30 Jun 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a negative situation, a prudent man forseeth the evil, a prudent man sees danger, a word to the wise is sufficient, alleviate our problems, and are punished, as a snare shall it come, avarice, be ye also ready, cares of is life, carousing, crapaud smoke we pipe, divine aid, done like dinner, drunkenness, embrace it like a stalworth friend, entitlement, faith, fellowship, for in such an hour as ye think not, for ye know neither the day nor the hour, grab the baton and run, grab the bull by the horns, heaven and earth shall pass away, holy spirit, humble servants, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep your promise to prosper us, laze away the weekend, lest at any time, LOVE, mercy, my words shall not pass away, of fame, of ory, our Father who art in heaven, our pants down around our ankles, party away the weekend, physical rest, practical foresight, pray always, prepare for Monday, preparedness, salvation, self-control, self-discipline, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, spiritual preparedness, spiritual readiness, spiritual renewal, stand before the Son of man, strong faith in Christ, take heed to yourselves, takes refuge, the ball is now in our court, the day come upon you unawares, the God who heals, the imple keep going and suffer for it, the Lord's house must be magnificent, the merry-go-round, the power to solve our many problems, the simple pass on, the Son of man cometh, the throne of grace, them that dwell on the whole face of the earth, throughout all countries, traffic jams, truth, turn from our evil ways, vim and vitality, watch therefore, wherein the Son of man cometh, wisdom, wise guidance, without complaining, words of warning, work ethic, ye know not what hour your Lord doth come, ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things, your awesome grace and mercy, your hearts be weighed down with surfeiting
Matthew 25:13. ‘Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.’
One more time on the merry-go round called our work week my beauties! We cannot get away from Monday, no matter how hard we try, so it’s best we stop trying and rather embrace it like a good and stalworth friend. (smile) Otherwise it will just frustrate us for all of our working lives. And what a waste of a good life that would be! So all God’s people said a loud and frustrated ‘Amen!’ Yes, it’s best we just grab the bull by the horns and get on with it, or the bull will action us with his horns instead. And we all know that’s a very negative situation, which we want to avoid at all costs.
But all of what we just said there doesn’t come easily, no, it requires a few things of us. The first is a good work ethic, simply knowing that we must work to earn a living, so we just make up our minds to do it without complaining, because complaining will make no real difference, except to make us miserable. But then that calls for self-discipline and self-control, two things that are very difficult to come by in this age of avarice and entitlement.
We must learn to prepare for Monday, just like we do for the other days of the week, not just party or laze the weekend away. And in all of that there’s a call for some decent physical rest, as well as spiritual renewal, meaning church and fellowship time with other believers, for we cannot handle Monday properly unless we’re filled with new vim and vitality.
And right now, let’s be thankful that it’s summer time and many people are on vacation, so the traffic jams are not as deadly, neither do we have to be wading through the snow and sludge to get to work. That is also something we cannot avoid if we live in the northern climes, but we have a few months of reprieve still to go. But let’s also note that this is the 30th day of June, meaning that it’s now done like dinner, (smile) and the summer months will pass quicker than we realize, so please, let’s grab the baton and run with it like crazy! End of sermon!
And I guess all of that leads us to the topic of preparedness. And what do the scriptures have to say about that? They offer various teachings in both spiritual readiness and practical foresight. Let’s check out a few nuh. And this first one deals with practical foresight. It tells of when Bruh David wanted to build a temple for God, but God nixed the idea because of the great amount of blood he’d shed and said that his son Cousin Sol would build the temple.
However the Bible tells us that Bruh David began collecting supplies for the building of the temple. ‘And David said, 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) Yes friends, that’s how we ought to prepare for Mondays! (smile)
And here’s another interesting scripture highlighting practical foresight; this from Cousin Sol in Proverbs. He writes: ‘A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.’ (Prov. 22:3) In other words: ‘A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.’
Then there are scriptures on spiritual preparedness, like this poignant warning from Christ where He’s talking about no one knowing the day nor the hour when He returns, except the Father. ‘Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord will come. But know this, that if the goodman (master) of the house had known in what watch (hour) the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered (allowed) his house to be broken up (into). Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.’ (Matt. 24:42-44)
Yes my brethren, we need to always be prepared and watching for whenever Jesus returns, for if He catches us with our pants down around our knees, then crapaud smoke we pipe! And He considered our readiness so important that He repeated it later on in the parable of the Ten Virgins: ‘Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.’ (Matt. 25:13)Oh friends, there’s no more important preparedness for us believers than that!
And I like how Luke writes it. ‘Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged (be weighed down) with surfeiting (carousing), and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.’ (Luke 21:33-36)
Now those are powerful words of warning my people, so please let’s pay close heed to them. And to help us do that, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine aid for all that ails us. Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Now, please note what our prayer says we need to do to receive divine aid; turn from our evil ways, humble ourselves, pray and sincerely seek God face. The ball is now in our court! Much LOVE!
…a word to the wise is sufficient…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
29 Jun 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a pardon receives, a sacrificial lamb, all ye servants, Alleluia, Amen, appreciation for wonderful things, both great and small, broke God's heart, celebrates the greatness of God, christianity, Christians, come to the Father, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, do all to the glory of God, Dwight L Moody, eternal death, faith, fall at the feet of the cross, Fanny Crosby, fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, fellowship, forgiveness of sins, give him the glory, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him, God so loved the world, going up in the sky, great things he hath done, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, he gave us his son, holy spirit, in atonement for sin, in word or deed, Ira Sankey, Jesus Christ, let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord, let the earth hear his voice, let the people rejoice, let us be glad and rejoice, LOVE, magnanimous gesture, mercy, one fine day, opened the lifegate, perfect redemption, praise our God, Praise the Lord, Praise ye the Lord, salvation, shout Hallelujah, so loved he the world, sweet sacrifices of praise, that all may go in, that great cloud of witnesses, that moment from Jesus, the BIBLE, the eternal union of Christ and the church, the four and twenty elders, the Lord God omnipotent reigneth, the marriage of the Lamb is come, the promise of God, the purchase of blood, the Rapture, the vilest offender, the voice of many waters, the voice of mighty thunderings, through Jesus the son, to be sung rejoicefully, to every believer, To God be the glory, truth, visit the Lord's sanctuary, whatsoever ye do, whatsoever you do, whether therefore ye eat or drink, who truly believes, whoseover beleveth in him should not perish, wisdom, ye that fear him
1 Corinthians 10:31. Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
Sunday’s up friends, meaning it’s time to visit the Lord’s sanctuary to fellowship with others and give the Lord thanks and praise for all He’s done, while being refreshed in body and soul to keep on fighting the good fight of faith in Jesus’ mighty name! And we have a great song of worship to sing today, one aptly titled ‘To God Be the Glory.’ It’s a hymn authored by that wonderful hymnist, Fanny Crosby. Although she was blind that didn’t stop her from writing oodles of beautiful hymns.
For this one, Fanny wrote the lyrics and William Howard Doane the music. It was written somewhere in the early 1870’s, but was first published in 1875 in Lowry and Doane’s song collection titled, ‘Brightest and Best.’ However, by then it was already popular in Britain, having been introduced there by the great gospel singer and composer Ira .D. Sankey during the evangelistic campaigns of Dwight L. Moody in 1873-1874.
And believe me, the song deserves to be among the brightest and best! For, as the Godtube website tells us: ‘To God Be the Glory’ celebrates the greatness of God and calls upon an appreciation for the wondrous things ‘He hath done.’ It is a glorious hymn to be sung rejoicefully in the spirit of gratitude.’ And that’s exactly how I want us to sing it today, full of rejoicing and gratitude, for all the wonderful things our great God has done for us. So let’s offer up our sweet sacrifices of praise in a mid-tempo, very soulful and scintillating version, so that there’s no doubt that we’re truly grateful.
Singing: ‘To God be the glory, great things He hath done, so LOVED He the world that He gave us His Son, who yielded His life an atonement for sin, and opened the life-gate that all may go in. (Refrain: Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the earth hear His voice! Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the people rejoice! O come to the Father through Jesus the Son, and give Him the glory, great things He hath done.) O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood, to every believer the promise of God; the vilest offender who truly believes, that moment from Jesus a pardon receives.
(Refrain) Great things He hath taught us, great things He hath done, and great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son; but purer, and higher, and greater will be our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see. (Refrain: Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the earth hear His voice! Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the people rejoice! O come to the Father through Jesus the Son, and give Him the glory, great things He hath done.)’
Ah mih people, that was a wonderful version, and as always, all heaven was singing along because we were giving glory to God, which is also part of their heavenly purpose, as the Good Book tells us: ‘And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts (creatures) fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia. And a voice came out of the throne saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear (reverence) him, both small and great.
And I heard as it were a voice of a great multitude, and as the voice (sound) of many waters, and as the voice (sound) of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.’ (Rev. 19:4-7)
Yes friends, our God is all-powerful and rules of His universe. And we need to rejoice and be glad of it. As per the marriage of the Lamb, it’s referring to the eternal union of Christ and the church when He comes to Rapture it. So if praise is necessary in heaven, why wouldn’t be the same here on earth eh?
And that’s what this song is all about. Right off the bat it informs us of God’s greatest gift, that of His son, Jesus Christ as a sacrificial lamb to provide forgiveness of our sins. And nothing says it better than this magnificent scripture that Jesus spoke 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)
And the chorus, tells it like it ought to be: ‘Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the earth hear His voice! Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the people rejoice! O come to the Father through Jesus the Son, and give Him the glory, great things He hath done.’ What more can you ask for when worshipping Almighty God eh?
Just look at all the Psalms from Psalm 146-150, all begin with ‘Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah!)’ Psalm 147 says: ‘Praise ye the Lord: for it is good to sing praise unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely (beautiful).’ (Ps. 147:1) And so it is. Meanwhile Psalm 148 is a declaration that all God’s creation should praise Him. And Psalm 150 ends the Psalter with this marvellous command: ‘Let every thing that has breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah!) (Ps. 150:6)
So it’s not that we don’t know what to do, it’s just that we don’t do it. Although Bruh Paul keeps telling us in his epistles, that whatever we do, we must do it to the glory of God, highlighted by these two verses. ‘Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.’ (1 Cor. 10:31) Then this one from Colossians: ‘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)
And isn’t it wonderful how the song talks about the ‘perfect redemption, the purchase of blood, to every believer the promise of God; the vilest offender who truly believes, that moment from Jesus a pardon receives.’ Wow! Where else can you get a pardon for all your vile sins except when you fall at the feet of the cross at Calvary where Christ shed His sinless blood to pay for the? Nowhere else my faithful believers!
That’s why God the Father deserves so much thanks and praise through Christ, for offering Him as a sacrificial Lamb on our behalf. And no doubt that magnanimous gesture broke God’s heart into a million pieces, like it would break ours if we had to give up our son as a sacrifice, especially for people who didn’t deserve nor appreciate it. But He did it, because He LOVED us so much and could not stand to see us all, His best creation, going to hell and eternal death with Satan.
And Fanny didn’t fail to let us know of bigger and better things to come, when she wrote: ‘Great things He hath taught us, great things He hath done, and great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son; but purer, and higher, and greater will be our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see.’ Yes friends, great will be our rejoicing when Jesus comes to get us at the Rapture, as we saw in the earlier scripture from Revelation! So now it’s all up to us to live the way we need to, if we want to be in that great cloud of witnesses going up in the sky one fine day! Much LOVE!
…God created us…and LOVES us dearly…and all He asks is…that we return His LOVE…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
28 Jun 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: bask in His love, be found unto praise honour and glory at Christ's appearing, because thou hast seen me thou hast believed, being much more precious than gold, believers must be valiant, blessed are they that have not seen yet believed, christianity, Christians, close to God, deepen my breath, do we with patience wait for it, doing God's will, eagerly wait, faith, faith is the substance of things hoped for, for he that loves not his brother whom he has seen, for what a man sees why does he yet hope for ir, full of glory, gave his only begotten son as a sacrifice, he is a liar, he who loves God love his brother also, holy spirit, hope that is seen is not hope, how can he love God whom he hath not seen, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I want to be with you now, if a man say I love God and hates his brother, if we hope for what we see not, in our chaotic world, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, lightning, LOVE, love our neighbours as ourselves, making positive changes, mercy, Mother Earth, perseverance, placed our trust and lives in Jesus' faithful hands, put his hands in the nail prints of jesus' hands, quiet my soul, reach hither thy finger and behold my hnads, reach hither thy hand, relax my muscles, return his love through trust and surrender, salvation, saying we love god is easy but doing it is hard, slow my thoughts, thank you for this tenderness, that our sins could be forgiven, the BIBLE, the evidence of things not seen, the fain fell in torrents, the One who loves us more than we can imagine, the second great commandment, the sun valiantly overpowered the clouds, the trial of your faith, though it be tried with fire, though now you see him not yet believing, thrust it into my side, thunder, truth, we are saved by hope, we love him because he first loved us, we walk by faith not by sight, whom having not seen you love, wisdom, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable, you can't be contained, your love brh surrounds and fills me
John 20:29b. blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
So we move on to Saturday, our lazy-day Saturday, where we try to do as little as possible, after a hard and frustrating week’s work. (smile) And it’s a beautiful day, with more sunshine than cloud, plus a brisk, cool breeze, and temps supposedly on the rise. But Mother Earth is clean, after a thorough cleansing in the midnight hour, when the thunder roared, the lightning flashed and the rain fell in torrents.
And by the way, yesterday afternoon, the sun did valiantly overpower the clouds and come out shining in all its glory, so it’s not impossible for us to be valiant and get up and do God’s will. Just a reminder that we need to get up and get a move on, if we ever hope to make any productive and positive changes in our chaotic world. (smile) And we can begin right now by offering up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer.
As one strong and sincere 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!’
Ah friends, how good it is to be close to our God; our Creator and Controller, the One who LOVES us more than we can ever think or imagine, so much so that He gave His only begotten Son as a sacrifice so that our sins could be forgiven! Now, if that doesn’t show true and real LOVE, I don’ know what does! And it’s ever so wise for us to get close and stay close to Him, so that He can LOVE us the way He desires, to bask in it, while returning it through our surrender to and trust in Him and His awesome Son Jesus Christ!
That brings to mind the situation after Christ rose from the dead and appeared to the disciples. Thomas though was absent, and after hearing about it, claimed that He would not believe unless he put his hands in the nail prints of Jesus’ hands and the javelin wound in His side. And you must LOVE the wit of Jesus, for He specifically chose a time when Thomas was with the other disciples to appear again.
Jesus headed straight for him, and said, ‘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. And Thomas said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.’ (John 20:27-29)
Yes friends, Jesus is there talking about people like us, who did not see Him in the living flesh while He was here on earth, but nonetheless have believed His story, and fervently placed our trust and lives in His faithful and trustworthy hands. That’s why Bruh Paul could write thus to the Corinthians: ‘(For we walk by faith, not by sight:) (1 Cor. 5:7) And to the Romans: ‘For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience (perseverance) (eagerly) wait for it.’ (Rom. 8:24-25)
And that’s what our faith is all about; eagerly waiting with perseverance for Christ’s return! As the author of Hebrews writes: ‘Now faith is the substance (realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction) of things not seen.’ (Heb. 11:1) So faith and hope help us to understand as well as wait for those wonderful things that Jesus promised would eventually come to pass.
And I like how Peter puts it when talking about an Incorruptible Inheritance that’s laid up for us. He says: ‘That the trial (genuineness) of your faith. being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried (tested) with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing (revelation) of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye LOVE; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.’ (1 Pet. 1:7-8)
Wow! What a manifestation of our faith! Though we haven’t seen Jesus in the flesh, like so many others did, yet we LOVE Him like no other; more than any human being, and rejoice with unspeakable joy and give Him all the glory! Now, many other beings have the power to entice others into joyfully LOVING them and basking in their glory, but NONE of them have the power to keep the promises that Jesus made and instill the marvellous and miraculous faith that He’s been able to instill down through the ages in so many humans who have never seen Him in person, and is still instilling in numerous believers.
And I believe these are some excellent words for us to go out on this lazy-day Saturday, the last one of June 2025. They come from the first epistle of John, where he confidently declares: ‘We LOVE Him, because he first LOVED us. If a man say, I LOVE God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that LOVETH not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he LOVE God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who LOVETH God LOVE his brother also.’ (1 John 4:19-21)
Oh my people it could not be any clearer than that. We cannot say we truly LOVE God while hating our brother. Remember the second great commandment is to LOVE our neighbours as ourselves, (Matt. 22:39) and our neighbours are all those we come into contact with. So, I implore us this lazy-day Saturday, to spend some time considering our faith; if we truly believe in Jesus, although we’ve not seen Him, and if so, how are we relating to our brothers and neighbours in this crazy and ungodly world. That ought to give us much pause for thought! (smile) Much LOVE!
…saying we LOVE God is easy…but doing it in real life is definitely not easy…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
27 Jun 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a distorted view of God, a LOVING Father, a means of restoring faith in you, a new flock of believers, a place of judgement, all we do is evaluated, always falling short in some way, amidst all the anxiety and confusion, as the manner of some is, be responsible, become better witnesses for Christ, beware of false prophets, by the example that we set, christianity, Christians, church is not a place to be judgemental, consider one another, Consider This, deceit, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, discontent, dissatisfaction, divine aid, everyone there is a patient, exhorting one another, fair minded, faith, false teachers, fellowship, finding a happy balance, Friday chant, God is a loving father, God is a strict judge, God is the ultimate healer, God is the ultimate judge, God sent Hi Son to save the world not judge it, God's infallible word, harsh judgement, He is faithful that promised, hold fast that which is good, hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, holy spirit, In Touch Devotional, jesus came for those who are sick with si, Jesus Christ, judgemental attitudes, lies, live for Jesus, LOVE, mercy, mutually exclusive, needing treatment from a loving saviour, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves, omnipotent help, our sinful world, picture church as a hospital, prove all things, received the word, renewing our faith, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, searched thescriptures daily, see God as an indignant judge, see God in a new way, sermons about hellfire and brimstone, stand strong and steadfast in faith, stay safe, strengthening our confidence, test everything, the BIBLE, the cornerstone of our lives, the error of their ways, the essence of God is love, the Information Age, these ungodly times, think of church as a courtroom, to handle the unexpected storms properly, to provoke unto love and to good works, too comfortable with sin, top o the morn, trusting faith, truth, valiantly fighting for Jesus, wake up and smell the coffee, wandering ways, whether things were so, wicked schemes, wisdom, wise guidance, with all readiness of mind, you see the day approaching
1 Thessalonians 5:21. Prove all things (test everything); hold fast that which is good.
Top O the morn to you my faithful Scrip-Bit friends and families! It’s Friday, our favourite day of the week, because it ushers in the weekend! I hope you are enjoying our late spring, early summer weather. (smile) Yes, we have regressed quite a bit from the mid-thirties temps of earlier in the week to barely hitting the twenties, with a fairly strong wind and more clouds than sun. But the sun is valiantly trying to establish his supremacy, just like we Christians ought to be valiantly trying to establish ours over this currently evil and ungodly world that surrounds us.
But be all of that as it may, (smile) today I want to share an interesting discourse from the Consider This Section of the June In Touch Devotional. So please read with me. ‘We often think of church as a courtroom, a place of judgment. It can be seen as if everything we do (or don’t do) is being evaluated or that we’re forever falling short in some way. That mindset probably comes from passages in the Bible that describe God as the ultimate judge – and He certainly is. But if that’s the only way we think of Him, we end up with a distorted view of the Lord, His church, and ourselves.
Scripture tells us, ‘God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.’ (John 3:17) And Jesus Himself said He came for, ‘those who are sick’ because of sin (Mark 2:17). God is also the ultimate healer. So the next time you worship, try to picture church not as a court of law but as a hospital. And everyone there – including yourself – as patients who need treatment from a LOVING Saviour. You might find you heart is more at ease than before and see God and His people in a new way.’
O my, my, my! I said it was an interesting article. And there’s truth to it, for many of us still see God as more of an indignant judge, than as a of a LOVING Father. I guess that stems from all the fearful sermons we’ve heard about hellfire and damnation, and we do need to hear them every so often to wake us up from our lax and lazy wandering ways that the world tempts us with. But the essence of God is LOVE! And He will only judge us harshly if we are continuously rebellious and disobedient.
And when we go to church it’s not to be drowned in shame and disgrace, but to be healed and made whole. That’s what church is all about; bringing us into closer contact with our Lord and Saviour, while renewing our faith and strengthening our confidence to go out into the world and live for Him. And this scripture passage is possibly the best one to prove our point.
The author of Hebrews writes thus: ‘Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke (stir up) unto LOVE and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.’ (Heb. 10:23-25)
Yes friends, church is for encouraging, building up, stirring up and showing LOVE to each other, not a place to be judgemental. And until we adopt that LOVING, encouraging and togetherness attitude in church, we will never get the real benefit of assembling together in Christ’s name. The problem with modern Christianity is finding a happy balance between fiery judgemental sermons and attitudes, and those that tend to be too soft and wishy-washy, not calling out sin for what it is, but trying to turn it into something nice and comfortable.
But my faithful believers, sin is sin, no matter what you call it, and how you try to whitewash it. And that’s a major problem in today’s church; we’re just too comfortable with sin, or wrongdoings, or whatever you choose to call it. And that is what will get the Lord’s harsh judgement; not trying to do your best to live up to His standards and help spread His Word.
Oh my people, this Information Age is so filled with lies, deceits, wicked schemes, disinformation and all kinds of stuff that’s trying to turn us away from Almighty God, that’s why we have to be so careful whom we listen to and believe, as well as what we listen to and believe. And the only sure thing we have is God’s holy, infallible and indisputable Word! So please, let’s make that the cornerstone of our lives nuh.
By testing teachings against the scriptures, we can avoid being deceived and endangering our faith. It’s like Bruh Paul writes to the Thessalonians: ‘Prove all things (test everything); hold fast that which is good.’ (1 Thess. 5:21) And what the scriptures say of the Bereans after Bruh Paul preached the gospel to them. ‘These were more noble (fair minded) than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so,’ ( Acts 17:11)
Now that’s what many more of us ought to be doing to safeguard our hearts, souls, bodies and minds, with the many false prophets and teachers out there, who are not preaching the truth of God’s word. And to help us with that task, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Friday Chant, seeking divine strength and aid.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh 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. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the 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!’
But friends, the truth is, we cannot expect divine aid, when we’re not really setting good examples as faithful believers. That’s why so many people are walking away from God, and the world is in such an ungodly, chaotic mess. That means, if we truly want divine aid, we have to become better witnesses for Christ! It’s as simple as that! Much LOVE!
…God is a LOVING Father…as well as a strict Judge…the two are not mutually exclusive, or incompatible…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
26 Jun 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a positive outlook on life, being confident of this very thing, being justified by his blood, being made more like Jesus in conduct and character, bounden duty, broken right now, by grace are you saved through faith, Christ's death atones for our sins, Christ's righteousness is imputed to them through faith, created in christ Jesus unto good works, curse, divine protection, eternal life, faith, favour, follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, forgiveness of sins, God commendeth his love for us, God demonstrated his LOVE for us.', God hath before ordained, God made Him to be sin for us who knew no sin, god's declaration that a person is righteous, God's supernatural wisdom, good friends, good health, grow in spiritual maturity, he that believeth in me, he which hath begun a good work in you, holy spirit, I am the resurrection and the life, in the name of Jesus, it is the gift of God, Jesus Christ, Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, joy in God through Christ, justification, justified by his blood, keep God first place, lest any man should boast, LOVE, mercy, negative word, new life, not becuse of inherent righteousness, promotion, raised from glory to glory, receive clear direction for my life, received the atonement, reconciliation, reconnection to God, salvation, salvation is not of works, sanctified -set apart for God's work, saved from wrath through Christ, self-control, self-discipline, set apart for a sacred purpose, share our blessings generously, the numerous benefits of Christ's death and resurrection, the penultimate day of our work week, the recent heat wave, the righteousness of God in christ, the saving grace of God, though he were dead yet shall he live, truth, underserved divine favour, undeserved blessings, unless we have Christ we have nothing at all, we are his workmanship, we cannot earn salvation, we should walk in them, while we were yet sinners christ died for us, whosoever believeth in me shall never die, will perform it until the day of Jesus, wisdom
John 11:25. I am the resurrection, and the life he that believeth in me, though he were dead (may die), yet shall he live:
Ah friends, it’s Thursday, the penultimate day of our work week, and it looks like we’ve gotten through the recent heat wave without too much damage! Thank the Lord! And with a li’l rain falling in the early morning hours, and some falling outside right now, it’s helped to give us a cool, but somewhat cloudy day. And as we promised yesterday if God spared our lives, we would continue looking at some of the numerous benefits that His death and resurrection brought us.
Remember, yesterday we read this commentary that gave us a brief insight into some of those things: ‘‘Christ’s death and resurrection offer believers forgiveness of sins, new life, and the hope of eternal life, among other benefits. His sacrifice on the cross atones for our sins, while his resurrection conquers death, granting believers new life and the promise of eternal life.’ And we went through some of the relevant benefits and scriptures.
Today, as time and space permit, we’ll do a few more starting with one we touched on briefly yesterday. That’s reconciliation, or reconnection to God. That’s a major benefit, because our sins had separated us from our heavenly Father, and Christ’s dying and taking them, brought us back into communion with Him. And this passage of scripture touches on several of the things Christ’s sacrifice did for us. And one thing we should note is that it all happened because of God’s great LOVE for us.
Bruh Paul writes: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now (having been) justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his son, much more, being (having been) reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement (reconciliation).’ (Rom. 5:8-11)
Yes friends, in that passage we see God reaching out to us, although we were enemies, to provide reconciliation, salvation and justification through the death and the shed blood of His son. And what is salvation? Salvation is the saving grace of God, as Bruh Paul writes to the Ephesians. ‘For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship (creation), created in Christ Jesus unto (for) good works, which God hath before ordained (prepared) that we should walk in them.’ (Eph. 2:8-10)
And the gist of all that is simply that we are saved by the grace or undeserved divine favour of God, it is a gift of God, and we cannot earn it, no matter how hard we try. The fact is, we do good works because we’re expected to once we’re saved. We don’t do good works to be saved. And that’s something we all ought to understand, because many of us still believe doing good works will get us into heaven! Unfortunately it will not. Only faith, or belief in Christ Jesus will do so.
As Jesus said to Martha, the sister of Lazarus, before He raised him from the dead. ‘I am the resurrection, and the life he that believeth in me, though he were dead (may die), yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?’ (John 11:25-26) Now that’s a very crucial question! For belief and faith in Christ is the only way we will ever experience eternal life. His death paid the atoning price for our sins. ‘For he (God) hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Christ.’ (1 Cor. 5:21)
And ‘the righteousness of God’ is another benefit we received from Christ’s death and resurrection. Earlier on we talked about being ‘justified by his blood” that’s another benefit. So what’s justification, and what’s the righteousness of God? They are both intertwined, as this commentary explains: ‘Justification is God’s declaration that a person is righteous, not because they are inherently righteous, but because Christ’s righteousness is imputed to them through faith.’ Yes friends, all that we are, all that we have is because of Christ and applied to us because of Him. We have been made righteous, justified, reconciled and sanctified because of His work on the cross.
And sanctified simply means been set apart to do God’s work for a sacred purpose. It’s the process of being made more like Jesus Christ in character and conduct. And it’s a lifelong journey, not a one time event. It calls to mind this verse: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus.’ (Phil.1:6) Meaning that once God begins changing you into the image of Christ, He will not stop until Christ returns, or He takes you home.
Ah mih people I know it’s difficult to take in and understand all that Christ has done for us, but as the Lord changes us into His image, and we work with Him to do so, we will grow in spiritual maturity and understand more and more, as He raises us from glory to glory. So there’s no need to worry, once we keep God first place and follow the guidance of His Holy Spirit. And to show His goodness and mercy, God has bestowed on us what we call our Thursday Blessings. Undeserved blessings to do His earthly work. So, let’s declare and thus activate them right now!
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’s now our bounden duty to use those blessings to help others, just as generously as God shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…unless we have Christ…we have nothing at all…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
25 Jun 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: always abounding in the work of the Lord, as Christ was raised from the dead, at the name of Jesus, be ye steadfast unmovable, became obedient unto death, being in the form of God, bless the LOrd o my soul, buried with Christ by baptism into death, by the glory of the Father, Christ's resurrection conquers death, christianity, Christians, crowns you with loving-kindness, death is swallowed up in victory, e, emptied himself of his privileges, endure to thend, even the death of the cross, every knee should bow, every tongue confess, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, finite minds, for the wages of sin is death, forget not all his benefits, forgiveness of sins, found in appearance as a man, gave his only begotten Son, given him a name above every other name, God hath highly exalted him, God sent not his Son into the world to condemn it, God so loved the world, halfway home, hands on the plough, have everlasting life, heals all thy diseases, holy spirit, humbled himself, Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God, let this mind be in you, LOVE, made himself of no reputation, made in the likeness of men, mercy, new life, not turning back, nothing but toast, o death where is thy sting, o grave where is thy victory, reconciled with god, redeems thy life from destruction, salvation, satisfies thy mouth with good things, second wind day, so glad to be alive, thank God, Thank you Jesus, thanks be to God who gives us the victory, the BIBLE, the breath of life, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the gift of God is eternal life, the hope of eternal life, the proverbial hell on earth, the selfless sacrifice of christ, the sting of death is sin, the strength of sin is the law, the world through him might be saved, thought it not robbery, thy youth is renewed like the eagle's, to a glorious future with Jesus, to be equal with God, took upon him the form of a servant, true saints of God, truth, walk in newness of life, what a bam bam, who forgives all your iniquities, whosoever believeth in hims should not perish, wisdom, your labour is not in vain
Psalm 103:2. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
And then it was Wednesday, our second wind day of the work week! And I hope that we catch that second wind yes, because the last two days have been the proverbial hell on earth, with bright sunshine and temps in the mid-thirties ably accompanied by a hot wind. Thankfully though, today is not as hot, we’re in the mid-twenties, with cloudy skies overhead, a promise of rain, but also rising temps As the old people would say; ‘what a bam bam!’ Right now, we don’t know whether we’re coming or going, but with the marvellous help of Jesus, we can be assured that help is on the way! And all God’s people gave a loud and grateful shout of ‘Thank You Jesus!’
And we should be grateful for all the things He’s done for us, as Psalm 103 reminds us: ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVING-KINDNESS and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ (Ps. 103: 2-5)
Yes friends, those are some of the reasons why Christ gave up His heavenly position and came to earth like a man, then selflessly gave His life for us on the cross of Calvary, bearing our sins, so that we can be reconciled with God the Father, from whom our abominable sins had wrenched us apart.
Bruh Paul writes it thus to the Philippians: ‘Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men (emptied himself of his privileges): And being found in fashion (appearance) of a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of (those) things in heaven, and (those) things in earth, and (those) things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil. 2:5-11)
Oh my people, that just goes to show what a great job Jesus did! So great that the Father exalted Him to the name that’s above every other, and that every tongue should consider Him Lord. But let’s look a little deeper into what His selfless work did for us. And in a nutshell, this commentary tells us what we derived from Christ’s death and resurrection. ‘Christ’s death and resurrection offer believers forgiveness of sins, new life, and the hope of eternal life, among other benefits. His sacrifice on the cross atones for our sins, while his resurrection conquers death, granting believers new life and the promise of eternal life.’
And as per forgiveness of sins, the Bible states: ‘For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (Rom. 6:23) So through Christ’s death we achieved forgiveness of sin and basic reconciliation with the Father. Then as per a new life and the new identity we are given when we accept Him as Lord and Saviour (becoming a new creation in Christ; (2 Cor. 5:17) this new life frees us from the power of sin.
As Bruh Paul writes to the Romans: ‘Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like (just) as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we should walk in newness of life. For if we be planted together (united) in the likeness of his death, (certainly) we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:’ (Rom. 6:3-5)
Yes my brethren, if we die with Christ, then we will automatically be raised with Him. And that resurrection is oh so beautiful, because it enables us to have eternal life; to spend eternity with Jesus and the Father! Jesus said it quite plainly to Nicodemus, the Jewish leader who came to him under cover of 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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:16-17)
And as we mentioned before that Jesus resurrection gives us freedom from sin, these words of Bruh Paul to the Corinthians, shine bright light on that new situation. ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave (hades), where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (1 Cor. 15:54b- 57)
However, since time and space are running out on us, if God spares life tomorrow, then we’ll continue looking at some more of the great benefits Christ’s death and crucifixion accomplished on our behalf. But let’s leave with this exhortation from Bruh Paul. ‘Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain (futile) in the Lord.’ (1 Cor. 15:58) And that’s exactly how we ought to behave as true saints of God!
Now, it’s time to declare our Wednesday Wail, letting all the 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 let’s remember that for those who endure with Jesus right to the very end, there’s a promise of an even more glorious future than our finite minds can imagine. So wisdom behooves us to be there at the very end, so that we can enjoy that more than glorious future together! Much LOVE!
…without the selfless sacrifice of Jesus…mankind would have eventually been nothing but toast…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
24 Jun 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all things work together for good, another scorcher, as a father the son in whom he delighteth, be as a tree planted by the waters, be not weary of his correction, be not wise in thine own eyes, blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, bring forth thy righteousness as the light., called according to His purpose, casting all your care upon him, cease from anger, christianity, come to know and love him like we do, commit thy way unto the Lord, delight thyself also in the Lord, depart from evil, despise not the chastening of the Lord, direct thy paths, faith, fear the Lord, feed on God's faithfulness, forsake wrath, fret not thyself because of him who prospers, fret not thyself in any wise to do evil, give thee the desires of thine heart, god, God will cause us to succeed even in tough times, he cares for you, he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him, he that comes to God, health to thy body, heat warnings, her leaf shall be green, holy spirit, honour the Lord with thy substance, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, hurry, I will not fear what flesh can do to me, in all thy ways acknowledge him, In god I have put my trust, In God will I praise his word, in god's eyes, in the year of drought, it only causes harm, Jesus Christ, lean not unto thine own understanding, let not your heart be troubled, lock stock and barrel, LOVE, marrow to thy bones, mercy, mut believe that He is, neither shall cease from yielding fruit, rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him, run from your kin to your enemies, s promised never to leave nor forsake us, salvation, shall not be anxious, shall not see when heat comes, share His love with my neighbours, share the amazing love and friendship of Christ, so shalt thou dwell in the land, spreads out her roots by the river, the beloved of God, the BIBLE, the fear of man bringeth a snare, the man who brings wicked schemes to pass, thy barns be filled with plenty, thy judgement as the noonday, thy vats burst out with new wine, to them that love God, trust in the Lord, trust in the Lord and do good, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, trust my friend Jesús, truth, Tuesday Mantra, what time I am afraid I will trust in thee, whom the Lord loves he chastens, whoso puts their trust in the Lord shall be safe God, wisdom, with the firstfruits of all thine increase, without faith it is impossible to please God, worry, you believe in God believe also in me
Proverbs 29:25. The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe (secure, lit. set on high).
It’s Tuesday friends, and another scorcher, with heat warnings. But we’ve gotten through the last two fiery days with God’s help, so why won’t we get through this one too? No reason whatsoever! For He’s promised numerous times in His word to never leave nor forsake us, if we put our total and sincere trust in Him. And I guess today is a day for reminding ourselves of scriptures that advise us to trust in the Lord God of our forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But there are so many that I don’t know which ones to choose, so for ease of understanding, we’ll choose some of them with which we’re already acquainted. (smile)
And we’ll begin with this one that shows Bruh David’s awesome trust in God, when he ran from King Saul to his deadly enemies, the Philistines in Gath, and they took him in. He writes in Psalm 56 – Times of Distress: ‘What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God will I praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can to me.’ (Ps. 56:3-4) Now, if you can run to your enemies from your own kin, then that’s showing amazing trust in the God you worship.
And that’s what’s expected of us, when Isaiah awesomely declares: ‘Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed (sustained by) thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah (Yahweh) is everlasting strength (the rock of ages).’ (Is. 26:3-4) And if you don’t believe that, then read the rest of that passage, where Isaiah details God’s amazing strength. (Is. 26:5-11)
Now here is another dandy scripture, this time from the pen of the prophet Jeremiah. ‘Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see (fear) when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful (anxious) in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.’ (Jer. 17:7-8) Wow mih bredrin! That’s a scripture that’s just right for today, with all the heat and drought that’s currently assaulting us. Yes, with total trust in our great God, we have no reason to fear, because He will cause us to succeed even in tough times!
Meanwhile, Peter puts it this way: ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.’ (1 Pet. 5:6-7) And remember, you can only truly trust when you are submissive to whomever, or whatever you claim to trust in. That’s why the author of Hebrews tells us: ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him (God): for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb. 11:6)
Ah mih people, faith is born of trust, you cannot have faith in someone or something unless you have invested trust in the situation or the person. Then there are these verses from Psalm 37, aptly titled, Trust in the Lord, verses we continually quote but never quite live up to them. See if you remember them. (smile)
‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on God’s faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (for it only causes harm).’ (Ps. 37:3-8)
So what else can we say about having trust in the Lord eh? Plenty! Just listen to these marvellous verses from the pen of the wisest one, Cousin Sol, also ones we know, but don’t put into full use. In Proverbs, he exhorts and admonishes us thus! ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make straight or smooth) thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength, refreshment) to thy bones.
Honour the Lord with thy substance (possessions), and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses (vats) shall burst out with new wine. My son despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of (detest) his correction: For whom the Lord LOVETH he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.’ (Prov. 3:5-12)
And that’s wisdom to the nth degree! So why don’t we put those verses to better use eh? Who knows? But because we don’t, we cannot utilize the fullness of God’s promises and provisions. There’s also this one from Cousin Sol that might not be so familiar. ‘The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe (secure, lit. set on high).’ (Prov. 29:25) Another bit of wise advice.
Then there’s this famous verse from Bruh Paul to the Romans. ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28) Now that calls for great trust to believe that in spite of all our problems, everything will eventually work out for the best. But that’s what our faith is about; trust in Almighty God. It’s like Jesus said: ‘Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.’ (John 14:1) And that’s exactly what we need to do.
And for those of us who are sincerely trying to do that, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
Now, we are required 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!
…sincere trust can only come from…strong hope, belief and faith…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
23 Jun 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a false hope, a horse is a vain thing for safety, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a mighty man, a reverential awe of God, accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour, all you that labour, as hot as, as we hope in thee, be careful what you ask for, beholds all the sons of men, blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, call upon the Lord, cannot afford to waste, come unto me, deliver their soul from death, desirous of summer, divine aid, ease the pain, even one more day, faith, faithfully keep your promise, faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers, fashions their hearts individually, find rest unto your souls, for his own inheritance, forest fires, gentle and humble, give you rest, God will never let us down, goolish to turn down such an offer, he is our help and shield, health problems, heavenly help, heavy laden, high U.V. Index, holy spirit, hope and pray, humble ourselves, humble servants, I will love thee O Lord, if you can't stand the heat, in whom I will trust, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep them alive in famine, learn from me, let thy mercy be upon us, LOVE, meek and lowly in heart, mercy, my burden light, my deliverer, my god, my high tower, my shield, my strength, my yoke is easy, no king saved by, not delivered by much strength, our Father who art in heaven, our heart shall rejoice in him, our soul waits for the Lord, Praise for God's Goodness, praise Your Holy Name, pray, put your hope and trust in Almighty God, salvation, saved from my enemies, shall not deliver any by his great strength, show this evil world, sincere repentance in our hearts, sincerely seek God's face, sinned and disobeyed your Word, skin problems, stay out of the kitchen, take my yoke upon you, thank you for life, thank you for life and strong faith in Christ, the eye of the Lord, the fiery place down under with Sata, the God who heals, the great invitation, the horn of my salvation, the Lord is my rock and my fortress, the Lord looketh from heaven, the many suffering from negative situations, the mass confusion in our world, the multitude of an host, the note of sarcasm, the only one, the people He's chosen, the power to solve our many problems, the proverbial place down below, the throne of grace, the wisest decision, to alleviate our problems, to prosper us, trusted in his holy name, truth, turn from our evil ways, understands all their work, upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy, who is a rock except our God, who is God save the Lord, wisdom, wise guidance, worthy to be praised, you'll be disappointed
Psalm 33:20. Our soul waiteth for the Lord: he is our help and shield.
And we’ve been so desirous of summer, let’s hope that we like it now that it’s here. I hope you detect the note of sarcasm there, because yesterday Sunday, was as hot as that proverbial place down below, (smile) with temps in the thirties, and wind that was just as hot. It’s also predicted that today Monday, and tomorrow Tuesday will be just as hot, with possible health problems to children and old folks, as well as a high U.V Index that can cause skin problems to all.
So, if you can’t stand that earthly heat then I’d strongly advise you to make sure that you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, so you will be in paradise with Him, and not in that fiery place down under with Satan. As the saying goes, if you can’t stand the heat, then stay out of the kitchen. Some of us might also remember the august warnings from our parents; be careful what you ask for, because there’s a high possibility that when you get it, you’ll be very disappointed.
Therefore, let’s hope and pray that the summer won’t be as hot for too long, since it will probably set off more forest fires, and cause even more health problems. But yuh know what, let’s do what we’ve been taught by our faith to do, lay all those problems in the hands of Jesus. And what better words can we use for reassurance than these from Psalm 33 – Praise for God’s Goodness.
The Psalmist confidently declares: ‘Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. The Lord looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men. From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth. He fashioneth their hearts alike (individually); as he considereth (understands) all their works. There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. An horse is a vain thing (false hope) for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.’ (Ps. 33:12-17)
Now that tells us something about the Lord’s power, that He is overseeing all that happens in the universe He created, and is controlling it as He sees fit, with neither man nor beast able to overcome Him or His desires. Then the psalmist continues with even more assurance: ‘Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him (have a reverential awe of Him), upon them that hope in his mercy; To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waiteth for the Lord: he is our help and shield. For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.’ (Ps. 33:18-22)
Yes friends, the wisest decision we can ever make on this earth is to put our hope and trust in Almighty God, for as Bruh David so assuredly proclaims in Psalm 18 – A Call for God’s Deliverance: ‘I will LOVE thee, O Lord my strength. The Lord is my rock , and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler (shield), and the horn (strength) of my salvation, and my high tower (stronghold). I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.’ (Ps. 18:1-3)
And that’s how we ought to consider our God: strong, fortress-like, a shield to protect us, as well as to deliver us from our enemies, be they man, beast or nature. And when we think of Him thus, it allows us to put our total and sincere trust in Him, because we know that He will not let us down. No! NEVER!
And it’s all covered by the protective umbrella of Jesus’ Great Invitation, where He sincerely offers: ‘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)
Wow friends! What a magnificent invitation! And the truth of the matter is that ONLY Jesus was and is able to make such an invitation and have the awesome power to keep it. And we would not only be unwise, but rather foolish to turn down such an exceptional offer, especially in these uncertain, very difficult and fearful times. So without further ado, let’s show Christ that we’ve accepted His wonderful offer by going to the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine aid for our many earthly problems.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
But, having said all of that, we now have to begin doing the things that will cause divine aid to start flowing. That’s turn from our evil ways, humble ourselves, pray and sincerely seek God’s face. So please, let’s get right to it nuh, because we cannot afford to waste even one more day without heavenly help! Much LOVE!
…for who is God…save (except) the Lord…who is a rock save (except) our God… (Ps. 18:31)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
22 Jun 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a strong anointing, an indisputable fact, an invitation, an outward indication of an inner condition, blessed is he who hides in him, Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, come exalt His name forever, delivered me from every fear, every day and night, exhorting one another, experiencing God's presence, faith, fear the Lord all ye saints, feel the presence of the heavenly hosts, fellowship, gather in God's name, glorify the Lord with me, Goliath's sword, hallowed shew bread, He will deliver them, He'll give you everything, his praise shall be continually in my mouth, holy spirit, I sought the Lord and He answered me, I will bless the Lord at all times, Jesus Christ, let us bless the Lord, LOVE, magnify the Lord with me, may our incense rise, mercy, more than erratic church attendance, musical perfection in gospel music, my soul shall make her boast in the Lord, never ending praise, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves, O taste and see that the Lord is good, one who narrowly escaped death, opportunity for reciprocal encouragement, praise of one who was redeemed, salvation, saved me from mine enemies, Shane Barnard, spiritually inspired by God, sweet sacrifices of praise, the assembling of God's people, the church is an interacting body, the entire worship of Christ, the faithful heroes, the humble shall hear and be glad, the Lord heard me, the Lord's Day, the Son of God surrounds His saints, the testimony, they'll never be ashamed, this poor man cried, those who look on Him are radiant, to experience God's goodness firsthand, trials and tribulations, truth, wisdom, you see the day approaching
Psalm 34:1. I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
So once again it’s Sunday, the Lord’s day, when we’re supposed to gather in His sanctuary, or anywhere possible, and give Him thanks and praise for all that He’s done for His human creation. Yes, the scriptures proscribe it, as this verse from Hebrews reminds us. ‘Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.’ (Heb. 10:25) And yuh better believe that the day of the Lord’s glorious return is quickly approaching.
And the scholars explain that verse thus. ‘Not forsaking the assembling: This admonition involves far more than erratic attendance. It involves the entire worship of Christ and is an outward indication of an inner condition. The assembling of God’s people provides opportunity for reciprocal encouragement, strengthening, and the stirring up that can be gained from one another (cf. Col. 3:12-16) It consists of participation in worship and fellowship. The church is a body interacting (1 Cor. 12:14-27); it is not merely a dispensary for spiritual food and medicine.’
Now, all of that is the gospel truth my faithful brethren. Getting together to worship our great God is the epitome, the essence of our faith. And today we’ll open with a song that will lift us up, stir us up and define the interaction of Christ’s body. (smile) It’s that famous song based on some words of Bruh David from Psalm 34, titled ‘O Taste and See that the Lord is good.’
And what does that mean? One commentary explains it thus: ‘It is an invitation to experience God’s goodness and faithfulness firsthand. The verse suggests that simply believing in God’s goodness isn’t enough; one must actively “taste” it by experiencing His presence and blessings in their life.’ Now that’s one way to never go wrong! But while the song is attributed to one Shane Bernard, it is sensationally performed by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir and is my all-time favourite video worship song. I had not heard it for a while, then I listened to it this past week, and immediately knew we had to sing it today. (smile)
And if you think that I am biased about the song, then listen to these two commentaries on it. The first says: ‘This is how it would be like in heaven. Every voice, musicians, race, soul praising the name of God. Amen!!’ And the second is like unto it: ‘Every frame, every beat, every note, perfectly executed. THIS is musical perfection in gospel music.’ And believe me that’s the infallible truth! For the musicians get into the song and fire it right up, as they can do when they’re inspired. And if you’ve never seen the video, you ought to, because it will certainly stir you up. (smile)
But enough talk, let’s get to the song, and raise our voices in sweet sacrifices of praise in an up-tempo, soulful, scintillating, heart-rending rendition of the song. Singing: ‘I sought the Lord And He answered me And delivered me From every fear. Those who look on Him Are radiant They’ll never be ashamed They’ll never be ashamed. This poor man cried And the Lord heard me And saved me from My enemies. The Son of God Surrounds His saints He will deliver them He will deliver them.
Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever. Oh taste and see That the Lord is good Oh blessed is he Who hides in Him. Oh fear the Lord Oh all you saints He’ll give you everything He’ll give you everything. (Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever. Repeat) (Let us bless the Lord Every day and night Never ending praise May our incense rise. Repeat 4 times)
Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever. {Repeat} Oh taste and see That the Lord is good. He’ll give you everything He’ll give you everything. Oh taste and see That the Lord is good. He’ll give you everything…He’ll give you everything. …He’ll give you everything…’
Now there’s an indisputable fact friends! If we continually worship the Lord like Bruh David says in the Psalm, He will give us everything! And by the way, that was a marvellous version; all heaven was singing along with us. As this commentary says: ‘I just imagine being in heaven worshipping with this magnificent choir, just magnifying our great God! Hallelujah!!’
Then this other commentary tells it thus: ‘Every time I listen to this song, I imagine myself along with all the other saints in heaven worshipping. This song carries a strong anointing. You can feel the presence of the heavenly hosts. The worship that the people utter after the song is like Heaven, every, race, every tongue raising up their voices in one accord unto the King of Kings.’ And that’s exactly how it ought to be!
It’s also interesting how the writer of the song only took verses 3-10 from the psalm and created such a wonderful song. But that happens when you are spiritually inspired by the Lord of the universe. Now here’s how Bruh David began the psalm: ‘I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.’ (Ps. 34:1-2) Then he goes into the verses used in the song, about magnifying and exalting the Lord with him etc.
And the basis of the psalm comes from 1 Samuel 21, where Bruh David was running away from King Saul and lied to the priest Ahimelech about a secret mission for the king, and because the mission was so urgent, he never had time to procure food nor weapons. Ahimelech believed him, and gave him the ceremonial hallowed shew bread, which was all he had, as well as the sword that Bruh David had taken from Goliath after he killed him. And I like Bruh David’s response to Ahimelech’s comment about Goliath’s sword being the only weapon available. ‘And David said, There is none like that; give it me.’ (1 Sam .21:9b) He should know. (smile)
Then Bruh David ran to Gath, to the land of the Philistines, to Achish the king of Gath, for succour, feigning madness. Consequently, as the scholars explain, the psalm bears all the marks of the testimony of one who narrowly escaped death, just as the passage in Samuel describes. As such it contains the praise and testimony of the one who was redeemed (vs. 1-10) and the seasoned instruction that can stem from such deliverance (vs. 11-22).’
Ah mih people, trials and tribulations are a natural aspect of this evil and ungodly world, and there’s much we can learn from the way the faithful heroes who preceded us handled them, so please, let’s not just read and gloss them over, but study them and try to put them into practice in our lives. It will be ever so beneficial to us! Much LOVE!
…there’s nothing better believers can do…than magnify and exalt the Lord’s name together…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
21 Jun 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's wisdom, acknowledge God's sovereignty, after a hard week's work, all liars, be wise and choose life, between a rock and a hard place, blaspheme His holy name, blessing and cursing, both thou and thy seed may live, choose life, crying out for help, deepen my breath, disobedient, do our won thing, draws us closer to our heavenly Father, established it upon the floods, eternal death, eternal death with Satan, eternal life, eternal life with Christ, every step of the way, faith, find ourselves in trouble, fools despise wisdom and instruction, free will, good communion, he hath founded it upon the seas, holy spirit, I call heaven and earth, I have set before you life and death, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I want to be with you now, in the name of Jesus, increase my awareness of you, indwelling Holy Spirit, intimacy with god, intimacy with His human creation, Jesus Christ, Jesus is with us, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, LOVE, mercy, more in tune with Satan than with God, no more death, no more pain, no more sorrow, nomore cruing, pray without ceasing, quiet my soul, rebellious, relax my muscles, robots, salvation, selfish, sexually immoral, slow my thoughts, stay in the good graces of God, thank you for this tenderness, the abominable, the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, the fearful, the former things are passed away, the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, the world, the world and they that dwell therein, to make a living, to record this day against you, traffic jams, true wisdom is clinging sincerely to Jesus, truth, under the umbrella of His shed blood, warms the cockles of God's heart, whoremongers, wisdom, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
1 Thessalonians 5:17. Pray without ceasing.
And after Friday comes Saturday; our lazy-day Saturday, when we just laze around and try to catch ourselves after a hard week’s work, of battling the twice a day traffic jams and all the other stuff we have to contend with out there in this crazy world, as we try to make a living, all in the name of Jesus! And we only succeed because Jesus is with us every step of the way, through His indwelling Holy Spirit!
So, seeing that we don’t have to rush off anywhere today, let’s take a moment and offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, with 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!’
Now, that just quiets our souls and draws us a li’l closer to our heavenly Father, giving Him His greatest desire, more intimacy with His human creation. For, remember one of the main reasons He created us, is that we could have good communion together. The unfortunate part of that plan though, is that we’ve used the free will He gave us to become selfish, disobedient and rebellious, not desiring to have much communion with Him, preferring to do our own thing without any interference whatsoever from Him.
But that’s a fool’s wisdom, and it’s only when we find ourselves in trouble, between a rock and a hard place that we run to Him, crying out for help. And when He doesn’t answer our cries for help, we get all upset and blaspheme His holy name. What we need to remember is that He is the Sovereign ruler pf this universe; it’s Creator and Controller, and answers to NO ONE! Bruh David stated it in no uncertain terms: ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods (rivers).’ (Ps. 24:1-2)
Yes, He is the one that created everything and controls it all. And until we get that straight in our puny minds, we’re liable to go off on all sorts of foolish tangents in this crazy and chaotic world, that will only make our lives more difficult than necessary, and will eventually ruin us. That’s why it’s wise and necessary to stay in the good graces of Almighty God, keeping in constant touch with Him through prayer. As Bruh Paul wrote to the Thessalonians: ‘Pray without ceasing.’ (1 Thess. 5:17)
In other words, have a running communication with the Father. As you go about your day, talk to Him about everything. Oh friends, you don’t know how it warms the cockles of His heart when we bring Him into all of our affairs, be they simple or complicated. It certainly does, because He created us so that He could get involved in our everyday lives, and gave us free will so that we would not be merely robots, but have some choices in our lives, hoping that we would choose Him, and His way of life over everything else.
Sadly though, today we seem more in tune with the fallen angel, Satan, than we are with our Creator. But please remember that Satan is also a created being, and only exists by the grace of God, and when He believes the time is right, Satan will be destroyed, along with all those who have taken shelter under his evil wings. That means true wisdom is clinging sincerely to Jesus Christ, for those who are under the umbrella of His shed blood will enjoy eternal life with Him.
As Cousin Sol so wisely says in Proverbs: ‘The fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the (principal) beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.’ (Prov. 1:7) And he’s right on both points. The first step in gaining knowledge is by submitting to God and His revelation. And fools do indeed despise wisdom and knowledge because they think they know it all. But thankfully some of us do bow to the Lord’s sovereignty and accept His Word as wisdom and truth, the things which will give us a good life here on earth and an even better one in the life to come, where there will be no more tears, no more death, or pain or sorrow, or crying, for the former things are passed away. ( Rev. 21:4)
However, if we don’t acknowledge God’s sovereignty here’s what we have to look forward to. ‘But the fearful (cowardly), and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers (sexually immoral), and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.’ (Rev. 21:8) Now that’s the two ends we humans will eventually face; eternal life with Jesus, or eternal death with Satan; the choice is ours.
But like the Lord so strongly advised Moses to say to the children of Israel so long ago: ‘I call heaven and earth to record (witness) this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.’ (Deut. 30:19) Oh friends, it’s the same thing the Lord’s saying to us today; be wise, choose Me, choose life and not death, because in death, it’s all over, but in life, it goes on forever.
So please, I implore us, on this bright and sunshiny lazy-day Saturday in June 2025, let’s take a moment to review all we know and have heard, then be wise and choose life nuh! Much LOVE!
…when the battle rages…it’s wisest to choose the reigning king…over the foolish, untried usurper…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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