06 Oct 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a faithful Creator, a red pencil in my hand, able to guard, according to the will of God, against that day, am persuaded that he is able, as for me, Atacama Desert in Chile, black and bold, blessed with an abundance of rainfall, blocking my peace, blooming with numerous types of beautiful flora, brick barrier, bring forth thy righteousness as the light., cease from anger, climate change, come to know and love him like we do, commit the keeping of their souls to him, commit thy way unto the Lord, don't care whom they trample upon, don't get jealous of prospering evildoers, duty bound, El Nino, envious at the boastful, envious at the foolish, evildoers shall be destroyed, faith, fighting to get material wealth and power, for which cause I also suffer these things, forsake wrath, fret not thyself, fret not thyself in any wise to do evil, give all your cares and fears to God, God's goodness and mercy, gospel truth, haunting anxiety, he shall bring it to pass, holy spirit, hurry, I am not ashamed, I give it to you now, I had almost stumbled, I know in whom I trust, I know whom I have believed, I sit here at my desk, if any man suffer as a Christian, in god's eyes, in well doing, it only causes harm, it's very important to stay close to God, Jesus Christ, joy, keep, laughter, let him glorify God on this matter, let him not be ashamed, let them that suffer, lock stock and barrel, LOVE, mercy, my feet were almost gone, my steps had well nigh slipped, not what people say about me, one strong and sincere voice, only seen the occasional drizzle, palms down, promises of rain, put everything into God's hands for safekeeping, release, release our burdens to God, relief, rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him, Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, share His love with my neighbours, share the amazing love and friendship of Christ, sinister intrusion, suddenly, suffering here in prison, the beloved of God, the Great Invitation of Jesus, the heavy load we're bearing, the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass, the One Year Book of Bible Promises, the powers that be, the prosperity of the wicked, the psalmist Asaph, the weight of it is breaking me, the word keep looms from the page, then understood I their end, those that wait upon the Lord shall inherit the earth, thy judgement as the noonday, to keep that which I have committed to him, to whom we belong, trust also in him, trust in the Lord,, trust my friend Jesús, truth, Tuesday Mantra, unburden ourselves on Jesus, until I went into the sanctuary of God, until that day, what I have entrusted to him, who prospers in his way, wisdom, with your word before me, worry,
Today’s Scrip-Bit 6 October 2026 2 Timothy 1:12b.
2 Timothy 1:12b. for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against (until) that day.
And amazingly it’s another sunshiny but cool autumn Tuesday. Brother! We’ve seen the sun so much recently that we possibly won’t know rain when we next see it. (smile) With all the promises of rain in the past week, we’ve only seen the occasional drizzle in my area. Meanwhile the Atacama Desert in Southern Chile has been blessed with an abundance of rainfall, so much so that’s blooming with numerous types of beautiful flora. All of this supposedly under the auspices of a hot El Nino wind system that’s changing up the weather patterns on this side of the world.
And yet so many of us still deny the phenomenon of climate change. Unfortunately there’s not much most of us can do about that problem when many of the powers that be refuse to acknowledge it, but here’s something we can surely do something about. It’s the October 6th, poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, simply titled ‘Keep.’
So please read with me: ‘I sit here at my desk, With Your Word before me – A red pencil in my hand. Suddenly the word keep Looms from the page Black and bold: He will keep Keep Keep That which I have committed…” Really, Lord? This haunting anxiety? This brick barrier which is Blocking my peace? This sinister intrusion? It’s so heavy, Lord The weight of it is breaking me. But You said You’d keep So I give it to You now Palms down. Release! Relief! Laughter! Joy!’
Yes my brethren, that’s exactly what happens when we give all our cares and fears to God, when we unburden ourselves from what ever heavy load we’re bearing! When we release it all, we get relief, laughter and joy! And that’s just as it ought to be; letting go of burdens should bring some kind of relief, otherwise what’s the point? And when we release our burdens to God, like Jesus invites us to do in his Great Invitation, we certainly get joy, peace, rest and the many other benefits that flow from his goodness and mercy.
And the Bible verse for today’s poem comes from Bruh Paul’s second letter to Timothy. It says: ‘For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against (until) that day.’ (2 Tim. 1:12) Meanwhile, the New Living Translation which is used in the book puts it thus: ‘And that is why I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return.’ (2 Tim. 1:12)
Oh friends, our omnipotent and ever-faithful God is most surely able to guard whatever we entrust to His safe keeping! In fact there is no safer place to entrust anything at all than to the Lord’s keep! And Peter, when talking about Christians being partakers of Christ’s sufferings, corroborates it when he declares: ‘Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf (matter)… Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.’ (1 Pet. 4:16 & 19)
And there’s no greater wisdom that that my fellow believers! To whom else should we surrender our souls but to the One who created them in the first place, and who also has the best security system to protect them? Now that’s exactly why Bruh David in Psalm 37, titled ‘Trust in the Lord,’ encourages us to ‘Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday.
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devises (schemes) to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (it only causes harm). For evildoers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps. 37:5-9)
And all of that is the gospel truth my people! If we commit ourselves and all that we have to Almighty God then He will take care of us. But we need to wait patiently on Him, and not get jealous of the prospering evildoers, for the Lord’s promised to destroy them in the end. We cannot afford to be like Asaph says in Psalm 73, titled ‘The Prosperity of the Wicked.’ ‘But as for me, my feet were almost gone (I had almost stumbled); my steps had well nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish (boastful), when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.’ (Ps. 73:2-3)
Yes friends, we need to be careful of whom we look at nowadays, when so many are fighting to get material wealth and power and don’t care whom they trample upon, or what they do to get it! And thankfully for Asaph, he finally understood what the future held in store for the wicked and those prospering from evildoing. But please note when and where he saw the writing on the wall: ‘Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.’ (Ps. 73:17) Yuh see mih bredrin, it’s only when Asaph went into God’s house and contemplated the situation, he discovered the answer. That just goes to show how important it is for us to stay close to God!
Now, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel! As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And having said that, we are now duty bound to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…true wisdom dictates that…we put everything we have…and all that we are…into God’s hands for safekeeping…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
09 Dec 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 24 hours to do good work in Jesus' name, a brand new day, a little while and ye shall not see me, a replica of Jesus, abide with you forever, according to the will of God, all my desire is before you, all the things the Father hath are mine, come to know and love jesus like we do, could not put two decent words of prayer together, dead on my feet, difficult to think coherently, divine omniscience, faith, from cover to cover, God's awesome power boosted me, guide you into all truth, He makes intercession for the saints, he shall glorify me, he shall not speak of himself, He that searcheth the hearts, holy spirit, hurry, I go to the Father, I trust so, in god's eyes, Jesus Christ, knows the mind of the Spirit, lock stock and barrel, LOVE, mercy, my grace is sufficient for thee, my strength is made perfect in weakness, my worst praying is really my best, new insights into our lives, O God, One Year Book of Bible promises, perhaps to your ears, pray the Father to give you another Comforter, put our hands on the plough, put our heads and hearts together, receive what's mine, Ruth Harms Calkin, share His love with my neighbours, show it unto you, show you things to come, so fragmented, so weary, so worn, the action arm of the Holy Trinity, the beauty of knowing the Lord's promises, the beloved of God, the gospel truth, the Lord rules our lives, the Lord who searches our hearts, the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities, the Spirit makes intercession, the Spirit of truth, the Spirit's interpretation of the believer's innermost feelings, to pray with any kind of sequence, to whom we belong, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, wake up this dark and evil world for jesus, we know not what we should pray, when the Spirit of truth is come, wisdom, with groanings which cannot be uttered, worry, Worst - Best
Romans 8:26. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities (weaknesses): for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
It’s a brand new day friends, Tuesday, that means we have another twenty four hours to do good work in Jesus name. And you know, when you’re walking with and working for Him, any and everything is possible. So let’s put our heads and hearts together, and our hands on the plough and wake up this dark and evil world for Jesus!
And today we’ll look at an interesting poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin simply titled ‘Worst – Best.’ And as always, we’ll note that I don’t know if I’ve shared it before, because I don’t keep a record, but for sure they are all worth hearing over and over again, because they bring such fresh and new insight into out thinking and lives.
So please read with me. ‘O God It is difficult for me to think coherently To pray with any kind of sequence today. I am so weary, so worn, so fragmented. But, Lord, perhaps to your ears Sometimes my worst praying Is really my best. I trust so … I trust so. One thing I do know: All my desire is before you.’ And my friends that’s always the most important thing; that all our desire is before the Lord! That He is the one ruling our lives from cover to cover.
Now, I don’t know about you all, but last week for a couple of days when the cold was really getting me down, that’s how I felt; like I couldn’t put two decent words of prayer together. But yuh know what? That’s when the Lord really and truly reaches down and pick us up. For as He says in that marvellous scripture when Bruh Paul asked three times for a thorn to be removed from His flesh: ‘My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power) is made perfect in weakness.’ (2 Cor. 12:9a)
And that is the gospel truth friends, which I had the fortune or misfortune (smile) to call up a couple times in the last month, when I was dead on my feet, and the Lord faithfully responded by giving me the wherewithal to continue; His awesome power boosted me and carried me through. So how can I ever doubt that scripture eh? Even if I doubted it before, I can’t now, because it’s been performed in my life at least a couple of times.
And that’s the beauty of knowing the promises that the Lord has given us in His Word, for we don’t know when, in a moment of weakness or surprise, a time might come when we need to use it, and if you don’t know it, then you obviously can’t use it. Thus it behooves us to get familiar with those wonderful promises, for our world is getting more evil and ungodly every day, which means we might now have much more use for those promises than before.
And the Bible Promise for our poem comes from that most interesting and moving chapter of Scripture, Romans 8, where it says: ‘Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities (weaknesses): for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.’ (Rom. 8:26-27)
Oh friends, that’s also such a timely and important scripture, for when we are so weak or lost and don’t know what to pray, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with “groanings” much like ours. Or as the scholars explain it: ‘The Spirit also groans along with creation and the believer. The reference is to the Spirit’s interpretation of the believer’s innermost feelings, which cannot be put into words.’ Then through divine omniscience the Lord who searches our hearts, reads the Spirit’s mind, and thus understands what’s truly happening with us.
So, you see, that’s another very important aspect of the Holy Spirit; interceding for us when we can’t help ourselves. No wonder we’re advised to pay great attention to the Holy Spirit, for He performs a number of important jobs in our lives; leading, guiding, reminding, comforting, interceding etc. etc. Unfortunately though, many of us supposed believers don’t take the Holy Spirit as seriously as we ought to, and thus don’t make use of all the purposes and benefits He can offer.
Remember how Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit. ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter (helper), that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.’ (John 14:15-17) That was the promise that eventually all believers would eventually be imbued, be filled internally, with the Holy Spirit, which happened at the first Pentecost after Jesus’ ascension. (Acts 2:1-4)
And later on Jesus again tells the disciples about the Holy Spirit. ‘I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself (on his own authority); but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak; and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine (what’s mine), and shall shew (declare) it unto you. All the things the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you. A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.’ (John 16:12-16)
Oh my people, all of that simply shows how important the Holy Spirit is to us! It’s like a replica of Jesus living and working within us, while Jesus Himself sits on the throne beside the Father interceding on our behalf. So please, let’s wake up and see how important the Holy Spirit is in the lives of believers, and begin using Him to greater benefit!
Now let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel! As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And having said that, we’re now duty bound to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…the Holy Spirit is…the action arm of the Holy Trinity…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
16 Oct 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour, according to the will of God, and peace from God the Father, better to have on too much than not enough, Bible, by his own blood, christianity, deliver us rom this present evil world, economies of scale, endure to the end, eternal life, eternal life is a free gift, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, gave himself for me, gave up the ghost, grace be to you, hands on the plough, he entered in once into the holy place, holy spirit, I lay down my life that I may take it again, I live by faith in Christ, Indian summer, It is finished, Jesus Christ, Jesus paid the full price for, LOVE, no man taketh it from me, not by the blood of goats and calves, not looking back, obtained eternal redemption for us, salvation, second wind, thank God, the breath of life, The Leviticus Church, the life I now live in the flesh, the salvation of your soul, the sinless blood of Jesus, the Son of God loved me, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, Wednesday Wail, who gave himself for our sins, wisdom
Hebrews 9:12. Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
And it’s surprising how quickly Wednesday shows up when Monday is a holiday. (smile) But we’ll take Wednesday any time, because it’s our second-wind opportunity day, and just like the recent few days it’s bright and sunshiny but chilly. From here on in though, for the next several months, the days will be chilly. You won’t hear me talk about a warn day unless we’re blessed to have a few days of Indian summer; that’s some warm days in the midst of autumn.
So please dress warm from now on, because the dangerous thing about the cold weather is that it can come upon you without warning. The mid-morning hours might seem warm, but by the time you’re ready to leave work, it can be freezing. The motto; it’s better to have on too much than not enough, is one we ought to follow in the cold months. We can always take off the outer layers if we’re too warm, but you cannot put on anything when it gets cold, if you don’t have it handy. I can certainly testify to that! (smile)
So what are we going to talk about today eh? I recently found a tract in my mother’s old Bible from the Leviticus Church in Jamaica New York, which has some very interesting information, some of which I want to share today. It seems the church is still going strong and I’m glad for that, because the demise of any church is sad news for all believers. Anyway, the title of the tract is ‘Did you know? ETERNAL LIFE IS A “FREE” GIFT.’ Now, that’s a very good question, because despite all the necessary information at hand, a lot of people still have trouble believing it, or simply have a contrary belief.
And after that bold heading, the tract continues thus: ‘The Lord Jesus Christ paid the FULL PRICE for the salvation of your soul. He gave himself for our sins.’ And they quote Galatians 1:4a as a scripture reference to that statement. I will however expand on that, so that we can get the full context of the scripture. Bruh Paul wrote in his opening verses of the epistle to the church at Galatia: ‘Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ. Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world (age), according to the will of God and our Father: To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (Gal. 1:3-5)
Now that gives us the full context of the reference. And I guess having those last words ‘He gave himself for our sins,’ highlighted is a means of driving home the truth that Jesus gave His Life for us, it wasn’t taken from Him. And He made that quite clear when He says: ‘Therefore doth my Father LOVE me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.’ (John 10:17-18)
That ought to make it quite clear my fellow believers that Jesus was not forced to give up His life, but He did it willingly because of his great LOVE for us. And in being able to give His life then take it up again, He once again asserts His deity; that He was both God and man. Then the tract continues: ‘JESUS, the Son of God, LOVED me, and gave himself for me.’
And there they reference Galatians 2:20b, but I will quote the entire verse for the sake of getting the full context. Bruh Paul writes: ‘I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of (in) the Son of God, who LOVED me, and gave himself for me.’ (Gal. 2:20) Awesome truth my people!
And the tract goes on: ‘Now because by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. (Heb. 9:12b), there remains no price for us to pay! And that’s the gospel truth. But for our information, the whole of that verse reads: ‘Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.’ (Heb. 9:12)
Yes friends, it wasn’t the blood of any ordinary animal that paid our sin debt in full, because they could not. Only the sinless blood of the Son of God could ever achieve such a magnanimous outcome. Therefore as the tract tells us: ‘It is finished.’ That comes from this verse on Jesus’ crucifixion. ‘When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar (sour wine), he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost (His spirit, died).’ (John 19:30)
And we’ll stop there for today, because the rest of the stuff the tract has to offer will run on too long, and in any case, we have quite enough marvellous and enlightening scripture for us to contemplate today. It’s good to contemplate and meditate on the scriptures, but I believe that too much all at once detracts from the task of contemplation and meditation, and we lose economies of scale, which says the more you try to learn at once, the less you will learn, or the more you will forget. So like in all things, lets have a modicum of circumspection, (smile) or just enough for us to do a good job.
Now let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘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!’
Now my fellow saints, if we endure right to the very end with Jesus, then He’s promised that that future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine! And I sincerely hope to see you there, so that we can enjoy it together! Much LOVE!
…eternal life is free…if you accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
07 Jul 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: according to the will of God, and my words abide in you, be careful for nothing, Bible, christianity, consume it upon your lusts, don't give up, don't say you're done, Ds Flame, every trial mountain and sea, faith, feel battered, feeling like and outcast, fellowship, God answers prayer, God is the answer, goodness, groanings, he sees every tear drop, he sees every weakness, He that searcheth the hearts, He wipes them for me, holy spirit, I get down on my knees, I say Saviour help me please, if ye abide in me, if you're ever feeling down, in everything by prayer and supplication, in the midst of all your heartache, in the morning, it shall be unto you, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus to pray departed into a solitary place, knows th mind of the Spirit, LOVE, not knowing what to pray, O thou that hearest prayer, one thing is for certain, prayer, problems overflow, refresh our souls, release the frustrations, remember in the hard times, rising up a great deal before day, shall keep your hearts and minds, sweet sacrifices of praise, the biggest privilege in the Christian faith, the error of our ways, the peace of God which passeth all understading, the Spirit maketh intercession for us, truth, unto thee shall all flesh come, wisdom, ye ask amiss, ye ask and receive not, ye shall ask what ye will, you have nowhere to go, you may be broken, your battles are already won, your strength will surely come
Psalm 65:2. O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.
One more Sunday; one more time to attend the Lord’s sanctuary on His day, and in association with other believers, to offer up sincere thanks and praise for His goodness and mercy towards us. And why do we do it? Because the Lord commands it, so that we can have joint fellowship, to release the frustrations and pressures of the past week and refresh our souls and spirits for the upcoming one.
So, let’s get right to today’s song of worship, one from the female Gospel Artist known as Da Flame and very truthfully titled, ‘God Answers Prayer.’ And we’re going to offer up our sweet sacrifices of praise in a rich, soulful, heartfelt, mid tempo version. Singing: ‘If you’re ever feeling down and like you have no where to go. If you’re feeling like an outcast as your problems overflow, just remember there is someone, and all it takes is for you to know, is that God is the answer, and God answers prayer.
(Chorus: He sees every weakness, every trial, every mountain and sea, and He sees every tear drop, and He wipes them for me. I get down on my knees, and I say Saviour help me please. Because one thing is for certain, is my God answers prayer.) You may be broken and feel battered, but your strength will surely come, in the midst of all your heartache. Your battles are already won. Just remember in the hard times, don’t give up, don’t say you’re done, because God is the answer, and God answers prayer.
(Chorus: He sees every weakness, every trial, every mountain and sea, and He sees every tear drop, and He wipes them for me. I get down on my knees, and I say Saviour help me please. Because one thing is for certain, is my God answers prayer. Oh, He sees every weakness, every trial, every mountain and sea, and He sees every tear drop, and He wipes them for me. So, let’s get down on our knees, and say, Saviour, help us please. Because one thing is for certain… our God answers prayer.’
And of that very thing we can be one hundred percent sure my people: God does answer prayer…although there are some whys and wherefores and addendums attached. (smile) But before we get into the nitty gritty of the prayer situation, let’s get a definition of prayer.
Prayer is our biggest privilege in the Christian faith. It’s basically talking to God, but in the greater scheme of things it is so much more. One commentary tells us that ‘Prayer is the complete submission of my heart, mind, body and soul to Him. We are told that sometimes we don’t even know what or how to pray so the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with groans and utterances.’
And we find the scripture to corroborate that in Bruh Paul’s letter to the Romans. ‘Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities (weaknesses): for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.’ (Rom. 8:26-27)
Yes friends, when our inner being is in so much turmoil that we don’t how or what to pray, the Holy Spirit steps in and interprets those innermost groanings. ‘And the Father who knows all hearts, knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.’
Now that statement ‘according to God’s will’ is a most important one, because if what we pray for, even through ignorance, is not in His plan for us, or in His general will, then most likely we won’t get it. As James says in his epistle: ‘Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts (pleasures).’ (James 4:3)
And that’s no lie, for many of us take the scriptures for granted which say, ask and ye shall receive, (Matt. 7:7) so we ask for all the lustful stuff that goes against God’s will, and when we don’t get them, we wonder why, and complain that God is not real or truthful.
But then, sometimes God gives us stuff that we ask for that is not in His will, to show us the error of our ways. Instead, we should be taking account of this scripture from Jesus: ‘If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto (for) you.’ (John 15:7) So the best way to know God’s will is to read His Word and talk to Him, through the medium of prayer.
Now here are two interesting scriptures on prayer. This first one we all know from Bruh Paul’s letter to the Philippians: ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:6-7) That’s the awesome power of prayer my fellow believers!
Then there’s this verse from Psalm 65 – Praise to the Lord, where Bruh David says in no uncertain terms: ‘O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.’ (Ps. 65:2) And that’s the gospel truth friends, for all of us, even the staunchest unbelievers, when we suddenly find ourselves between a rock and a hard place, the first words to come out of our mouths are ‘O God!’
And there’s so much that can be said about prayer, but the greatest reason for us to turn to prayer is because of the example that Jesus set. Although He was the Son of God, and deity in His own right, He never made any serious decisions without consulting His heavenly Father. There are numerous places in the Bible where we see Jesus going off by Himself to pray. But my favourite scripture on Jesus’ prayer life is this one from the gospel of Mark. ‘And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary (deserted) place, and there prayed.’ (Mark 1:35)
Oh my fellow saints, prayer was such an important part of Christ’s life that before the day even dawned He was up and about communing with His father in a quiet place. So if Jesus needed prayer continually, what about us eh? Now that’s an example we all should try to follow, so that our lives will have more heavenly guidance. Much LOVE!
…prayer…being able to go to God without fear…any time…anywhere…with anything…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
23 Mar 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a heartfelt plea for love, a man subject to like passions, a winter's wonderland, according to the will of God, acting in accordance with God's known purpose, anointing him with oil, call for the elders of the church, christianity, confess your faults one to another, faith, given him this perfect soundness, god, God's presence in our lives, holy spirit, in the presence of all of you, increase my awareness of you today, is any among you afflicted let him pray, is any merry let him sing psalms, it's the Lord who always heals, Jesus, Jesus Christ, killed the Prince of life, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, let my breath deepen, Lord I want to be with you now, LOVE, maketh intercession for us with groanings, pray for one another, prayed earnestly that it might not rain, prayer, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, slow my thoughts, the effectual prayer of a righteous man availeth much, the prayer of faith, the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities, through faith in Jesus' name, ye denied the Holy One, your love both surrounds and fills me, your unceasing nearness
James 5:16b. The effectual (effective) fervent prayer (supplication) of a righteous man availeth much.
It’s a winter’s wonderland! Yes friends, this penultimate lazy-day Saturday in March has opened white and snowy, with a blinding sun shining down on the heavenly white precipitate. And is that ever a beautiful sight…when it is unsullied by man! I’m sorry for all those who had already put away their snow shovels and snow blowers, they now have to get them back out. And if you don’t have to go out in the snow, then it’s a perfect way to spend a lazy-day Saturday; meditating, lazing and admiring God’s beautiful handiwork. (smile)
Now, let’s sincerely offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, seeking God’s eternal peace, His amazing LOVE and His awesome presence in our lives. Altogether: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And with those few, simple words of prayer, the Spirit of God’s peace, LOVE and presence manifest themselves in our spirits. It just shows the importance of sincere prayer that’s according to God’s will. And He will never reject a heartfelt plea for His LOVE, peace and presence! Let’s remember that, for when times get rocky and rough and our souls and spirits are in turmoil over the world’s circumstances. That brings us to these wise and fiery words of James, Jesus’ brother, on the importance of prayer in the believer’s life.
He writes: ‘Is any among you afflicted (suffering)? let him pray. Is any merry (cheerful)? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church: and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults (trespasses) one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.
The effectual (effective) fervent prayer (supplication) of a righteous man availeth much. Elias (Elijah) was a man subject to like passions as we are (with a nature like ours), and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of (for) three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.’ (James 5:13-18)
Now those verses of scripture can cause a lot of confusion if not properly understood. Prayer is of the utmost in any and every situation, but God doesn’t respond as we would like Him to in every one of those situations. It all depends on the Lord’s will and desire for each particular situation. In every situation, whether we use oil and prayer like in the olden days, or modern medicine in these times, it’s always the Lord who will perform the healing. And yes, some of great faith have not received the answers they desired for their prayers, while some of little faith have done so.
But it’s nonetheless very important that we grow our faith and pray in each and every situation, for we know not what the Lord has in mind for that particular circumstance. It’s like the scholars explain: ‘Elijah experienced this prayer of faith, because he knew God’s Word and will, and so, persistently prayed (1 Kin. 18:36-37; 42-46). Faith is people acting in accordance with God’s known purpose (1 John 5:14)’ Now that verse says: ‘And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us.’
The scholars then continue: ‘The prayer of faith does not include a gift of healing. It does not exert extraordinary spiritual strength (Acts 3:12); otherwise all spiritual Christians would be healthy. Nor does it merely involve the ritual of verse 14 (anointing and praying). The prayer of faith discerns God’s will and perseveres until it is accomplished. God’s will, however, is not to heal in every case, and true faith can discern and accept that (Rom. 8:26-27).’
And those verses tell us: ‘Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities (weaknesses): for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.’ (Rom. 8:26-27) In other words, when we don’t know what or how to pray, the Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf, by taking the interpretation of our inner feelings that we cannot put into words and taking them to the Father according to His will.
Meanwhile, that other reference to Acts 3:12, is all about when Peter and John healed the blind man that sat at the temple door and the people marvelled and looked at them as though they had healed him through their own power. ‘And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly (intently) on us, as though by our own power or holiness (godliness) we had made this man to walk.’ (Acts 3:12)
Then he told them about Jesus’ wrongful crucifixion. ‘But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer (Barabbas) to be granted unto you; And killed the Prince (Author) of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him, (comes through Jesus) hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.’ (Acts 3:14-16)
In other words, it seems that John and Peter discerned the Lord’s will to heal this man and thus manifest His glory, so they prayed earnestly and the man was healed. It wasn’t necessarily because of their faith and righteousness. So, let’s hope that we all now understand a little more than we did before about the importance and effectiveness of sincere prayer highlighting God’s will in our lives, as well as the Holy Spirit’s wonderful intercession on our behalf when we don’t know what or how to pray. Much LOVE!
…discernment of God’s will…should be one of our everyday prayers…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
11 Mar 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, above all we ask or think, accept Christ as Lord and Saviour, according to the power that worketh in us, according to the will of God, always there to help and comfort, Christ came as a servant, curse, divinely enabled to live the Christian life, emotinal relief, filled with all the fullness of God, for this cause I bow my knees, gospel truth, He that searcheth the hearts, in the inner man, Jesus Christ, know the love of christ, knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, make the decision to come to christ, maketh intercession for us with groanings, negative word, pandemic, problems become surmountable, prosper, racial unrest, Sacrifical Lamb, share our blessings generously, strengthened with might, succeed, supernatural wisdom, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities, the whole family is named, through His Holy Spirit, Thursday Blessings, to do exceedingly abundantly, trust, unto him that is able, your life is in Almighty God's hands
Ephesians 3:20. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
And then, rather quickly, it was Thursday, the penultimate day of the work week, and our lives are still somewhat confused by the pandemic and racial unrest. However, despite how things may appear, regardless of all the worries and pain, if you believe that your life is in Almighty God’s hands, then those problems will become very surmountable! Yes friends, once you are in God’s hands, problems never seem as worrisome and problematic!
Oh, you will still have them, because that’s just a part of life on this planet, but once you’re walking with Him, once you are a follower of His wonderful Son, our Sacrificial Lamb, Jesus Christ, He’s always there to help and comfort you through His Holy Spirit that indwells all His followers!
Wow! What awesome comfort and assurance! No other Deity can provide such emotional relief and trust, because no other Deity is alive and well and powerful like the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But the important thing is that we have to embrace all the promises and benefits that the Lord has provided. They don’t come to us automatically. We have to make the decision to come to Christ and accept that He is Lord and Saviour.
And today, what we’re going to look at is the first act in that action. (smile) It’s called prayer, or talking to God in reverential awe; humbly, but with confidence, as Hebrews tells us: ‘Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.’ (Heb. 4:16)
Now, prayer is not only asking God for stuff we want, or think we need, it goes much deeper than that. It is in essence a communing of our spirit with that of the Father, who originally breathed His Spirit in us to give us life. And when we accept Christ as Lord and Saviour, His Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us to lead and guide us and to help us commune with the Almighty. Part of the Holy Spirit’s job is also to help us in prayer.
Bruh Paul puts it like this to the church at Rome. ‘Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities (weaknesses): for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And He that searcheth the hearts (God) knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.’ (Rom. 8:26-27)
Yes precious people, the Holy Spirit interprets our innermost feelings that we cannot put into words and aligns them with God’s will. For remember, before the Lord grants our requests, He looks at the motives of our hearts, to see if they’re selfish, greedy and outside of His will.
But getting back to actual prayer. Let’s look at how Bruh Paul prayed for others. It’s strange, but he didn’t usually pray for people’s troubles to go away and that sort of thing, he mostly prayed that they would have inner growth, and thus be able to handle the problems from a point of greater maturity. Here’s how he prayed for the Ephesians, the church at Ephesus.
‘For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named (derived). That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye being rooted and grounded in LOVE, May be able to comprehend (understand) with all saints what is the breadth (width), and length, and depth and height; And to know the LOVE of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.’ (Eph. 3:14-19)
Oh, I know that it seems like a long and complicated prayer, but in essence it’s fairly simple. Here are some explanations from the scholars. ‘3:16-19. In these verses Paul makes three prayer requests for the addressees: (1) That they would be strengthened with might by his spirit (vs.16), that is, they be divinely enabled to successfully live the Christian life. (2) That the readers be able to comprehend…the LOVE of Christ , that is, to better understand the enormous LOVE Christ has for them. And (3) that they might be filled with all the fullness of God, that is, that the life, character, and virtues of God Himself may be fully developed in them.’
Oh my people, doesn’t that sound like a complete prayer? It surely does! When we are strengthened by the Spirit, then we can understand Christ’s LOVE, then live the way He desires us to live, through strong and mature faith, ‘rooted and grounded in LOVE.’ And there’s no other way to live the Christian life my friends.
But Bruh Paul wasn’t done with his prayer. He continues: ‘Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.’ (Eph. 3:20-21) And the scholars tell us: ‘3:20. In making the three above petitions (vs. 16-19) Paul has not asked for too much. For he prays unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that he can ask or think.’
And that’s the gospel truth my brethren! Our God is omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present, that means He can do all things, knows all things and is everywhere at the same time! And that’s why He is GOD! So let’s try to adopt some of those prayer principles that Bruh Paul established nuh. Let’s not just pray for troubles to be over, or success to be gained, but for us to receive what we need to grow and mature in the faith, have our inner man strengthened. We will all end up better off and living a more complete Christian life.
And now, since it’s Thursday, let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!) our Thursday Blessings, which the Lord has magnanimously bestowed on us to do His earthly work. Altogether now, in strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
Oh friends, it’s time for us to now share those blessings with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…Christ came as a servant…and He expects the same of His followers…
21 Jan 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a mere mortal, a teacher of the Gentiles, according to the will of God, acrimonious contention, against that day, ambassadors of Christ, and am persuaded, Christ's promises are always faithful and true, commit the keeping of their souls to him, commit thy way unto the Lord, compassionate heart, curse, endurance, fearful of the world, fireworks, for I know whom I have believed, forever linked to divine destiny, freely - inseparably mine, Fret not thyself over evildoers, getting along together, God has inscribed me in the palms of His hands, God's treasures, hard slog of everyday politics, he is able to keep, His thoughts toward me, I am not ashamed, I belong to the God of the universe, I cannot fathom, I do know, in well doing, LOVE, magnificent and magnanimous God, negative word, not fleeting but lasting and immortal, now and throughout all eternity, One Year Book of Bible promises, our majestic God, prosper, Rest in the Lord, Ruth Harms Calkin, seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, self-control, spiritual maturity, stand before the judgement seat, succeed, that which I have committed unto him, the Creator of all that exists, the evildoers shall be cut off, the indescribable universe, the life of the Son, the love of the Father, the magnitude of God, the object of His lavish love, the power of the Holy spirit, the things of God, those that wait upon the Lord shall inherit the earth, thoughts of kindness and mercy, Thursday Blessings, unity, utterly overwhelmed, wait patiently for him
2 Timothy 1:12b. for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against (until) that day.
And it seems that the inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden went off smoothly yesterday, with none of the expected fireworks. Thank God for that! We didn’t need anything else to further complicate the situation.
And yes, there were a lot of nice words spoken about unity and getting along together, but let’s see how that works out in real life nuh, when the newness of it all settles down, and the hard slog of everyday politics begins.
Thankfully too, that all three branches of the government are under the control of the Democratic Party, so there won’t be occasion for the acrimonious contention that existed recently with one party controlling two branches and the other one.
But enough of all of that yes. Let’s pray that situation improves so that the whole world can concentrate on other important stuff, for though the American power is in decline, unfortunately what happens there, still affects most of us.
And there’s plenty stuff that we don’t and never will know, but here are some things that ALL of Christ’s followers and believers ought to know. It comes from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, and it’s appropriately titled ‘I Do Know.’
Please pray with me: ‘There is much I cannot fathom concerning the vast, indescribable universe created by our majestic God. There is much I will never comprehend. I want to sing and shout, so utterly overwhelmed I am with the magnitude of God. But I do know with confident certainty that I belong to the God of the universe – the Creator of all that exists.
I know that I, a mere mortal, am forever linked to divine destiny. I know that my life has purpose and dignity. I know that God has chosen me as the object of His lavish LOVE; that His thoughts toward me are thoughts of kindness and mercy; that He has inscribed me in the palms of His hands.
I know that all the LOVE of the Father, and the life of the Son, and the power of the Holy Spirit are freely, inseparably mine – now and throughout all eternity. This I do know!’
Oh my people, can we really proclaim that with the ultimate certainty it deserves? I don’t think so nuh, because too many of us are still too fearful of the world and what it brings, and too in LOVE with the things it offers! And moreover, if we were that certain about the things of God, our lives would not be in the state of utter dismay, division and decline that they are currently in.
The world is still holding too much sway in the lives of believers, and until we let most of it go, we will keep on being miserable and not able to truly appreciate our wonderful God and all the things and plans and good purposes He has for our lives.
Let’s remember that the world is not the only entity that offers wealth and power and status, our great God offers them too, but under a different set up, and you don’t have to strive, kill yourself to achieve them, if He desires you to have them.
And just like we have to bow to the world to get them, so do we have to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness and they will be added unto us. The difference here is that God’s treasures are not fleeting and easily lost, but are lasting and immortal.
And the Bible Promise for our reading, as well as our Bit, explain why we can have that immovable and unbreakable trust in the Lord God Almighty. Bruh Paul is writing to Timothy in his second epistle, exhorting him to endurance, something we badly need to also have in these oh so trying and tiring times.
‘Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against (until) that day.’ (2 Tim. 1:11-12)
Oh friends and fellow believers, can we make those statements with heartfelt certainty? I hope so, because to reach spiritual maturity those are things, characteristics that must show out in our everyday lives.
Others must see that we’re not ashamed of Christ, not afraid of the world, but live for Him, because we have committed ALL we have and are to Him, and believe that He will do whatever He says, for His promises are always faithful and true.
And the scholars offer this explanation. ‘1:12. Persuaded (Gr. peitho). The perfect tense indicates that “I was persuaded in the past and remain so now.” That he is able to keep refers to the assurance of salvation which is committed…against that day, when we will stand before the judgement seat of Christ.’
Meanwhile, Peter, in his talk of believers being good stewards of God’s grace puts it thus. ‘Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful creator.’ (1 Pet. 4:19)
And Bruh David puts it as only he could: ‘Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass…. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him; fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass.
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (it only cause harm). For the evil doers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps. 37:5,7-9)
Truer words were never spoken my brethren! So let’s do our best to live by them nuh, so that our lives can truly reflect the LOVE and compassion of God. Now let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!) our Thursday Blessings, which have been so generously bestowed on us so we can help others.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
And now, as good ambassadors of Christ, let’s go out and share those blessings just as generously with others, as they were shared with us. Much LOVE!
…oh…the wonders of our great God…how magnificent and magnanimous He is…
29 Oct 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: . the fountain of wisdom, a faithful Creator, according to the will of God, against that day, and am persuaded, bounden duty, Bruh Paul, cease from anger, children of the Most High God, Christians, commit thy way unto the Lord, divine destiny, do no evil, eternal life, evildoers shall be cut off, for I know whom I have believed, for the which cause, forgiveness, forsake wrath, fret not thyself, God has chosen me, God has inscribed me in the palms of His hands, God's grace is sufficient, God's thoughts towards me, grin and bear it, Hurricane Patricia, I also suffer these things, I am forever linked to divine destiny, I am not ashamed, I belong to the God of the universe, I do know, kindness, LOVE, loving kindness, mercy, my life has purpose and dignity, nail scarred palms of Jesus, One Year Book of Bible promises, praising my saviour all the day long, Rest in the Lord, Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, sing and shout, that he is able, the assurance of salvation, the judgement seat of christ, the keeping of their souls, the life of the Son, the love of the Father, the magnitude of God, the object of His lavish love, the power of the Holy spirit, the very essence of our beings, them that suffer, this is my song, this is my story, those that wait upon the Lord shall inherit the earth, Timothy, to keep that which I have committed to him, wait patiently for him, wisdom
2 Timothy 1:12. For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against (until) that day.
Well Friends, it’s a crazy Thursday morning in my neck of the woods. Yesterday we had the tail ends of the rain from Hurricane Patricia, and we might still get some more later, but right now we’re getting some of the tail end winds.
The wind’s a howling out there! I opened my front door just now to pick up the newspaper and the wind fought me to close it back. (smile) I surely am sorry for those who experienced Patricia’s wrath a few days ago. Please, let’s keep them in our prayers.
On a point of interest, my ole right knee is still acting up. Steups! I really don’t understand it nuh. They don’t usually ache for so long. I’ve taken painkillers, rubbed it with stuff, talked with the Lord about it, but still no relief. I guess I just have to grin and bear it and limp along, knowing that God’s grace is indeed sufficient for me to do whatever He desires.
And though I might not like it, I am comfortable with it, especially when added to these facts from the following excerpt from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. This one is titled ‘I Do Know.’
Listen up my people: ‘There is much I cannot begin to fathom concerning the vast, indescribable universe created by our majestic God. There is much I will never comprehend. I want to sing and shout, (I was doing that the other night, (smile), so utterly overwhelmed I am with the magnitude of God.
But I do know with confident certainty that I belong to the God of the universe – the Creator of all that exists. I know that I, a mere mortal, am forever linked to divine destiny. I know that my life has purpose and dignity.
I know that God has chosen me as the object of his lavish LOVE; that his thoughts toward me are thoughts of kindness and mercy; that he has inscribed me in the palms of his hands. I know that all the LOVE of the Father, and the life of the Son, and the power of the Holy Spirit are freely, inseparably mine – now and throughout all eternity. This I do know!
Wow mih breddren! Do we know all of that? I surely hope so, for if we are truly children of the Most High God, it is imperative that we know those things!
How can we not know that we are linked to a divine destiny; that our lives have purpose and dignity; that Almighty God has chosen us to lavish His unconditional and everlasting LOVE on us; and all His thoughts towards us are of LOVING-kindness, forgiveness and mercy; and most surely we must know that He has inscribed us in the nail scarred palms of His wonderful Son, Jesus; and all that they have, the power, the life and the glory are ours from now until forever?
All of that is the very essence of our beings as Christians! Oh what a mighty, generous and wonderful Deity we worship my people! Give Him some well-deserved thanks and praise!
And the promise of scripture to which that message is attached is also our Bit for today. ‘For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against (until) that day.’ Those are the words of Bruh Paul to Timothy, as he exhorts the young pastor to endurance.
And the scholars offer these explanations. ‘1:12. Persuaded (Gr. peitho): The perfect tense indicates that “I was persuaded in the past and remain so now.” That he is able to keep refers to the assurance of salvation which is committed…against that day, when we will stand before the judgement seat of Christ.’
Oh Friends, do we know whom we have believed? And is it the gracious Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ? And if we do, I hope we are not ashamed of Him, and are willing to testify loudly on His grace and mercy from the rooftops of every building.
And not only that, but also we are persuaded, confident, assured that He can do what He says; that is grant salvation and eternal life! To be true Christians we need to believe all these things and have them written indelibly in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls.
And Peter admonishes, as well as encourages us thus: ‘Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.’ (1 Pet.4:19)
And believe me Friends, if there is nothing else I can vouch for, I can vouch for the faithfulness of our creator, because I have experienced it throughout my life! Oh Glory to Him!
And we’ll end with these well-known, superb words of advice and confidence from Bruh David from Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked.
‘Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass.
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (it only causes harm). For evildoers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps.37:5-9)
Oh my fellow believers, as a Christian, that is the best advice you can ever get! So please, today, let’s take it all to heart and run with it nuh, putting it all into action in our lives, so that we can truthfully testify to God’s greatness and glorify Him in all that we do. For that is our bounden duty and the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
…this is my story…this is my song…praising my saviour…all the day long…
