29 Oct 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a great family, a man after His own heart, a man of rest, a man who made mistakes and paid the price for them, a positive outlook on life, a son shall be born to thee, abundance, be well rewarded by the Lord, beleivers are apt to experience adversity in doing God's will, brimming with energy, choose the one of them that I may do unto thee, clear direction for my life, clothed in sackcloth, come to know and love christ like we do, courage, curse, David prepared abundantly before his death, David was only a man, destroyed before thy foes, destroying throughout all the coasts of Israel, divine protection, do a good job with the Lord's help, do away with the iniquity of thy servant, don't give up, don't lose heart, done very foolishly, ensure God 's glory, excuse for being late to the party, experience adversity, faith, fall into the hand of the Lord, favour, forgiveness of sin doesn't exempt you from paying a price for the sin, generously use our blessings to help ohters, give him rest from all his enemies, God smote Israel, God was displeased with this thing, good friends, greatly sinned, his name shall be Solomon, holy spirit, in a great strait, in doing god's will, in due season we shall reap if we faint not, into the Lord's bad books, it was evil in God's eyes, it was in my mind, Jesus Christ, laziness, let us not be weary in well doing, LOVE, mercy, negative word, not fall into the hand of man, of fame and glory throughout all countries, offer thee three things, old age, our unique God, pestilence in the land, promotion, provoked David to number Israel, responsibility to set a good example, salvation, Satan stood up against Israel, seasonal allergies, shed mych blood upon the earth in my sight, Solomon means Peaceful, supernatural strength, take a census, talent, the elders of Israel, the Lord repented him of the evil, the Lord's house must be exceeding magnifical, the penultimate day of the work week, the people shuld not be punished for his sin, the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee, thou hast shed blood abundantly, three choices of punishment, three days the sword of the Lord, three years of famine, to build an house unto the Lord, took him to task, truth, undeserved blessings, very great are God's mercies, wisdom, wrongdoing
Today’s Scrip-Bit 29 October 2026 1 Chronicles 21:1.
1 Chronicles 21:1. And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked (moved) David to number Israel (take a census).
Oh friends, it’s just one of those days where old age, laziness and a touch of seasonal allergies have combined to dim the enthusiasm of getting up to greet another day. And it’s a beautiful sunshiny, warm though somewhat windy Thursday, our penultimate day of the work week. Now who wouldn’t want to rise and greet such a day at the end of October eh? (smile) In fact, I was up fairly early, spun around a bit, then went back to bed, and found it difficult to get up. And that’s my excuse for being somewhat late to the party! (smile) Anyway, here we are, not brimming with energy, but enough to do a good job with the Lord’s help.
And the Good Book opened today at 1 Chronicles, where Bruh David is gathering all the stuff required to build the Lord’s temple, saying, ‘Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be builded for the Lord must be exceeding magnifical, of fame and of glory throughout all countries: I will therefore now make preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death.’ (1 Chr. 22:5) That was after Bruh David had dropped into the Lord’s bad books for having a census done in Judah and Israel.
The Bible tells us: ‘And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked (moved) David to number Israel (take a census)… And God was displeased with this thing (it was evil in the eyes of God); therefore he smote (struck) Israel.’ (1 Chr. 21:1&7) But we know how Bruh David, once enlightened of his wrongdoing, always sincerely repented before the Lord. ‘And David said unto God, I have greatly sinned, because I have done this thing: but now, I beseech thee do away (take away) the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.’ (1 Chr: 21:8)
But Bruh David wasn’t going to get away so easily this time. ‘And the Lord spake unto Gad, David’s seer, saying, Go and tell David, saying, Thus saith the Lord, I offer thee three things: choose the one of them, that I may do unto thee.’ (1 Chr. 21:9-10) Imagine that nuh, the Lord offering Bruh David three choices of punishment. Only our God could be so unique!
‘So Gad came unto David, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Choose thee, Either three years of famine (2 Sam. 24:13, says 7); or three months to be destroyed before thy foes, while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee; or else three days the sword of the Lord, even the pestilence, in the land, and the angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the coasts (territory) of Israel. Now therefore advice thyself (consider) what word I shall bring again to him that sent me. And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait (distress): let me fall now into the hand of the Lord; for very great are his mercies: but let me not fall into the hand of man. So the Lord sent pestilence upon Israel: and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men.’ (1 Chr. 21:11-14)
Ah friends, all of that simply shows that Bruh David was only a man like us, and made mistakes but also paid the price for them. Yes, although the Lord favoured him, considered him a man after His own heart, He always took him to task for his wrongdoing, especially after he became king and had the added responsibility to set a good example and ensure God’s glory. And you can read in the rest of 1 Chr. 21, how in the midst of destroying Jerusalem, the Lord stopped His angel, ‘repented him of the evil’ and when Bruh David saw the angel of the Lord standing with drawn sword over the land, he and the elders of Israel, clothed in sackcloth, obviously mourning those destroyed, again repented of his sin, pleading that it was his sin and his house, not the people should be punished.
Then Bruh David was commanded to set up an altar at the threshing floor of a man called Ornan the Jebusite, which he did, though adamantly refusing the land as a gift and instead purchasing it for six hundred shekels of gold. And it’s after all of that, that Bruh David began gathering the material to build the Lord’s temple. ‘Then he called for Solomon his son, and charged (commanded) him to build an house for the Lord God of Israel. And David said unto Solomon, My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build an house unto the name of the Lord my God:
But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight. Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon (Peaceful), and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his day. He shall build an house for my name; and he shall be my son, and I will be his father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel for ever.’ (1 Chr. 22:6-10)
Ah friends, although Bruh David received a lot of grace and mercy from God in trying to do His will, he still suffered a great deal for the mistakes he made. And since the Lord is the same yesterday, today and forever, it means that we are also liable to experience a lot of adversity in doing His will, and like Bruh David we should not lose heart or give up, because it’s simply how the Lord runs His affairs. For as Bruh Paul warns in Galatians: ‘And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not (do not lose heart).’ (Gal. 6:9) So my people, it’s of the utmost importance that we stand strong in faith despite adversity, because eventually we will be well rewarded by the Lord.
Now, let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings; undeserved blessings generously bestowed by God on us to do His earthly work. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration, it now behooves us to go out and generously use those blessings to help others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE the Lord like we do! Much LOVE!
…forgiveness of sin…doesn’t exempt one…from paying a price for said sin
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
15 Oct 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a great family, a strong will, abundance, agrarian statement, all that came before me were thieves and robbers, answer with a positive Yes, as long as I am in the world, bear good fruit, behooves us to go out and share those blessings, believe in the godly sovereignty of Jesus, believest thou this, Christians, clear direction for my life, clod weather, come to know and love God like we do, courage, creativity, curse, divine protection, experience everlasting life, faith, favour, find pasture, find safety and salvation, follow the light of the world, go in and out, God's revelation to Moses about His identity, good friends, good health, have the light of life, he that abideth in me and I in him, he that believeth in me, he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, holy spirit, I Am sent me, I AM that I AM, I am the door, I am the door of the sheep, I am the good shepherd, I am the light of the world, I am the resurrection and the life, I am the true vine, I am the vine ye are the branches, I am the way the truth and the life, I know my sheep and are known of mine, if any man enter in he shall be saved, Jesus Christ, Jesus has exclusive rights to the path to heaven, Jesus has the power over life and death, Jesus is indeed the first the last and everything in between, Jesus is the only way to God the Father, Jesus laid down His life for us on the cross of Calvary, Jesus witnessed to Himself, Jesus' husbandry lesson, mercy, Moses and the burning bush, my Father is the husbandman, negative word, never see the pearly gates of heaven, no man cometh to the Father but by me, promotion, prosper and succeed, salvation, self- discipline, self-control, stick to Jesus like white on rice, success, supernatural wisdom, talent, that the Father could justly forgive our sins, the BIBLE, the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep, the light whose name is Jesus, the most important question in this life, the protective keeper of the door, the same bringeth forth much fruit, the sheep did not hear them, the way ye know, the winter season, though he were dead yet shall he live, to receive spiritual strength, truth, undeserved blessings, we've finally seen the light, whither I go ye know, whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die, wisdom, without close ties to Jesus our abilities are severely limited, without me ye can do nothing
Today’s Scrip-Bit 15 October 2026 John 8:12.
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.’
It’s finally happened friends; yes the bright and sunshiny warm days are now over, and the cold weather is slowly creeping in. Thus, the trees, possibly been fooled by the unbroken spell of warm weather, are now hurriedly starting to change the colours of their leaves and then discard them. Yes, they have finally seen the light, and let’s hope that we have also seen the light, whose name is Jesus!
And on this cool and cloudy Thursday in the middle of October, with the winter season quickly approaching, it’s of the utmost importance that we know, appreciate, receive and follow the light of this world. Jesus Himself said 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) And He is bold and secure enough to repeat it in the next chapter.’ As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’ (John 9:5) That means He guides people out of spiritual darkness or death, and offers them the light of life.
Now, if Jesus said it, then it must be true, because He’s God and has no need to lie. The problem there was that the foolish, hypocritical Pharisees disputed His claim because Jesus witnessed to Himself. But if He is God; the highest Being in the universe, who else is there above Him to witness for Him eh? So please let’s not do like those Pharisees of old, be narrowed minded and stubborn, and doubt Christ’s claim to be the light of the world, or really none of His six other claims. And you wonder what those are?
Let’s see if we can gather them together. Here is this very important one, sorry, all of them are important. (smile) Jesus solemnly declares: ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’ (John 10:11) And He repeats it a little later, with a slightly different angle. ‘I am the good shepherd and know my sheep, and am known of mine.’ (John 10:14) In those two statements Jesus emphasizes His care and protection, and willingness to die for His sheep, just like any good shepherd would. And we all know He laid down His life for us on the cross of Calvary, so that the Father could justly forgive our sins.
And shortly before that, He also said: ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.’ (John 10:7-9) There Jesus is presenting Himself as the protective keeper of the door through which people can find safety and salvation.
Then in Chapter 11 of John, while talking to Martha about her brother Lazarus’ death, Jesus says to her. ‘ I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead (may die), yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?’ (John 11:25-26) Now that’s the perfect question for us to ponder on this cool, cloudy Thursday in mid-October 2026! Yes friends, it certainly is, for like Jesus asked Martha if she believed, He’s also asking us the same question today because it’s the most important question we will ever need to answer in this life. Jesus has the power over life and death, and only those who sincerely believe in Him will experience everlasting life. So it’s of the utmost importance that we answer that question with a very positive ‘YES!’
Then, when Jesus tells the disciples, that He’s going away, He adds: ‘And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh to the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:4-6) Ah mih people that’s something else we must also take into great consideration. Jesus is the ONLY way to get to God the Father! He has exclusive rights over that path, and thus, if you don’t believe in Jesus, you will never see the pearly gates of heaven. And believe me, that’s not a very pleasant thought to entertain. So it’s very necessary that we accept and believe in the godly sovereignty of Jesus right now, before it’s too late, since there’s no way to do it after death.
And when Jesus turns to his husbandry lesson, He rightly expounds: ‘I am the true (genuine) vine, and my Father is the husbandman (vinedresser).’ (John 15:1) Now that’s another agrarian statement that the Jewish people would have clearly understood, like the allegory of the good shepherd. Here, Jesus is saying that we have to stick to Him, like white on rice, so we can get spiritual strength and thus bear good fruit. And later on He enlarges on the statement by saying: ‘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)
And that’s the gospel truth, for without closeness to Jesus our abilities are severely limited! And to cover all those ‘I am’ statements, the scholars say that it echoes God’s revelation to Moses at the burning bush, about His identity. ‘And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say to the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.’ (Ex. 3:14) So Jesus was quite right in declaring all those ‘I ams’!
Now, let’s declare our Thursday Blessings, undeserved blessings most generously bestowed on us by our heavenly Father to do His earthly work. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration, it now behooves us to go out and generously use those blessings to help others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE God like we do! Much LOVE!
…Jesus is indeed the First…the Last…and Everything in between…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
08 Oct 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a darting flash of lightning, a drizzle of rain, a great family, a perfect solution for everything, a positive outlook on life, a premium price had to be paid for the forgiveness of sin, Abba Father, abundance, all things are possible unto thee, because of mine enemies, cause me to hear thy loving-kindness in the morning, clear direction for my life, consider that this nation is thy people, courage, creativity, curse, divine protection, faith, favour, feel the warmth of the sun, find grace in thy sight, God's will, God's will is the most important aspect of our Christian walk, good health, guide my words plans and actions, help me let go of selfish desires, holy spirit, If I have found grace in thy sight, in thee do I trust, it's always the best, Jesus Christ, Jesus sorrowful and distressed, Jesus succumbed to the Father's will, know the way I should walk, lead me in a plain path, lead me in a smooth path, lift up my soul unto thee, LOVE, make me to understand the way of thy preccepts, meditate upon thy wondrous works, mercy, negative word, not always easy to submit to God's will, not what I will but what thou wilt, our sense of right and wrong, our will clashes with God's, pray for your will to be done, promotion, reverential awe for God's name, salvation, seek your will as my own, self-control, shew me now thy way, shew me thy ways O Lord, singleness of heart, so others can come to know and love Christ like we do, supernatural wisdom, take away this cup from me, talent, talk of thy wondrous works, teach me thy paths, teach me thy statutes, Teach me thy way O Lord, thank you, thank you for watching over my life, that I may know thee, the best way to know God's will is to ask Him, the blessing of peace that comes with trusting God, the Garden of Gethsemane, the world's your oyster, truth, undeserved blessings, unite my heart to fear thy name, use our blessings generously, walk in thy truth, when your will is in sync with God's, wholehartedly, wisdom, with joy, you know all the details
Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 October 2026 Psalm 25:4.
Psalm 25:4. Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths.
So we’ve come to Thursday, the second to last day of our work week, and let’s not think about tomorrow Friday, for today is too much of a beautiful day to let pass by unnoticed and uncelebrated. Oh my people, I believe it’s still summer, for I went outside just now and lifted up my face to the warmth of the sun and it exhilarated me no end. And except for the strong wind that’s again cavorting through the neighbourhood, you would not think it’s fall, because most of the trees are still green and beautiful. Yesterday too, I went out in the afternoon and although I kept seeing the temperature on the computer creeping up, I was still surprised at how warm it was, so much so that many people were in shorts and shirtsleeves.
But this is the best part of the story. I got up last evening after a short nap, and on looking outside, saw that it had rained. I was completely unaware of that fact, because it seemed to be only a drizzle. Anyway, I went out on my front porch to check the situation, only to be greeted by a loud burst of thunder and a darting flash of lightning. Obviously, I simply turned around and went back inside. But that seemed to be only show, for nothing else happened during the night, and today the ground is still as dry as ever. But we’ll still say thanks for the small blessings of rain. Now let’s see what the Lord wants us to talk about.
Today, He pointed me to the Prayer Cards recently published by the In Touch Organization, to the one dealing with God’s Will. So please pray with me: ‘God, thank You for watching over my life. You know all the details, and You have a perfect solution for everything. It’s not always easy to submit to your will, but it’s always best. So I pray today for Your will to be done. Guide my words, plans, and actions. Help me let go of selfish desires. I want to seek Your will as my own, wholeheartedly and with joy, Thank You for the blessing of peace that comes with trusting you. Amen.’
Ah mih people, that thing called God’s will should be the most important aspect of our Christin walk. As the prayer says, ‘It’s not always easy to submit to your will, but it’s always best.’ And that’s oh so true, for very often our will clashes with the Lord’s desire for us. And there’s no better example of that than the night before Jesus’ crucifixion, when deeply sorrowful and distressed about the upcoming crucifixion, He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, asking: ‘Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt (will).’ (Mark 14:36)
And to show how truly sorrowful Jesus was, He prayed the same prayer twice. Yes Friends, Jesus, in His human form did not want to be crucified, but in His godly self knew that that was why He had come to earth, and it was the only just and righteous answer to the situation the Father wanted to solve; that of being able to forgive our sins. A premium price had to be paid for that justification. So he finally succumbed to the Father’s will.
Now, many of us ask, how will we know God’s will? That’s a good question. And the best answer I can give is to simply ask Him, although a combination of His word, the Holy Spirit’s guidance and our own sense of right and wrong can also help. But Jesus also went away by Himself very often to pray and seek the Father’s will. And there are several scriptures where God was asked to show forth His will, like this one from Psalm 25 which the Prayer card uses as it’s Bible verse. Bruh David cries out to God: ‘Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.’ (Ps. 25:4-5)
And that last phrase is an interesting one, for knowing God’s will also calls for patience, since he doesn’t always reveal it as soon as we ask. Then we have this cry from Moses when he encounters the Lord in the tabernacle outside the camp of the Israelites. ‘Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.’ (Ex. 33:13) And the Lord promised His presence to go with Moses and the Israelites.
It also seems that seeking and knowing God’s will was a favourite plea of Bruh David, for he declares it in several psalms. We’ve already seen it in Psalm 25, then in psalm 27, he asks; ‘Teach me thy way O Lord, and lead me in a plain (smooth) path, because of mine enemies.’ (Ps. 27:11) In Psalm 86, he declares: ‘Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name (give me singleness of heart to have reverential awe for thy name).’ (Ps. 86:11) Then in Psalm 119, he says: I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me: teach me thy statutes. Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of (meditate upon) thy wondrous works.’ (Ps. 119: 26-27)
Finally, in Psalm 143, Bruh David cries out to the Lord: ‘Cause me to hear thy LOVING-KINDNESS in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.’ (Ps. 143:8) So you see my fellow believers, going to God and seeking His will directly from Him is not forbidden. If Jesus and Bruh David could do it, so can we. And our God is so wonderful that to help us do His earthly work, He’s generously blessed us with undeserved blessings, we call our Thursday Blessings. So let’s declare and thus activate them right now nuh, for a blessing is not a blessing until it’s spoken.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration, we’re now expected to go out and use those blessings to help others, use them just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…when your will is in sync with God’s…then the world is your oyster…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
24 Sep 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a new decree, a positive outlook on life, a strong will, abundance, an ash heap, another pagan king praising God, be cut in pieces, be it known unto thee, before the white stuff flies, blessed be the God of Shadrach Meshach and Abednego, cast three men bound into the fire, Christians, clear direction for my life, come to know and love him like we do, creativity, curse, Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, Daniel stood strong and God was glorified, deliver us out of thine hand, delivered Daniel, delivered his servants that trusted him, divine protection, except their own God, faith, first day of autumn, frustrated the kings word, glorify your Father which is in heaven, go out and share our blessings, God's supernatural wisdom, God's word legally exposed in the kingdom, he delivereth and rescueth, he is the living God, his dominion, his dominion shall even unto the end, his kingdom shall not be destroyed, his servants steadfast behaviour, holy spirit, I see four men loose, important lesson to be learned, in every dominion of my kingdom, in heaven and in earth, Jesus Christ, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, let your light shine before men, like the Son of God, LOVE, men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, mercy, might not serve or worship any other god, negative word, nor the smell of fire had passed on them, nor was an hair of their head singed, nor worship the golden image thou has set up, on the late bus, oredered the fire heated seven times hotter than normal, our God is able to deliver us from the fiery furnace, peace be multiplied unto you, promotion, salvation, saved him from the lions, self-control, sent his angel, Shadrach Meshach and Abednego refused to bow to the golden idol, slef-discipline, speak amiss against the God of Shadrach Meshach and Abednego, stand strong and steadfast for Christ, steadfast forever, steadfast standing up for God, talent, the BIBLE, the form of the fourth, the power of the lions, the powerful hand of Almighty God, the son of the gods, their houses made a dunghill, there is no other God who can deliver after this sort, they have no hurt, they may see your good works, to help others, truth, undeserved blessings, unscheduled stops, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, walking in the fire, we will not serve thy gods, wisdom, worketh signs and wonders, ye servants of the most high God, yielded their bodies
Today’s Scrip-Bit 24 September 2026 Daniel 3:18.
Daniel 3:18. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
Aye friends, it’s a beautiful Thursday morning, possibly the first official day of autumn, and it’s sunny and warm, though somewhat windy, but we will gladly take many more days like it before the white stuff starts to fly. (smile) Now, yesterday I promised to not be on the late bus as often as I’ve recently been, however today is not my fault. I had to take the Duchess out this morning, and obviously that meant a couple of other unscheduled stops So don’t blame me for today’s late bus activity, because I have to do what the boss says. (smile)
So let’s continue with Daniel’s story from yesterday, where we saw the powerful hand of Almighty God saving him from the lions, while those who had plotted against him, plus their families ,were decimated by the lions. And one important lesson to learn from that situation is what it caused to happen in the country; King Darius wrote a new decree. The Bible puts it thus: ‘Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you.
I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men (must) tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and steadfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end. He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power (paw) of the lions. So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.’ (Dan. 6:25-28)
Yes mih brethren, Daniel’s steadfast standing up for his God, gave the Almighty an opening through the pagan king to have His word legally exposed in all the kingdom. Now that doesn’t mean that Darius embraced the God of Daniel, but he was sufficiently impressed with His power to acknowledge Him in his kingdom. And that’s the kind of thing that happens when we stand strong and steadfast for Jesus. It’s like Jesus says, ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:16) Daniel stood strong and God was glorified.
It’s the same kind of thing that happened when Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to bow down to the golden image that king Nebuchadnezzar made and were thrown into the fire. But before we get to that, here’s one very important part of the action. That’s when king Neb told them about bowing down to his idol, they replied: ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not (have no need to) be careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.’ (Dan. 3:16-18)
Oh brother! Do we have it in us to stand up and defy the greatest power in the land in support of our faith and God? That’s a good question for us to ponder. Nowadays, you can’t even talk to a king like that, so to do so back then, when the king had total power was a sure method of signing your death warrant. And so it happened to the three Hebrew boys. Neb got mad, and ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than normal, then had the boys bound and thrown into the fire. Things got so topsy turvy, that those who threw them into the fire got burned to death.
But then king Neb was astonished when he looked into the furnace and said to his counsellors: ‘Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no (are not) hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God ( a son of the gods). Then Neb came near to the mouth (door) of the burning fiery furnace and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, came forth out of the fire.’ (Dan. 3:24-26)
And the most wonderful thing is that when they came out of the furnace, all were amazed at these men, ‘upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats (garments) changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.’ (Dan. 3:27) Oh my people, only our great God can do such miracles. No wonder after that spectacular showing, Neb got up and spake thus: ‘Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed (frustrated) the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.
Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill (an ash heap): because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort (like this). Then the king promoted (caused to prosper) Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.’ (Dan. 3:28-30)
Yes mih bredrin, another pagan king praising and lifting up our God because of His servants’ steadfast behaviour. Now it’s our turn to show that kind of behaviour, so that our God can be further glorified. And He’s certainly given us the help to do it through the generous bestowal of a number of undeserved blessings, we call our Thursday Blessings. So let’s declare and activate them right now nuh, for a blessing is not a blessing until it’s spoken.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration, it now behooves us to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!…
when we stand steadfast…God will do signs and wonders…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
17 Sep 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a chance to prove my faith in a big God, a compassionate heart, a daily source of irritation, a great family, a man's goals will always make the man, a possibility of failure, a value system that will please God, accomplish whatever we need to, an important question, as generously as God bestowed them on us, at odds with Jesus' practice, be servant of all, bring the best out in me, Chrisitanity, Christ's Spirit lives within you, come to know and love christ like we do, Conside the Values You Live By, courage, creativity, cursenegative word, dem's the breaks, divine protection, do as I have done to you, Dr. Robert H Schuller, duty bound, enamoured of problems, especially for those of the Christian faith, evil and ungodly times, exercise authority them over, faith, favour, followers of Christ must follow His example, for He is good, fringe benefits, give his life for a ransom for many, gives Jesus a bad name, good friends, good health, help hurting people, his mercy endureth for ever, holy spirit, I have given you an example, if I then your Master and Lord have washed your feet, inspired to plot an ubelievable holdup, instead of worrying about our problems, Jesus Christ, Jesus washed the disciples feet, know ye what I have done to you, let's enjoy this day, live by the Service Value system, lord it over them, LOVE, make me a more beautiful person, man may not always make his goals, mercy, money and material objects as your chief value, Possibility Thinking, Praise the Lord, problems, promotion, prosper and succeed, salvation, security as your chief value, small problems are usually the most irritating, so shall it not be among you, success, supenatural strength, talent, the BIBLE, the gospel truth, the Hour of Power Devotional, the Lord's strenght and patience feeding our souls and spirits, the son of man came not be ministered unto, the stretch of good weather will end, the value system you choose to live by, the wrong kind of possibilties, to minister (serve), truth, undeserved blessings, unselfishly serving your fellow man, use those blessings to help others, value systems are important in setting goals, want to be served and not to serve, whosoever will be chief among you, whosoever will be great among you let him be your minister, wisdom, ye also ought to wash one another's feet, you call me Master and Lord
Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 September 2026 Mark 10:45.
Mark 10:45. For even so the Son of man came not to be ministered unto (to be served), but to minister (serve), and to give his life a ransom for many.
‘Problems, problems oh la la!’ Yes friends, problems are a daily source of irritation. And yuh know what, the small problems are usually the most irritating ones, especially when they ought to be easily fixed, but aren’t. And the reason I’m so enamoured of problems today (smile) is that I had a couple of the small, irritating ones earlier this morning, that took up more time than I expected and thus had me getting to the Bit later than I wanted. But as we say, ‘dem’s the breaks,’ and with the Lord’s strength and patience feeding our souls and spirits, we will accomplish whatever we need to accomplish.
And all the Lord’s people gave a loud and grateful shout of’ Praise the Lord, for He is good and His mercy endureth forever!’ And that’s the gospel truth! So instead of worrying about our problems, let’s enjoy this Thursday, that’s fairly warm and sunny, for we know not when this stretch of good weather will end. And today we’ll consider a most interesting and important subject from the Hour of Power Devotional by the late Dr. Robert H. Schuller the founder of the Hour of Power Ministry. And the topic he deals with today is ‘Consider the Values You Live By.’
Now, in these very evil and ungodly times that is surely an important question for all people, especially those of the Christian faith. Dr Schuller begins by saying: ‘I was shocked to learn that an ex-convict read my book on Possibility Thinking and was inspired to plot an unbelievable holdup! He was thinking possibilities, but the wrong kind. What is all important in setting goals is to consider the value system you choose to live by.’
But let’s pause there for a moment and ponder the value system that we live by. Are we living by a value system that will please God, or one that will please the world.? If we claim to be Christians, then our value system must be one that pleases God, or else we’ll not be true believers and thus spoil our witness for Christ.
Anyway, getting back to Dr. Schuller, he then describes some of the available value systems. He writes: ‘If money or material objects are your highest values, the questions you ask before you set your goals will be: How much will it cost? How much money will I make? What are the fringe benefits? If security is your chief value, you’ll ask these questions before you set your goals: Can I be sure of success? Is it risky? Is there a possibility of failure?’ Let’s hope that those none of those are the value systems that we’re currently living by.
However, as Dr. Schuller continues: ‘If Christ’s Spirit lives within you, then you’ll live be the Service Value System, which is placing enormous values on unselfishly serving your fellow man, and the first questions you’ll raise in your goal setting will be: Will this help people who are hurting? Will this make me into a more beautiful person? Will this bring the best out of me – or the worst? Will this be a chance to prove my faith in a big God? Man may not always make his goals, but his goals will always make the man.’ And that’s the awesome truth! You might not decide what you want to do, but whatever you do will have a great impact on you!
And since we’re supposed to be filled with Christ’s Spirit, it’s safe to assume that our goals are based more on helping others than helping ourselves, because that’s what Jesus Himself preached and did. Jesus said it loud and clear after James and John’s mother came to Him and asked that they sit on His right and left hand in his glory. (Mark 10:35-38)
And after the other ten heard about the situation and became displeased, Jesus called them all to Him and said: ‘ Ye know that they which are accounted to rule (considered rulers) over the Gentiles exercise lordship (Lord it) over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great (desires to be great) among you, shall be your minister (servant): And whosoever of you will be the chiefest (desires to be first), shall be servant of all. For even so the Son of man came not to be ministered unto (to be served), but to minister (serve), and to give his life a ransom for many.’ (Mark 10:42-45)
And that’s exactly what He did. And perhaps the best example of Jesus’ servanthood was in His washing of the disciples feet on the night of the Passover. He said to them: ‘Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master (Teacher) and Lord: and ye say well: for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master (Teacher), have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.’ (John 13:12-15)
You cannot beat that friends! As followers of Jesus, we ought to follow His example. Unfortunately though, too many of us are not doing so; we only want to be served and not to serve. But that’s at odds with Jesus’ practice and gives Him a bad name when we only clamour for service and refuse to serve. So let’s try and change that attitude nuh. And we can begin doing that today by declaring our Thursday Blessings; undeserved blessings generously bestowed on us by the Lord to do His earthly work.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration, we’re now duty bound to go out use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…you cannot be a true Christian…and not live by the values Jesus displayed…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
10 Sep 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a great family, a positive outlook on life, all of you be subject one to another, all such rejoicing is evil, an haughty spirit before a fall, and doeth it not to him it is sin, as God hath dealt to every man, be clothed with humility, be humble and receive oodles of grace, better it is to be of humble spirit with the lowly, boast and be detested by God, buy and sell and get gain, cause the believer to conduct himself with humility, christianity, Christians, clear direction for my life, climate change, come to know and love christ like we do, continue there a year, courage, creativity, curse, divine protection, every imagination of the thoughts of his heart, evil continually, exercise lovingkindness judgement and righteousness in the earth, faith, favour, God giveth more grace unto the humble, God resisteth the proud, God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble, God saw that the wickedness of man was great, God's supernatural wisdom, good friends, good health, holy spirit, I am the Lord, if the Lord will, in these things I delight, it is even a vapour, Jesus Christ, lamented the folly of his faithless people, let him that glorieth glory in this, let not the rich man glory in his riches, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, LOVE, mercy, negative word, neither let the mighty man glory in his strength, Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, pride goeth before destruction, prideful boasting, properly using our different God-given gifts, salvation, self-control, self-discipline, talent, thanks to God, that appeareth for a little time then vanisheth away, that he understandeth and knoweth me, the BIBLE, the consistent application of justice for all, the exercise of spiritual gifts, the maintenance of what is right in the sight of the Lord, the measure of faith, the penultimate day of our work week, the righteousness of God, the scripture saith in vain, the spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy, the true source of wisdom - the Lord Himself, think soberly, to every man that is among you, to him that knoweth to do good, today or tomorrow, true covenant loyalty, truth, use those blessings to help others, we shall live and do this or that, we will go into such a city, what is your life, wisdom, ye know not what shall be on the morrow, ye ought to say, ye rejoice in your boasting
Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 September 2026 Proverbs 16:18.
Proverbs 16:18. ‘Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall (stumbling).
And then it was Thursday, our penultimate day of the work week; a beautiful sunshiny, windy day, with temps in the mid-twenties, almost in the middle of September. Now, I’m not sure if that’s a usual occurrence, but we’ll surely take it and say thanks to climate change, and/or the Lord for it! (smile)
And today we’ll talk about prideful boasting, one of the things in human beings that the Lord most thoroughly detests. And there are many scriptures that attest to that sentiment. So let’s look at a few nuh. Beginning with this one from Cousin Sol in Proverbs, that gets right to the heart of the matter. ‘Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall (stumbling). Better it is to be of humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil (plunder) with the proud.’ (Prov. 16:18-19) Words of absolute wisdom my brethren!
Then there’s Jeremiah, where he writes on the Lord’s behalf. ‘Thus saith the Lord, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise LOVING-KINDNESS, judgement (justice), and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.’ (Jer. 9:23-24) Yes friends, the Lord doesn’t take kindly to boasting about one’s earthly accomplishments or achievements.
And the scholars explain. ‘Having lamented the folly of his faithless people, Jeremiah turns their attention to the true source of wisdom – the Lord himself (9:23-10:25) True wisdom was to be found in the consistent following of the three central qualities of spiritual life: LOVING-KINDNESS (the exercise of true covenant loyalty; like that between Bruh David and Jonathan, King Saul’s son), judgement (the consistent application of true justice for all), and righteousness (the maintenance of what was right in the sight of the Lord in all of life).’
That’s why Bruh Paul warns us in Romans: ‘For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God had dealt to every man the measure of faith.’ (Rom. 12:3) Then he goes on to talk about properly using the different gifts God has given us (vs. 4-8)
And per the scholars to those verses: ‘The righteousness of God will cause the believer to conduct himself in humility in the local church (vs. 3-8). Paul meets two dangers that the individual faced in the exercise of his spiritual gifts. He might overestimate himself and try to exercise a gift God never gave him. Or he might underestimate himself and fail to exercise the gift God has given to him. Paul shows that God has given each believer specific gifts to enable him to do what God wants him to do. No one is excluded.’
And James, Jesus’ brother, lays it on thick for us in his epistle, where he questions. ‘Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to (yearns) to envy? But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth more grace unto the humble.’ (James 4:5-6)
In that 4th verse it seems James was alluding to the chapter in Genesis, where it says: ‘And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination (intent) of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (all the day long). (Gen. 6:5) Then the Lord regretted making man and decided to destroy it all. ‘But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.’ (Gen. 6:8) That’s because Noah was humble and not proud like the rest of mankind. And the Lord is still giving more grace to the humble today than the proud or boastful.
And James goes on to talk further about the boasting problem. ‘Go to now (come now), ye that say, To day or to morrow 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 boasting (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)
That says it all my people! Boasting, or not taking the Lord’s will into consideration is wrong. And If we know what’s right and don’t do it, then to us it’s sinful. And we’ll close with a word from Peter, where, in talking about subjecting ourselves to each other, he declares: ‘Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.’ (1 Pet. 5:5) Now, it could not get any clearer than that my people. (smile)
And having refreshed our memories with those potent scriptures on boasting and humility, let’s go home declaring our undeserved Thursday Blessings, which the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration, it now behooves us to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…why boast and be detested by God…when you can be humble and receive oodles of grace…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
20 Aug 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a deep awareness of suffering, a strong wish to help others, absorbed only in our own affairs, abundancecurse, allowing evil to seep into our consciousness, another beautiful summer's day, burnt oofferings and sacrifices, children of the Most High God Jehovah, christianity, clear direction for my life, come to know and love christ like we do, compassion, courage, creativity, died in the wilderness, divine protection, every tempestuous storm, faith, faith that will not die, favour, forward to God's compassionate ways, go out of our way to help, goes beyond simple sympathy, greed, holy spirit, I stake my life, I will be your God, if not dear God, integrity is sadly lacking in our world, Jesus Christ, lack of Christlikeness, lead us astray, leave the big concerns to God, LOVE, may the Lord have mercy and compassion on us, mercy, my part is to trust and obey, negative word, nor inclined their ear, nothing in my life makes any sense, obey my voice, One Year Book of Bible promises, our audacity to question the integrity of Jesus, our world is headed back towards Satan, ours is not to question why, pass by on the other side, pay the price for disobedience, promotion, rebellion against Almighty God, Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, see me through every fiery furnace, self-control, self-discipline, selfishness, stake my life totally completely permanently, staring in the face, supernatural wisdom, take action to ease pain, talent, that it may be well unto you, the BIBLE, the disobedience of the Israelites in the wilderness, the epitome of the word, the Good Samaritan Parable, the gospel truth, the imagination of their evil heart, the integrity of Jesus, the priest and Levite, the Promised Land, the unpredictable month of September, they hearkened not, this one thing I commanded them, to perform what you promised, trust and obey, truth, trying and uncertain times, undeserved blessings, use those blessings to help others, variable types of weather, walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, walked in the counsels, wandered forty years in the wilderness, went backward and not forward, wisdom, ye shall be my people, you will do all you promised, your part is
Today’s Scrip-Bit 20 August 2026 Jeremiah 7:23.
Jeremiah 7:23. Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.
And it’s another beautiful summer’s day, thus we cry out: ‘Thank You Lord!’ For we’re almost staring into the face of that unpredictable month of September, which can unexpectedly bring very variable types of weather. And though we can handle anything that comes against us because we’re children of the Most High God Jehovah, it’s desirable to have good weather as much as possible. (smile)
But instead of worrying about the weather, here’s something more important for us to be concerned about. It’s this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. Just for the fun of it, I checked out the August 20 poem and found it ever so true and worthwhile for sharing today. (smile) And it’s the first time I can remember doing a poem on the day on which it was listed. So it must be a good sign. (smile)
Anyway, the poem’s titled, ‘I Stake My Life.’ So please read with me: ‘I stake my life totally Completely Permanently On the Integrity of Jesus. Lord, Your integrity means You will do all You promised. You will see me through Every fiery furnace Every tempestuous storm. If not, dear God Then nothing in life Makes any sense whatever. Your part is to perform What You promised. My part is to trust and obey.’
And isn’t that the gospel truth! We’re to leave all the big concerns to God and simply trust and obey His will and commands. But what has me chuckling in the poem is our audacity to question the integrity of Jesus, to tell Him what it means, as though He isn’t the person who had, has, and will always have the most integrity in this universe. Instead of being concerned with Christ’s integrity we should be more concerned with our own, for integrity is not something that’s cherished by this evil and ungodly world.
In fact, the lack of integrity seems to find more favour today than the possession of it, because we’ve become such a lying, fraudulent and deceitful society that anyone who possesses any integrity is frowned upon, even laughed at as an oddity or even a fool. But there should never be any question of Jesus’ integrity, for He is the epitome of the word. and He will see us through the fiery furnace and tempestuous storm as He’s promised. Our concern ought to be believing and trusting Him, that means listening to and following this command that serves as the Bible verse for today’s poem.
Talking about the disobedience and rebellion of the Israelites in their journey through the wilderness towards the Promised Land, through the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord says, He didn’t tell them anything about burnt offerings and sacrifices. ‘But this one thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.’ (Jer. 7:23)
Yes my fellow believers, that’s what we ought to be about in these trying and uncertain times; obeying the Lord’s commands so that life will be good with us! But are we doing it? Unfortunately not as much as we ought to, because we’re allowing the evil and ungodly world to seep into our consciousness and lead us astray. We’re doing exactly like the Lord said of the Israelites back then. ‘But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and the imagination (stubbornness) of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.’ (Jer. 7:24)
Now anyone with an iota of sense can see that our world is headed backward towards Satan and his evil doings, rather than forward, towards God and His good and compassionate ways. Unsurprisingly then, that word ‘compassion’ is not one that’s bandied about much in today’s society, much less having its attributes displayed on a large scale.
And what does compassion mean? This overview explains it thus: ‘Compassion is a deep awareness of the suffering of others combined with a strong wish to help them. It goes beyond simple sympathy by moving a person to take action to ease pain.’ But sadly, how many of us today, even when we see someone suffering, will go out of our way to help them? Not very many. We behave like the priest and the Levite in the parable of the Good Samaritan; we pass by on the other side, too busy and selfish, completely absorbed only in our own affairs.
And we all know the great number of people that are currently suffering in our wealthy but evil and ungodly world, badly needing compassion, but because of the selfishness, greed and lack of Christlikeness in so many of us, they continue to suffer when they should not. And do you think the Lord will look down on us kindly if we hold those selfish and ungodly attitudes? Obviously not! Just like those Israelites who came out of Egypt, saw all the wonders God did on their behalf and yet rebelled against Him, never made it to the Promised Land, but wandered for forty years in the wilderness and then died there, likewise we will pay the price for disobedience and rebellion against Almighty God.
What’s wrong with us eh? He’s said it numerous times in His word, and we’ve seen it happen numerous times to those who disobey, but somehow or other we think it won’t happen to us, so we keep on being rebellious and disobedient. For our sakes, may the Lord have mercy and compassion on us yes! But for those of us who sincerely believe and are trying to be obedient, let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings, undeserved blessings generously bestowed on us by the Lord to do His earthly work.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration, we’re now duty bound to go out and use those blessings to help others, use them just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…ours is not question why…but to trust and obey…to have faith that will not die…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
06 Aug 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a blessing, a compassionate heart, a grat family, a rewarder of them that diligently seek him, a righteous man falls seven times but gets back up again, a strong will, a touch of haze, a world of entitlement, Abel's heart was right with the Lord, abundance, be strong and of a good courage, but of power love and a sound mind, by faith Enoch was translated, by faith the elders obtained a good report, Cain kills Abel in a fit of jealousy, clear direction for my life, come to know and love christ like we do, commands to be courageous, conviction, conviction is faith relating to the present, courage, courage from faith, creativity, curse, divine promotion, do not be afraid nor be dismayed, Dr. Robert H Schuller, examples of faith Abrahm, faith, faith is the force that sets you free to succeed, faith is the substance of things hoped for, faith like a grain of mustard seed, faith provides assurance, faith provides evidence, favour, fear nots, future hope, God has not given us a spirit of fear, God is omnipotent omniscient and omni-present, God's promised never to leave not forsake us, God's promised to work everything out for our good, good friends, he that cometh to God must believe that He is, holy spirit, hope is faith relating to the future, Hour of Power Daily Book of Motivation and Inspiration, I am the Lord your God, I will be with you, if you have faith like a mustard seed, Jesus Christ, LOVE, mercy, move from here to there, negative word, nothing will be impossible for you, O ye of little faith, obtained witness that he was righteous, omni-present, omnipotent, omnisicent, overshadowing cloud, present realities that are unseen, proof that results in conviction, realization, rooting for you, salvation, say to this mointain, self-control, supernatural wisdom, talent, that he should not see death, the BIBLE, the constant presence of Almighty God, the Creator and Controller of the universe, the crux of the situation, the evidence of things not seen, the forgiveness of sins through Christ's sacrifice, the glorification of the saints, the heroes of faith, the hope of the resurrection, the Lord your God is with you wherever you go, the mountain will move, the penultimate day of our work week, the present intercession of Christ in heaven, the return of Christ, the wonder working quality that keeps us keeping on, they shall not overflow you, truth, unseen realities, when you pass through the water, when you walk through the fire, wisdom, with Jesus in your corner, without faith it is impossible to please God, you shall not be burned, your faith has made thee whole
Today’s Scrip-Bit 6 August 2026 Hebrews 11:6a.
Hebrews 11:6a. But without faith it is impossible to please him (God):
And this first Thursday in August, our penultimate working day, has opened into another beautiful summer’s day, with a cool breeze, although there’s a touch of haze, a slight bit of cloud overshadowing it. But we’ll handle that with the help of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, just like we handle everything else with His help. (smile)
And on today’s agenda, we have an interesting discourse from the Hour of Power Daily Book of Motivation and Inspiration, written by the late Dr. Robert H. Schuller. It’s titled, ‘Courage from Faith.’ So please read with me: ‘The Bible is filled with commands to be courageous. Someone counted the “fear nots” in the Bible and discovered that there are 365 verses with this divine command – one for every day of the year! Verses such as: ‘Fear not…When you pass through the waters … they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned … For I am the Lord your God, I will be with you.’ (Isa. 43:1-3).
‘Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.’ (Josh. 1:9). ‘For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of LOVE and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7). ‘If you have faith as a mustard seed you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.’ (Matt. 17:20). …Observe now how faith is the force that sets you free to succeed.’
Yes friends, that’s oh so true! Faith is the wonder working quality that keeps us keeping on until we succeed. As Cousin Sol says, it’s the quality that allows us to fall seven times, but rise up again, (Prov. 24:7) because we know that we have the constant presence of Almighty God surrounding us at all times, and He’s faithfully promised never to leave nor forsake us, (Heb. 13:5) as well as to work everything out for our good. (Rom. 8:28) And when you have the omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present Creator and Controller of the universe in your corner, actively rooting for you, then you can go through this life in this evil and ungodly world without fear or dread.
And we can plainly see how the Heroes of Faith in Hebrews Chapter 11 stood their ground because of their faith. It opens by saying: ‘Now faith is the substance (realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction) of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds (ages) were framed (prepared) by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear (are visible).’ (Heb. 11:1-3)
And the scholars offer some explanations. They say: ‘Faith provides substance or assurance, as well as evidence, in the sense of proof that results in conviction. We’re looking at future hope and also present realities that are unseen. The first includes the hope of the resurrection, the return of Christ, and the glorification of the saints. The second involves unseen realities, such as the forgiveness of sin through Christ’s sacrifice and the present intercession of Christ in heaven. Hope is faith relating to the future; conviction is faith relating to the present.’
Thus the author of Hebrews could write: ‘By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous. God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.’ (Heb.11:4) The thing is that both brothers offered gifts as sacrifices to the Lord, and the kind of gifts did not matter, but Abel’s was apparently done in faith, his heart was right with the Lord, but Cain’s possibly was not that’s why the Lord rejected his offering. Thus Cain kills his brother in a fit of jealousy, and is subsequently cursed by God. (Gen 4.)
Then the author of Hebrews continues; ‘By faith Enoch was translated (so) that he should not see death; and was not found, because God hath translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 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. 11:5-6)
And that’s the crux of the whole situation my brethren; we cannot please God unless we believe, unless we have faith that He is who He says He is, and will and can do what He says He can and will do! That’s why people like Noah, Abraham, Sara are held up to us as examples, because they journey on in faith although they didn’t see what God promised them, but they believed that He could and would keep His promises.
And that’s what sadly lacking in today’s turbulent and evil world; true faith in Almighty God. We’ve been spoilt by a world of wealth and entitlement, thus expecting to have whatever we want right away, but God works by His own timetable, not ours, therefore a lot of us turn away in anger and disbelief when our needs are not met right away, or how we want them. But that’s a fool’s wisdom my people, for the Lord requires deep seated faith from those who sincerely call on His Holy Name! He’s even shown His amazing generosity by bestowing on us undeserved favour, we call our Thursday Blessings, to do His earthly work.
So let’s declare and thus activate them right now nuh, for a blessing is not a blessing until it’s been spoken. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
We’re now duty bound to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us, sot that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…O ye of little faith…your faith has made thee whole…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
30 Jul 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a call for revenge, a compassionate heart, a positive outlook on life, a tough row to hoe, abundance, as generously as the Lord shared them with us, avenge not yourselves, backing away, be discouraged, be not overcome of evil but overcome evil with good, be the children of your Father in heaven, be ye perfect, bless them that curse you, cause him shame, christianity, ciurse, clear direction for my life, consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners, courage, creativity, cutting words, deadly slings of word arrows, despising the shame, divine protection, do good to them that hate you, do not be discouraged, do not even the publicans so, do not even the publicans the same, don't react with trepidation, duty bound, easier said than done, encourage decent behaviour, endured the cross, even as your Father in heaven is perfect, faith, fallen by the wayside, favour, fill my heart with courageous love, for the joy that was set before him, give place unto wrath, he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, heap coals of fire on his head, help me see others as you do, holy spirit, hostility, hurt people hurt others, I want to hide, if he thirst give him drink, if thine enemy hunger feed him, if ye love them that love you, if ye salute salute your brethren only, imperfect people like me, In Touch Devotional, it is written, Jesus Christ, Jesus fought them with love and compassion, keeping close only those who make me feel safe, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds, living in a dog eat dog world, looking unto Jesus, LOVE, love flowed from your wounds, love strong enough to choose connection, love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy, Love your enemies, make me a source of your healing, mercy, negative word, no need to fear diatribe, no thought to the other person's wellbeing, others' words cut deeper than I let on, penultimate day of July, penultimate day of our workweek, people who need grace and compassion, persecute you, pierced by words and nails, poison, pray for them which spitefully use you, promotion, recompense to no man evil for evil, respond with gratefulness or graciosuness, salvation, self-control, sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust, set down at the right hand of the throne of God, shook our souls to their very foundations, show me why that person hurts, soften my heart, steering clear of others, strife-filled days, success, supernatural wisdom, talent, tax collectors, tempted to pull away, the author and finisher of our faith, the BIBLE, the manners of previous generations, the nails and shame of the cross, the nature of the human animal, the originator and perfecter of our faith, the Sermon on the Mount, the tempo and temper of our times, the wind dancing the light fandango with the trees, truth, turn first to God and ask for help, use the blessings to help others, vehemence, vengeance is mine' I shall repay, what do ye more than others, what reward have ye, wisdom, words cut to the quick, words used like a weapon, ye have heard it said
Today’s Scrip-Bit 30 July 2026 Hebrews 12:2a.
Hebrews 12:2a. Looking unto Jesus the author (originator) and finisher (perfector) of our faith;
Oh friends, it’s another glorious, sunshiny, summer’s day, with the wind again dancing the light fandango with the trees! And on this Thursday, the penultimate day of our work week, and also the penultimate day of this eccentric month of July, we’ll look at the prayer from this month’s In Touch Devotional. So please pray with me.
‘Lord, sometimes others’ words cut deeper than I let on. I want to hide, keeping close only those who make me feel safe. You were pierced by words and nails, yet LOVE flowed from Your wounds. Fill my heart with courageous LOVE, strong enough to choose connection. Help me see others as you do, imperfect people like me who need grace and compassion. When I’m tempted to pull away from someone, soften my heart. Show me why that person hurts – make me a source of Your healing. In Jesus’ name, amen.’
And yuh know what my brethren, in these oh so deceitful, dishonest, angry and strife-filled days, where words are commonly used like a weapon, thrown out without thought to the other person’s emotional wellbeing, that kind of backing away, steering clear of our fellow human beings is quite prevalent, as well as understandable. Because who wants to get their feelings hurt by often untrue and hurtful words. And believe me, words can cut to the quick even more deeply than a real weapon.
All of us, at some time or another, have experienced cutting words that just shook our souls to their very foundations, leaving us wondering what had hit us, so strong was the vehemence and the poison that emanated from someone else’s mouth toward us. But thankfully we don’t have to fear those kinds of diatribe, because we have a Saviour who experienced those deadly slings of word arrows, as well as the nails and shame of the cross, but who instead fought them with LOVE and compassion, rather than with the same sort of evil that was cast upon Him.
As the author of Hebrews so rightly advises us. ‘Looking unto Jesus the author (originator) and finisher (perfector) of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction (hostility) of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint (become discouraged) in your minds (souls).’ (Heb. 12:2-3) Yes my fellow believers, that’s the worthy example Jesus gave us to follow.
And as Bruh Paul warns us in Romans: ‘Recompense to (repay) no man evil for evil … Avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head (cause him shame). Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.’ (Rom. 12:17a, 19-21) Now that’s how we ought to handle the harsh and hurting words or actions that come against us. And we all know that it’s easier said than done, but that’s how our leader, Jesus wants us to react. He said it Himself in the Sermon on the Mount.
‘Ye have heard that it hath been said , Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, LOVE your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully (spitefully) use you, and persecute you: That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye LOVE them which LOVE you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans (tax collectors) the same? And if ye salute (greet) your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans (tax collectors) so? Be ye perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.’ (Matt. 5:43-48)
Now that is indeed a tough row to hoe my people, but it’s what Jesus expects of us, his faithful followers. And let’s understand that not all our enemies that we try to be nice to will respond with gratefulness or graciousness, for the tempo and temper of our times are such that they don’t encourage such decent behaviour. We’re living in a dog eat dog world, one like we’ve never seen before, with many of the so-called niceties and manners of previous generations having unfortunately fallen by the wayside.
And one other important point we need to consider in this era of harsh words and uncompromising actions, is that hurting people, hurt others. Yes, many a time that harsh words or actions are thrown out, it’s because the originator of such behaviour has been hurt themselves and either consciously or unconsciously wishes to hurt someone else, for that’s the nature of the human animal. Our sinful nature automatically calls for some sort of revenge. But let’s remember that’s not our job, it’s the Lord’s.
Ah friends, we’re all imperfect, and thus liable to behave imperfectly, but we have the perfect example of Jesus Christ before us, so, when those kinds of situations arise in our lives, let’s remember all that we’ve said today, and don’t immediately react with trepidation, that feeling of fear or worry, but let’s turn first to God and ask for His help to handle the situation in the right manner. As the prayer says; ‘fill my heart with that courageous LOVE, strong enough to make a connection. Help me see others as You do. Imperfect people like me who need grace and compassion. When I’m tempted to pull away from someone, soften my heart. Show me why that person hurts – make me a source of Your healing. In Jesus’ name, amen.’
And yuh know what? The Lord has already given us the tools to handle such situations. We call them our Thursday Blessings, undeserved blessings the Lord has generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work. So let’s declare and thus activate them right now nuh, for a blessing is not a blessing until it’s spoken. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance!
I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration, we’re now duty bound to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously the Lord bestowed them on us! Much LOVE!
…Jesus has set a tough example for us to follow…but follow it we must…as best as we can…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
23 Jul 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a forlorn and shipwrecked brother, a great family, a passing moment in our journey, A Psalm of Life, a state of preparedness, a state of readiness, a strong will, abundance, act in the living present, art is long, be a hero in the strife, be heroes for Jesus, be not like dumb driven cattle, be ye also ready, beating funeral marches to the grave, christianity, clear direction for my life, come to know and love christ like we do, courage, crapaud smoke yuh pipe, curse, departing, don't worry about death, dumb driven cattle for Satan, dust thou art, each tomorrow find us further than today, eternal death, eternal life, eternal life depends on the glorification of the Son, faith, favour, footprints on the sands of time, for in such an hour as ye think not, for those who come after us, for ye know neither the day nor the hour, generously bestowed on us, get up and get a move on, get up and get going, good friends., good health, heart within and God overhead, henry wadsworth longfellow, holy spirit, in the world's broad field of battle, Jesus can return at any time, Jesus Christ, learn to labour and to wait, leave behind a valuable legacy, leave behind us, let the dead past bury its dead, let us then be up and doing, life is but an empty dream, life is earnest, life is made for living, life is real, like a thief in the night, like muffled drums, live in the present not the past, lives of great men remind us, living for Jesus, LOVE, make our lives sublime, mercy, negative word, not enjoyment, not sorrow, not spoken of the soul, on the verge of saying goodby, our destined end or way, our hearts though stout and brave, prosper, sailing o'er life's solemn main, salvation, seeing, self-control, stil achieving, still pursuing, succeed, talent, thake heart again, that perhaps another, the best way to live this life, the BIBLE, the bivouac of life, the grave is not our goal, the last summer month of August, the living truth, the parable of the ten virgins, the second to last day of our work week, the Son of man cometh, the soul is dead that slumbers, the time to consider your eternal destiny is right now, things are not what they seem, time is fleeting, to act, to dust returnest, to eternal life with Christ, trust no future however pleasant, truth, undeserved blessings, watch therefore, wherein the Son of man cometh, wisdom, with a heart for any fate, working for and waiting on Jesus, worry where our souls will be spending eternity, ye know not what hour your Lord doth come
Today’s Scrip-Bit 23 July 2026 Matthew 24:44.
Matthew 24:44. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
And then it was Thursday, a somewhat cool but bright and sunshiny second to last day of our work week. And would you believe it, we only have one more week left in this fast receding, controversial month of July. We just said hello to July, celebrating Canada Day and the 4th of July, now we’re on the verge of saying goodbye and welcoming the last summer month of August. Where has it all gone eh? Only the Lord alone knows, that’s why it’s ever so important to get up and get a move on with our own lives and business and don’t wait for a supposed better time, because a better one might never come.
And remember also, that Jesus can return at any time, like a thief in the night, as He says, and if you’re not ready, then crapaud smoke yuh pipe! So, let’s be up and doing as this interesting poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow advises. It’s titled ‘A Psalm of Life,’ and does offer wise insights. So please read with me. ‘Tell me not, in mournful numbers, Life is but an empty dream! For the soul is dead that slumbers, And things are not what they seem. Life is real! Life is earnest! And the grave is not its goal; Dust thou art, to dust returnest, Was not spoken of the soul. Not enjoyment, and not sorrow, Is our destined end or way; But to act, that each to-morrow Find us farther than to-day.
Art is long, and Time is fleeting, And our hearts, though stout and brave, Still, like muffled drums, are beating Funeral marches to the grave. In the world’s broad field of battle, In the bivouac of Life, Be not like dumb, driven cattle! Be a hero in the strife! Trust no Future, howe’er pleasant! Let the dead Past bury its dead! Act,— act in the living Present! Heart within, and God o’erhead! Lives of great men all remind us We can make our lives sublime, And, departing, leave behind us Footprints on the sands of time; Footprints, that perhaps another, Sailing o’er life’s solemn main, A forlorn and shipwrecked brother, Seeing, shall take heart again. Let us, then, be up and doing, With a heart for any fate; Still achieving, still pursuing, Learn to labor and to wait.’
Ah friends what wonderful advice! Let’s remember that ‘the soul is dead that slumbers,’ but ‘Life is real! Life is earnest! And the grave is not it’s goal.’ No my brethren, the grave is not our goal, it is only a passing moment in our journey to eternal life with Jesus. As the poem says: ‘Dust thou art, to dust returnest, Was not spoken of the soul.’ Yes my people, Dust to dust was spoken for our bodies, but not our souls, so let’s not worry about death, because it comes to all of us at some time or another. Let’s worry instead about where our souls will be spending eternity; in eternal death, or in eternal life.
And the time to consider that situation is right now! For ‘Time is fleeting,’ and Jesus can come back at any time, or we can be taken home without any notice, and if we’re not prepared, then ‘So long sonny!’ And Jesus, in talking about that specific situation, said only the Father knew when the Son would return, then warned: ‘Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman (master) of the house had known in what watch (hour) the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered (allowed) his house to be broken up (into). Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.’ (Matt. 24:42-44)
Then in the next chapter, in the parable of the five wise and five foolish virgins, Jesus again warns: ‘Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.’ (Matt. 25:13) That means we always have to be a in a state of readiness, of preparedness for whenever Jesus comes back; be it today or years from now! And I like how the poem describes the life we should lead: ‘In the world’s broad field of battle, In the bivouac of Life, Be not like dumb, driven cattle! Be a hero in the strife! Trust no Future, howe’er pleasant! Let the dead Past bury its dead! Act,— act in the living Present! Heart within, and God o’erhead!’
And isn’t that the living truth! We’ve got to get up and get going, live in the present not the past, and be heroes for Jesus, rather than dumb driven cattle for Satan. And when we live that life, our godly efforts will leave behind a valuable legacy for those who come after us. As the poem says: ‘And, departing, leave behind us Footprints on the sands of time; Footprints, that perhaps another, Sailing o’er life’s solemn main, A forlorn and shipwrecked brother, Seeing, shall take heart again.’
Yes friends, that’s the kind of life and legacy we need to live and leave behind, and we can only do that through living consistently and faithfully for Jesus. So as we said earlier on: ‘Let us, then, be up and doing, With a heart for any fate; Still achieving, still pursuing, Learn to labor and to wait.’ Oh my brethren, all the scriptures tell us about working for and waiting on Jesus as being the best way to live this life. So let’s do just that nuh! Especially when the Lord has granted us these undeserved blessings we call our Thursday Blessings, generously bestowed on us to help us do His earthly work.
So let’s declare and thus activate them now nuh, since a blessing is not a blessing until it’s declared. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration, it now behooves us to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…life is made for living…living for Jesus…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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