07 Jun 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a free day to look forward to, a rewarder of them that diligently seek him, according to his work, as a thief in the night, be merciful as your Father is merciful, Bible, carry them in his bosom, christianity, diligence, divine aid, do good, faith, faithful believers, faithfulness, feed his flock like a shepherd, Friday chant, gather the lambs with his arm, gently lead those that are with young, god, he that cometh to God must believe that He is, his reward is with him, his work is before him, hoping for nothing again, I come quickly, Jesus, Jesus Christ, lend, living fully for Christ, LOVE, Love your enemies, mercy, my reward is with me, our sinful world, restoring faith in God, return backsliders to your fold, simmering unrest, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the benefits of living for Christ, the children of the Highest, the crown of life, the error of their ways, the Lord God will come with strong hand, the Lord promised to the that love him, the rewards, the throne of grace, the weekend, tired as a dog, to give to every man, traffic jams, true disciples of Christ, truth, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee, when he is tried, wisdom, wise guidance, without faith it is impossible to please God, your reward shall be great
Revelation 22:12. And behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give to every man according as his work shall be.
And that distinctive weekly shout has gone out all around the world: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! Just let me at that weekend!’ Ah mih people, we do LOVE our weekends, because they belong to us, not to any employer, and we don’t have to get up early to go to work, nor face frustrating traffics jams to get there, then spend the whole day with people we don’t like, or who don’t like us, then face more irritating traffic jams to get back home, tired as a dog. No, the weekend is ours; sanctified as such. (smile) But we still have to get through Friday. No problem! Apparently since we have a free day to look forward to tomorrow.
How wonderful it would be if we could look forward to Christ and His salvation the same way, meaning, we’d have no problem living fully for Him today! That’s a major problem though with believers; for with Christ we can only look to today, that makes it difficult to live sincerely and fully for Him. But just imagine the rewards and benefits we’ll be having in heaven with Jesus nuh. Remember what He says in Revelation: ‘And behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give to every man according as his work shall be.’ (Rev. 22:12)
That means Jesus can come at any time, like the proverbial thief in the night, and when He comes He will be rewarding people for their work on His behalf. So, if we want to get good rewards, then our work must be good. It’s as simple as that! And there is talk of rewards for working on Jesus’ behalf all though God’s Word. Let’s check out a few, like this one from Isaiah, where centuries before he spoke about the Lord’s coming with rewards.
‘Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand (in strength), and his arm shall rule for him: behold his reward is with him, and his work (wage) before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.’ (Is. 40:10-11) What a beautiful picture my brethren of Jesus’ coming and the work He will do. Doesn’t that just lift your spirits and increase your faith? It ought to, since it was prophesied long before the actual coming of Jesus.
Now, here’s this scripture from Hebrews that speaks directly to our point.. ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him (God): for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb.11:6) Yes friends, it’s ever so necessary to believe that God exists and He rewards those who diligently seek Him. That’s from the famous chapter on faith, with people like Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joseph not knowing or seeing what lay ahead of them, but nonetheless placing their total trust and faith in the Lord God Almighty when He directed them to do things they knew not how to do, or to go places, not knowing exactly where they were going.
And they were all greatly rewarded by Him for their diligence and faithfulness. The same thing applies to us today, as Jesus says in the gospel of Luke. ‘But LOVE your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again (in return); and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father is merciful.’ (Luke 6:35-36)
However, at this current time in the world’s existence, rather unfortunately, the words ‘mercy and merciful’ are not well known, nor are their fruit much extended like our heavenly Father desires. What a pity! For if they and their fruit were better known and extended, then there would not be as much strife, greed, hatred and selfishness as there currently is on God’s great earth!
And James, Jesus’ brother, adds his two cents worth to the mix, when he writes in his epistle: ‘Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that LOVE him.’ (James 1:12) Ah my fellow saints, all throughout the Good Library, the Bible, the indisputable truth of God’s Word, are deeply embedded promises of rewards, righteousness and all kinds of other goodies for expending one’s time and talents on the Lord’s behalf. Let’s hope that with today’s revisiting of some of those scriptures that our hope and faith will be renewed and lead us to better fulfill God’s plan for our lives.
Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid to help in these desperate times of need. 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!’
Lastly, let’s remember these very significant words from our prayer: ‘the example, we, your faithful believers set.’ And then go out and be very good examples, so others can see the benefits of believing in Jesus and follow our example. That’s the first step in receiving divine aid! Much LOVE!
…many more salty…light filled…true disciples of Christ…is what our world badly needs…RIGHT NOW…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
06 Jun 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a condition of the soul, a modicum of circumspection, a strong will, all god does is for our benefit, an attitude of total trust, at the end of ourselves, begging for mercy, Bible, both hope and wait, christianity, commit thy way unto the Lord, consistent and responsible service to God, curse, disobedience, faith, faithfulness, favour, gad about free and easy, give thee the desires of thine heart, god, great is thy faithfulness, hardship, he cannot deny himself, his compassions fail not, hold our heads and bawl, holy spirit, hope, is humbled in me, it is good that a man, Jesus Christ, Lamentations, LOVE, marked by a stable character, mercy, my soul hath them still in remembrance, negative word, never lead us astray, never lose hope in God, new every morning, pain, real faith, remembering mine affliction, salvation, seek ye the kingdom of God, self-discipline, sin, the Lord is good to them that wait for him, the Lord is my portion saith my soul, the Lord's mercies, the salvation of the Lord, the wormwood and the gall, therefore I have hope, therefore will I hope in him, this I recall to mind, Thursday Blessings, to the soul that seeketh him, trust in the Lord and do good, unconditional LOVE, we're not consumed, wisdom, yet he abideth faithful
Lamentations 3:24. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
It’s Thursday friends! One more day and it will be Friday, and the weekend will be here! Give the Lord thanks and praise! (smile) Ah, we do LOVE our weekends, especially the summer ones, where we can gad about free and easy and enjoy the hijinks of the summer season. However, though it’s good to be free and easy, let’s remember that when too many free and easy things are overdone, they eventually bring hardship and pain, and then we hold our heads and bawl, saying why didn’t I think about it before I did it.
And yes, we have to do some of that to learn what life is truly all about. But the earlier we learn to have a modicum of circumspection, the better off we’ll be. Now, having expounded such wonderful advice, I’m at a loss for something to talk about today. So let’s see where the Good Library will lead us nuh. (smile) I’m sure it will never lead us astray.
And lo, and behold, it opened unto the Book of Lamentations, where the prophet Jeremiah shed tears for both himself and his people. But then, he remembers the Lord’s faithfulness in all the negative situations that he and his people had faced. Then he laments: ‘Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall (bitterness). My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled (bowed down) in me. This I recall to mind, therefore have I hope.’ (Lam. 3:19-21)
Yes friends, though we go through tough times, experience the bitterness of wormwood-like stuff, it is essential that we never lose hope in our wonderful God. For He only tests or chastens us for our own benefit. And as Jeremiah so wisely and rightly continues: ‘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. 3:22-23) And that’s the gospel truth my people. If it wasn’t for the Lord’s mercies, LOVE and compassion on us, we’d be wiped off the face of the earth long ago. He is ever so faithful to us, although we don’t return the faithfulness.
As Bruh Paul said to Timothy. ‘It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer (endure), we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not (are faithless), yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.’ (2 Tim. 2:11-13) Yuh see mih bredrin, the Lord’s faithfulness is so embedded in Him, that even if He wanted to, He could not be unfaithful! And we’d better be thankful for that, with all the nonsense, all the sin and disobedience we commit, when it’s also a requirement for us to be faithful in our lives and service to God.
But then, when things get hard, when we find ourselves at the end of ourselves, we run crying to Him, begging for mercy and He hears us and offers His mercy, compassion and unconditional LOVE! And it’s interesting to hear what the scholars say about real faith. ‘Real faith is more than inner belief, even more than whole-souled committal. It is a condition of the soul marked by such a stable character and an attitude of total trust that the believer’s whole life is imbued with consistent, responsible service to God. (cf. 1 Sam. 26:23; Ps. 37:3-6). From the biblical standpoint, true faith results in faithfulness in one’s life.’
And we admit that that’s not easy to do, with all the temptations and negative situations we encounter, but we have the help of the Holy Spirit, and I’m sure we can do much better than we’re currently doing, if we only paid greater attention to His still small voice that leads and guides us. And these words from Jeremiah’s lament point the way to where our hearts ought to be steadfastly directed. ‘The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam. 3:24-26)
The question is my people, do we feel as strongly about those words as Jeremiah did? Obviously not. For if we did, then we would not be so disobedient and rebellious, and would show much more faithfulness, more discipleship, be full of salt and light in our daily lives. Remember that though our God is faithful, merciful, LOVING, and all those good things, if we claim to be believers, yet continue to be unfaithful, we will eventually pay a high price for it.
That’s why the scholars referenced above, these wise words of Bruh David. ‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on his faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto he Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday.’ (Ps. 37:3-6)
That’s all we have to do friends; trust in the Lord, and do good; delight ourselves in him, and commit our way to Him. He will do the rest. As Jesus said: ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) The same thing goes for if we trust and delight in God and commit our ways to Him. Now let’s declare (chuhhh!!!) our Thursday Blessings so we can activate them. Those blessings so generously bestowed on us so that we can do God’s earthly work.
As one: ‘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!’
Now, let’s go out and use those blessings on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…faithfulness is a requirement…to whatever cause we hold dear to our hearts…
05 Jun 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a snowball's chance in hell, against forces of spiritual wickedness, an individual and corporate matter, avail ourselves of God's provision, Bible, christianity, Christians should never quit, deliver us from this present evil world, departed from him for a season, developed evil to a high science, endure to the very end, faith, fighting a spiritual battle, fully clothed in the Lord's armour, god, God's breath of life, grace be to you, halfway home, hands on the plough, having done all to stand, holy cahracter, holy spirit, Jesus Christ, knowledge of the truth of God's Word, LOVE, moral conduct, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, not looking back, our Lord Jesus Christ, peace from God the Father, praying always with all prayer, put on the whole armour of God, quench the fiery darts of the wicked one, rebuking the enemy, salvation, spiritual combat, spiritual warfare, thank God, the breastplate of righteousness, the devil never quits, the helmet of slavation, the preparation of the gospel of peace, the protective armour of God, the shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit, the wiles of the enemy, the Word of god, to a glorious future with Jesus, to successfully navigate this evil world, to whom be glory for ever and ever, truth, until an opportune time, watching thereunto, Wednesday Wail, who gave himself for our sins, willing to advance against the enemy, wisdom, with all perseverance and supplication for all saints, ye may be able to stand, your feet shod, your loins girt about with truth
Ephesians 6:11. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.
Well a good Wednesday morning to all you my Scrip-Bit friends and family out there in this crazy and turbulent world! And I do hope we all are handling our trials and tribulations in a calm and godly manner. Now, as Bruh Paul was won’t to greet the churches in his letters, and this particular one to those in Galatia: ‘Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world (age) according to the will of God and our Father: To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.’ (Gal. 1:3-5)
Yes friends, do we ever need the grace and peace of our Triune God if we’re to successfully navigate this evil and lawless world. And if Bruh Paul thought his time was bad and evil, he should be living now, when we’ve developed evil to a high science. And the only way to navigate this evil world successfully is as Bruh Paul writes to the Ephesians. ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.’ (Eph. 6:11)
Oh my brethren, if we’re not fully clothed in the Lord’s armour, then we don’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell of rebuking the enemy. Let’s understand that from the get-go. ‘For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world (age), against spiritual (hosts) of wickedness in high places.’ (Eph. 6:12) That means we’re not fighting a physical but spiritual battle, against forces of spiritual wickedness: ‘Wherefore take unto you (take up, put on) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.’ (Eph. 6:13)
Ah mih people, it’s a tough fight in which we’re involved, one to the death, for the enemy is not going to give any leeway, neither should we. And we can’t do that, we can’t stand our ground, without being fully clothed in God’s armour. The scholars explain that last verse thus: ‘Wherefore means “because of this,” that is, because we face such a formidable foe, we must avail ourselves of God’s provision lest the enemy destroy our Christian witness and ministry. The evil day refers to the periodic demonic onslaughts and Satanic assaults. Having done all includes both dressing oneself in God’s armour and resisting Satan. Having done all these, be ready, for the devil will attack again and again.’
That reminds us of this scripture from Luke after the devil tempted Jesus in the wilderness. ‘And when the devil had ended all the temptation (testing), he departed from him for a season (until an opportune time.’ (Luke 4:13) Yes mih bredrin, the devil never quits. If you successfully resist for a time, then he will go away, but be sure that once you’re breathing God’s breath of life, he will surely come back at a later date, with more evil schemes to test you. That’s why we have to stay always dressed in that protective armour of God. And what’s this protective armour you ask?
Well let’s refresh our memories. And to help us better understand Bruh Paul’s words, I have embedded some of the scholars’ explanations in the verses. He writes: ‘Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth; (or your waist girded with a knowledge of the truth of God’s word), and having on the breastplate of righteousness (that’s a holy character and moral conduct. Obedience to the “truth” known produces a godly life (righteousness). And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace (that’s eagerness that comes from the gospel of peace, or a willingness to advance against the enemy and take the fight to him. The gospel gives peace to the believer freeing him from anxiety, though he advances against a powerful opponent).
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked (one). (And that shield of (which is) faith means taking God at His word by believing His promises. Such trust will protect one from doubts induced by Satan.) And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: (This helmet is the hope of salvation, the certainty (assurance) of salvation. And the sword of the Spirit is God’s word, possibly referring not to the whole Word of God, but to certain portions or selected verses of scripture). Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for the saints.’ (Eph. 6:14-18)
Oh my people, those first six parts of armour are important to keep us from the devil’s evil schemes, but they are of no use without the mammoth assistance of prayer. As the scholars say: ‘Without prayer God’s armour is inadequate to achieve victory. Prayer is indispensable. Always means on every occasion that Satan attacks. In the Spirit signifies that with the Spirit’s help such prayer for divine aid is to be made. Watching thereunto means “being vigilant in this very matter” of prayer. They are to pray not just for themselves but for all saints; spiritual combat is both an individual and corporate matter.’
Oh my fellow saints, let’s hope that that revision of how to protect ourselves from the evil schemes and temptations of Satan are timely, and that we renew our vigilance and understanding of God’s armour, of His provision for our protection, and that we faithfully put it on and stand. Yes, that we stand strong against the evil forces of this world of darkness. And for those of us who are sincerely trying to do that, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) 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 endure with Christ to the very end, then it’s been promised that that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine. So please, let’s be wise and plan to meet at the very end and enjoy that more than glorious future nuh! Much LOVE!
…no soldier goes into battle without the proper protective armour…neither should Christians…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
04 Jun 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, all such rejoicing is evil, all the ways of man are clean in his own eyes, and doesn't do it, Bible, boast not of tomorrow, buy and sell and get gain, christianity, commit thy works unto the Lord, duty bound, faith, from the Lord, god, God has the last word, hurry, if the Lord will, in god's eyes, it is even a vapour, it is sin, Jesus, Jesus Christ, lock stock and barrel, LOVE, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, share His love with my neighbours, sharper than any twoedged sword, sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof, take no thought for the morrow, that appears for a little time, the answer of the tongue, the beloved of God, the best laid plans of mice and men usually go astray, the Lord weighs his spirit, the preparations of the heart, the Word of God is quick and powerful, then vanishes, thou knowest not what a day may bring forth, thy thoughts shall be established, to him that knows to do good, tommorow is not promised to us, tomorrow will worry about itself, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, what is your life, wisdom, worry
Proverbs 27:1. Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.
And the days continue to move right along with no thought for our problems or negative circumstances. (smile) Yes, Monday has come and gone, and Tuesday is going about its business like there was no tomorrow. And for Tuesday, there is no tomorrow, just Wednesday anxiously waiting in the wings to take its place. Therefore it has to do whatever it needs to do today. Likewise, we believers in Jesus Christ don’t know if we’ll live to see tomorrow, consequently we should be up and about our Father’s business today, not leaving anything we can do today for the proverbial tomorrow.
Remember Cousin Sol’s wise words from Proverbs? ‘Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.’ (Prov. 27:1) And that’s the gospel truth, for look at how many plans we make for the morrow, plans that seem so foolproof, but yet when tomorrow finally shows up, we have to jettison those plans because of other more important matters. Yes friends, that scripture tells us that we are not promised tomorrow. Each day could be our last day and as believers, knowing this should change how we spend our daily lives. That’s doing what we ought to in light of God’s will and plan for our lives.
And Jesus adds to that by saying in his Sermon on the Mount: ‘Take 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) In other words He’s warning us: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” And so it does. Yesterday, Monday, had its individual problems, so will today Tuesday, and so will tomorrow Wednesday. Some troubles might carry over from one day to the next, but be sure that each new day will bring its own problems to the front.
And with all of that in mind, we can turn to the epistle of James, who goes even further when he writes that rejoicing in boastings is evil. He says: ‘Go to now (come now), ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain (make a profit): Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice (boast) in your boastings (arrogance): all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.’ (James 4:13-17)
Jesus’ brother is really socking it to us. And He’s quite right, in these selfish and greedy times we make boastful and arrogant plans to do things without any thought to what Almighty God desires, and when He squashes those plans we wonder why such well-laid plans did not materialize. And again Cousin Sol has wise advice for us in Proverbs, that treasure trove of wisdom. ‘The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth his spirit. Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.’ (Prov. 16:1-3)
In other words: ‘We may make our plans, but God has the last word. You may think everything you do is right, but the LORD judges your motives. Ask the LORD to bless your plans, and you will be successful in carrying them out.’ That’s it in plain and simple language my brethren! Or as the old people would say, ‘Man plans, but God laughs.’ Also, ‘The best laid plans of man and mice go astray.’ It all shows the overwhelming importance of bringing God into our everyday lives and plans. We shouldn’t make a move without consulting Him. He might not answer right away, but most of the time we know what is right, and as James says, if we know that and don’t do it, then it’s considered sin on our part.
Let’s remember that the Lord is sovereign, even over a man’s thoughts and words, and He is also the great discerner of motives. As the author of Hebrews reminds us: ‘For the word of God is quick (alive, living) and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of (able to judge) the thoughts and intents (intentions) of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest (not hidden) in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do (must give account),’ (Heb. 4:12-13)
My fellow saints, we cannot run from or hide anything from our Creator and Controller. So I don’t know why we foolishly insist on doing it. Please, let’s wake up and see ourselves for what we truly are nuh. That’s creations of God, to whom He gave free will, but that doesn’t mean He doesn’t keep tabs on us and just allows us to do what and go where we want. Absolutely not! In His own time, according to His will, He is going to foul up our well laid plans, if we don’t include Him in them. And that’s the long and short of the story! (smile).
Now for those of us who are trying our best to live according to God’s will, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) 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 made that declaration (awright!!!) we are now 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!
…if God is not in it…then there’s a strong possibility it won’t be successful…
03 Jun 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a form of godliness, abideth for ever, adrift on a stormy sea, artificial intelligence, Bible, blasphemers, boasters, chaos, checks and balances, christianity, cleanse us from all unrighteousness, covetous, disobedient to parents, enjoying life, evil ways, faith, forgive our sins, forgiving God, god, God is light, gracious, he that doeth the will of God, holy spirit, humble servants, in him is no darkness, in the last days, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus, Jesus Christ, lawlessness, leads to Satan's lair, LOVE, love not the world, lovers of their own selves, make it safely home, merciful, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, neither the things that are in the world, perilous times, proud, self-interests, strong faith in Christ, the devil's own, the directionless road, the God who heals, the love of the Father, the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, the pride of life, the rule of law, the world passeth away, traitors, truth, unholy, usurps our weekend, walk in darkness, walk in the light of Jesus, walking the straight road to heaven, wisdom, wolves in sheep's clothing
1 John 2:15a. LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world.
It’s here friends, right on schedule…Monday…that day so many of us detest, because we believe that it usurps our weekend. (smile) But Monday is just keeping us on the straight and narrow path, reminding us that working for a living is as important, if not more important than just hanging around doing nothing productive, or what we call enjoying life. Without Mondays to wake us up to the reality of life, so many of us would be lost and adrift on a stormy sea of lawlessness and chaos.
So instead of disliking Mondays, let’s tell it thanks for bringing us back into the real world every week. (smile) And it’s especially important for we believers in Christ Jesus who need as many checks and balances as we can get to keep us walking the straight road to heaven and not the directionless one that leads to Satan’s lair.
For as Bruh Paul warned Timothy and by extension us: ‘This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous (money lovers), boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers (irreconcilable), false accusers (slanderers), incontinent (without self-control), fierce (brutal), despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady (reckless), highminded (haughty), lovers of pleasures more (rather) than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.’ (2 Tim. 3:1-5)
Ah mih bredrin, I don’t know if these are really the last days or not nuh, but I do know that those traits Bruh Paul outlined to Timothy are now sweeping our world with an intensity and viciousness like we’ve never seen before. The rule of law is being overturned in numerous places, only to be replaced by strife and chaos. Likewise the rule of God is disregarded as if it never existed. That means apostasy, or turning away from God is a major casualty in these turbulent times.
We also have a warning from John in his first epistle about the chaotic situation that’s in progress in our world. He says: ‘LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh (physical desires), and the lust of the eyes (personal desires), and the pride of life (self-interests), is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.’ (1 John 2:15-17)
Now that’s a plain as day. All the stuff that’s happening in the world is not of God, and as children of God we ought to stay away from it. And let’s not forget the ongoing problem we have of false teachers, who are also out in great numbers. They preach their own version of the Bible, slanted towards their own aggrandizement and though it seems that they are in tune with God, in actual fact they are the devil’s own, like wolves in sheep’s clothing, and thus have God’s people unknowingly going astray.
That’s why it’s ever so important for believers to truly know God’s Word, so that they can compare what they hear and see to what the Word says, because there are so many unscrupulous people out there taking advantage of those with little or weak knowledge of God’s Word. Christianity is definitely not an easy path to tread these days, since there are so many pitfalls being laid out to capture the weary, the gullible and those who simply don’t know any better.
And with all the new technology, like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the social media platforms, falsehood and deceit are running rampant and will only get worse as our areas of expertise and knowledge widen. Thus we believers ought to exert every effort to do as John advises: ‘This then is the message which we have heard of him (Jesus), and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not (practice) the truth:
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.’ (1 John 1:5-10)
That my fellow saints is the style of life we need to adopt; walk in the light of Jesus and do our best not to be entrapped by the profusion of sin and temptation that’s currently in the world. However, if we do become ensnared by it, then we must not deceive ourselves or be ashamed, but be big enough to admit it and go to the Father in repentance for forgiveness and cleansing. Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, for help to keep walking the straight path in these very dangerous and ungodly 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!’
Let’s not forget the importance of turning from our evil ways, if we truly desire divine assistance. Much LOVE!
…the road may be rough and rocky…but we have all we need to make it safely home…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
02 Jun 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a name above every other, all knees will one day bow, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me, before the foundation of the world, Bible, bowing to the Father's will, burst your eardrums, complete the good work He's begun, confess that Jesus is Lord, Danny Gokey, earthly comforts, faith, fellowship, free will, give me Jesus, god, him that cometh to me, holy spirit, I only want Jesus, in the morning when I rise, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus is all I need, Jesus is enough, Jesus' ferocious goodness, LOVE, my rest and refuge, omnipotent god, selfless Son Jesus, set free from Satan's evil talons, Sunday, tears of sorrow, the answer to my prayers, the calm in the storm, the Lion of Judah, the Lord's sanctuary, the way the truth and the life, thou lovedst me, to the glory of the Father, truth, when I am alone, when I come to die, when I lay my head down, when I wake up, will I in no wise cast out, worship, you can have all this world
John 6:37. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise (certainly not) cast out.
One more Sunday…one more visit to the Lord’s sanctuary…to meet with friends and neighbours…to celebrate God’s goodness…and give Him thanks and praise for all He’s done for us, especially sending His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross of Calvary to atone for our sins! Oh what a majestic sovereign, omnipotent God and heavenly Father He is!
That’s why we LOVE and adore Him so much, and the same goes for His salty, light filled, sinless and selfless Son Jesus, who, though He did no wrong, bowed to the Father’s request and bore the sins of the whole world on His shoulders, suffering great indignity and cruelty so that we could be set free from Satan’s evil talons. And for that unselfish deed, the Father gave Him the name above every other name, and to whom all knees will one day bow, and confess that He is Lord, to the glory of the Father. (Phil. 2: 9-11)
Yes friends, one day, both believers and unbelievers will acknowledge Jesus as Lord and bow to Him in submission and worship, giving Him the honor, respect and glory He so richly and rightfully deserves. And we’ve said all of that so we can open our worship with this beautiful song that pays homage to Jesus, assenting that we want nothing else but Him, that He is indeed enough for us. And the name of the song is simply titled, ‘Give Me Jesus.’
And what does it really mean eh? This commentary puts it very succinctly: ‘The words “give me Jesus” are more than just a saying. To say, “you can have all this world, but give me Jesus” is to let go of all earthly comforts and things and take hold of what truly matters, Christ.’ Yes mih bredrin, Christ is all that really matters in this world.
And where did the song come from you ask? No one seems to really know, but it seems that the earliest known version of “Give Me Jesus” was published in the United States in 1845 by the Rev. Jacob Knapp, a Baptist minister from New York. By 1849 the Methodists published a version, and the song was popularized in the mid-nineteenth century through various camp meetings and hymnals. Anyway it became very popular down through the ensuing years even been sung by the African Slaves on the Southern American Plantations.
Consequently, it’s been changed and rearranged numerous times, but today we’re going to sing a version done by Danny Gokey, in a soulful, scintillating mood, accompanied by hauntingly beautiful music and background voices. (smile) So let’s offer up our sweet sacrifices of praise in all sincerity and truth. Singing: ‘Ohhh ohhh, Give me Jesus… In the morning, when I rise In the morning, when I rise In the morning, when I rise Give me Jesus. (Chorus: Give me Jesus, Give me Jesus. You can have all this world, Just give me Jesus.)
When I am alone, Oh When I am alone, When I am alone, Give me Jesus. (Give me Jesus. Give me Jesus, Give me Jesus. You can have all this world, Just give me Jesus. For He is all that I need. Just give me Jesus) When I come to die, Oh, When I come to die, When I come to die, Give me Jesus. (Ohhhh Give me Jesus. Give me Jesus, Give me Jesus. You can have all this world, Just give me Jesus. Oh it’s all I need, all I need is Jesus.
So Give me Jesus. You can have all this world, Just give me Jesus. Give me Jesus, He’s all I need. Give me Jesus…in the morning when I rise…when I lay my head down… when I wake up, when I lay my head down, said I need him, said I need you… said I only want Jesus…when I wake up… Just give me Jesus. All I need is him. We worship you, we worship you, say we worship you Lord. You’re the answer to my prayers, you’re the calm in the storm, you’re my rest and my refuge…oh yeahhh…’
Ah friends, that was wonderful…and heartfelt too. Such sweet singing doesn’t occur unless one feels it in one’s heart. And wonder of wonders, I discovered a blog written by Trevin Wax on the song in 2021, and I’d like share some of it with us today because He does get the right idea and enthusiasm that comes with hollering out for Jesus, and wanting ONLY Him in this crazy world.
He writes: ‘Crying out for Jesus is more than yearning for safety; we want His ferocious goodness. The Lion of Judah’s roar can burst your eardrums, but in His mane you can bury your head and cry out all your tears of sorrow. Untameable, unfathomable, unexplainable—He’s a fire that bursts into a blaze, burning away our sins, yet still warming our hearts. And so, friend, wherever you may be at this time, a year after so many things in our world changed, don’t lose sight of the One who saved you, the One who even now sustains you when you don’t sense His presence—the One who promises to complete the good work He has begun in you. (Phil. 1:6)
We sing “Give Me Jesus” because we want what He wants. He is the One who prayed that we would be with Him and see His glory (John 17:24).’ And I’ve included that verse, which says: ‘Father, I will (desire) that they also whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou LOVEDST me before the foundation of the world.’
‘We sing “Give Me Jesus” because we trust wehave been given to Him, and we believe His promise that we will never be cast out (John 6:37).’ And that verse is our Bit for today: ‘All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise (certainly not) cast out.’
We sing “Give me Jesus” because on the cross, when the glory and LOVE of God was manifested in the Son bowing to His Father’s will, His heart was singing for us, “Give me my Bride.” Jesus LOVES me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.’
And it certainly does my people! But it’s up to us to believe it. The Lord gave us free will, and we can choose whatever we want, but just remember that there will be a serious price to pay if we don’t choose Jesus! Much LOVE!
…Jesus is the way…the truth…and the life…and no one enters the pearly gates…except through Him…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
01 Jun 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a deflated balloon, a wise believer is always ready, be anxious for nothing, be patient therefore brethren, behold I come quickly, blessed is he that keepeth, christianity, crapaud smoke we pipe, deepen my breath, establish your hearts, evil world, faith, god, graciousness, grudge not one against the other, he hears us, holy spirit, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, if we ask anything according to His will, in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus is spiritually near, judge the believer, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, lest ye be condemned, let your moderation be known, like a thief in the night, long patience, LOVE, prayer, relax my muscles, rest and joy in the Lord's presence, slow my thoughts, thank you for this tenderness, the coming of the Lord, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit, the judge standeth before the door, the Lord is at hand, the peace of God which passeth all understading, the sayings of this prophecy, this is the confidence that we have in Him, truth, we have the petitions we desired, what a wonderful God we worship, wisdom, words of warning, you can't be contained, your love surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Philippians 4:5b. The Lord is at hand.
And this first day of June 2024, a lazy-day Saturday, has opened bright, sunshiny and warm! All thanks be to God for letting us see another day on this earth with the wondrous help of His Son Jesus Christ looking out for us in heaven, and His Holy Spirit dwelling within us down here to lead, guide and comfort us in all our troubles! What a wonderful God we worship my brethren! And am I ever so sorry and heart-broken for those who don’t feel the same way, because His is the only real truth, LOVE and peace we’ll ever experience in this currently ungodly and evil world.
Now, let’s show our heavenly Father how much we LOVE and need Him by offering up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer with all sincerity of heart. As one 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 hearts were sincere, then we know that He heard us and will respond positively to our prayer. For as John says in his first epistle. ‘And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: and if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions we desired (asked) of him.’ (1 John 5:14-15) Again I say, what a wonderful God we serve! For we know that there is no prayer He likes to hear more than that we LOVE and need Him and desire to spend time with Him. So, by now, if our prayer was sincere, it was answered, and we should be all feeling a sense of peace, rest and joy in the Lord’s LOVING presence. (smile)
Now yesterday we dealt with the first part of Philippians 4:5 – ‘Let your moderation (gentleness) be known unto all men.’ Today we’ll look at the second half of that verse: ‘The Lord is at hand.’ (Phil. 4:5b) And we all wonder what that means to us in these turbulent times. Well, the scholars, after telling us that Moderation means “graciousness” or “sweet reasonableness.” And that the believer who is at peace with his fellow Christian (vs. 2) and who rejoices always (vs. 4) is indeed a gracious, reasonable person.
They go on to tell us that ‘The Lord is at hand means two things. First, His (Jesus’) return to earth is near. His imminent coming as judge encourages the Christian to be “gracious” unto all men, for He will judge the believer for all of his actions toward all people, and will avenge all wrongs committed by others against Him. Second the “Lord is at hand” spiritually. The Lord, being presently near should free the Christian from fear and anxiety. Hence the command of verse 6: ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.’ (Phil. 4:6)
So friends, with the Lord’s coming to judge the earth being imminent, and His powerful presence spiritually abiding with us, we should not be afraid or worried about whatever circumstances we encounter. And as we said in an earlier session, that’s not always easy to do when your whole world seems to be tumbling down around you, but if you constantly pray and give thanks, and study the Word, while saving it deep in your hearts for those troublesome times, then it will help you to find that ‘Peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:7)
And God’s peace is what gets us through those tough times. We probably won’t understand it, but if we are sincere in our devotions and discipleship, we will feel it. Now, I can vouch for that from personal experience, for I felt it very powerfully some years ago when I was vacationing in California. That morning I was in the process of writing the Bit, when they told me I had a phone call from my mother’s helper back in Canada. It was an unexpected call, but deep down I knew that something disastrous had happened. And when she told me that my mother had died, like all the air just went out of my body, and I was like a deflated balloon.
But shortly thereafter, don’t ask me how, I was suddenly filled with a sense of peace and calm and went on about my business. My friends and family were concerned that I wasn’t crying and grieving, and so was I. And it’s not that I wasn’t sad and disappointed, but that peace that emanates from our good God, had put me in a different space, helping me to understand that there was nothing I could do about it, and therefore should keep my wits about me. But I did grieve and mourn and cry later on. (smile) So, it’s not always easy to put the Lord’s words into action, but if we’re serious about it, with His awesome help it is very possible.
And I’m chuckling here because I had not intended to go down that path. What I had planned on doing was to share a couple of other scriptures re the ‘Lord is at hand.’ Like this one from James’ epistle. ‘Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold the husbandman (farmer) waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish (establish) your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh (is near). Grudge (grumble) not one against another brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold the judge standeth before the door.’ (James 5:7-9)
Those are excellent words of warning my people, especially for these unruly and lawless times, when everybody’s doing their own thing, and godliness is sadly lacking in the land. And what better note to close on than these words of Jesus to John in the Book of Revelation. ‘Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.’ (Rev. 22:7) Ah friends, I plead with us to heed Jesus’ warning, for we know not when He comes, but He can come at any time, like a thief in the night, and if we’re not ready, if we’re found wanting, then crapaud smoke we pipe! Much LOVE!
…a wise believer is always ready…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
31 May 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a disciplined mind, a moral virtue, a new commandment I give unto you, a new flock of believers, a word to the wise is sufficient, abstain, as I have loved you, asceticism, backsliders, begun a good work in you, behave like Jesus, being confident of this very thing, Bible, binge, but of power love and a sound mind, by this shall all men know, christianity, courteous, error of their ways, faith, faithful believers, fly without any reservations, follow me, For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, free and easy, Friday chant, from glory to glory, gentleness, god, going to the extremes, good examples., hasty decisions, if any man will come after me, indulgence, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kind, let him deny himself, let your moderation be known unto all men, like leggo beasts, LOVE, LOVE one another, moderation, omnipotent help, perform it until the day of jesus, reasonableness, self-control, simmering unrest, sinful world, take up his cross daily, temperance, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the throne of grace, the weekend, tolerant, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee, wisdom, wise guidance, ye are my disciples
Philippians 4:5a. Let your moderation (gentleness) be known unto all men.
And the end of the month of May, could not fall on a better day…Friday! Thus all the glorious shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and another summer weekend is in the offing!’ We get all worked up about our weekends, especially the summer ones, because we can get out there and go where we want, and do whatever we want without the restrictions of the winter weather. We’re free and easy! But please, let’s not go wild and behave like leggo beasts, for that’s exactly how the enemy, his satanic majesty, wants us to behave; to forget God’s warnings, His rules and regulations and just fly without any reservations.
And once in a while, it is good to fly without reservations, although there is usually a price to pay when we do that. (smile) In the meanwhile, let’s remember these most memorable and oh so important words of Bruh Paul to Timothy: ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7) Now the most important aspect of that statement in this case is the ‘sound or disciplined mind.’ Yes friends, that means we have self-control, which is also a fruit of the Spirit, wherefore we don’t go around flying off the handle or making hasty decisions, and going to the extremes.
In other words, like Jeeves says, we need a modicum of circumspection or moderation in all things. Now, what does moderation in all things mean? And we have a couple of commentaries based on the meaning the world has of it. The first says: “Everything in moderation,” goes the old line, meaning don’t binge, and don’t abstain, but do take it easy on the bad stuff. Between the two poles of asceticism and indulgence, moderation is about never giving up or fully giving in.’
The second one gets more philosophical. (smile) ‘According to Craiutu, Aristotle considered moderation a moral virtue and Plato, in “The Republic”, described moderation as the harmony between reason, spirit, and desire. “It’s the disposition of the soul where reason, spirit, and desire are in agreement,” says Craiutu. “It’s more than just temperance.’ And strangely enough Bruh Paul wrote about it to the Philippians: ‘Let your moderation (gentleness) be known unto all men.’ (Phil. 4:5a) Now what’s this moderation business in the Christian life you ask? Is it the same as in the world? Yes and no.
Here are a couple more commentaries on the Christian explanation of ‘moderation.’ The first tells us: ‘Let your moderation be known unto all men. Let your gentleness be evident to all. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. In any case, Paul’s idea is that don’t be so strict and extreme about the letter of the law; be fair minded, reasonable, and gentle.’ And the second says: ‘This characteristic of the Christian (moderation) must be a conspicuous one; that is, Christians must be well-known for their gentle, kind, courteous and tolerant ways with others. Put another way, behave as Jesus would because this was one thing Jesus was known for.’ Amen!
And that’s basically all that moderation means: behave like Jesus! And yes, you claim that’s not so easy to do, because He was the Son of God, deity, sinless and strong, but we have His power, His Holy Spirit dwelling within us, which gives us the ability to behave in a decent manner…remember the spirit of power, of LOVE, and of a sound or disciplined mind. No, we will never be perfect, but we don’t have to behave like the world behaves. And if we’re seriously intent on behaving like Christ, let’s not forget this scripture that Bruh Paul writes 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 my brethren, once the Lord has begun a good work in us, meaning making us like Jesus, raising us from glory to glory, He won’t stop until He takes us home, or Jesus returns. So we don’t have to be overly worried about behaving like Jesus if we’re serious about living the Christian life…which in fact is not easy, but very worthwhile. The whole thing boils down to the true state of our hearts, and how much we truly LOVE Jesus and want to serve Him the best way we can. And I believe that if we remember and meditate on these words of His, our lives will become fuller and more satisfactory.
And it’s all about discipleship. ‘If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) Then there are these most telling words. ‘A new commandment I give unto you. That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:34-35) Oh my fellow saints, I do believe that if we ponder and think on those words of Jesus, we will come to a positive realization in and of our Christian walk.
Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking help to live up to our responsibilities in these trying and troubled 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 I’d be seriously amiss if I didn’t point out that one of the requirements for getting divine help is setting a good Christian example. Nuff said! Much LOVE!
…a word to the wise is sufficient…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
30 May 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abundance, according to his riches in glory, all things work together for good, an house of defence, be about the Lord's business, be careful for nothing, be of good cheer, be thou my strong rock, Bible, bow down thine ear to me, commit our spirits into the Lord's hand, courage, curse, deliver me in thy righteousness, deliver me speedily, faith, god, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, I commit my spirit, i have overcome the world, in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, in me ye might have peace, In thee O Lord do I put my trust, into thine hand, Jesus, Jesus Christ, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, let me never be ashamed, LOVE, my God shall supply all your needs, MY rock and My fortress, negative word, O Lord God of truth, one foot in both worlds, psalms, sacrifices, self-control, sit on the fence, take up your cross daily, talent, the peace of God which passeth all understading, thou hast redeemed me, Thursday Blessings, to them who love God, total trust in the Lord, tribulation, truth, who are called according to His purpose
Psalm 31:1. ‘In thee, O Lord do put my trust (take refuge); let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.
And then it was Thursday…And yes, the ole fella is up somewhat early to be about the Lord’s business, that’s because I have a couple of medical appointments this afternoon and did not want to be rushing around later to accomplish my tasks. So strange things do happen in this world, today, instead of being late…we’re being early! (smile) Now what are we going to talk about this morning eh, this sunny but somewhat chilly penultimate day in May? Well the Good Library opened just now in the Book of Psalms, and my eyes alighted first on Psalm 31 – Bruh David talking about ‘My Rock and My Fortress.’ One of his many psalms of both lament and praise.
So please read with me: ‘In thee, O Lord do put my trust (take refuge); let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness. Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock (rock of refuge) for an house of defence (fortress) to save me. For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me. Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily (secretly) for me: for thou art my strength. Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.’ (Ps. 31:1-5)
Oh friends, those are powerful words of commitment and trust! Bruh David was serious about them, and as we read them, the question arises, are we also serious in our commitment to Almighty God? Do we consider Him our strong rock and fortress of refuge, our strength and deliverer in these turbulent and topsy turvy times? Let’s hope so, for we surely do need someone bigger and stronger than us to help us get through the craziness that’s overtaken our world. And who better than the Lord God Almighty, the Creator, and Controller of the universe, the most powerful being in existence. If He cannot take care of us, then no one can.
But as Bruh David says, we have to commit our spirits into His hand if we want His protection. And that’s totally, not partially, as we like to do in most godly things. For some reason we don’t seem to trust the Lord completely, or we just want to always have some sort of control over our goings and comings. However friends, with the Lord it’s ALL or NOTHING at ALL! He doesn’t do partway stuff, so for those of us who like to sit on the fence and try to have a foot in both worlds, He will not pay any attention to your cries for help.
And we all know that, but yet we still always try to withhold something, not give all of ourselves, possibly because we don’t truly trust the Lord to take care of all of our needs as Bruh Paul assured the Philippians. ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:19) Yes friends, we mouth it, but don’t sincerely believe it…well not all the way. But our God needs our sincere trust and surrender if He is to do much good for us. You’ll notice in Bruh David’s own life, although he was hounded by enemies on all sides, he gave his total trust to God, and the Father, in His time and way resolved them for him.
Note, his problems did not go away overnight, or that he never had any further problems, but he stood his ground with God throughout all his trials and that’s the way we need to be. Regardless of our circumstances, how threatening or fearful they might be, we need to stand strong in the Lord and His might and believe as the word says: ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28) The problem is that we expect God to fix all of our problems right away and allow us to live a life of wine, women and song, without any further encumbrances.
But that will never happen, for in this sinful and ungodly world, we will have troubles and problems until the day we die, because that’s just the kind of world we live in. As Jesus rightly said: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) And yes, it’s not easy to have good cheer when your whole world seems to be crumbling down around you, but if you have put your sincere trust in Jesus, then you will indeed have a modicum of peace during your trials.
Your circumstances will not drive you crazy, or to drink and drugs, but you’ll fall on your knees and ask the Lord for help, while giving Him thanks and praise. As Bruh Paul wisely advises us: ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in EVERY THING by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:6-7) Now again, that isn’t always easy to do, but if we have sincerely trusted Jesus, and believe that we can do all things through Him who strengthens us, (Phil. 4:13) then we will be able to handle whatever comes against us.
Many of us erroneously believe that coming to Christ means a life of ease and comfort, but oftentimes it’s not. It might even mean more problems, tests and sacrifices, because living for Jesus desires us to take up our crosses daily and walk with him, forgetting ourselves, so we can do His work. The good news though friends is that living for Christ is all worth it, for in the long run the rewards greatly eclipse the sacrifices. But it takes strong and sincere faith and belief and a willingness to give up all for Christ.
And on the good side of things, we have a whole lot of undeserved blessings, that the Lord has generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings, but they have to be declared to be activated. So let’s do that right now nuh. As one 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 declared those blessings, we’re now duty bound to go out and use them on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us! Much LOVE!
…to receive all of God’s favour…we must trust Him…ALL THE WAY…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
29 May 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Bible, blue in the face, chastening is always for our benefit, christianity, confession, conviction, despise not the chastening of the Lord, endure to the end, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, fall flat on our faces, give in to temptation, god, God cannot act contrary to his nature, God is forever faithful, God will never let us go, God's reliable faithfulness, guilt, halfway home, hands on the plough, he cannot deny himself, Jesus, Jesus Christ, lead me forward on a firm footing, lead me into the land of uprightness, learn through hard personal experience, LOVE, neither be weary of his correction, not looking back, nothing can separate us from the Love of God, One Year Book of Bible promises, Renewed Commitment, resist until we feel exhausted, Ruth Harms Calkin, surrender our lives to god, teach me to do thy will, teach us the proper paths, thank God, the breath of life, the breath of life is still flowing through me, thou art my God, Three Discoveries, thy spirit is good, to a glorious future with Jesus, Wednesday Wail, whom the Lord loveth he correcteth, wisdom, yet he abideth faithful
Psalm 143:10. Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.
And then it was Wednesday…and the Bit is somewhat late, as usual. (smile) However, that should not happen for the next couple of months because my priest will be on a sabbatical and holidays for that time period. That means there will no Wednesday mid-morning church services to attend, and hopefully no errands to run afterward, so that I won’t have to come home tired from all my running around and have to nap before I can start writing the Bit. And all God’s people said a loud and grateful ‘Amen!’ (smile)
Enough idle chatter though, let’s get down to the Lord’s business. And today we’ll check out an interesting poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, titled ‘Three Discoveries.’ And this one I am sure I’ve shared before, but I believe it’s very necessary to share it again in these trying and troubled times. So please read with me: ‘I have made three overwhelming discoveries regarding God’s reliable faithfulness: The first: God will NEVER let us go – NEVER! We may fall flat on our faces. We may resist until we feel exhausted, but nothing can separate us from His matchless LOVE.
The second: God will NEVER let us down – NEVER! He is forever faithful, even when we are faithless. He cannot deny Himself. He will NEVER leave us nor forsake us. The third: He will NEVER let us off – NEVER! Whenever we give in to temptation, when we determine to have our own way – He says with all the LOVE of His Father-heart, “I LOVE you too much to excuse disobedience.” Whom He LOVES, He chastens. God is determined to bless us. He is eager to show us His kindness. He is glad to teach us the proper paths; but He MUST have access to our hearts. He will allow guilt to become a burden until conviction comes, then confession, and finally renewed commitment! May David’s prayer be our prayer:’
And what you ask was David’s prayer. ‘Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.’ Or as the New Living translation puts it at the end: ‘May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing.’ (Ps. 143:10) Yes friends, that’s the prayer of Bruh David our poem is referring to, and it’s the Bible verse associated with it. By the way, all the bold capitalizations are mine, done to provide a li’l more emphasis (smile)
And what do we learn from the poem? Three basic things. The first is that once we surrender our lives to God, He will NEVER let us go! No NEVER! Even if we resist till we’re blue in the face. The Bible greatly reassures us of that through Bruh Paul’s words to the Romans. ‘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. 8:38-39) Oh my people, it could not be any clearer or more reassuring than that!
And the second thing we learn from the poem is that God will NEVER let us down! And that’s the gospel truth my brethren! Our God is everlastingly faithful! As the poem says, He is faithful and cannot deny Himself. And Bruh Paul wrote that exact thing to Timithy in his second letter. ‘If we believe not (are faithless), yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.’ (2 Tim. 2:13) And you ask, what does cannot deny himself mean? This commentary explains it quite nicely.
‘God cannot go contrary to his word; that would be to act contrary to his nature and perfections, and would be a denying of himself, which is not possible; wherefore his faithfulness will never fail, even though, the faith of his people does, as to the exercise of it.’ So although we might fail and fall and become faithless, our great God will NEVER fall to such depths, will NEVER be faithless. We can count on it with all our heart, minds, bodies and souls. And if that doesn’t reassure you, then listen to the scripture from Hebrews.
The author writes: ‘Let your conversation (conduct) be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he (God) hath said, I will NEVER leave thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Heb. 13:5) And if that still does’nt satisfy you, then try this other scripture from Hebrews. ‘Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)’ (Heb. 10:23) And if all of those scriptures don’t reassure you of God’s faithfulness, then I don’t know what else to say, but that you will have to learn it through hard experience in your own life. (smile)
And the third lesson we’ve learned from our poem is that God will NEVER let us off. No. He will NEVER let us get away with sin and rebellious behaviour, because He LOVES us too much to see us go down the wide path that leads to destruction and allow us to continue down it unimpeded. No. He will be like a dog constantly nipping at our heels, reminding us of our inappropriate behaviour, until we finally confess, repent and turn away from that sinful activity. And why is that eh? Simply because of His great LOVE for His prized human creation.
And you can find scripture that attests to that in Proverbs 3, where Cousin Sol writes: ‘My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of (detest not) his correction: for whom the Lord LOVETH he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.’ (Prov. 3:11-12) And the Lord is simply behaving like our earthly father’s do; correct us when we go astray. If He didn’t do that, He would not be the LOVING and caring God He claims to be. Now, the author of Hebrews also has some invaluable words on the topic of the Lord’s chastening, but we don’t have time to go through it, so please read it for yourselves in Hebrews 12:5-11, and hopefully you’ll understand it better. Let’s remember though that the Lord’s chastening is ALWAYS FOR OUR BENEFIT!’
Now, let’s go home declaring (steups!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. As one 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 endure to the very end, then it’s been promised that the future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine. So let’s be wise and plan to meet there nuh! Much LOVE!
…our God is exactly whom the Bible says He is…a faithful, LOVING, kind, caring and compassionate God…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
Previous Older Entries Next Newer Entries
SCRIP-BITS 