21 Apr 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a great cloud of witnesses, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a true disciple of Christ, a warning, absolutely necessary, an incorruptible crown, be disqualified, bring it under subjection, business, Christian celebrations, compassed about, competes for the prize, corruptible crown, denying the spirituality of the situation, despising the shame, disicpline our bodies, disobeyed your word, disqualified from Christian ministry, divine aid, earthly spiritual journey, ease the pain, Easter celebrations, Easter Monday, encouraged by the enemy, endured the cross, eternal life, every man that striveth for mastery, faith, fall by the wayside, finished my course, flails helplessly, food, for the joy that was set before him, forfeiting rewards, fought a good fight, frustrations, gifts, grace, greed of the world, have a part to play, he that abideth in me, heavenly help, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, I am the vine, I in him, I keep under my body, I myself should be a castaway, I therefore so run, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, Jesus' miraculous resurrection, Jesus' sacrificial death, keep Jesus uppermost in our minds, kept the faith, know ye not, lay aside every weight, lest that by any means, looking unto Jesus, lose sight of the essential facts, LOVE, mass confusion, material selfishness, mercy, not as one that beateth the air, not that we are sufficient of ourselves, one receives the prize, our sufficiency is of God, parties, peace and calm, personal sacrifice, practical advice, pray, run not as uncertainly, run with patience, salvation, self-control, selfless sacrifice of Jesus, set down at the right hand of the throne of God, share a partnership with Christ, sin, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, so fight I, so run that ye may obtain, spiritual strength, spirituality, steal our joy In Jesus Christ, strong faith in Christ, suffering from negative situations, surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, ta perishable crown, temperate, temperate in all things, Thank you Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, the giver of life, the God who heals, the joy of the Lord is your strength, the material world, the race of life, the race that is set before us, the same bringeth forth much fruit, the sin which doth so easily beset us, they which run in a race run all, throne of grace, to think anything of ourselves, traffic jams, trainig for a marathon, truth, turn from our evil ways, we have all sinned, when I have preached to others, wisdom, wise guidance, without me ye can do nothing, work diligently, ye are the branches
1 Corinthians 9:24b. So run, that ye may obtain.
And the Easter celebrations continue unabated on this somewhat cloudy Easter Monday! And why not eh, when we were given the greatest presents ever; salvation and eternal life through Jesus’ sacrificial death and miraculous resurrection! And the other good thing about today is that many of us don’t have to face the traffic jams and all the other frustrations involved in going out to work. And all God’s children said, a loud and grateful, ‘Thank You Jesus!’
However, there’s always a warning needed in these Christian celebrations, a warning to not let the material selfishness and greed of the world to make us lose sight of what the celebration is truly about; the LOVE and selfless sacrifice of Jesus! For if we allow them, the material world, staunchly encouraged by the enemy, would just make it all about business, gifts, food, and parties, while denying the spirituality of the situation. So, as we celebrate, let’s keep Jesus uppermost in our minds today and every day, for He is the giver of life, health, wealth, LOVE, mercy, grace…in fact of everything that we enjoy!
Now, to always keep Jesus first place is no easy task, especially when the enemy’s main goal is to steal our joy in Christ, since, as the Bible says: ‘for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ (Neh. 8:10) That means if we lose our joy in Christ then we’ll lose our spiritual strength and won’t be able to make the wise decisions we ought to, or have the peace and calm we desire.
And how do we do that? We have to work sincerely and diligently at it. But obviously not by ourselves, for as Bruh Paul writes: ‘Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.’ (2 Cor. 3:5) And Jesus corroborates that when he declares (yesss!!!) that well known statement: ‘I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5)
But unlike what some might think, that does not stop us from working towards the goal of spiritual maturity, for we share a partnership with Christ, meaning we both have a part to play. If we do our part, He will do His. But if we don’t do our part, neither will He do His, and we’d be left in the lurch. And what’s our part in all this eh? Here’s one practical bit of advice from Bruh Paul. He writes thus in his first missive to the Corinthians: ‘Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.’ (1 Cor. 9:24)
Yes friends, Bruh Paul is likening our earthly spiritual journey to a race, and in his last communication with Timothy, he uses that same imagery. ‘I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith.’ (2 Tim. 4:7) Likewise, the author of Hebrews views our earthly journey as a race, when he writes: ‘Wherefore seeing (since) we also are compassed about with (surrounded by) so great a cloud of witness, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (ensnare) us, and let us run with patience (perseverance) the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher (originator and perfector) of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.’ (Heb. 12:1-2)
So Jesus is our example for living this earthly life. But yuh know what, if we want to obtain anything positive and/or substantial from this race of life, we have to put out something. Therefore, Bruh Paul continues to the Corinthians. ‘And every man that striveth for the mastery (competes for the prize) is temperate (has self-control) in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible (perishable) crown, but we an incorruptible (imperishable). I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air (flails helplessly): but I keep under my body (discipline my body), and bring it under subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway (disqualified).’ (1 Cor. 9:25-27)
Ah mih people, like a runner training for a marathon, we too have to discipline our bodies and exert ourselves so that we will do well in the race of life. If not, we’ll fall by the wayside and lose the promised imperishable crown that Christ has laid aside for us. As the scholars explain: ‘The point is that the believer must discipline himself to avert being disqualified from Christian ministry, and forfeiting the rewards for such service.’ So we see that running this earthly race is not easy, but with the help of our wonderful God, we can do it, if we put out the necessary effort. And to help us do so, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, pleading for divine assistance.
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 from our prayer, we see that there are some necessary steps we must take before divine aid is granted; humble ourselves, pray, sincerely seek God’s face with sincere repentance. So please, let’s get to them right now nuh, so that we’ll get heavenly help asap! Much LOVE!
…as a true disciple of Christ…personal sacrifice is absolutely necessary…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
11 Oct 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a God of many chances, a sense of responsibility, a warning, any wicked way in me, backsliders, Bible, Canada Thanksgiving, change in behaviour, christianity, consider the sinful state of our lives, crime spree, divine aid, error of their ways, eternal life, faith, faith comes by hearing, Friday chant, god, God's love and compassion, he that hath ears to hear let him hear, hearing by the word of God, hope, Hurricane Milton, Jesus Christ, know my heart, laws too lax, lead me in the way everlasting, listen to the Word of God' like our lives depended on it, LOVE, mercy, not taught children enough about God, obedient to His will, omnipotent help, problems escalating, raising its ugly head, search me O God, simmering unrest, Sodom and Gomorrah, spectre of crime, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, thanksgiving weekend, the example we faithful believers set, the hand of God, the joy of the Lord is our strength, the throne of grace, there's a way, there's always hope, trusting faith, truth, try me and know my anxious thoughts, ungodly times, where there's a will, wisdom, work ethic
Matthew 11:15. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
And then it was Friday, the day that brings us light and hope of freedom from work, albeit for a measly two days. (smile) That means the shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ rose to high heaven, especially in this good and grateful land of Canada, because this is our long Thanksgiving Weekend! Yes friends, we in the northern climes celebrate our Thanksgiving in mid-October, while those to the south of us, the U.S. celebrate theirs in November.
And right now we’d like to remember and pray for those down there, especially in the State of Florida, who in the last couple of days have suffered the wrath of Hurricane Milton, after suffering that of Hurricane Helene a couple of weeks before. Who knows if in all the current disaster, both natural and man-made, that’s occurring all over our world, the hand of God isn’t somewhere in there giving us a warning.
Remember all those times in the Bible where He wreaked destruction on overwhelmingly sinful and disobedient societies and nations, like Sodom and Gomorrah, and His own people Israel. And also turned away His wrath from sinful cities like Nineveh, who repented and became obedient to His will after the crying out of the prophet Jonah to them.
So why couldn’t He be doing the same thing now, in this the most sinful state that mankind has ever been in? I don’t know the answer, but for our sakes and those of our children’s children, we’d be wise to consider it and act accordingly. For as Jesus says: ‘He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.’ (Matt. 11:15)
And what does that mean? Listen as this commentary explains. ‘Jesus wants us to believe Him and His promises. For that kind of life, we need faith. And faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. He who has ears to hear let him hear this: We should listen to the Word of God like our life depends on it because it does, both our eternal life and our life here and now.’
I could not have said it any better my people. So I’m pleading with us to take the time to consider the sinful state of our lives and do like Bruh David says at the end of his famous Psalm 139. ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart: try (test) me, and know my (anxious) thoughts. And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.’ (Ps. 139:23-24) And this Thanksgiving weekend is possibly the best time to consider the state of our hearts, thoughts and society my fellow Canadians.
Anyway, it’s obvious that there will be many joyful happenings this weekend in our free and native land, not the least of which is giving thanks to Almighty God for the numerous blessings He’s bestowed on our land and our society. Oh, we are not perfect, nowhere close, but we do have one of the best societies going. The strife and dissension are not as bad as many other countries, and thankfully there’s no brawling in the streets, although recently the spectre of crime, like shootings, stabbings, carjackings and fraud has raised its ugly head and is haunting us like it hasn’t done in a long while.
But where there is a will, there is a way, and let’s hope that together, and with God’s help, we can attack and conquer the crime spree that’s now enveloping our land. And the sad part is that most of those criminal activities are being carried out by young people, as young as 13 and 14 years old, and by many who are either out on bail, probation or parole. It’s obvious that our laws are too lax, and we have not taught them enough about God, or given them a proper sense of responsibility and the work ethic.
Let’s remember though, that Thanksgiving is not only a time to celebrate the Lord’s goodness and mercy upon us and our land, but also a time to take stock of what we’ve done right and what we’ve done wrong and make the necessary changes, to do more right than wrong in the upcoming year. And it’s never too late to change or turn things around my people, for our God is a God of many chances… even third, fourth, fifth, six and seventh chances – as many as we need! So once we’re alive, we can never say there’s no hope.
And there’s no better time than at the beginning of this long Thanksgiving weekend to go to God, to go confidently to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, and ask for divine help in these troubled and uncertain 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 my fellow saints, it’s all well and good to pray and ask for help, but then there must also be some change in our behaviour, if we expect to ever see divine aid. Let him who hath ears to hear…hear! Much LOVE!
…the joy of the Lord is our strength…let’s not allow Satan to rob us of it…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
25 Apr 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sound mind, a spirit of fear, a wake up call, a warning, April showers bring May flowers, be not afraid, be of good cheer, but of power, come and save you, contented with little, Coronavirus, deliverance, disciplined mind, doing it afraid, edge of a precipice, elbow grease, entitled, fat and lazy, fear and courage, get up off our fat fannies, God hath not given us, God will come, gospel truth, His Holy Spirit, history repeats itself, I will not fear, is that which shall be done, It is I, it is that which shall be, let's not quit, man-made idols, marvellous gifts, oblivion, of love, prosperity, reassuring words, rest on our laurels, rolling from one day to the next, salvation, satiafied, take courage, that which is done, the beauty of His philosophy, the Lord is on my side, the Lord is working in the background, the thing that hath been, the world keeps turning, there is no new thing under the sun, too big for their britches, turning away from God, two sides of the same coin, what can man do unto me, with a recompense, with a vengeance
Mark 6:50b. Be of good cheer (take courage); it is I; be not afraid.
And the world keeps turning, like the Lord planned it to: it’s pages quietly and unconcernedly rolling along from one day to the next, regardless of what happens from one day to the next! (smile) And it’s finally rolled around to this Saturday in what’s supposed to be spring time, but we haven’t seen any rain in such a long time that the old adage ‘April showers bring May flowers’ is in danger of not being true this year of the Coronavirus. But what else is new eh? Cousin Sol said long ago that there’s nothing new under the sun. Yes: ‘The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.’ (Eccl. 1:9)
And yuh know, if the wisest man ever said that, then it ought to be so. (smile) But it also shows up in our age old cliché that ‘History repeats itself.’ And that is oh so true. If we look back we can see every powerful society that ever walked the earth making the same mistake of getting too full of themselves, too big for their britches, replacing God with man made idols as they obtained some basic knowledge of life, and then getting fat and lazy off of their prosperity, which meant they stopped growing and began falling behind into eventual oblivion.
And the same thing is happening in our current society, and our current worldwide trouble is simply a reflection of our stubbornness, hard heartedness and highly egotistical nature. It’s a wake up call from the Creator to the created, warning that we’re on the edge of a terrible precipice, and if we don’t heed the warning and repent and turn back to Him, a whole lot more damage will be done to our world. He who has ears to hear, let him hear! End of sermon! And friends I’m chuckling here, because I never came out to preach this morning, but that’s where I was led, so please take it easy on the ole fella nuh.
But moving right along, since it’s Saturday, that lazy, late wake up day – most days are like that now though – let’s see what interesting quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a brighter tomorrow…and do we ever need one! And he seems to have been on progress kick this past week. Hear this first quote: ‘Delay is the enemy of progress.’ And so it is! Laziness and procrastination, and anything else that keeps us from doing what we have to do, is in fact delaying our progress. We can’t progress unless we get up off our fat fannies and do what we need to do!
And the next quote also declares a great truth: ‘Comfort is the enemy of progress.’ Yes my people, as we said above, that’s why most societies eventually die. We start out by working hard and making progress, then when we reach a certain point of prosperity, we believe we can now rest on our laurels and enjoy what we have. But the sad fact of the matter is that continued prosperity depends on continued hard work, and resting comfortable on one’s laurels only eats away at said prosperity.
It’s like your savings in the bank. The more you put in the more you will have, but when you stop putting in and only withdraw, then it will wither away li’l by li’l until it runs out. Well it’s the same way with progress and prosperity. Unless you keep building, working and saving, you will stop making progress and eventually fall.
Now hear this one: ‘Some quit due to slow progress. Never grasping the fact that slow progress is progress.’ That’s more gospel truth my brethren! Good progress is usually a creeping thing that includes some failure in between. We don’t just begin something today, if it’s a worthwhile project, put in a li’l elbow grease and declare victory or significant progress tomorrow. No friends, progress is a time consuming thing, and ofttimes needs a lot of blood, sweat and tears before it can be significantly achieved.
And that’s a major problem for this generation. We the parents have not taught the children sufficiently about waiting and working and being satisfied or contented with a little, that’s why they’re all going crazy, feeling entitled to everything while not wanting to work for or make a sacrifice for anything! That thing called true progress is ever so slow my people that sometimes you can’t even see it, although you know you’re making it. So let’s not quit when it looks like positive things are not happening for us nuh. It just means that the Lord is working in the background, doing the hard and dirty work that’s necessary to move us forward.
In light of all that, it is therefore necessary for us to quickly befriend this next quote and hold on to it tightly, as our very lives may depend on it. ‘Courage means to keep making forward progress while you still feel afraid.’ And isn’t that the living truth! All of us feel afraid at some time or other in our lives, so it’s not a matter of never being afraid, or never having fear, for fear is a natural aspect of human life. But the important thing there is like Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) puts it: ‘doing it afraid.’ That’s what courage is really all about; doing what we need to despite the fear or anxiety we might feel.
And the only thing that really conquers fear is faith! That’s why the most used command or warning in the Good Book is ‘Fear not! Do not be afraid!’ Moses said it thus to the Israelites when they were leaving Egypt and the massive Egyptian army was hot on their heels: ‘Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation (deliverance) of the Lord, which he will show to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more for ever.’ (Ex. 14:13) And that promise did come true in spades as the entire Egyptian army was drowned in the Red Sea when the Lord closed it back up.
And the psalmist gives us this small but everlasting treasure: ‘The Lord is on my side, I will not fear: what can man do unto me?’ (Ps.118:6) Yes friends, if the Lord is on our side, man cannot prevail over us. And Isaiah drives it home on the Lord’s behalf. ‘Say to them that are of a fearful heart, be strong, fear not: behold your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense: he will come and save you.’ (Is. 35:4) And he did exactly that through His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
And when Jesus walked on water towards His disciples and they were afraid, His comforting words were simply: ‘Be of good cheer (take courage); it is I; be not afraid.’ Yes my people, simple, but oh so reassuring words from our Master. That’s the beauty of His philosophy and words!
And we’ll end with this most important warning from Bruh Paul to Timothy in his tough times, which we all ought to know by now, even if we didn’t know it before Covid-19. (smile) ‘For God hath not given us a spirit of fear; but of power (His Holy Spirit), and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7) Now let’s go out and use those marvellous gifts in His work nuh! Much LOVE!
…fear and courage…two sides of the same coin…
09 Sep 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a conscious decision, a good attitude, a helluva price to pay, a warning, appreciate the job, aura of love, belong mercies and forgiveness, confusion of face, Daniel's prayer, depths of hell, disobedience, enthusiasm, evil, follow through, forgiving, further your glorious kingdom, grace, in captivity, inspiration, invincible, Israel, Jesus Christ, jobs, justice, keeping lives and families together, lies, loving, Lucifer, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, obeyed, our number will play, prayer, protective spiritual armour, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, righteousness., sally forth with confidence, Satan, shame, surrender, the Holy Spirit, the Lord is righteous, the voice of the Lord, to the Lord our God, ungodly direction, we have rebelled against him, weary souls, wicked taunts, work week
Daniel 9:9. To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against him.
Here we go again friends, the work week is upon us! Please let’s greet it with a positive reaction nuh since there is nothing we can really do about it. I learned that lesson a long time ago, after I quit a job to do my own thing, then had to go back to it when my business went under. I never intended to go back to that job, but then it was the easiest and best job I could get at the time and I certainly needed the money.
So I just told myself, if you’ve got to go, then you might as well go with a good attitude, stop making yourself miserable everyday you have to go to it. And it worked for me. I eventually got to appreciate the job more then, than in my initial go round. So if it could work for me, it certainly ought to work for you too. But you need to make a conscious decision to do it, then follow through with that decision.
However, until you get to that stage, (smile) you can join us on a Monday morning as we go to our heavenly Father in prayer, asking Him to grant us strength, wisdom and confidence to face the evil world for another week. Let’s do that now nuh; declare our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with strong conviction and belief, because when we ask in sincere faith, according to the Father’s will, we will receive His blessing and largesse.
Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; 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 last two days.
It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. 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 let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, 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, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Ah friends, yuh feel it working? It surely is! Just check out your new energy level; your state of understanding and awareness, your level of excitement to get out and do Jesus’ work. They are all now higher and more intense than they were before we prayed, before we invoked the antidote for whatever ails us on a Monday morning! (smile) And talking about prayer, today we’ll check out Daniel’s prayer for his people Israel, because back then Israel was in captivity in Babylon because of their total disobedience to God’s Word, much like our world is right now.
Listen to Daniel: ‘O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face (shame), to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee…Neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.’ (Dan.9:8,10) Now friends, if we’re truthful, we will have to admit that the same shameful state exists in our society today, the only difference being that too many of us either don’t know the seriousness of the situation, or we choose to just ignore it. But our attitude towards our God and Creator right now is nothing less than atrocious, very foolish and unwise, and if we don’t smarten up soon, there will be a helluva price to pay.
Yeh, the Lord is patient and long suffering and as Daniel says: ‘To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against him.’ But tell me friends, how long do you think He’s going to put up with our arrogant disobedience and efforts to remove Him from our society eh? For all those who think that we’re going to be allowed to do as we sinfully and disobediently please for as long as we like, please think again.
If it’s one thing the Lord is very protective and proud of is His power and glory, and He will not allow no creation of His to take it away from Him. Just check out the foolish Lucifer nuh! He wanted to rise, to promote himself above his Creator, but where is he now eh, residing in the depths of hell as Satan! And so will we too, if we keeping on going in the evil and ungodly direction in which we’re currently headed.
Hear Daniel explain it nuh: ‘As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil (disaster) is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth. Therefore hath the Lord watched upon the evil (kept the disaster in store), and brought it upon us: for the Lord our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.’ (Dan.9:13-14)
That says it all my brethren! If the Lord punished Israel so severely for their disobedience, do you think He’ll allow us to get away with ours, which seems so much worse? I very much doubt it friends. Please note Daniel’s words back there: ‘for the Lord our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth…’ That means, though He is LOVING, and forgiving and full of grace and mercy, He is also a God of justice and righteousness, and those things are very important to His character and nature.
Why yuh think He went through the heart-wrenching scene of sending Jesus to die for us? Because righteousness and justice had to be done in whatever He undertook to save us. Please, please, let all of that be a serious and sincere warning to us nuh. We will not get away with continual sinfulness and disobedience. For certain sure, if we don’t repent and return to God, our number will play one day! Much LOVE!
…sinfulness and righteousness…cannot exist in the same place…
14 Jun 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a heavenly purpose, a learned behaviour, a warning, abundance, accepts his circumstances, church at Philippi, complain, contented, contentment, doh care, eat drink and be merry, facing life, fat and lazy, fellowship, forgiving, Friday chant, fun, furthering your glorious kingdom, generous God, generous help, gripe, high standards, how to abound, how to be abased, I can do all things, I have learned, in regard of need, in respect of want, in whatsoever state I am, Jesus Christ, keep himself contented, living for Christ, merciful, mind body soul, optimal amount, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, rest, sacrifices, sophisticated Christians, superstar, take the bull by the horns, take the high road, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, therewith to be content, through Christ who strengthens me, to be full, to be hungry, wallow in prosperity, wanting more, week of work, wishy-washy, with God's help, witness for Christ, workingman's song
Philippians 4:11. Not that I speak in respect of want (in regard of need): for I have learned, in whatever state I am, therewith to be content.
After the rain comes the sun, so since yesterday was another very ‘riney’ day, today ought to be blessed with loads of sunshine! And it does seem to have begun that way. But what’s with the rain this season eh? I think the Lord’s trying to tell us something. What? I really don’t know. Perhaps a warning of some sort. But obviously we’re not paying attention, so we keep having more rain than sunshine.
And the workingman is totally perplexed and annoyed at the situation. ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! The slave master drive we hard this week and ah real tired now. Just hoping for a nice warm sunshiny weekend, to just lay out on the deck in mih hammock, catch some rays, sip a few, and just relax. But it seems like it going to be a blooming rainy weekend! What it is with this rain thing this year eh?
Brother! We having more rainy days than sunny ones, and the weather not even getting real warm yet, the middle of June and we still have heat coming on in the house because the children cold! Steups! I don’t know what it is nuh – if the Lord trying to tell we something. But since is the weekend, and the only time I have to do my own thing, I’m going to enjoy it as best as I can – eat, drink and be merry, even if I have to do it inside! Thank God for Fridays and weekends yes…even when it cold and rainy!’
Ah mih people, that’s the beauty of the workingman; he accepts his circumstances, even though he dislikes them, and works around them to keep himself contented. But we sophisticated Christians simply gripe and complain and thus don’t enjoy what the Lord’s granted us. Remember we’re supposed to be happy and contented in whatever situation we find ourselves. But we can’t do that unless and until we actually take the bull by the horns and become contented – with God’s help of course!
And we’ll begin doing that by chanting our Friday Chant which is different to the workingman’s song because our Lord and Saviour, Our Leader, Jesus Christ desires that we have some boundaries and borders to keep us safe from enemy attacks. So let’s chant it now, like we really mean it nuh.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen!’
Yes my fellow believers, we need to be a tad more careful about our doings, our goings and our comings, because we have a heavenly purpose to fulfill, and we can’t do that properly if we’re wishy-washy, and doh-care, else the enemy will just destroy us and our witness for Christ. And we definitely can’t allow that to happen, so let’s tighten up, and strengthen up our lives in appropriate fashion nuh.
And one of the ways we all need to do that is by being contented with what we have at any particular time in life. Yes, I know that’s not always easy to do, especially when in our circumstances there is much less than the optimal amount of whatever we need. But the fact is that we need to cry out to and hold on to God for help to become like Bruh Paul said, in regards to the gift he received from the church at Philippi.
‘Not that I speak in respect of want (in regard of need): for I have learned, in whatever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased (live humbly), and I know how to abound (live in prosperity): every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.’ (Phil. 4:11-12)
Oh friends, is that ever something we believers need to learn and quickly too in this world that now lives by the motto of always wanting more and wanting it quicker than the last time. We’re definitely not a contented society in spite of the abundance we possess. But remember we’re supposed to be in the world, but not of it, so we’re not supposed to follow it’s selfish and greedy and discontented mores.
And please note that contentment in whatever situation is a LEARNED behaviour. It doesn’t just come about like magic or a miracle; it’s something we have to earn and learn, not in a classroom, but by experiencing hard times as well as good times, by facing life like Portia. (smile) But unfortunately our current society is famous for wanting to be great without putting in the necessary effort that it takes to be great.
Everybody nowadays is a superstar! That’s why our standards have fallen so low, and what used to be an ‘F’ is now a ‘C’, or even a ‘B’. But friends, please note that falling standards in a society only means one thing, that society is on its way down, and if its standards continue to fall, then it will soon become a lesser society, or even an extinct one.
History bears out that contention. Just look at all the great societies we’ve had, how they prospered when their standards were high, they worked hard, made the necessary sacrifices to grow. But when they reached the top, they got fat and lazy and just wallowed in their prosperity until everything toppled down, and some other nation who was hungry and productive took over their crown.
And sadly that is what seems to be happening in our current Western society; we’re on the way down because we’ve become fat and lazy and want everything now for now and for nothing, or next to nothing! But as believers my brethren, we are expected to always take the high road, have high standards within this world of low standards, and be contented with whatever we have, knowing that our great and generous, merciful and forgiving God is on our side and will not let us suffer more than we can bear.
That’s why Bruh Paul could declare his ability to be contented in any situation. And he sums it up thus: ‘I can do ALL things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ (Phil.4:13) Yes friends, we can only live contentedly if we are living for Christ, who is the enabler of the brethren. He is the one that gives us the wherewithal to be contented in whatever situation we find ourselves. Please, let us never forget that, provided we want to be successful and contented in this earthly life. Much LOVE!
…the joy of contentment…experiencing both good and bad times…with Christ always by our side…enabling us…
26 Apr 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a blessing, a curse, a warning, all for one, attractions of the world, be of good cheer, be sober, borders, boundaries, called us, compelling, confirm, deceit, destroy the world by water, Easter celebrations, enthusiasm, eternal Glodry, evil undertaking, expansive, experienced by others, fellowship, fix my business, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's kingdom, generous help, glitzy, God's heart breaking, God's most treasured creation, God's promise, gospel truth, hunker down, in Jesus' name, Jesus rose triumphantly, labouring for massa, lax for believers, lies, like a roaring lion, live for Christ, make you perfect, no beating round the bush, numerous, on your p's and q's, ONE body in Christ, one for all, overcome the world, partying, pay serious attention, rain, rampant evil, reality of this evil world, rebellion, relaxation, resist steadfast in the faith, rest, seeking whom he may devour, self-serving, settle you, short workweek, spoil the weekend, strong voice, suffered awhile, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the devil, the devil's clutches, the God of all grace, the same afflictions, the workingman's song, To God be glory and dominion, ungodly people, vigilant, walketh about, weather people forecast, wide, wisdom, your adversary
1 Peter 5:8. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
Ah mih people, is it a curse or a blessing? I’m talking about the immense amount of rain that’s been falling recently, and in concert with melting snow is causing a lot of flooding all over the land! Today’s another rainy day, with more flood warnings being issued by the Weather Advisory Dept.
Now the rain is generally supposed to be a blessing, helping to nourish the land for spring planting and such, but sometimes I believe the Lord is giving us more than we need to sort of wake us up from our evil and ungodly ways. But how many of us are paying attention to that possibility eh? Not too many. And yes, I know that He promised Noah not to ever destroy the earth by water again, (Gen.9:11,15) but He never said anything about giving warnings by that method. (smile)
And friends, we’ve become such a wicked and ungodly people that anything is possible right now. I know that the Lord’s heart is breaking because of the rampant evil and rebellion that’s taking place amongst His most treasured and blessed creation. But who’s listening eh, who really cares about the Lord’s heart breaking? Too few of us!
And to make matters worse, it’s the big day of Friday, so everybody is anxious to hear what the workingman has to say in his song and get on with their weekend activities, as the world dictates. And he opens with his usual semi-godly: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday and the weekend is finally upon us!
It was a short workweek, but a tough one, what with all the prior Easter celebrations! But we can’t afford to rest too much, because as soon as you turn around the lousy two days off seem to just evaporate and yuh back labouring for massa again! But the trouble is we might’n have much choice because of the blooming rain that’s threatening to spoil the weekend!
Chuh! Doesn’t the rain know that the weekend is the only time we working people have to do stuff for ourselves, and to get in a li’l partying? Let’s hope that it’s not as bad as the weather people forecast, and that they wrong one more time, as they so often are! Hn, Hn, Hn! But we still thanking God for Fridays and weekends oui!’
Yes friends, the workingman tells it as he sees it, no beating round the bush, but his boundaries and borders are just too wide and lax for us believers, so our Friday Chant is not as expansive and self-serving as his song. Now let’s chant our song of thanks for the weekend in sincere enthusiasm and strong voice.
‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen!’
Yes my fellow believers, we need to be somewhat more circumspect and aware of the evil and ungodly stuff that’s happening around us, so that we don’t fall into any of the many traps that the enemy sets for us. For as Peter so wisely and vividly proclaims: ‘Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.’
And I know some of you might be tired hearing that scripture, but it’s no joke friends, it’s the reality of this evil world that we live in. And unless we are careful, that roaring, noisy lion, who is really toothless and thus can’t bite, will nab us in some ungodly and/or evil undertaking. He is powerless after Jesus’ victory over Him at Easter time, that’s why he has to resort to lies and deceit to get us into his traps. He can only get to us if we allow him.
But the attractions of the world are so numerous and so glitzy and compelling that we have to pay serious attention to what we do, if we seriously want to live for Christ. That’s why Peter continues, re the devil: ‘Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in (experienced by) your brethren that are in the world.’ (1 Pet.5:9)
Yeh, I hear some of you muttering: ‘So what good is that doing me eh, if others are also being afflicted? I’m solely interested in my affliction, how to fix my business!’ Now that’s not very neighbourly or brotherly my people, for we are all of ONE body in Christ, and therefore we must be all for one and one for all!
Oh friends, Jesus said that we’d all suffer some in this evil world, especially if we believe in Him, but He also said that we should be joyful and of good cheer because He has overcome the world. (John 16:33) And we saw that in full splendour this past weekend when He rose triumphantly from the grave!
And yes, it’s not easy to be always on your p’s and q’s, however, as Peter concludes: ‘But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered awhile, make you perfect, stablish (confirm), strengthen, settle you.’ (1 Pet.5:10)
Glory be my people! Our great God will not allow us to undergo continual suffering or more than we can handle! Therefore: ‘To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen!’ (1 Pet.5:11) It’s all gospel truth friends, so let’s hunker down this rainy Friday morning and do our best, with God’s help obviously, to stay out of the devil’s evil clutches! That’s wisdom of eternal proportions! Much LOVE!
…you can’t want all the idols of the world…as well as the God of heaven…
13 Oct 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a warning, a word of warning to the wise, ambassadors of Christ, Anselm, aspires to inspire, between top and bottom, blaring forth, blaspheme, buckle down, cast out, cold winter months, compassion, compromise, dazzling the world, devastated, divisions, doesn't speak well of us, eccentric way, establish a balance, feuding, final message, flavouring the world, Florida, friend, gives light, glorify your father in heaven, golden yellow, good for nothing, gospel truth, humour, Hurricane Michael, in Jesus' name, kick around, leading the parade, let your light so shine, life is an experiment, light, light a candle, like a football, lost his flavour, LOVE Revolution, magificent examples, mission in life, Mother Nature, natural disasters, negative situations, omnipotent, our sinful ways, oust God from our society, passion, peaks, refreshing, renewing, repent, resentment, salt, saltiness, saps the energy, see your good works, Sermon on the Mount, set on a hill, sitting on our laurels, style, the hand of God, the light of the world, the more the merrier, the near future, the salt of the earth, the values of life, thrive, to survive, to the unbeliever, tough times, trodden underfoot, true calling, under a bushel, up to scratch, valleys, waste one hour of life, work itself out for good
Matthew 5:13a & 14a. Ye are the salt of the earth… Ye are the light of the world…
And Saturday has dawned somewhat cloudy, chilly and damp from early evening drizzle. And in Mother Nature’s eccentric way, a lot of the trees that only two days ago I said were surprisingly still green, are now almost all golden yellow. She’s delivered the final message; it’s time to buckle down for the cold winter months ahead. And we, people of God, should also be heeding Mother Nature’s missive, because I believe we’ll be in for some rather tough times in the near future.
And talking about tough times, I was negligent in mentioning Hurricane Michael that devastated parts of Florida a couple days ago. It came up suddenly, did, it’s dirty work and was gone again. Please let’s pray for those unfortunate people, and do whatever else we can to help them. But that might just be the pattern of natural disasters, or really any kind of disaster that might soon befall us.
You’ll notice how disasters of all kinds have happened all over the world this year with surprising regularity. I don’t want to read too much into it, but friends, if we are wise, we will at least suspect the hand of our omnipotent God somewhere about in them, sending us a warning, to repent from our sinful ways.
I don’t know if the world has ever been this evil, adding to the fact that we’re trying so desperately to oust God from our society. Do you think He’ll just sit quietly by and let it happen? I doubt it. But that’s just a word of warning to the wise.
And since today is Saturday, let’s look at some of the quotes that our friend Anselm sent us this week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And first up is this: ‘All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.’ I’m not so sure about that nuh.
Yes, life is indeed experimental; you have to try stuff to see if it works for you. But I truly wonder if the more experiments we try, the merrier, or better off we are? I think at some stage, when we find our true calling, that the experimenting must either cease or slow down.
Then there is this: ‘A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.’ Now that’s basically true, but some will need a definition of wasting time before they agree, since to them doing nothing, is not always a waste of time, sometimes it can be a means of refreshing and renewing oneself. But generally speaking, just letting time fly by, and it does fly by, without doing positive and productive stuff, even if it’s simply regenerating oneself, isn’t a wise way to use it.
Now hear this quote: ‘All of life is peaks and valleys. Don’t let the peaks get too high and the valleys too low.’ That makes sense. We can’t afford to be moving too often from top to bottom, because that just saps the energy and spirit of our souls. We need to try and establish a nice balance between the good times and the rough times, plus don’t stay down too long, or fly too high before we develop wings. (smile)
And the last quote says: ‘My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.’
Now that is gospel truth my brethren! We were not placed down here to merely survive, to go about like ‘poor me ones,’ but to be salt and light and magnificent examples to the unbeliever: in other words to be excellent ambassadors of Christ. As Jesus so adamantly stated in His famous Sermon on the Mount: ‘Ye are the salt of the earth… Ye are the light of the world…’
Yes friends, that’s what Christ’s followers are expected to be; full of vim and vigour, showing their excellence in all matters, leading the parade in His name! Now are we leading the parade in Jesus’ name, my fellow believers? I don’t think so nuh, otherwise the evil-doers would not be having the upper hand in the world today, and we’d not be trying like hell to kick Christ out of our society.
That just shows we’re not on top of things. We seem to be more like how Christ described flavourless salt: ‘but if the salt has lost his savour (flavour), wherewith (by what) shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden underfoot of men’ (Matt.5:13b) Likewise: ‘A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle (lamp), and put it under a bushel (basket); and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.’ (Matt.5:14b-15)
Now if those two negative situations Jesus describes are true of us in these trying times, then it doesn’t speak well of us my believing brethren. And sadly, there is a whole lot of truth to it! Our efforts for Christ are simply not up to scratch; there are too many divisions, too much petty resentment and feuding between so-called believers, plus too much compromise with the heathen, and too much of just sitting on our laurels and figuring everything will just work itself out for good.
No friends, winning souls for Christ, and the world for His LOVE Revolution WILL not happen without our saltiness and light blaring forth, dazzling the entire world!
Now listen to Jesus final words on the subject. ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt.5:16)
Yes friends, that’s how true believers ought to be behaving, so that God can be glorified! Remember that’s our chief mission here on earth! So let’s pull up our socks and go out and do better for Jesus nuh mih breddren! Don’t you feel bad that we’re letting the world blaspheme His holy name and kick Him around like a bloody football, after all He’s done for us? We ought to! Much LOVE!
…if you’re not flavouring the world with your saltiness…and dazzling them with your light…then you’re a poor ambassador for Christ…
09 Oct 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 24/7 society, a wake up call, a warning, aura of love, Babylon, blessings, bondage, boundary, calamity, Christians, Columbus Day, confidence, covenant, disaster, drink the sweet, drunk or sober, earthly journey, eat and drink, eat the fat, Egypt, enthusiasm, evil, feasting, festivity, for whom nothing is prepared, forsake our evil ways, freedom, friends, from whom all blessings flow, generosity, giving thanks, glorious kingdom, go your way, God's Word, good graces of almighty God, grace, Granny's warning, holy spirit, humble servants, hurricane Nate, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, lies, Louisiana, LOVE, magnanamity, mind your business, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, neither be ye sorry, praise God, recovery, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, repent, rest, salvation, send portions, sharing mode, showered down, spiritual armour, standard of living, steadfast faith, taunts, thanks and praise, Thanksgiving Day, the goodness of God, the joy of the Lord is your strength, the power to get wealth, this day is holy, trials, tribulations, truth, undisputed God, ungodly world, wiles, wisdom
Nehemiah 8:10. Then he said unto them, go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
So friends, it’s Monday…But the good news is that both in Canada and the U.S it’s a public holiday. In the U.S it’s Columbus Day, celebrating the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas in the 1490’s. Meanwhile, in Canada, we’re celebrating our Thanksgiving Day with feasting and festivity, and hopefully thanks and praise to Almighty God for all the blessings He’s recently showered down on our land.
Let’s also be thankful that hurricane Nate did not do much damage to the part of Louisiana that it passed over yesterday. Ah Lord eh! Hopefully this will be the last storm for this year, for the area could not handle much more disaster. Don’t forget to include in our prayers those who have recently suffered serious setbacks and that they are on their way to recovery and rebuilding their lives. Remember too the ones who are still undergoing trials and tribulations.
And let’s hope that all this unexpected calamity serves as a wake-up call for us to repent, to forsake our evil ways and get back into the good graces of Almighty God, for it’s difficult not to consider the unparalleled circumstances that have recently afflicted us as a warning from Him. So let’s pray that we will take the warning to heart and wisely make amends for our sinful ways, and once again make Him the undisputed God of our society.
Anyway, it’s Monday, which means that in our 24/7 society, some people must go to work, regardless of the public holiday, and there’s no time harder to get up and go out to labour than on days like these, when the majority of people are off. So let’s send them out on a high note with a wonderful rendition of our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
In strong voice now, with lots of enthusiasm: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; 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 last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
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 let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, 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, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
And as always, the voices of those not going out to work are the loudest and most raucous since many of us have already been celebrating for the past couple days. (smile) And whether you like it or not, I have to remind us of Granny’s warning; that drunk or sober we need to mind our business very closely, as too much celebrating can make us cross over the Christian boundary line without even noticing it, thus giving the enemy a gleeful chance to invade our space, something we want to avoid at all costs.
That brings us to our Bit, the words of Nehemiah to the people of Israel after they had rebuilt Jerusalem and had heard for the first time God’s Word read from His Holy Book by the scribe Ezra. ‘Then he said unto them, go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’
It was indeed a day of rejoicing for those Israelites, many of whom had recently returned from captivity in Babylon and were enjoying freedom for the first time in many a day, if not the first time in their lives. We should also be in rejoicing and sharing mode, but more importantly, making sure that we give God His rightful deserts of thanks and praise for bringing us to this high standard of living, for it’s only through His generosity and magnanimity that it’s possible.
Remember what we sang yesterday? ‘Praise God from whom all blessings flow…’ And that’s the truth in spades! For as the Good Book tells us: ‘But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish (confirm) his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.’ (Deut.8:18)
Yeh friends, the Lord brought Israel out of bondage in Egypt and kept them in the wilderness for forty years, then enabled them to go into the Promised Land and take it over. Without His help, none of that would have been possible. Likewise without God’s help, our current prosperity would not have ever been realized.
So I’m imploring us, that as we gather today, with friends, families and neighbours, let’s spend some time remembering and talking about the goodness of God towards us, and giving Him appropriate thanks and praise, glorifying and exalting His precious name, for each and every one of us has so many things to be thankful to God for in this our earthly journey. We didn’t reach this stage of evolution through our own efforts, but through God’s blessings. Consequently we ought to show the necessary gratitude. Much LOVE!
…it’s not about eating and drinking…but giving thanks…to be able to eat and drink…there is a big difference…
06 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future, a warning, a word of warning to the wise, Abraham Isaac and Jacob, according to my righteousness, adversity, Antigua, Bad News, Barbuda, chaos, children, chosen people, Christians, cleanness of my hands, darkness, David, demise, disciples, enemy, erring on the right side, evil, free fall, glad to be alive, glory hallelujah, good, halfway home, hurricane Irma, Jesus, living for Christ, LOVE, loving arms, most powerful force, my hands are on the plough, natural disasters, North American mainland, not turning back, on which side his bread was buttered, posturing, prayer, raising Cain, recompensed me, repentance, rewarded, righteousness, Saul, share the Love of Jesus, standard of living, strife, the breath of life, the God of our forefathers, the Good Book, The Israelites, the longest journey begins with the first step, the Lord rewarded me, the Lord's generous hand, the one and only true living God, the order of the day, turning back to God, ungodliness, unrest, unrighteousness, warmongering, Wednesday Wail
Psalm 18:20. The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
Ah friends, not a day seems to pass without some sort of bad news in our world eh? The latest is the hurricane Irma, that’s begun raising Cain in the West Indies yesterday, blowing it’s powerful Category 5 self over Antigua and Barbuda and apparently heading for other islands in the northern end of the archipelago.
And if it doesn’t change its trajectory, it will most likely hit the eastern side of the North American mainland by the weekend. After the ravages of hurricane Harvey in the past couple of weeks, it would be total chaos if Irma were to hit the mainland.
This calls for very serious prayer my people, the most powerful force on the earth. It also calls for repentance and turning back to God. Who knows why all these natural disasters are occurring at this time eh? Maybe it’s a warning? God might just be trying to get our attention. But even if it is not, there’s no harm in erring on the right side of the equation?
And it’s no secret that our society is as sinful and ungodly as it’s ever been, and in a serious negative free fall, what with all the strife and unrest between the powerful nations of the world. We can certainly use some respite from all the posturing and warmongering…and only sincere prayer and repentance can bring that about.
It won’t, and it can’t happen overnight, but we’ve got to make a start. As the Chinese proverb says: ‘The longest journey begins with the first step.’
My people, it’s time we took that first step in returning to worshipping the God of our forefathers, bringing God back into our homes, schools, public places and all areas of our society, because that is the only way that we will survive.
The Good Book shows where the Lord brought serious adversity on His chosen people, Israel, when they were disobedient and turned to idol worship. But when they repented and turned back to Him, He took them back with LOVING arms, because that’s the kind of God He is; the God of second chances.
So if the Israelites were smart enough to realize their error, why can’t we be too eh? We’re supposed to be so much wiser and more educated and affluent and have a higher standard of living. But that’s possibly the problem right there; we think we know too much, and in reality we don’t know anything.
Anyway, a word of warning to the wise; let’s pray, let’s sincerely repent and get back to worshipping the One and Only True Living God, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. That’s the wisest thing we can do right now.
And our Bit certainly points us in that direction. ‘The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.’
Yeh mih people, it’s no secret, the Lord rewards us when we do right, when we live righteously. And by no stretch of the imagination can we say that our world is in a righteous mode right now. In fact unrighteousness is the order of the day!
Bruh David was a man like all of us, he did his fair share of wrong and suffered his fair share of adversity too, but he knew where his strength came from, on which side his bread was buttered, so he stuck with the Lord God of Israel, who wrought mighty deeds through him.
Just check out this example. When Bruh David had a chance to kill his archenemy Saul in the wilderness, he refused to do it, because Saul was the Lord’s anointed. (1 Sam.24:1-15) And after Bruh David talked to Saul about the situation, the ole reprobate Saul, said, ‘Is this thy voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice and wept.
And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil. And thou hast showed this day how thou hast dealt well with me: forasmuch as when the Lord had delivered me into thine hand, thou killedst me not.
For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away (get away safely)? Wherefore the Lord reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day.’ (1 Sam.24:16-19)
Yeh friends, even the evil Saul knew that the Lord rewards righteousness, so why aren’t we seeking more rewards through our righteousness eh? Our world currently seems to be fixated on the things of evil, of darkness of ungodliness, which can only work to our eventual demise my brethren.
Our job as Christians is to try and prevent that by living for Christ and showing others the way to Him. What say we that we begin doing that seriously now eh, if we want our world to not only survive, but also prosper under the Lord’s generous hand? Our children, and our children’s children are depending on us my brethren. Let’s not fail them.
And if our hearts are right, then we can sincerely declare our Wednesday Wail. ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Oh friends, let’s go out and help others to sincerely declare that nuh, for it is the heartfelt desire of Jesus. Much LOVE!
…as disciples of Jesus…we are to share His LOVE with others…not keep it to ourselves…
12 Jul 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a prudent man, a warning, alternative truth, bend their bows, bend their tongues, bitter words, bond, British Columbia, captains of industry, comeuppance, council of the wicked, deceit, detractors, diligent search, disaster areas, due diligence, evil, evil lifestyle, faithful, forest fires, fraud, from evil to evil, glorious future with Jesus, godliness, halfway home, hands on the plough, health, insurrection, Jeremiah, lies, like bows, loss of life, LOVE, meditation, money, Mt. Vesuvius, not looking back, not valiant for truth, plot, politicians, prayer, punishment, saith the Lord, sharpen their tongue, shoot thier arrows, shrewd shceme, strength, supplant, take ye heed, the fire next time, the midst of deceit, they know not me, trickle down, trustworthy, truth, volcano, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, workers of iniquity
Jeremiah 9:3. And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the Lord.
A good Wednesday morning to you my Scrip-Bit friends and family! I hope the Lord has blessed you with health, strength and wisdom to face another glorious day.
However, a lot of our fellow believers are not so lucky. I’m talking about the 14,000 people displaced in the Western Province of British Columbia, after being plagued for almost a week by some 219 brush fires; fires that are still in progress and threatening to spread even wider.
I’m also talking about those saints on the side of Mt.Vesuvius, the smoking volcano near Naples in Italy. The volcano itself apparently has not erupted, just smoking, but its slopes are covered with numerous fires.
Please friends, let’s pray earnestly and sincerely that those who live in these two disaster areas will be saved from any serious damage, especially loss of life. Remember, fire is probably the most devastating disaster that can happen to us, and that the Lord promised not water, but the fire next time.
So probably we can just take some of these fiery disasters, (Portugal and California earlier on) as a warning to cease and desist from our evil lifestyle. Who knows? But a wise and prudent man will consider everything.
That brings us to an interesting Bit. ‘And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the Lord.’
Ah friends, those words are just as true of our present world as it was of Jeremiah’s time. Truth is not considered as being overly important – we even have alternative truth now (smile).
And evil…oh my people, evil is so rampant now that it just chills the soul when you hear of some of the ungodly and disgusting things that are happening in our world. And the sad part is that the more sophisticated and intelligent we become, the level of evil also increases.
The people in the Bible would just die in amazement at the level of evil that we have reached. For, compared to ours, theirs was just a joke. But friends, we should also pay attention to Jeremiah’s warning after our Bit.
‘Take ye heed every one of his neighbour (friend), and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour (friend) will walk with slanders.
And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity. Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the Lord.’ (Jer.9:4-6)
Ah mih people, fraud and deceit are major detractors of our current society. A person’s word is no longer his bond. And when you get to our leaders, our politicians, our captains of industry… Hn! You can’t take anything they say as truth, for that’s now become the nature of the beast.
And deceit, fraud and lies are some of the few things that actually trickle or rather flow speedily down from the top to the bottom. Godliness, truth, LOVE and money don’t seem to do so. And they are the things that we need to flow down speedily and widely throughout our world.
Now listen as Bruh David prays for protection from his enemies, in Psalm 64 – Plot and punishment. ‘Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer (meditation, complaint): preserve my life from fear of the enemy. Hide me from the secret council of the wicked; from the insurrection (tumult) of the workers of iniquity:
Who whet (sharpen) their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words: That they may shoot in secret at the perfect (blameless): suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.
They encourage themselves in an evil matter: they commune (talk) of laying snares, privily (secretly); they say, Who shall see them? They search out (devise) iniquities; they accomplish a diligent search (have perfected a shrewd scheme): both the inward thought of every one of them, and the heart is deep.’ (Ps.64:1-6)
Oh my brethren, Bruh David could have been talking about our society, so riddled is it with evil, lies and deceit, like his was; just on a higher scale. That means we have to be very careful in our dealings with our fellow man.
We don’t have to be overly anxious and scrutinize everything to the last detail, but we must do our due diligence in whatever we undertake or get involved in, for our world is definitely not as trustworthy and faithful and true as it used to be just a generation or two ago.
Please remember though, that Almighty God, the Creator and Controller of the universe stands securely in our corner, so there is nothing to worry about or fear, but we must be diligent. Therefore, we can go home loudly, proudly and sincerely declaring our Wednesday Wail.
All together now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And what a glorious future lies ahead of us with Jesus my brethren! Words cannot adequately describe it. Just trust and believe! Much LOVE!
…evil might predominate today…but in due course…the evil will all get their rightful comeuppance…thus says the Lord…
Previous Older Entries
SCRIP-BITS 