27 Jul 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a desire for easy living, a desire to be comfortable, a little folding of the hands to sleep, a little sleep, a little slumber, a prowler, a secret destination, a secret purpose, allow your incredible aura of love, amenitites that make life easy, as a thief in the night, as one that travelleth, be as busy as the days, be prepared for whenever Jesus returns, be ye also ready, begin a new week of work, buffeted and bombarded, busy like bees, consider her ways and be wise, diligence, dire poverty, divine aid, faith, fill us with steadfast faith, filled with doom and gloom, for in such an hour as ye think not, foresight, furthering your glorious kingdom, gathereth her food in the harvest, get left behind, go out to meet the enemy in battle, go to the ant thou sluggard, having no guide overseer ruler, he becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand, holy spirit, how long wilt thou sleep O sluggard, into the evil and ungodly world, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs that serve a useful purpose, known when the thief would come, laggards, laziness leads to dire poverty, lead and guide all your servants, leaves a lot to be desired, life lessons, living in our efforts of yesteryear, living on past glory, LOVE, make worthwhile inroads into the enemy's ranks, mercy, not allowed his house to be broken into, perpetual laziness, poverty comes quickly and unexpectedly, prepare for unpredictable circumstances, prepare for unpredictable situations, prosperity comes from diligent work, prosperity requires contiual diligence, provideth her meat in the summer, raise our work ethic, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality and enthusiasm, sally forth with confidence, salvation, self-motivation, serve a useful purpose, so shall thy poverty come, stop being lackadaisical, suffer the resulting consequences, sure conquerors, the ant is a self-starter, the enemy's evil schemes, the error of their ways, the goodman of the house, the hand of the diligent maketh rich, the last Monday in July, the sense of entitlement, the Son of man cometh, the throne of grace, this generation's work ethic, thy want as an armed man, treading down a road to certain destruction, truth, unpredictable times, unstable and uncertain times, we surrender our all to you, we're not afraid, wearing your powerful protective spiritual armour, what a surprise, when wilt thou arise, wisdom, work ethic, would have watched, wrought in our weary souls
Today’s Scrip-Bit 27 July 2026 Proverbs 6:6.
Proverbs 6:6. Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
And here we are on a hot, somewhat cloudy day; the last Monday in July…what a surprise! It should not be, because the days are rapidly moving ahead as though they have some secret purpose; some secret destination to reach in a certain amount of time and they are just busy like bees going about their jobs, regardless of if it’s causing some of us problems. (smile)
The truth though, is that we should be just as busy as the days are, doing what God has called us to do. We cannot afford to be laggards, or else we’ll simply get left behind and thus suffer the resulting consequences. And that advice is even more apropos for today’s world than ever before, since every day more problems are arising and what was once a reasonably sure and secure life, now seems unstable and uncertain at the best of times.
And how are we supposed to behave, you ask? Generally speaking, as Jesus desires, but I guess more specifically and to the point, as Cousin Sol advises in Proverbs. ‘Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide (leader), overseer or ruler, Provideth her meat (grains, bread) in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.’ (Prov. 6:6-8) Now that’s a wonderful bit of advice for all of us!
Yes friends, Cousin Sol is using the lowly ant to teach us life lessons re that most important subject of work ethic; ‘featuring themes of diligence, foresight and self-motivation.’ And that’s rather interesting, since the ant has neither, leader, ruler nor overseer to guide him, but nonetheless knows instinctively to collect food in the summer harvest months so that he will be able to survive in the hard, cold winter months. In other words, as the scholars say: ‘The ant is a self-starter, and is wise enough to prepare for unpredictable circumstances.’
And all of us know that our crazy times can, and will produce unpredictable circumstances, that’s why it’s ever so necessary to do our best and be prepared for them when they come. But Cousin Sol doesn’t only point out the ant’s wise work ethic; he also preaches to the sluggard, lazy person directly, showing them the error of their ways.
He asks? ‘How long wilt thou sleep (lie down, be lazy), O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth (a prowler), and thy want (need) as an armed man.’ (Prov. 6:9-11) Yes my bredrin, perpetual laziness is filled with only doom and gloom. As Cousin Sol points out; it leads to dire poverty, and that dire poverty will come as quickly, unexpectedly and decisively as a robber or thief hits in the dark of night.
Remember how Jesus warned about His return. ‘But know this, that if the goodman (master) of the house had known in what watch (hour) the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered (allowed) his house to be broken up (into). Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.’ (Matt. 24:43-44)
Oh my people, just as we should stop being lackadaisical and be prepared for whenever Jesus returns, likewise we must stop being lazy in our work habits and prepare for the unpredictable circumstances that will arise, but which we will be unable to handle if we continue to be lazy. And sadly, in our very progressive world, we possess too many amenities that make life much easier than before, and when we add the sense of entitlement that currently permeates our society, they have bred a desire for comfortable, easy living.
Thus, the work ethic of this generation leaves a lot to be desired. And if they don’t wake up soon and realize that they are treading down a road to certain destruction, then that’s where they will eventually end up. And it’s very unfortunate, that we seem to gather more knowledge every day, but we also seem to lose just as much too, in particular this most important aspect; that prosperity arises out of sincere and serious work, but prosperity does not stick around long without continuous sincere and serious work.
And we see that happening all down through the ages; countries getting prosperous by encouraging a good work ethic, but when the prosperity arrives, the work ethic eventually dies and living on our efforts of yesteryear begin, and so does the decline and destruction of the society. However, as true believers in Jesus Christ, we have options, and one of those is to go to the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine aid in these most unpredictable times.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise and thank You this Monday morning for our jobs; jobs we sometimes don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose; keeping lives and families together. We also thank You Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm You’ve wrought in our weary souls over the weekend. It’s that rejuvenation of spirit which now allows us to sally forth with confidence into the evil and ungodly world, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s evil schemes.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing Your powerful, protective spiritual armour! We surrender our all to You, and humbly ask that You allow Your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit to lead and guide all Your servants, as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, thereby furthering Your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And having said all of that, let’s now go out and raise our work ethic as required! Much LOVE!
…He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack (negligent) hand…but the hand of the diligent maketh rich… (Prov. 10:4)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
30 Nov 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a banner year for peace and love, a God of hope, a wonderful experience, adhere to Jesus, all should come to repentance, an acolyte of Satan, as a thief in the night, be caught up in the clouds, be not ignorant of this one thing, Bible, cast into the lake of fire, christianity, comfort one another with these words, compassion, crapaud smoke yuh pipe, deepen my breath, descend from heaven with a shout, encouragement, eternal death, eternal life, every one that doeth evil hateth the light, evil deeds, faith, free will, guided like a moth, he that doeth the truth comes to the light, hide from the light, his deeds may be made manifest, holy spirit, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, increase my awareness of you, intimacy with god, Jesus Christ, Jesus wins, kindness, know you all the more, laziness, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, lest his deeds be reproved, live for Christ, longsuffering, LOVE, loyalty, men loved darkness rather than light, mercy, neither comes to the light, not willing that any should perish, obedience, one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, repentance, salvation, Satan, shall rise first, sincerity, sinful pleasures, slow my thoughts, so shall we ever be with the Lord, stay strong, tenderness, the amazing presence of God, the day of the Lord, the dead in christ, the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the fallen angel Lucifer, the Great tribulation, the heavens shall pass away, the judgement, the light is come into the world, the Lord is not slack concerning His promise, the Rapture of Christ's church, the trump of God, the voice of he archangel, their deeds are evil, to meet the Lord in the air, to the flame of Jesus, truth, warms the cockles of God's heart, we which are alive, wrought in God
John 3:20. For every one that doeth (practices) evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds shall be reproved (exposed).
Yes friends, on this last day of November, our lazy-day Saturday has arrived, windy and cold, but with more sunshine than cloud, and we’ll take it however it comes, for we can laze around in any kind of weather. (smile) And I did manage to get in some early morning laziness, so I’m not feeling too envious of those of you who can afford to spend the whole day doing nothing. But enough laziness, let’s get to the Lord’s business, and offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer with all sincerity and truth.
As one voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And it’s always a wonderful experience to come into the amazing presence of our great God; to get into deeper intimacy with Him, for that’s His greatest desire. So let’s never forget that He made us to have deep intimacy with Him, to LOVE Him as He LOVES us! The Lord needed a creation to LOVE, to show His great kindness and compassion to, in return for obedience and loyalty. And there’s nothing that warms the cockles of His heart like His creation seeking deeper intimacy with Him.
It’s unfortunate though, that with the free will He also gave us, not many of His creation are using it to choose Him, but rather to choose the sinful pleasures and evil deeds of the world controlled by the fallen angel Lucifer. It obviously breaks His heart to see so many of us falling under the evil spell of the great deceiver, but thankfully our God is the God of hope, hoping that many more, if not all of us, will one day receive His Son, Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
Listen, as Peter spells it out in his second epistle. ‘But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.’ (2 Pet. 3:8-10)
Oh my people, the Lord in His everlasting kindness is giving us a long time to come to repentance and thus obtain salvation, for He will prefer that none of His most marvellous creation suffers hellfire and damnation. However, He will not wait forever, and after the many warnings He’s given us, one day, Jesus will simply appear unexpectedly, like a thief in the night, bringing with the Him the final judgement of man. And if you’re still an acolyte of Satan, then you will suffer the same punishment as him, being cast into the lake of fire, with eternal separation from Almighty God.
Now that is the worst thing that can ever happen to a human soul, which means you need to repent and receive salvation as soon as possible, in fact RIGHT NOW, for who knows if Jesus will return to Rapture us sometime today, and if you’re not ready, then crapaud smoke yuh pipe! You’ll have to go through the Great Tribulation which will be nothing like the earth has ever seen before, and after that, the judgement!
So, wouldn’t it be much better to be amongst this lot as Bruh Paul wrote to the Thessalonians. ‘For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump (trumpet) of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever (always) be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.’ (1 Thess. 4:16-18)
Oh my fellow believers, those are indeed comforting words! How can they not be? Knowing that when Christ returns to rapture His church that those of us who held on to Him till the very end, both dead and alive will rise to meet Him in the skies certainly gives one comfort and encouragement to stay strong and live for Christ despite the many trials and tribulations we will face in this evil and ungodly world.
And I like this brief commentary on the Rapture: ‘When Christ enters the cloud, he brings us with him, not just the first disciples. As he took on our humanity and took it to the cross, so he brings us into the presence and glory of God. As he pours grace upon us, he makes us sharers in the Divine Presence.’ Now what could be better than that eh? Absolutely nothing!
And yuh know the whole thing is not rocket science nuh, but simple common sense, for if the sinful pleasures of this world are short-lived, and Satan has nothing to eventually offer but hellfire and damnation, why take up with him eh? Why subjugate yourselves to his awful lies, deceits and half-truths of which he is a master. On the other hand, if you adhere to Jesus then you will probably enjoy a tough but decent life down here on earth, then a marvellous one with Him in heaven for all eternity. There’s absolutely no comparison! Jesus wins hands down every time!
But, for whatever reason, many of us seem enamoured with the keeper of the darkness and live for him. I guess it’s like Jesus said: ‘And this is the condemnation, that (the) light is come into the world, and men LOVED darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil. For every one that doeth (practices) evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds shall be reproved (exposed). But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.’ (John 3:19-21)
Oh, my fellow saints, that’s a marvellous note for us to end on today! So please, let’s spend some of our lazy-day Saturday time pondering the truth of those words as they apply to us nuh. Are our deeds evil, thus we hide from the light…or are our deeds filled with truth, and thus we are guided like a moth to the flame of Christ? It’s time to take serious account of our spiritual condition! Much LOVE!
…we were granted wisdom and free will…that we could choose…eternal life with Christ…not eternal death with Satan…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
07 Jun 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a free day to look forward to, a rewarder of them that diligently seek him, according to his work, as a thief in the night, be merciful as your Father is merciful, Bible, carry them in his bosom, christianity, diligence, divine aid, do good, faith, faithful believers, faithfulness, feed his flock like a shepherd, Friday chant, gather the lambs with his arm, gently lead those that are with young, god, he that cometh to God must believe that He is, his reward is with him, his work is before him, hoping for nothing again, I come quickly, Jesus, Jesus Christ, lend, living fully for Christ, LOVE, Love your enemies, mercy, my reward is with me, our sinful world, restoring faith in God, return backsliders to your fold, simmering unrest, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the benefits of living for Christ, the children of the Highest, the crown of life, the error of their ways, the Lord God will come with strong hand, the Lord promised to the that love him, the rewards, the throne of grace, the weekend, tired as a dog, to give to every man, traffic jams, true disciples of Christ, truth, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee, when he is tried, wisdom, wise guidance, without faith it is impossible to please God, your reward shall be great
Revelation 22:12. And behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give to every man according as his work shall be.
And that distinctive weekly shout has gone out all around the world: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! Just let me at that weekend!’ Ah mih people, we do LOVE our weekends, because they belong to us, not to any employer, and we don’t have to get up early to go to work, nor face frustrating traffics jams to get there, then spend the whole day with people we don’t like, or who don’t like us, then face more irritating traffic jams to get back home, tired as a dog. No, the weekend is ours; sanctified as such. (smile) But we still have to get through Friday. No problem! Apparently since we have a free day to look forward to tomorrow.
How wonderful it would be if we could look forward to Christ and His salvation the same way, meaning, we’d have no problem living fully for Him today! That’s a major problem though with believers; for with Christ we can only look to today, that makes it difficult to live sincerely and fully for Him. But just imagine the rewards and benefits we’ll be having in heaven with Jesus nuh. Remember what He says in Revelation: ‘And behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give to every man according as his work shall be.’ (Rev. 22:12)
That means Jesus can come at any time, like the proverbial thief in the night, and when He comes He will be rewarding people for their work on His behalf. So, if we want to get good rewards, then our work must be good. It’s as simple as that! And there is talk of rewards for working on Jesus’ behalf all though God’s Word. Let’s check out a few, like this one from Isaiah, where centuries before he spoke about the Lord’s coming with rewards.
‘Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand (in strength), and his arm shall rule for him: behold his reward is with him, and his work (wage) before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.’ (Is. 40:10-11) What a beautiful picture my brethren of Jesus’ coming and the work He will do. Doesn’t that just lift your spirits and increase your faith? It ought to, since it was prophesied long before the actual coming of Jesus.
Now, here’s this scripture from Hebrews that speaks directly to our point.. ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him (God): for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb.11:6) Yes friends, it’s ever so necessary to believe that God exists and He rewards those who diligently seek Him. That’s from the famous chapter on faith, with people like Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joseph not knowing or seeing what lay ahead of them, but nonetheless placing their total trust and faith in the Lord God Almighty when He directed them to do things they knew not how to do, or to go places, not knowing exactly where they were going.
And they were all greatly rewarded by Him for their diligence and faithfulness. The same thing applies to us today, as Jesus says in the gospel of Luke. ‘But LOVE your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again (in return); and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father is merciful.’ (Luke 6:35-36)
However, at this current time in the world’s existence, rather unfortunately, the words ‘mercy and merciful’ are not well known, nor are their fruit much extended like our heavenly Father desires. What a pity! For if they and their fruit were better known and extended, then there would not be as much strife, greed, hatred and selfishness as there currently is on God’s great earth!
And James, Jesus’ brother, adds his two cents worth to the mix, when he writes in his epistle: ‘Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that LOVE him.’ (James 1:12) Ah my fellow saints, all throughout the Good Library, the Bible, the indisputable truth of God’s Word, are deeply embedded promises of rewards, righteousness and all kinds of other goodies for expending one’s time and talents on the Lord’s behalf. Let’s hope that with today’s revisiting of some of those scriptures that our hope and faith will be renewed and lead us to better fulfill God’s plan for our lives.
Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid to help in these desperate times of need. 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!’
Lastly, let’s remember these very significant words from our prayer: ‘the example, we, your faithful believers set.’ And then go out and be very good examples, so others can see the benefits of believing in Jesus and follow our example. That’s the first step in receiving divine aid! Much LOVE!
…many more salty…light filled…true disciples of Christ…is what our world badly needs…RIGHT NOW…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
28 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a place of meaning, alive and remain, all be changed in a moment, as a thief in the night, Bible, christianity, comfort one another with these words, eternal bright and fair, eternal separation from God, faith, fellowship, gather over on the other shore, god, his chosen ones shall gather, I shew you a mystery, I'll be there, immortal, in the centre of the perfect will of God, in the twinkling of an eye, James M Black, Jesus Christ, labour for the Master, let God's grace guide you, LOVE, morning breaks, no man knoweth, of that day and hour, our work on earth is done, put on incorruption, renewed in spirit, sacrifices, salvation, the coming of the Son of man, the dead in Christ shall rise first, the dead raised incorruptible, the eternal salvation of God, the glory of his resurrection share, the last trump, the rapture of the church, the reward is worth the price, the saved of the earth, the trumpet of the Lord shall sound, their home beyond the skies, time shall be no more, to meet the Lord in the air, truth, watch therefore, what hour your Lord doth come, when all of life is over, when the roll is called up yonder, wisdom, yonder
1 Thessalonians 4:16c. and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Brother, do these Sundays ever come around quickly! But I guess that’s for our benefit, as it seemingly shortens the time between our Sunday visits to the Lord’s sanctuary, where we fellowship and worship and are renewed in spirit, body and soul for another active week in the devil’s den, our ungodly and evil world! But whether time is going fast or slow, the fact remains that we’re in church today and are going to sing one of the most popular Christian hymns of all time, ‘When the Roll is called up Yonder.’
The song was written in 1893 by James M. Black, the Youth Pastor at a church in Williamsport, PA, It’s central theme is being in Heaven when your time has come and not missing out on the eternal salvation of God. And it was apparently inspired by the idea of The Book of Life mentioned in the Bible, (Rev. 20) and by the absence of a child from a poor family in Black’s Sunday school class when the attendance was taken. The idea of someone not being in attendance in heaven haunted Black, and after visiting the child’s home and calling on a doctor to attend her for pneumonia, he went home and wrote the song after not finding one on a similar topic in his hymn collection.
So, now knowing some the song’s background, let’s sing it, offer up our sweet sacrifices of praise in a mid-tempo sincere and heartfelt version, letting all and sundry, including heaven, know of where we’re going one fine day when it’s all over down here on earth. Singing: ‘When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound, and time shall be no more, And the morning breaks, eternal, bright and fair; When the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore, And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there. (Refrain:) When the roll is called up yonder, When the roll is called up yonder, When the roll is called up yonder, When the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there).
On that bright and cloudless morning when the dead in Christ shall rise, And the glory of His resurrection share; When His chosen ones shall gather to their home beyond the skies, And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there. (Refrain) Let us labor for the Master from the dawn till setting sun, Let us talk of all His wondrous LOVE and care; Then when all of life is over, and our work on earth is done, And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there. (Refrain:) When the roll is called up yonder, When the roll is called up yonder, When the roll is called up yonder, When the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there).’
Now that roll call up yonder is the expectation of finding a home in heaven when the days on earth are done. And we’re truly sorry for those who won’t find themselves in that heavenly home on that fateful day, that’s those who have not accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour while alive here on earth. Unfortunately, they will experience the worst thing that can ever happen to a human being, eternal separation from God. But that’s the choice they made. And by the way, no one knows when that day will be, for as Jesus said: ‘But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe (Noah) were, so shall the coming of the Son of man be… Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.’ (Matt. 24:36-37, 42)
Yes friends, we don’t know when our Lord and Saviour is coming back, but we know for sure that He will return. And Bruh Paul and Peter both state that He will come as a thief in the night (1 Thess. 5:2; 2 Pet. 3:10). That reinforces Christ’s statement to be on guard. And where do we find the surety of these words in the song? ‘When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound and time shall be no more, and the morning breaks eternal bright and fair; when the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore, and the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.’
Basically from these two scriptures from the pen of Bruh Paul. The first one to the church at Corinth: ‘Behold, I shew you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump (trumpet): for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.’ (1 Cor. 15:51-53) So on that day when the trump of God blows, our corruptible bodies will rise and become incorruptible and immortal.
Then in 1 Thessalonians, Bruh Paul writes: ‘For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump (trumpet) of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever (always) be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.’ (1 Thess. 4:16-18) Yes friends, that basically describes the Rapture of the church, where the Lord will come for us and take us away to yonder home forever.
But them some of us ask, what’s this ‘yonder’ all about eh? And I found this commentary that puts it rather nicely. ‘It says: ‘Yonder is the place of meaning, purpose, and destiny that God has planned for your life. It’s the place of being in the center of the perfect will of God. It’s the place of doing what you were created to do. Everything you go through in life will bring you to Yonder . . . if you will let God’s grace guide you. Are you willing to make the journey?’
Now that’s a question that each of us must ask ourselves. The wise ones will not only say ‘Yes!’ but also put their backs to the tasks, the sacrifices and tough times involved in the journey, knowing that the reward up yonder, will certainly be worth the earthly price we pay. Much LOVE!
…to end up up yonder…Christ must rule our lives down here…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
23 Sep 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a Christ-like group, a little folding of the hands to sleep, a little slumber, a self-starter, and be wise, and gathereth her food, as a thief in the night, as one that traveleth, be ye also ready, consider her ways, Crhist's return, dire poverty, doomed to spending eternity, enjoyment of good living, for in such an hour as ye think not, go to the ant, halfway home, hands fixed on the plough, hang on to the vine, having no guide leader overseer, how long wilt thou sleep, I'm not turning back, in the harvest, in the heat and torment of hell, in the summer, laziness, live high on the hog, mea culpa, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, no taskmaster, O sluggard, predictable circumstances, provideth her meat, receiving Jesus as Lord and Saviour, so shall thy poverty come, spending eternity with Jesus, thank God, the breath of life, the day of the Lord, the grim reaper, the habitually lazy person, the life of the world, the prince of darkness, the second coming, the Son of man shall come, thou sluggard, thy want as an armed man, to a glorious future with Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, we can ever ask or imagine, Wednesday Wail, without any labour, yet a little sleep
Proverbs 6:6. Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
Let’s start off on the right foot this morning by apologizing. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa! (smile) The first apology concerns the lateness of the Bit. I had to go down the street for some early morning tests my doctor deemed imperative. Hn! When yuh getting old, the ole quacks and them deem too many things imperative yes! But what yuh gonna do eh? Generally speaking, they know more than you.
The next apology is for not including our Tuesday Mantra in yesterday’s Bit. Wonder how many of you noticed that eh? (smile) I had it written at the bottom of the page, but never saw or even thought of it at the end. And I’ll try not to make that mistake again. (smile) Thanks ever so much for forgiving me, you are ever such a Christ-like group! (smile)
But then I was led to these somewhat condemning words of Cousin Sol regarding our daily behaviour. ‘Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide (leader), overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat (bread, grain) in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.’ (Prov. 6:6-8) Yeh friends, laziness and the enjoyment of good living without any labour is becoming rampant in our society. We all want to live high on the hog, but few of us are willing to put in the hours and effort that usually entails.
And Cousin Sol continues in the same vein: ‘How long wilt thou sleep (lie down), O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: so shall thy poverty come as one that traveleth (a prowler), and thy want (need) as an armed man.’ (Prov. 6:9-11) Those are good questions Cousin Sol poses, and also a true result of those actions. And we are seeing that kind of attitude increasingly in our society as we get wealthier and have more amenities to do more of our daily tasks, be they hard, menial or complicated.
Now hear how the scholars characterize all of Cousin Sol’s words nuh. ‘6:6-11. The sluggard is the habitually lazy person. He is admonished to learn two important lessons from the ant: (1) the ant has no guide, overseer, or ruler (vs.7), meaning that the ant does not have to have a taskmaster standing over it to make it work; it is a self-starter. (2) The ant is wise enough to prepare for predictable circumstances (vs.8). Two questions about sleep are posed to the sluggard (vs.9). His answer is given in verse 10: “Just a little more sleep!” The result of such laziness is dire poverty, which will come as suddenly and destructively as a robber.’
Oh mih people, mih people, there’s so much wisdom in those words! And it’s not like we haven’t seen it, or experienced it. We all have in some form and fashion, at some time in our long lives. We haven’t been as proactive as we should, then suddenly find ourselves cornered by a predictable circumstance. No, we cannot prepare for the unpredictable ones, but we certainly can for the many predictable ones. And the big one that jumps to my mind right now is preparation for spending eternity with Jesus, wherever that might be!
That’s the most important predictable circumstance we all must face – where to spend eternity. And the wise money is on Jesus! No doubt about that? Now, have we made those preparations yet, by receiving Him as our Lord and Saviour? I can’t tell you how important that is, because the Grim Reaper can come calling at any unpredictable time, and likewise Jesus can come back at any unpredictable time. And once either of those two things happen, and you haven’t received Jesus as your eternal destiny, then you’re doomed to spending eternity with the prince of darkness in the heat and torment of hell.
And to make matters worse, Jesus referred to His second coming like that of a thief in the night. ‘Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.’ (Matt. 24:43-44) We have been forewarned friends, so now it’s up to us to make the necessary preparations for whenever that event occurs if we’re still alive and kicking. Bruh Paul also warned us in his first letter to the Thessalonians: ‘For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.’ (1 Thess. 5:2)
Oh my people, the Great Tribulation will begin suddenly, without any kind of imminent warning. But we have the certain knowledge that it will happen and those who don’t revere Christ as Lord and Saviour at that most critical time will suffer irreparable damage. So please, please, I implore us, let us get ready for that moment whenever it comes nuh! Let us therefore be like the wise ant nuh, and wisely prepare for that one big circumstance, either death, or Christ’s return, both of which we sure are coming at some future, but unknown time.
And having decided we’re going to do just that, let’s go home now declaring (awright!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know, in no uncertain terms, our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. All together now, in strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘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!’
Yes my bredrin, if we hang on to the vine that’s the Life of the world, until the very end, then we’re assured that the future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…true wisdom is knowing what’s coming…and being prepared…whenever it comes…
25 Jan 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bride, a compassionate heart, a new day, a positive outlook, abundance, adorned for her husband, all will be well, are passed away, as a thief in the night, be diligent, be prepared, blamesless, created the universe, creativity, crying, curse, dire toll, don't give up, Erwin Raphael McManus, everlasting peace, every moment of the day, faith, faithful and true, fallen, favour, fear, fight the good fight, friends, god, God shall wipe away all tears, greetings, habitation of the saved, hang in there, holy spirit, home free, I make all things new, in living colour, in peace, Jesus Christ, Jesus is right there with us, John the Revelator, joy, keep on believing, limit your freedom, lose hope, Mosaic church, negative word, no more death, no more sea, not to hoard, our Lord and Saviour, pain, ploughing straight furrows, power in the Word, promises, reassuring message, redeemed people, righteousness, self-control, self-discipline, share with others, sinful world, sorrow, success, talent, tears, the bride of Christ, the day of the Lord, the effects of sin, the Father, the former things, the holy city, the Last Arrow, the Milennium, the new Jerusalem, the obstacle to our future, the pain of life, the second coming, the tabernacle of God, Thursday's Blessings, treasure trove, we will succeed, weekend break, what a joyful day, with His help, without spot, your future
Revelation 21:4. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Greetings friends, from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! He wants us to know that this Thursday morning we are only one day away from our weekend break, and that we have done a good job so far this week, we’ve been ploughing straight furrows, so we should not give up or lose hope, because He is right there alongside us, every moment of the day, and with His help, we will certainly succeed.
So just hang in there, keep on fighting the good fight, and all will be well! What a reassuring message my people! And Jesus is nothing, if not a ‘reassurer.’ And His promises are ever-faithful and true. So please keep on believing.
And I have an interesting thought to share from one Erwin Raphael McManus, author, futurist, designer, filmmaker and Pastor of a Los Angeles church called Mosaic. He apparently says in his book, ‘The Last Arrow,’ that ‘The pain of life is the obstacle to our future. Do not let fear and pain limit your freedom to your future.’
What wise and truthful words my brethren! In this fallen and sinful world of ours, it is fear and pain that take a dire toll on our freedom to enjoy this earthly life. If we didn’t have fear or pain, we’d be home free. (smile) But we know that that situation will only be rectified after the Second Coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, when Almighty God births the new heaven and earth. What a joyful day that will be my people!
And we have that on good info from John the Revelator, who writes, after seeing a vision: ‘And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.’ (Rev.21:1-5)
Wow mih breddren, what an awesome promise and time we have to look forward to; living in the New Jerusalem where there will be no night or day, no pain, sorrow, or death and Jesus and the Father and the Holy Spirit will dwell amongst us in living colour! Mama Mia! I can’t wait for that day when there will be no more pain! (smile)
Now let’s check out some explanations from the scholars’. ’21:1-2. Chapters 21 and 22 are a description of the eternal state (following the Millennium and the final judgement), centering in the new Jerusalem as the eternal habitation of the saved (cf. Heb.11:10; 12:22-24).
The first heaven and the first earth are replaced by a new heaven and a new earth, predicted by Isaiah (cf. Is.65:17; 66:22). The present universe will thus be cleansed from all the effects of sin (cf. 2 Pet. 3:7, 10-13). Since there will be no more sea, the increased land space will be fully capable of handling large numbers of redeemed people from all ages.
The New Jerusalem is fully described in 21:10-22:5. It is a holy city, totally separate from sin (cf. vs, 8, 27; 22:15). It is being prepared (cf. John 14:3) as the habitation of the bride of Christ (cf. v.9). From God shows its divine purpose, and out of heaven its divine origin.’
Yeh mih people, a new day is coming, we know not when, that means we have to be prepared and constantly on the lookout for it. As Peter warns: ‘But the day of the Lord will come as a thief (robber) in the night…Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.’ (2 Pet. 3:10a, 13-14)
Yeh friends, we have that awesome promise of Jesus that after He’s wrapped up, destroyed all the sin and evil in the world, He will bring us to a place of everlasting peace and joy to dwell with Him forever. But it’s imperative that we make the necessary preparations RIGHT NOW, because Jesus can come back at ANY time. Oh, and please read the references in the scholars’ explanations, for they are a treasure trove of scripture. (smile)
And having read and digested all of that, let’s go home loudly and sincerely declaring our Thursday Blessings. As one now: ‘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 please remember that those blessings were granted to us not to keep and hoard for ourselves, but to share with others, so let’s go out and share them now nuh. Much LOVE!
…there is awesome power in the word of Jesus…because that’s what created the universe and all therein…
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