our souls, fill us with steadfast faith, finished my course, finished my race, follow his steps, followers follow their leader's example, for the joy that was set before him, forgiven of our sins, forsaken by men, fought a good fight, furthering your glorious kingdom, giving us righteousness, go out and challenge the enemy, go out to meet the enemy in battle, go round the mulberry bush, God made Him to be sin for us who knew no sin, guilty of no wrongdoing, he hath borne our griefs, he was despised, heifer dust, hereunto were ye called, heroes of faith, hid our faces from him, holy spirit, hostility of sinners, humble servants, humbly ask, in his own self bare our sins on the tree, in return, invincible, Jesus Christ, Jesus died a substitutionary death, Jesus keeps us keeping on, Jesus offered his sinless life for our sinful ones, Jesus paid our sin debt in full, Jesus took the punishment that we deserved, jobs, jobs that serve a useful purpose, keeping lives and families together, kept the faith, lay aside every weight, leaving us an example, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds, live unto righteousness, looking unto Jesus, LOVE, make worthwhile inroads into the enemy's ranks, mano a mano, mercy, neither was guile found in his mouth, nothing's changed in our lives, now ready to be offered, now returned unto the shepherd, on solid ground, one thing we are grateful for, our Father who art in heaven, pains, peace that we can't understand, Penal Substitution, pierced through, praise and thank you, quiets our souls, reject Jesus' offer of salvation and eternal life, rejuvenation of spirit, run with patience, run with perseverance, running their tough races with perseverance, sally forth with confidence, salvation, same old, set down at the right hand of the throne of God, sickness, smitten of God, spiritual encouragement, struck down by God, sure conquerors, surrender our all to you, surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, taking our sins, that's what disciples do, the author and finisher of our faith, the chastisement of our peace, the example we should be setting, the Great Exchange, the indwelling Holy Spirit, the living truth, the originator and perfector of our faith, the presence of Jesus in our lives, the race set before us, the renewed vitality and enthusiasm, the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls, the sin that ensnares us, the sin which doth so easily beset us, the time of my departure is at hand, things seem to be unravelling, to lead and guide all your servants, truth, walking in the footsteps of Jesus, we esteemed him not, we're not afraid, wearing your powerful protective spiritual armour, weary souls, when he suffered threatened not, when he was reviled reviled not again, who did no sin, wisdom, with his stripes we are healed, wounded for our transgressions, your incredible aura of love
Today’s Scrip-Bit 2 November 2026 2 Timothy 4:7.
2 Timothy 4:7. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith:
Well friends, here we go round the mulberry bush again on this mostly sunny and warm first Monday in November. Nothing’s much changed in our lives or the world over the weekend, so it’s the same old, same old that we’re back to at the beginning of this new week. However, there’s one same old that we are everlastingly grateful for, and that’s the continued presence of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in our lives, because He is the one that keeps us keeping on, when things seem to be unravelling, to be falling apart, and we can’t seem to make head nor tail of what’s happening around us.
He is the One, through His indwelling Holy Spirit, that quiets our souls and sets us aright, puts us back on solid ground, by offering His awesome peace that we can’t understand, but can certainly feel deep in our souls. What would we do without Him eh? I refuse to dwell on that possibility. Jesus has done so much for us, that I can’t see or understand how supposedly wise and sensible people could reject His marvellous offer of salvation and eternal life. So today, let’s look at some of the things He did for us, the ‘sufferation’ He underwent on our behalf.
And I believe the best place to start is with the prophecy of Isaiah. He speaks thus of Jesus several hundred years before it became reality. ‘He is despised and rejected of (forsaken by) men; a man of sorrows, (pains), and acquainted with grief (sickness): and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs (sickness): and carried our sorrows (pains): yet we did esteem (reckon) him stricken, smitten of (struck down by) God, and afflicted. But he was wounded (pierced though) for our transgressions, he was bruised (crushed) for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes (blows that cut into His body) we are healed.’ (Is. 53:3-5)
Now tell me, should one man, especially one who is guilty of no wrongdoing, be made to suffer such a heinous fate? Obviously not! But Jesus suffered exactly such a fate on our behalf. He offered His sinless life for our sinful one, taking our sins and giving us His righteousness. Bruh Paul says it quite plainly in 2 Corinthians. ‘For he (God the Father) hath made him (Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.’ (2 Cor. 5:21)
One Overview refers to that action as ‘The Great Exchange or Penal Substitution, grounded primarily in the New Testament.’ Yes, Jesus took the punishment that we deserved, died a substitutionary death, so that we could be set free, be forgiven of our abominable sins. And yuh still want to tell me that we don’t owe Him anything? Heifer dust! Meanwhile, listen to how Peter describes the situation. ‘For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
Who did no sin, neither was guile (deceit) found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again (in return); when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes (wounds) ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop (Overseer) of your souls.’ (1 Pet. 221-25)
And all of that is the living truth my people! Isaiah prophesied in the Old Testament, and it came to pass in the New Testament. Jesus paid our sin debt in full for us, and it’s a debt we can never repay. However, Jesus isn’t looking for repayment, all He’s expecting, is as Peter says, that we should copy His example, follow in His footsteps. And how do we do that? Listen as the author of Hebrews explains: ‘Wherefore seeing (since) we also are compassed about with (surrounded by) so great a cloud of witnesses (heroes of faith), let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (ensnare) us, and let us run with patience (perseverance) the race that is set before us,
Looking unto Jesus the author (originator) and finisher (perfector) of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction (hostility) of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint (discouraged) in your minds (souls).’ (Heb. 12:1-3)
Now that’s the general kind of example we should be setting; walking as closely as possible in the footsteps of Jesus, because that’s what disciples do. And we all know that it’s not easy, but it’s doable with Jesus’ help. Look at all those heroes of faith that endured running their tough races with perseverance. Like Bruh Paul said to Timothy: ‘For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure (death) is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith: ” (2 Tim. 4:6-7) Now that’s how we ought to bow out of this world. And to help us do that, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise and thank You this Monday morning for our jobs; jobs we sometimes don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose; 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 weekend. It’s that rejuvenation of spirit which now allows us to sally forth with confidence into the evil and ungodly world, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s evil schemes.
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 allow Your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit to 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, thereby furthering Your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Now, with that spiritual encouragement under our belts, let’s go out and challenge the enemy, mano a mano! Much LOVE!
…Jesus is our leader…and followers always follow their leader’s example…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
01 Nov 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: an inspiring ballad, another day of bright sunshine, be able to comfort those in trouble, beats so imperfectly, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, bow down and worship God, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God, chicken feed for our great God, come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, comforts us in tribulation, Daylight Savings Time, disturbs sleeping patterns, each restless heart, Elijah on Mt. Horeb, emotional weariness, empowerment gained from being lifted up, empowers someone to overcome adversity, faith, faith waivers under tough circumstances, fellowship, find rest unto your souls, finding inner strength and hope, finding strength hope and perseverance, gentle and humble in heart, God showers us with grace mercy and divine power, holy spirit, hope thou in God, human hearts created to be hungry for God, I am filled with wonder, I am still, I am strong, I can stand on mountains, I glimpse eternity, I shall yet praise him, I will give you rest, in these evil and ungodly times, Jesus Christ, Jesus is always right there to restore our strength, Jesus' great invitation, Josh Groban, joyfully fellowship with each other, learn of me, LOVE, meek and lowly in heart, mercy, Moses standing on Mt. Sinai as God passes before him, my heart burdenend be, my soul so weary, my yoke is easy and my burden light, no life without its hunger, o thou of little faith, offering encouragement and support, our faith can stand strong, overcme challenges, Peter walks on water with Jesus, realize our full potential, rest under God's awesome wings, salvation, Secret Garden, stay hungry for God, sweet sacrifices of praise, take my yoke upon you, the Father of mercies, the first and great commandment, the first Sunday in November, the full picture of eternity, the God of All Comfort, the gospel truth, the health of my countenance and my God, the heathen god Baal, the Holy Trinity, the Lord renewed Elijah's strength and faith on Mt. Horeb, the mournful plea, the presence of a loving you, the sons of Korah, the support of another person, the Ten Commandments, times of adversity, to heights never dreamed possible, to walk on stormy seas, truth, until you come and sit awhile with me, wait here in the silence, when I am down, when I am on your shoulders, when troubles come, when you come, wherefore didst thou doubt, who comforts us in all our tribulation, Why art thou cast down o my soul, why art thou disquieted within me, wisdom, with all our hearts souls and minds, worship the Lord, You Raise Me Up, you raise me up to more than I can be
Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 November 2026 2 Corinthians 1:3.
2 Corinthians 1:3. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;
Come on down to the Lord’s sanctuary on this first Sunday in November, my fellow believers, so that we can worship the Lord and joyfully fellowship with each other, offering encouragement and support in these evil and ungodly times. And it’s another awesomely bright and sunshiny, warm day. Hope they never end! (smile) Now please ensure that you’re not too early (smile) because the clocks have gone back one hour in the Province of Ontario so we can get in tandem with daylight savings time.
Now that’s a very controversial subject, something more than a mere annoyance because, it disturbs the sleeping patterns and life rhythms of many people, but Ontario continues to follow it. And there’s no doubt it will briefly inconvenience us, but it won’t kill us, so let’s get with today’s program, starting with the singing of this wonderful ballad, You Raise Me Up, first recorded by the duo Secret Garden in 2001, but then made famous worldwide by Josh Groban in 2003. So, without further ado, let’s offer up our sweet sacrifices of praise in a rich, slow, soulful, heartfelt version, that leaves no doubt as to our sincerity.
Singing: ‘ When I am down and oh, my soul so weary When troubles come and my heart burdened be Then I am still and wait here in the silence Until You come and sit awhile with me (Chorus: You raise me up so I can stand on mountains You raise me up to walk on stormy seas I am strong when I am on Your shoulders You raise me up to more than I can be: You raise me up so I can stand on mountains You raise me up to walk on stormy seas I am strong when I am on Your shoulders You raise me up to more than I can be.)
There is no life, no life without its hunger Each restless heart beats so imperfectly But when You come and I am filled with wonder Sometimes, I think I glimpse eternity You raise me up so I can stand on mountains (You raise me up, I can stand on mountains) You raise me up to walk on stormy seas (Walk on stormy seas) And I am strong when I am on Your shoulders Oh, you raise me up to more than I can be You raise me up to more than I can be.’
Now that was a beautiful rendition my people! No one can ever doubt our sincerity. But then someone asks, what’s the song all about? Well, this overview gives an excellent explanation. ‘It’s an inspiring ballad about finding strength, hope, and perseverance through the support of another person, often interpreted as God or a spiritual source, especially during difficult times. The lyrics describe a person’s emotional weariness and how the presence of a LOVING “you” empowers them to overcome adversity, “stand on mountains,” “walk on stormy seas,” and achieve more than they could alone.’
Yes friends, that’s what it’s basically about; finding inner strength and hope in times of adversity, with someone aiding you to ‘stand on those mountains, and walk on those stormy seas,’ and thus overcome the challenges. For our Christian purposes though, that someone who encourages us, is none other than Almighty God, showering us with grace, mercy and divine power so that our faith can stand strong. And there’s no one better at lifting us when we’re down than our God, as Bruh Paul describes Him in his second letter to the Corinthians.
He writes, ‘Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble (tribulation), by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.’ (2 Cor. 1:3-4) Wow! That shows how great and compassionate our God is. He comforts us, and also gives us the ability to comfort others with the comfort received from Him. Now let’s not forget that He’s also ‘the Father of mercies;’ meaning that He offers us things like blessings that we don’t deserve.
So how could He not be a wonderful God eh? And how could we not be grateful and thankful for all His LOVE and compassion and bow down and sincerely worship Him with all our souls, hearts and minds eh, like the first and great commandment says? (Matt. 22:37) And as the song opens with a weary soul and burdened heart, it reminds us of the mournful plea of the sons of Korah, found in Psalm 42: ‘Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health (strength) of my countenance, and my God.’ (Ps. 42:11)
Now that’s the kind of reaction our God brings out in us, even though we’re worried and burdened. And if you don’t have that kind of strong faith, then simply look to Jesus’ Great Invitation, where He compassionately declares: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt. 11:28-30) Oh my people, only from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ can we get such a wonderful invitation! Nowhere else!
And standing on mountains and walking on stormy seas…well that is chicken feed for our great God. Look at how He had Moses standing on Mt Sinai and passed by before him, when he came to get the second set of the Ten Commandments. (Ex. 34:1-9) Then there’s the great prophet Elijah, who, after killing hundreds of the prophets of the heathen god Baal, got a death threat from Queen Jezebel and eventually ran to Mt Horeb in fear. But the Lord accosted him up there and renewed his strength and faith. (1 Kin. 19:1-15)
And we all know about Peter’s walking on water with Jesus during a fierce storm, but began sinking after becoming afraid, and cried out for Jesus to save him, which He did, and afterwards admonished Peter: ‘O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt.’ (Matt. 14:33) Unfortunately though, under tough circumstances, our faith also waivers, but remember that Jesus is always right there to catch us and restore our strength.
Another good thing about the song is that it suggests some sort of empowerment gained from the person that’s raising you up. As per the lyric ‘You raise me up to more than I can be. ‘ That support ostensibly enables you to achieve bigger things and to realize your full potential. There again, there’s no one better at that than our amazing God. Just look at how he enabled people like Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Bruh Joseph, Bruh David and Bruh Paul to rise to heights that they never dreamed possible.
And we’ll close with this interesting excerpt from the song: ‘There is no life, no life without its hunger Each restless heart beats so imperfectly But when You come and I am filled with wonder Sometimes, I think I glimpse eternity.’ And that’s the gospel truth my people! Human hearts were created to be hungry for God, and when we do find Him, we’re so filled with wonder, that it looks like we’ve been given a glimpse of eternity. The important thing though is for us to stay hungry for God and rest under His awesome wings, so that at the end of this life, we’ll experience not a glimpse of eternity, but the full, real picture with the Holy Trinity! Much LOVE!
…because of God’s LOVE and compassion…He will raise us up…both in this life and the next…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
31 Oct 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a reciprocal love relationship, a sincere heart, ascend up into heaven, beholding the evil and the good, cling tenaciously to God, communion with our heavenly Father, deepen my breath, done like dinner, dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even the night shall be light about me, even there shall thy hand lead me, faith, form henceforth thou shalt have wars, go and pray unto me, God is always on guard, God is the most powerful person in the universe, God keeps close tabs on His universe, God wants to be in everything we do, God will work everything out eventually for our good, God's ways and thoughts are higher than ours, Hanani, he sees all his goings, hearken unto you, his eyes are upon the ways of man, holy spirit, I marvel to think you can't be contained, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I want to be with you now, in all sincerity and truth, in the behalf of, increase my awareness of you today, it wise to be in tight with God, Jesus Christ, King Asa of Judah, know God so much more, lazy-day Saturday, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, LOVE, love the Lord thy God with all thy heart soul and mind, make my bed in hell, mercy, mouthing insincere prayers, need to get closer to God, never too late to turn to God, no darkness nor shadow of death where the workers of iniquity may hide, nothing you can do that God doesn't know about, nowhere to hide from the Lord, only seeking God in times of trouble, properly handle, quiet my soul, regular communication with God, relax my muscles, salvation, search for me with all your heart, seek me and find me, slow my thoughts, surely the darkness will cover me, take the wings of the morning, thank you for this tenderness, the breath of life is still flowing through one's body, the darkness and the light are both alike to thee, the darkness hideth not from thee, the eyes of the Lord are in every place, the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, the greatest commandment, the last day of October, the many situations coming against us, the night shineth as the day, the way the cookie crumbles, them whose heart is perfect toward him, then shall ye call upon me, these trying and troubled times, thou hast done foolishly, through strong faith trust God to do what's best, thy right hand shall hold me, to shew himself strong, truth, use every day to the fullest, we've strayed far from God but He's remained faithful, whither shall I flee from thy presence, whither shall I go from thy spirit, wisdom, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Today’s Scrip-Bit 31 October 2026 2 Chronicles 16:9a.
2 Chronicles 16:9a. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.
Well what do you know? It’s another sunshiny autumn day on this lazy-day Saturday, the last day of October. Yes, October’s done like dinner! Can you imagine it? We not too long ago celebrated our Thanksgiving weekend, and by the time you turn around the month’s done. But that’s the way the cookie crumbles these days my brethren, you just have to ensure that you use every day to the fullest, beginning each with sincere communion with our heavenly Father. So let’s do that right now nuh, by offering up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, in all sincerity and truth.
As one strong voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And in these trying and troubled times, do we ever need to get closer to God and know Him so much more, that we can properly handle the many situations that are coming against us. Remember God desires to be in everything that pertains to us, and since He’s the most powerful person in the universe, it only makes sense to be in tight with Him. But unfortunately that doesn’t come about by simply mouthing insincere prayers and only coming to Him when you’re in trouble. No! It takes sincerity and right motives, plus a regular communication with God for Him to be sensitive to our prayers.
And some of you might be tired hearing this particular scripture, but it’s the basis of our sincere communion with Almighty God. He firmly states through the prophet Jeremiah: ‘Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:12-13) That says it quite clearly my people; we have to seek God, and do so with a sincere heart, else we won’t find Him.
It’s like when the arrogant Pharisee lawyer, asked Jesus which was the greatest commandment. He replied without hesitation: ‘Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.’ (Matt. 22:37-38) Yes friends, LOVING our God with all that we have is the first requirement of Christianity! And remember that’s one of the reasons why the Lord created us human beings in the first place; so that He could have a reciprocal LOVE relationship with us. But sadly, we have strayed far from Him, while He has remained faithful.
However, it’s never too late to turn back to Him, for once His breath of life is still flowing through our bodies, He will hear our sincere cry and come to us, for although we are far from Him, He’s always near to us, looking out for us, even though we don’t pay Him any attention. As Cousin Sol so wisely states in Proverbs: ‘The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.’ (Prov. 15:3) Of course! Whatever is done in God’s universe, be it good or bad, He sees it and takes note of it for further use.
Meanwhile in Job, his friend Elihu asserts: ‘For his (God’s) eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings. There is no darkness, nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.’ (Job 34:21-22) And if you still don’t believe that Lord is everywhere and sees everything, then listen as the seer Hanani, informs King Asa of Judah of his mistake by getting in league with Syria to help him fight against the northern kingdom of Israel. ‘For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him (at peace with, or loyal to Him). Herein thou hast done foolishly; therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.’ (2 Chr. 16:9)
Hopefully those scriptures will convince us that God is always on guard, looking to see what’s happening in His universe. And nobody says it as good as Bruh David in Psalm 139. ‘Whither shall (can) I go from thy spirit? or whither shall (can) I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee (it is not dark to thee); but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.’ (Ps. 139:7-12)
In other words, there’s nowhere we can go to hide from the Lord, or nothing we can do that He doesn’t know about, because He keeps close tabs on His universe. Therefore, the wise thing for us to do is seek Him sincerely with all of our hearts, souls, bodies and minds, and then cling tenaciously to Him, after we’ve made contact, (smile) for He’s the ruler of the universe, and as He directs, so everything goes. Remember too, that his ways and thoughts are much higher than ours, (Is, 55:9) So there will be lots of stuff happening in and around, and with us, that we won’t understand, but through strong faith we will trust Him to do what’s best for us and work everything out eventually for our good. (Rom. 8:28)
And on this beautiful lazy-day autumn Saturday, it will do us good to spend some time pondering our association with Almighty God, and considering how we can get closer to Him, for there’s always room to do that! Much LOVE!
…you might run from God…but you certainly can’t hide from him…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
30 Oct 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abominable transgressions, alive and kicking, all the gods of the nations are idols, and on my worst, as far as the east is from the west, as the heaven is high above the earth, believers also need to wake up and smell the coffee, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, despite the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times, divine aid, every hour you watch over me, eyes have they but they see not, faith, Father You see me on my best days, Friday chant, further your glorious kingdom, get sufficient fun fellowship rest and relaxation, give our leaders wise guidance, God commendeth his love toward us, God demonstrated his LOVE for us.', God gives us new grace and mercy every morning, God is LOVE, God so loved the world, God's generous help, God's heartfelt love and compassion for humanity, great is thy faithfulness, have ears but hear not, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, he hath not dealt with us after our sins, he the loveth not knoweth not God, help us to be responsible, his compassions fail not, holy spirit, human flaw, I want my life to show others the great love you shown me, in Jesus' name, It is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed, Jesus Christ, LOVE, mercy, neither is there any breath in their mouths, our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffe, plenteous in mercy, real love and compassion, renewed and refreshed in soul body and mind, rewarded us according to our iniquities, salvation, scriptures that proclaim God's undying love for man, serious problems are escalating, slow to anger, smell it sweet and strong, so far hath he removed our transgressions, so great is his mercy to them that fear him, stand strong and steadfast, take time from our busy schedules to communicate with God, teach me to reflect your faithfulness, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the beginning of the weekend, the breath of life only comes from God, the gifts of salvation and eternal life, the gospel truth, the idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the joyful shout, the judgemental hand of God, the Lord is merciful and gracious, the Lord made the heavens, the prayer from the October In Touch Devotional, the supreme sacrifice of both Father and Son, the throne of grace, the weekend is here at last, the work of men's hands, therefore have I hope, they are new every morning, they have mouths but speak not, this I recall to mind, to handle these unexpected storms properly, trusting faith, truth, two dyas to do what we want, unconditional LOVE, went up to heaven, what a wonderful God we serve, when I stumble you don't condemn me, while we were yet sinners christ died for us, whosoever believeth in him should not perish, wisdom, with your omnipotent help, worthwhile ambassadors for Christ, you love me the same through it all, you reach out your hand and lift me up, you see my victories and my failures
Today’s Scrip-Bit 30 October 2026 John 3:16.
John 3:16. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’
‘It’s Friday, it’s Friday! TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here at last!’ Yes mih bredrin, that was the joyful shout that went up to heaven from numerous workers this last Friday morning in October 2026. And why not eh? We’re alive and kicking, it’s a warm, sunshiny, autumn day, and much to our surprise, the cold weather has not seriously weighed in on us as yet. And above all, it’s the beginning of the weekend, when we get two whole days to do whatever we want to do, not what some fuddy-duddy old boss tells us to do! No wonder we’re so excited that it’s Friday! (smile)
Anyhow, despite all the happiness we’re currently experiencing, we still need to take some time from our busy schedules to communicate with Almighty God, our Creator and Controller. And today we’ll do that through the prayer from the October In Touch Devotional. So please pray with me: ‘Father, You see me on my best days – and on my worst. And You LOVE me the same through it all. Every hour You watch over me. You see my victories and my failures. When I stumble, You don’t condemn me. You reach out Your hand and lift me up. Teach me to reflect Your faithfulness. I want my life to show others the great LOVE You’ve shown me. In Jesus’ name, amen.’
What a wonderful God we serve my fellow believers! He’s constantly watching over us, so He knows all about us; both the good and the bad, but yet He still LOVES us with a fiery, undeniable, unalterable LOVE! And there are so many scriptures that proclaim God’s undying LOVE for us, that we can spend the whole day looking at them, and still not cover them all. (smile) But let’s cover a few of the more well known ones, to stir up our own LOVE. And I have to put my favourite here first, as stated in the words of Bruh Paul. ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8)
Now if that doesn’t show real LOVE and compassion, I don’t know what does. As one overviews explains: ‘It highlights unconditional LOVE given even before human flaw was removed.’ And that’s the gospel truth, because the Lord didn’t wait for us to become as sin free as possible under our own strength, He went right ahead and gave us the opportunity to do so through His awesome LOVE and power. That brings us to this next awesome scripture that emphasizes God’s great LOVE for His human creation.
Words from the mouth of Jesus Himself, the one who put the Father’s amazing LOVE into action. He said to Nicodemus the Jewish leader who came to him by night seeking answers. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ (John 3:16) Ah friends, that shows the supreme sacrifice of both the Father and the Son, who were willing to forego their own pleasure to enable us to have the gifts of salvation and eternal life.
Now it could be nothing else but LOVE that caused them to make such an amazing, very much needed sacrifice. For as John says in his first epistle: ‘He that LOVETH not knoweth not God; for God is LOVE.’ (1 John 4:8) And that’s the glorious truth! If you don’t know LOVE, you cannot know God, because that’s His major attribute! Now listen to these verses which show that although we are not perfect and make mistakes, ofttimes too many unnecessary ones, the Lord doesn’t denigrate or belittle us for them, but instead helps us to get up and do better the next time around.
The prophet Jeremiah, remembering the tough times he faced under the judgemental hand of God, (Jer. 3:1-20) solemnly declares in his Lamentations. ‘This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam. 3:21-23) Yes friends, if the Lord so desired, He could wipe us out every day for our abominable transgressions, but because of His compassion and overwhelming faithfulness, we’re still around. Instead, He gives us new grace, and mercy ever morning that we are alive.
As Bruh David says in Psalm 103: ‘The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous (abounding) in mercy (LOVING-KINDNESS)… He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy (LOVING-KIDNESS) toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.’ (Ps. 103:8, 10-12) Wow! What other God have you ever heard about that’s so generous to his subjects like ours eh?
There’s none! For as the psalmist says in Psalm 96 – God’s Greatness: ‘For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord made the heavens.’ (Ps. 96:5) That’s for sure! And as it so rightly says in Psalm 135 -Praise the Lord. ‘The idols (gods) of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not; They have ears, but they hear not; neither is there any breath in their mouths.’ (Ps. 135: 15-17) And how could they ever have breath eh, when they are made by human hands, and the breath of life ONLY comes from Jehovah God?
And although many of us desire to show or reflect that amazing faithfulness of God in our lives, it’s not an easy task, but we can certainly do better than we’re currently doing, by going to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, for divine aid to do it. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work. It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. You know our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving, and we desperately need your help to fix them. Heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land.
So please give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And despite the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times, help us to be responsible, and get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that we can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out next week and further your glorious kingdom by the good example we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Now, please note that it’s not only the heathen, but also we believers, who need to wake up and smell the coffee, if we want to be worthwhile witnesses and ambassadors for Christ! Much LOVE!
…there is nothing greater in this world…than God’s heartfelt LOVE and compassion for humanity…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
29 Oct 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a great family, a man after His own heart, a man of rest, a man who made mistakes and paid the price for them, a positive outlook on life, a son shall be born to thee, abundance, be well rewarded by the Lord, beleivers are apt to experience adversity in doing God's will, brimming with energy, choose the one of them that I may do unto thee, clear direction for my life, clothed in sackcloth, come to know and love christ like we do, courage, curse, David prepared abundantly before his death, David was only a man, destroyed before thy foes, destroying throughout all the coasts of Israel, divine protection, do a good job with the Lord's help, do away with the iniquity of thy servant, don't give up, don't lose heart, done very foolishly, ensure God 's glory, excuse for being late to the party, experience adversity, faith, fall into the hand of the Lord, favour, forgiveness of sin doesn't exempt you from paying a price for the sin, generously use our blessings to help ohters, give him rest from all his enemies, God smote Israel, God was displeased with this thing, good friends, greatly sinned, his name shall be Solomon, holy spirit, in a great strait, in doing god's will, in due season we shall reap if we faint not, into the Lord's bad books, it was evil in God's eyes, it was in my mind, Jesus Christ, laziness, let us not be weary in well doing, LOVE, mercy, negative word, not fall into the hand of man, of fame and glory throughout all countries, offer thee three things, old age, our unique God, pestilence in the land, promotion, provoked David to number Israel, responsibility to set a good example, salvation, Satan stood up against Israel, seasonal allergies, shed mych blood upon the earth in my sight, Solomon means Peaceful, supernatural strength, take a census, talent, the elders of Israel, the Lord repented him of the evil, the Lord's house must be exceeding magnifical, the penultimate day of the work week, the people shuld not be punished for his sin, the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee, thou hast shed blood abundantly, three choices of punishment, three days the sword of the Lord, three years of famine, to build an house unto the Lord, took him to task, truth, undeserved blessings, very great are God's mercies, wisdom, wrongdoing
Today’s Scrip-Bit 29 October 2026 1 Chronicles 21:1.
1 Chronicles 21:1. And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked (moved) David to number Israel (take a census).
Oh friends, it’s just one of those days where old age, laziness and a touch of seasonal allergies have combined to dim the enthusiasm of getting up to greet another day. And it’s a beautiful sunshiny, warm though somewhat windy Thursday, our penultimate day of the work week. Now who wouldn’t want to rise and greet such a day at the end of October eh? (smile) In fact, I was up fairly early, spun around a bit, then went back to bed, and found it difficult to get up. And that’s my excuse for being somewhat late to the party! (smile) Anyway, here we are, not brimming with energy, but enough to do a good job with the Lord’s help.
And the Good Book opened today at 1 Chronicles, where Bruh David is gathering all the stuff required to build the Lord’s temple, saying, ‘Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be builded for the Lord must be exceeding magnifical, of fame and of glory throughout all countries: I will therefore now make preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death.’ (1 Chr. 22:5) That was after Bruh David had dropped into the Lord’s bad books for having a census done in Judah and Israel.
The Bible tells us: ‘And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked (moved) David to number Israel (take a census)… And God was displeased with this thing (it was evil in the eyes of God); therefore he smote (struck) Israel.’ (1 Chr. 21:1&7) But we know how Bruh David, once enlightened of his wrongdoing, always sincerely repented before the Lord. ‘And David said unto God, I have greatly sinned, because I have done this thing: but now, I beseech thee do away (take away) the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.’ (1 Chr: 21:8)
But Bruh David wasn’t going to get away so easily this time. ‘And the Lord spake unto Gad, David’s seer, saying, Go and tell David, saying, Thus saith the Lord, I offer thee three things: choose the one of them, that I may do unto thee.’ (1 Chr. 21:9-10) Imagine that nuh, the Lord offering Bruh David three choices of punishment. Only our God could be so unique!
‘So Gad came unto David, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Choose thee, Either three years of famine (2 Sam. 24:13, says 7); or three months to be destroyed before thy foes, while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee; or else three days the sword of the Lord, even the pestilence, in the land, and the angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the coasts (territory) of Israel. Now therefore advice thyself (consider) what word I shall bring again to him that sent me. And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait (distress): let me fall now into the hand of the Lord; for very great are his mercies: but let me not fall into the hand of man. So the Lord sent pestilence upon Israel: and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men.’ (1 Chr. 21:11-14)
Ah friends, all of that simply shows that Bruh David was only a man like us, and made mistakes but also paid the price for them. Yes, although the Lord favoured him, considered him a man after His own heart, He always took him to task for his wrongdoing, especially after he became king and had the added responsibility to set a good example and ensure God’s glory. And you can read in the rest of 1 Chr. 21, how in the midst of destroying Jerusalem, the Lord stopped His angel, ‘repented him of the evil’ and when Bruh David saw the angel of the Lord standing with drawn sword over the land, he and the elders of Israel, clothed in sackcloth, obviously mourning those destroyed, again repented of his sin, pleading that it was his sin and his house, not the people should be punished.
Then Bruh David was commanded to set up an altar at the threshing floor of a man called Ornan the Jebusite, which he did, though adamantly refusing the land as a gift and instead purchasing it for six hundred shekels of gold. And it’s after all of that, that Bruh David began gathering the material to build the Lord’s temple. ‘Then he called for Solomon his son, and charged (commanded) him to build an house for the Lord God of Israel. And David said unto Solomon, My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build an house unto the name of the Lord my God:
But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight. Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon (Peaceful), and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his day. He shall build an house for my name; and he shall be my son, and I will be his father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel for ever.’ (1 Chr. 22:6-10)
Ah friends, although Bruh David received a lot of grace and mercy from God in trying to do His will, he still suffered a great deal for the mistakes he made. And since the Lord is the same yesterday, today and forever, it means that we are also liable to experience a lot of adversity in doing His will, and like Bruh David we should not lose heart or give up, because it’s simply how the Lord runs His affairs. For as Bruh Paul warns in Galatians: ‘And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not (do not lose heart).’ (Gal. 6:9) So my people, it’s of the utmost importance that we stand strong in faith despite adversity, because eventually we will be well rewarded by the Lord.
Now, let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings; undeserved blessings generously bestowed by God on us to do His earthly work. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘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 every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration, it now behooves us to go out and generously use those blessings to help others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE the Lord like we do! Much LOVE!
…forgiveness of sin…doesn’t exempt one…from paying a price for said sin
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
28 Oct 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a future and a hope, a man lay down his life for his friends, a mere mortal, against that day, am persuaded that he is able, are freely - inseparably mine, be not faithless but believing, behold who hath created these things, bringeth out their host by number, But God commendeth his love toward us, by the greatness of his might, calleth them all by names, catch our second wind, created by our majestic God, didn't want be on another late bus, divine Love, endure to the end with Christ, expanse of heaven, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, flithily clothed with sin, forever linked to divine destiny, God demonstrated his LOVE for us.', God has chosen me, God has inscribed me in the palms of His hands, God's deep and abiding love, God's thoughts toward me are of kindness and mercy, greater love hath no man than this, halfway home, hands on the plough, he is strong in power, holy spirit, I am not ashamed, I belong to the God of the universe, I do know, I know the thoughts I think toward you, I know whom I have believed, I want to sing and shout, if ye do whatsoever I command you, inscribed in the palms of his hands, insignificant beings, it touched my soul, Jesus Christ, Jesus was willing to sacrifice His sinless life, know with confident certainty, lift up your eyes on high, LOVE, mercy, mere mortals, much I cannot begin to fathom, much I will never comprehend, my life has purpose and dignity, not looking back, not one is missing, not thoughts of calamity, now and throughout all eternity, on an early bus, our minds are too small to comprehend the vastness of the universe, overjoyed to share it, puts our knowledge of God in a different perspective, reach hither thy finger and behold my hnads, Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, share the love of the Holy Trinity, so glad to be alive, so utterly overwhelmed I am with the magnitude of God, thank God, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the constant certainty, the Creator of all that exists, the firmament sheweth his handiwork, the heavens declare the glory of god, the life of the Son, the love of the Father, the object of His lavish love, the One Year Book of Bible Promises, the power of the Holy spirit, the vast indescribable universe, the work of his hands, this I do know, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to a glorious future with Jesus, to give you an expected end, to keep that which I have committed to him, truth, until that day, waiting for words of wisdom, we belong to the God of the universe, we're not insignificant to God, Wednesday Wail, while we were yet sinners christ died for us, wisdom, ye are my friends
Today’s Scrip-Bit 28 October 2026 2 Timothy 1:12b.
2 Timothy 1:12b. for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against (until) that day.
Oh my people, please don’t get anxious or traumatized because I’m here with you so early on this cloudy, catch our second wind Wednesday morning! There’s a simple reason for this early bus. (smile) I have to take the duchess to a medical appointment in the early afternoon hours, that means I don’t know when I’ll be back here, and I didn’t want that interruption to cause us to be on another late bus, to have you waiting for the words of wisdom that come from my puny mind with God’s help. (smile)
And today we’ll look at the wonderful poem for October 28, from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s simply titled ‘I Do Know!’ Now, I don’t know whether I’ve ever shared it before, and when I read it just now it didn’t seem familiar, but it certainly touched my soul and I’m overjoyed to share it, and once you read it, you’ll see why. So please pray with me. ‘There is much I cannot begin to fathom concerning the vast, indescribable universe created by our majestic God. There is much I will never comprehend. I want to sing and shout, so utterly overwhelmed I am with the magnitude of God.
But I do know with confident certainty that I belong to the God of the universe – the Creator of all that exists. I know that I, a mere mortal, am forever linked to divine destiny. I know that my life has purpose and dignity. I know that God has chosen me as the object of His lavish LOVE; that His thoughts toward me are thoughts of kindness and mercy; that He has inscribed me in the palms of his hands. I know that all the LOVE of the Father, and the life of the Son, and the power of the Holy Spirit are freely, inseparably mine – now and throughout all eternity. This I do know!’
And now you understand why it touched me. It just puts what we know in a somewhat different perspective. And by the way, it wasn’t written in poem form, but in ordinary prose with proper paragraph indentations. (smile) And that might be one of the reasons it’s so effective, because it just flows freely on. And are the sentiments ever so wonderful, beginning with the idea that our minds are too small to comprehend the vastness of the ‘indescribable universe created by our majestic God.’
Now we all know that to be true, as stated in so many scriptures like: ‘The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament (expanse of heaven) sheweth his handywork (the work of his hands).’ (Ps.19:1) Then Isiah declares: ‘Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth (is missing).’ (Is. 40:26) Yes friends, the universe is all God’s creation!
And what about that ‘constant certainty’ that we belong to the God of the universe – the Creator of all that exists? Unfortunately, that’s something a lot of us believers still don’t understand or can’t even imagine, how this great God, Creator of the universe can acknowledge mere mortals like us seemingly insignificant beings. But we’re not insignificant. Certainly not to the God who created us. And because He created us from a deep and abiding LOVE, we are ‘forever linked to divine destiny.’
Wow! And because of that our lives have purpose and dignity, and He has chosen us as objects of His lavish LOVE. What could be more important that that eh? And it’s borne out by one of my favourite scriptures, that from Romans 5:8, where Bruh Paul confidently declares: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrates) his LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ What a wonderful God! He didn’t wait for us to clean up ourselves to show His awesome LOVE for us. No! He did it while we were yet filthily clothed with sin!
No wonder ‘His thoughts toward me are of kindness and mercy,’ as He says in His Word. ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity) to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer. 29:11) That clearly shows God’s heart for us. But my fellow believers, what can show greater LOVE than ‘inscribing us in the palms of His hands?’ Nothing really! As Jesus says in the gospel of John: ‘Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.’ (John 15:13-4)
Yes, Jesus was so into us, that He was willing to sacrifice His sinless life for those who believe in and willingly follow Him. As He said to Thomas when he doubted. ‘Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless (unbelieving), but believing.’ (John 20:27) And the scripture verse on which the poem was based is a most reassuring one from Bruh Paul to Timothy. ‘For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against (until) that day.’ (2 Tim. 1:12)
So should we also be trusting of Christ for the assurance of salvation on that day when we stand before Him at the judgement seat. And all of the above can only draw us to one conclusion: ‘that all the LOVE of the Father, and the life of the Son, and the power of the Holy Spirit are freely, inseparably mine – now and throughout all eternity.’ Now there could be no better feeling, nothing more uplifting and reassuring than knowing that we belong to the Creator of the universe and will share the wonderful LOVE of the Holy Trinity, now and forever!
So with that wonderful feeling of divine LOVE and assurance flowing through our souls, spirts and bodies, let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘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 please remember that to all who endure with Jesus to the very end, an even more glorious future than we can ask or imagine has been promised. So let’s be wise and endure right to the end with our wonderful Lord and Saviour, so that we can enjoy that more than glorious future together! Much LOVE!
…God’s amazing LOVE for mankind…has been shown both in His Word and His actions toward us…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
27 Oct 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a froward man soweth strife, a gossip separates best friends, a late bus day, a perverse man sows strife, a whisperer separateth chief friends, above all things have fervent charity among yourselves, ambassadors of Christ, apply the mind set of a true believer, are not able to kill the soul, be more afraid of God than man, beareth all things, believeth all things, charity doth not behave itself unseemingly, charity envieth not, charity is not puffed up, charity never faileth, charity shall cover a multitude of sins, charity suffereth long and is kind, charity vaunteth not itself, Christianity is not a Sunday afternoon stroll in the park, Christians, christians are either afraid or too comfortable to make a difference, come to know and love him like we do, counteract the evil influences of the devil, dem's the breaks, dominating the wolrd with negative actions, don't heed Christ's warning, endureth all things, faith, fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell, fear not them which kill the body, filled with wealth and power, from the error of his way, God's greatest attribute is love, grin and bear them, hatred stirreth up strifes, he that covereth a transgression seeketh love, he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends, he that repeats a matter separates the best of friends, he which converteth a sinner, hide a multitude of sins, holy spirit, hopeth all things, hurry, if any man will come after me, if any of you do err from the truth, in god's eyes, is not easily provoked, Jesus Christ, keeps no account of evil, let him deny himself, lock stock and barrel, LOVE, love covereth all sins, love does not boast, love is action not just talk, love is not arrogant or rude, love is real not abstract, Love never fails, love rejoices in the truth, love shall cover a multitude of sins, mercy, one converts him, one turns him back, painful repercussions, personal expereince, rejoiceth in the truth, rejoiceth not in iniquity, sacrifice whenever necessary, salvation, satisfy the government's demands, save a soul from death, seeketh not her own, share His love with my neighbours, share the amazing love and friendship of Christ, take up his cross daily and follow me, the bearers of hatred, the beloved of God, the devil and his evil cronies, the Good Book, the gospel truth, the proponents of love, the resource of wisdom, the world is in a strife-filled state, thinketh no evil, threatend with serious repercussions, to accomplish love in action, to stand up and make some noise for Christ, too much hatred and not enough love, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, wake us from our unwise slumber, wisdom, with the Lord's help, work on our love actions, worry
Today’s Scrip-Bit 27 October 2026 Proverbs 10:12.
Proverbs 10:12. ‘Hatred stirreth up strifes: but LOVE covereth all sins.’
Ah friends, this sunshiny and cloudy autumn Tuesday is unfortunately a late bus day, because I had to go out and look after some government business; trifling stuff really, but nonetheless necessary to satisfy the government’s demands, or else be threatened with serious repercussions. But dem’s the breaks, you just have to grin and bear them with the Lord’s help.
Anyway, the Good Book opened today at that wonderful resource of wisdom, Proverbs, and the first words my eyes beheld were some very appropriate and important ones for these times. Cousin Sol rightfully declares: ‘Hatred stirreth up strifes: but LOVE covereth all sins.’ (Prov. 10:12) And isn’t that the gospel truth my people! It certainly is! No wonder our world is in such a strife-filled state, because there is way too much hatred and not enough LOVE prevailing in it right now! All around the world are wars and rumours of war, serious repression, oppression and a whole set of negative actions that all lead to strife, economic deprivation, unhappiness and poverty.
And although Cousin Sol talks about LOVE being the catalyst for better things and times, I don’t know if we we’ll ever see the results of LOVE overcoming our world until Jesus comes back and sets up His kingdom. That’s because the devil and his evil cronies, the bearers of hatred, are currently riding high, filled with wealth and power, dominating the world with their negative actions, while the proponents of LOVE, we Christians are not doing very much to counteract the evil influences of the devil and His evil cohorts. The problem there is that we are either afraid of what man can do to us, or we’re too comfortable in our own little space to get up and make some noise for Christ.
But please remember Jesus’ warning: ‘And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.’ (Matt. 10:28) That means we should ne more afraid of God than man, because God can destroy both our bodies and souls in hell, while man can only kill our bodies. However, not too many of us supposed believers are apparently paying attention to that, for we still go about our own comfortable and fearful way. Anyhow, the Lord will be the judge of our actions at some point in time, and the repercussions could be very painful, if we don’t heed Christ’s warning.
But enough lecturing and sermonizing, (smile) let’s look at some scriptures that corroborate Cousin Sol’s point. And we’ll begin with this corroborating scripture from James, who in writing about LOVE, admonishes us thus: ‘And above all things have fervent charity (LOVE) among yourselves: for charity (LOVE) shall cover a multitude of sins.’ (James 4:8) That just goes to show how important LOVE is in our Christian faith! It’s so important that it can cover a number of sins…but only if it is actioned in our lives, not just talked about. A lot of us talk about LOVE as though it’s some abstract thing, but LOVE is real, and can only be shown by LOVING actions, not by plenty talk.
And to strengthen Peter’s point, listen to James. He writes to the church: ‘Brethren, if any of you do err (wander) from the truth, and one convert him (turns him back); Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.’ (James 5:19-20) Yes friends, that’s the amazing power of LOVE!
And in Bruh Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, he lists a number of wonderful attributes possessed by LOVE. He says: ‘Charity (LOVE) suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself (does not brag on itself), is not puffed up (arrogant), Doth not behave itself unseemly (rudely), seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil (keeps no account of evil); Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth:’ (1 Cor. 13:4-8a)
Oh my people, you see the number of things that LOVE covers, does and doesn’t do! And yes, it seems like it’s too much for our fragile human minds and bodies to handle, but with God’s help, it’s not. We simply have to apply the right mind set, that of a true believer and decide to sincerely work on our LOVE actions. That brings us to these last two scripture verses, both from Cousin Sol in Proverbs. The first one says: ‘A forward (perverse) man soweth strife: and a whisperer (gossip) separateth chief (best) friends.’ (Prov. 16:28) We all know that from personal experience.
And the last verse offers us even more wisdom, when it declares: ‘He that covereth a transgression seeketh LOVE; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends (the best of friends).’ (Prov. 17:9) More gospel truth! Ah mih bredrin, I know it’s not always easy to spread LOVE in this evil and ungodly world, but as ambassadors and disciples of Christ, that’s what we’ve promised to do. Remember what Jesus says He expects from those who follow Him. ‘If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23)
So you see we didn’t sign up for a Sunday afternoon stroll in the park, inhaling the sweet perfume of the flora therein. No, we signed up to sacrifice whenever necessary to accomplish LOVE in action on Christ’s behalf. And hopefully, all we’ve said today will prod us, wake us up from our unwise slumber, so we can get up and do a better job of showing true LOVE in action! Now, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel.
As one strong and sincere 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 my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And having said that, we’re now expected to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…God’s greatest attribute is LOVE…and it should also be ours…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
26 Oct 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a child of God, a total effort of mind emotion and will, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, allow your incredible aura of love, as to the Lord and not unto men, as we therefore have opportunity, attitude of entitlement, be diligent and zealous, become discouraged, believers in Jesus Christ, bringing out the best in us, buffeted and bombarded by the enemy's evil schemes, children of Jehovah God, Christians, divine aid, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, do all to the glory of God, do it heartily, do it with thy might, do not lose heart, especially unto them who are of the household of faith, faith, fill us with steadfast faith, furthering your glorious kingdom, give of our best in every situation, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him, go out to meet the enemy in battle, he becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand, he that doeth wrong, he that is negligent becomes poor, heavenly Father we're not afraid, holy spirit, humble servants, in due season we shall reap if we faint not, in the long run we're working for God, Jesus Christ, jobs that serve a useful purpose, keeping lives and families together, lackadaisical times, let us do good unto all men, let us not be weary in well doing, LOVE, make worthwhile inroads into the enemy's ranks, mediocre work, mercy, no respect of persons, of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of inheritance, our commitment to God, our Father who art in heaven, our responsibility to do our best with what we have, over the weekend, perform our duties wholeheartedly, properly interpret the Word of God, put out our best effort, receive for the wrong he has done, rejuvenation of spirit, rightly dividing the word of truth, sally forth with confidence, salvation, servants' attitudes to their jobs, study to show thyself approved unto God, sure conquerors, surrender our all to you, thank you for our jobs, the daily grind and common task, the day we all love to hate, the hand of the diligent maketh rich, the mark of a true believer, the renewed vitality and enthusiasm, the reward of the inheritance, the throne of grace, there is no work device knowledge nor wisdom in the grave, to begin a new week of work, to lead and guide all your servants, traffic tie ups, truth, we know we're invincible, wearing your powerful protective spiritual armour, whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, whatsoever ye do in word or deed, whether therefore ye eat or drink, whither thou goest, win the day for Jesus, wisdom, work that doesn't stimulate us, ye serve the Lord Christ, you've wrought in our weary souls
Today’s Scrip-Bit 26 October 2026 Colossians 3:23.
Colossians 3:23. And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men:
And then it was Monday that day we all LOVE to hate, simply because it begins a new work week. I believe that we’d dislike whatever the day was called that ended our two-day weekend and had us scurrying back to the daily grind and common task. That’s back to two a day traffic tie-ups and work that doesn’t energize, stimulate or excite us, so we don’t put out our best effort, and thus end up doing mediocre work.
And yes, sometimes the conditions under which we work, the supervision we must adhere to, or even the work itself are admittedly not amenable to bringing out the best in us. However, as children of Jehovah God, as Christians, that’s believers in Christ Jesus, we are expected to give of our best efforts in every situation, because that’s a mark of being a true believer and child of God. And there are numerous scriptures that command us to do just that. So, let’s look at a few of them today, to remind us of our commitment to Almighty God nuh.
And we’ll begin with these verses that we all know quite well, although we don’t always follow them. (smile) They come from Bruh Paul’s letter to the Colossians. The first verse comes from his talk about putting on the new man, where he ends that passage thus: ‘And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.’ (Col. 3:17)
Then a little later, in talking about servants’ attitudes to their job’s Bruh Paul admonishes them: ‘And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men: Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.’ (Col. 3:23-25)
Yes friends, although Bruh Paul was actually talking about slaves there, the same directive also applies to us doing work for earthly masters for remuneration. As the scholars explain: We are to perform our duties wholeheartedly, doing the best job we can, with all of our strength, because in the long run, we’re not working so much for our earthly employers, (unto men) but for our heavenly Master (to the Lord.) And the fact that we will receive the reward of the inheritance, which is salvation, from the Lord and not from men, verifies the assertion in verse 23 that we serve Christ; not our earthly employers.
Then we have this verse where Bruh Paul exhorts Timothy: ‘Study (be diligent) to show (present) thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.’ (2 Tim. 2:15) There Bruh Paul is telling us to be diligent and zealous (to study). And the scholars explain that studying ‘Involves a total effort of mind, emotion and will.’ And when we seriously consider the way we do our work in these lackadaisical times of supposed entitlement, I very much doubt that many of us put a total effort into it. And, as per Rightly dividing the word of truth, the scholars say that means, ‘The apostle appeals for efforts to be made to properly interpret the Word of God.’
And what would the scriptures be without some wise words from Cousin Sol eh, who seems to have something to say on every subject. (smile) On the topic of work from Proverbs, he establishes that ‘He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack (negligent) hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.’ (Prov. 10:4) And that’s no lie, because we see it happening every day to those around us who don’t apply themselves properly to their tasks. Then from Ecclesiastes, speaking as the Preacher, Cousin Sol offers this most excellent advice: ‘Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.’ (Eccl. 9:10)
Yes my people, there is no work, wisdom or enjoyment in the grave, and it’s our portion, our responsibility to do the best we can with what we have in this earthly life. And we’ll end with this gem from Bruh Paul to the Galatians. He strongly advises: ‘And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not (do not lose heart, become discouraged). As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.’ (Gal. 6:9-10)
Oh my faithful brethren, we could not end with better advice than that! So, having reminded ourselves of all those marvellous scriptures, let’s spend some time pondering them, then doing our best to action them nuh. And for divine aid to help us do that, we’ll go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise and thank You this Monday morning for our jobs; jobs we sometimes don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose; 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 weekend. It’s that rejuvenation of spirit which now allows us to sally forth with confidence into the evil and ungodly world, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s evil schemes.
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 allow Your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit to 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, thereby furthering Your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And with the Holy Spirit leading us out into battle, let’s get out there, engage the enemy, and win the day for Jesus Christ! Much LOVE!
…whether therefore ye eat or drink…or whatsoever ye do…do all to the glory of God… (1 Cor. 10:31)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
25 Oct 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a beuatiful autmn Sunday morning, a grave in the angry deep, a peace that passes all human understanding, a terrible storm suddenly arose, all sweetly obey thy will, all you got to say is, be careful for nothing, be of good cheer, Bill and Gloria Gaither Homecoming Sessions, carest not that we perish, demons, encouraging each other, even the wind and the sea obey him, evil men, faith, fighting the good fight for Jesus, get down on your knees, get up Jesus, God will give you peace, he arose and rebuked the wind, he trusteth in thee, He wants to give you peace, he'll be your friend, His name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, holy spirit, how canst thou lie there asleep, how is it that ye have no faith, i have overcome the world, if you say, if you're looking for peace, in all of your days, in all of your needs, in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, in me ye might have peace, In the Midnight Hour, in the world ye shall have tribulation, it seems like each moment, Jessy Dixon, Jesus asleep in the stern of the boat, Jesus Christ, Jesus defeated hell death and the grave, Jesus exudes peace, Jesus was asleep, Jesus' sacrificial death and resurrection, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, let not your heart be troubled, let your requests be made known unto God, LOVE, Mary Anne Baker, Master The Tempest is Raging, meet and greet other believers, mercy, my peace I give unto you, neither let it be afraid, no shelter or help is nigh, no water can swallow the ship, not as the world giveth give I unto you, peace be still, Peace i leave with you, perfect peace, praise and worship Almighty God, said unto the sea, salvation, so madly is threatening, someone who will give you perfect peace, song of worship, talk to Jesus, that our finite minds can't comprehend, the Baptist denomination, the billows are tossing high, the everlasting Father, the government shall be upon his shoulder, the infinite mind of God, the Lord will give you peace, the Master of the ocean earth and sky, the mighty God, the peace of God which passeth all understanding, the Prince of Peace, the sea of Galilee, the sky is o'ershadowed with darkness, the temperance cause, the wind ceased and there was a great calm, the winds and the waves shall obey thy will, the wrath of the storm tossed sea, these things I have spoken unto you, they feared exceedingly, thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, threatening to sink the boat, to keep on keeping on, truth, unperturbed about the situation, unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, what manner of man is this, whatever it be, when there's nobody else there, when you feel lonely, wherein lies, who can this be, whose mind is stayed on thee, why are ye so fearful, wisdom
Today’s Scrip-Bit 25 October 2026 Mark 4:39.
Mark 4:39. And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
Arise and go boldly and confidently to the Lord’s sanctuary, this bright and beautiful autumn Sunday morning my fellow believers, so you can meet and greet other believers and there praise and worship Almighty God, while encouraging each other to keep on keeping on, to keep fighting the good fight for Jesus.
And today’s song of worship is one written way back in 1874 by American songwriter Mary Anne Baker. Apparently, she was a member of the Baptist denomination, residing in Chicago, also an active worker in the temperance cause, and the author of various hymns and temperance songs. This song, ‘Master, The Tempest is Raging,’ turned out to be her most famous composition, based on the theme of ‘Christ stilling the tempest.’ Today we’re going to do a slow, soulful, heartfelt version, like that done by the Black American Gospel singer, Jessy Dixon, at the Bill and Goria Gaither Homecoming Sessions.
Singing: ‘Master, the tempest is raging, Oh, The billows are tossing high The sky is o’ershadowed with blackness Oh, No shelter, no shelter or help is nigh – Carest thou not that we perish? How canst you lie, How canst thou lie there asleep When it seems like each moment so madly is threatening, Oh A grave. a grave, a grave in the angry deep? Get up Jesus because! The winds and the waves shall obey thy will. All you got to say is, Peace, be still, Peace, be still, Peace, be still, Peace, be still.
Whether the wrath, the wrath of the storm-tossed sea, Or demons, or evil men, or whatever it be No water can swallow the ship wherein lies The Master of the ocean, the earth and sky They all shall sweetly obey thy will, If You say, Peace, peace, be still They all shall sweetly obey thy will, If You say, Peace, peace, peace, be still.
Monologue: The Lord will give you peace, He wants to give you peace, In the midnight hour, When there’s nobody else there, God will give you peace, When you feel lonely, You have someone who will give you perfect peace. He ‘ll be your friend, Yes, He will, The Lord will give you peace, If you’re looking for peace, in all of your needs, in all of your days, get down on your knees and talk to Jesus, Yes talk to Jesus. Yes, whenever the Lord says, there will be peace, there will be peace, For He knew it, Yes, He knew it, Peace, be still, Peace, be still, Peace, be still Peace, be still….’
Ah friends, what an encouraging and inspiring song! And we all know the story on which it’s based, that of Jesus and the disciples crossing over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee when a terrible storm suddenly arises, threatening to sink the boat. Jesus was apparently unperturbed about the situation, for he slept quietly in the stern of the boat.
The disciples, however, were very agitated and woke Him up, asking, ‘Master (Teacher), carest not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this (Who can this be), that even the wind and the sea obey him? (Mark 4:38-41)
And the answer is the man who created the wind and the sea; the Prince of Peace. So, if He desires peace then there will be peace. That’s why in the song Dixon is so sure that anytime you want peace, even when you’re alone and lonely in the darkest midnight hour, all you have to do is talk to Jesus and He’ll give you peace; perfect peace. For whenever Jesus desires to let peace reign in our lives, peace will reign!
Yes, we know for a fact that the Lord will give us peace, when we come to Him sincerely and ask for it. Bruh Paul stated it very clearly in his letter to the Philippians: ‘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 Bruh Paul was able to make that confident claim based on these wonderful words of Jesus: ‘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) You’ll notice my brethren, that Jesus’ peace is nothing like what the world calls peace. As Bruh Paul says, it’s a peace that passes all human understanding. Yes, our finite minds are too puny to comprehend it, because it comes from the infinite mind of God that’s ever so much greater than ours.
And if that verse on peace by Jesus did not grab hold of you, (smile) then listen to this one, where He further assures us: ‘These things I have 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) Wow! Jesus did overcome the world by defeating, hell, death, the grave and the devil, through His sacrificial death and resurrection.
And Jesus is all about peace! That’s why the prophet Isaiah spoke of His is birth so long ago, saying: ‘For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, The mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.’ (Is. 9:6) And while here on earth, Jesus did live up to all His many names, and still does! So, it’s no wonder that Jesus just exudes peace, (smile) and whenever we desire peace, or anything else, we just have to look to Him, for He is our Be All and End All, our Everything! Much LOVE!
…thou wilt keep him in perfect peace…whose mind is stayed on thee…because he trusteth in thee… (Is. 26:3)
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