14 Oct 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a blessed country, a high standard of living, a lot to be thankful for, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a modicum of circumspection, an everyday occurrence, animosities, be careful for nothing, bless the LOrd o my soul, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, christianity, cried unto the Lord, crowns thee with loving-kindness, disobeyed your word, divine aid, do everything with thanksgiving, faith, fills the hungry soul with goodness, for brethren to dwell in unity, for his wonderful works to the children of men, forget not all his benefits, forgives all thine iniquities, give thanks unto the Lord for He is good, go overboard, god, happy is he that keeps the law, Happy Thanksgiving Day, he also is become my salvation, he delivered them out of their distresses, he satisfies the longing soul, heals all thy diseases, his mercy endureth for ever, holy spirit, how good and how pleasant it is, humble ourselves, humble servants, hungry, in everything, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, let your moderation be known unto all men, life to see another new day, LOVE, mercy, moral compass, negative situations, new mercies and compassions, oh that mne would praise the Lord for his goodness, peace, pray, prosper us, redeemed from the hand of the enemy, redeems thy life, Rejoice in the Lord always, salvation, satisfies thy mouth with good things, serenity, sincerely seek your face, sing unto the Lord, spiritual decline, strong faith in Christ, the giving of thanks, the God who heals, the Lord is at hand, the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song, the peace of God which passeth all understading, the redeemed of the Lord, the wells of salvation, thier soul fainted within them, thirsty, thy youth is renewed like the eagle's, tragedy, truth, turn from our evil ways, wandered in the wilderness, we all have sinned, where there is no vision the people perish, wisdom, wise guidance, with joy shall ye draw water
Psalm 107:1. O Give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY CANADA!
And then it was another Monday…but this time, a special one in this great country of Canada! It’s Thanksgiving Day my people! The special day, when, all over the land, we take our normal celebrations of thanks and praise to our great God to a higher level, truly acknowledging His awesome presence in our lives and the numerous blessings He’s bestowed on us in this past year. And yuh better believe that we have a whole lot to be thankful for, especially life and breath to see another new day and experience His new mercies and compassions.
And it’s obviously a holiday, meaning no work for most of us, but plenty celebrations. However, as always, we implore us to have a modicum of circumspection in our celebrations and don’t let them go overboard, because far too often in our festive times we overdo it, and unnecessary tragedy follows. Please, let’s not allow that to happen today. And remember we’re going back to work tomorrow, which means don’t celebrate too intensely, too far into the night. (smile)
Ah friends, despite our many problems, our country is so blessed, that we need to truly appreciate it! Why do you think so many people are trying to flee from other countries to come here? Because we have a standard of living and a peace and serenity that they cannot find in their own countries. That’s something we ought to cherish and try to maintain, by not allowing the old animosities from the old countries to take root here, and thus continue the same old patterns from which we’re trying to flee.
We’re trying to build a new and better life, and that can only be done when we live in unity and not disharmony. As these oh so appropriate words of Bruh David from Psalm 133 stipulate: ‘Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!’ (Ps. 133:1) Yes, my fellow Canadians, if we don’t put aside our old animosities, we’ll never move forward as a nation. Or as Cousin Sol puts it in Proverbs. ‘Where there is no vision (prophetic or divine revelation), the people perish (cast off restraint): but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.’ (Prov. 29:18)
And that’s oh so true! Where we don’t follow God’s law, or moral compass, we will suffer moral and spiritual decline, which will only lead to chaos, as we’re seeing happening in so many countries of the world right now. And before we run out of time and space, let’s have a look at some scriptures that encourage thanksgiving, beginning with these wonderful verses from Psalm 103:
‘Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVING-KINDESS and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ (Ps. 103:1-5) Now, what better circumstances do we need to give thanks to our great God eh?
Then Bruh Paul, writing to the Philippians strongly advises us to: ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say rejoice. Let your moderation (gentleness, graciousness) be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:4-7) Yes friends, everything we do unto God, should be with thanksgiving.
Now, listen to these marvellous words from Psalm 107. ‘O Give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south. They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary (desolate) way; they found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.
Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses. And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation. Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.’ (Ps. 107:1-9) Now, those are all wonderful reasons for thanksgiving my people!
And we’ll close with these awe-inspiring words from words from Isaiah: ‘And in that day thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.
Therefore with joy shall we draw water out of the wells of salvation. And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings (deeds) among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth.’ (Is. 12:1-5)
And that’s no lie my fellow believers, our God has done great things in the earth, the greatest possibly being giving us salvation and eternal life through Jesus Christ! So on this special day of Thanksgiving, let’s go confidently to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid in these turbulent and strife-filled times.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And to get divine aid, we must do exactly what our prayer says: pray and sincerely seek God’s face, while turning from our evil ways. There’s no other way! Much LOVE!
…the giving of thanks…should be a continuous…everyday occurrence…for believers…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
31 Aug 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a greater presence of God in our lives, a man after God's heart, a modicum of circumspection, a new yearning for God, all these things shall be added unto you, as the hart panteth after the water brooks, Bible, Christian witness, christianity, deepen my breath, early will I seek thee, entitled life, eternal life, faith, for the living God, god, goodness, hate, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, in a dry and thirsty land, increase my awareness of you, Jesus Christ, labour day weekend, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, light of the world, LOVE, made for a time such as this, mercy, my lips shall praise thee, my soul shall be satisfied, my soul thirsteth for god, O God thou art my God, praise thee with joyful lips, proliferating darkness of the world, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, ruling the roost, salt of the earth, salvation, seek ye the kingdom of God, selfless sacrifice, slow my thoguhts, so panteth my soul after thee O God, spiritual renewal, thanksgiving, the believer's thirst for God, thy loving-kindness is better than life, thy right hand upholdeth me, trust, truth, warms the cockles of God's heart, wisdom, with marrow and fatness, your love surrounds and fills me
Psalm 42:1. As the hart panteth after (the deer longs for) the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
Well, it’s the last day of August 2024! Just imagine that nuh; the summer holidays done and over with…but we still have the whole long Labour Day weekend to cavort about and get in some last minute flings. (smile) But remember, a modicum of circumspection is always the best advice in those rushed circumstances. And this lazy-day Saturday seems to be tailor-made for laziness. (smile) It’s damp and cloudy, after a big thunderstorm last night, and there might even be some more rain later in the day. But right now the sun is making a valiant effort to overcome the dark clouds that insist on holding it up.
In the meanwhile, while we enjoy a lazy Saturday morning, there’s nothing better than offering up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer. So as one sincere voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
Now that’s the best kind of prayer we can ever pray; asking for a greater presence of the Lord in our lives and desiring to know Him better than we already do. Because there’s nothing the Lord appreciates more than His people wanting to have a closer association with, and knowledge of Him. That kind of prayer warms the cockles of His heart and He immediately answers it. That’s why we’re now feeling the increased warmth, the LOVE, the glowing presence of our God moving in our souls and spirits.
And that mind frame just reminded me of these yearning words of the Sons of Korah from Psalm 42. ‘As the hart panteth after (the deer longs for) the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?’ (Ps. 42:1-2) Yes friends, that’s the kind of hunger and thirst we ought to have for our God, the One True Living God, Jehovah! For all that we are, everything we have, comes from, is derived from Him.
Obviously Bruh David was of the same mind, for although He was running from Saul in the wilderness of Judah, he nonetheless longed for the Lord; for spiritual renewal with thanksgiving and trust. Listen to how he puts in in Psalm 63. ‘O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen (looked for) thee in the sanctuary. Because thy LOVING-kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.’ (Ps. 63:1-4)
Now that’s how we ought to feel about our great and LOVING God, my people! And some might say that Bruh David was laying it on somewhat thick because He was out in the wilderness suffering, but we all know that from a youth, out in the fields as a shepherd, he was always entranced by and calling out to God. As these other verses testify. ‘My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow (the best) and fatness (abundance); and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. My soul followeth hard after (close behind) thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.’ (Ps. 63.5-8)
Yuh see what happens when we keep God first place in our hearts and souls. He helps us, and when further tough times come, we can remember that earlier help and not be afraid, but rejoice that the Lord will help us again. And that’s why Bruh David enjoyed so much of God’s goodness in his life. He never strayed far from Him, always kept Him at the forefront of his mind. And that’s how we supposed believers in Christ Jesus ought to behave. As Jesus so wisely advised: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33)
And we see that in Bruh David’s life. He kept God first place and the Lord made him the greatest king that Israel ever had. His life was not easy, but the rewards were certainly worth it. And anyway, after he became king, most of his trouble came from his own doing. The Lord could have certainly demoted him to a lowly servant for his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband Uriah, but He knew that Bruh David’s heart was right, that’s why He could call him a friend, and a man after His own heart. (1 Sam. 13:14)
And that basically means Bruh David valued the things of God, and generally walked with a heart filled with faith, LOVE and repentance. Now that’s what we ought also to be doing in these very troubled and critical times, because that’s why God has us here at this particular time. We were made for a time such as this; to show forth God’s praise and glory, His goodness and mercy, and challenge others to come to Him in faith and receive salvation and eternal life! We’re not here just to live the good, comfortable, entitled life, as so many of us insist on doing.
No, we need to be sacrificing some for Jesus and those who don’t know Him, and will thus lose out on His selfless sacrifice on their behalf. That’s what Jesus expects of those who call themselves, Christians, or His followers. But unfortunately we’re not doing enough good Christian witness, otherwise the world would not be in as sorry a state as it currently is. Hate, and not LOVE, is ruling the roost.
We’re not being the true salt of the earth and the light of the world as Jesus desires. Sadly, our salt has lost its flavour, and our light has been dimmed by the proliferating darkness of this ungodly world. That means we’re not seeking God and His presence in our lives as much as we ought to. But please, let’s try and turn that around with a new yearning for our Creator, so that we can do a better job, and thus leave our children’s children a better world. Much LOVE!
…the believer’s thirst for God…is not as dire as it ought to be…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
05 Aug 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a modicum of circumspection, acknowledgement of sin, all the day long, all ye that are upright in heart, alleviate our problems, be glad in the Lord, be held with bit and bridle, be ye not as the horse or the mule, Caribana weekend, Civic Holiday Monday, common sense, compass me about, confession of sin, consntat prayer, disobeyed your word, distractions, divine aid, divine instruction, ever changing emotions, faith, fleshly lusts, forgiveness, guide thee with mine eye, have no understanding, he that trusteth in the Lord, holy spirit, humble servants, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, Last Lap, LOVE, mass confusion, mercy, mercy shall compass him about, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my bones waxed old, my roaring, my vitality, preserve me from trouble, rejoice ye righteous, salvation, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, shout for joy, sincere repentance, songs of deliverance, strong faith in Christ, teach thee in the way thou shall go, the blessedness of confession, the God who heals, the throne of grace, the word of the Lord, thou art my hiding place, thy hand was heavy upon me, trun from our evil ways, truth, turned into the drought of summer, we have all sinned, when I kept silence, wise guidance
Psalm 32:11. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.
Well, it’s Civic Holiday Monday in Ontario and all the weekend festivities are set to climax today, as the good ole workweek resumes again tomorrow. And I know that many of us are going to try to finish on a high note, but please be careful, as that last lap go round, might just be the one to do you in. (smile)
So a modicum of circumspection is strongly advised today. Let’s think of the possible consequences before we commit to the actions. And remember that many of us cannot afford to book off sick tomorrow, having already used up most of our sick time. Anyway, the boss will know just why you’re sick. So please let common sense prevail. (smile)
And today we’ll continue looking at Psalm 32, the blessedness of Confession and Forgiveness, which will surely be rather important to many of us, after this Caribana weekend. (smile) Last week we stopped where Bruh David agreed to acknowledge his sin and confess his transgressions, and the Lord forgave him. (Ps. 32:5)
He then continues: ‘For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of the great waters they shall not come nigh unto him. Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble: thou shalt compass me about (surround me) with songs of deliverance. Selah.’ (Ps. 32:6-7)
Yes friends, Bruh David knows that if he stays steadfast in prayer, acknowledging his sins and asking for forgiveness, the Lord will keep him safe, preserve him from trouble and surround him with songs of deliverance. How wonderful is that eh! But it only comes from constant prayer and acknowledgement of one’s sins to Almighty God.
And with that steadfast attitude of prayer and confession of sins also comes divine instruction. As Bruh David writes of the Lord: ‘I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.’ (Ps. 32:8-9)
How excellent is that my fellow believers! If we stay close to the Lord and empty our hearts and souls to Him, He will guide us with His divine eye. However, we must be wise and sensible, and not be like the mule or horse that have no understanding, and must have bit and bridle to be controlled.
But unfortunately, many of us in these times of turbulence, entitlement and extremism, are behaving just like those animals who lack understanding. We’re allowing our fleshly lusts and our ever changing emotions to govern our lives, rather than the Word of the Lord. We’re not listening to His Holy Spirit that dwells within us for the very purpose of leading and guiding us in a godly fashion.
We don’t pray or confess our sins and ask for forgiveness as we ought to, so what kind of life can we expect to live but one with no true godly support. One like Bruh David describes in the early stages of the psalm. ‘When I kept silence, my bones waxed (grew) old through my roaring (groaning) all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture (vitality) is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.’ (Ps. 32:3-4)
Yes my people, that’s how we feel when our connection to Almighty God is missing, or simply not in tune. And we have no one else to blame but ourselves, for it’s our responsibility to go to Him in prayer for whatever ails us. And believe me, the confession of sin and its forgiveness can lift one’s soul from the very depths of misery and hell, right to the hallowed halls of heaven!
But we need to stay steadfast in prayer and confession of sin. For as Bruh David further advises: ‘Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about (surround him). Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.’ (Ps. 32:10-11)
Oh my fellow saints, we could not ask for wiser direction than that! But just remember that our heart must be right for it to work. We must be doing as Jesus advises: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness: and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) That’s Christianity 101 friends!
And we all know it’s difficult to stay steadfast and focused on God in this evil and ungodly world, with so many distractions and bombardments constantly coming at us, but with God’s help we can certainly do it. And it all begins with prayer. So lets’ go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine aid down here on earth.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And if we truly listen to our prayer, we can see that the basic elements for divine aid is a turning from evil ways, humility, prayer and sincerely seeking the Lord. So please let’s put that in our pipe and smoke it…that is if we truly want to receive divine aid! Much LOVE!
…there’s nothing that improves a believer’s life like…confession of sin…and the resultant forgiveness…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
12 Jul 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a modicum of circumspection, a new flock of believers, anxiety, be responsible, Bible, Christian faith, christianity, confusion, crying out for your help, divine aid, embrace your love and compassion, faith, foremost avenue of strife, Friday chant, god, God repented of the evil He promised, God saw their works, God will have all men to be saved. to come unto the knowledge of truth, God's offer of salvation, hatred because of colour creed and race, hatred of all non-Jews, he was angry, I knew that thou art a gracious God, it displeased Jonah exceedingly, it is better for me to die than to live, Jesus Christ, Jewish natiaonalism, Jonah, Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd, LOVE, love is the answer, merciful, mercy, Nineveh, of great kindness, one God, one mediator between God and men: Jesus Christ, one who relents from doing harm, repentest thess of the evil, return backsliders, selfishness, simmering unrest, slow to anger, stay safe, take my life from me, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the error of their ways, the example we faithful believers set, the man Christ Jesus, the message of repentance, to deliver him from his grief, trusting faith, turned from their evil way, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee, whitewashed sepulchres, wisdom, wise guidance
Jonah 4:1. But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.
So that long awaited day, Friday, has finally arrived…and rather quickly too! (smile) That means a loud shout of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ was heard all around God ‘s great earth. But let’s remember that all important warning for the weekend’s activities… a modicum of circumspection. And since we’re overjoyed to be alive today, to enjoy all the new and wonderful things God has in store for us, let’s keep our promise to continue looking at Jonah’s story.
Yesterday, we saw where he finally listened to God’s demand the second time and went to Nineveh and preached the message of repentance. And surprisingly the people repented. So what happened after that eh? The Bible tells us: ‘And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil (relented from the disaster), that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.’ (Jon. 3:10) As always, God kept His promise; the people, repented from their evil ways, and He did not destroy them.
So everybody should have been happy. Surprisingly though, the Bible informs us: ‘But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. And he prayed unto the Lord, and said, I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my saying (what I said), when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before (previously) unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness (LOVING- kindness), and repentest thee of the evil (one who relents from doing harm). Therefore now, O Lord, take I beseech thee, my life from me: for it is better for me to die than to live. Then said the Lord, Doest thou well (is it right ) to be angry?’ (Jon. 4:1-4)
Ah Lord eh! One would have thought that a prophet of the Lord would be glad to see so many heathen come to repentance, but the Assyrian repentance in Nineveh obviously didn’t thrill Jonah. And why is that eh? The scholars give us this simple, but oh so foolish reason. ‘Jonah still maintains a false Jewish nationalism and hatred of all non-Jews, especially Assyrians.’ That’s why he did not obey God’s command the first time.
And please don’t laugh or despise Jonah, for that very same thing is still quite rampant in this supposed modern era of our supposedly enlightened civilization. Hatred because of colour, creed and race is still the foremost avenue of strife in this angry and strife-filled world. There are a lot of people exactly like Jonah, who don’t want to see anyone from a different race, country etc. saved by God’s grace and mercy, which only means that they are not true believers in Christ, but mere hypocrites outwardly parading as Christians. Or as Jesus called the Pharisees, whitewashed sepulchres or tombs. (Matt. 23:27)
For true believers, like God, wants everyone to come to salvation. As Bruh Paul wrote to Timothy: ‘For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;’ (1 Tim. 2:3-5)
Yes friends, God desire is for all of His creation to be saved. And I like how this commentary explains it: ‘God’s offer of salvation goes out to all people, Jesus died for all people, and God LOVES the whole world and desires the salvation of all people; nevertheless, only some will choose to respond to God’s saving grace and be saved.’ And that’s the truth, as we very well know, not everyone will choose to hold Jesus as Lord and Saviour, but that doesn’t mean the Lord doesn’t want them to.
Anyway, getting back to Jonah. The Bible says after his conversation with the Lord: ‘So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth (shelter), and sat under it in the shadow (shade), till he might see what would become of the city. And the Lord God prepared a gourd (a plant of unknown identity), and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow (shade) over his head, to deliver him from his grief (misery). So Jonah was exceeding glad (rejoiced with great joy) of the gourd (tree covering).’ (Jon. 4:5-6)
Yes Jonah was glad when the Lord protected him with the tree, but was angry when He saved the Assyrians. Oh how selfish and hypocritical we are! Anyhow, we’ll stop there for today because the Bit will get too long if we continue to the end of Jonah’s ministry. So don’t say I never try to keep it short. (smile) Instead, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid in these troubled times.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.
And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And I’ll have us know that we won’t get a whiff of divine aid until we start being much better examples of Christian faith in this ungodly world! Much LOVE!
… selfishness does not become true believers in Christ…LOVE is the answer…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
28 Jun 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a modicum of circumspection, a new flock of believers, anger, be like god, be not forgetful to entertain strangers, Bible, Canada Day celebration, christianity, disobedinece, dwelling in harmony, faith, for brethren to dwell together in unity, for the perishable things of the world, forbidden fruit, Friday chant, hatred resentment, how good and how pleasant it is, Jesus, Jesus Christ, knowing good from evil, let brotherly love continue, LOVE, LOVE our enemies, lustful desires, man's folly, negative sentiments, prayer, return backsliders to your fold, serving Almighty God, show them the error of their ways, simmering unrest, smell the coffee, some have entertained angels unawares, stand strong and steadfast, strife, strife in Christ's church, strife is the work of the devil, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the children of God, the example we faithful believers set, the imperishable things of heaven, truth, unexpected storms, unity is the work of God, wisdom
Psalm 133:1. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.
And at last it was Friday… so the joyful shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ obviously were heard all around the world, but not as much as in this fair and flourishing land of Canada, where today heralds the beginning of our long, Canada Day weekend. Yes friends, on Monday we celebrate our national day, the anniversary of Canadian Confederation, the final coming together of all the disparate sections of this great land on July 1, 1867. So you can just picture the height and intensity of the celebrations this upcoming weekend.
However my fellow believers, please, let’s enjoy the time, but let’s not go overboard as we are sometimes won’t to do. And with the summer season and it’s many activities now in full swing, we definitely need the gentle reminder of these words as we get off work today… a modicum of circumspection. (smile) Yes, it’s time to celebrate and enjoy the benefits of our good country, but it’s also necessary to keep God first place, as we do so. End of Sermon.
And today we’re just going to have a refresher look at the very important sentiments of Bruh David’s words in Psalm 133; the dwelling in unity, or harmony, something that unfortunately no longer exists in this turbulent and ungodly world. The psalm opens by telling us in no uncertain terms: ‘Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.’ (Ps. 133:1)
Now that’s such a simple and very important truth; one with which we’d all concur, if asked. But in the actual doing of it, we just seem to lose the very essence of the sentiment and instead live in strife with each other. And we just have to look around our world today and see that STRIFE, rather than LOVE is what’s making it go round! How sad!
But that’s one of the great failings of mankind; we often know to do the right thing, yet end up doing the wrong thing. It’s like we know we should be serving Almighty God with our whole hearts, souls, bodies and minds, but instead we embrace Beelzebub and his lustful desires for the perishable things of this world, reducing the things of heaven to a distant second place. How foolish! But we know it, and still do it! No wonder James tells us: ‘Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.’ (James 4:17)
Sadly though, man’s folly and disobedience has been his downfall from the beginning of time. Our forefathers, Adam and Eve, were told in no uncertain terms not to eat of the fruit of the tree of Knowledge, for they would surely die. But they allowed the wily devil to introduce doubt into their minds by deceptively saying, that all the stuff about dying wasn’t true. God just knew that if they ate of the forbidden fruit, their eyes would be opened, and they would be like God, knowing good and evil. (Gen. 3:1-8)
And unfortunately, it’s still the same way today; the devil is still beguiling us into ungodly acts, which are only causing strife and torment all over God’s great earth. But if our world is to survive, we’ve got to stop the constant strife and concentrate instead on harmony. It’s like when there was strife between Abraham and his nephew Lot’s people. Abraham wisely came to Lot and said to him: ‘Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.’ (Gen. 13:8) And they settled the matter peacefully.
But today, so many actual brothers and sisters, fellow country men and women, as well as different nations, can’t seem to settle the strife that exists between them. The same goes for Christ’s church, where strife is ever so rampant! Some of us are even allowing the devil to eagerly exacerbate it! But that should not be so my brethren. As the author of Hebrews so wisely reminds us: ‘Let brotherly LOVE continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.’ (Heb. 13:1-2)
And that’s the gospel truth! None of us know with whom we’ll come into contact on any given day. That’s why it’s so important to treat people with LOVE and kindness. Remember one of Jesus’ directives is for us to LOVE our enemies. (Matt. 5:44) Unfortunately though, nowadays, with all the anger, hatred, resentment and the many other negative sentiments overflowing our world, we don’t even seem to LOVE our friends and families, much less our enemies. Oh my fellow saints, all I can do is to try and encourage us to turn back to the imperishable things of God, and leave the perishable things of the world and Satan alone, for they do not show who we really are: the children of God.
Now let’s go to the throne of grace through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid, to help with our many earthly problems. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.
And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And if we truly want and expect to see divine aid, it would do us well to remember these words of our prayer: ‘by the example, we, your faithful believers set.’ Much LOVE!
…strife is the work of the devil…unity is the work of God…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
22 Jun 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a modicum of circumspection, a wise masterbuilder, according to the grace of God, be found unto praise honour and glory at Christ's appearing, be revealed by fire, being much more precious than gold, Bible, brought us out into a wealthy place, christianity, defer my anger, diversified trials, every man's work shall be made manifest, faith, for my name's sake, for my praise will I restrain thee, for other foundation can no man lay than Jesus, god, great will be our rewards in heaven, he knows the way I take, I have refined thee nut not with silver, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I shall come forth as gold, I will not give my glory to another, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus, Jesus Christ, laid affliction upon our loins, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, let every man take heed how he builds, live for Christ, LOVE, manifold temptations, quiet my soul, receiving the end of your faith, rejoice with joy unspeakable, right motives of our hearts, salvation, slow my thoughts, spiritual maturity, summer came in like a lion, tested thee in the furnace of affliction, thank you for this tenderness, that I cut thee not off, the Lord's presence, the salvation of your souls, the trial of your faith, touches the cockles of God's heart, tried us as silver is tried, true faith cannot be destroyed, when he hath tried me, whom having not seen you love, wisdom, your peace and love are present
Job 23:10. But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
And on this lazy-day Saturday, the second official day of summer, the weather is sunny and fairly cool, compared with earlier this week, when summer came in like a mighty lion with temperatures in the constant thirties. Let’s hope that it will stay in the mid-twenties for a while now. The heat’s nice, much preferable to the cold, but we do need a modicum of circumspection, for too much of anything is no good. (smile)
Now, let’s get serious and offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Morning Prayer in all sincerity. As one voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And because the motives of our hearts were right, we can now feel the Lord’s presence, His LOVE and peace truly hovering around us in even more abundance than before. And I like this prayer because it’s one of those that touch the cockles of God’s heart. You’re sincerely asking for more of Him, and He will never refuse such a prayer, since it’s His greatest desire for His human creation to sincerely seek Him with all their hearts, minds, souls and bodies.
So, as we promised yesterday, if the Lord spared life today, we would continue looking at some scriptures that speak to the testing of our faith. And all God’s children said a grateful: ‘Thank You Lord for allowing us to see another day on your great earth!’
Let’s begin then with this interesting scripture from Isaiah re God’s deferred anger. ‘For my name’s sake, will I defer (delay) my anger, and for my praise will I refrain (restrain) for thee, that I cut thee not off (destroy you). Behold, I have refined thee, but not with (as) silver; I have chosen (tested) thee in the furnace of affliction. For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted (profaned)? and I will not give my glory unto another.’ (Is. 48:9-11)
Yes friends, for the Lord’s own sake, that we do not profane His holy name, He refines us in the fires of affliction. And those fires are never very nice, but they do serve to refine us, grow us in spiritual maturity, and keep us on the right path. Now, hear these awesome words of the psalmist.
‘O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard: Which holdeth our soul in life (among the living), and suffereth not our feet to be moved (slip). For thou, O God, hast proved (tested) us: thou hast tried (refined) us, as silver is tried. Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins. Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy (an abundant) place.’ (Ps. 66:8-12)
Yuh see that mih bredrin, though the Lord tries and afflicts us, it’s always for our own good, for our benefit. He brings us out of the afflictions in a better place than when we went in. Then there’s this interesting scripture from Bruh Paul in 1 Corinthians. ‘According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble (straw); Every man’s work shall be made manifest (become evident); for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try (test) every man’s work of what sort it is. If a man’s work abide (endures) which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved: yet so as by (through) fire.’ (1 Cor. 3:10-15)
Oh my people, come the judgement day, even our works will be tested to see how they held up to Christ’s service. And if they don’t survive the fire, because they are built on hay, wood or straw, then we will lose rewards, but not our salvation. For as the scholars explain: ‘The stress in this entire passage is not on a person’s relationship to Christ, but on service to Christ.’
Meanwhile, Job in his great trial said it thus: ‘Behold, I go forward, but he (God) is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him. On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself (turns) on the right hand, that I cannot see him: But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.’ (Job 23:8-10)
Job’s friends thought that his sins caused his downfall, that he was filled with rubbish, but he maintained that God knew when He tested him, pure gold would come out of the fires of his affliction. Can we be that sure of our situations? Who knows? But we’ve got to do our best to pass through the fires refined as pure gold.
Now here’s this last scripture, another famous one, this from Peter, where, writing about the incorruptible inheritance reserved in heaven for us, says: ‘Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness (distressed) through manifold temptations: That the trial (genuineness) of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried (tested) with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing (revelation) of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye LOVE; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.’ (1 Pet. 1:6-9)
And the scholars offer these explanations on those verses: ‘The problem of salvation looks to the present. Earthly trials constitute a problem of our salvation, but they are only for a season, or temporary. Manifold temptations means diversified trials. True faith cannot be destroyed though God is in the process of refining faith through our trials.’
Oh my fellow saints, living for Christ seems like a tough life, and it sometimes truly is, but let’s remember that the rewards of putting Christ first are well worth the trials and testings we go through in this evil and ungodly world. The long and short of the story is we know our salvation is assured through God’s gift of grace, and if we live the way Christ desires, great will be our rewards in heaven! Much LOVE!
…building on the solid foundation of Christ…is the wise earthly way to go…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
06 Jun 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a condition of the soul, a modicum of circumspection, a strong will, all god does is for our benefit, an attitude of total trust, at the end of ourselves, begging for mercy, Bible, both hope and wait, christianity, commit thy way unto the Lord, consistent and responsible service to God, curse, disobedience, faith, faithfulness, favour, gad about free and easy, give thee the desires of thine heart, god, great is thy faithfulness, hardship, he cannot deny himself, his compassions fail not, hold our heads and bawl, holy spirit, hope, is humbled in me, it is good that a man, Jesus Christ, Lamentations, LOVE, marked by a stable character, mercy, my soul hath them still in remembrance, negative word, never lead us astray, never lose hope in God, new every morning, pain, real faith, remembering mine affliction, salvation, seek ye the kingdom of God, self-discipline, sin, the Lord is good to them that wait for him, the Lord is my portion saith my soul, the Lord's mercies, the salvation of the Lord, the wormwood and the gall, therefore I have hope, therefore will I hope in him, this I recall to mind, Thursday Blessings, to the soul that seeketh him, trust in the Lord and do good, unconditional LOVE, we're not consumed, wisdom, yet he abideth faithful
Lamentations 3:24. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
It’s Thursday friends! One more day and it will be Friday, and the weekend will be here! Give the Lord thanks and praise! (smile) Ah, we do LOVE our weekends, especially the summer ones, where we can gad about free and easy and enjoy the hijinks of the summer season. However, though it’s good to be free and easy, let’s remember that when too many free and easy things are overdone, they eventually bring hardship and pain, and then we hold our heads and bawl, saying why didn’t I think about it before I did it.
And yes, we have to do some of that to learn what life is truly all about. But the earlier we learn to have a modicum of circumspection, the better off we’ll be. Now, having expounded such wonderful advice, I’m at a loss for something to talk about today. So let’s see where the Good Library will lead us nuh. (smile) I’m sure it will never lead us astray.
And lo, and behold, it opened unto the Book of Lamentations, where the prophet Jeremiah shed tears for both himself and his people. But then, he remembers the Lord’s faithfulness in all the negative situations that he and his people had faced. Then he laments: ‘Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall (bitterness). My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled (bowed down) in me. This I recall to mind, therefore have I hope.’ (Lam. 3:19-21)
Yes friends, though we go through tough times, experience the bitterness of wormwood-like stuff, it is essential that we never lose hope in our wonderful God. For He only tests or chastens us for our own benefit. And as Jeremiah so wisely and rightly continues: ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam. 3:22-23) And that’s the gospel truth my people. If it wasn’t for the Lord’s mercies, LOVE and compassion on us, we’d be wiped off the face of the earth long ago. He is ever so faithful to us, although we don’t return the faithfulness.
As Bruh Paul said to Timothy. ‘It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer (endure), we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not (are faithless), yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.’ (2 Tim. 2:11-13) Yuh see mih bredrin, the Lord’s faithfulness is so embedded in Him, that even if He wanted to, He could not be unfaithful! And we’d better be thankful for that, with all the nonsense, all the sin and disobedience we commit, when it’s also a requirement for us to be faithful in our lives and service to God.
But then, when things get hard, when we find ourselves at the end of ourselves, we run crying to Him, begging for mercy and He hears us and offers His mercy, compassion and unconditional LOVE! And it’s interesting to hear what the scholars say about real faith. ‘Real faith is more than inner belief, even more than whole-souled committal. It is a condition of the soul marked by such a stable character and an attitude of total trust that the believer’s whole life is imbued with consistent, responsible service to God. (cf. 1 Sam. 26:23; Ps. 37:3-6). From the biblical standpoint, true faith results in faithfulness in one’s life.’
And we admit that that’s not easy to do, with all the temptations and negative situations we encounter, but we have the help of the Holy Spirit, and I’m sure we can do much better than we’re currently doing, if we only paid greater attention to His still small voice that leads and guides us. And these words from Jeremiah’s lament point the way to where our hearts ought to be steadfastly directed. ‘The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam. 3:24-26)
The question is my people, do we feel as strongly about those words as Jeremiah did? Obviously not. For if we did, then we would not be so disobedient and rebellious, and would show much more faithfulness, more discipleship, be full of salt and light in our daily lives. Remember that though our God is faithful, merciful, LOVING, and all those good things, if we claim to be believers, yet continue to be unfaithful, we will eventually pay a high price for it.
That’s why the scholars referenced above, these wise words of Bruh David. ‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on his faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto he Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday.’ (Ps. 37:3-6)
That’s all we have to do friends; trust in the Lord, and do good; delight ourselves in him, and commit our way to Him. He will do the rest. As Jesus said: ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) The same thing goes for if we trust and delight in God and commit our ways to Him. Now let’s declare (chuhhh!!!) our Thursday Blessings so we can activate them. Those blessings so generously bestowed on us so that we can do God’s earthly work.
As one: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
Now, let’s go out and use those blessings on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…faithfulness is a requirement…to whatever cause we hold dear to our hearts…
01 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a balanced diet, a balanced life, a long weekend, a modicum of circumspection, a vacuum of anything, all these things shall be added, April Fool's day, being ruled by desires, come ye yourselves apart, disobeyed your word, Easter celebration, Easter Monday, eat and drink, enjoy the fruit of his labour, fall into place, from the hand of God, hold our passions in check, humble servants, in perfect symmetry, into a desert place and rest a while, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep God number One, LOVE, make his soul enjoy good in his labour, mass confusion, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, negative effects, negative situations, our ying and yang, personal fitness, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, sincerely seek your face, temperance, the God who heals, there is nothing better for a man, trun from our evil ways, we have all sinned, wisdom, wise guidance
Psalm 90:12. So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom (gain a heart of wisdom).
Well, it’s Monday; Easter Monday to boot, a holiday in many places, consequently the Easter celebrations roll on, as we relive the resurrection of our Lord and Saviour on that Easter Sunday, some two thousand years ago. This Monday is also the first day of April, making it ‘All Fool’s, or April Fool’s Day’ where we play practical jokes and hoaxes on each other. But please be careful when playing April Fool’s Day jokes, for many have been known to cause unexpected sadness and sorrow.
So this Monday is a big Monday, especially with no work and the celebration of one of the most important days in our Christian faith. But please, as Jeeves would recommend, please use a modicum of circumspection in the celebrations; balance your partying with your upcoming responsibilities. (smile) Remember, there’s work tomorrow and the boss won’t take it kindly if you book off sick or show up tired and droopy after such a celebrated long weekend. Not at all!
And my people in these crazy times, a balanced life is ever so important for your personal health and well-being. In a fast-paced, modern world, sustaining a balanced diet, alongside personal fitness, can help improve and stabilize overall health and wellbeing, which can help us live a fuller and longer life. As Cousin Sol so rightly says as The preacher in Ecclesiastes: ‘There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour (his soul should enjoy the good of his labour).This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.’ (Eccl.2:24).
The problem with that though, is finding the right balance. It’s very easy to work too much or party and laze around too much. The wise man will find a comfortable balance and enjoy the fruits of his labour. And we have a good example of that wisdom, when Jesus, before He feeds the five thousand, tells the disciples, ‘Come ye yourselves apart (aside) into a desert (deserted) place and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.’ (Mark 6:31)
Sadly, many of us do the same thing, work our fingers to the bone and don’t get enough rest. And though the negative effects might not show up right away, I can guarantee that they will show up eventually, and in ways you certainly won’t expect. So there’s wisdom in taking one day at a time, as Moses says in Psalm 90: ‘So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom (gain a heart of wisdom).’
That’s the life and work balance, but then there’s also a spiritual balance. This commentary explains it thus: ‘When we are in balance, we feel complete in ourselves. There isn’t a vacuum of anything. We feel free to be who we want to be and live the life we want. We can express our needs and focus on what we want without feeling less than or anxiety or fear. We feel happy and joyful.’ I guess we can call that the state when our ying and yang are in perfect symmetry. (smile)
Furthermore, as this quote from an article on the Spiritual Meaning of Balance,’ by Vinita Hampton Wright found on the ignatianspirituality.com website explains. ‘In Christian spirituality, balance has more to do with temperance, which means that we allow our deepest principles to hold our passions in check. As Paula Huston explains in her book ‘By Way of Grace’ temperance has been misconstrued in popular language to mean an unhealthy denial of life’s pleasures. But from earliest times Christians have valued spiritual balance. St. Ignatius spoke of people having “disordered affections”—being ruled by desires rather than free to make wise choices.
When we don’t practice temperance, eventually our affections will become disordered. A temperate person honors her desires and passions as gifts from God, but she does not constantly rearrange her life according to the ongoing flux of those desires and passions … One of the best gifts of temperance is that it frees us to enjoy our loves. When I write, I can throw myself into it completely. And when temperance tells me it’s time to stop writing and do something else, I can put down my work and enter the next thing wholeheartedly. Identify situations in which you feel pushed, or hurried, or desperate. Can you describe what’s going on, and how you might apply some temperance?’
And all of that makes complete sense, but here is the wisdom in which it’s all encapsulated, the words of Jesus: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) That covers it all friends. Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine help to make the changes we so desperately need to make, so that our world can become a better place for us, our children, and our children’s children.
Altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Now, let’s remember that the most important aspects of our prayer are, coming to God with sincere repentance in our hearts, as well as turning from our evil ways. If those two situations aren’t rectified, sooner than later, then divine help will not be forthcoming! It’s as simple as that! Much LOVE!
…keep God number ONE…and everything else will fall into place…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
22 Dec 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a modicum of circumspection, chaos, Christmas, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, disaster, divine help, embrace your love and compassion, Friday chant, good and acceptable in the sight of the Lord, in all goodness and honesty, incompetent and corrupt leaders, Jesus -the reason for the season, Jesus Christ, lead a peaceable and quiet life, LOVE, man's inhumanity to man, mercy, omnipotent help, one God, one mediator between God and men: Jesus Christ, prayer, prayer be made for all men, respect for governmental authority, stand strong and steadfast, strife, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the example we faithful believers set, the Prince of Peace, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee
1 Timothy 2:8. I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
And you have to block your ears for all the voices around the world shouting, ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! The Friday of Christmas weekend!’ Yes friends, it’s going to be a marvellous time, with celebrations galore! Sadly though, there will be many places that won’t have any celebrations because of the serious strife and chaos existing in those places…too many places my people! The birth of Jesus ought to be celebrated all over the world with very few, if any, exceptions. But it’s certainly not going to be like that this year, for, unfortunately, this year will mark the most places without Christmas celebrations, because it’s the year, outside of the years of the two world wars, that we’ve had the most strife, disaster and chaos ever in our world. How ghastly!
There’s so much unnecessary strife and suffering on the earth at a time when we should all be celebrating the birth of the Prince of Peace. But there’s not much that most of us can do about it,, except celebrate with a modicum of circumspection, and pray for those who are experiencing the unfortunate miseries of man’s inhumanity to man. Pray, that the Lord in His awesome wisdom and mercy will soon bring most, if not all, of those inhumane activities to a peaceful end, for He’s the ONLY One who has the power and wisdom to mitigate those tragic circumstances.
And what a weekend this will be, with many people taking today off from work and not having to return until next Wednesday, making it a truly long weekend. (smile) But whatever the length of our weekend, please, let’s remember that it’s come about all because of the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. Let’s try and keep that fact uppermost in our minds, as we rush around to finish our Christmas shopping and the many other preparations we plan to accomplish before the big day on Monday.
Yes, you might be tired hearing me say that Jesus is the reason for the season, but it’s ever so necessary to reinforce that fact because the commercial and ungodly world is fast forgetting it, and so it’s up to us faithful believers to keep reminding them of it, or else in another few years it’s totally possible that no one will remember the real reason behind the celebrations of Christmas, and consider it just another holiday period. Amen! End of Sermon! (smile)
And friends, I’m not only smiling, but also chuckling,. Why? Because we were just talking about prayer, and as I opened the Good Library, it miraculously opened unto the first Book of Timothy, where Bruh Paul exhorts him to prayer. Now is that a coincidence or what? (smile) It might be, but I’d prefer to look upon it as a moment of divine guidance. And if that’s true, then we’ve got to engage in that particular scripture. So please read with me, Bruh Paul’s instructions to Timothy on the subject of prayer.
‘I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayer, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority (a prominent position); that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all goodness and honesty (reverence). For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour. Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not:) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity (truth). I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.’ (1 Tim. 2:1-8)
Oh my fellow saints, those exhortations of Bruh Paul are ever so important if we truly desire to live a peaceful and reverent life. We need to pray for all of our leaders, from those in the lowest to the highest positions. And the scholars offer some good explanations on the passage. ‘A quiet and peaceful life: The word quiet means “not troubled from without”, that is, intercessory prayer enables good government to ensure that its citizens are not troubled by enemies or forces outside its borders. “Peaceable” means “not troubled from within”, that is, the church’s prayer also aids competent government in maintaining law and order within its own borders.’
And if that is truly so friends, then it’s obvious that we have not been praying, or not praying enough for our leaders because there’s lots of strife and violence both outside and within our borders. And the scholars further explain: ‘The translation godliness and honesty is unfortunate, for the exercise of these virtues is not dependent on good government; they can be cultivated even in poor political management and persecution. The text should read, “That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life with the utmost reverence and respect.” This respect is for governmental authority. Respect can best be realized when rulers are competent and rightly discharging their duties. Otherwise, it is difficult to respect rulers when they are incompetent and unjust.’
Now, is that ever saying something, for there is absolutely no respect for most of our leaders these days because so many of them are incompetent, unjust and also corrupt! I don’t believe I’ve ever seen so many incompetent and corrupt leaders as we have today. And sadly, that’s an avowed fact all over the world. But yuh know what, as Bruh Paul says, prayer is ever so important, and it’s also our biggest privilege, as well as our chief method of communication with our heavenly Father. So please, let’s use it wisely nuh, by going to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant and laying it all out to the ONLY One who can help us turn things around.
As one voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And as our prayer implies, if we want divine help, then we first have to set a good example of being faithful believers. It’s as simple as that! Much LOVE!
…three of the most important things in a believer’s life…prayer…prayer…and more prayer…because prayer is basically communicating with our heavenly Father…and we can never have too much of that…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
03 Jul 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a modicum of circumspection, a new commandment I give unto you, a sense of responsibility, as I have loved you that ye also love one another, as the dew of Hermon, behold how good and pleasant it is, brought to desolation, by this shall all men know that ye are my disiciples, Canada Day celebrations, civil war, divine help, even life for ever more, every kingdom divided against itself, for brethren to dwell together in unity, God-blessed country, how can two walk together unless they are agreed, humble servants, Jehovah Rapha, let brotherly love continue, let there be no strife between me and thee, like precious ointment upon the head, live the abundant life Jesus died for us to have, LOVE, mass confusion, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, nation divided against nation, people living in harmony are blessed, sincere repentance in our hearts, sinned and seriously disobeyed your word, that ran down upon the beard even Aaron's beard, that ye love one another, the dividing asunder of Christ's church, the God who heals, the throne of grace, there the Lord commanded the blessing, we be brethren
Psalm 133:1. Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
Yes, my fellow Canadians, it’s Monday, and the Canada Day celebrations continue apace, as we acknowledge the many blessings we have to be thankful for, especially since the afternoon sun has now replaced the early morning rain. That means many of us in this God-blessed country won’t be working today, but getting paid for it. So please, let’s not overdo the celebrating, and instead apply a modicum of circumspection, a sense of responsibility to the situation. (smile)
Remember, it’s not all wine and roses, for although our country is comparatively a paradise to many others, we do have many serious problems that we need to pay serious attention to, if we don’t want them to blow up in our faces and cause a sad downgrade in this beautiful country of Canada. And today we’re going to have a look at Psalm 133, some very precious and wise words of Bruh David that currently have exceptional relevance to both our country, our world and our faith.
So please read with me. ‘Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment (oil) upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts (edge) of his garments. As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for ever more.’ (Pl.133:1-3)
Now that my fellow believers says it all! People living together in harmony are blessed, just like when they are anointed with oil, as Aaron when anointed high priest by Moses. (Ex. 32:22-33) Living in unity is also described by Bruh David as the precious dew that descended upon Mt. Zion where the Lord commanded his blessings for life ever after. Unfortunately though, instead of moving, or working towards unity, our world and our Christian faith are moving away from it, making resentment, anger and petty differences split us apart.
Now that’s no way to live! What kind of life can we have if we’re always in disagreement and have unnecessary drama in our lives? We certainly can’t live the abundant live that Christ died for us to have! And sadly, in my many years on God’s great earth I’ve never seen it so divided; nation against nation, as well as serious discontent within numerous nations that’s causing civil wars all around the globe. Not to mention the terrible disunity and disagreement to be found in the lowest but most important level of society, the family. Then there’s the dividing asunder that’s happening within Christ’s church over selfish and petty differences.
Whatever happened to Jesus’ commandment eh? ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another: as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another. By this shall all men know you are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:34-35) Apparently that has all been thrown through the window, but yet we expect the church to survive and prosper. That’s impossible, for when the Pharisees heard that Jesus was casting out demons, and claimed that He was casting them out through Satan’s power., (Matt. 12:24) Jesus begged to differ.
And in His awesome wisdom pointed out to them. ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation: and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself: how shall then his kingdom stand?’ (Matt. 12:25-26) It obviously cannot stand! And that’s why the church is falling apart, suffering so much doubt and division, that the subsequent disenchantment is bringing worldwide apostasy, turning many away from the faith. Consequently, we believers are not living the unified life Christ expects of us, nor doing the work He so badly desires of us.
The author of Hebrews also gave us these simple but amazing words of wisdom pertaining to unity. ‘Let brotherly LOVE continue.’ (Heb. 13:1) Short, sweet, and to the point my people! And we have one of the best examples of that right at the beginning of our faith, where Abram (later Abraham) and his nephew Lot’s herdsmen were having difficulties living together; ‘And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen, for we be brethren.’ (Gen. 13:8)
Wow! What simple common sense, for strife offers nothing positive, only negative consequences! But how often do we find that kind of wisdom and common sense being exhibited nowadays eh? Not very often, for in our current society, every problem, no matter how simple and easily resolved, has to become contentious or we’re not happy.
And I like the scholars’ simple but beautiful explanation of the Psalm 133. They say: ‘This psalm is all about the preciousness of family unity. Its blessedness is exclaimed (vs.1) and explained (vs. 2-3). It sanctifies (vs. 2) and solidifies (vs.3)’ What more can we say eh? Not a whole lot, except to reassert the great importance in unity, in godly harmony, whether it be in the lowly family, or betwixt the biggest and most powerful nations. Only in unity and harmony can mankind truly thrive and prosper, and that’s a lesson we’ve got to desperately learn within Christ’s church, and learn it asap, if we ever hope to turn our evil and ungodly world around.
Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, with sincere and heartfelt pleas for mercy and grace to guide us in these trying times. As one voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world.
Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And if we truly desire to see divine help, then we will truly turn from our evil ways and aspire to live in harmony with each other. Much LOVE!
…how can two walk together…unless they are agreed… (Amos 3:3)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
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