06 May 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a man's enemies are the men of his own house, a more glorious future than we can ask or imagine, all lie in wait for blood, artificial intelligence, be very careful in our interactions, blasphemers, blood is thicker than water, boasters, brutal, catch our second wind, christianity, Christians, corrupt and greedy bunch of leaders, covetous, deceit, denying the power thereof, despisers of those that are good, disobedient to parents, don't be afraid, endure to the end, everyone with his neighbour, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, false accusers, fierce, flattery, from her that lieth in thy bosom, from such turn away, godliness depends on an individual's personal decision, godly people are disappearing, halfway home, hands on the plough, haughty, having a form of godliness, heady, Help Lord, highminded, hit the nail right on the head, holy spirit, hunt every man his brother with a net, in the last days perilous times shall come, incontinent, irreconcilable, Jesus Christ, Jesus will make everything right in the end, keep the doors of thy mouth, lies, LOVE, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, may do evil with both hands earnestly, men shall be lovers of their own selves, merciful men are taken away, mercy, money lovers, no man layeth it to heart, no man takes it to heart, none upright among men, not turning back, our society is as vain as a preening peacock, proud, put ye not confidence in a guide, reckless, salvation, slanderers, slanting the truth, so they scheme together, so they wrap it up, social media, strong ties to Jesus, thank God, the ascendance of evil and ungodliness, the backbone of our society, the BIBLE, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the daughter in law against her mother in law, the daughter rises up against her mother, the faithful disappear from amomg the children of men, the faithful fail, the godly man ceaseth, the good man is persihed out of the earth, the great man utter his evil desire, the judge asketh for a reward, the prince asketh for gifts, the righteous is taken away from the evil to come, the righteous perisheth, the son dishonours the father, the virus of greed is never satisfied, they speak vanity, to a glorious future with Jesus, traitors, true breakers, trust ye not in a friend, truth, unholy, unthankful, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, with a double heart do they speak, with flattering lips, without natural affection, without self control
Psalm 12:1. Help (save), Lord; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail (disappear) from among the children of men.
And it’s a wet, chilly and cloudy Wednesday morning in my neighbourhood, but nonetheless, it’s important that we catch our second wind so that we can keep on doing good work for God during the rest of the week. And we know that some days are more tiring and exhausting than others, but we need to try and keep a sense of balance throughout the week, not going overboard, or underboard. (smile)
With that in mind, let’s consider these two interesting verses from Psalm 12, here Bruh David cries out: ‘Help (save), Lord; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail (disappear) from among the children of men. They speak vanity (idly or falsely) every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart (an inconsistent mind) do they speak.’ (Ps. 12:1-2) Now, I would call that a very good description of what’s happening in our world today. Truly godly people are surely few and far between; they have nearly disappeared from the ranks of men.
It’s like Isaiah said so long ago about his society. ‘The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth (takes) it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come (the presence of evil). (Is. 57:1) Yes friends, the godly are suffering more nowadays because of the ascendance of evil and ungodliness.
And Micah also had something to say on the subject. ‘The good (loyal or faithful) man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net. That they may do evil with both hands earnestly (successfully), the prince asketh (asks for gifts), and the judge asketh for a reward (bribe); and the great man, he uttereth his mischievous (evil) desire; so they wrap it up (scheme together).’ (Mic. 7:2-3)
Oh my people, are we sure that Micah is not alive today and prophesying about our world. For he’s hit the nail right on the head about our evil, scheming leaders. What a corrupt and greedy bunch they are. And the sad part is that many of them already have more than they can ever use in this life, but I guess the virus of greed is never satisfied. But our society is even more disgusting than that. We can talk about vanity, it’s true meaning, and discover that our society is as vain and narcissistic as we can get. We look like a brood of peacocks just preening for ourselves and each other.
And lies, slanting the truth, flattery and deceit have become the backbone of our society. You see it in the behaviour of our leaders, in the television broadcasts, and social media, where everyone has an opinion, but few actually know what they’re talking about. And that situation has only gotten worse, and will get even worse with the introduction and improvement of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Nowadays it’s a real task to decipher what is real or true from what’s not. And people are so wicked and greedy that they spin some evil, untrue stories and put them out in social media and have everybody believing them.
Unfortunately though, that’s the direction in which we’re currently headed, and until and unless AI is quickly regulated, it will become an even bigger problem that when the internet was first introduced, for mankind is by nature an evil, greedy being, and just like how the internet was, and still is used for evil doing, AI will make matters even more difficult and disillusioning.
So what’s the answer, you ask? There could only be one; that’s cling to Jesus as closely as possible, and be very careful about whom you have serious interactions. Or as Micah said back in his time. ‘Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide (companion): keep (guard) the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.’ (Mic. 7:5-6)
And that’s also a very good description of our current society, for there’s lots of infighting and dissension between families today. No wonder the family as the foundation of the society is falling apart. Once upon a time blood was considered thicker than water, but now, blood ties rarely seem to win out over personal satisfaction. And sadly, today we’re definitely seeing a situation like what Bruh Paul prophesied to Timothy.
‘This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous (money lovers), boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, truce breakers (irreconcilable), false accusers (slanderers), incontinent (without self-control), fierce (brutal), despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady (reckless), highminded (haughty), lovers of pleasure more than (rather than) lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.’ (2 Tim. 3:1-5)
Oh my brethren, we could not get better advice, or a better description of our society than that one from Bruh Paul. Possibly, these might just be the last days, for we are certainly seeing very perilous times, as well as the kind of people he described. But please, let’s not allow all those less than worthy things to scare or frighten us, for we have strong ties to the Number One Person in this world, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who has warned us several times not to be afraid of whatever comes against us, but to keep Him first place and everything will turn out good in the end.
So with that uppermost in our minds, let’s declare 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!’
That’s not all though, for it’s been promised that whoever endures with Jesus right to the very end, will experience an even greater and more glorious future, one that our minds cannot even imagine or comprehend. So let’s be wise and endure to the very end nuh, so that we can endure that more than glorious future together! Much LOVE!
…in the end…true godliness depends on an individual’s personal decision…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
27 Apr 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: admonish him as a brother, allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us, allow your incredible aura of love, always doing our best, artificial intelligence, as best we can, be not deceived, be not weary in well doing, be taken advantage of, begin a new week of work, bombarded by the enemy's evil schemes, busybodies, command that with quietness they work, complaining about the good things we have, consider yourself without a job, constantly buffeted, count him not as an enemy, count yourself blessed, despite the many obstacles we face, divine aid, do good unto all men, do not lose heart, dog eat dog, echoes of love, experience life, faith, faithfulness, fill us with steadfast faith, food banks, further your glorious kingdom, gentleness, give their right arm, God is not mocked, have no company with him, he that soweth to his flesh, he that soweth to the spirit, holy spirit, homeless, humble servants, if any obey not our word, if any would not work neither should he eat, in due season we shall reap if we faint not, inroads into the enemy's ranks, into the evil and ungodly world, Jesus Christ, jobless, jobs that are unfair, joy, keep trying to live the christian life, keeping lives and families together, kindness, living for Jesus, living off the government, LOVE, make Jesus proud of us, make money, make worthwhile inroads, many living in dire poverty, may be ashamed, meekness, mercy, moaning and groaning, note that man, of the flesh reap corruption, of the household of faith, on the outside looking in, once the exception now the norm, our Father who art in heaven, our God-forsaken strife-filled world, over the weekend, patience, peace, people being laid of because of AI, personal experience, Praise the Lord, prices on the rise, rat race, salaries not running in tandem with prices, sally forth with confidence, salvation, self-control, serve a useful purpose, shall of the Spirit reap everlasting life, some have no shame whatsoever, some refuse to work, thank you for our jobs, the fruit of the spirit, the lack of a work ethic, the many homeless that exist in our wealthy society, the opportunity to go to work, the prevalence of food banks, the rejuvenation of Spirit, the renewed vitality and enthusiasm, the throne of grace, to meet the enemy in battle, truth, trying to right the wrong, walk among you disorderely, we know we're invincible, we surrender our all to you, we're not afraid, wearing God's powerful protective spiritual armour, whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap, wisdom, work and eat their own bread, working two jobs, wrought in our weary souls
2 Thessalonians 3:13. But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.
And another Monday has rolled around again, a warm, sunshiny one to boot…Praise the Lord! Now why would you do that? Because it gives us the opportunity to go out to work, make some money and experience life at the same time. Yuh know the millions of people around our God-forsaken and strife-filled work who cannot do that, and would gladly give their right arm to be able to do so. Meanwhile, we are here moaning and groaning, complaining about the good things we have going for us.
And no, it’s not always easy or likeable, but just sit and consider for a moment, what would happen to you and your family if you didn’t have a job in this dog eat dog, rat race of a world we currently live in. And you don’t have to go to any far-off, poor countries to see what happens when you don’t have a job and are living in dire poverty. You can see that in the many jobless and subsequently homeless people that exist right here in our prosperous and wealthy society.
And it’s not because they all don’t want to work, but ofttimes, for whatever reason, they cannot get a job. And with the new rage of AI, Artificial Intelligence, lots of people are being laid off, making it even harder to acquire a decent job. So, if you have one to go this Monday morning, then please count yourself blessed and stop complaining about the inequities and injustice that might come with it.
That’s not to say you ought to allow yourself to be taken advantage of by your employer, but be careful how you go about trying to right the wrong, for it’s very easy to find yourself on the outside looking in. And I know, from personal experience, that’s not a very nice place to be.
Now you just need to look at all the food banks that have recently opened, and you’ll see how desperate the situation is. When I first came here some fifty odd years ago, a food bank was the exception rather than the rule, but now it’s the norm, for even those who are working, sometimes two jobs at once, still cannot maintain a family on their wages, especially with prices always on the rise, but salaries not running in tandem.
And talking about working, remember what Bruh Paul wrote to the Thessalonians? ‘For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but they are busybodies.
Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread. But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing. And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish (warn) him as a brother.’ (2 Thess. 3:10-15)
Yes friends, with the lack of work ethic that’s currently in vogue, (smile) it’s not surprising to note that there are many in our society, who refuse to work, instead living off of the Government and any others who will help them. And it would be good if we could shame them into working, but some of them have no shame whatsoever, and will keep on in their disorderly conduct regardless of what we do.
But the important thing to note in all this is that we must not be weary in well doing. In other words, despite the many obstacles we might, or will face, we ought to keep on trying to live the Christian life as best we can. That’s allowing the fruit of the Spirit to flourish in us; echoes of LOVE, joy, peace, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, patience, meekness and self-control. (Gal. 5:22-23)
Which reminds us of these wonderful, encouraging words of Bruh Paul to the Galatians. ‘Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season, we shall reap, if we faint not (do not lose heart). As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.’ (Gal. 6:7-10)
We could not get any better advice than that on this first day of our work week my people. And to help us accomplish it, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid. And it’s a somewhat different prayer today, because I brought back most of the old one, which I think resonates better with our current times.
So, altogether: Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise and thank You this Monday morning for our jobs; jobs we sometimes don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose; keeping lives and families together. We also thank You Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm You’ve wrought in our weary souls over the weekend. It’s that rejuvenation of spirit which now allows us to sally forth with confidence into the evil and ungodly world, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s evil schemes.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing Your powerful, protective spiritual armour! We surrender our all to You, and humbly ask that You allow Your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit to lead and guide all Your servants, as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, thereby furthering Your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Amen!
Now, let’s go out there and make Jesus proud of us! Much LOVE!
…living for Jesus…always means doing our best…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
28 Apr 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a human's work, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, Ai, all scripture is given by inspiration of God, answer our prayers, artificial intelligence, as fresh as the day it was written, blasphemed, christianity, correction, covetousness, damnable heresies, deceptive words, denying the Lord, destructive heresies, destructive ways, die early from boredom, difficult to know what is true, divine aid, ease the pain, evil be spoken of, exploit you, eyewitnesses to Jesus' majesty, faith, false prophets, false teachers, feigned words, find God's wisdom and truth, fit to a T, follow their pernicious ways, fully equipped, gospel truth, has not been idle, have a hobby, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, humility, inspiration of God, instruction in righteousness, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, judgement, justice, lack of physical activity, leading God's people astray, long time lingereth, LOVE, make merchandise of you, making them an example, mass confusion, mercy, missed the work activity, more depressed, of the many suffering from negative situations, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, people are lonelier than ever, people are not trustworthy, pray, productive activity, profitable for doctrine, read the Bible, reproof, retirement, righteousness, salvation, Satan and his fallen angels, scripture, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, social interaction, social media, social media foolishness, strong faith in Christ, suffer the consequences, superficial relationships, swift destruction, that those that came after should live godly, the BIBLE, the Bible is God's word to us, the drop of a hat, the God who heals, the long days of retirement, the Lord's promised to save the righteous and destroy the wicked, the man of God may be perfect, the power of the Holy Ghost, the power to solve our problems, the rigmarole, the throne of grace, the way of the truth, the work life journey, the work of a machine, their damnation slumbereth not, thoroughly furnished unto all good works, to alleviate our problems, truth, turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, what is artificial, wisdom, wise guidance
2 Timothy 3:16. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
And the rigmarole continues, as another work week opens with a warm and sunshiny Monday with temperatures in the high teens. And many of us wonder, will this ever end? Unfortunately, not for a long while, if you’ve just begun the work life journey. And I’d be lying if I told you that you’d eventually get accustomed to it. But the amusing and sad thing is that when you retire after forty years of constant work, ofttimes you end up missing the early morning get up and get out to a job you never liked.
Now that especially happens when you don’t have a hobby or something to keep you occupied during the long days of retirement. That means in planning your retirement you ought to ensure that your days are occupied with some kind of productive activity, otherwise you tend to die early from boredom and a lack of physical activity and social interaction. And please don’t plan on using social media to occupy your time, for inexplicably, although we have so much activity and connections through all the many social media platforms, people are lonelier and more depressed than ever.
That’s possibly because the social media hook ups are not true friendships, but rather tenuous and superficial relationships, which cannot be trusted and are liable to change and /or deteriorate at the proverbial drop of a hat. And it’s somewhat amusing, but oh so sad when you see four supposed friends around a dinner table, supposedly out to spend valuable face time with each other, but each one is more focused on the phone in their hands than on their friends next to them. That’s what the social media foolishness has brought us to.
And to make matters even worse the latest invention, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is sweeping the world like crazy, so that now it’s more difficult than ever to know what is true and what is artificial; what is actually a human’s work and not that of a machine. And that once celebrated thing called truth, is now carelessly bandied about, apparently with there being more than one truth possible in these confusing times. But thankfully, to us Christians, there’s still only, and can ever be only ONE TRUTH; that of the Lord’s Word!
And it will do us good to remember that the Bible is God’s Word to us, and though it’s been around for ages, yet it’s still fresh as the day it was written, and if we read it, we will find God’s wisdom and truth on its pages. And Bruh Paul’s words to Timothy corroborate that statement. ‘All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished (equipped) unto all good works.’ (2 Tim. 3:16-17)
Yes friends, the Bible, God’s Word is the only tome that can provide all that mankind needs to live a good life, and sadly if many more of us would read and put it not practice, our world would be a much better place to abide in. And Peter in talking about the disciples being eyewitnesses to Jesus’ majesty, reinforces Bruh Paul’s statement to Timothy, when he writes: ‘Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation (origin). For the prophecy came not in old (any) time by the will of man: but the holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.’ (2 Pet. 1:20-21)
But of course! The prophets of old did not just write the Bible on their own, but were directed and instructed by the power of the Holy Ghost. Then Peter continues to make another invaluable statement: ‘But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily (secretly) shall bring you in damnable (destructive) heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.’ (2 Pet. 2:1)
And that’s the gospel truth, for there have always been false teachers, and these disruptive and troubled times are filled with a numerous amount of them, false teachers, who are leading God’s people astray. And Peter certainly knew what he was talking about when he continues. ‘And many shall follow their pernicious (destructive) ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of (blasphemed). And through covetousness shall they with feigned (deceptive) words make merchandise of (exploit) you: whose judgement now of a long time lingereth not (has not been idle), and their damnation (destruction) slumbereth not.’ (2 Pet. 2:2-3)
Oh my fellow believers, these greedy, covetous, deceitful and blasphemous times fit those words to a T! Too many of us are following false teachers whose destruction is already lined up. And I like how Peter makes his point for the destruction of the false teachers and those who foolishly follow them, by using the examples of Satan and his fallen angels, the destruction of the ungodly world by flood, with the only humans saved being the righteous.
Then he makes this monumental and true statement. ‘And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow (destruction), making them an ensample (example) unto those that after (afterwards) should live ungodly.’ (2 Pet. 2:4-6) Oh my people, those words should cut right to our very hearts, because all through the Bible the Lord has faithfully promised to save the righteous and to destroy the wicked and ungodly, and there are several examples where He did just that, so why do you think He will not do the same to our very evil and ungodly world today eh? That’s the wisdom of a fool!
So please, let’s get to seriously studying God’s Word and putting it into practice, so that being righteous and godly, we will be saved from God’s destruction. And for help to do that, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning battle Hymn, seeking divine aid. Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise 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 we know what’s necessary to receive divine aid; for a start, let’s try humility, prayer, repentance, and sincerely seeking God’s face. Much LOVE!
…God gave us His Word to live by…and if we don’t…then we’ll suffer the consequences…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
06 Nov 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bastion of white male supremacy, a strangle hold, afraid of women, artificial intelligence, before it's too late, Bible, call a spade a spade, christianity, consequences to sin, contrary to popular opinion, corrupt, disappointment, divine revelation, endure to the end, every one of the is turned back, everyone did what was right in their own eyes, eyes fixed straight ahead, glad to be alive, halfway home, hands on the plough, holy spirit, incompetent, Jesus Christ, LOVE, macho men, mentally stronger, mercy, moral and spiritual decline, no king in Israel, no knowledge, no prophetic revelation, Not having the Holy Spirit's guidance, not knowing god, not turning back, people resist change, prophetic vision, rejecting godly wisdom, running wild, shoot the breeze, social media, take the bull by the horns, thank God, the breath of life, the children of men, the fool hath said in his heart, the glass ceiling, the old white boys club, the people perish, the reins of power, the word of the was rare, the workers of iniquity, there is a God, there is no god, there is none that doeth good, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, turned aside, vengeful, waiting in the wings, wannabe dictator, what they have to gain, what they have to give up, where there is no vision, white male supremacy, wisdom
Proverbs 29:18. Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
Ah friends, the people have spoken! They have elected an old, inept, incompetent, corrupt, vengeful, white male wannabe dictator as the 47th President of the United States, thus assuring the continuation of the U.S. as a bastion of white, male supremacy! But isn‘t that what U.S. democracy is all about – life and liberty and justice for the white population? It’s ever been so, and it’s not going to change while the rich white folk are controlling the purse strings that lead to power. It’s time to stop pussy footing and call a spade a spade!
And isn’t it also interesting that Trump can only win against women candidates. The first time he defeated a white woman, and now a black woman, both of whom are younger, more intelligent and capable than him. In between he was beaten by another old white male. What does that say about the U.S eh? That they’re simply not interested in having a woman lead their government!
Now, that reminds me of something that I noticed when I first came to North America, fifty two years ago; that North American men are afraid of women. In the West Indies, men were not so much afraid of women, but knowing that they would take the bull by the horns and do whatever was necessary, they became lazy, preferring to sit around and drink and shoot the breeze, while the womenfolk did most of the work.
But to this day, in North America we still try to keep women tied to the home and children, and the lesser jobs, while the macho men go out and do the supposedly important work that they believe women cannot do. The trouble is that deep down they know that women are mentally and emotionally stronger than them, and can also do a better job, if given the chance. Just look at the mess males, especially white males have made of our world eh. But the proverbial glass ceiling still tries to throttle their rise to greatness, as the old, white boys club keeps a strangle hold on the reins of power.
And it’s strange that I got an interesting quote yesterday from a friend, which says: ‘The reason people resist change is that they focus on what they have to give up, instead of what they have to gain.’ And that’s very true, since change means forgetting some of the old, hopefully for a better new. But most of us are still afraid of change, especially when we don’t have a good idea of what’s ahead.
And we’ll close this section of our Bit, with these very appropriate words of some wise person. ‘The people get the government they deserve.’ And that’s the gospel truth! By the way, for all of us Canadians who are thumbing our noses at the U.S. for what we consider a terrible choice, please beware that there’s also much dissension in our land, and that there’s also a wannabe dictator quietly waiting in the wings to grab power, if we foolishly elect Him! Nuff said!
That brings us to an interesting and also appropriate bit of scripture for these chaotic times. Its these visionary words of Cousin Sol from Proverbs. ‘Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.’ (Prov. 29:18) In other words my brethren, where there is no prophetic vision in the land, the people run amok, run wild and thus eventually suffer. Meanwhile the New Living Translation (NLT) puts it like this: “When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful.” The “lack of vision” is referring to not knowing God, to not having that guidance of the Holy Spirit.’
And this article on the subject from the bibleref.com website, further enlightens us. They say: ‘This verse emphasizes the extraordinary value of God’s Word. Before the Bible was complete, God revealed His will through prophets. They communicated God’s messages to the people. Solomon observes that the absence of divine revelation leads to moral and spiritual decline. Other lessons in the book of Proverbs point out the dangers which come with rejecting godly wisdom (Proverbs 3:1-2; 8:32-36)
Without divine revelation people follow the dictates of their sinful nature. Instead of society experiencing calm, society wallows in chaos. This happened in the era of the Judges. First Samuel 3:1 tells us, “And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.” Judges 21:25 reports that in the times of the judges, “There was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Invariably, when people do whatever they prefer, they do what is wrong according to the Lord’s will. Today, as in all times throughout history, the culture needs to know what is acceptable to God; the Bible supplies the information.’
But unfortunately, today, just like in the time of the Judges of Israel, there is no prophetic revelation, and therefore too many people are doing what they want; we’re just running wild, especially with the new technologies of Social Media and Artificial Intelligence. We no longer know what is truth from lies. No wonder the disastrous state of our world! And sadly, many people are also putting forth this foolish and unwise theory, as Bruh David writes in Psalms 14 and 53.
‘The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good. God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God. Every one of them is gone back (turned aside): they are altogether become filthy (corrupt); there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread: they have not called upon God.’ (Ps. 53:1-4)
And that’s oh so true my brethren. Too many of us have not called on God, but rather on Satan, as we compromise and live the sinful life that the world promotes. But let’s remember, that THERE IS A GOD, a God, who is constantly looking down on us and sadly shaking His head in disappointment at our oh so sinful ways. Please, for the sake of our grandchildren and their children’s sake, let’s do something godly and worthwhile about it nuh, before it’s too late!
Now, let’s go home declaring (chuh!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry 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!’
And if we endure right to the end with Jesus, then that future will be even more glorious than we ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…contrary to popular opinion…there is a GOD…and there are consequences to ALL sin…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
19 Jul 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new flock of believers, a simple life, acknowledging God, activities curtailed, artificial intelligence, be not wise in thine own eyes, Bible, bring backsliders back to your fold, Cloudstrike, crying out for help, depart from evil, despise not God's chastening, disaster mode, energy, enthusiasm, faith, fear not neither be dismayed, fear the Lord, Friday chant, go to God in prayer, god, God is not a man that he should lie, God's omnipotent help, health to thy navel, honour the Lord with thy first fruits, honour the Lord with thy substance, I am the Lord I change not, Information Technology, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the same yesterday today and for ever, lean not unto thine own understanding, LOVE, marrow to thy bones, monstrous problems, negative circumstances, problems escalating, raise their voices in praise, simmering unrest, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the error of their ways, the Lord will not fail nor forsake thee, the perfect Christian life, the throne of grace, thy barns shall be filled with plenty, thy presses shall burst out with new wine, tremendous reliance on technology, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee, whom the Lord loves he chastens, wisdom
Proverbs 3:5. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
And then it was Friday… but the shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! were not as loud or as plentiful as they usually are because many people are still in disaster mode and don’t have the enthusiasm, energy or faith to raise their voices in praise. But raising out voices in praise is exactly what we ought to do in dire situations because acknowledging God raises our levels of energy, enthusiasm and faith, despite our negative circumstances.
And to make matters worse, this morning there’s been a technological breakdown with a computing firm called Cloudstrike, which has paralyzed systems and events all over the world. It’s not a hacking or invasion of the system but a technological problem and hopefully by day’s end it will be corrected. But in the meantime many institutions, both large and small cannot carry on their business as usual. Consequently, a large portion of the population has also had their activities curtailed by the outage.
It just shows the tremendous reliance we’ve placed on technology and the worldwide difficulties it causes when something goes awry. But that’s the way of our current world, Information Technology (IT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are now ruling the roost. And we’re now experiencing what can happen when we place all our eggs in one fragile basket, for though technology is wonderful when it works properly, but the smallest wrinkle can cause monstrous problems.
We just have to learn to handle those times when technology lets us down. And the first thing we should always do when unexpected situations arise is go to God in prayer for wisdom and strength to handle them. He is our guide and protector and will NEVER lead us down the wrong path. And we have God’s faithful promise of that from way back when Moses said it to the Israelites: ‘And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.’ (Deut. 31:8)
Yes friends that’s the Lord’s ever-faithful promise! And since He does not change, as this commentary tells us: ‘Malachi 3:6 says, “I am the Lord, I change not.” Hebrews 13:8 says Jesus is the same “yesterday, today, and forever.” When everything else shifts and changes, you and I are still standing on a solid, unchanging foundation.’ Wow! What assurance we have my brethren!
And furthermore God doesn’t lie, as the Bible assures us: ‘God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?’ (Num. 23:19) That means whatever He promises, or says He’ll do, it will be done! Matter fixed! And when it comes to seeking godly direction, these wise words from the wisest man who ever lived, Cousin Sol, should be our guiding light.
‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy way acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth or straight) thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones. Honour the Lord with thy substance (possessions), and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses (vats) shall burst out with new wine. My son, despise not the chastisement of the Lord; neither be weary of (detest) his correction: for whom the Lord LOVETH he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.’ (Prov. 3:5-12)
Oh friends, those are verses to live by! Why? Because they encompass all of what God expects from us! Trusting in Him, and not in ourselves; having a reverential fear of Him and not engaging in evil; honouring Him by being generous in our relationships, first to him, and then to our fellow man; and not despising His correction when we do wrong. If we follow those basic desires of God, then our paths will be straight, our bodies will be strong and healthy, our lives will be prosperous; overall, the Lord will cause His face to shine upon us.
But yuh know what? Our intelligence and information levels have risen so much in the last century, that we no longer focus on the simple things in life, everything now needs to be more sophisticated and complex, otherwise it’s not worthwhile. But friends, the simple things have always been, and will always be the best way to go. And we’ve said that to point out the simple commands that Cousin Sol lays down for the perfect Chrisitan life, but we try to make it much more complicated than it ought to be. And hopefully, this time around, those simple directives will stick in our minds and we’ll put them into action and thus simplify out much too complicated lives. (smile)
Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant to help with our earthly problems. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help.
Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And if we truly desire divine aid, then we’ve got to set a better example as believers in Jesus Christ! Much LOVE!
…Jesus lived a simple life for a reason…it was the easiest and best life to live…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
03 Jul 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a voice of thanksgiving, all scripture is given by inspiration of God, artificial intelligence, be thankful unto him, Bible, bless His name, catch our second wind, come before his presence with singing, deceptions, endure right to the end, enter into his gates with thanksgiving, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, glad to be alive, god, God made us and not we ourselves, halfway home, hands on the plough, his mercy is everlasting, his truth endureth to all generations, I am the way the truth and the life, instruction in righteousness, into his courts with praise, Jesus, Jesus Christ, lies, LOVE, no man cometh to the Father, not thinking ahead, not turning back, profitable for doctrine reproof correction, psalms, sanctify them through thy truth, Satan, serve the Lord with gladness, social media, stand our bounce, stick to the truth, thank God, the breath of life, the Lord he is God, The Lord is good, the man of God may be perfect, the sheep of his pasture, the word of the Lord, thoroughly furnished unto all good works, thy word is truth, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, we are his people, Wednesday Wail, wisdom
Psalm 100:2. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
So it’s our mid-week work day, Wednesday, where we usually catch our second wind, but after all that partying this past long weekend, it will take more than a couple of days for us to catch our breath. We might need a whole week off to do that properly. (smile) But unless you take a week’s vacation, I’m afraid that won’t happen, so we’ve got to get it together under these tough circumstances. We should have thought about the tiredness and lack of sleep before we partied so heartily, and now we just have to stand our bounce. That’s what comes from not thinking ahead. (smile)
Anyway, the Good Library just opened unto the Book of Psalms, and the first thing that came to my eyes was Psalm 100, a psalm talking about hearty service to the Lord, serving Him with gladness, with a voice of thanksgiving and praise. And that’s just what we need right now, so let’s read it with a sense of joy and gladness.
‘Make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto the Lord, all ye lands (all the earth). Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.’ (Ps. 100: 1-5)
Yes friends, that’s a very interesting psalm, and is reminiscent of Psalm 145, where Bruh David talks about ‘God’s Unsearchable Greatness.’ But the scholars do have an interesting explanation for this psalm. They say: ‘The word praise in the superscription is actually the word thanksgiving or, more specifically, thank-offering. It was one psalm that accompanied a “thank-offering” (Lev. 7:12) that one presented when God had especially answered a prayer or given a great deliverance. The psalm contains a command to serve (vs. 1-3) and a command to praise (vs. 4-5).
Each section is in turn divided into three calls and three causes. There are three calls to serve, make a joyful noise (vs. 1), serve the Lord (vs. 2), and come before (vs. 2); and three causes for serving, the Lord is God, he hath made us, we are his people (vs. 3). Likewise, there are three calls to praise, enter his gates, be thankful, bless his name (vs. 4), followed by three causes for praise, the Lord is good, his mercy is everlasting, his truth endureth (vs.5).’
So you see my brethren, what we might previously have thought of as a short simple psalm, one to just read and pass over, is truly filled with great scriptural advice, with commands to both serve and praise the Lord. That’s why we cannot simply pass over anything found in the Lord’s word, for everything in there was placed there with a reason, and serves a particular purpose. We ignore stuff from the Bible at our own expense.
And what I like about this psalm is its simple truths, simply put: praise the Lord and serve Him. And when we look at it in the real light of day, those are the only two things we’re truly required to do; praise the Lord and serve him. So, though the Bible is chocked full of all sorts of stuff, the true basics of it is mainly serving God and giving Him thanks for His goodness and mercy towards us underserving children of men. And sometimes we just need to break things down to their basic nature to really get at what they’re trying to tell us.
Now that’s especially true in this modern information age, where so much information is available, and where social media, Artificial Intelligence and Satan are noising about so much stuff, filled with lies and deceptions. That’s why we need to stick to the truth. And what helps us to define and see the truth? The word of the Lord. For as Jesus said when praying for the disciples: ‘They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them (set them apart) through thy truth: thy word is truth.’ (John 17:16-17)
And what does that mean? This excerpt from an article on the subject on the gotquestions.org website explains it thus: ‘In Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer, (John 17) Jesus prays to His Father, saying, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth”. In this verse, Jesus communicates two important facts: God’s Word is truth—God’s Word equals truth—and it’s by that truth that God sanctifies us, or sets us apart for holy service to Himself.’
Therefore, if we want to know truth, then we have to look to God’s Word, for as Bruh Paul wrote to Timothy: ‘All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished (equipped) unto all good works.’ (2 Tim. 3:16-17)
Yes my people, in these very deceptive, fraudulent, and days of outright lying, there are only two places we can look to for the truth; that’s God’s Word and to His Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, who made it very clear when He proclaimed: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father but by me.’ (John 14:6)
So let’s see what we’ve learned today nuh, or merely refreshed our memories on. (smile) Our basic purpose is to serve and praise the Lord, and His Word is truth, as put forth by His Son Jesus who ought to know. But most important of all is that we can only get to the Father through the Son. Let’s never forget that, even as we go home today declaring (awright!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the 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!’
And having said all of that, here’s another truth: if we endure right to very end with Jesus, then that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine. So, in all wisdom and truth, let’s plan to meet right at the very end nuh! Much LOVE!
…the Lord created mankind to communicate with Him…through, praise, service and thanksgiving…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
18 Jun 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a calmitous and fearful place, artificial intelligence, be not afraid, be of good cheer, be strong and of a good courage, Bible, but of power love and a sound mind, christianity, climate change, crapaud smoke we pipe, deception, faith, god, God has not given us the spirit of fear, heat waves, holy spirit, hurry, I am the beloved of god, i have overcome the world, if any man will come after me, in god's eyes, in me ye might have peace, in the world ye shall have tribulation, Jesus, Jesus Christ, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, know the Word of God, let him deny himself, let not your heart be troubled, live the abundant life, LOVE, make thy way prosperous, misinformation, my peace I give unto you, natural disasters, neither be thou dismayed, not as the world gives, observe to do all that's written therein, Peace i leave with you, self-sacrifice, share His love with my neighbours, social media, sshall not depart out of thy mouth, take up his cross daily and follow me, that passes all understanding, the dustbin of history, the Father is with me, the Lord thy God is with thee, the peace of God, these things I have spoken unto you, thsi book of the law, tread very carefully, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, wisdom, worry, yet I am not alone
2 Timothy 1:7. For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.
And then it was Tuesday…another Monday lost in the dustbin of history! And some of you are saying, ‘Thank the Lord!’ (smile) Anyway, according to my computer it’s going to very hot in my area again today with another strong, warm wind blowing it’s way through. But that’s what we expect from summer…well, except the continual strong winds. Right now though, too many places around the globe are having unexpected heat waves and unexpected rainfall, and other natural disasters, like tornadoes, earthquakes and volcano eruptions, very valid signs of climate change.
And those things, in conjunction with the strife-filled disasters that we ourselves have wrought, do serve to make our world a very calamitous and fearful place. That means one has to tread very carefully and examine everything we see and hear in a thorough manner just to ensure that it’s the truth and we’re not being deceived, as deception is rampant nowadays. Yes friends, with all the new technology, things like social media and Artificial Intelligence (AI) the stuff out there is very deceptive, slanted to either provide misinformation, or is often totally untrue.
That’s why believers must know the Word of God, so that they can protect themselves from the constant onslaught, the constant barrage of information being thrown at us in this Information Age. And the first thing we must know is that we’re not supposed to be afraid of engaging this world, for as Bruh Paul spells out in his message to Timothy, and consequently to us: ‘For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7)
Now that’s a very powerful scripture for us to hold on to, because it drives away the constant fear that so many people right now posses in this turbulent and chaotic world. And then, to bolster those memorable words of Bruh Paul to Timothy, there are these wonderful soul-easing, reassuring words of Jesus, promising His divine peace, that He spoke to the disciples when telling them of the coming of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, after He went away. ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27)
Please note friends, that the peace which our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ gives us is not like what the world calls peace. No! His peace is a higher kind of peace; one that is above the understanding of mankind. As Bruh Paul wrote to the Philippians: ‘And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:7) Now that’s the kind of peace we have when we sincerely embrace Jesus and continually meditate on His word.
And I particularly like this promise of peace that He gave to the disciples later on just before His crucifixion. He said to them: ‘Behold the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:32-33)
Wow! What reassuring and uplifting words from our Lord and Saviour! Though we will certainly have tribulation in this evil and ungodly world, we ought not to be fearful, but be of good cheer, because through His death and resurrection He’s conquered the world! And though Jesus knew that all His followers would desert Him in the upcoming rough days, He was assured of His heavenly Father’s company. Likewise my brethren, when we put our sincere and total trust in Christ, we can also be assured that whatever is happening to us in this crazy and disaster-filled world, we are not alone, but have His holy and reassuring presence right there with us, helping us to handle whatever is troubling us.
Oh friends, Jesus never said that following Him would be easy, in fact He knew and said that it would be difficult. Just listen to the requirements for being one of His disciples nuh. ‘If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) Now that’s indeed a rough row to hoe; being always ready for self-sacrifice and daily bearing one’s cross. But just as the Father never left Jesus alone in His earthly tribulation, Jesus will never leave us alone in ours, but will always help us to do His will.
And that’s where our faith comes in. All that we’ve spoken so far does not become real from little faith, but needs strong faith to carry them through. That’s why we need to spend much time in the word of God, also praying and talking to Him, so that our faith can be bolstered. And there’s no better direction on that than these words of the Lord to Joshua when He made him leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. In no uncertain terms, the Lord said to Joshua:
‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (shall constantly be in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.’ (Josh. 1:8-9)
Oh my fellow believers there could be no better encouragement than that! But it’s up to each one of us to take it and work with it to achieve the plans God has for us, otherwise, crapaud smoke we pipe! It’s as simple as that! Now for those of us who are actively trying to live for Christ, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world 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, it now behooves us 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!
…only by meditating on God’s word…then actioning it…can we truly live the abundant life…that Christ died for us to have…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
03 Jun 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a form of godliness, abideth for ever, adrift on a stormy sea, artificial intelligence, Bible, blasphemers, boasters, chaos, checks and balances, christianity, cleanse us from all unrighteousness, covetous, disobedient to parents, enjoying life, evil ways, faith, forgive our sins, forgiving God, god, God is light, gracious, he that doeth the will of God, holy spirit, humble servants, in him is no darkness, in the last days, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus, Jesus Christ, lawlessness, leads to Satan's lair, LOVE, love not the world, lovers of their own selves, make it safely home, merciful, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, neither the things that are in the world, perilous times, proud, self-interests, strong faith in Christ, the devil's own, the directionless road, the God who heals, the love of the Father, the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, the pride of life, the rule of law, the world passeth away, traitors, truth, unholy, usurps our weekend, walk in darkness, walk in the light of Jesus, walking the straight road to heaven, wisdom, wolves in sheep's clothing
1 John 2:15a. LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world.
It’s here friends, right on schedule…Monday…that day so many of us detest, because we believe that it usurps our weekend. (smile) But Monday is just keeping us on the straight and narrow path, reminding us that working for a living is as important, if not more important than just hanging around doing nothing productive, or what we call enjoying life. Without Mondays to wake us up to the reality of life, so many of us would be lost and adrift on a stormy sea of lawlessness and chaos.
So instead of disliking Mondays, let’s tell it thanks for bringing us back into the real world every week. (smile) And it’s especially important for we believers in Christ Jesus who need as many checks and balances as we can get to keep us walking the straight road to heaven and not the directionless one that leads to Satan’s lair.
For as Bruh Paul warned Timothy and by extension us: ‘This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous (money lovers), boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers (irreconcilable), false accusers (slanderers), incontinent (without self-control), fierce (brutal), despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady (reckless), highminded (haughty), lovers of pleasures more (rather) than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.’ (2 Tim. 3:1-5)
Ah mih bredrin, I don’t know if these are really the last days or not nuh, but I do know that those traits Bruh Paul outlined to Timothy are now sweeping our world with an intensity and viciousness like we’ve never seen before. The rule of law is being overturned in numerous places, only to be replaced by strife and chaos. Likewise the rule of God is disregarded as if it never existed. That means apostasy, or turning away from God is a major casualty in these turbulent times.
We also have a warning from John in his first epistle about the chaotic situation that’s in progress in our world. He says: ‘LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh (physical desires), and the lust of the eyes (personal desires), and the pride of life (self-interests), is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.’ (1 John 2:15-17)
Now that’s a plain as day. All the stuff that’s happening in the world is not of God, and as children of God we ought to stay away from it. And let’s not forget the ongoing problem we have of false teachers, who are also out in great numbers. They preach their own version of the Bible, slanted towards their own aggrandizement and though it seems that they are in tune with God, in actual fact they are the devil’s own, like wolves in sheep’s clothing, and thus have God’s people unknowingly going astray.
That’s why it’s ever so important for believers to truly know God’s Word, so that they can compare what they hear and see to what the Word says, because there are so many unscrupulous people out there taking advantage of those with little or weak knowledge of God’s Word. Christianity is definitely not an easy path to tread these days, since there are so many pitfalls being laid out to capture the weary, the gullible and those who simply don’t know any better.
And with all the new technology, like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the social media platforms, falsehood and deceit are running rampant and will only get worse as our areas of expertise and knowledge widen. Thus we believers ought to exert every effort to do as John advises: ‘This then is the message which we have heard of him (Jesus), and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not (practice) the truth:
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.’ (1 John 1:5-10)
That my fellow saints is the style of life we need to adopt; walk in the light of Jesus and do our best not to be entrapped by the profusion of sin and temptation that’s currently in the world. However, if we do become ensnared by it, then we must not deceive ourselves or be ashamed, but be big enough to admit it and go to the Father in repentance for forgiveness and cleansing. Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, for help to keep walking the straight path in these very dangerous and ungodly times.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Let’s not forget the importance of turning from our evil ways, if we truly desire divine assistance. Much LOVE!
…the road may be rough and rocky…but we have all we need to make it safely home…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
17 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a house full of sacrifices with strife, a positive difference, a word fitly spoken, a world of iniquity, artificial intelligence, Bible, bitter envying, christianity, death and life are in the power of the tongue, defileth the whole body, demonic, disciples of Christ, don't boast, easy to be intreated, endure to the end, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, fight the good fight, fraudulent world, gentle, glory not, god, gossip, hands on the plough, hard work, he that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life, he that openeth wide his lips, in peace of them that make peace, in settings of silver, Jesus, Jesus Christ, keep the door of my lips, lawlessness of our tongues, lie not against the truth, lies, like apples of gold, LOVE, my God will supply all your needs, peaceable, scriptural tidbits, sensual, set a watch O Lord before my mouth, set on fire of hell, setteth on fire the course of nature, shall eat the fruit thereof, shall have destruction, sown in peace, strengthening our backbones, strife, thank God, the breath of life, the fruit of righteousness, the tongue is a fire, they that love it, through His riches in glory, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, wisdom is earthly
Psalm 141:3. Set a watch (guard), O Lord, before my mouth; keep (watch over) the door of my lips.
And just like that, the sunshine has disappeared, and a rainy day has foisted itself upon us. But because we have Jesus, we roll right along with whatever punch the world, or the devil chooses to throw at us! And helping us to do so are some more of those scriptural tidbits we call acclamations, like this one: ‘My God will supply all of my needs through His riches in glory through Christ our Lord and Saviour!’ (Phil. 4:19) And indeed He will, if we live the life He desires of us. And this one is oh so necessary for so many of us: ‘Set a watch (guard), O Lord, before my mouth; keep (watch over) the door of my lips.’ (Ps. 141:3)
Yes friends, in this talkative, lying, fraudulent, gossipy world, believers most definitely need to watch what they say, as our words can get us in very serious trouble. Remember what Cousin Sol says in Proverbs: ‘Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that LOVE it shall eat the fruit thereof.’ (Prov. 18:21) Oh my fellow believers that’s the gospel truth, those of us who LOVE to blabber will certainly suffer for it. Remember too that old saying, you shall eat those words? And all of us have seen it come to pass in our lives when we’ve spoken some unkind or unnecessary words.
And again, Cousin Sol reminds us in Proverbs: ‘He that keepeth (guards) his mouth keepeth (preserves) his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.’ (Prov. 13:3) And no, it’s not easy to control our tongue, for as James so wisely discourses: ‘And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members; that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature (our existence); and it is set on fire of hell.’ (James 3:6)
And as the scholars explain: ‘The tongue is a system (world) of iniquity that sets on fire the whole course of life, and is even set on fire by Satan (cf. 3:15) That means the tongue causes a whole lot of problems in our individual, lives as well as our world. What causes wars and rumours of wars, etc. etc. talk and the lawlessness of our tongues. And that reference above there is important enough for us to take it up from verse 13. James writes, concerning earthly and heavenly wisdom: ‘Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge (has understanding) among you? let him shew out of a good conversation (conduct) his works with meekness of wisdom (that his works are done with meekness of wisdom).
But if ye have bitter envying and strife (self-seeking) in your hearts, glory not (don’t boast), and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish (demonic). For where envying and strife is (self-seeking exist), there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated (willing to yield), full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.’ (James 3:13-18)
Yes my fellow saints, our tongues can be used for good or evil, but it all depends on which one we choose to use them for. Yuh see what happens when we allow Beelzebub to use our tongues; strife and envying, bitterness and boasting take place. But when we allow the Lord to set a watch upon our lips, His heavenly wisdom comes down to us and we seek peace, goodness, righteousness without partiality or hypocrisy. Now isn’t that the better way? It certainly is! But unfortunately in this current version of our world, one that’s so evil and ungodly, Satan has the upper hand when coming to the tongue, for so many lies, deceitful practices, strife, hypocrisy and partiality are present that it’s brought our world into a total scene of chaos and disaster.
And social media and the new darling of the public AI (Artificial Intelligence) are just encouraging the lies and misdirection that’s already so widespread on the earth. Then, unfortunately, those of us who know better, Christians, are not pulling our weight, not helping to reduce the garbage that’s circulating in our world, but some of us even add to it by spreading gossip and stories that we know nothing about, instead of trying to limit the foolishness that’s been so easily spread abroad, and also flourishes, or as the word says, goes viral within seconds.
Oh my people, my people, we have a big task ahead of us, trying to sow peace and righteousness on the earth, and we might never accomplish it until Jesus returns, but the important thing is that we try; we try to turn things around as best we can. But therein lies the problem, not enough of us are willing to try. We just want to sit back and enjoy the fruits, the entitlement that we can get from doing nothing. And to a certain point I can understand that reasoning, because trying to make a positive difference means hard work, sacrifices and other stuff our flesh detests.
But what about our spirits eh? What about the power, wisdom and LOVE we have from our great God? What about the sacrifices our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ made for us? Are we just going to allow them to be in vain? I certainly hope not. That’s why I’m pleading with us to begin making a difference, strengthening our backbones so that we can sacrifice some of our pleasure and leisure to fight the good fight of peace and righteousness in Jesus’ name. Now it’s up to us to get out into the world and be shining beacons of light and salty and tasty elements of peace and righteousness, as Jesus desires and expects of us. Remember, that’s our bounden duty as disciples of Christ!
Now, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our amazing and invincible and 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!’
And for good measure, if we endure right down to the very end with Jesus, then that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine. So let’s be wise and plan to meet at the very end nuh, so that we can enjoy that glorious future together! Much LOVE!
…a word fitly spoken (spoken at the right time)…is like apples of gold…in pictures (settings) of silver…(a timely and fitting word is precious and pleasing)…(Prov. 25:11)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
19 Dec 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: and share His love with the world, artificial intelligence, beloved of God, Christ - the reason for the season, Christ's Resurrection, draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you, faith, God commendeth his love for us, God is the strength of my heart, God sent His only begotten Son, God so loved the world, gossip, hurry, in god's eyes, it is good for me to draw near to God, Jesus Christ, lock stock and barrel, LOVE, nothing can separate us from God's love, redemption of sins, resist the devil and he will flee from you, salvation, slander, social media, speak not evil one of another, submit yourselves to God, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, the Birth of Christ, the breadth and depth of God's love, the light of God surrounds me, the love of God enfolds me, the power of God protects me, the presence of God watches over me, there is one lawgiver, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, wherever I am God is there, while we were yet sinners christ died for us, wisdom, worry
Romans 5:8. But God commendeth (demonstrated His own) LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Oh friends, this Tuesday of Christmas week has turned out to be somewhat contrary. (smile) It’s windy and cold, with a sprinkling of snow on the ground, and a cloudy kind of sunshine overshadowing the whole thing. Apparently, we had a snow warning for last night, but thankfully it did not hit our neighbourhood. But who knows what today will bring weatherwise, so if you’re going out, please be prepared for anything. And also, as we go about our Christmas preparations, let’s remember to always have Christ in mind as being the true reason for the season. We’ve already had the greatest gifts ever; the birth of Christ and His redemption of our sins, now we just have to trust and obey, for there’s no better way, to be happy in this crazy, evil and ungodly world.
Now here’s a li’l prayer to remind us of all that our wonderful and ever magnanimous God does for us. Please pray with me: ‘The LIGHT of God surrounds me. The LOVE of God enfolds me. The POWER of God protects me. The PRESENCE of God watches over me. Where ever I am, God is there! And ALL is well! Yes ALL is well! Amen!’ And that ought to be a big, heartfelt, sincere ‘Amen’ because of the numerous ways in which Jehovah God surrounds and protects us. Just imagine nuh, we have His LIGHT surrounding us, His LOVE enfolding us, His POWER protecting us, and His PRESENCE constantly watching over us! Wow! We can’t ask for any more than that, because there’s nothing more to be had, that’s everything!
Ah mih people, if we truly knew and understood how our heavenly Father cares for us, the breadth and depth of His LOVE and compassion, towards us, His most important and favoured creation, we would never, or rather, we’d try our very best not to ever disobey or disappoint Him. And I don’t believe there’s anything bigger and better that He could have done after we fell into the bondage of sin and disobedience than send His ONLY Son to take our abominable sins on His sinless shoulders and sacrifice His life on the cross of Calvary, so that we could be redeemed, be reconciled to Him. How many of us would do anything like that for a bunch of worthless sinners eh? Very few of us, if any!
However, the Word tells us: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated His own) LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8) And later on in that same letter to the church at Rome, Bruh Paul reiterated his convictions by writing: ‘( Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Rom. 8:39) In other words, nothing whatsoever can ever separate us from God’s LOVE that is to be found in Christ Jesus!
Meanwhile, Jesus Himself pointed out the great LOVE that the Father has for us, when He said to Nicodemus, the Pharisee who came to Him by night seeking answers to confusing questions. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:16-17)
Now, that’s the kind of LOVE and compassion God has for us! But do we truly believe or appreciate it? No way! Otherwise our lives would not be in such a sad state of disarray, of willful sin and disobedience, and Christ’s church would not be the breeding ground it is, for all sorts of ungodly stuff. Neither would we forget and/or neglect to remember that this season of Christmas, when Christ was born, is the beginning of the story of our marvellous and miraculous redemption, that ends with Christ’s earth-shattering resurrection on that first Easter morn!
Instead of our current behaviour and lifestyle, we ought to be saying and believing like the psalmist Asaph did in his famous Psalm 73, after being deceived by the prosperity of the wicked, then going into the Lord’s sanctuary and realizing their eventual destruction: ‘My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart (my rock), and my portion for ever… But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.’ (Ps. 73:26 &28)
Oh my fellow believers, if we could only make those things true in our own lives, what a wonderful world we’d have! Drawing near to God, surrendering our all to Him, and faithfully declaring (steups!!!) His mighty works are the things we so badly need right now, so that we can fight the good fight of faith that’s staring us in the face, as Satan ramps up his offensive against the people of God. That’s why James warns and encourages us to: ‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted (lament), and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness (gloom). Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.’ (James 4:7-10)
Yes friends, that’s where it all begins; by drawing nearer to God, humbling ourselves in His sight, and overall cleaning up our lives. Now, James ends that passage with a further warning and admonishment, but I’ve kept it separate, because it’s of ever so much importance in our current society. He concludes it thus: ‘Speak not evil one of another brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another.’ (James 4:11-12)
Ah mih people, evil speaking, lying, slandering, gossiping and the many other forms of verbal abuse are running rampant in our society because of the proliferation of social media and our technological revolution. And with the recent improvements of Artificial Intelligence, it’s slated to become even worse. The sad part of it all though is because of this technical revolution, we can spread bad and false news without risk of incurring the necessary consequences. Thus, too many of us talk and are judgemental about things we know absolutely nothing about, therefore breeding even more evil in our society.
And yes, we will all have opinions on all sorts of topics, but please, let’s try and restrict spreading them nuh, especially the ones we know nothing about. That would indeed be a valuable start to cleaning up our gossipy, lying world. Now, let’s go home declaring (chuh!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel! As one 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!’
Now, let’s go out and do just that nuh; trust our awesome friend Jesus and share His amazing LOVE with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…all talk and no action…gets us nowhere fast…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
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