29 Dec 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a discerner of thoughts, a Saviour who is christ the Lord, beyond our understanding, Bible, bless thy name for ever, breath of life, call us to rejoice in thee, celebration of Christ's birth, centre of unbroken praise, Christ our brother, christianity, compassion, condemnation, death, destroy religion, dividing asunder of soul and spirit, drive the dark of doubt away, expressions of common Christian feelings, faith, fellowship, fill us with the light of day, flowing fountain, full of compassion, giver of immortal gladness, giving and forgiving, God of glory, God of Love, God's Unsearchable Greatness, great is the Lord, greatly to be praised, hearts unfold like flowers before thee, Henry van Dyke, his greatness is unsearchable, holy spirit, hope, Hymn of Joy, I will extol thee my God, immeasurable love, in the midst of strife, Jesus Christ, joy, joy is still flooding the land, Joyful joyful we adore thee, light, LOVE, melt the clouds of sin and darkness, mercy, no creature is hidden from God's sight, not afraid, ode to joy, of great mercy, one generation shall praise thy works to another, opening to the sun above, overthrow the kingdom of God, raise our praise level, raise the roof, restoration, revolution on earth, salvation, selfless sacrifices, sharper than any twoedged sword, singing bird, slow to anger, stars and angels sing around thee, Sunday after Christmas, sweet sacrifices of song, teach us, the inner recesses of man's mind, the Lord is good to all, the Lord is gracious, the prince of darkness, the truth of science, the Word of God is quick, they saints shall bless thee, to love each other, trust, truth, unable to hide from God, ungodly times, victors, wellspring of the joy of living, wisdom, you bring us joy
Psalm 145:3. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: and his greatness is unsearchable (beyond our understanding).
And it’s the Sunday after Christmas, but the joy is still flooding the land in glorious celebration of our Lord and Saviour’s miraculous and wonderful birth! And all God’s people said a joyful and most grateful; ‘Thank You Lord for the gift of Jesus at that Christmas so long ago! It’s really been the beginning of the best gift you’ve given us, after our initial breath of life; the birth of a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord! And consequently, from Him and His sinless, selfless sacrifices flows the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, the wonderful option of salvation and eternal life!
And we’re oh so sorry for those who refuse to accept that marvellous option of Light and LOVE that you have provided and foolishly prefer to hob knob with the prince of darkness, and thus endure eventual separation from you, our most wonderful Creator and God. And the amazing point is that you did not have to give us that option of escaping from our sinless lives and the eventual death it causes, but you simply did it out of your immeasurable, unconditional LOVE for us, your most important creation. And for that we sincerely thank you each and every day…in Jesus’ name. Amen!’
And now, having offered up a prayer of praise and thanksgiving, let’s raise the roof of heaven with sweet sacrifices of song, singing that marvellous ‘Hymn of Joy’ – better known as ‘Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee.’ It’s based on a poem written by Henry van Dyke in 1907 with the intention of musically setting it to the famous “Ode to Joy” melody of the final movement of Ludwig van Beethoven’s final symphony, Symphony No. 9. And is it ever a most appropriate song of worship for this particular Christmas season when our lives are flooded with joy at Christ’s birth.
So, in a sweet, scintillating up-tempo version of the Hymn of Joy…let’s sing: ‘Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of LOVE; Hearts unfold like flow’rs before Thee, Op’ning to the sun above. Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; Drive the dark of doubt away; Giver of immortal gladness, Fill us with the light of day!
All Thy works with joy surround Thee, Earth and heav’n reflect Thy rays, Stars and angels sing around Thee, Center of unbroken praise. Field and forest, vale and mountain, Flow’ry meadow, flashing sea, Singing bird and flowing fountain Call us to rejoice in Thee. Thou art giving and forgiving, Ever blessing, ever blest, Wellspring of the joy of living, Ocean depth of happy rest!
Thou our Father, Christ our Brother, All who live in LOVE are Thine; Teach us how to LOVE each other, Lift us to the joy divine. Mortals, join the happy chorus, Which the morning stars began; Father LOVE is reigning o’er us; Brother LOVE binds man to man. Ever singing, march we onward, Victors in the midst of strife, Joyful music leads us Sunward In the triumph song of life. You bring us joy, joy, joy, We adore thee…You bring us joy, joy, joy!’
Oh friends, does the Lord our God and Saviour, ever bring us joy! The greatest joy that there is to offer, salvation and eternal life! And did we ever light up heaven with our heartfelt sincerity and joy as we sang that wonderful hymn! And this commentary gives the song its rightful pips: ‘This hymn is generally considered by hymnologists to be one of the most joyous expressions of hymn lyrics in the English language.’ And we certainly cannot argue with that.
But now, on a different note, let’s consider what the song is really about? As another commentary tells us, the author Van Dyke wrote thus of this hymn. ‘These verses are simple expressions of common Christian feelings and desires in this present time—hymns of today that may be sung together by people who know the thought of the age, and are not afraid that any truth of science will destroy religion, or any revolution on earth overthrow the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, this is a hymn of trust and joy and hope.’
Wow! And that it certainly is! I like how the author expresses that we Christians will not be afraid that scientific knowledge will destroy religious beliefs, neither will earthly revolutions overthrow the kingdom of God! Because they are both indestructible! Remember what the Bible says about God and His Word?
‘For the word of God is quick (living, alive), 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 the thoughts (able to judge) and intents (intentions) of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in (hidden from) his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do (must give account to).’ (Heb. 4:12-13)
Yes friends, the Bible, the Word of God is not an ordinary book, it is alive and kicking, so powerful that it reaches into the inner recesses of man’s mind to discern his thoughts and intentions. Or, as this commentary so aptly puts it: ‘God’s Word can penetrate through all the layers of impurity and get to the true central issues of life. In line with this conception, we can see that the Bible truly has two edges: condemnation and restoration.’ And I certainly could not have declared that truth any better.
What we must also remember is that God’s eyes see us as though we’re naked, thus we’re unable to hide from Him behind any foolish excuse or pretence. But getting back to our hymn, it’s basically a song of praise to our great God, to His LOVING-KINDNESS towards us, who don’t deserve one iota of it. And there are so many scriptures on praising God, especially in the Psalms, that we can spend the whole day researching them and still not be done. (smile) However, we’ll close with some verses of this psalm of praise from Bruh David, titled, ‘God’s Unsearchable Greatness.’
Please offer praise with me: ‘I will extoll (praise) thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: and his greatness is unsearchable (beyond our understanding). One generation shall praise thy works to another, and declare thy mighty acts… The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless thee.’ (Ps. 145: 1-4; 8-10)
Yes my fellow saints, that is only a little of the great and constant praise our God deserves, and what we are required to give to Him, if we are true believers. So, without further ado, let’s ramp up our praise level nuh, like we so badly need to do in these evil and ungodly times. Much LOVE!
…true joy…which is of the soul…can only be attained…when Jesus Christ is your Lord and Saviour…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
28 Dec 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a double minded man is unstable in all his ways, a future and a hope, a great high priest, a proud heart, according to his riches in glory, acknowledge God's sovereignty, an aura of peace, an high look, as little faith as a mustard seed, ask in faith, ask of God, Bible, calamity, call upon me, chaos, Christ's birth, christianity, Christmas week, come boldly unto the throne of grace, comfort, deepen my breath, double minded, driven with the wind, extricated from, faith, find grace to help, gives to all men liberally, go and pray to me, God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, God will meet all your needs, God will work everything out for our own good, He gives liberally and without reproach, he that wavers, heightened sense of peace, hold fast our profession, holy spirit, humility, I know the thoughts I think toward you, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I will hearken unto you, if any of you lack wisdom, in time of need, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, like a wave of the sea, Lord I want to be with you now, LOVE, man-made strife, mercy, natural disasters, New Year's celebrations, no respite, not doubting, nothing wavering, obtain mercy, on God's great earth, one of the most powerful forces, our godly responsibility, prayer, prayer can move mountains, praying for others, pride is an abomination to God, puts the icing on the cake, quiet my soul, relax, relax my muscles, salvation, sincere and heartfelt prayer, slow my thoughts, sympathize with our weaknesses, take a moment to remember, thank you for this tenderness, the amazing power of prayer, the joyful time, the plowing of the wicked is sin, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end, touched wit the feeling of our infirmities, truth, untenable situations, when ye search for me, wind down, wisdom, wishy-washy, with all your heart, without faith it is impossible to please God, without reproach, ye shall seek me and find me, you can't be contained, your love surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Jeremiah 29:13. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye search for me with all your heart.
So, at long last, through all the carryings ons of Christmas week, we’ve finally come to our lazy-day Saturday, where we can take a break, relax and catch our breath, wind down, until it’s time to wind back up for the New Year’s celebrations next week. Wow! What a crazy time the Christmas and New Year seasons are, with little or no respite from the joyful celebrations.
But please, let’s take a moment to remember that a great portion of our world is either surrounded by man-made strife and chaos, or they have recently been inflicted by natural disaster, so they are in no position to engage in the celebrations that we take for granted. It’s so sad, when so much of the earth’s population are not able to enjoy the joyful time that Christ’s birth brings.
And it’s unfortunate that most of us cannot do more than pray for them to be soon extricated from their untenable situations. But let’s not forget that prayer is one of the most powerful forces on God’s great earth, and therefore can move mountains if we truly believe, have even as little faith as a mustard seed. That means we cannot stop praying for those who are not as fortunate as us. It’s our godly responsibility.
Now, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer in all sincerity and truth. 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 friends, it never ceases to amaze me how quickly after saying that prayer, something like a veil… or aura of peace comes down and settles in my soul. Not that I didn’t have peace before, but now it’s somewhat heightened, and my soul and spirit seem much lighter than before. And if your prayer was sincere, then I know that you also feel that heightened sense of peace and comfort.
Why? Because that’s the amazing power of sincere and heartfelt prayer! It just speaks to the great communication we can have with our wonderful God Jehovah, if we are obedient to His will and regularly seek His face. What did He say to the people of Israel through the prophet Jeremiah, when they were in captivity in Babylon?
After promising to return them to Jerusalem seventy years later, Jeremiah announced: ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope). Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:11-13)
Oh my people, right there is one of the most provocative and thought provoking promises of the Bible! If we seek the Lord with all of our heart, we will certainly find Him! It could not be any simpler than that. So why are so many of us still wishy-washy, uncertain, vague, unsure in seeking God eh? That’s obviously not in our best interest, because God doesn’t like double- minded or doubtful people.
As James tells us in his epistle: ‘If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not (without reproach); and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering (not doubting). For he that wavereth (doubts) is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.’ (James 1:5-8)
Yes my brethren, when we become the sons and daughters of God, we ought not to have too many doubts about Him, or our circumstances, for He’s promised to meet all of our needs to according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:19) And also that He will work everything out for our good eventually. (Rom. 8:28) That means acknowledging and believing His faithfulness in His promises.
What does Hebrews tell us on the subject of faith? ‘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) There again we have the premise of diligently seeking God. And I believe Hebrews also puts the icing on the cake of doubt, wisdom, believe and faith with these marvellous words, regarding our great High Priest, Jesus.
‘Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into (through) the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession (confession). For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched (sympathize) with the feeling of our infirmities (our weaknesses); but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in the time of need.’ (Heb. 4:14-16)
Oh my fellow saints, nothing can be better than that! We have an high priest, an advocate, one seeking our best interests before the throne of God, and the best part is that He understands and appreciates our weaknesses and frailties because He too was buffeted by sin while on earth, but He remained sinless. And there’s no one better to go to for help than one who’s already experienced your misfortune and thus can personally understand what you’re going through.
However, before we close, there’s one proviso to all of our conversation, that is, though we can go boldly or confidently to the throne of grace, we cannot go arrogantly or haughtily, for if there’s anything the Lord dislikes it’s pride. As Cousin Sol says so rightly in Proverbs, a proud look is an abomination to Him. (Prov. 6:16-17) And furthermore: ‘An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing (lamp) of the wicked, is sin.’ (Prov. 21:4)
So in all our doings with the Lord, we must ensure that our humility is in place, and we respect His sovereignty. Now that doesn’t mean we have to cower and be afraid. No, it just means that we must know our place. (smile) And we if we do, while seeking Him diligently and confidently, then our lives will be filled with the abundance that Christ died for us to have! Much LOVE!
…if you truly desire to have God in your life…then you need to…diligently search for Him…with all of your heart…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
27 Dec 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sad blot on our efforts, a vision of the universe, all should come to repentance, anxisety, avenues of encouragement, backsliders, be responsible, Bible, can never repay our debt to Jesus, carnal lusts, christianity, Christmas all year round, come as a thief in the night, come together in peace and harmony, confusion, damnation, die trying, discontent, dissatisfaction, divine aid, dreams, drive our motivations, enlightened times, error of their ways, faith, food, Friday chant, fulfilling the mandate, God-given dreams, good will to all mankind, have our houses in order, hellfire, holy spirit, it's been a good time, it's not always necessary to preach with words, Jesus Christ, joy, joyful greetings, light, living the life we talk, lost the world to the evil one, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, make a worthwhile effort, making disciples, mercy, negative emotions, not willing that any should perish, of all nations, omnipotent help, our sinful world, peace, problems are escalating, rejuvenate, salt, salvation, sharing gifts, simmering unrest, sincere witness, smiles, stand strong and steadfast, stay safe, sufferation, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the courage of Christ, the day of the Lord, the generation that gave up, the goodness of God, the Great Commission, the Lord is longsuffering to us-ward, the Lord is not slack concerning His promise, the LOVE of Jesus, the now dormant, the rapture of the church, the throne of grace, to do Christ's bidding, to turn our evil world around, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, ungodliness, ungodly times, visions, wake up and smell the coffee, wiles'lies, wisdom, wise guidance, with the state of our own lives, witnessed through our lives
2 Peter 3:9b. The Lord is …longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
And then it was Friday, and in this most joyful season of Christmas, the shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ rise up to heaven with more than the usual thankfulness. Some of us had to be back at work today, following the public holidays of Christmas and Boxing days, while some are blessed to be off for the entire time from Wednesday to Monday. But whatever your situation, let’s hope that it’s been a good time, and continues to be such, with peace, joy, LOVE and good will to all mankind, as the Lord desires.
Christmas is the one time of the year that we drop some of our negative emotions and sort of come together in peace and harmony. That leads me to wish that we could have Christmas all year round, celebrate Christ’s birth throughout the entire year. (smile) I can see it in my mind’s eye! What a time of joy and peace that would be! People coming together, all smiles and joyful greetings, sharing gifts and food and the LOVE of Jesus! Wow! It would certainly help to rejuvenate the now dormant LOVE Revolution!
Okay, so I’m just dreaming, but dreams and visions are what drive our motivations and help us get to where we want to go. The Lord began with a dream, a vison of the universe He desired to create, and then He acted on it, and here we are. Likewise, when we have God-given dreams and visions, we also need to act on them. And today, I hope that ALL believers in Christ Jesus would have the dream, the vision of ourselves getting up, losing our fears and embracing the courage of Christ, and thus becoming much better witnesses for our Lord and Saviour.
Remember what Peter tells us: ‘The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.’ (2 Pet. 3:9) Now that means the Lord doesn’t want any of His human creation to end up in hellfire and damnation with Beelzebub, and He’s been patiently waiting for us, Christ’s disciples to get out there and bring as many as possible, preferably ALL of mankind to repentance, and thus salvation.
But He won’t wait forever. And as Peter therefore reminds us: ‘But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.’ (2 Pet. 3:10) Yes friends, if we miss the friendly Rapture of the church, we had better have our houses in order by the time Jesus comes again with judgement, for after that there will be no chance whatsoever to turn things around.
That’s why we must get to our tasks of spreading the good news of Christ’s gospel right now, with as much fervour and zeal as we can muster. Oh my fellow believers, don’t you see the numerous number of mankind that are sadly falling for Satan’s wiles and lies, and are thus headed for hellfire and damnation with him. It’s a sad blot on our efforts, or lack thereof, that in these supposed enlightened times, so many people are openly and joyfully embracing the carnal lusts and ungodliness of the evil one.
We obviously are not fulfilling the mandate of the Great Commission, of going out to all parts of the world and teaching and making disciples for Christ of those nations. And the unfortunate thing is that there has never been a better or easier time, with all sorts of new avenues, books, radio, television, internet, etc., etc. to get the word out to the world. And yet, many still fall to the deceitful and evil schemes of the world, possibly having never heard of Jesus’ goodness and mercy, or having not seen enough LOVE and goodness as witnessed through our lives.
Yes my brethren, talk is cheap, but the true taste of discipleship is the way in which we live our lives! And so many of us are living lives that don’t live up to our talk, so how can we expect others to come to Jesus when we’re as resentful, unloving, unforgiving, and ungodly, just like them? It’s like the saying goes, most of the time we don’t have to preach with words, but with the state of our own lives. That’s what draws people to Christ; to see us living the life we talk.
And that’s where we’ve got to get better in these difficult and troubled times, for people are looking for serious avenues of encouragement and we have the best; that of belonging to, and living for Jesus! So let’s show it to the world nuh, let’s be the true salt and light that Jesus expects us to be. If not for our sakes, then for those of our children’s children, for I’m sure we don’t want any of those to fall for the foibles and deceits of Satan. And to help us do that, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant seeking divine aid to turn our evil world around.
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 friends, does our world ever need to wake up and see and smell the goodness of our great God. But they can only do it through our sincere witness. We certainly don’t want to be known as the generation that lost the world to the evil one. So let’s become the people that Jesus expects us to be nuh…for our sake, as well as His. He went through too much ‘sufferation’ on our behalf, for us not to make a worthwhile effort to do His bidding. Much LOVE!
…we can never repay our debt to Jesus…but we can surely die trying…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
26 Dec 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a horrible tragedy, a loving reaction, a merciful forgiving and loving God, a Pharisee lawyer, a resounding success, a sad injustice, a strong will, and of the son, anger, anything less, baptizing them, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Bible, christianity, christmas day, contempt, courage, creativity, curse, disciples of Jesus, divine protection, even unto the end of the world, faith, favour, fellowship, food, foundation of our faith, go ye therefore, God is LOVE, God is the fountainhead of love, God lives to give us, God sent His only begotten Son, God so loved the world, goodnes, hang all the law and the prophets, Happy Boxing day, hate, have everlasting life, he that loveth not knoweth not God, holy spirit, I am with you always, in the name of the Father, in this was manifested the love of God, into the world, Jesus Christ, joy, live the abundant life, LOVE, love is the basic law of God, Love the Lord thy God, Love thy neighbour as thyself, mercy, negative emotions, negative word, on these two commandments, only a fool breaks his own heart, overcome evil with good, peace, praise, promotion, prosper, resentment, salvation, self-discipline, should not perish, strife, succeed, such a magnanimous gift, teach all nations, teaching them, thanksgiving, the antidote, the attribute of love, the Birth of Christ, the first and great commandment, the Great Commission, the LOVE of Jesus, the second is like unto it, thoughts of Jesus, through him we might live, to observe all things, truth, war, we don't love ourselves, whatsoever I have commanded you, whosoever believeth on Jesus, wisdom, with all thy heart, with all thy mind, with all thy soul, you can't give away what you don't have
Matthew 22:37. Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.
A Happy Boxing Day to you my Scrip-Bits Friends and families! I hope your Christmas Day was a resounding success, with lots of joy, peace, fellowship, food, praise, thanksgiving and wonderful thoughts of Jesus, for that’s what the celebration is about. There’s never been such a magnanimous gift in all of history; one we absolutely did not deserve, but the Lord in all His goodness, LOVE and mercy thought otherwise.
And that’s the wonderful foundation of our faith; a merciful, forgiving and LOVING God! There’s none like Him, for all the other supposed gods, only live to take from their followers, and make them live miserable lives, but our wonderful deity, Almighty God, lives to give to us, and desires us to live the abundant life that his Son, Jesus Christ died that we could have.
Therefore, it’s only wise and sensible, grateful and pragmatic to worship and serve Him with all of our hearts, souls, bodies and minds. Anything less would be a sad injustice to Him, and a horrible tragedy to us. And I believe today is a very good day to remember those very authoritative words of Jesus, re the Great Commandment; the basis of all that we do in this world.
On one occasion, a foolish Pharisee lawyer, who was trying to make a name for himself by tempting Jesus into an argument, or to give a wrong answer, asked Him: “Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ (Matt. 22:36-40)
In other words friends, those two commandments are the very basis of the law of God, and what all the prophets have been trying to teach us down through the years. And it’s oh so simple that it’s laughable. LOVE God, and LOVE your neighbour as you LOVE yourself! The problem though lies in the fact that so many of us have no real or serious LOVE for ourselves, but mostly an unreasonable contempt. Therefore, we show our neighbours more hate, anger and resentment, than a LOVING reaction. As they say, you cannot give away what you don’t have.
And as John says in his first epistle: ‘He that LOVETH not knoweth not God; for God is LOVE.’ (1 John 4:8) That means if we truly know God, then we will know LOVE, for LOVE emanates ONLY from God! He is the fountainhead of that most wonderful attribute, so you can only feel and/or acquire LOVE if you get it from the Lord God Almighty. That means you must know Him to even get a sniff of the attribute of LOVE. (smile)
And John proves God’s great LOVE for us in the next verse. ‘In this was manifested the LOVE of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.’ (1 John 4:9) Wow! What an awesome God we serve and worship! He gave His only Son that through him we might live! And this Christmas season we’re now celebrating, the birth of Christ, was the beginning of that most meaningful and important occasion.
And Jesus puts it thus in His ministry to Nicodemus, the Jewish ruler who came to him under cover of night to find answers to his troubling questions. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ (John 3:16) It’s a simple but oh so profound and heartbreaking statement. And it does show the great LOVE the Father had for His human creations, for why else does one break their own heart by sacrificing their only Son eh?
The song says, ‘Only a fool breaks their own heart.’ So does that make God a fool because He broke His own heart by sacrificing Jesus to pay for our abominable sins? Unfortunately, sometimes, like right now, it does seem so, what with all the war and strife and all the negative emotions that are running rampant over our world, with the antidote LOVE running a far second behind Satan’s wiles and lies.
Ah friends, our world is in a very bad state, and sadly, it seems to be getting worse every day, with more strife and anger-filled emotions coming on board, rather that LOVE. So what are we going to do about it eh? Remember when we became disciples of Jesus, it was with the expectation that like Jesus says in the Great Commission: ‘All power (authority) is given unto me in heaven and earth. Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:18-20)
Oh my people, down through the years we have made some headway, but obviously not enough, otherwise Satan and his evil-doing hooligans wouldn’t be running the world to such a great extent right now. Obviously, we have lost our way, we’re no longer the salt of the earth and the light of the world that Jesus expects to be. We’ve become too afraid of what man can do to us, and too comfortable in the comforts that the world can provide. But all is not lost, we just need to reignite our faith and put to good use all the tools that our generous God has bestowed on us; tools that we call our Thursday Blessings. So let’s declare and thus activate them right now nuh.
As one 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 activated those heavenly blessings, it’s now our duty to go out and use them on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…it’s all about LOVE friends…we overcome evil with good…with the LOVE of Jesus…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
25 Dec 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a curtailing of strife, a feed trough, a multitude of heavenly host, a part of the Prince of Peace's peaceful army, a Saviour, abide by the rules, an angel descended from heaven, appeared to shepherds in the fields, begin a slow march back to peace, Bible, break Satan's bondage, Christ the Lord, christianity, Counsellor, double minded people, draw near to God, endure to the end, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, fear not, glad to be alive, Glory to god in the highest, halfway home, hands on the plough, Happy New Year, his name shall be called, holy spirit, humble and peaceful, humble yourselves in the sight of God, I bring you good tidings of great joy, in the city of David, Jesus Christ, Jesus' birth, joyful Christmas season, judgement, justice, LOVE, lying in a manger, mercy, Merry Christmas, not looking back, on earth, peace and good will to men, personified by Christ, praising God, princely and proud, ramp up our situation with God, resist the devil, resist the devil and he will flee from you, rumours of wars, salvation, sitting on the fence, submit yourselves to God, the everlasting Father, the glory of the Lord shone around them, the government shall be upon his shoulder, the mighty God, the One True God, the Prince of Peace, the winds of change, the zeal of the Lord of hosts, this Christmas day Wednesday, this day is born, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, wars, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, Wonderful, wrapped in swaddling clothes
Isaiah 9:6a. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:
Ho, Ho, Ho! A Merry Christmas to all; and to all a Happy New Year! Yes friends, we wish you and yours all the best for this joyful Christmas season. For as Isaiah prophesied so long ago: ‘For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of his father David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgement and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.’ (Is. 9:6-7)
And my fellow believers, the zeal of the Lord of hosts did perform that miracle some two thousand years ago, when in the fields of Israel, one starry, starry night, an angel descended from heaven on high and appeared to shepherds watching over their flocks. And the shepherds were terribly afraid, because as the angel appeared, so too all around them the glory of the Lord began shining.
‘And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David (Bethlehem) a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes (cloths), lying in a manger.’ (Luke 2:10-12)
Yes friends, our great God does whatever He promises. And on this day some two thousand years ago, the Prince of Peace was born of lowly parents in a lowly stable and laid in a manger (feed trough) for a cradle. And please note whom the Lord decided to first inform of His Son’s birth, lowly shepherds. That must say something about the Lord’s purpose for His Son; that His earthly life would not be princely and proud, like so many expected, but humble and peaceful as befitted the prince of peace.
And the Lord wasn’t satisfied with just letting the shepherds know that Jesus Christ was born, no, He instigated a ceremony worthy of His Son. As the Bible tells us: ‘And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, and good will toward men.’ (Luke 2:13-14) And that is exactly what we hope will manifest itself as we celebrate Jesus’ birthday; that there will be a curtailing of the strife and all the negative emotions that’s oppressing our world, and we will begin a slow march back to the peace that Jesus desires of us.
It’s the perfect day and time to end all the nonsense, all the wars, and rumours of wars that are burdening our world and sadly dragging it under. It’s time to repudiate Beelzebub and all his foolishness and turn back to the One True God, as personified by Jesus Christ, who sacrificed His sinless life on the cross of Calvary, so that our sins could be forgiven, and we receive salvation and eternal life!
What good has Satan ever done for us eh? Absolutely nothing! He’s simply trying his best to drag us down to the depths of hell with him, because he was once foolish enough to try to overthrow his Creator, and is now paying dearly for that foolishness. In other words friends, Satan is just looking for company, he doesn’t have our good at heart at all. So please, let’s try and break the bondage he holds so many of us in nuh. As believers in Christ Jesus, along with the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, we have all the tools to resist him, but we must be prepared to make a serious effort, because he doesn’t ever give up trying to belittle us in the eyes of the Lord.
But to accomplish that we need to do as James, the brother of Jesus says in his epistle: ‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you… Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.’ (James 4:7-8, 10)
Oh my fellow saints, if we want to get away from the devil, that is exactly what many of us need to do in these oh so trying and troubled times; draw closer to God, for you cannot resist Satan without God’s help. However, there are many of us who are trying the ole sitting on the fence trick, trying to play one side against the other, but that won’t work, because neither God not Satan accepts double minded people, or those who try to outsmart them. So, it’s absolutely necessary to ramp up our situation with God, if we want to be a part of the Prince of Peace’s peaceful army. (smile) And there’s no better time to do it than on this the celebration of His birthday.
And before I forget, let me apologize for the lateness of the Bit, but I went to church this morning, then came home and found a big breakfast waiting for me, which I heartily enjoyed. But that then meant I had to go and get a nap and allow the food to digest, because there’s another, even bigger meal in the offing this evening. Brother! I don’t see the need for so much food, with so few people! But I don’t make the rules, the ladies of my household do, and I’m just expected to abide by them. And in my own fashion, I’m trying to be obedient. (smile)
Oh, I also wanted to sing a hymn today yes, ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing,’ but it seems like I got sidetracked, so let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, it’s very applicable and appropriate for today, showing our trust and faith in Christ. As one strong and sincere voice:
‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Christmas Day 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 we know that the Lord has sincerely promised that whoever endures with Jesus to the very end, will enjoy a future that will be more glorious than they can ever ask or imagine. So please, let’s make a solemn date to meet there at the very end nuh, and enjoy that future together! Much LOVE!
…Jesus birth…began the winds of change…in our evil and ungodly world…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
24 Dec 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a correct picture, a faithful saying, a paatern, an abomination to the human soul, anger, be not dismayed, bear thee up in their hands, Bible, bitterness, christianity, Christmas, concentrate my thoughts on you, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, disastrous times, don't understand your ways, dwell in the land of the shadow of death, early in the morning I cry to you, enable me to live now, faith, fear not, feeble in heart, give his angels charge over thee, hatred, have the light of life, he is my refuge and my fortress, he that follows me, he;lp me to pray, help in you, holy spirit, hurry, I am lonely, I am the light of the world, I am thy God, I cannot do this alone, I will say of the Lord, I will strengthen you, in god's eyes, in him will I trust, In me there's darkness, Jesus Christ, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, last minute preparations, let not your heart be troubled, life everlasting, light emanates from God, lock stock and barrel, longsuffering, LOVE, mercy, my god, my peace I give unto you, 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 emotions, neither let it be afraid, never enough time, no evil shall befall thee, no need of the sun or moon, no plague shall come nigh thy dwelling, not as the world gives, pateince, patience, peace, persih, restless, salvation, seen a great light, shall not walk in darkness, share His love with my neighbours, strife-filled world, strive with thee, suprasses all understanding, Thank You Lord, the beloved of God, the glory of God illuminated it, the gospel truth, the grace of God, the heavens are higher than the earth, the Lamb, the light thereof, the peace of God, the people that walked in darkness, to keep thee in all thy ways, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness, upon them hath the light shined, wisdom, with you there's light, without me ye can do nothing, worry, worthy of all acceptance, you never leave me
John 8:12. I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Well a Happy Christmas Eve to all you my Scrip-Bits friends and families. I sincerely hope that today meets you in good health and that you are busy making your last minute preparations for the big day tomorrow! (smile) Oh, it amuses me when I see people running around like chickens with their heads cut off to get all their Christmas activities together. I just smile and say, ‘Thank You Lord!’ Why? Because I’ve learned over the last few years to do whatever little I intend to do, as early as possible so as not to get involved in all the last minute rushing and pushing.
It just seems that at Christmas time, there’s always so much we want to do, but there’s never enough time to do it, either because we’ve left too much for too late, or we’re simply trying to do much. But who am I to question the overflowing attitudes of others eh? (smile) And to help us get through all the ‘confufflations’ of the day, let’s sincerely offer up this prayer from the Prayers Through The Ages Pamphlet – Prayers for Spiritual Renewal – recently put out by the Anglican Diocese of Toronto. This prayer is attributed to Dietrich Bonhoffer, a martyred German theologian, (1904-1945).
Please pray with me. ‘Oh God, early in the morning I cry to you. Help me to pray and to concentrate my thoughts on you: I cannot do this alone, In me there is darkness, but with you there is light, I am lonely, but you do not leave me; I am feeble in heart, but in you there is help; I am restless, but with you there is peace. In me there is bitterness, but with you there is patience; I do not understand your ways, but you know the way for me… Restore me to liberty, and enable me to live now That I may answer before you and before me. Lord, whatever this day may bring, your name be praised.’
And is that ever a correct picture of the human soul in these disastrous times! And do we ever need the Lord’s help, because we cannot do anything on our own. For as Jesus so rightly said; ‘for without me, ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5) And I like the contrasts that the prayer makes: There is darkness in the human soul, but only light emanates from the Godhead. How did Jesus put it? ‘I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ (John 8:12)
Now that’s the gospel truth, it also fulfills the prophecy of the prophet Isaiah: ‘The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.’ (Is. 9:2) And that’s how it is for all those who walk with Jesus; we walk in the light, because He is the light of the world. It will be also as John says in Revelation: ‘And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten (illuminate) it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.’ (Rev. 21:23)
That brings us to where the prayer says we’re lonely, which is oh so true in these days of deceit and strife, and though we may be amongst a crowd of people, our hearts can still be lonely. But the good news is that our God is always with us, He never leaves us. Though He may seem to be far away, the truth is that He is always around us, present and ready for action on our behalf, through His Holy Spirit that indwells us. And Psalm 91 – The Secret Place of the Most High – gives us that assurance:
‘I will say of the Lord, he is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust… Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation (dwelling place); There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear (lift) thee up in their hands, lest thou dash (strike) thy foot against a stone.’ (Ps. 91:2,9-12)
Oh friends, we cannot ask for any more assurance of our safety and closeness to Almighty God! And though we are also feeble in heart, when we place our trust in the Most High God, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, there’s much help to be had. As the prophet Isaiah promised in His name: ‘Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded (disgraced): they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.’ (Is. 41:10-11)
Oh my people, there’s no greater assurance than the faithful help of our Creator and Provider! None whatsoever! And though there’s a restless spirit within us, when we turn to Him, we find peace, the peace that’s not like what the world offers. As Jesus says: ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27) Yes friends the peace of Christ far surpasses any other peace we might know. It’s that ‘peace of God which passeth all understanding, and which shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:7)
And sadly with our strife-filled world, bitterness, anger, hatred and all the negative emotions are ever so prevalent, but thankfully in God, there’s patience. And did Bruh Paul ever know and experience God’s patience! Here’s what he told Timothy: ‘And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and LOVE which in in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering (patience), for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.’ (1 Tim. 1:14-16)
Yes friends, our God showed much patience with Bruh Paul while he was persecuting the early Christian church, until He was ready to reform him and turn him into the most zealous of the apostles. So there is no need to fear, for He will do the same with us, when He’s ready. And because we are only a creation of God, with only finite understanding, we cannot understand how He operates.
But if we allow Him to lead us, these words of His ought to give us peace and not worry about the way we go. ‘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 higher than your thoughts.’ (Is. 55:8-9) That explains it all, my people.
Now, let’s go home declaring (steupsss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world 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 now it 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!
…in Jesus Christ…the human being finds…all they need to live a good life…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
23 Dec 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a froward heart, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a picture of Christ, a worthwhile image of his creator, acknowledging God's sovereignty, administers social justice, baking, behave wisely, Bible, Christian faith, christianity, Christians, Christmas, Christmas parties, clean up our act, cooking, cut off all wicked doers, destroy all the wicked of the land, divine aid, faith, faithfully promised to hear our prayers, fellowship, focused on the heavenly prize ahead, forgetting those things which are behind, gratitude, holy spirit, humble servants, humility, I count not myself to have apprehended, I press toward the mark, I will sing of mercy and judgement, in a perfect way, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, joy, keep love first place in our hearts, keeps his personal life pure, kiness, laid hold of perfection, let the love of christ shine forth, LOVE, love on earth, mass confusion, mercy, need to see real love in action, no greater gift than love, perfection in Christ, praise, pray, reaching forth, salvation, secretly slanders his neighbour, seriously disobeyed your word, set no wicked thing before mine eyes, shopping, sincere repentance, sincerely seek God's face, sing praises, sings to the Lord, spiritual maturity, strong faith in Christ, the attribute of God's love, the eve of Christmas Eve, the eyes of believers, the foundation of our faith, the God who heals, the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, the moral corruption, the perfect king, the prize, this one thing I do, to hear our prayers, to those things that are ahead, transforms man, truth, turn from our evil ways, Walk with a Perfect Heart, we have all sinned, wickedness, wisdom, without love man is a wild animal, workers of iniquity
Philippians 3:14. I press toward the mark (goal) for the prize of the high (upward) calling of God in Christ Jesus.
And then it was Monday; the eve of Christmas Eve, and all the last-minute Christmas parties, shopping, cooking, baking etc. are in full swing. But in the middle of all that confusion, let’s not forget who’s responsible for all the joy, peace, kindness and LOVE on earth, Jesus Christ! Let’s also remember that there’s no greater gift than LOVE, which this Christmas season is all about. No friends, we can’t say it too often, that without LOVE, mankind is nothing but a wild animal! It’s the attribute of God’s LOVE in him that transforms him into the worthwhile image of his Creator.
So, on this Monday before Christmas, let’s keep LOVE first place in our hearts nuh. Let it be the barometer of everything we do, with everybody we come into contact with. Let’s promise to allow the LOVE of Christ to shine forth in us, as we venture forth into the world today, for our world badly needs to see real LOVE in action after all the strife and disasters, both natural and manmade, that we’ve been recently experiencing. End of sermon!
And that brought my writing to a standstill. (smile) But as they say, when in doubt, search the Psalms, and so I did, and came up with this winner that I believe many of us are not familiar with. It’s Psalm 101, the words of Bruh David titled, ‘Walk with a Perfect Heart.’ So, let’s read it together. ‘I will sing of mercy (LOVING-KINDNESS) and judgement (justice): unto thee, O Lord, will I sing (sing praises).’ (Ps. 101:1)
And like all good prayers, Bruh David begins with praise and gratitude, humbly acknowledging God’s sovereignty and majesty. Then he promises: ‘I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect (blameless) heart. I will set no wicked (worthless) thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave (cling) to me. A froward (perverse) heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person (wickedness).’ (Ps. 101: 2-4)
Now there’s nothing in those statements that ought to surprise us, for those are all promises that the believer ought to make, ought to be working towards, because they are the basis, the foundation of our faith, and moves us forward towards spiritual maturity. Yes, a believer ought to have as blameless a heart as possible, not look at things that are not worthwhile, dislike the work of those that turn aside from the faith, give up all the perverseness of heart that he had before He was saved, while not associating with those who practice wickedness.
The problem though, is how successful are we in those areas of our Christian faith? We are all at different levels, but we should all be reaching forward to the things that are ahead of us. Or as Bruh Paul wrote to the church at Philippi: ‘Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended (laid hold of it – perfection in following Christ): but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth (forward) unto those things which are before (ahead). I press toward the mark (goal) for the prize of the high (upward) calling of God in Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 3:13-14)
Now that’s how all good and true believers ought to be; leaving those things that are behind, behind, and instead, pressing forward towards spiritual maturity! That brings us back to the psalm, where Bruh David continues: ‘Whoso privily (secretly) slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off (destroy): him that hath an high look and a proud heart will I not suffer (endure).
Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect (blameless) way, he shall serve me. He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry (be established) in my sight. I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; that I may cut off all wicked doers (workers of iniquity) from the city of the Lord.’ (Ps. 101: 5-8)
So what is that all about eh? Besides being a very good example for us to follow, the scholars tell us that ‘Psalm 101 describes the perfect king. It expresses David’s own aims but, at the same time is a picture of Christ, his descendant, who will in fact fulfil this ideal picture. The ideal king sings to the Lord (vs. 1), keeps his personal life pure (vs. 2-4), and administers social justice (vs. 5-8).’
And sadly, only Jesus Christ in all His majesty and power can ever fulfil that ideal role, for we humans don’t have the wherewithal to do so. But that doesn’t excuse us from trying to do our best, from reaching forward to the things ahead and above and leaving the past in the past. And to help us do that, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid in these desperate 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!’
However friends, I must remind us that however much we plead with God, we won’t receive any divine aid until we clean up our act; turn from our evil ways, repent and sincerely seek God’s face! Much LOVE!
…the eyes of believers…ought always to be focused…on the heavenly prize ahead…not the moral corruption we’ve left behind…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
22 Dec 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a child that will grow up, a forgiving God, a loving god, a ray of hope, a rosy hue, a silent wish, a tiny star lights up, Advent, alight with joy, all a dream, all across the land, an illusion, Angel's candle, Bible, came to save us, change our evil ways, Christ died for us, Christ's birth, Christ's Second Coming, Christian, christianity, Ciro Dammicco, contrary, counterproductive, dawns a brand new morn, everyone to everyone's neighbour, faith, feel you're on solid ground, Festivalbar, flickers in the sky, for our children's children, fourth Sunday in advent, Fred Jay, give up our desires, God commendeth his own love toward us, God faithfully keeps his promises, God is LOVE, God sent His only begotten Son, hate to love, he that loveth not knoweth not God, heaven singing along with us, holy spirit, how to practice love each day, in spite of our many sins, indisputable truth, it must come true, Jesus Christ, largesse of heart, LOVE, love is only found in God, love is paradoxical, love is sacrificial, make this world a better place, mercy, misery, no one seems forlorn, prayer of gratitude, sails the seven seas, salvation, settles all around, showed us how to love, Soleado, somehow, sometime soon, suffering, sunny, teach us, the candle of love, the immaculate conception, the walls of doubt crumble, the winds of change, the world is waiting, then love of God toward us, this comes to pass, torn, tossed, truth, turn tears to laughter, waiting for one child, war to peace, way up high, we might live through Him, we serve a compassionate God, what it is to love, When a child is born, while we were yet sinners, whisper in the trees, wisdom, words to be forgotten, you still loved us
Romans 5:8. But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
And today’s the fourth Sunday in advent my fellow believers, that season when we wait with great expectations for the coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, first for His immaculate conception and birth, then His Second Coming to take over the world. So on this most auspicious Sunday, the one right before Christmas Day, let’s light the candle of LOVE, or Angel’s Candle signifying the great LOVE that God showed for us by sending His Only Son to earth to be our Lord and Saviour.
And the words of John’s first epistle bear out all we need to know about LOVE, especially the LOVE of God, as he writes: ‘He that LOVETH not knoweth not God; for God is LOVE. In this was manifested the LOVE of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.’ (1 John 4:8-9)
Wow! What a compassionate and forgiving God we serve! Only a Deity with the utmost largesse of heart could have done such a wonderful thing for undeserving subjects. Consequently, let’s offer up this prayer of gratitude and LOVE for the fourth week in Advent. Please pray with me. ‘Oh Lord, Thank you that in spite of our many sins, you still LOVED us and came to save us. You came and showed us how to LOVE. Teach us what it is to LOVE, and how to practice it each day. Remind us that LOVE is paradoxical, sacrificial, and only found in you. Amen!’
And isn’t all of that the indisputable truth? It surely is! And I especially like that part where we implore Christ to teach us what it is to LOVE, and even more importantly, how to practice it each and every day. For that’s the ONLY way that LOVE will ever become a real and true part of our lives, for it’s both paradoxical, seems contrary and counterproductive, and oh so sacrificial. Yes, that’s the part that turns most of us off of LOVE; having to give up our desires and pursuits for those of others. But if you truly want to show LOVE, then that’s what you need to do.
And the other interesting thing is that LOVE can ONLY be found in Christ; He is the fountain head of the emotion! And having said all of that, let’s turn our hearts to worship, to offering up sweet sacrifices of praise through this beautiful Christmas song, simply titled, ‘When a Child is Born.’
It’s reputed that the melody comes from a Spanish instrumental piece of music called ‘Soleado or Sunny’ written by Ciro Dammicco under the alias “Zacar”, based on his earlier composition “Le rose blu” (1972). The song was recorded in 1974 by Dammicco’s band, the Daniel Sentacruz Ensemble, and presented at that year’s edition of Festivalbar, an Italian summer singing competition that begun some time in the 1960’s in the important Italian squares.
The song became an instant hit, selling millions of copies in Europe. It was then used as a melody for several other songs in other languages, and reputedly the English lyrics were written by Austrian composer Fred Jay as a Christmas song (although the song does not actually make any specific reference to Christmas). And since around 1974, numerous artists have recorded it, possibly the sweetest and most soulful being that by Johnny Mathis, whose version we’re going to do today.
So, Singing: ‘A ray of hope flickers in the sky A tiny star lights up way up high All across the land, dawns a brand new morn This comes to pass when a child is born – A silent wish sails the seven seas The winds of change whisper in the trees And the walls of doubt crumble, tossed and torn This comes to pass when a child is born – A rosy hue settles all around You’ve got the feel you’re on solid ground For a spell or two, no one seems forlorn This comes to pass when a child is born –
( Talk – And all of this happens because the world is waiting, Waiting for one child Black, white, yellow, no one knows But a child that will grow up and turn tears to laughter, Hate to love, war to peace and everyone to everyone’s neighbor And misery and suffering will be words to be forgotten, forever) – (It’s all a dream, an illusion now It must come true, sometime soon somehow All across the land, dawns a brand new morn This comes to pass when a child is born.) (Repeat.)’
Now wasn’t that wonderful! All heaven was singing along with us, and it even brought tears to the Father’s eyes as He remembered that glorious night when His Son was born. Yes friends, that’s exactly what we’re waiting for; the birth of the child Jesus; the one who ‘will grow up and turn tears to laughter, Hate to love, war to peace and everyone to everyone’s neighbor And misery and suffering will be words to be forgotten, forever.’
Right now, rays of hope are flickering in all our hearts, and our souls are alight with joy at the very thought of His coming. And yuh better believe that the winds of change are whispering in the world, while walls of doubt are crumbling at the good news He’s coming to bring. And truly, many of us are forlorn by the state of our world, but we know we’re standing on solid ground, because what seems like a dream to most will eventually come true, because the Lord God, our Creator and Provider has promised it in His Word, and He always faithfully keeps His promises!
And to wrap it all up tightly, here’s one of my favourite scriptures; Bruh Paul’s words to the church at Rome. ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8) Wow mih bredrin! Isn’t that a most glorious and LOVING God? He most certainly is! Most other deities would have expected us to change our evil ways first, but our great God LOVED us so much that He didn’t want to wait any longer than He had already done!
So, please, today, let’s open our hearts, souls, bodies and minds to the wonderful LOVE that He’s offering nuh, so that our world can become a much better place for our children’s children! Much LOVE!
…only through…the HOPE, PEACE, LOVE and JOY of Christ…can our world ever become…what it was created to be…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
21 Dec 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a mere mortal, as I am not of the world, baking, Bible, christianity, cooking, deepen my breath, everything that glistens is not gold, excitement, faith, fellowship, free will, given them thy word, going to hell in a bucket., goodness and mercy, goodwill to men, greater intimacy with God, heaven is our real home, here to do Christ's bidding, holy spirit, hoopla, hullabaloo, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ, join in the merriment, joyful worship, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, Lord I want to be with you now, LOVE, love towards neighbours, make their own decisions, mercy, never finished in time, not getting entangled in the worlds business, on our way to heaven, peace, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, salvation, sanctify them through thy truth, seeking fellowship, shopping, slow my thoughts, spending eternity in heaven, spreading the good news of the gospel, sufferation, thank you for this tenderness, thanksgiving, the benfits of believing in Jesus, the Love for Jesus is imbued in all we do, the presence of the Lord, the world hated them, the world tries to fool us, they are not of the world, this is not our home, thy word is truth, true brotherhood, truth, warms our hearts with joy, we are in the world but not of the world, we are pilgrims passing through, wisdom, with a lot of glistening stuff, wrapping presents, you can't be contained, your love surrounds and fills me
John 17:16. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
And it’s a sunshiny, but cold lazy-day Saturday with clean streets and a modicum of the white snow on the banks and roof tops. What more can we ask for in this winter and Christmas season eh? Only the arrival of Jesus, which is only four days away…and then…Wow! The whole world will go crazy with excitement, celebrations, joyful worship and thanksgiving, peace, LOVE and goodwill to all men! Even the non-believers will join in the merriment and have a modicum of LOVE towards their neighbours.
That’s the beauty and power of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Even the unbeliever is affected by His glorious coming to earth, through our celebrations. Our task is then to take that receptiveness of the unbeliever and show them the benefits of truly believing in Jesus, the One and Only Saviour of the World, and without whom they don’t stand a chance of spending eternity in the wonderful realm of heaven with Him.
Ah my fellow believers, this Christmas season where so much LOVE and true brotherhood abounds, is the time when we need to up our witness for Christ, because our world is fast going to hell in a bucket and that’s not why He underwent so much ‘sufferation,’ to see it lamely fall into the hands of Beelzebub!
No! Jesus sacrificed His sinless life so that we could take it back from the devil through our spreading of the good news of His gospel and living the life that it mandates. So, while we are celebrating Christ’s birth, please, let’s throw in some comments, some remarks, some examples of His goodness and mercy, that will hopefully touch someone’s heart and make them give it to Him, as they ought to. (smile)
Now, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer in all sincerity and truth. 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!’
Yes friends, I can feel the peace and presence of the Lord increasing, and there’s a big smile on His face as He welcomes our desire for greater intimacy with Him. As I keep telling us, there’s nothing that warms the cockles of God’s heart more than the desire of His people for greater intimacy with Him, because that’s exactly why He created us in the first place! It’s like when our young children come and desire to sit in our laps, to cuddle up there and just fall asleep in our warm, LOVING embrace and presence. It warms our hearts with joy.
Well, it’s the same way the Lord feels when we go to Him seeking fellowship and greater intimacy. And I can’t understand why many more of us don’t do it, because it brings such joy and peace to all parties. But then again, I’m just a mere mortal and my mind is not attuned to the whys and wherefores of other mortals. I can just do what I believe I ought to do, and offer simple advice to others, who will have to make their own decisions, with their own free will.
Ah friends, I’m chuckling here because I don’t know how we got to this point, the words just kept flowing. (smile) The important thing though, is that the sentiments are wise and true, and surely worth following. And with only four more days to go to Christmas Day, I hope we are all ready for it, with all the shopping, the wrapping of presents, the baking, the cooking, and all the other things we seem to do at Christmas time completed and just waiting to explode at the given time.
But that would indeed be a miracle, for many of us are never finished with all the stuff we need to do even on Christmas morning. Anyway, let’s hope that the LOVE for Jesus is imbued in everything we do, and it’s not simply a matter of lust for worldly things. For remember Jesus’ fateful words about our association with this world, in His prayer to the Father.
‘And now I come to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from evil (the evil one). They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.’ (John 17:13-19)
Yes my fellow saints, Jesus went out of His way to ensure the Father would keep us in the world, but not as a part of the world! To sanctify or set us apart to do His mission, like Christ came to do the Father’s mission. We are here to do Christ’s bidding, of spreading the truth of His word, not getting ourselves entangled with the evil and ungodliness of this world. And as this Christmas season progresses, with all the hoopla and hullabaloo it brings, I believe it would do many of us some good to remember those words. We are in the world, but not a part of the world. This is not our home. We are merely pilgrims passing through, on our way to heaven…our real home.
So, on this lazy-day Saturday before Christmas, please, let’s take a moment and ponder, compare our actual lives to those words, and with the Lord’s help, make any necessary adjustments! That’s my prayer for us today! Much LOVE!
…everything that glistens is not gold…but the world tries to fool us…with a lot of glistening stuff…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
20 Dec 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new flock of believers, according to his divine power, act in obedience to his Word, arrogant, backsliders, be partakers of the divine nature, Bible, christianity, Christmas, compassion, courtesy to others, disaster, discontent, dissatisfaction, error of their ways, escalating instead of improving, escaped the corruption, eternal destiny, faith, faithfulness, foolish, forgotten God, free will, Friday chant, generosity, gentleness, given unto us all things, goodness, grace and peace be multiplied unto you, great and precious promises, help and guidance to do His will, holy spirit, I am the vine ye are the branches, Jesus Christ, joy, kindness, life becomes unbearable, live the abundant life, longsuffering, lose our bearings, lose sight of the essential facts, LOVE, lust, meekness, mercy, no longer need God's help, no one to blame but ourselves, not that we are sufficient of ourselves, our sufficiency is of God, patience, peace, prideful, problems, produce good fruit, salvation, seek God's wisdom, self-control, shed this mortal coil, simmering unrest, sinful world, smell the coffee, stand strong and steadfast, strength, strife, temperance, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that pertain to life and godliness, the examples faithful believers set, the fruit of the spirit, the knowledge of god, the necessity of keeping Jesus first place, to think anything as of ourselves, trusting faith, truth, wake up, water and nourish the fruit, wisdom, without me ye can do nothing
2 Corinthians 3:5. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.
And it’s the Friday before Christmas! Wow! What a wonderful long weekend this will be! Some of us not going back to work for almost a week, if we have vacation time and a good employer! (smile) Thus the many joyful shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ But please, let’s not forget to include Christ in all of our Christmas doings, for He is the reason that we are celebrating this joyful time, and without Him we are nothing. As He so rightfully reminds us in the Word: ‘I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5)
Now that should be a scripture that’s always uppermost in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, because without Jesus in us and we in Him, we cannot produce any good fruit. For it’s His presence in us, as the Holy Spirit, that sows the seeds of good fruit, then gives us the strength and wisdom to water and nurture them, as well as the necessary patience to wait for them to blossom forth with much good fruit. And that’s exactly why so many of us supposed Christians are not bearing much fruit, or any fruit at all. We’re forgetting the necessity of keeping Jesus first place in all that we do, keeping Him uppermost in our minds as we live each day, and asking for His help and guidance to do His will in His way and in His time.
And by the way, I guess we can use a refresher re the fruit that Jesus refers to. (smile) Bruh Paul outlines it to the Galatians thus: ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, joy, peace, longsuffering (patience), gentleness (kindness), goodness (generosity), faithfulness, Meekness (courtesy with others), temperance (self-control): against such there is no law.’ (Gal. 5:22-23) Yes friends, it’s ALL about Jesus, and the moment we forget or lose sight of that most essential fact, then we begin to slide, to lose our bearings and life becomes unbearable.
Consequently, there’s this other scripture that we should always keep in the forefront of our lives. They are these most interesting and poignant words of Bruh Paul to the Corinthians: ‘Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.’ (2 Cor. 3:5) And until we have that fully planted in our souls, we won’t get anywhere. And that’s one of the reasons why our world is in such a chaotic state; we’ve become so filled with knowledge and supposed wisdom, which we feel is all our doing, and therefore we no longer need God’s help; we can handle it all. But if we’re so wise and great, why is there so much strife and disaster enveloping our once beautiful world eh?
It’s all because we’ve forgotten God, or worse yet, are trying to rid our society of Him, which is totally impossible. That just shows how foolish, arrogant and prideful we’ve become, if we believe that we can get rid of the Creator of the universe. And that’s why He’s given us free will; to make our own choices, be they good or foolish. We have no one to blame but ourselves for our foolish behaviour, because the Lord has given us everything we need to make a good life down here on earth.
As Peter attests to in his second epistle. ‘Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through (in) the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.’ (2 Pet. 1:2-4) And is there ever a lot of lust and corruption in our world today. It seems like there’s nothing else but that.
However, that scripture above tells us that God has already given us EVERYTHING we need for life and godliness. As parts of these two commentaries affirm: ‘We are prepared for anything. All the opportunities, information, relationships have already been given to us through knowing Him.’ As Believers, ‘Through the power of the Holy Spirit and His grace, we can seek God’s wisdom, choose to act in obedience to His Word, and live a fruitful life that reflects His glory.’
And there’s no disputing those words my brethren, for our wonderful God has done all He can to ensure that we have a decent earthly life, then, when we depart this earth, to end up with Him in heaven for all eternity. There’s no more that He can do! The rest of it all depends on us. How we respond to His commands will determine both our earthly and eternal destinies. And today, I will advise us to take a moment and consider the kind of lives we’re currently leading, and if they will enable us to live the abundant life that Christ died for us to live here on earth, and then catapult us to His waiting arms when we shed this mortal coil. It’s oh so important that we regularly check out our lives to see how we’re doing, so that we can make any necessary adjustments.
Now, let’s go to throne of grace, through our Chant, seeking divine aid to help us toe the line. 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!’
Ah friends, it’s ever so important that we wake up and smell the coffee and thus become better witnesses for Christ, if we expect to receive any divine aid! Much LOVE!
…only with Christ in us…and we in Him…that believers can do anything worthwhile…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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