31 Jan 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sense of love, according to all that I command thee, and now abideth faith hope love, call them to mind, deepen my breath, embrace the Love Revolution, faith, fall the marvellous colours of God's artistry, for he that loves not his brother whom he has seen, for Jesus' sake, foundational truth, gather thee from all the nations, God gives grace and mercy to those who seek Him with sincere hearts, God's love showing through, God's soothing peace, hang all the law and the prophets, have compassion on you, he is a liar, he who loveth God love his brother also, holy spirit, how can he love God whom he hath not seen, 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, in all sincerity and truth, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ, know you all the more, last day of January, lazy-day Saturday, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, LOVE, love for God ultimately leads to love for others, love is God's greatest attribute, Love makes the world go round, love the Lord with all thy heart soul and mind, Love thy neighbour as thyself, loving God with one's entire being, mercy, nothing as beautiful as bright sunshine on clean snow, obey God's voice, on these two commandments, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, responsibility to god, responsibility to man, return unto the Lord thy God, salvation, selfless love, slow my thoghts, spring rebirth of trees in green, summer the total resurgence of life, thank you for this tenderness, the blessing, the curse., the first and great commandment, the foundation for all spiritual life and obedience, the gospel truth, the greatest of these is love, the Lord will turn thy captivity, the prescription for god's compassion, the second is like unto it, the true level of our love meter, total unselfish devotion to God, truth, we all have room for improvement, when ye shall search for me with all your heart, wisdom, wishy-washy lip service, with all thine heart, with all thy soul, ye shall seek me and find me, your love both surrounds and fills me
Jeremiah 29:13. And ye shall seek me, and find me when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
And it’s still pretty cold, around minus 11 Celsius on this lazy-day Saturday, the last day of January, so the snow on the banks of the roads and rooftops can’t melt, but it’s also another glorious sunshiny day. And you know there’s nothing as beautiful as bright sunshine on clean, unadulterated snow; it just gleams like a precious jewel! (smile)
No, I’m not crazy. If you really enjoy God’s creations, you will notice that in every season, He’s made something beautiful and amazing in it. In the spring it’s the beautiful rebirth of the trees in green, in the summer it’s the total resurgence of life in nature, strong and sturdy, while fall shows off the marvellous colours of God’s artistry, and in winter it’s the beauty of the sunshine reflecting off the white snow. That’s God’s LOVE showing through. Although seasons change, and life becomes more difficult, He still graces us with wonders in each one.
But enough talk of the weather and the seasons, let’s 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!’
And, as always, if our prayer was heartfelt, the Lord will soon respond with His soothing peace and calm overwhelming our spirits, for He’s ever glad to give His grace and mercy to those who seek Him with sincere hearts. And He’s said that so often in the Bible that I can’t understand why more of us don’t do it. As this foundational truth from Jeremiah reminds us, where the Lord clearly states: ‘And ye shall seek me, and find me when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:13) That statement is as clear as day. If you want to find God then you have to seek Him with all of your heart. Not with wishy-washy lip service.
Now, that wasn’t something new to the Israelites, for Moses had long ago warned them: ‘And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind (remember them) among all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath driven thee, And shalt return unto the Lord thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; That then the Lord will turn thy captivity (bring you back from captivity), and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the Lord hath scattered thee.’ (Deut. 30:1-3)
There you have it friends; the prescription for God’s compassion! Obey the Lord and LOVE Him with all thy heart and soul! And it’s exactly what Jesus says when the arrogant, smart-aleck Jewish lawyer tries to tempt Him into an argument by asking about the great commandment. ‘Jesus said unto him, 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. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ (Matt. 22:37-40)
And as the scholars explain, Jesus outsmarted the lawyer by simply summarizing ‘the two tables of the law: (1) responsibility to God; and (2) responsibility to man, by paraphrasing Deuteronomy 6:5, and Leviticus 19:18, LOVE the Lord thy God and LOVE thy neighbour as thyself.’ And I like the overview from this commentary. ‘This commandment serves as the foundation for all spiritual life and obedience, requiring total, unselfish devotion to God.’
That’s for certain sure! It necessitates LOVING God with one’s entire being—heart, soul, mind, and strength. It then explicably leads to the second commandment, to LOVE your neighbour as yourself, as true LOVE for God ultimately leads to LOVE for others. For you can’t LOVE God and hate His human creation. As John so rightly tells us in his first epistle. 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 4:20-21)
And when we truly focus on LOVING God, then we are better able to LOVE our neighbours with divine, selfless LOVE. And it’s as Jesus says, all the laws and the teachings of the prophets depend on those two commandments; LOVING God with everything you have and then LOVING your neighbour the way you LOVE yourself. Yes my faithful brethren, it’s all about LOVE, God’s greatest attribute. Remember how Bruh Paul puts it in that famous verse in his first letter to the Corinthians? ‘And now abideth faith, hope, charity (LOVE), these three: but the greatest of these is charity (LOVE).’ (1 Cor, 13:13)
And that’s the gospel truth! LOVE is indeed the greatest! And we all notice the great difference in our hearts and spirits when we’re filled with LOVE instead of hate. For as we say, though sometimes in jest, it’s very real: ‘LOVE makes the world go round!’ Now, on this cold lazy-day Saturday, it’s a good time to take a look at ourselves and see how we’re truly doing in the LOVE Department, ascertain the true the level of our LOVE meter.
Now, although some of us might be doing okay, we all have room for improvement, and I don’t need to tell us that our world is currently suffering from a serious lack of LOVE, and it’s our job as disciples and followers of Jesus Christ to embrace the LOVE Revolution and move it forward, so that when Jesus returns, He will find much hope, faith and LOVE here on earth! So, let’s put our hands, heads and hearts together and do it nuh…for Jesus! Much LOVE!
…all we do…should be done out of a sense of LOVE…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
30 Jan 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a means of restoring faith in you, anxiety, arise and go down to the potter's house, as the clay is in the potter's hand, be proactive, being confident of this very thing, blasphemous, cannot I do with you as this potter, cause thee to hear my words, changing our spiritual shape, children of Almighty God, Christian witness, confusion, confusion of these ungodly times, crying out for God's help, discontent, dissatisfaction, divine aid, do a better job for Jesus, faith, Friday chant, God is moulding us into the image of Christ, God is our Creator, God's divine sovereignty, God's greatest desire, God's power to reshape and redeem, growing closer to christ, hath not the potter power over clay, he made it again into another vessel, he which hath begun a good work in you, holy spirit, improve our discipleship, insulting, introduce a new flock of believers, Jesus Christ, like the potter moulds the clay, LOVE, make hay while the sun shines, mercy, O house of Israel, O Lord thou art our father, pleading for mercy, problems are escalating, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, saw the light, shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, show them the error of their ways, simmering unrest, so are ye in mine hand, surrendered to God, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the annals of history, the created to question the right of the creator, the example we faithful believers set, the gospel truth, the need for human submission, the unexpected storms, the vessel that he made was marred, the weekend is here at last, thou repliest against God, to make one vessel into honour and another unto dishonour, truth, wake up and smell the coffee, we all are the work of thy hand, we are the clay and thou our potter, who art thou, why hast thou made me thus, will perform it until the day of Jesus, wisdom, wise guidance
Jeremiah 18:6b. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.
Oh boy, it’s another bright and sunshiny day, this last Friday in January, as we offer up our Friday Mantra; ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and the weekend is here at long last! And it’s certainly been a trying week for many of us who had to go out to work amidst all the madness invoked by last Sunday’s snowstorm. But we’ve survived, like the hardy lot that we are. (smile) It takes much more than a few inches of snow to keep us bowed down, especially when we are children of the most omnipotent God Jehovah!
And can you imagine that in another couple of days we’ll be talking about February, while the month of January 2026, is confined to the annals of History. So let’s remind ourselves again, that the days, months, and years are not waiting for us, they are moving along very quickly, so we have to be proactive and make hay while the sun shines, otherwise we’ll just get left behind. Therefore let’s up the ante, and do a better for job Jesus in the coming month of February. Remember our New Year’s resolution was to simply be a better Christian, a better disciple, daily growing closer to and more like Christ.
As Bruh Paul reminds us in his letter to the Philippians. ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil. 1:6) Yes friends, each day that the Lord allows us to draw breath on this confused and crazy earth, He is working on us to mould us into the image of His Son Jesus Christ, for His earnest desire is that ALL His children be the living image of His first born. That means some of the pressures we might feel are simply the Lord changing our spiritual shape like a potter moulds the clay he works with. And in several passages of the scriptures God is indeed referred to as a potter.
But before we get into some of those scriptures, listen to how this commentary explains that situation. ‘The metaphor of God as a potter and humans or nations as clay is a prominent biblical illustration used to convey divine sovereignty, the need for human submission, and God’s power to reshape and redeem.’ And as the scripture from Philippians above indicates, God is constantly on His potter’s wheel reshaping and reforming His rebellious children. Now let’s check out some of those scriptures that refer to us as clay and the Lord as the potter, the most obvious one being that from Jeremiah 18, where the Lord explains the analogy to Jeremiah, inviting him to go down to the potter’s house and see how he works.
The Bible tells it thus: ‘The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying, Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels (the Potter’s wheel). And the vessel that he made (was making) of clay was marred (ruined) in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.’ (Jer. 18:1-6)
And that’s the gospel truth my fellow believers! We are like clay in God’s hands. So, as the ruined clay is reformed or transformed into something else by the potter, so can the Lord form or transform us into anything He chooses. For remember, He is our Creator, who first formed man from the dust of the ground, and then woman from the rib of man, so He has the power to do anything with us. He’s just being nice and generous by telling us what He has in mind, whether we be good or evil. (smile) So as He tells Jeremiah, He can do what He wants with a nation, or consequently an individual.
Then there’s this scripture from Isaiah, where he says: ‘But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. Be not wroth very sore (don’t be very furious), O Lord, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people.’ (Is. 18:8-9) Yes friends, Isaiah saw the light and surrendered to God, pleading for mercy, on the basis that they were all His people. He acknowledged that God was both the Creator and heavenly Father.
Finally, we have these verses from Bruh Paul’s letter to the Romans, where he talks about God showing His mercy as He wills. ‘Nay but, O man, who art thou that thou repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?’ (Rom. 9:20-21) And so He has. It’s insulting and blasphemous for the created to question the right of the Creator to make whatever He desires, with whatever He has. Therefore God does have the authority and right to assign purposes for each one of us.
And to summarize it all, the commentary closes thus: ‘The metaphor conveys God’s total sovereignty and authority over our lives. It also implies the clay’s responsibility to remain submissive. The analogy shows God’s power to rework even a “marred” vessel for a new purpose. God shapes us, often through trials.’ And that’s a fact! Many of the trials we go through in this life are basically God shaping us into the image He desires. Now let’s go to the throne of grace through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid to help us withstand those trials and temptations that befall us.
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!’
Now, we’re asking for plenty from the Lord, but don’t seem willing to give what He asks for; that’s better Christian witness. However, until we improve our discipleship, divine aid will not be forthcoming. It’s as simple as that! And we cannot complain, because we already have all the tools to do it! Much LOVE!
…God’s greatest desire…to make us all into the image of His Son Jesus Christ…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
29 Jan 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a father of the fatherless, a good family, a judge of the widows, a positive outlook on life., a strong will, abundance, all ye that are upright in heart, an object of scorn, as smoke is driven away, as wax melts before the fire, be glad in the Lord, Bible, by his name JAH, children of God, clear direction for my life, come to know and love christ like we do, curse, David danced before the Lord, divine protection, drive them away, duty bound, everything will turn out right in the end, extol him that rideth upon the heavens, faith, favour, find great joy in God, generously bestowed, give thanks, God brings out those bound in chains into propserity, God in his holy habitation, God is a defender of widows, God sets the lonely in families, God's supernatural wisdom, great adoration, he that trusteth in the Lord, heartfelt gladness, holy spirit, in every thing give thanks, Jesus Christ, let God arise, let his enemies be scattered, let the righteous be glad, let the wicked perish as the presence of God, let them exceedingly rejoice, let them rejoice before God, let them that hate him flee before him, LOVE, many sorrows shall be to the wicked, mercy, mercy shall compass him about, negative word, pray without ceasing, promotion, prya, put in a nutshell, rejoice, rejoice before God, rejoice evermore, rejoice ye righteous, self-disicpline, share our undeserved blessings, shout for joy, sing praises to his name, sing unto God, talent, the ark of the Lord, the destruction of God's enemies, the penultimate day of our work week, the presence of God, The Triumphant God, these cold and uninspiring day, this is the will of God in Christ concerning you, true believers in Christ, truth, undeserved favour, weep and moan regulalrly, wisdom
Psalm 68:3. But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.
Then it was Thursday, the penultimate day of our work week. And there’s some joy showing through as the week slowly peters out. (smile) And it’s amusing that since the snowstorm on Sunday, everyday has been mostly bright sunshine and not the dreary cloudiness we had hitherto been saddled with. I don’t know if regular sunshine in the winter months is worth the price of such a massive snowfall, but we’re surely glad to see the sun to brighten our spirits, especially in these cold and uninspiring days. (smile)
But on a more serious note, today, I want us to look at a few verses from Psalm 68, titled, ‘The Triumphant God.’ The scholars say that although there is no superscription explaining when this psalm was written, there is general agreement that it was written when the ark of the Lord was moved from the house of Obed-edom to the new location in the tabernacle specially built for it in Jerusalem, and Bruh David danced before the Lord. (smile) (2 Sam. 6:1-18 )
However, what I want us to consider in the first few verses is the magnificent manner in which Bruh David desires the destruction of God’s enemies, talks of His might and power, praises His Holy name, while encouraging us to also sing His praises with joy and great adoration. So please read with me. ‘Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice. Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol (praise) him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH (Lord), and rejoice before him. A father of the fatherless, and a judge (defender) of the widows, is God in his holy habitation. God setteth the solitary (lonely) in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains (into prosperity): but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.’ (Ps. 68: 1-6)
There again, like yesterday, we see friends God’s great interest in the widows, orphans and the downtrodden. But today I want us to focus on the third and fourth verses, that encourage us as the righteous of God to be glad before him, to rejoice exceedingly, to sing praises to his name, to extol Him. And that word ‘extol’ does not simply mean to praise but to laud, to magnify, to exalt, to glorify, to acclaim and greatly celebrate! Yes friends we ought to find such great joy in our wonderful God that we just let it all hang out with praises and worship, fellowship and heartfelt gladness.
It’s like when Bruh David brought the ark home to Jerusalem he felt such a joy and blessing that the Good Book tells us, he danced before the Lord. But to his wife Michal, it was a vile and disgusting behaviour, not fit for a king. However, Bruh David was of a different opinion, and because of her snotty snobbishness, he banned her from his presence, and she was thus childless all of her days. (2 Sam. 6:20-23) That obviously made her an object of scorn and inuendo, for remember the great importance placed on wives bearing their husbands children in those days.
Anyway, getting back to the praise and worship due our magnificent and generous God, listen to these words of Bruh David from Psalm 32, titled ‘Confession and Forgiveness.’ He ends it with these very purposeful verses. ‘Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about (surround him). Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.’ (Ps. 32:10-11) And I believe that’s something not enough of us do on a regular basis. But we do weep and moan very regularly. (smile)
Now, if our God is so good, why do we weep and moan more often than we rejoice and be glad eh? If we know and believe God’s promise that everything will turn out all right in the end (Rom. 8:28) then why are so many of us still so fearful? It means that we don’t truly believe. And what did Bruh Paul encourage the Thessalonians to do? ‘Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (2 Thess. 5:16-18)
That puts it all in a very nice nutshell my people. (smile) Our basic duties are to pray, rejoice and give thanks! And even though it’s difficult to do in these crucial times, we desperately need to increase all three activities if we are to remain true believers in Christ Jesus and children of God. Now let’s do some giving of thanks by declaring our Thursday Blessings; underserved favour most generously bestowed on us by our marvellous God 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 (yesss!!!) we’re now duty bound to go out and use those undeserved blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…God made mankind to LOVE…pray to…sing His praises and worship Him…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
28 Jan 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: another unexpected difficulty, be toast right now, believers in Christ Jesus, care for the orphans and widows, cherish those who follow you, children of God, don't afflict any widow or fatherless child, endure to the end with Jesus, executes just for the oppressed, faith, give food to the hungry, gives food to the hungry, giving him food and clothing, God is mighty and awesome, God shows no partaility, God takes no bribe, God takes umbrage when we mistreat our fellow man, grin and bear it, halfway home, hands on the plough, happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, he doth execute the judgement of the fatherless, healing, help me remember, help the poor and suffering, holy spirit, I rest in your care, if it's not one thing it's another, in this world of plenty, In Touch Devotional Magazine, is still flowing through me, Jesus Christ, keepeth truth for ever, kill yoi with the sword, knee pains, let hope rise in me, lift up the brokenhearted, Lord of Lords, LOVE, love ye therefore the stranger, mercy, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my wrath shall wax hot, neither vex a stranger nor oppress him, non-understandable pain, not looking back at the past, not turning back, one limb compensates for another, open the eyes of the blind, our actions are not similar to God's, our wonderful position in Christ Jesus, plagued with all kinds of illness, protect strangers, raises them that are bowed down, relieves the fatherless and widow, remind me of all the ways you are working, restoring, salvation, second wind day, set prisoners free, suffering overwhelms me inside and out, surely hear their cry, te Lord loveth the stranger, tending, thank God, the breath of life, the Lord be praised, the Lord executes justice on behalf of widows and orphans, the Lord gives freedom to prisoners, the Lord looseth the prisoners, the Lord loves the righteous, the Lord opens the eyes of the blind, the Lord turns the way of the wicked upside down, the Lord watches over the strangers, the Lord your God is God of gods, the way of the wicked he maketh crooked, this too shall pass, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, unravel plans meant for evil, vow to improve our efforts, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, what seems hopeless isn't hopeless to you, when despair whispers nothing changes, wherever there's suffering you're there, who you are in my life, who you are in the world, whose hope is in the Lord his God, wisdom, ye were strangers in the land of Egypt, your children fatherless, your wives shall be widows
Deuteronomy 10:18. He (the Lord) doth execute the judgement (justice) of the fatherless and widow, and LOVETH the stranger, in giving him food and raiment (clothing).
And Tuesday has morphed into a sunshiny Wednesday, our second wind day! And many of us do need to catch that second wind after the harrowing last few days with the winter snowstorm and the resultant digging out and cleaning up. But let’s remember that we’re are children of God, believers in Christ Jesus and thus can do anything He desires us to do, because He enables, He strengthens us to do His will. And all God’s children said a loud and grateful ‘Amen!’
Now, let’s to look at this month’s prayer from the In Touch Devotional, which is certainly an interesting and most appropriate one. So, please pray with me: ‘Lord, when suffering overwhelms me inside and out, help me remember what seems hopeless isn’t hopeless to You. You give food to the hungry and set prisoners free. You open the eyes of the blind and lift up the brokenhearted. You cherish those who follow You and care for the orphans and widows,
You protect strangers and unravel plans meant for evil. You do. You do. You do. In every place where there’s suffering, You’re there – tending, healing, restoring. That is who You are in the world. That is who You are in my life. When despair whispers, “Nothing changes,” remind me of all the ways You’re working. Let hope rise in me as I rest in your care. In Jesus’ name, amen.’
Oh my people, that prayer surely resonated with me, because in the last couple of months I’ve just been plagued with all kinds of illness, one directly after the other and if my faith wasn’t fairly strong, I’d be toast right now. And I have to laugh here, because right now I’m going through another unexpected difficulty; my right knee began seriously acting up a couple of days ago, although I was at home during the snow storm and did not do anything too strenuous to disturb it. And although I have intermittent knee pains, this was the worst I’ve ever felt, like my whole knee was going to disintegrate on me.
So, here I’ve been for the last two days hobbling around the house, in excruciating, non-understandable pain (smile) trying to get down to the basement to write the Bit, then get back upstairs. And I must admit that today the pain in the right knee has calmed somewhat, but because of my having to use the left one to compensate for the right, the left one is now beginning to act up. Ah Lord eh! As the old people would say, if it’s not one thing, then it’s another. And I know that this too shall pass, but the problem is when?
But the truth of the matter is that our wonderful God is always with us, healing, cleansing and comforting us. So although I’m in pain that I don’t like, I know that the Lord is working, and in His own time, He will bring the matter to a successful end. And I just have to grin and bear it, and say the Lord be praised! (smile) But on a more serious note the Lord has always been partial to the sick and suffering, the poor and brokenhearted, widows, orphans and strangers. And it’s no coincidence that right from the beginning the Lord warned the Israelites about looking after those kinds of people.
Listen to His directives through Moses in Exodus, as they begin their journey through the wilderness to the Promised Land. ‘Thou shalt neither vex a stranger (sojourner), nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child. If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry; And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.’ (Ex. 22:21-24) Oh friends, it could not be put any clearer than that.
Then in Deuteronomy, Moses reminds the younger generation of God’s directives. ‘For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward (the great God, mighty and awesome who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe). He doth execute the judgement (justice) of the fatherless and widow, and LOVETH the stranger, in giving him food and raiment (clothing). LOVE ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.’ (Deut. 10:17-19) And I like how the Lord keeps reminding them that at one time they were strangers in Egypt and were treated handsomely by the Egyptians.
Meanwhile in Psalm 67, which advises us to ‘Trust in the Lord,’ the psalmist writes: ‘Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God: Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever: Which executeth judgement (justice) for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The Lord looseth (gives freedom to) the prisoners:
The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind: the Lord raiseth them that are bowed down: the Lord LOVETH the righteous: The Lord preserveth (watches over) the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down (makes crooked). The Lord shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the Lord.’ (Ps. 146:5-10)
Yes my fellow believers, that’s the nature of our great and wonderful God, and there are several other scriptures that describe Him in that manner, but the important point here is if we consider ourselves children of God, then our actions should be similar. Unfortunately though, our actions don’t seem to be similar, otherwise in this world of plenty, so many would not be suffering. So let’s take those words we’ve read today very seriously nuh, write them deep and indelibly in our hearts, and vow to improve our efforts to help the poor and suffering.
Now, 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 if we truly LOVE Jesus, then we will endure with Him to the very end, so that together we can enjoy the promise of an even more glorious future than we can either ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…God LOVES us all…but He takes umbrage when we abuse or mistreat our fellow man…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
27 Jan 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a balance of instruction and discipline, abuse of authority, admonition, balance love and discipline, barrage of snow, bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, children are being raised in negative environments, children are growing up without proper nurturing, children ought to develop a taste for the things of God, come to know and love christ like we do, cruelty, education in the home, even when he's old, faith, fathers provoke not your children to wrath, favouritism, forms the man throughout his lifetime, gangs, gospel truth, hard to fall off the wagon, he will not depart from it, holy spirit, honour means to have an inward respect for, honour thy father and mother, hurry, in god's eyes, it may be well with thee, lack of proper parenting, let the world know to whom we belong, life is slowly returning to normal, live long on the earth, lock stock and barrel, loss of temper, LOVE, mercy, negative environments, neither overly permissive or overly authoritative, no concrete foundation in morality and truth, not to provoke his child to rebellion, obey your parents in the Lord, once we truly know Christ, parents are not adhering to scripture, parents do not rear children alone, parents too busy to raise children properly, points out responsibilities and duties, provoke children to wrath by injustice, raising a child is the responsibility of the home, ridicule, salvation, sarcasm, share His love with my neighbours, spiritual education, the beloved of God, the breakdown of the basic family unit, the first commandment of promise, the Lord is the chief teacher in child education, the Ten Commandments, the total process of molding a child's life, train up a child in the way he should go, troubled times, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, undue severity, wisdom, without a godly perspective on life, worry, young adults running loose
Proverbs 22:6. ‘Train up a child in the way he should go: and (even) when he is old, he will not depart from it.’
Then it was Tuesday, with bright sunshine lighting up the area. And life is slowly returning to normal after that awesome barrage of snow we received two days ago. Most of it has now been cleared away, but there’s one li’l anecdote I have to share. They reduced the big pile of snow at the entrance to my lane, but in doing so they blocked the walkway, so anyone walking there will have to trudge through a pile of snow to get to the other side. But other than that, there’s nothing to complain about. (smile)
And today we’ll check out an important scripture from the pen of Cousin Sol in Proverbs which seems to be totally forgotten in these days of anything goes. It’s a scripture that most of us know very well, which says: ‘Train up a child in the way he should go: and (even) when he is old, he will not depart from it.’ (Prov. 22:6) The problem though is that in these troubled times not many parents are adhering to wise scripture, and that’s why children and young adults are running loose, and have no concrete foundation in morality and truth.
And what does that scripture mean? The first thing we must admit and learn is that raising up a child is basically the province of the home; the duty of the parents. That’s where all training ought to start, and hopefully continue in the church and school. But today parents are supposedly too busy with their own lives to raise their children in a proper and godly manner, and the church has apparently relinquished any part in raising up children nowadays, and schools are teaching…heaven knows what!
Consequently, without a good home based or church training children are being reared in all sorts of negative environments. We depend on day-care centres, institutions of learning and the gangs that many young people graduate to, to raise our children. Yes friends, if we don’t pay serious attention to the rearing of our children at home, then people outside with all sorts of ungodly and evil ideas will raise them. That’s why the proverb says if we raise them right from the very beginning, even though they may stray at times, they will have the benefit of some godly wisdom and common sense that will eventually lead and keep them on the straight and narrow path.
But if they have no sense or knowledge of God, they are good fodder for any kind of immoral and ungodly ideas. And the scholars say, ‘Train up a child refers to the total process of molding a child’s life. The word train (chanak) comes from the root word meaning to “put into the mouth” and implies the idea of conditioning the palate. Thus, parental training should help children develop a taste for the things of God.’ And isn’t that the gospel truth!
Then the scholars continue: ‘The biblical pattern of effective parental training emphasizes a balance of instruction and discipline (cf. Eph. 6:1-4). The ideal parent is to be neither overly authoritative nor overly permissive. Rather, he must balance LOVE and discipline so as not to “provoke” his child to rebellion. When he is old means simply, “when he is grown up,” or a mature adult. It does not refer to his elderly years. The verse stresses the simple principle that education in the home forms the man throughout his lifetime.’
Ah mih people, those are indeed true words. However, because of the breakdown of the basic family all that stuff has gone out the window and now there are parents rearing children who had no proper training in their formative years either, thus the lack of proper parenting continues and the children are growing up like seeds thrown haphazardly, or randomly into the earth, with no tender nurturing, and therefore are growing up however they can, most without a godly perspective on life.
Now, let’s turn to the reference the scholars gave us above; Bruh Paul’s famous words of instruction to children and to fathers. ‘Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment of promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.’ (Eph. 6:1-3) And what Bruh Paul is referring to there is the commandant of the same nature found in Exodus 20:12, where children are advised to honour their parents if they desire to see long life.
Then Bruh Paul continues: ‘And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture (training) and admonition of the Lord.’ (Eph. 6:4) So there’s a responsibility on both sides; parents must raise their children with a good balance of discipline and LOVE, and the children ought to honour the parents so that they can live long lives. And what does all of that mean?
The scholars explain it thus. ‘Honour means have inward respect and reverence for. It is inadequate for children to obey parents only outwardly; they must also respect or honour them inwardly. Which is the first commandment with promise refers to the fifth of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:3-17, the very first of all God’s Old Testament injunctions to be given that possesses an attached promise. The promise is two-fold: honouring and obeying parents ensures a long and prosperous life upon earth.’ No wonder so many children nowadays die fairly young.
And as per the instructions to the fathers, the scholars declare: ‘Fathers can provoke their children to wrath by injustice, loss of temper, undue severity, cruelty, favouritism, suppression, sarcasm, ridicule, and misuse or abuse of authority.’ Wow! The parent does have a very narrow path to walk. ‘Then Nurture basically means “training,” here denoting spiritual education. Admonition is instruction that points out one’s responsibilities and duties. Of the Lord indicates that behind the parents’ rearing and instruction of their children stands the Lord as the chief teacher in child education. Parents do not rear children alone.’ Now that’s certainly a comforting thought (smile).
And having reacquainted ourselves with the proper way to raise children, let’s go home now 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!’
Now it behooves us to go out and share Christ’s LOVE and friendship with others , so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…once we truly know Christ…it’s hard to fall of the wagon…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
26 Jan 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a merciful forgiving and gracious God, all sinned and disobeyed your word, all the trees of the field shall clap their hands, at thy right hand, be led forth with peace, break forth before you in singing, bringing his sheaves with him, come again with rejoicing, divine aid, faith, faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers, found only in communion with Christ, full of glory, go out with joy, he will rejoice over thee with joy, he will rest (quiet you) in his love, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, I experience true joy, I will see you again, in thy presence is fullness of joy, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, joy and happiness are not necessarily synonymous, joy comes from Jesus, joy is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, joy over thee with singing, joy- a deep sense of comfort and calm, LOVE, major snowstorm, mass confusion in our world, mercy, negative situations, neither be ye sorry, pleasures for evermore, pray, reap a joyful harvest, receiving the end of your faith, rejoice over thee with joy, salvation, shew me the path of life, shouts of joy, sincere repentance in our hearts, sincerely seek God's face, sow good seed for God, strong faith in Christ, the deepest layer of satisfaction possible, the God who heals, the Lord God in the midst of thee is mighty, the Lord thy God, the mountains and hills shall break forth with singing, the power of faith in Jesus, the power to solve our many problems, the salvation of your souls, the throne of grace, the trial of our faith, they that sow in tears shall reap in joy, though now ye see him not, though now you see him not yet believing, truth, turn from our evil ways, wherever the Lord's word prospers there is joy, whom having not seen ye love, wisdom, wise guidance, ye now therefore have sorrow, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable, your heart shall rejoice, your joy no man taketh from you
Nehemiah 8:10b. …neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
Well it’s Monday, the day after the big snowstorm, and almost everything is closed for the big clean up, but the sun is shining brightly. (smile) And it was indeed a mighty storm, falling steadily from around eight in the morning to six in the evening. And yes, it does take time and energy to clean up the large amounts of snow that fell, but my beef is that they cleaned the main street and the sidewalks in my area, but then banked up the snow in the entrance to the lanes. That prevented my snow maintenance person from getting into my lane to clean my driveway. Now if you block up the entrances to a community of lanes, how are the people who live there expected to get out eh?
I sent an email to my City Councilor earlier on and got back an automatic reply with all the official excuses for whatever is happening. But soon thereafter I heard some noise outside and when I checked on it, there were some machines finally clearing the entrances to the lanes and actually plowing them too. God be praised! I don’t think my letter made any difference, but most likely many others in the area must have complained because this is the first time they’ve cleaned the lanes themselves so early after a major snowstorm. Let’s hope they do better next time. And that’s my gripe for today! (smile)
Now, let’s talk about something good, in fact something that’s great for the saved believer; that’s JOY! And like this extract from an article on joy says: ‘Joy doesn’t always look like giggles and smiles. Joy is not necessarily synonymous with happiness.’ That’s for sure! But joy is a deeper sense of comfort and calm in spite of our circumstances, that comes from knowing Jesus. It’s in times like this overwhelming and rather dangerous snowfall that joy rises up and keeps us strong and keeping on. And we all know that seminal scripture on the word from the Book of Nehemiah: ‘neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ (Neh. 8:10b)
And that’s where true joy comes from; the soul and spirit of our wonderful God! And as Bruh Paul reminds us in Galatians 5:22, one of the fruit of the Holy Spirit is indeed JOY! So it’s correct to assume that true joy can only be had through communion and sincere interaction with Almighty God; the source and fountain of the attribute. And there are many scriptures that talk about joy and it’s association with the Lord, and not surprisingly many of them are found in the psalms.
So let’s check out a few of them, like this one from Psalm 16, where Bruh David confidently declares of his God: ‘Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.’ (Ps. 16:11) Yes friends, in God’s presence joy is indeed available, and not a li’l bit either, but in a plentiful amount. (smile) Then we have this great assurance from Psalm 126: ‘They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth (to and fro) and weepeth, bearing precious seed (a bag of seed for sowing), shall doubtless come again with rejoicing (shouts of joy), bringing his sheaves with him.’ (Ps. 126:5-6)
Of course my fellow believers, when we take time and sometimes heartache to sow good seed for God, we will always reap a joyful harvest. Now listen to this reassurance from Isaiah. ‘For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all of the trees of the field shall clap their hands.’ (Is. 55:12) What joy there is, wherever the Lord’s Word prospers!
And these words from the prophet Zephaniah only increases that joy. ‘The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest (quiet you) in his LOVE, He will joy over thee with singing.’ (Zeph. 3:17) Now how can you beat that for joy eh, my faithful brethren! And if you complain that all those verses come from the Old Testament, (smile) then listen to this one from Jesus Himself as He talks to the disciples about His ascension to heaven, and consequently to us.
‘And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.’ (John 16:22) So there’s Jesus’ promise of joy for us all in God’s good time. And if you’re a true Christian, then you have to believe it. (smile) And we’ll end with this interesting verse from Peter, as he talks about the trial of our faith and our belief in Jesus. ‘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: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.’ (1 Pet. 1:8-9)
Yes friends, that’s the power of our faith in Jesus, that although we’ve never seen Him in the flesh, like the apostles did, we do know Him in the Spirit and that’s sufficient for us. Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid to help us in these troubled times. 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!’
And since we know that divine aid will not be forthcoming until we turn from our evil ways, let’s get together and do that nuh, so that our joy will also be full. Remember, it’s all for our benefit…not God’s! Much LOVE!
…the deepest layer of satisfaction possible…is that of true joy…found only in communion with Christ Jesus…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
25 Jan 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a crevice of safety, a divided rock, a God of truth and without iniquity, a heartfelt rendition, a metaphor for God, a snow storm, a winter storm, all his ways are judgement, Christ's redemptive work on the cross, cleft means to split or divide, come to thee for dress, draw this fleeting breath, earthquake, Elijah hides in a cave on Mt. Horeb, faith, fellowship, find shelter, finding refuge from life's storms, fire, foul, fulfill thy law's demands, God is always by our side, God is our light in the dark, God will never abandon us, he is the rock, hears God in a still small voice, helpless, his work is perfect, holy spirit, I die, in the arms of Jehovah God, in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength, in whom I will trust, Jesus Christ, Jesus' side cleft by the roman spear, keep him in perfect peace, let me hide myself in thee, let the water and the blood, look to thee for grace, LOVE, mercy, mine eyes shal close in death, Moses hiding in a cleft of rock, my buckler, my deliverer, my god, my high tower, my strength, my tears forever flow, my zeal, naked, never sin erase, no respite know, nothing in my hands I bring, our fragility requires a cleft cared out for us by God, our rock we can always stand upon, provides a vivid image, Rev. Augustus Toplady, rock of ages, Rock of ages cleft for me, salvation, save by grace, save me from its guilt and power, see thee on thy judgement throne, sin and double cure, soar to worlds unknown, sweet sacrifices of praise, the best place of refuge, the deluge of sin and guilt, the horn of my salvation, the labour of thy hands, the legend about the hymn, the lethal intensity of God's glory, the Lord is my rock and my fortress, the rock of ages, thy riven side which flowed, to the fountain fly, to thy cross I cling, to understand the hymn, trust ye in the Lord for ever, truth, wash me Saviour, we are never alone, what a way to worship, whose mind is stayed on thee, wind, wisdom
Isaiah 26:4. Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord JEHOVAH (Yahweh) is everlasting strength (the Rock of Ages).
It’s Sunday my people; cold and windy, with much snow expected today. And it’s been falling in my area since around 8:15 when I went out to go to church…and it’s still falling. Reputedly some 5to 8 centimetres have already graced the Greater Toronto Area and its neighbouring communities. So, let’s hope you are blessed enough to get to the Lord’s sanctuary today for fellowship and worship before becoming snowbound. (smile) And this morning, our song of worship is a wonderful old hymn written by the Reverend Augustus Toplady in 1763, but first published in 1775. The song is aptly titled ‘Rock Of Ages Cleft For Me,’ and deals with the intriguing subject of finding refuge.
Now there’s a legend associated with this hymn; namely that the Reverend Toplady was inspired to write this hymn after finding shelter from a thunderstorm in a cleft in a rock at Burrington Combe in Somerset England. And although there’s no evidence to support the story, according to the website hymnary.org, ‘it does provide a vivid image through which to understand the hymn. Christ and His redemptive work on the cross are like that cleft in the rock, where we can find shelter from the deluge of sin’s guilt and power.’
And since we now have some basic background to hymn, let’s raise our voices in sweet sacrifices of praise, in a soulful, mid-tempo heartfelt rendition, letting all and sundry know that we truly mean what we’re singing. Altogether: ‘Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee; Let the water and the blood, From Thy riven side which flowed, Be of sin the double cure, Save me from its guilt and power. Not the labor of my hands Can fulfill Thy law’s demands; Could my zeal no respite know, Could my tears forever flow, All could never sin erase, Thou must save, and save by grace.
Nothing in my hands I bring, Simply to Thy cross I cling; Naked, come to Thee for dress, Helpless, look to Thee for grace: Foul, I to the fountain fly, Wash me, Savior, or I die. While I draw this fleeting breath, When mine eyes shall close in death, When I soar to worlds unknown, See Thee on Thy judgment throne, Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee. Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee… Let me hide myself in Thee… Let me hide myself in Thee…’
Oh friends what a wonderful rendition! I’m sure that no one who heard it doubted our sincerity. And before we get into the meat of the subject, let’s get a definition of ‘cleft,’ from this commentary. “Cleft” is a form of the verb “cleave,” which means to split or divide. So, the Rock of Ages, which is “cleft for me” is a split or divided rock that we can hide in. The author of the hymn was referring to Christ, our Rock of Ages, whose side was “cleft” by the Roman spear as he hung from the cross.’
And it does remind us of two great men of God who found themselves in clefts of rock. The first was Moses hiding in the cleft of a rock on Mount Sinai (or Horeb), where God places him to protect him from the lethal intensity of His glory while passing by, allowing Moses to see only His back. That story you can find in Exodus 33:18-23. And I like how this commentary puts it re Moses’ predicament. ‘Betwixt rocks, God placed Moses in a crevice of safety. God’s holy face was far too dangerous for a fallen man to see; Moses’ life depended on the safe space between rocks, so that he could see the Lord passing by from His back. Like Moses, our fragility requires a cleft carved out for us by the Lord.’
And so it does my brethren! Then there was the prophet Elijah, who hides in a cave on Mount Horeb (Sinai) after fleeing from Jezebel, the wicked queen. While there, the Lord shows up and asks him what he’s doing there and he basically says that he was scared for his life, as all the other prophets had been killed. And with Elijah thus lodged in this “cleft” or cave; the Lord passes by first in a powerful wind, then an earthquake, and fire, but He was not in any of them. Then finally Elijah hears the voice of God in a “gentle whisper” or “still small voice” directing his next move. That story you can find in 1 Kings 19.
Now let’s look at some other scriptures that correlate to our hymn. The phrase ‘Rock of Ages,’ is a metaphor for God that’s been used throughout the Bible. One example is Moses in his song writing; ‘He is the Rock (of Ages), his work is perfect: for all his way are judgement: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.’ (Deut. 32:4) Then we have Bruh David in Psalm 18 describing God thus: ‘The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength (rock), in whom I will trust; my buckler (shield), and the horn (strength) of my salvation, and my high tower (fortress).’ (Ps. 18:2)
And the prophet Isaiah also wrote of God’s strength and place of refuge as follows. ‘Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on (sustained by) thee: because he trusteth in 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) Yes friends, in the Lord God Almighty and His Son Jesus Christ, there is always a place of refuge and comfort us. That’s why this commentary from the website Godtube is so reassuring.
It says; ‘Even when we may feel like we’re alone, remember that God is always by our side and will never abandon us. He is truly our light in the dark and our rock that we can stand upon always. What an amazing feeling to be LOVED by such a kind Father and to give praise to His name with the beautiful hymn Rock of Ages.” Hearing the story behind the hymn made this classic song even more powerful. What a way to worship!’
And there’s no doubting that the song offers us a great way to sing God’s praises. So, let’s take a moment today and consider all that God has done for us, and then offer some of our own private praise and worship! Much LOVE!
…the best place of refuge…in the arms of Jehovah God…the Rock of Ages…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
24 Jan 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bunch of ungrateful sinners, action the promises of God, be not dismayed, break your own heart, come boldly to the throne of grace, communion with god, deepen my breath, delivers them out of all their troubles, enjoy the abundant life, enjoy the fruits of your labour, faith, fear thou not for I am with thee, find grace to help in time of need, for evermore, from this time forth, from whence cometh my help, fulfill our God-given destiny, God commendeth his love toward us, God neither slumbers nor sleeps, God shields us from danger both day and night, God so loved the world, God's love does not fluctuate on human performance, God's love is eternal, God's love is rooted in his faithful character, God's proximity to those in pain, great is thy faithfulness, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, he that keepeth thee will not slumber, help from above, his compassions fail not, hold fast our profession, holy spirit, I am thy God, I will help thee, I will strengthen thee, in all these things we are more than conquerors, increase my awareness of you today, intimacy with god, It is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed, it never fails, Jesus Christ, Jesus has firsthand experience of this evil world, Jesus the Son of God, know you all the more, lazy-day Saturday, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, lift up mine eyes unto the hills, LOVE, many are the afflictions of the righteous, mercy, my help cometh from the Lord, nigh unto those of a broken heart, nor the moon by night, nothing can separate us from the Love of God, obtain mercy, passed into the heavens, preserve thee from all evil, preserve thy going out and coming in, preserve thy soul, relax my muscles, salvation, saves those of a contrite spirit, slow my thoughts, suffer thy foot to be moved, sympathize with our weaknesses, thank you for this tenderness, the emotional connection of Jesus to human suffering, the Lord delivers him out of them all, the Lord is thy keeper, the promise of ultimate relief from distress, the righteous cry and the Lord heareth, The sun shall not smite thee by day, the ultimate proof of God's love is Jesus death on the cross, therefore have I hope, they are new every morning, thy shade upon thy right hand, truth, unceasing nearness, undying LOVE, unfailing sympathy, uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness, was in all points tempted like as we are, we have a great high priest, which made heaven and earth, while we were yet sinners christ died for us, who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, whosoever believeth in him should not perish, wisdom, yet without sin, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Psalm 121:2. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.
Here we are friends, on this lazy-day Saturday, betwixt and between bright sunshine and dark cloudiness. Let’s hope the sunshine wins the day. (smile) And as it’s still pretty cold, snowy and dangerous out there, if you don’t have to go out, then don’t. Just stay inside and enjoy the fruits of your labour with rest and friendly communion with God. And we’ll begin the latter half of that equation 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!’
Now, if our hearts were sincere and true, then the Lord will flood them with peace and goodwill, for there’s nothing He LOVES more than His children seeking greater intimacy with Him. And having accomplished that, let’s turn to our unfinished business with the poem, ‘Promises and Non-Promises of God’ where we still have to check out scriptures dealing with the promises for ‘help from above, unfailing sympathy, and undying LOVE.’
So, let’s get right into scriptures dealing with ‘help from above.’ And as expected, God’s promises in any area are numerous, but we’ll begin with these most reassuring words from Psalm 121, titled, ‘God Neither Slumbers Nor Sleeps.’ Please read with me: ‘I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills (mountains), from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved (slip): he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
Behold he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper (protector): the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve (keep) thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve (keep) thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth and for evermore.’ (Ps. 121:1-8) There you have it friends, a golden promise that help comes directly from the Creator, who shields us from danger both day and night.
And we’ll highlight one more scripture on help from above, one that many of us know but don’t action in our everyday lives. The prophet Isaiah declares on the Lord’s behalf: ‘Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee: yea, I will help thee: yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.’ (Is. 41:10) Now how much more assurance can the Lord give than that eh? None really.
So let’s move on to ‘unfailing sympathy.’ And I like how this commentary explains it. ‘Scriptures regarding unfailing sympathy, compassion, and comfort emphasize God’s proximity to those in pain, the emotional connection of Jesus to human suffering, and the promise of ultimate relief from distress.’ But again, there are so many verses of promise to choose from that it just boggles the imagination.
Anyway, these most reassuring words from Bruh David in that magnificent Psalm 34, surely capture the idea of God’s sympathy and compassion for His children. ‘The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite (crushed) spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.’ (Ps. 34:19-19)
Oh my people how much more sympathy can we ask for eh? Meanwhile, in Jeremiah’s Lamentations, he highlights the very essence of God’s sympathy, when remembering God’s faithfulness, he writes: ‘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)
But here is one of the greatest promises of heavenly empathy, as the author of Hebrews declares to us. ‘Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into (through) the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession (confession of faith). For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched (sympathize) with the feeling of our infirmities (our weaknesses; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.’ (Heb. 4:14-16)
Ah my fellow believers, there’s nobody who can sympathize, empathize and show more compassion than Jesus, because He knows firsthand what we experience in this evil and ungodly world! And that finally brings us to the last of the promises; ‘undying LOVE.’ And I won’t even bother to tell you that there are oodles of scriptures that talk about that, because it’s the most important attribute of God, and why He made us in the first place.
And possibly the greatest showing of God’s undying LOVE, is this verse from the lips of Jesus to Nicodemus the Jewish teacher. ‘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) Then there’s one of my favourite scriptures, from the pen of Bruh Paul to the Romans. ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his own LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8)
Yes mih bredrin, God didn’t wait for us to change our ways, His LOVE was so great that He went ahead and did His part, trusting that we would eventually do ours. What greater LOVE can be shown eh, than breaking your own heart by giving up your only Son to save a bunch of ungrateful sinners and doing it before they were even fully aware of it? And just for good measure, or lagniappe, we’ll throw in these wonderful assurances of Bruh Paul to the Roman church.
‘Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors, though him that LOVED us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Rom. 8:37-39) That says it all my people!
Now let’s close with what this commentary calls the ‘Core Themes of God’s Undying LOVE: (1) His Unchanging Character: God’s LOVE does not fluctuate based on human performance, but is rooted in His faithful character. (2) His Sacrificial Action: The ultimate proof of this LOVE is Jesus Christ laying down His life. (3) God’s Eternal Presence: His LOVE is described as “everlasting” and “never fails,” offering comfort through trials.’
And this cold, snowy, lazy-day Saturday is an excellent day to understand, appreciate and accept God’s great promises, so that we can have the good and abundant life that Christ promised and died for us to have! Much LOVE!
…only as we understand, accept and action the promises of God…will we fulfill our God-given destiny…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
23 Jan 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a light unto my path, a personal relationship with jesus, a tough row to hoe, as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, become more like Jesus, blessed be God, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God, Christian witness, come boldly to the throne of grace, consider trials as joy, count it all joy, dispelling ignorance, dreary winter months, enlightening the eyes, faith, fall into divers temptations, fall into various trials, find grace to help in time of need, Friday chant, God is faithful, God will not suffer you to be tempted more than you can bear, God's omnipotent help, God's power is perfected in human weakness, God-given tools, grace for trials, grow in spiritual maturity, have the light of life, he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, help from above, holy spirit, I am the light of the world, improve our christian walk, introduce a new flock of believers, Jesus Christ, Jesus leads mankind out of sin and spiritual darkness, lacking nothing, let patience have her perfect work, light for the way, LOVE, make a way of escape, mercy, my grace is sufficient for thee, my strength is made perfect in weakness, obtain mercy, our consolation also abounds in Christ, perfect and complete, prayer for divine aid, problems are escalating, rejoicing the heart, reproofs of instruction are the way of life, rest amid labour, return backsliders to your fold, revealing God's path, salvation, show them the error of their ways, simmering unrest, spiritual light from Jesus, stand strong and steadfast, strength for the day, such as is common to man, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the commandment is a lamp, the commandment of the Lord is pure, the definitive promise that God's grace is sufficient, the divine source of spiritual truth, the exclusive provider of spiritual understanding, the Father of mercies, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the God of All Comfort, the law is light, the sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, the statutes of the Lord are right, the testing of your faith produces patience, the trying of your faith worketh patience, the weekend is here at last, there hath no temptation taken you, thy word is a lamp unto my feet, trusting faith, truth, undying LOVE, unfailing sympathy, ungodly times, up the ante, walk in obedience to God's will, we may be able to comfort others, who comforts us in our tribulation, wisdom, wise guidance, with the temptation, ye may be able to bear it
2 Corinthians 12:9. And he said unto me, ‘My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.’
And finally, it’s that long awaited day called Friday! So, we offer up our Friday Mantra: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here at long last!’ It’s pretty cold, but it’s not snowing, and the sun is predominant over the clouds, though it’s not shining as brightly as we would like. (smile) But we’re still grateful for whatever little sunshine we can get to drive away the darkness of these dreary winter months.
And as we promised yesterday, let’s continue with some scriptures that highlight God’s promises from the poem ‘The Promises and Non-Promises of God, which reads: “But God hath promised strength for the day, rest amid labour, light for the way; grace for trials, help from above, unfailing sympathy, undying LOVE.’ Yesterday we looked at the first two promises, let’s see how many we can get through today. (smile)
Now, the first one up is ‘light for the way.’ And Jesus Himself declared: ‘I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ (John 8:12) And what does that mean. Hear this commentary explain it. ‘Jesus is signifying that He is the divine source of spiritual truth, guidance, and life, offering to lead people out of spiritual darkness and sin into salvation and eternal life if they follow Him. This metaphor highlights Jesus as the exclusive provider of spiritual understanding, dispelling ignorance and revealing God’s path.’
And the scriptures offer up several other verses that agree with Jesus’ declaration, like this well-known one from Psalm 119: ‘Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.’ (Ps. 119:105) Yes friends, God’s Word shed’s light along the path He desires us to walk. As Cousin Sol so readily agrees with this verse from Proverbs. ‘For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:’ (Prov. 6:23) And as Bruh David tells us in Psalm 19: ‘The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.’
So however you take it, between a personal relationship with Jesus and God’s Word, we are indeed able to get the spiritual light we need to help us through each day. Now, what about ‘grace for trials.’ Oh brother, there are so many scriptures that I don’t know which ones to choose. And they all ‘highlight that God’s grace during trials provides strength, restoration, and endurance, often working through weakness to refine faith and offer comfort.’
But we’ll begin with this one that seems most important. It’s from Bruh Paul’s second letter to the Corinthains, where, after beseeching the Lord three times to remove a thorn from his side, the Lord eventually declares. ‘My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.’ (2 Cor. 12:9) In other words, when we’re weak, God’s grace comes in to strengthen us. That means we are never far from His grace in our everyday lives. As one commentary calls this verse: ‘The definitive promise that God’s grace is sufficient, with His power perfected in human weakness.’
Then James, Jesus’ brother, in his famous discourse encourages us to consider trials as joy, knowing they produce endurance and maturity. ‘My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations (various trials); Knowing this, that the trying (testing) of your faith worketh (produces) patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire (complete), wanting (lacking) nothing.’ (James 1:2-4) Now that’s a tough row to hoe, but hoe it we must if we desire to grow in faith and spiritual maturity.
Then there’s this most encouraging scripture from Hebrews that offers this wonderful invitation. ‘Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.’ (Heb. 4:16) Wow mih people! Nothing can be better than going to the throne of grace to receive grace as we need it! Meanwhile, here is one of my favourite scriptures. This from Bruh Paul’s opening remarks in his second letter to the Corinthians.
‘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. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation (comfort) also aboundeth in Christ.’ (2 Cor. 1:3-5) What beautiful assurance and comfort that is my fellow believers! Yes, God is the “Father of mercies and God of all comfort” who comforts believers in tribulation, which then allows believers to comfort others who need comfort! For as we suffer with Christ, we are also comforted through Him.
And I’m chuckling here friends, because I’m now discovering that I can’t finish all the parts of the poem today either. So, we’ll end with this other interesting verse from 1 Corinthians, where Bruh Paul declares: ‘There hath no temptation taken (overtaken) you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way of escape, that ye may be able to bear (endure) it.’ (1 Cor. 10:13)
Now please note that the Lord won’t always allow you to escape temptations, but will rather find a way for you to endure them, for temptations are a part of the testing of our faith, through which we grow in spiritual maturity and become more like Jesus. So, let’s go confidently now, but humbly, to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, that we can receive divine aid to help in these crucial times.
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!’
And what we supposed believers need to realize is that so far our Christian witness has been no good, otherwise the world would not have fallen so deeply into evil and ungodly ways. Therefore, to receive divine aid, we need to up the ante; to improve our Christin walk, and we have enough God-given tools to do it. So, let’s get together and do it nuh! Remember it’s all for our benefit, not God’s! Much LOVE!
…God’s grace and mercy are constantly available…if we walk in obedience to His desires…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
22 Jan 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a disciplined mind, a strong will, a very present help in trouble, abundance, all these things shall be added unto you, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, an abundantly available help, as generously as the Lord shared them with us, be brave, be strong, be strong in the Lord, bear our sins on His sinless shoulders, but of power love and a sound mind, Christians think too much about tomorrow, come to know and love christ like we do, come unto me, curse, divine protection, enough to drive a body crazy, faith, favour, find rest unto your souls, gentle and humble, give us this day our daily bread, go out and use those blessings, God has not given us the spirit of fear, God is our refuge and strength, grace for trials, help from above, holy spirit, I am meek and lowly in heart, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, I will give you rest, in the name of Jesus, in the power of his might, Jesus Christ, Jesus loved us enough to die for us, Jesus walked the walk, learn of me, light for the way, living in the northern climes, LOVE, manna, mercy, mount up with wings as eagles, my burden light, my yoke is easy, negative word, not enough about today, promotion, quit you like men, rely on God's provision for our daily needs, rest amid labour, run and not be weary, salvation, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, snow, stand fast in the faith, strength for the day, success, supernatural strength, take my yoke upon you, take one day at a time, taking the Great Invitation to heart, talent, the cross of Calvary, the great invitation, the joy of the Lord is your strength, The Promises and Non-Promises of God, they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, truth, undying LOVE, unfailing sympathy, walk and not faint, watch ye
Matthew 6:11. Give us this day our daily bread.
Oh brother! Am I ever tired of this snow already. We had snow yesterday, then this morning we had some more. Granted not a lot today, but any amount of snow whatsoever is hazardous and dangerous to human life. (smile) I remember going to bed at minutes after four this morning and my driveway was clean, as my maintenance man had cleaned it during the night. Now, imagine my angry surprise when I got up this morning around eight, and although the sun was shining brightly, saw more snow in my driveway.
The foolish snow has been keeping me from going out and doing some things I want to do. And to make matters worse, the Duchess tells me that they are forecasting snow for today and also tomorrow. Mama Mia! It’s enough to drive a body crazy! (smile) But rest assured I won’t allow it to do that, for once there’s no urgent reason for me to go out, the snow could fall day and night as far as I’m concerned. And I hope you realize that’s a lie! (smile) But enough of my ranting about the snow. As the Lord tells me, if I didn’t want to encounter that beautiful, fluffy white stuff, I should not have come to the northern climes. And as usual, He’s right.
And today, I want to again address that poem we looked at yesterday; ‘The Promises and Non-Promises of God,’ in particular the last verse that concerns God’s promises. It says: ‘But God hath promised strength for the day, rest amid labour, light for the way; grace for trials, help from above, unfailing sympathy, undying LOVE.’ Now, let’s see what scriptures we can find that articulate those promises. And there are many scriptures that promote the first one ‘strength for the day,’ but I want to begin with this particular verse from the Lord’s Prayer, where Jesus gave the disciples, and consequently us, an example of accepted prayer.
And the verse I want to centre on is ‘Give us this day our daily bread.’ (Matt. 6:11) Yes friends, as both the poem and Jesus say, all we really need is bread and strength for each day. It’s like when the Lord fed the Israelites with manna in the wilderness, He instructed them to pick up only enough for ONE day, unless it was for the Sabbath, then they could pick up for two. And anything left over one day spoiled immediately. (Ex. 16) It was a way of teaching them to rely on God’s provision for their daily need. It’s also something we have to learn today; take one day at a time, and God will provide all that’s necessary. As Jesus says: ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33)
Then there are other verses which magnify the Lord’s strength like this one we all know and like to quote: ‘But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is. 40:31) And what about these reassuring words from the Sons of Korah from Psalm 46: ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help (an abundantly available help) in trouble.’ (Ps. 46:1) Then Bruh Paul gives us this magnificent assurance in his letter to the Philippians. ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ (Phil. 4:13) And this one from Nehemiah is one we must always bear in mind: ‘…for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ (Neh. 8:10)
And I’m chuckling here friends, because I’m now realizing that this is a two day task and not a one day like I had imagined, for there are so many scriptures that we can quote, and leaving out any, seems like a travesty of justice. (smile) So here are a couple more on God’s strength for the day. ‘Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.’ (Eph. 6:10) Then Bruh Paul exhorts the Corinthians: ‘Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you (be brave) like men, be strong.’ (1 Cor. 16:13) Then finally, this reassurance of Bruh Paul to Timothy, one we all know but don’t action fully. ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7) And there are many more you can check out for yourself. (smile)
Now turning to the promise of ‘rest amid labour,’ I believe there’s only one scripture needed to cover it all, that’s the Great Invitation, where Jesus invites all and sundry to: ‘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, anyone who doesn’t take advantage of that glorious invitation from Jesus is a fool! And that’s putting it mildly. For who else offers such and invitation, or who else can ever deign to do so, for nobody else has the wherewithal to do it but Jesus!
So let’s remember that today and place our trust in the One and Only, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour; the One who didn’t just talk the talk, but more importantly walked it, and LOVED us enough to die on the cross of Calvary and bear our sins on His sinless shoulders. Now let’s go home declaring and thus activating our undeserved Thursday Blessings that the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work. Altogether: ‘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 (awright!!!) it now behooves us to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…sometimes we Christians think too much about tomorrow…and not enough about today…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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