before many witnesses

The Overwhelming Importance of NOT Allowing the LOVE for Money and Material Wealth to Ruin Us!

16 Feb 2026 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Spiritual Living Tags: a divine means of showing, a lack of circumspection, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, ambition to be rich, be he a wise man or a fool, before many witnesses, confessed a good confession, contentment is a learned behaviour, controversial times, discontentment, divine aid, drown men in destruction and perdition, easily led astray, erred from the faith, exercise a modicum of circumspection, face the opening bell, faith, faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers, fall into a temptation and a snare, fall into ruin, fight the good fight of faith, fighting in the trenches of work, find fulfillment in material accomplishment, follow after righteousness, follow the things of God, futility, godliness, godliness with contentment is great gain, greed, Happy Family Day, have money as our life goal, have rule over all my labour, having food and raiment, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, I hated all the labour that I toiled for, I have learned, in whatever state I am to be content, into many foolish and hurtful lusts, it is certain we can carry nothing out, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep your promise to prosper us, lay hold on eternal life, leave it unto the man tat comes after me, leave the fruit of his work to another, let us therewith be content, LOVE, mass confusion in our world, material wealth is insignifcant, meekness, mercy, not satisfied with what we have, Not that I speak in respect of want, O man of God flee these things, of the many suffering from negative situations, pateince, pierced themselves through with many sorrows, please ease the pain, pray, professed a good profession, ruin and destruction, run down money, salvation, sense and sensibility fly out the window, showed myself wise under the sun, sincere repentance in our hearts, sincerely seek God's face, sinned and seriously disobeyed your word, some in their greediness, strayed from the faith, strong faith in Christ, thank you for life, the fruit of the spirit, the God who heals, the hands of wastrels, the love of money is the root of all evil, the race to accumulate wealth, they that will be rich, this also is vanity, too busy making money, truth, turn from our evil ways, undesired repercussions, want is never a problem, we brought nothing into this world, we lose something important, when contentment fill the soul, which some coveted after, wisdom, wise guidance to alleviate our problems

1 Timothy 6:6. But godliness with contentment is great gain.

HAPPY FAMILY DAY!

And this third Monday in February, Family Day, a public holiday in Canada, has opened somewhat damp and cloudy because of the slight increase of temperature over the freezing mark. But by mid-morning we’ve seen the sun come out and overshadow most of the clouds. Now some of us don’t’ have to go to work, today, because it’s a civic holiday not a Federal one, and thankfully that postpones our fighting in the trenches of work for an extra day. Glory to God! However, some of our work counterparts who fight in the Federal arenas must get out there and face the opening bell. We feel for them, but certainly don’t wish ourselves in their place. (smile)

Anyway, for those who are blessed to be off work, remember, that though partying is expected, we’re also expected not to overdo it, because we must go out and labour tomorrow, and any sick calls, tardiness or lethargy on the job, will probably reap undesired repercussions. Therefore, it’s in our best interest to exercise a modicum of circumspection in our partying today, so we don’t have to suffer for it tomorrow. (smile) End of Sermon!

Now let’s consider two topics that are very close to our hearts that’s a desire for material things and for money. And Bruh Paul sets it out very nicely in his first letter to his protégé Timothy, when he warns him. ‘But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment (clothing) let us therewith be content.’ (1 Tim. 6:6-8)

Now that’s some of the best advice we can ever get my people, for too many of us are not satisfied with what we have, even though we have a lot more than most. And Bruh Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, says of himself: ‘Not that I speak in respect of want (regard of need): for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.’ (Phil. 4:11) Yes friends, contentment is a learned behaviour.

And the scholars offer an interesting explanation for the statement, ‘And it is certain we can carry nothing out.’ They say: ‘Man enters the world at birth possessing nothing, in order to teach him that he will exit the world in the same manner – taking nothing with him. This is a divine means of showing man that since material wealth is relatively insignificant, he should pursue the things mentioned in verse 11.’ And those things we’ll get to later.

But unfortunately, too many of us don’t learn that lesson, and we foolishly continue to run down material wealth and do like Cousin Sol queries in Ecclesiastes, as he writes: ‘Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken (toiled) under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me. And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have showed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity (futility).’ (Eccl. 2:18-19)

And as the scholars tell us: ‘Part of the futility of trying to find fulfillment in material accomplishment is the fact that one must leave the fruit of his work to another who may well waste the accrued benefits.’ And that’s exactly what happens on many occasions. The departed person’s wealth falls into the hands of wastrels, and it’s quickly extinguished. Or it is fought over between friends and families, through the same discontentment and greed that Bruh Paul talks about.

Then again, so often, most of it is wasted in paying lawyers’ bills, and most of them end up getting much less than they would have, if with a shred of common sense and contentment, and less greed, they had sat down and worked it out sensibly. But it seems that when it comes to money and material wealth, all sense and sensibility fly out the window. That’s why Bruh Paul continues his serious warning to Timothy. ‘But they that will be (desire to be) rich fall into a temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful (harmful) lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition (ruin and destruction).’ (1 Tim. 6:9)

Yes my brethren, those whose ambition is to be rich are very easily led astray and eventually face ruin, simply because of their greed and a lack of circumspection in their race to accumulate wealth. And Bruh Paul reasons it thus: ‘For the LOVE of money is the root of all evil (all kinds of evil): which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith (for which some in their greediness have strayed from the faith) and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.’ (1 Tim. 6:10)

And friends, that’s ever so true, for we see it happening every day in our greedy, discontented society. When we run down money, have it as our goal of life, we usually lose something, like our souls, health, friends and /or families, because we don’t have the time to spend with them, for we are too busy making money.

Now, here’s an important distinction from the scholars; ‘The root of all evil means a root or source of all kinds of evil. The LOVE for money is not the only source from which evil comes.’ So please let’s get that straight. Evil comes from many other sources besides money. It’s just that when we LOVE money too much, it usually gets us into trouble.

And then Bruh Paul tells Timothy what he expects of him. ‘But thou, O man of God, flee these things, and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience, meekness, (which just happen to be fruit of the Spirit). Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed (confessed) a good profession (confession) before many witnesses.’ (1 Tim. 6:11-12)

Oh my people, there’s no more for me to say, for Bruh Paul has laid it out very plainly for us all. It’s just for us now to follow his wisdom. And to help us do that, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle hymn, seeking divine aid in these crucial 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!’ 

And that simply means, that if we desire to see divine aid, then we need to follow the things of God, and not the way of the world. So, let’s get together and do that nuh, because we desperately need divine aid in these very controversial times! Much LOVE!

…when contentment fills the soul…want is never a problem…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

The Overwhelming Importance of Christians not making the Attainment of Earthly Wealth Their Life’s Goal!

02 Oct 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a compassionate heart, a man's life does not consist of his possessions, a positive outlook on life, abundance, an appropriate lesson for these times, be content with what you have, be in the world not of the world, before many witnesses, beware of covetousness, Christians living like the world, clear direction for my life, confessed a good confession, courage, covet not thy neighbour's wife, covetous vultures, covetousness is not a Christian attribute, creativity, curse, divine protection, don't covet anything that is your neighbour's, drown men in destruction, eat drink and be merry, engaging in greed and envy, erred from their faith, even as I am not of the world, evil doers, faith, fall into temptation, favour, fight the good fight, flee these things, follow after righteousness, godliness, godliness with contentment is great gain, greedy and covetous times, hast professed a good profession, having food and raiment, high-priced lawyers, holy spirit, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee, in the name of Jesus, into many foolish and hurtful lusts, is not rich towards God, Jesus Christ, lay hold on eternal life, let us therewith be content, let your conduct be without covetousness, licentiousness, LOVE, maximization of earthly wealth, meekness, mercy, negative word, nice sunshiny weather, O man of God, our life's goal, patience, perdition, pierced themselves through with many sorrows, ruin and destruction, salvation, sanctify them through thy truth, self-control, self-discipline, set them apart, so is he that layeth up treasure for himself, some in their greediness, stop striving for material wealth, strayed from the faith, success, supernatural strength, supernatural wisdom, take heed, take thine ease, talent, the gospel truth, the Lord hath said, the LOVE of money, the parable of the Good Samaritan, the parable of the rich fool, the root of all kinds of evil, the Ten Commandments, the way of the world, they are not of the world, they that desire to be rich, this night thy soul shall be required of thee, thou hast much goods laid up for many years, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thy word is truth, truth, we brought nothing into this world, we can carry nothing out, which some coveted after, which thou hast provided, who is my neighbour, whose shall those things be, wisdom

Hebrews 13:5a. Let your conversation (conduct) be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have:

Ah friends, I can’t believe it’s already Thursday, the penultimate day of our workweek! The week has certainly passed quickly, and October seems to be giving us some nice sunshiny weather, though a tad on the cooler side. And we won’t complain, although complaining seems to be our lot these days. (smile) Now, as I was leafing through the Good Library, seeking something to write on, I came across this rather interesting and most appropriate lesson for these particular times.

It’s a verse from the author of Hebrews, which very conveniently, we only remember the last half, while seldom paying any attention to the first half. Why? Because the scripture admonishes and wisely advises us thus: ‘Let your conversation (conduct) be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he (the Lord) hath said , I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Heb. 13:5)

Yes my people, we tell ourselves that the last half of the verse is the gospel truth, but we completely ignore the first half, because that’s the way of the world in these greedy and covetous times, and too many of us supposed believers are living like the world, not like Christians. Remember what Jesus said when He prayed for the disciples, and consequently us? ‘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)

Yes friends, we’re supposed to be in the world, but set aside from the world, and knowing God’s Word, which is the infallible truth, we’re not supposed to be behaving like the world. But unfortunately, too many of us are doing just that, engaging in the greed, envy and licentiousness that we’re supposed to resist and instead make public, so that the evil doers can see the light of Christ. And the sad part is that the admonishment against covetousness is not a new one, for it was framed from time immemorial in the Ten Commandments which the Lord gave to the Israelites and subsequently to those who professed belief in him and His Son Jesus Christ.

So, let’s cast our minds back to that august document, set out in Exodus 20. The last commandment of those ten, most explicitly warns: ‘Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.’ (Ex. 20:17) Now, what about that don’t we understand eh?

And some of you trying to be smart might say, it only talks about our neighbour’s stuff. Well for your information, everybody around you, whether you live close to them or not, is your neighbour. Remember when the foolish lawyer who wanted to be seen, asked Jesus the same question, ‘Who is my neighbour?’ And Jesus then told him the parable of the Good Samaritan, showing his neighbour was anyone whom he came into contact with. (Luke 10: 28-37) So, don’t covet, means just that: don’t covet anything at all from anybody. Covetousness ought not to be an attribute of a believer in Christ Jesus.

And Jesus Himself warned us about covetousness, when someone asked him to talk to his brother about sharing their inheritance, ‘And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge, or a divider (an arbitrator) over you? And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.’ (Luke 12:13-15) Then, as was His wont, to back up His statement, Jesus told them the parable of the rich fool. Where this man had so much stuff, he had nowhere to store them. So in his foolish, worldly wisdom decided to tear down all his storehouses and build bigger and better ones, so he could store all his goods.

‘And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat drink and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich towards God.’ (Luke 12:19-21)

And we see that happening every day, where some person who has spent their entire lives building great material wealth, suddenly dies. And what becomes of their fortune eh? They surely cannot take it with them. No, it’s left behind for a lot of greedy, covetous vultures in human form to fight over it. And in the end, the people who benefit most are the high-priced lawyers they hire to fight for it! What godly justice for greed and covetousness.

And we can’t have a scriptural conversation on covetousness without these remarkable words of Bruh Paul to Timothy on the subject. He writes: ‘But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment (clothing) let us be therewith content. But they that will be (desire to be) rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful (harmful) lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition (ruin and destruction).

For the LOVE of money is the root of all kinds of evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from their faith (for which, some in their greediness have strayed from the faith), and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed (confessed) a good profession (confession) before many witnesses.’ (1 Tim. 6:6-12)

Ah mih bredrin, Bruh Paul says it all right there! It’s high time we believers stop making the attainment of material wealth our life’s goal. There’s nothing wrong with having wealth, but living to create it is unwise. Especially since the Lord has blessed us with what we call our Thursday Blessings; so many undeserved blessings, to do our earthly work. So let’s declare and thus activate them right now nuh!

As one strong and sincere voice. ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!

I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’

And having activated those blessings, it now behooves us to go out and use them on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…godliness with contentment…is what Christians should be seeking…not maximization of earthly wealth…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Let Almighty God be Your Refuge and Shelter in Times of Trouble!

05 Dec 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a crown of righteousness, a productive difference, a refuge in times of trouble, a very present help in trouble, all the fight is drained out of me, all them that also love his appearing, before many witnesses, Bible, christianity, confessed a good confession, courage, creativitydivine protection, curse, debilitating weakness, divine protection, do not fear, duty bound, ever merciful and lendeth, faith, favour, fellowship, fight the good fight, fight tooth and nail, firmly grasping your right hand, God is our refuge and strength, godliness, his seed begging bread, his seed is blessed, holy spirit, I am now ready to be offered, I have become your helper, I have been young and now am old, I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Jesus Christ, jump to it, keep my hope stirring, lay hold on eternal life, LOVE, meekness, mercy, negative word, now, Now dear Lord now, One Year Book of Bible promises, our omnipotent omnipresent omniscient God, patience, professed a good profession, riding high, righteousness, Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, Selah, talent, the earth be removed, The Lord will be a refuge for the oppressed, the mountains shake with the swelling, the righteous judge, the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, the time of my departure is at hand, the waters thereof roar and be troubled, they that know thy name will trust thee, thou Lord hast not forsaken them that seek thee, though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, truth, will not we fear, wisdom

Psalm 9:9. The Lord will be a refuge (stronghold) for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.

And the snow fell, but not to a great extent, so that this Thursday morning in early December is not as bad as it could have been! Thanks be to God for that! And what’s on the agenda for today? A li’l something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. This one is simply titled ‘NOW!’ And by the way, I don’t remember if I have ever shared it before, but in any case, they are all worth sharing over and over again. (smile)

So please read with me: ‘My great strong God! All the fight Is drained out of me. In my debilitating weakness I can’t even hold on to You. But Your own words Keep my hope stirring: “For I Your God Am firmly grasping Your right hand. I am saying unto you Do not fear. I have become your helper.” Now, dear Lord! Now!’

And isn’t that the way we always desire the Lord to react to our problems, with alacrity and undivided attention. And yes, sometimes when that is called for He will respond with haste, but our God is not there to jump when we call, we have the situation all wrong. The truth of the matter is that we are the ones who are supposed to jump to it when He calls.

Anyway, what does the poem tell us? Basically that our omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present God is always there looking out for our problems and troubles. He’s promised to help us in all situations, so we should not be afraid of whatever comes against us. And that promise found in Psalm 9 is the Bible promise for today’s writing. It says: ‘The Lord will be a refuge (stronghold) for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord hast not forsaken them that seek thee.’ (Ps. 9:9-10)

Oh my fellow believers, that’s the indisputable truth! The Lord has never, and will never abandon anyone who puts their sincere trust in Him. And Bruh David spells it out very nicely in Psalm 37 titled – Trust in the Lord, when he writes: ‘The steps of a good man are ordered (established) by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed (descendants) begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed (descendants) is blessed.’ (Ps. 37:23-26)

Now that’s how the Lord treats the righteous and his descendants. And if you don’t believe Bruh David, then listen to the sons of Korah from Psalm 46 titled – Our Refuge and Strength. They open the psalm confidently proclaiming: ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help (an abundantly available help) in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.’ (Ps. 46:1-3)

Oh my people, what powerful faith is engendered by those words! And that’s the kind of faith we believers in these ungodly and evil times need to have if we intend to make any kind of productive difference! The devil is riding high right now, but we certainly have the ability and the tools to overthrow him, if we get together and put our hearts, minds, souls and bodies to it.

It’s like Bruh Paul wrote to Timothy in his first epistle. ‘But thou, O man of God, flee these things (the world’s evil); and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed (confessed) a good profession (confession) before many witnesses.’ (1 Tim. 6:11-12)

Yes mih bredrin, we are expected to fight a good fight of faith, so that when our time to leave this earth comes, we can proudly say like Bruh Paul: ‘For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure (death) is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that LOVE his appearing.’ (2 Tim. 4:6-8)

What a wonderful reward awaits us in heaven my people; that crown of righteousness! But only if we keep on being righteous and fight the good fight of faith down here. And I know all of us desire to have that awesome crown, but please, let’s remember it’s not something that’s handed out willy nilly, but only to those who truly deserve it. And if we sincerely want it, then we still have some time to turn ourselves around and become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus!

And the Lord in His utmost generosity has indeed given us tools to do the job He desires of us. We call them our Thursday Blessings. So please, let’s declare them now so that they can be activated. As one strong and sincere voice! ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!

I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’

And having made that declaration (awright!!!) we are now duty bound to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us. Much LOVE!

…to win the crown of righteousness…one must fight tooth and nail for it…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 December 2023 1 Timothy 6:10.

01 Dec 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a new flock of believers, before many witnesses, bring backsliders back to your fold, Christmas Season, coveted after money, crying out for help, divine help, erred from the faith, faith, fight the good fight of faith, first consider the consequences of our actions, Friday chant, FRiday Chant., godliness, hindsight is 20/20, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the reason for the season, keep Christ in Christmas, lay hold on eternal life, LOVE, material treasures, meekness, more than you sow and later than you sow, obedience to god, omnipotent help, our sinful world, pateince, professed a good profession, righteousness, shun the love of money, simmering unrest, spirutal treasures, stand strong and steadfast, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the daily struggle of life, the error of their ways, the LOVE of money, the root of all evil, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, wake u and smell the coffee, wisdom, wise guidance, you reap what you sow

1 Timothy 6:10. For the LOVE of money is the root of all (kinds) of evil;

Well friends, we might be shouting ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ on this first day of December 2023, but it’s not such a good day, because it’s wet and cloudy and miserable. It seems to be the kind of weather that just gets inside your soul and irritates it no end. (smile) However, many of us don’t care, because it’s Friday and the end of the work week, and we have all sorts of plans for the upcoming weekend as the Christmas Season gets into full swing. And is it ever a busy season; shopping for gifts for the friends and family, decorating the house and the yard, baking and cooking, the numerous things we do to get ready for Christmas.

But friends, allow me to include one word of caution; please, let’s remember the reason for the season, the birth of Christ! That’s why there’s a Christmas or holiday or whatever season you want to call it. We celebrate the incarnate birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and though it’s good to have all the worldly hoopla, we must not forget what brings us the joy, and focus on Jesus more than on the things the world considers important. It’s sad, but every year, less and less people are focusing on Jesus being the reason for Christmas and more on the holiday spirit, the shopping and decorating, baking and cooking, as the world exerts more ungodly influence over the traditional Christmas season.

But as true believers, let’s not allow Christ to be taken from Christmas, but to be more firmly planted and rooted there, as He ought to be! End of Sermon! (smile) And as I was going to ask what’s on the agenda for today, I opened the Bible and where do you think it opened to? These everlasting wise, interesting and encouraging words of Bruh Paul to Timothy. ‘For the LOVE of money is the root of all (kinds) of evil; which some have coveted after (for which some in their greediness), they have erred (strayed) from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.’ (1 Tim. 6:10)

And unfortunately, too many of us have done just that! But let’s get one thing straight, the LOVE of money is not the only source or root of evil, there are many others, but the LOVE of money is a prime one. For as Bruh Paul says above there, many have coveted after money, ‘striven after’ money as the goal of life, and have ended up in sorrows, in ruin, physically, spiritually and financially. And there’s no season like this Christmas one where money is ever so important, because if you don’t have it you can’t buy the things you believe you need.

Thus many of us without the hard cash to purchase what we want, go out and splurge on our Credit Cards during this time, but when the bills start coming in in January, we hold our heads and bawl: ‘Woe is me! Where am I going to get the money to pay all these bills? I shouldn’t have bought all that stuff on Credit!’ That’s for sure! But please remember that hindsight has 20-20 vision. However, then it’s too late to do anything about our mistakes. What we need more desperately than anything else is foresight, where we sit and consider the consequences of our actions before me make them.

For, as Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley) God rest his departed soul, liked to say: ‘You reap what you sow, more than you sow, and later than you sow.’ Yes mih bredrin, at some stage of the game, all the chickens will come home to roost, and if you haven’t prepared properly for them, you won’t be able to handle them. And it’s all about first considering the consequences of our actions, for every action has a consequence. Just like those who strive after money and material wealth end up in sorrow away from the church, all our ungodly and unwise actions have consequences that drive us to our knees…and sometimes even to the madhouse.

That’s why we need to listen to these further words of Bruh Paul to Timothy. ‘But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and has professed (confessed) a good profession (confession) before many witnesses.’ (1 Tim. 6:11-12)

Oh my fellow saints, that’s the kind of stuff we all need to follow. Shun the LOVE of money and striving for material wealth with all its consequential troubles. And instead pursue things like righteousness or practical correctness, as the scholars tell us: ‘Conforming to God’s will in one’s thinking and acting. While godliness is proper reverence for, and obedience to God. And faith is a trust in God that grows stronger with each passing day. LOVE is a maturing affection for God and man. Patience is perseverance or steadfastness in life and service. Meekness is gentleness.’

Yes my people, those are the things we need to help us fight the good fight of faith; the daily struggle of life, bombarded by sin and ungodly distractions at every turn, plus the adversity we all go through at one time or another. The scholars tell us: ‘A genuine believer demonstrates the reality of his faith by being engaged in this warfare.’ And that’s exactly what we need to do; put on the armour of God and daily fight the good fight of faith. Remember we cannot fight successfully without armour, and spiritual warfare without the spiritual armour of God. (Eph. 6:10-18)

Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, asking for divine help to do all the things we’ve just spoken about. 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 to get the ball rolling, we need to do exactly what we just expressed: be a good example of faithful believers. That’s the ONLY way divine help will come! Much LOVE!

…you can’t take your material treasures to heaven…only the spiritual ones…

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ

Today’s Scrip-Bit 19 September 2018 1 Timothy 6:12.

19 Sep 2018 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a crown of righteousness, a good confession, a good future, a hope, assurance, before many witnesses, believes on the Son, breath of life, Christians, confessed, defend our faith, diagnostic testing, don't give up, encouragement, engaged in warfare, eternal life, exertion, faith, faithful intentions, fasting, fight one more round, fight the good fight, finished my course, fought a good fight, Gentleman Jim, glorious future with Jesus, godliness, good advice, grin and bear it, halfway home, hands on the plough, heavyweight fighter, James J Corbett, Jesus Christ, Jesus' vocabulary, joyful day, lay hold on, LOVE, Love his appearing, LOVE of Money, lusts, man of God, material wealth, medical appointment, meekness, Messiah, New Covenant, not looking back, one more time, patience, personal experience, personal problems, relief, resources, rewards in heaven, right around the corner, righteousness., salvation, shuffle back, spiritual life, stand strong, struggle with sin, suck it up, the centre of the ring, the darkest hour, the mind, the most powerful tool, the one before the dawn, the righteous judge, the wrath of God, thou art called, Timothy, true believers, unto the breach, washed white as snow, Wednesday Wail

1 Timothy 6:12. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed (confessed) a good profession (confession) before many witnesses.

One more time unto the breach, dear friends, one more time! Yeh, I’ve got another medical appointment this morning, that’s why the Bit is so early again. The good thing though is that I don’t have to go into Toronto, it’s just some diagnostic testing not too far down the street from me.

But I do have to fast for it, and fasting, or rather forced fasting and I are not the best of friends. The ole stomach is here growling away on me, calling for food, but I still have a few hours to go until I can grant it its request. (smile) But as they say, it’s all for my benefit. So just suck it up, grin and bear it!

That brings us to this bit of good advice attributed to James J Corbett (1866-1933), the American Heavyweight fighter, better known as ‘Gentleman Jim.’ He advises: ‘Fight one more round. When your feet are so tired you have to shuffle back to the centre of the ring, fight one more round.’ And that from someone who knows what He’s talking about through personal experience!

Yes my brethren, that’s what we Christians are called to do; fight one more round, even though we feel at the point of exertion, be it physical, mental or emotional. Oh, I know many of us are tired, what with all our personal problems, including health, wealth and friendship matters, but as believers, we’re not supposed to give up. Giving up doesn’t exist in Jesus’ vocabulary.

And further still, they say that the darkest hour is the one just before the dawn, so if you’re seeing what you consider a very dark hour, please believe that relief is right around the corner. Remember the mind is the most powerful tool in the world, and what we believe we can achieve. We have to use what resources we possess to our best advantage and keep on keeping on.

As Bruh Paul cautioned Timothy in his first missive: ‘But thou, O man of God, flee these things (LOVE of money, hurtful lusts, material wealth.); and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed (confessed) a good profession (confession) before many witnesses.’

And as the scholars say of our Bit: ‘6:12. The good fight concerns the daily struggle with sin in the Christian life, and the hardships and adversities in the ministry. A genuine believer demonstrates the reality of his faith by being engaged in this warfare. Lay hold on eternal life does not negate the fact that a believer now possess spiritual life (John 3:36); rather, it speaks of fully realizing or appropriating salvation as the believer matures.’

Ah mih breddren being a true believer in Jesus Christ is not easy, but since we have declared ourselves to be true believers, we have to just keep on keeping on. And it’s not like we don’t have ample resources and encouragement, assurance and help to fight our earthly battle. We do! Namely all the resources granted to us as believers in Jesus Christ; the biggest and most important ones being salvation and eternal life.

As the Good Book declares: ‘He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth (remains) on him.’ (John 3:36) Oh friends, that provision alone ought to be enough to encourage us to stand strong and live and defend our faith. Which other faith has that sure promise eh…with the sacrifice, and resurrection of Christ to back it up eh? NONE!

And then we have so many other promises of God, who has a good plan for every life, with a hope and good future. He’s also promised never to leave nor forsake us; to hear our prayers and pleas when we diligently and sincerely seek Him; to bring us out of the fire unscorched; to take us safely through the flood, and most of all grant us a Deliverer, a Messiah, one to sacrifice and atone for our sins, which He did through His only Son Jesus Christ becoming flesh and offering His sinless life upon the cross at Calvary so that our sins could be washed white as snow.

Glory to God my people! For He has done all that He’s promised, and if we do what we’re supposed to do, then He will do the rest. The Lord will not do it all for us. He requires us to put in an effort on His behalf, since we’re partners in this New Covenant. So though life might be dark, dreary and difficult, we do have all the tools necessary to fight the good fight.

And hopefully, at the end of our days, we’ll all be able to proudly say like Bruh Paul did to Timothy: ‘I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that LOVE his appearing.’ (2 Tim.4:7-8)

Yes mih breddren, what a joyful day that will be! But until then, let’s keep fighting the good fight nuh, and as a promise of our faithful intentions, go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know our current position in Christ. All together now, let’s wail: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!

I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’

And the future will be even more glorious than our puny minds can imagine. So think on that nuh! Much LOVE!

…when life gets difficult…consider our rewards in heaven…and the glorious future promised us there…

SCRIP-BITS

The Overwhelming Importance of NOT Allowing the LOVE for Money and Material Wealth to Ruin Us!

The Overwhelming Importance of Christians not making the Attainment of Earthly Wealth Their Life’s Goal!

Let Almighty God be Your Refuge and Shelter in Times of Trouble!

Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 December 2023 1 Timothy 6:10.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 19 September 2018 1 Timothy 6:12.

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