Philippians 4:7. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Oh my people, Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and LOVE!’ (2 John 3) What a most magnificent greeting this Saturday morning in these pandemic times! That’s why the Word of the Lord is so important to believers; it lifts us up, encourages us and keeps our faith strong, so that we can keep on keeping on despite the troubles and problems that surround us.
So, knowing that the Lord is with us, all the time, if we only believe, and is constantly showering His grace, mercy, peace and LOVE upon us, let’s go forward today without fear, but with courage, wisdom and compassion, as He leads us on the straight and narrow path, right home to Him. Glory be, mih bredrin!
Now let’s see what quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And the first one says: ‘Learn to let go and be clear of where you really want to head for.’ Now that’s certainly an interesting thought, for we can’t go anywhere successfully unless we know where we want to go and drop all the other baggage that’s preventing us from following our destiny. And I want to say here that associating with Jesus, committing your life to Him, is the best way to know where your destiny lies and to find it with a true sense of purpose! That’s because He cares and will always be there to help us navigate the storms and the rough roads of this earthly life.
Then we come to this quote: ‘LOVING yourself is the greatest revolution!’ Well, I don’t know if it’s really the greatest revolution, but I do know that it’s a very important one in all of our lives, for until we learn to LOVE God and LOVE ourselves, we’re not fit for anything. And the best way I know to express those sentiments is by quoting these marvellous and wise words of Jesus, as to the great commandment. ‘Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ (Matt. 22:37-40)
Yes friends, that’s where it all begins and ends – with LOVE! And that’s why this next quote is also important for our well-being: ‘To LOVE yourself is to understand you don’t need to be perfect to be good.’ And that’s quite true. The fact is that no human is perfect, for the Lord God made us intentionally as imperfect beings. The only perfect Being in this universe is our Godhead! And since our Creator knows we’re not perfect, He doesn’t expect perfection from us. He just expects our best and most sincere effort.
Unfortunately though, too many of us try to be perfect, when it’s impossible, and then get down on ourselves when we mess up. But friends, our great God sees and knows everything, that’s why we refer to Him as omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present. That means He looks at our hearts, and if they are right, then He will forgive, forget and comfort any and all imperfection. But we need to first understand that being perfect is not His expectation, but He does want us to be diligent and excellent in our efforts.
That brings us to our last quote: ‘Inner peace begins the moment you choose not to allow another person or event to control your emotions.’ Now, on a basic and fundamental level that seems to be true, but it’s definitely not the whole story! Granted, it’s good not to let people and events control our emotions too much, however, it’s a natural consequence of being human. And try as we want, it’s not possible to completely shut out other people or events from our emotional roller coaster. (smile)
And even if, by some fluke, we manage to shut out other things and people, the peace we receive is still not true or lasting, because it’s a peace the world gives, and that can never be worthwhile because it comes from a world that’s plagued by an abundance of sin and evil, and those two things can never bring true or lasting peace. The only place one can find really true and lasting peace in in Christ Jesus! And if you don’t believe me, let’s hear it straight from the horse’s mouth, that’s directly from Jesus, as He so generously bestows what He alone has to offer. ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27)
Oh my fellow saints, that’s one of the most important and encouraging scripture verses ever! It’s something for us to hold on to tightly if we want to make it successfully through this confused and evil world. But we can’t get it until we sincerely commit our lives to Jesus. And if that wasn’t sufficient to convince you to seek the peace that only Jesus can give, listen to more of his awesome words, as He talks about overcoming the world. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) Glory be my people! More good news and encouragement!
And let’s also remember Bruh Paul’s awesome words on the subject to the Philippians: ‘And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:7) Just imagine that nuh; a peace that we can’t even imagine or understand. And I just couldn’t leave out these explanations from the biblehub.com website. This from Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers.
‘(7) The peace of God–i.e. (like the “righteousness of God,” “the life of God”), the peace which God gives to every soul which rests on Him in prayer. It is peace–the sense of unity in the largest sense–the “peace on earth” proclaimed at our Lord’s birth, left as His last legacy to His disciples, and pronounced at His first coming back to them from the grave (Luke 2:14; John 14:27). Hence it includes peace with God, peace with men, peace with self. It keeps–that is, watches over with the watchfulness that “neither slumbers nor sleeps”–both “the hearts and minds” (or, more properly, the souls and the thoughts formed in them), guarding our whole spiritual action, both in its source and its developments.
It is “through Christ Jesus,” for “He is our peace (Ephesians 2:14), as “making all one,” and “reconciling all to God.” The comprehensiveness and beauty of the passage has naturally made it (with the characteristic change from the “shall” of promise to the “may” of benediction) the closing blessing of our most solemn church service of “Holy Communion” with God and man.’
Now that should open up some interesting comments and contemplations! (smile) And I’m also contemplating adding some more…but it’s already kinda long…Oh shoot! Tough yes! Who doesn’t want to get deeper into God’s word, that’s their business! But for those of us who so desire, here is the Pulpit Commentary on the verse.
‘Verse 7. – And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding. The peace which God gives, which flows from the sense of his most gracious presence, and consists in childlike confidence and trustful love. This peace passeth all understanding; its calm blessedness transcends the reach of human thought; it can be known only by the inner experience of the believer. The similar passage, in Ephesians 3:20, “Unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think,” seems decisive for the ordinary interpretation.
Bishop Light-foot, Meyer, and others take another view of the passage: “Surpassing every device or counsel of man. i.e. which is far better, which produces a higher satisfaction, than all punctilious self-assertion, all anxious forethought.” Shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus; rather, as R.V. (English Revised Version), shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. Peace shall guard – “a verbal paradox, for to guard is a warrior’s duty” (Bishop Lightfoot).
The peace of God abiding in the heart is a sure and trusty garrison, guarding it so that the evil spirit, once cast out, cannot return. The thoughts issue from the heart; for the heart, as commonly in the Hebrew Scriptures, is regarded as the seat of the intellect, not of feeling only. In Christ Jesus; in the sphere of his influence, his presence. True believers, abiding in Christ, realize his promise, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you.”
Yes my fellow saints, it’s long, but interesting, (smile) and we couldn’t have a better ending. Much LOVE!
…the world is longing for true peace…but foolishly refuse to turn to Jesus…the only place that it exists…
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The Overwhelming Importance of Christians staying focused on God, and being prepared for Christ’s Second Coming!
19 Oct 2026 Leave a comment
by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a calm temperament, a crying shame, a gung-ho society, a new week of work, a new working week, a sad commentary, a sad tale, a satisfied working class, a state of constant readiness, a true sense of purpose, a waste of lives, an anomaly, an inequitable society, be prepared for Christ's second coming, boost to our confidence, buffeted and bombarded by the enemy's evil schemes, but my Father only, but of that day and hour knoweth no man, cementing powerful positions, coming down from God out of heaven, constantly rising prices, corruption, disappointed with life, disgruntled, do as little as possible, doing a fair day's work, egotism, enjoyment and ethusiasm in our working lives, enthused about going to work, every imagination of the thoughts of his heart, faith, fill us with steadfast faith, find no satisfaction in their jobs, firmly entrenched, flaunt their wealth and power, frustrated, furthering your glorious kingdom, give up hope, go out to meet the enemy in battle, go through the motions, God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, God shall wipe away all tears, greed, grieved him at his heart, have to work all five days, he that sat upon the throne, holy spirit, I am sorry that I made them, I heard a great voice out of heaven, I John saw the holy city, I saw a new heaven and a new earth, I will destroy man from the face of the earth, increasing their already enormous wealth, invincible, it repented the Lord that he had made man, Jesus Christ, jobs, jobs being lost to technology, jobs that serve a useful purpose, keeping lives and families together, leading our society to higher ground, LOVE, make worthwhile inroads into the enemy's ranks, mercy, neither sorrow nor crying, New Jerusalem, no holiday to ease the pressure, no more death, no more pain, no more sea, not the angels of heaven, not very Christ-like, nothing's impossible for God, only evil continually, over the weekend, people only go to work for the money, poverty, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality and enthusiasm, salaries not rising to compensate for the increase in prices, sally forth with confidence, salvation, selfishness, shamelessly exhibited, short tempered, social media, sours our disposition, spout a lot of heifer dust, stay encouraged, stay focused on God, stop caring, strife, suppression, sure conquerors, technological advances, the economic situation, the evil and ungodly state of the world, the first heaven and the first earth were passed away, the former things are passed away, the numerous serious problems in our world, the poor keep losing the little they have, the power brokers, the rich and powerful, the rich getting richer, the tabernacle of god is with men, the technocrats, the throne of grace, the tough two way commute, these words are faithful and true, time for Christ to come again, to lead and guide all your servants, trust God's Word, truth, watch and pray, we're not afraid, wearing your powerful protective spiritual armour, weary souls, wisdom, your incredible aura of love
Today’s Scrip-Bit 19 October 2026 Genesis 6:5a.
Genesis 6:5a. And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth,
A new working week has begun my brethren; one filled with brilliant sunshine, bright colours of the flora, and fairly warm. That means today is Monday, and unless you have sick time in the bank, you will have to work all five days because there’s no holiday this time around to ease the pressure. (smile) And it’s somewhat of an anomaly that although many of us have been working five days a week for several years, we never seem to get accustomed to it, or handle it with a calm temperament. Many Monday mornings seem to find us disgruntled, short tempered and not very Christ-like.
And I don’t know if it’s because we don’t like our jobs, the people we work with, or the tough two way commute every day that sours our disposition to such an extent that we simply give up hope, stop caring and just go through the motions without any true sense of purpose or enjoyment and enthusiasm in our working lives. Now if that’s the case, it’s a sad commentary on both ourselves and our society. What a waste of many lives for many years! And what a sad tale it tells when so many people today only go to work for the money, try to do as little as possible, and find no satisfaction or enjoyment in their jobs.
The society is gung-ho about its social media and technological advances, but a high percentage of individuals appear to be more frustrated and disappointed with life, especially right now as our world is overwhelmed with strife, suppression and poverty, when the economic situation looks very bleak as prices for everyday necessities like fuel, housing, food and clothing are constantly rising, but salaries are not rising to meet the increases, and many jobs are being lost as technology takes over the work that people once did.
And to make that sad picture even sadder, in this rather inequitable society, the rich seem to be getting richer by leaps and bounds while the poor keep losing whatever little they have. I guess all of that doesn’t make for a happy or satisfied working class. Meanwhile, the powerbrokers and ruling technocrats spout a lot of heifer dust, but are really only interested in cementing their powerful positions and increasing their already enormous wealth. I don’t know if we’ve ever seen a time like this one where greed, egotism, selfishness and corruption have been so firmly entrenched, and even worse, so shamelessly exhibited by those who are supposed to be leading our society to higher ground.
It’s a crying shame the way the rich and powerful flaunt their wealth and power to excess, despite the numerous serious problems in our world. No wonder the ordinary worker isn’t enthused about going to work or about doing a good and fair day’s work even for decent remuneration. So what’s the answer to the problem, you ask? To tell the truth, I don’t know. The only thing that might answer all the problems is for the Lord to decide that it’s time for Christ to come again. (smile) Because our society is so sick and evil that it’s only the Lord who can clean it up.
Unfortunately though, it seems like our world might be as sick and evil as it was way back in time, that it could not be cleaned up, but had to be destroyed and started again. As the Bible enlightens us: ‘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 day long). And it repented the Lord (he was sorry) that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me (I am sorry) that I have made them.’ (Gen. 6:5-7)
Ah friends, who knows what the Lord’s thinking right now, but I’m sure that He’s very displeased with the evil and ungodly state of His once wonderful universe. And although nothing’s impossible with our omnipotent God, it might just be wiser to destroy mankind again, especially after unsuccessfully sacrificing His only Son Jesus to try and turn things around. And the time might just be right for John’s great revelation to come true. ‘And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.’ (Rev. 21:1-5)
Yes my people I know we’re longing for the day when there are no more, tears, pain, sorrow or death on the earth, but that’s the Lord’s decision, and as Jesus said of that time: ‘But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.’ (Matt. 24:36) But rest assured that day will eventually come, however, until then, we need to stay encouraged, trust God’s Word, watch and pray, be in a state of constant readiness for whenever that fateful day comes. And to help us do that, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise and thank You this Monday morning for our jobs; jobs we sometimes don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose; keeping lives and families together. We also thank You Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm You’ve wrought in our weary souls over the weekend. It’s that rejuvenation of spirit which now allows us to sally forth with confidence into the evil and ungodly world, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s evil schemes.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing Your powerful, protective spiritual armour! We surrender our all to You, and humbly ask that You allow Your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit to lead and guide all Your servants, as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, thereby furthering Your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And with that boost to our confidence, let’s go out and do as we promised! Much LOVE!
…although evil is rampant in our world…believers need to stay focused on God…and be prepared for Christ’s Second Coming…
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