21 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 24 hour spans of time, a bad habit, a deep abiding joy, a great family, a spiritual strength, a very present help in trouble, an intimate relationship with Jesus, cast into the future, christianity, comes from a relationship with god, curse, despising the shame, divine protection, do what God has assigned for today, don't worry about tomorrow, empowers believers to face challenges, encourage their joyful walk with the Lord, endured the cross, faith, favour, find strength in difficult times, for the joy that was set before him, fulfilment, getting ahead of ourselves, God is our refuge and strength, God's grace is sufficient in our weakness, God's joy, God's supernatural wisdom, good freinds, handle the challenges of each day, holy spirit, is set down at the right hand of God, Jesus Christ, Jesus' selfless sacrifice, knowing God's love and provision, like jelly in his hands, looking unto Jesus, lose sight of what's happening today, LOVE, mercy, negative word, panting for Friday, planting worrisome thoughts in our minds, promotion, propser, rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, reliance on God's prmises, reluctant to endure sacrifice and pain, robbed us of our joy, robbed us of our strength, salvation, self-control, self-discipline, stolen our joy, succeed, success, sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof, supernatural strength, take one day at a time, take therefore no thought for tomorrow, the author and finisher of our faith, the BIBLE, the devil's plaything -worry, the Feast of the Tabernacles, the joy of the Lord is your strength, the morrow shall take thought for itself, the things of itself, though the earth be removed, though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, though the mountains shake, though the waters roar and be troubled, truth, undeserved blessings, use our blessings to help others, we will not fear, wisdom, worry and fear take over
Nehemiah 8:10b. …for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’
Then it was Thursday, our second to last day of the work week, and everyone’s panting for Friday and the weekend. However, before we get there, we need to navigate Thursday first, and enjoy the sunshine, with a touch of cloud cover, and the cool breezes it brings, while doing what God has assigned us for today. Yes, we do have a bad habit of getting ahead of ourselves, often to our detriment. (smile)
That’s why God broke up the time into 24 hour spans, with day to work and night to rest, because He knew we could not handle much more than that. Consequently, as the saying goes, we can only take one day at a time, and that’s today, that’s why it’s called the present, not the past or the future.
And Jesus fully understood this problem, that’s why He advised in His Sermon on the Mount: ‘Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.’ (Matt. 6:34) And many of us, even believers, ought to take those words to heart and sincerely action them in our lives, because our minds are too often cast into the future, or tomorrow, and thus we lose sight of what’s happening around us today.
No wonder Jesus said we should not worry about tomorrow, for each day has its own challenges and problems, which we need to responsibly handle and not concern ourselves with what might or might not happen the following day. And I’m sure we’ve all concocted possible fearful and disastrous happenings that will come upon us on the morrow, and not even one problem, or one iota of what we’d imagined presented itself on the day. Now, that doesn’t mean we must not make plans for certain possible outcomes, but we’re not to worry about them, especially if, in our own strength we cannot do anything to curtail or prevent the problems.
That’s the thing about worry, the devil’s plaything. It causes you to use up your hard earned energy and joy on things that you have no control over. So why worry about them when you can’t do anything about them eh? But that’s what the devil takes immense pleasure in doing; planting worrisome thoughts in our minds, so that he can steal our joy, for once he has stolen our joy, we are like jelly in his hands. Remember what the Bible says about our joy? ‘…for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ (Neh. 8:10) That means once Satan has robbed us of our joy in the Lord, then he’s also robbed us of our strength, and that’s something we should strive to never allow to happen!
And I like how this commentary explains ‘the joy of the Lord is our strength.’ It says: ‘This verse (Neh. 8:10) emphasizes that God’s joy, experienced through a relationship with Him, empowers believers to face challenges and find strength in difficult times. It’s not a fleeting happiness, but a deep, abiding joy that comes from knowing God’s LOVE and provision.’
Yes friends, Nehemiah had been speaking to the Israelites after they had lost their joy through the destruction of Jerusalem. However, they had rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem in a miraculous fifty-two days through the astute, God-given leadership of Nehemiah, and were just getting to know the scriptures of the Lord through the public reading and explaining of them by the scribe Ezra and his associates, and were about to celebrate the Feast of the Tabernacles. Thus Nehemiah’s exhortation to encourage their joyful walk with the Lord.
And according to the commentary: ‘The joy of the Lord: is not simply a feeling, but a spiritual strength that comes from a relationship with God and reliance on His promises.’ Therefore, if we desire to have that spiritual strength, then we need to build a strong and intimate relationship with Jesus on an ongoing basis.
And there are several other scriptures that talk about the joy of the Lord as a source of strength. For instance these words of the Sons of Korah from Psalm 46 – Our Refuge and Strength. They confidently declare: ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help (an abundantly available hep) in trouble. Therefore will we not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst (heart) of the sea. Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.’ (Ps. 46:1-3)
Now that definitely shows strong faith and joy in the Lord! That although things are turned topsy-turvy, we will not fear, and keep our joy knowing that the Lord’s faithful in His promises, and will not allow anything untoward to happen to us. Meanwhile, this other scripture from Hebrews 12, tells us about ‘Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher (the originator and perfector) of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of God.’ (Heb. 12:2)
Yes my people, for the joy that was to come from His selfless sacrifice, Jesus endured the shame and disgrace and pain of the cross. So why are we so reluctant to endure a little sacrifice and pain for the joy that will eventually be ours eh? And to help us endure the problems we will obviously face in this ungodly and evil world, as well as to do His earthly work, the Lord has generously bestowed on us numerous undeserved blessings, that we call our Thursday Blessings. So let’s declare and thus activate them right now nuh!
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 awesome declaration, (chuhhh!!!) it now behooves us to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…even if we lose our strength in the Lord’s joy…there’s no need to worry…for we will then find…His sufficient grace in our weakness…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
20 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all these things shall be added unto you, as the heavens are higher than the earth, be ready to suffer the consequences, boggles our imagination, call ye upon him while he is near, christianity, Dr Charles Stanley, endure to the end with Christ, eternity, faith, forgiving, free will, getting you into trouble with God, God created humans for good, gospel truth, gracious, halfway home, hands on the plough, have it more abundantly, he Sermon on the Mount, he will abundantly pardon, he will have mercy upon him, hold our heads and bawl, holy spirit, humans are more enamoured with evil than good, I am come that they might have life, if only I'd thought before doing it, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the best, lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, let the wicked forsake his way, LOVE, merciful, mercy, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my thoughts are not your thoughts, my thoughts higher than your thoughts, my ways are not your ways, my ways higher than your ways, negative consequences, not looking back at the past, obey God and leave all the consequences to him, our finite minds, our poor decisions end up hurting innocent people, our wonderful position in Christ Jesus, return unto the Lord, risk of flooding, salvation, Satan is all about deceit and greed, Satan's machinations, satisfying the thirsty earth, second wind day, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, seek ye the Lord while he may be found, so glad to be alive, some we cannot even comprehend, thank God, the atoning lamb of God, the awesome help of Jesus, the BIBLE, the breath of life, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the cross at Calvary, the embodiment of all we can ask for or imagine, the good life, the King of Kings, the Lily of the Valley, the Lion of Judah, the Lord is Sovereign over the earth, the Lord of lords, the material things of the world, the rains fell, the resurrection and the life, the Son of God, the thief comes only to steal kill and destroy, the unrighteous man his thoughts, the Way Maker, the way the truth and the life, thieves break through and steal, thieves do not break through and steal, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, unwise decisions, we can handle whatever comes against us, Wednesday Wail, where moth and rust doth corrupt, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, where your treasure is there will be your heart also, wisdom, wisdom to the nth degree
Isaiah 55:6. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.
And the rains fell; from early evening through the night, until the morning hours, finally satisfying the parched and thirsty earth! Thankfully though, it was not an onslaught of powerful showers but mostly a constant drizzle, which greatly reduced the risk of flooding. Understandably then, Wednesday, our second wind day has opened damp, cloudy and cool, and we possibly ought to brace ourselves for more rain because that warning just showed up on the computer. But let’s remember that whatever comes against us, we can certainly handle it with Jesus’ awesome help! And all God’s children said a loud and grateful: ‘Thank You Jesus! You’re the Best!’
And that’s the awesome truth! For there’s none like Jesus! He’s the Son of God, and is thus godly, gracious, forgiving, merciful, the atoning lamb of God, the Way Maker, the Lion of Judah, the Way, the Life and the Truth, the Light of the World, the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, the Lily of the Valley, the Resurrection and the Life, and a host of other names which it would take the whole day to list. (smile) But seriously though, Jesus is the embodiment of all that we can ever ask for or imagine…and even then some that we cannot even comprehend with our finite minds.
As the prophet Isaiah writes: ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ (Is. 55:8-9) That’s why we cannot understand a lot of what the Lord does, or is doing, both in our own lives and in the world. We know that He still sits as Sovereign of the world, but some of the stuff that He allows to happen when He can either prevent them or stop them just boggles our imagination.
However, the Lord has His own plans for the world He created and still rules, while giving us free will to make independent choices. He did not make robots, but human beings with minds that they could use to do what’s right or wrong, but must be prepared to suffer the consequences of each decision. And that’s exactly where we’re falling down. We rush to live like the world, like Satan desires, but when the negative consequences of those unwise decisions come rushing up against us, we hold our heads and bawl, saying, ‘if only, if only I’d thought about it before doing it.’
But then it’s usually too late my people, and unfortunately our decisions end up hurting not only ourselves but a lot of others around us. And that’s the really sad part about us making unwise decisions; it never hurts us alone, but other innocent ones in our proximity. That’s why Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley) always admonished us to obey God and leave all the consequences to Him. For when we do as God desires, the consequences are usually good, and if not, then he will certainly help us to handle them.
But Satan doesn’t help us to handle the bad consequences we suffer when we follow him. Not at all. He just sits back and laughs at us and considers us stupid to be following him, when all that ever comes from his machinations are negative consequences. And that’s why the prophet Isaiah, when informing Israel of God’s abundant pardons, declared: ‘Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.’ (Is. 55:6-7)
Yes friends, that’s an international call to all people, to both Jews and Gentiles, to come to the Lord for salvation, for forgiveness and the good life throughout eternity. And He certainly made it all possible by the unselfish but heartbreaking offering of His only begotten Son Jesus as a sacrifice, the Lamb of God, on the cross at Calvary. I don’t know why we keep forgetting that God is generous and merciful, forgiving and compassionate, while Satan is all about deceit, greed, and taking whatever you have and getting you into trouble with God.
It’s as Jesus so eloquently and truthfully puts it: ‘The thief (Satan) cometh not, but for (except) to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10) And I don’t understand why we cannot believe that and make it a part of our lives because it’s the absolute truth. All Satan wants to do is to destroy, to break down, to bring people down to damnation and hellfire with him, while Jesus wants to build, to give life, eternal life to all who are wise enough to embrace Him and what He stands for.
So, again, I don’t know why we’re so adamant at following Satan, killing ourselves to get the material things of the world, and then we don’t even have time to enjoy them. Remember the same material things Satan tempts us with, are the same material things we can get from God if we do as Jesus says: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) And believe me, if you get these things from God, rather than through Satan’s evil machinations, you will enjoy them more and they will last longer.
But it’s all about wisdom and where your hearts truly lie. For as Jesus wisely say in the Sermon on the Mount: ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ (Matt. 6:19-21) And that’s the gospel truth friends! So please, let’s stop concentrating on storing up earthly treasures and wisely decide to store up heavenly ones instead nuh! For that’s wisdom to the nth degree!
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!’
Now there’s an addendum to that declaration which states, whoever endures to the very end with Jesus will enjoy an even more glorious future than we can ever comprehend or imagine. So let’s plan to meet at the very end and enjoy that more than glorious future together nuh! Much LOVE!
…why is the human being more enamoured with evil…than with good…when he was created by God…for good…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
19 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a dysfunctional family, a forefather of Jesus, Absalom, all these things happened unto them, Ammon, bad decisions, bewildered, but such as is common to man, Christians, civil war, clutches, could have sworn I was free, crushes, daringly, dauntingly, defeat, desire steals in, despair, did not lose everything, don't let me renege, duty bound, faith, fiercely threatening me, for examples, God is faithful, God will make a way of escape, God will not leave you stranded, God will not suffer you to be tempted more than you can bear, have a part to play, havoc, Hold Me to My Yes, holy spirit, house of cards, hurry, I'm frightened, immediate pseudo-happiness, in god's eyes, in our defence, Israel's history as an example, Jesus Christ, lest he fall, let him that thinks he stands firm, like a midnight thief, LOVE, mercy, my total being responded, no temptation has overtaken you, nor has ugliness plagued me, old memories have not haunted me, others can come to know and love Christ like we do, quench the parched earth, repented of his folly, resist temptation, sacrificed the ultimate victory, salvation, share His love with my neighbours, sincerely loved the Lord, spells disaster, suddenly, take heed, Tamar, temptation will always come, the beloved of God, the BIBLE, the day I said yes to you, the ends of the world, the enemy seeks the target of my heart, the example of David and Bathsheba, the sinister temptation, through faith and God's grace, to sacrifice the ultimate for the immediate, to share the amazing love and friendship of Christ, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, until my breath is tight, until my thoughts reel, until now, wisdom, with the temptation, worry, written for our admonition
1 Corinthians 10:12. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth (stands firm) take heed lest he fall.
And it’s a humid, cloudy morning in my neck of the woods. But whether or not rain will fall is another matter. Let’s hope that some does fall though to quench the parched and thirsty earth, and help put out the forest fires that are still burning all over the place. For, earlier on when I opened my bedroom blinds I smelled smoke, and before I came down here to write the Bit, I went out on to my porch and I also smelled smoke out there. Don’t know where it’s coming from, but let’s hope and pray that the rain comes in sufficient quantity and puts an end to it all.
Now, today we’ll look at an interesting and very appropriate poem for many of us, from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. And the interesting aspect begins right with the title, ‘Hold Me to My Yes.’ So please read with me: ‘I’m frightened, Lord Bewildered What shall I do? I could have sworn I was free – Free from the sinister temptation So fiercely threatening me. Months have passed Even years Not once have old memories haunted me Nor has ugliness plagued me Until now.
Suddenly Tauntingly Daringly Desire steals in Like a midnight thief. It clutches Crushes Until my thoughts reel Until my breath is tight. Lord, the day I said yes to You My total being responded. This You know. Now while the enemy seeks The target of my heart Don’t let me renege – Hold me to my yes. For this we both know: To sacrifice the ultimate For the immediate Spells disaster Despair Defeat.’
And don’t we all know that. For many times in our lives, although we ought to have known better, we have sacrificed the ultimate victory which includes waiting, or doing something else, for the immediate pseudo-happiness. We have a very good example of that in Bruh David, who instead of being out fighting with His men, stayed at home and then allowed the enemy to foolishly get him involved with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, one of his trusted soldiers. And one thing led to another.
He got Bathsheba pregnant, made arrangements for her husband to be killed out on the battle field, took her to wife, then lost the son she eventually bore, and had oodles of problems for the rest of his life because of that one unwise transgression. The Lord promised him that his family would be dysfunctional, and they certainly were. With one son Ammon, falling in LOVE another son’s sister Tamar, eventually raping her, causing the brother, Absalom to kill him, who then ran for his life to another territory.
In the meanwhile Bruh David grieved the loss of his sons, but then after some three years, was talked into letting Absalom return home. One more mistake on Bruh David’s part, for that same Absalom eventually rose up against his father in civil war, causing him to flee. And finally while fighting his father’s forces, Absalom was hanged when his mule went under the thick boughs of an oak tree and his head was caught in it. But when Bruh David heard this, he mourned for His son Absalom, and was rebuked by his friend and right hand man Joab. And you can find all of that in 2 Samuel chapters 11 to 19, along with all the deceits and conniving that went on during that time.
So you see, from one mistake, Bruh David’s whole house of cards tumbled down. But because He sincerely LOVED the Lord, and repented of his folly, He did not allow him to lose everything and kept his name front and centre, even to being a forefather of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. That just goes to show the havoc that can be wreaked on us, and those close to us, when we make bad decisions. Therefore we must be very careful in all our doings, especially in these deceitful and untrustworthy times, always seeking wise guidance from the Lord, for what might seem right, might not be wise, it might just be a ploy of the devil to get us into trouble.
And we definitely don’t need his help, since we do enough of that on our own. (smile) Anyway, the scripture posed for today’s poem is also interesting. It comes from Bruh Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, talking about Isreal’s history as being an example for us all. He writes: ‘Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples (examples): and they are written for our admonition (instruction), upon whom the ends of the world (ages) are come.
Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth (stands firm) take heed lest he fall. 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. 10:11-13)
Yes my fellow believers, there is no temptation that will overtake you that has never been used before, but in the Lord’s goodness, He will either make a way for you to escape it, or give you the strength and willpower to endure it. But we also have a part to play in that, by knowing the scriptures and being able to bring them to mind to first resist the temptation, and if not, then to have the necessary amount of faith to know that the Lord will not leave you stranded. Remember, we all have a part to play in our own defence, it’s not only in God’s hands.
As we see from Bruh David’s example, although he messed up badly, his faith in and LOVE for God were strong enough to keep him going throughout all his many problems. That’s the kind of faith in and LOVE for our heavenly Father that we need to have, if we’re to be able to handle our problems. Now, let’s declare 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!’
That now makes us duty bound 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!
…temptation will always come…but through faith and God’s grace…we will handle it…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
18 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abundant provision, according to his riches in glory, all the days of my life, all these things shall be added unto you, an honoured guest, another work week, be eternally grateful, by Christ Jesus, Christians, divine intervention, do our part, dwell in the house of the Lord for ever, ease the pain, eternal celebration of God's goodness, faith, faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers, for His name's sake, he leads me beside the still waters, he makes me lie down in green pastures, he restoreth my soul, holy spirit, humble servants, I am the good shepherd, I will fear no evil, improve our Christian witness, in the presence of mine enemies, independent, it's all for our benefit, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, lack any good thing, leads me in the paths of righteousness, live a life befitting the name of Christ, live the life God desires of us, LOVE, mass confusion in our world, mercy, mighty lions, my cup runneth over, my God shall supply all your needs, Praise the Lord, pray, prosper us, protector and provider, rebellious and disobedient sheep, salvation, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, self-sufficient, sincere repentance in our hearts, sincerely seek your face, sinned and disobeyed your Word, strong faith in Christ, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me, the BIBLE, the God who heals, the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep, the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want, the many suffering from negative situations, the role of God, the throne of grace, the utopian dream of sheep, the valley of the shadow of death, the very essence of God, things are on the upswing, thou anointest my head with oil, thou art with me, thou preparest a table before me, though I walk through, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me, to alleviate our problems, truth, turn from our evil ways, vindication before one's enemies, wisdom, wise guidance
Psalm 23:1. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want (lack any good thing).
Well, well, well! If it isn’t another Monday, meaning the start of another work week. And it’s a different one too, not as hot as the last few, and it might just get up above the twenty degree mark, with a cool breeze to keep things in order. (smile) Even yesterday wasn’t that hot, and we did have some more rain in the afternoon. So hopefully, things are on the upswing now, with fewer very hot days. I even got to sit comfortably on my porch yesterday afternoon and watch the people passing by. Praise the Lord!
And since the sun is shining brightly, and the birds are singing sweetly, why don’t we give the Lord some sincere praise and thanks for allowing us to see another beautiful day on His marvellous earth? And what better way to do that than through the most beautiful and most appropriate words of Bruh David from Psalm 23. So please declare with me: ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want (lack any good thing). He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still (calm) waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.’ (Ps. 23:1-6)
Wow! What beautiful sentiments…and they are all true too! And I like how the scholars put it: ‘The psalm has been a favourite of God’s people through the ages and with due reason: it expresses as simply and clearly as any the role of God as our protector and provider in life. The charm of the psalm rests on two figures of speech: the Lord is compared to a shepherd and the believer to his sheep (vs. 1-4); then the Lord is likened to a host with the believer as the guest (vs. 5-6).’
And the image of the Lord as being a shepherd is not a new one, you can find it all through the Bible. In the Old Testament for instance in Ps. 78:52; 80:1; Is. 40:11; Jer. 31:10; and Ezek. 34:11. Then in the New Testament in Heb. 13:20; 1 Pet. 2:25; Rev. 7:16-17. And this one in John, which comes from the mouth of the shepherd Himself, where Jesus informs us: ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for his sheep.’ (John 10:11) And that is exactly what He did; selflessly give His sinless life as atonement for our horrible sins against Almighty God!
Oh friends, Bruh David catches the very essence of God in those few verses, like no one else has ever done. So let’s look at some of the sentiments nuh. For instance, ‘I shall not want.’ That means the Lord his shepherd will provide all he needs. Jesus also said it loud and clear: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.’ (Matt. 6:33) And Bruh Paul corroborated that in his letter to the Philippians, when he writes: ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in Glory by Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:19)
And what more can we ask for, when he makes us to lie down in pastures of green grass beside quiet and calm waters eh? Nothing! Because that is the utopian dream of sheep! (smile) Then He restores our souls, and leads us in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. The Lord is surely powerful and merciful, if He can and is willing to do those things. And Bruh David certainly believed that, as he confidently declared in Psalm 31: ‘For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me.’ (Ps. 31:3) And please note that it’s all in God’s name, all for His glory, not for ours.
And do I ever like the next verse, about walking through the valley of the shadow of death and not fearing. But why should we fear, when it’s only a shadow of death, and a shadow can do us no harm. But nonetheless, the Lord will not allow us to go through terrible times without being present at our side and helping us through them. For that’s what a good shepherd does!
Now here’s this interesting affirmation from the scholars. ‘Believers are never pictured in Scripture as mighty lions, independent and self-sufficient; rather, they are sheep who are dependent on their Shepherd for His provision and protection. But the Believer is more than a dependent sheep, however, he is also like an honoured guest, since the Lord prepares a table for him. Connected with this honoured position is abundant provision, vindication before one’s enemies, and eternal celebration of God’s goodness.’
No wonder that despite all of my failures, the Lord will still treat me as an honoured guest, preparing a table of lavish provision right in the presence of mine enemies; so much so that my cup overflows with His goodness and mercy, which will lead to a wonderful life with Him through all eternity. What more can one ask for eh my brethren! Absolutely nothing else! Christians are the ONLY ONES who have a gracious, merciful and forgiving God, who is not afraid to extend Himself to meet the needs of His people! For that we ought to be eternally grateful and live a life that’s befitting the name of Christ.
Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking grace and mercy in these desperate times. ‘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, going to God in prayer is fine, but we won’t see divine intervention until we do our part and live the life God desires of us. And we all know where we’re faltering, so let’s be wise and improve our Christian witness nuh! Remember, it’s all for our benefit! Much LOVE!
…the Lord’s a good shepherd…but it doesn’t matter if the sheep are rebellious and disobedient…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
17 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a friend beyond compare, become bitter, cast thy burden upon the Lord, cast your every care on him, cating all your care upon him, celebrate the Lord's Day, come boldly unto the throne of grace, disappointment, discouragement, don't allow the devil to steal your joy, every woe He sees and feels, faith, falter on the way, feel alone and forsaken, find grace to help in time of need, for he careth for youcloud cover, God cares without partiality, God sympathized with my situation, God understood, God's faithfulness, God's sufficiency, gospel truth, great joy filled his heart, he heals the broken heart, he shall sustain thee, he whispers comfort, He will pardon you today, hearsay, hold fast our profession, holy spirit, Jesus cares, Jesus Christ, Jesus the Son of God, Jesus will not fail, John Willard Peterson, LOVE, meet Him at the throne of mercy, mercy, Moody Bible Institute, my mind was diverted from my difficulties, negative experiences, never be discouraged, never suffer the righteous to be moved, No one is so near so dear as Jesus, no one understands like Jesus, obtain mercy, personal experience, rain, righted their ships, sailing on a godly course, salvation, self-pitying, sorrow, sympathize with our weaknesses, tenderly, the best thing we can do, the bitter experiences, the broken heart he heals, the foes of life assail, the great compassion of God, the presence of the Lord, though you fail him, touched with the feeling of our infirmities, truth, turn to Almighty god, waiting for you there, was in all points tempted like as we are, we have a great high priest, when the days are dark and grim, wisdom, without sin
1 Peter 5:7. Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Well, thankfully, we finally got some rain early this Sunday morning, for that blessed commodity has been in short supply around here for a while. But though there’s some cloud cover, the sun’s out now, bright and shiny, so we have no excuses for not going to the Lord’s sanctuary to celebrate His day, where we will give thanks and praise and in return receive His strength and grace to handle the upcoming week.
And today we’ll open our worship with this amazing but rather appropriate song for these trying times. It’s titled ‘No One understands like Jesus!’ and was written by one John Willard Peterson (1921-2006), an ex-Air Force pilot, who later attended the Moody Bible Institute, and served on their radio staff for several years. He was a well known gospel music writer and musician, and penned this hymn after a very disappointing and frustrating situation.
Apparently, while working at a well-known gospel ministry, and being led to believe he would receive a promotion to a supervisory position, a great joy filled his heart by the challenge and prospect of the new position. However, as so often happens, someone from outside was brought in to fill the position. That obviously caused him much disappointment, but he fought to not become bitter. Then, after spending an evening with the new supervisor, who was unnecessarily and uncharacteristically rude and caustic to him, his hurt became even deeper.
He says: ‘Later that evening, after returning home, I was sitting in our living room thinking about the events of the past days and about the bitter experiences of that evening. I began to feel very alone and forsaken. Suddenly, I sensed the presence of the Lord in an unusual way and my mind was diverted from my difficulties to His faithfulness and sufficiency. Soon the thought occurred to me that He fully understood and sympathized with my situation–in fact, no one could ever completely understand or care as did He.
Before long, the idea for the song came and I began to write. “Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you” (Ps. 55:22). And Peter, who witnessed the perfidy of Judas, echoed his words: “Casting all your care [anxiety] upon Him, for He cares [is deeply concerned] for you” (I Pet. 5:7). Discouragement gripped him. He felt alone and forsaken, and was tempted to become bitter, until he began thinking about the great compassion of the Lord. Who cares? He does!’ And that’s the gospel truth my people! The Lord cares for each and every one of His creations, without partiality!
And having heard the story behind the song, let’s offer it up with sacrifices of praise, in a soulful, sincere, heartfelt rendition. Singing: ‘No one understands like Jesus. He’s a friend beyond compare; Meet Him at the throne of mercy; He is waiting for you there. (Chorus: No one understands like Jesus When the days are dark and grim; No one is so near, so dear as Jesus– Cast your ev’ry care on Him!) No one understands like Jesus; Ev’ry woe He sees and feels; Tenderly He whispers comfort, And the broken heart He heals. (Chorus)
No one understands like Jesus When the foes of life assail; You should never be discouraged; Jesus cares and will not fail! (Chorus) No one understands like Jesus When you falter on the way; Tho’ you fail Him, sadly fail Him, He will pardon you today. (Chorus: No one understands like Jesus When the days are dark and grim; No one is so near, so dear as Jesus– Cast your ev’ry care on Him! No one understands like Jesus When the days are dark and grim; No one is so near, so dear as Jesus– Cast your ev’ry care on Him! Cast your every care on Him, Cause no one understands like Jesus.’
More gospel truth again my people, NO ONE understands like Jesus! And why is that eh? Because Jesus experienced all the emotions and negative stuff that we experience. As the author of Hebrews writes: ‘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. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities (sympathize with 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)
Yes my brethren, Jesus can understand our troubles better than anyone else because He also experienced them. And we know that when you experience something, you are better able to offer help and hope when someone else is going through the same thing. So when disappointment, sorrow or some negative experience occurs in our lives, let’s not allow the devil to steal our joy and make us become bitter and self-pitying, but instead, let’s turn to Jesus, who has experienced it all and truly cares to help us in whatever we’re going through.
As Bruh David say in Psalm 55: The Plea of the Fearful – ‘Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer (permit) the righteous to be moved (shaken.) (Ps. 55:22) And that’s for certain sure, because Bruh David was not writing from hearsay, but from personal experience. The same goes for Peter when he advises: ‘Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.’ (1 Pet. 5:7)
Yes friends, those two men of God, fell from grace at certain times in their lives, but then saw the light and repented of their sins, then the grace, mercy and LOVE of God, righted their ships and kept them sailing on a godly course. And if the Lord can do that for them, then He will certainly do the same for us if we place our sincere care and trust in Him. So let’s be wise and sincerely turn to Almighty God today nuh. It’s the best thing that can ever happen to us! Much LOVE!
…regardless of what we do…or what happens to us…God cares…please believe that…it will stand us in good stead…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
16 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a position of authority, a sincere heart for God, according to my integrity, according to the fruit of his doings, believe not every spirit, boggles the mind, chaotic world, Christians, concrete jungle, deceit, deepen my breath, desperately wicked, every spirit that confesseth Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus is come in the flesh, false doctrines, false prophets, false prophets are gone out into the world, God is omniscient, God searches our hearts to discover our true motives, God's plan for our lives, God's playbook, greater is he that is in you, greed, holy spirit, honour me with their lips, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I test the most secret parts, I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, in vain they do worship me, increase my awareness of you today, incurably sick, inequality, inequality of wealth, is not of God, is of God, it is already in the world, Jesus Christ, judge me O Lord according to my righteousness, know ye the Spirit of God, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, look not on his countenance, Lord I want to be with you now, LOVE, man looks on the outward appearance, mercy, my defence is of God, negative and ungodly things, outright lies, poverty, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, salvation, seeking intimacy with God, slander, slow my thoughts, strife, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men, test the mind, than he that's in the world, thankful to see another day, the BIBLE, the fruit of his deeds, the gospel truth, the heart is deceitful above all things, the height of his stature, the indisputable truth, the Lord looks on the heart, the Lord sees not as man sees, the main point is sincerity, the medium of prayer, the power of the Holy spirit, the spirit of the antichrist, their heart is far from me, these people draw near to me with their mouth, to give every man according to his ways, truth, try the spirits whether they be of God, try to hide things from God, who can know it, wisdom, ye are of God, ye have overcome them, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Today’s Scrip-Bit 16 August 2025 1 Samuel 1:7b.
1 Samuel 1:7b. for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.
Oh friends, am I ever disappointed that I could not stay longer abed this glorious lazy-day Saturday in the middle of August 2025! And why is that? Because after spending almost the whole day in the concrete jungle city called Toronto, enduring traffic jams, going and coming, and waiting a couple of hours before I could have my procedure done, I got home tired and went to bed early – well early by my standards. (smile) But then the ole back eventually rebelled when I lay abed for longer than normal, thus forcing me to get up earlier than I intended. But that’s what happens when you’re getting on in life. Note, I did not say getting old. (smile)
Anyway, we’re up and about, and thankful that we’re alive to see another beautiful day on God’s beautiful but currently chaotic and disastrous earth. That means we have a purpose for being here at this time and place, and the Lord is trying to initiate His plan, His playbook for our lives, but unfortunately too many of us are resisting His advances and His plays. But let’s see if we can’t turn things around somewhat nuh, through the medium of prayer, which God instituted so we can communicate with Him, thus letting Him know how we feel about any and everything, especially the plays He’s calling in our lives. (smile)
Remember, He wants to be involved in everything that concerns us, be it big or small, relevant or irrelevant. So let’s begin with 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 that’s the easiest way to get God’s attention, by seeking greater communication and intimacy with Him. For remember one of the reasons He created us is for us to LOVE Him and each other, and achieve an intimacy that’s pure and wholesome. But the main point of the whole process is sincerity. If we’re not sincere, then the Lord will ignore whatever we say. For unlike mankind, He doesn’t just listen to our words, but searches the depths of our hearts to discover our real motives.
And there are several scriptures which repeat that fact, beginning with this one from 1 Samuel, where the Lord admonished Samuel when he sent him to anoint a new king from the sons of Jesse, and Samuel looks on the comely and manly features of the eldest son, Eliab and believes that he is the chosen one. ‘But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature, because I have refused (rejected) him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.’ (1 Sam. 16:7)
And so it went, until the Lord chose the most unlikely of Jesse’s sons to be king, Bruh David, because he had a sincere heart for the Lord. Then, we have these words of Bruh David from Psalm 7 – A Plea for Protection from Enemies – where he declares: ‘The Lord shall judge the people: judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me. O let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins (tests the hearts and minds). My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.’ (Ps. 7:8-10)
Oh my people, being of an upright, sincere heart is ever so important in our relationships; both with God and with our fellow man. Although, like the prophet Jeremiah said so long ago: ‘The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked (incurably sick): who can know it?’ (Jer. 17:9) And that’s the indisputable truth! Man’s heart is oh so wicked that it cannot be trusted, especially in what looks like these last days, when negative and ungodly things like greed, deceit, envy, slander, strife, poverty, inequality are ruling the roost in our world.
That’s why Jeremiah follows up that verse with this one: ‘I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins (test the mind, the most secret parts), even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings (deeds).’ (Jer. 17:10) And knowing all that, it boggles my mind to think that so many of us, even supposed believers, still try to hide things from God eh? We go to Him with a lot of praise and whatever in our mouths, but our hearts are nowhere close to what our mouths are spewing.
It’s like Jesus said to the scribes and Pharisees: ‘This people draweth nigh (near) unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.’ (Matt. 15:8-9) And brother, is that ever happening in today’s society! The false prophets, the evil snake and His cohorts are running riot over the land with false doctrines, deceits and even outright lies. And sadly, many of us are buying into it!
But if we are true believers, we ought to know better, for as John warns in his first epistle: ‘Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try (test) the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is the spirit of the antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.’ (1 John 4:1-3)
And that’s ever so true friends, for the antichrist is raising a hue and cry all over our world right now, and we have to be very careful about what and whom we listen to. But hear this most important fact from the next verse. ‘Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.’ (1 John 4:4)
Now my people, if we don’t believe anything else today, please, let’s believe that, and please, let’s take it to heart, write it indelibly in souls, mind and bodies, because it is the gospel truth, and only as we believe it, and operate from that position of authority and power of the Holy Spirit, will we ever defeat the enemy. Much LOVE!
…it’s foolish to try and hide anything from God…for He created us…and is omniscient – all-knowing…knows everything about us…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
15 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a means of restoring faith in you, a modest but strong nature, a new flock of believers, a proud look, a word to the wise is sufficient, backsliders, be clothed with humility, be full of kindness and respect for others, be responsible and stay safe, be subject one to another, became obedient unto death, being found in fashion as a man, being in the form of God, better Christin witness, casting all your care upon him, cleanse me of pride, CNE Fair, concrete jungle, emptied himself of his privileges, error of their ways, escalating problems, even the death of the cross, every tongue confess, faith, find rest for your souls, freedom from pride and arrogance, Friday chant, gentle and humble, give me the grace to accept correction, God gives grace to the humble, God is shaping you, God resists the proud, haughty eyes, he humbled himself, he may exalt you in due time, help me to embrace the meekness of Christ, holy spirit, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, humility, I am meek and lowly, Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God, let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, LOVE, made himself of no reputation, made in the likeness of men, manifest humility every day, may my words and actions, meekness, mercy, omnipotent help, our sinful world, painful circumstances, radiate Christ's presence, rejoice, salvation, seek forgiveness, show mercy, simmering unrest, six things doth the Lord hate, take my yoke upon you, teach me to be truly humble, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, thank you Lord for your hand at work, the example we faithful believers set, the Master Potter, the name above every other name, the name to which every knee must bow, those who walk in humility, took upon him the form of a servant, tough times, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee, welcoming the weekend, whose Spirit lives within me, wisdom, wise guidance
1 Peter 5:5b. All of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
Now don’t be surprised that the Bit is so early friends. You know there must be a good reason for it, (smile) an early medical appointment in the concrete jungle called Toronto. And is it ever disgusting having to go there with all the road closures and the traffic jams and the building construction at every turn. Brother! I don’t see how people could live down there now nuh. Fifty odd years ago, when I first came here, living in Toronto was wonderful. But now it’s gotten so big and ugly and competitive, that it’s lost the glow it once had.
But that’s only my opinion. Other’s might have a much more positive take on the situation. And that doesn’t stop them from sending up loud shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! And the weekend is here.’ Welcoming the weekend is one of the important things we do nowadays. And oh, the CNE, the Canadian National Exhibition is opening its yearly fair today down on the CNE Grounds on the Lakeshore, so there will be even more traffic than normal. But since we cannot do anything about any of the those things that annoy or frustrate us, let’s see what the Lord has for us to talk about today.
Well, it seems to be the very important but rather touchy subject of humility. And what is humility? Basically, it’s a freedom from pride and arrogance. In scripture, it’s sometimes referred to as meekness; a modest but strong nature. And one of the things that God hates is false and overbearing pride. As Cousin Sol says in Proverbs: ‘These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination to him.’ (Prov. 5:16) And the first one is a proud and arrogant look, or haughty eyes. (Prov.5:17) And to help us deal with Humility, one of the recently published Prayer Cards by the In Touch Organization deals with that very problem.
Oh yes, it is a very serious problem in today’s world, as our society is much more interested in being proud and arrogant then being meek and humble. So please pray this prayer from that card with me. ‘Father, those who walk in humility radiate Christ’s presence. Teach me to be truly humble. Cleanse me of pride and help me embrace the meekness of my Saviour, whose Spirit lives within me. May my words and actions be full of kindness and respect for others. Give me the grace to accept correction, seek forgiveness, and show mercy. I welcome whatever You send into my life to humble me. You are the Master Potter. Thank You for Your hand at work. Amen.’
Now that’s a tough prayer to pray, because when you ask God for things like humility, be sure you’re going to encounter circumstances in which you’ll need it. And things like humility only come through tough and ofttimes painful circumstances. And the Prayer Card ends with this interesting note. ‘Is a current challenge teaching you humility? Rejoice – God is shaping you.’ Yes friends, we can only be shaped in the master Potter’s hands through tough times. But we must rejoice, for it’s bringing us closer to the perfect image of Christ.
And the scriptures the Prayer Card uses, comes, most appropriately from 1 Peter. ‘Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 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. 5:5-7) And we all know that to be the gospel truth, although we don’t always manifest it in our lives. But to be truly like Jesus, we need to be always, or as much as possible, meek and humble.
Jesus said it Himself in the Great Invitation. ‘Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me, for I am meek and lowly (gentle and humble) in heart: and ye shall find rest for your souls.’ (Matt. 11:29) Oh my people, there’s no one as humble as Jesus! Although He controls the universe, He never finds it necessary to boast, be haughty or arrogant, and for humans that comes only when you have an innate strength found in the person of Christ. It’s like Bruh Paul writes to the Philippians about Jesus’ earthly journey.
‘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) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ (Phil. 2:5-8) And we know the reward the Father granted Him for such humility and obedience: The exaltation of His name being above every other name, and that every knee should bow to His name, and every togue confess that He is Lord, all to the glory of the Father. (Phil, 2:9-11)
Likewise my fellow believers, if we humble ourselves, our heavenly Father will indeed exalt us in due time like Peter says. Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine help for our chaotic and disastrous world. 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 though our prayers might be heard, I believe the Lord expects, and most certainly deserves better Christian witness from us, before He floods us with divine aid. And they say a word to the wise is sufficient, so please let’s show ourselves to be wise nuh. Much LOVE!
…to be truly Christlike…Christians must manifest humility in their everyday lives…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
14 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a licentious society, a positive outlook on life, a strong will, abundance, Ahimelech, be as a tree planted by the waters, blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, boast of evil doing, Chrisitanity, come to know and love christ like we do, courage, creativity, curse, divine protection, Doeg the Edomite, duty bound, evildoers will be destroyed, faith, flourish like a green olive tree, God has given us all the good things we have, God shall likewuse destroy thee for ever, Goliath's sword, good freinds, good health, hallowed shrew bread, her leaf shall be green, holy spirit, I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever, I will praise thee for ever, I will wait on thy name, in the house of God, in the midst of thee, in thee are those who eat upon the mountais, it is good before the saints, Jesus Christ, Jesus has promised never to leave nor forsake us, like a green olive tree, like a sharp razor, living like Satan dictates, LOVE, lying rather than to speak righteousness, men that carry tales to shed blood, mercy, negative word' favour, neither shall cease from bearing fruit, pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, promotion, rejected God and his word, root thee out of the land of the living, salvation, Selah, self-control, self-discipline, shall not be careful in the year of drought, shall not see when heat comes, slander to cause bloodshed, spreadeth out her roots by the river, strife-filled and chaotic world, success, supernatural wisdom, take thee away, talent, the BIBLE, the breath of life, the goodness of God endureth continually, the land of the living, the penultimate day of the work week, the tongue deviseth mischief, the tongue plans destruction, they commit lewdness, thou deceitful tongue, thou lovest all devouring words, thou lovest eveil more than good, to help us whenever we call on him, trust in the Lord's goodness and mercy, truth, undeserved blessings, whose hope the Lord is, why boastest thou thyself in mischief, wisdom, working deceitfully
Psalm 52:8. But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.
And then it was Thursday, our penultimate day of the work week. And as the past many days, it’s opened bright and sunshiny, with a cool breeze wafting through the trees, but although it’s not too hot at midday, who knows how much the temperature will increase as the afternoon rolls in. But whatever happens, we will manage it wisely and successfully with Jesus’ awesome help, because He has promised to never leave nor forsake us and help us whenever we call on Him.
And today, the Good Library opened at an interesting but little considered Psalm 52, titled ‘Evildoers Will Be Destroyed,’ written by Bruh David when the betrayer Doeg, the Edomite, went to king Saul and told him that David had come to the house of Ahimelech, the priest, at Nob, who had given him the hallowed shrew bread and Goliath’s sword aiding his efforts to escape from Saul’s murderous hand. And we can find that story in 1 Samuel 21.
The scholars tell us that the psalm is one of eight Bruh David wrote while fleeing from Saul. He begins this one thus: ‘Why boastest thou thyself in mischief (evil doing), O mighty man? the goodness (LOVING-KINDNESS) of God endureth continually. The tongue deviseth mischief (plans destruction); like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. Thou LOVEST evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah. Thou LOVEST all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue.’ (Ps. 52:1-4)
Wow! Those are truly tough words. It’s like the prophet Ezekiel said of the people of Israel: ‘In thee are men that carry tales to shed blood (slander to cause bloodshed): and in thee they (are they who) eat upon the mountains: in the midst of thee they commit lewdness.’ (Ezek. 22:9) And isn’t that the very same thing that’s happening right now in our slanderous, dysfunctional and licentious society? Of course it is! For we have rejected God and His Word and are living like Satan dictates. No wonder the strife-filled and chaotic state of our world.
But getting back to the psalm, it’s interesting to note the scholars take on the first four verses. They say: ‘The description of Doeg is one of the most contemptuous in Scripture. But because of his betrayal Doeg will be destroyed.’ And Bruh David details that in the next verse. ‘God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah.’ (Ps. 52:5)
Now that’s certainly a wish for thorough destruction. However something good will come from it. That is: ‘The righteous shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him: Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness (destruction)’ (Ps. 52:6-7)
Yes friends, there are indeed valuable lessons to be learned from the destruction of the wicked. Unfortunately though, too many of us supposed believers don’t learn from it, and continue going in the way of the devil, down the wide and winding way that leads to destruction. But please remember, that all these scriptures about the destruction of the wicked are for our benefit, to enlighten us to the foolishness of following the diviner of darkness, Satan.
Instead we should be like Bruh David describes. ‘But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.’ (Ps. 52:8) Oh my faithful brethren, that’s what happens when we trust in the Lord’s goodness and mercy, we thrive and flourish like a green olive tree.
Or, as Jeremiah so beautifully puts it: ‘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 bearing fruit.’ (Jer. 17:7-8)
Oh my people, what a wonderful picture of what happens to those who trust in Almighty God! No wonder Bruh David ends the psalm thus: ‘I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints.’ (Ps. 52:9) That’s our best bet friends! Praising God for ever and ever is what it’s all about. And it’s one of the reasons He created us. So if we are wise and put our trust in God, then praise should come automatically. And consequently His goodness and mercy will follow us all the day long. It’s so simple and wonderful; praise and trust, bring goodness and mercy!
And also, through God’s great generosity, come undeserved blessings to do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings, so let’s declare and thus activate them right now nuh. 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 sincere declaration, we’re now duty bound to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…why don’t we LOVE, trust and praise our Creator…when He’s the one who’s given us all the good things we have…especially the breath of life…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
13 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a little of something good is better than none at all, believe in thine heart, believeth on him that sent me, by grace are ye saved through faith, Christ died on the cross to provide salvation, Christ rose for our justification, christianity, confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus Christ, cramping my style, endure to the end with Christ, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, faith in Christ, God made a way where there was no way, God raised him from the dead, God sent not his Son into the world to condemn it, God's divine sovereignty, halfway home, hands on the plough, hath everlasting life, he hath not believed, he that believeth not is condemned already, he that believeth on him is not condemned, he that heareth my word, holy spirit, human responsibility, in the name of the only begotten Son of God, in thy mouth and in thy heart, is passed from death into life, it is the gift of God, Jesus Christ, lest any man should boast, LOVE, mercy, no difference between the Jew and the Greek, not of works, not of yourselves, not turning back, prideful person, salvation, salvation by grace through faith, second wind day, shall not come into condemnation, so glad to be alive, thank God, the BIBLE, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the Lord died for our sins, the parched earth, the same Lord is rich, the scripture says, the word is nigh thee, the word of faith, the world through him might be saved, thou shalt be saved, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, unto all that call upon Him, Wednesday Wail, whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed, whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved, wisdom, with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, with the mouth confession is made unto salvation
Romans 10:13. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Well hello there Wednesday, you glorious summer’s day! Thanks for showing up and allowing us to catch our second wind in this hot and frustrating work week. And for once the forecasters were right; we did get about ten minutes of rain yesterday afternoon and a lot of noise from Thor on his drums. But unfortunately it made little difference to the parched earth or the temperature, for later in the evening I went outside, intending to sit on my porch and watch the populace go by with their many dogs and few children, but had to come right back inside because it was still too hot to sit out there.
Chuh man! This extremely hot weather is cramping my style. I can’t get to indulge in one of my summer pastimes of sitting on my porch in the evenings and enjoying whatever scene unfurls before me. (smile) I also believe we might have had a little rain sometime during the night, because the streets were wet when I looked outside.at dawn. That didn’t do much to ease the drought either, but we’re surely thankful for what little we got, since the great minds say, a little of something good, is better than none at all. And who am I to challenge them eh? (smile)
Anyway, we’re also very thankful for the breath of life that’s still flowing through us today, so let’s keep our promise of yesterday and continue looking at Bruh Paul’s writing to the Romans on the word of faith, after skillfully using Moses’ words in Deuteronomy 9:4, and 30:10-14, to amplify his own conviction. The last thing we saw yesterday is where he writes: ‘But what saith it? The word is nigh (near) thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach.’ (Rom. 10:8)
So, the word of faith, faith in Christ is what Bruh Paul is preaching. Thus he continues: ‘That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed (put to shame). For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ (Rom. 10: 10-13)
Now that fact was first prophesied by the prophet Joel, in Joel 2:32. And was later corroborated by Jesus in His talk with Nicodemus. He said to him: ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.’ (John 3:17-18) So you see friends, condemnation is a must, a certainty, if you don’t believe.
And later on Jesus told the Jews, who were desperately looking for something negative to prosecute Him with. ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation (judgement); but is passed from death into life.’ (John 5:24) So why would we be foolish and choose not to believe eh, when all the good things are in believing? Only a foolish, arrogant and very prideful person would do that! And thankfully, we’re none of those things. (smile)
But getting back to that last passage from Romans, the scholars offer some explanations on some of the things said therein. As per Confession is made unto salvation: They say: ‘One is not saved by his mouth’s confession, but rather, the mouth testifies readily of the grace of God in Christ which has been received by faith.’ Remember what Bruh Paul says in Ephesians? ‘For by grace are ye saved (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.’ (Eph. 2:8-9)
So all of the grace and saving is not from our strength or power, but as this excerpt from a commentary tells us: ‘By grace, we receive the faith that enables us to believe that He has sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross and provide the salvation … The Lord died for our sins and rose for our justification, and He forgives, freely and fully, those who accept His gift of grace in Christ—and that acceptance comes through faith. This is the meaning of salvation by grace through faith.’
And how do we get this faith that’s oh so necessary to believe? As Bruh Paul says later in Romans 10: ‘So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.’ (Rom. 10:17) So we must be introduced to the Word of God to be able to get faith in Him. And the scholars note that ‘it’s not faith in what is heard, but faith that comes about by what is heard.’ So you can hear the word and not have faith, like so many of us today, but when the word touches us, that’s when faith rises up.
And as per verse 13, the scholars explain about ‘Whosoever: As chapter 9 stressed divine sovereignty in salvation, this passage stresses human responsibility. Scripture does not view these two principles as paradoxical or contradictory, but as mutually compatible truths.’ In other words, the Lord’s job was to make salvation possible, but then it’s our responsibility to accept it. And as the scripture says, that salvation is available to ANYONE who shall call upon the Lord’s name, be ye Jew or heathen! What a wonderful God we serve my brethren, making salvation open to ALL of His human creation!
And since we’ve said enough to give us sufficient food for thought, (smile) let’s go home declaring (steups!!!) 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!’
But that’s not all friends, for there’s the promise that all who endure to the end with Jesus will enjoy a future that’s much more glorious than we can ever think or imagine. So please, let’s be wise and endure right to the very end with Jesus nuh, so that we can enjoy that more than glorious future together! Much LOVE!
…God so badly wanted us to spend eternity with Him…that He made a way…where there seemed to be no way…that’s what He also does…in the individual lives of those who believe in His Son Jesus Christ…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
12 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a stiffnecked people, a zeal for God, be renewed and revitalized, children of the Most High God Jehovah, Christ is the end of the law for righteousness, christianity, come to know and love christ like we do, establish their own righteousness, faith, generous grace and mercy, god moves in mysterious ways, God's greatest creation, God's initiative in grace, God's omnipotent power, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God, hearken unto the word of the Lord, heat advisory, holy spirit, hurry, if God spares life, ignorant of God's righteousness, in god's eyes, in thy mouth and in thy heart, Israel mistook the purpose of the law, Israel's foolish rejection of Christ, Jesus Christ, lift our heads and hearts to heaven, lock stock and barrel, LOVE, man's humble obedience to God's grace, mercy, mistook the scope of the law, not according to knowledge, others can come to know and love Christ like we do, pinned their hopes on their own religious achievement, promises of rain, righteousness is universally available, righteousness only attainable by belief in Christ, salvation, say not in thine heart, seeking redemption in God's mercy, share His love with my neighbours, substituted works for faith, Thank You Lord, thanks to God's goodness and mercy, the awesome truth, the beloved of God, the BIBLE, the law points to, the purpose of the law, the word is nigh thee, the word of faith, to all who respond to God's revelation of Himself, to every one that believes, to whom we belong, trust my friend Jesuss, truth, Tuesday Mantra, turn from their rebellious ways, we can do anything within God's will, we praise and glorify your holy name, who shall ascend into heaven, who shall descend into the deep, wisdom, worry, your undying love
Romans 10:8. The word is nigh (near) thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is the word of faith, which we preach;
And then it was Tuesday, with Monday being consigned to the confines of history. But unfortunately only the name has changed, for it’s still a very hot and humid summer’s day, with an ongoing heat advisory, although there are some vague promises of rain in the offing…but I wouldn’t count on that, because I’ve heard that story before. (smile) Anyway, however it turns out, let’s remember that we are children of the Most High God Jehovah, and can do anything we need to, within His will, and with His omnipotent power.
And all God’s children cried out in thanksgiving: ‘Thank You Lord for your undying LOVE, and generous grace and mercy, without which we would certainly be in an even bigger muddle than we currently are in! We praise and glorify Your Holy Name! Amen!’ And isn’t that the awesome truth! For without our hope, faith and trust in Almighty God, we’d be in really bad shape. But thanks to His goodness and mercy, we can lift up our heads and hearts, hands and eyes to heaven and be renewed and revitalized.
Now, I’m chuckling here, because our God is indeed a great God, and does move in mysterious ways, for a few minutes ago, I opened the Good Library in front of me, but never paid attention to where it opened. But just now I looked at it and saw it opened unto the epistle of Bruh Paul to the Romans, and right there was the stuff that we were just talking about. Bruh Paul, in writing to Israel about their foolish rejection of Christ, tells them:
‘Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record (witness) that they have a zeal of (for) God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. For Moses describeth (writes about) the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.’ (Rom. 10:1-5)
And what does all of that mean? The scholars explain it thus: ‘Christ is the end of the law: Israel mistook the purpose of the law. The law pointed to the righteousness that is attainable only by belief in Christ. Israel also mistook the scope of the law. The righteousness to which it pointed was universally available to all who responded to God’s revelation of Himself through the law. But by Paul’s time many had substituted works for faith. Rather than seeking redemption in God’s mercy, they pinned their hopes on their own religious achievement.’
And Bruh Paul continues: ‘But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) Or, who shall descend into the deep (abyss)? (that is, to bring Christ up again from the dead.) But what saith it? The word is nigh (near) thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is the word of faith, which we preach;’ (Rom. 10:5-8)
Now that certainly sounds like a mouthful, but as the scholars explain: ‘Paul skillfully weaves together quotations from Deuteronomy 9:4, and 30:10-14, which speak of God’s initiative in grace and man’s humble obedience to it. He then applies this truth to the gospel of Christ.’ And briefly, in the passage from Deuteronomy 9, Moses is castigating the people, letting them know that the Lord is not offering them the Promised Land because of their righteousness or uprightness of their heart, but because of the wickedness of the nations who then inhabited it. For Israel were a stiffnecked, or rebellious and stubborn people.
Meanwhile in Deuteronomy 30, Moses is telling Israel they can get away from their cursed life, if they turn from their rebellious ways and hearken unto the word of the Lord, and keep His commandments with all their hearts and souls. ‘For this commandment which I command thee this day, is not hidden from thee (is not too mysterious for thee), neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? But the word is very nigh (near) unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.’ (Deut. 30:11-14)
Ah friends, Bruh Paul had to know his scriptures to so skillfully weave those points from Moses into his own teaching. In other words, God’s commandments and Word is not far from us, that we have to depend on someone to get them for us. No! They have already been offered to us, and consequently are right with us; in our hearts, mouths, souls and bodies. Therefore it’s up to us to follow them. And I think we’ll stop there for today, because the Bit will get too long and heavy, if we continue with the rest of the stuff we want to talk about. So tomorrow, if God spares life, we’ll continue talking about Bruh Paul’s take, on the word of faith.
Now, for those of us who are doing our best to live the way we ought to, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And having said that, it now behooves us 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!
…we don’t deserve anything from God…but because of His great LOVE and compassion for us…His greatest creation…He generously offers us all that He is and has…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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