Without Faith In Christ Jesus, Life is not worth Living!

27 Jan 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Matthew 8:26a.       And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?

So we’ve come around to Monday once more, and the ole work week nonsense begins again. (smile) But let’s hope and pray that we’re all in a better space than when we left work last week. That means we’ve rested and been refreshed in soul, body, minds and hearts, and strengthened with all might in the Lord, knowing His will for our lives with all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that we might walk worthy of him, being fruitful in every good work, while continually increasing in the knowledge of God, exerting patience and perseverance in any trials and tribulations, nonetheless, giving thanks for all He’s done for us and thus living in joy and peace. 

Wow! Now that’s a hard row to hoe, but it’s basically what Bruh Paul prayed for in the opening chapter of Colossians. (Col. 1:9-12) That was his earnest desire for them. He’s certainly asking a lot of and for them. And you’ll notice that in his prayers he doesn’t pray for the believers’ problems to go away or be easily solved, but for them to get the might and understanding to handle them. 

Today though, we all want our problems to go away with no effort or suffering whatsoever, but the Lord in His awesome wisdom doesn’t do it very often, for He expects believers to come up to scratch, to get stronger and face each new problem with greater tenacity and faith. So, this Monday morning, let’s look to heaven and offer up that kind of prayer for ourselves and all our fellow saints, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s territory and cause the heathen to want to come to Christ for rescue, earnestly seeking salvation and eternal life. 

That brings us to this little poem by Dr. Robert H Schuller called ‘The Possibility Thinker’s Creed.’ It’s short and simple, but bold and strong. So please read with me. ‘When faced with a mountain, I will not quit! I will keep striving until I climb over, find a pass through, tunnel underneath, or simply stay and turn the mountain into a gold mine – with God’s help.’ 

Yes friends, when our mountains rear up before us, we are not supposed to give up or run from them in fear, because they seem so large and impregnable. One way or another we’re expected to make good use of those mountains…obviously with God’s help. The important thing is not quitting but always striving to conquer our mountains. 

Remember what Jesus said to the disciples on the subject of mountains, when they could not cast out a demon spirit from a young child? ‘Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove (move); and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.’ (Matt. 17:20-21) 

Oh my fellow believers, nothing happens in God’s kingdom without faith! Some things need little faith, while others need big faith, some even need prayer and fasting, but nothing happens in our spiritual lives without the underlying foundation of faith in Christ Jesus. And until we fully understand that, our lives will feel empty and lost, without a true relationship with Jesus. As one commentary says, losing or lack of faith can ‘take a toll on your resilience and undermine your sense of belongingness. But it can also be an opportunity to grow, build a stronger sense of self-awareness, and cultivate new beliefs that are more closely aligned with your current values, goals, and needs.’ 

And Jesus also admonished the disciples for their lack of faith while they were crossing the Sea of Galilee and a storm arose that looked like it would bring about their demise, but Jesus was unconcerned asleep in the back of the boat. And they awoke Him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then He arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.’ (Matt. 8:25-26) 

Then there was also the incident with Peter walking on the water with Jesus, but when he saw the strong winds, he became afraid, although he was in Jesus’ presence, and cried out for Jesus to save him. ‘And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?’ (Matt. 14:31) Oh friends, it was Peter’s faith that allowed him to walk on the water in the first place, and when he became afraid and faithless, then he was obviously going to lose that power. 

Likewise, with us, when our faith is weak, we can’t do a whole lot, but when we keep our faith strong, we can do ever so many more things in the name of Jesus. We’re much more powerful and productive! So, for help to raise our faith, to get strong in Christ, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. 

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!’ 

Now, let’s remember God’s requirement for giving divine aid; praying, humbling ourselves, sincerely seeking His face, and turning from our evil ways! So let’s get to doing them nuh! Much LOVE!

…it’s all about belief and faith…belief and faith in Christ Jesus…

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

Waiting faithfully on God is a most Essential aspect of the the Christian Faith!

04 Dec 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Psalm 27:14.       Wait (wait in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say on the Lord.

At last we’re getting our first real blast of winter weather with a decent snow storm dropping it’s payload on us this morning. And it’s scheduled to go on for most of the day. However, thankfully, it’s not as bad as what the residents of some parts of cottage country endured this past weekend; something like around eighty cm. of snow overall. Now that is indeed a lot of snow, and they are still without power and still digging out from under the avalanche of snow. Hopefully, we will not get even half as much today, as we need to be broken back in gently to snow and its eccentric peculiarities; remembering how to drive and walk in it, as well to shovel it and dress properly for it. (smile) 

It’s strange, but regardless of how often we experience winter and snow, the first snow fall always has us shaking our heads and wondering how best to handle it. And you know, as believers in Jesus Christ we’re thought that when in doubt, or when trouble arises, the first thing one should do is pray. So since this our first snowfall of the season, and we’re still a tad under the weather about it, let’s offer up this prayer from the Prayers Through the Ages Pamphlet recently put out by the Anglican Diocese of Toronto. This prayer is attributed to a lady by the name of Evelyn Underhill (1875-1941). 

So please pray with me: ‘Teach us, O God, that silent language which says all things. Teach our souls to remain silent in Your presence; that we may adore You in the depths of our being, and await all things from You, while asking of You nothing but the accomplishment of Your will. Teach us to remain quiet under Your action and produce in our souls that deep and simple prayer which says nothing and experiences everything, which specifies nothing and includes everything. Do pray in us, that our prayer may even tend to Your glory, and our desires and intentions may not be fixed on ourselves, but wholly directed to You.’ 

Ah friends, I like that prayer because it says so much about us, about when we go to God in prayer, because it’s so often to ask and plead for something our flesh desires and very seldom to just enjoy His presence, sitting in silence and letting our souls and spirits interact with our heavenly Father, without expressing a desire for anything at all. Yes, sometimes we just need to sit in the Lord’s presence and enjoy silent communion with Him, as the prayer says; ‘produce in our souls that deep and simple prayer which says nothing and experiences everything, which specifies nothing and includes everything.’ 

As the old adage says, sometimes silence speaks louder than words. But don’t worry, the Lord knows what we need and what we want by looking at our heart, and if our motives are right and in accordance with His will, He will eventually grant them to us. But please note the important word in that sentence is ‘eventually.’ We seem to want everything right now, possibly yesterday, but the Lord doesn’t operate like that, He moves at His own pace, in His own time, and if we don’t learn how to wait on Him, then we’ll lose out on a whole lot of good blessings. 

And there are many verses of scripture that advise and admonish us to wait on the Lord, because it is such and important feature of the Christian faith. And this commentary gives us a brief look at what it is. It asks ‘What does it mean to wait on the Lord? Then answers: ‘To some, that means spending time in prayer, seeking God. To others, it means standing firm on what God has already spoken to you. To wait on God’s answer, voice, or promise in prayer is an essential part of our walk with God.’ 

And is that ever so true! So let’s look at a few bible verses on the subject, beginning with this great one from Isaiah that we all know and quote but very seldom put into action. (smile) ‘He (God) giveth power to the faint (weak); and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is. 40:29-31) 

It could not get any clearer than that my faithful brethren! But we’ve gotten so accustomed to the ways of the world, it’s busyness, impatience and wanting everything now for now, that we lose sight of what it takes to live for Christ, and thus get impatient, unnecessarily panicking, suffering doubts, fears and anxieties. Meanwhile, Bruh David says it thus in Psalm 27: ‘I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord, in the land of the living. Wait (wait in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say on the Lord.’ (Ps. 27: 13-14) 

Oh my people, Bruh David knew what he was talking about from hard experience. Remember he was anointed to be the next king of Israel as a teenager, but never received that promise until many years later, and in between those two occasions, he spent much of that time running for his life from the jealous king Saul who openly and unashamedly tried to kill Him. But Bruh David remained faithful and waited on God’s timing, even refusing to kill Saul when the opportunity presented itself. And eventually he did get all the Lord promised him. 

The Lord seldom tells us when we’ll receive what He’s promised, but if we wait in faith, with patience and undergo whatever trials come our way while waiting, then He usually blesses us with even more than we’ve asked or He’s promised. And we only have time and space for one more scripture; this from another of God’s people who suffered greatly while doing God’s work, but never gave up hope in Him. Listen to the prophet Jeremiah from his Lamentations. ‘The Lord is good to them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam. 3:25-26) 

Yes my fellow saints, that’s indeed godly wisdom. So let’s try to improve our waiting on God nuh, for it will only benefit us. Now let’s go home declaring 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!’ 

And if we endure to the very end with Jesus, it’s been promised that that future will be even more glorious than we can either ask or imagine. So let’s plan to meet there nuh! Much LOVE!

…waiting successfully on God…demands a strong combination of…hope, faith, perseverance, belief and LOVE…that’s never easy to obtain…

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

The Immeasurable Value of Patience in a Believer’s Life!

23 Jul 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

James 1:3.       Knowing this, that the trying (testing) of your faith worketh (produces) patience.

And then it was Tuesday, another warm and sunshiny summer’s day! We’ve left Monday far behind in our blazing path to glory in Jesus’ wonderful name! That means looking forward to another God-filled day down here on His chaotic but still beautiful creation called Planet Earth. And to be able to do all of that requires the believers in Christ Jesus to behave in a certain manner with certain boundaries that ought not to be crossed. However, since we’re all human, and thus tend to be sinful, selfish and rebellious, we need heavenly help to do our duty and stay within our boundaries. 

And this prayer from the In Touch Devotional for July gives us a good sense of some of the things we need to concentrate on. So please pray with me: ‘God, I pray for patience today – the kind that sits with an anxious friend, waits for a spouse to come around, listens to a child’s concerns. Teach me to hold space for others – and myself. There’s always time to extend your grace and forgiveness. Let my stillness be a declaration. I believe in You and trust in Your care for the people and circumstances in my life. There is no rush when all things are in Your hands. In Jesus’ name, amen.’ 

Ah friends, that li’l prayer holds so many truths of which so many of us need to be aware of and action in our overly busy, modern lives. Things like having patience, which in today’s world is anathema to the human soul. Many of us claim we can’t find time to sit with a hurting friend, and we certainly don’t want to wait for a spouse to understand our point of view. No! We expect them to come around right away. And one of our big problems is paying serious attention to our children and their concerns. 

Too many parents in this modern technological and information age allow the television and social media to raise their children, and foolishly cater to their every whim and desire. Thus the children grow up to be selfish, with a mistaken sense of  entitlement, and no sense whatsoever of responsibility, with little, if any knowledge of God and no true LOVE for each other. No wonder our children have turned out so badly! I remember the days when it was said that it took a whole village to raise a child, but nowadays all it takes is a Television set and the social media platforms. 

All because we allow ourselves to fall into the false worldly trap of supposed busyness, then claim to have no time to look after the things and people we ought to be looking after. Oh my faithful believers, it’s all a façade of the world and the enemy. It’s only an empty storefront with nothing behind it, to keep us away from doing the things that God desires of us. If you ask the majority of us why we haven’t done so and so, the invariable answer would be, we’re too busy. But then, if you ask what we’ve been busy doing, the majority of us would be hard pressed to say exactly what we’ve been busy about. It’s just become a convenient cliche for avoiding stuff we don’t want to do. 

And what do the scriptures tell us about Patience eh? Plenty! But we’ll only have time and space to consider a few, starting with this one from the wisest man ever, Cousin Sol, writing as the Preacher in Ecclesiastes. ‘Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.’ (Eccl. 7:8) And then in Proverbs, Cousin Sol wisely informs us: ‘He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit (impulsive) exalteth folly.’ (Prov. 14:29) 

And what does all of that mean eh? Why is patience better than pride? Listen as this commentary explains. ‘Our pride, or ego, gives us many opportunities to be angry. According to this passage in Proverbs, “patience is better than pride.” What does that mean to us in everyday life? Simply that most of what makes us angry is foolishness and if we will just be patient most of these things will work themselves out.’ 

Ah friends, impatience is one of our biggest setbacks in this modern world. With all the quick technology we have nowadays, we expect everything to happen now for now, or even sometimes yesterday. Have you ever noticed that when  when you log on to your computer and it doesn’t come up almost immediately, how aggrieved and wronged you feel? (smile) I do. And I’m not a child of this technological age. I grew up when things took time to happen. So if that li’l matter can call up impatience in me, what’s it liable to do to those who were born to all this quick technology? 

Then there’s this perfect scripture on patience, where James writes: ‘My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations (various trials); Knowing this, that the trying (testing) of your faith worketh (produces) patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire (complete), wanting (lacking) nothing.’ (James 1:2-4) And that’s the road to spiritual maturity, to having true patience, to persevere, to be longsuffering like the Lord. As 2 Peter says: ‘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.’ (2 Pet. 3:9) 

Yes friends, just as the Lord restrains Himself and allows us time to come to forgiveness, we likewise ought to offer our fellow man time to change, to improve. But the whole problem simply lies in our getting away, or moving away further and further from God, rather than closer to Him as this busy and ungodly society demands. And there are many more scriptures on patience, but they would make the Bit way too long to consider them today. (smile) So, if God spares life tomorrow, then we’ll consider some more. 

Now let’s go home declaring (chuh!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’ 

And having made that declaration (yesss!!!) we are now duty bound to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…in God’s grace and mercy…there’s always room and time for patience…

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

Bringing Light to a Darkened World: The Purpose of Jesus’ Gospel | Podcast Available

13 Jun 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

John 8:12.        I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

And then it was Thursday, the penultimate day of our work week. Another week of the month, of the year, of our lives behind us… And did we do anything in it that will leave a good legacy behind us for others to contemplate and possibly follow? For all our sakes, I surely hope so, (smile) otherwise it would have been just another wasted week in our wonderful, God-given lives. Ah friends, too many of us waste our lives either doing nothing or doing stuff that’s not really worthwhile, while God has a plan for us to do good work for His kingdom. And many of us shy away from doing God’s work, from putting His plan for our lives into action because we’re either sacred of failure, or find that God’s plan might be too big for us to handle. 

But remember friends, God NEVER asks us to do anything without giving us the necessary tools, the wherewithal, the anointing to do it. But we have to dredge up the conviction, the faith, the belief that we can do it, otherwise all the anointing will be of no use. We need to remember all the promises He’s made us, and all the times before when He’s helped us through whatever project He had assigned. That’s one of the most important faith builders in our Christian walk; remembering all the previous times when God saw us through whatever problems we encountered, and believing that if He could do it before, He can certainly do it again. 

Oh my people, the onus to make something of our lives is not on God, but  on us. He gives us whatever we need, shows us the way, then we have to get up and action the situation. And yes, it oftentimes takes a lot of faith to do stuff in the face of adversity, but the Lord has sincerely promised  to never leave nor forsake us, and since we full well know that He’s not a God who reneges on any of His promises, then we should have the gumption to get up and do His will. But laziness…and fear…the need for comfort…etc. etc. keep us from exercising our faith. 

Unfortunately though, when we fail to react positively to God’s will, it leaves the way completely open for the devil and his evil cronies to pile more evil into our world, enslave more of our brethren into the depths of darkness that the evil doers like to keep their captives in. And that’s against the very reason that Jesus came to earth. As He says in the gospel of John: ‘I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ (John 8:12) And Jesus’ coming was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy: ‘The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.’ (Is. 9:2) 

Then later on in John’s gospel Christ reiterated His purpose of bringing light to a darkened world when He cried out to the unbelieving people, some of whom believed in Him, but were afraid that the Pharisees would put them out of the synagogue if they showed their faith, for they LOVED the praise of men more than the praise of God. ‘Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me. I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.’ (John 12:44-46) 

Oh friends, Jesus did not come to earth to do His own will, but that of the Father, that means when we refuse to get up and do God’s will we are thwarting the very reason Jesus came into the world; to save it from the evil powers of darkness, and bring it into the bright and shining light of God the Father. Sin has caused our world to become a dark and frightening place with nothing good to ever come out of it. However, Jesus came to change all of that, to bring light to a darkened world, and we are a part of His plan to do so. 

Consequently, He’s depending on us to get up and help Him spread the good news of His gospel and bring the many captives and slaves of darkness into the bright light of His kingdom. Remember what He said: ‘As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’ (John 9:5) But once He left this world, He expects His followers; apostles, disciples or whatever you choose to call them to continue being the light and continue spreading the truth of His word. That’s why He also said in the Sermon on the Mount: ‘Ye are the salt of the earth…Ye are the light of the world… Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:13, 14,16.) 

Yes my fellow saints, that’s our basic purpose on this earth; to spread the light of Christ through His gospel, His word of truth. And when we refuse to do it, regardless of the reason, we effectively short-circuit the entire operation, for each chain is only as strong as its weakest link. So please, let’s wake up and stand up for Christ, the way He stood up for us! And as I said earlier on, God doesn’t ask us to do anything without giving us the wherewithal to do it, and He’s generously blessed us with the very tools we need to do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings. So let’s declare them (chuhhh!!!) so they can be activated. 

Altogether: ‘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!’ 

Now, with those amazing blessings under our belts, it’s our duty to go out and share them with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they can come out of their darkness into the light of Jesus, and come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…where light shines…darkness is displaced…and it only takes a li’l light to displace much darkness…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   19 February 2024 John 11:25a.

19 Feb 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

John 11:25a.        I AM, the resurrection and the Life.

Monday, oh Monday, you’ve come around again, letting us know it’s time to get back out into the evil world and earn a living!  (smile) But, on this third Monday in February, many Canadians will not be working as two thirds of the provinces celebrate Canada Day, or some other name chosen by the particular province. Unfortunately, it’s not a Federal but regional holiday, so Federal workers will still be on the job. Meanwhile in the U.S, they celebrate President’s Day or Washington’s Birthday, referring to the 1st U.S. President, George Washington (1732-1799) 

Now, last week we studied some of the ‘I AM’ statements of Jesus. So far, we have reviewed ‘I am the Bread of Life.’ (John 6:35) ‘I am the Light of the World.’ (John 8:12) ‘I am the Door.’ (John 10:7,9A) ‘I am the Good Shepherd.’ (John 10:11,14) Hopefully, we can finish the other three ‘I AM’s’ today…but I won’t bet on it. (smile) And the next ‘I AM’ statement we’ll look at is ‘I AM, the resurrection and the Life.’ Jesus spoke these words to Martha, Lazarus’ sister when she rebuked Him for not coming earlier to save her brother from death. 

But Jesus told her, ‘Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I AM the resurrection, and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead (may die), yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.’ (John 11:23-27) 

Oh my brethren, that is indeed the same question that Christ is asking many of us today; do we believe that He is the Messiah, the Giver of eternal life?  Hopefully, many of us like Martha, will reply in the affirmative. However, there are still many, even supposed Christians, who don’t truly believe that Jesus can resurrect their souls. That’s surely a sad thing, because Jesus statement of ‘I AM the resurrection and the life’ is probably, His greatest, since it signifies His awesome power to grant eternal life to those who truly believe in Him! And what’s the use in calling yourself a Christian if you don’t believe in your Leaders greatest ability eh? None whatsoever! 

So friends, if you happen to fall into that latter category of unbelief,, please, please turn to the Lord and ask Him to help your unbelief. For remember what Jesus said to the demon possessed boy’s father who came to Him seeking help for his son? ‘Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.’ (Mark 9:23-24) The father believed, but he knew that his faith was not as strong as it should be, thus he asked for help in believing, as many of us ought to do, if we expect to see eternal life with Jesus, for with Jesus, it’s all about BELIEVING! 

That brings us to Jesus’ next great ‘I AM’ statement. He made it after telling the disciples about His going away. ‘Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions (dwellings): if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.’ (John 14:1-4) 

Now those are certainly interesting statements which are also being asked of us today; do we know who Jesus is, where He is, and how to get to Him? Or are we still like His disciples were? For in response to Jesus’ comments: ‘Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.’ (John 14:5-7)  

And that’s another ‘I Am’ statement that should have us searching ourselves to see if we believe it, and if we do, how strongly, because it’s only through Jesus that we’ll ever get to those mansions in the sky.  It didn’t look so good either, when ‘Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth (will satisfy) us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father: and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?’ (John 14:8-9) 

Unfortunately, it seems like the disciples were not as wise, knowledgeable and of strong faith as they were supposed to be. Jesus was obviously surprised at their lack of knowledge about Him after all the time He spent with them. Thus He continued: ‘Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me? the words that I speak unto you, I speak not of myself (on my own authority): but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake. 

Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.’ (John 14:10-14) Notice again friends, it’s all about BELIEF…BELIEF in Christ! Nothing else will cut it! And for the sake of brevity (smile) we’ll leave the last ‘I AM’ statement for tomorrow, obviously if God spares our lives. 

Now, in humble confidence, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle hymn, seeking divine help for our many earthly problems. 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 divine help only comes when we sincerely repent and turn from our evil ways. So let’s begin there nuh. Much LOVE!

…the most important element of the Christian life is…BELIEF…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   30 May 2023 Job 13:15.

30 May 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Job 13:15.        Though he slay me, yet will I trust him: but I will maintain (defend) mine own ways before him.

Then it was Tuesday – more sunshine and warm weather. And if we’re not careful, we might just get addicted to such beautiful weather yes! But let’s remember, like Job said to his wife, when she wanted him to curse God and die after the terrible losses they suffered: ‘What, shall we receive (accept) good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil (accept calamity)?’ (Job 2:10) 

Now that’s something many of us are guilty of; we jump for joy and praise God to the high heavens when we receive good things, but when the opposite happens, we are totally distressed and ready to make all sorts of disparaging comments about Him; wondering where He is, what kind of God He is to allow such calamitous things to happen to such righteous folks. 

But God never promised that there’d be no hiccups, or disasters or distressing circumstances in our lives just because we believe in Jesus. A lot of us get the wrong idea, that belief in Jesus and all the talk of salvation, abundant and eternal life means easy street for the rest of our lives, with no problems. However, what God promised was to work all things out for our eventual good, if we hold on to our belief in His Son Jesus and do His will. (Rom. 8:28) That’s a horse of an entirely different colour. 

Our world is full of evil things, people and circumstances, and therefore, at some time or other some unfair, unwarranted, unexpected, unfortunate, undeserved stuff is going to happen to us. And the big difference between us believers and the unbelievers is that when unfortunate things happen to us, we have Jesus to turn to for help and comfort. 

Remember as Bruh Paul said to the church at Corinth: ‘Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble (tribulation), by the comfort wherewith we ourselves were comforted of God.’ (2 Cor. 1:3-4) 

Now that’s a very important scripture for to us to bury deep in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls and not be afraid to use whenever needed. Who do you think comforted Job in his distress? It wasn’t his wife, his family or his friends, who came and taunted him about the sins they thought he’d committed for such calamity to befall him. But the Bible tells us that: ‘There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect (blameless) and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed (shunned) evil.’ (Job 1:1) 

So Job obviously was no big time sinner like some of us, and his friends and family must have known that, but they had the mindset set that many of us still have, that tough times only befall you when you commit some sin or the other and God is therefore punishing you for it. But that is the furthest thing from the truth. God does meet out punishment for wrongdoing in His own way and time, but not every mishap that occurs to us means it’s because of sin. 

And like Job, if we know that we have not committed any terrible sin, why should we think that God is punishing us for it? That’s just the enemy playing with our minds, one of his many deceitful pranks, hoping we’d blame God for our misfortune and thus turn away from Him. But again, like Job, we need to be secure in our faith, and whatever happens, even when it doesn’t make sense, and we don’t understand it, don’t blame God, but surely turn to Him for comfort and solace, because He is the God of all comfort, and He can make things right. 

That should be one of our strongest beliefs, if we hope to live a successful Christian life, for in this evil and ungodly world, we are constantly bombarded by all sorts of wrongdoings and hurtful circumstances, and if we don’t have a place of refuge to turn to, when those things happen, then we’re in big trouble. And the Lord God Almighty is the ONLY One who can address such hurts in a compassionate and caring manner. 

Bruh David in his many trials and troubles said it thus in Psalm 25. ‘Unto thee. O Lord, do I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me. Yea, let none that wait (in faith) on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress (deal treacherously) without cause. Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation: on thee do I wait all the day.’ (Ps. 25:1-5) 

Now that’s how we ought to be thinking my fellow believers! Take it to God in prayer and ask for divine help, rather than blame and abuse Him for causing our problems, like so many of us tend to do. Very few of us will ever undergo the trials and tribulations Bruh David went through, or commit the magnitude of sins that he committed, but he never wavered in his faith, because he knew who was on his side, the God of his forefathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And thus, he did not fear or worry, just kept taking all his problems to Him. 

Likewise Job, in all his calamity, never once blamed it on God, though I’m sure he wondered why such misfortune had befallen him when he was trying his best to live right. And in the midst of all his problems and the castigation by his friends, his faith was strong enough that he could make these most memorable statements. ‘Though he slay me, yet will I trust him: but I will maintain (defend) mine own ways before him. He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall come before him. Hear diligently my speech, and my declaration (yesss!!!) with your ears.’ (Job 13:15-17) 

Wow! What awesome words of faith my brethren! Do we have such faith? Not many of us do in these tough, ungodly and evil times, but that is exactly the measure of faith we need, if we intend to successfully navigate through this turbulent world. And for those of us who are sincerely trying to develop such amazing faith, let’s go home now declaring (awright!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. 

Altogether now: ‘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, it’s our bounden duty to go out and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with all we meet, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…without strong hope, trust and belief …strong faith is impossible… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 16 January 2021 Philippians 1:6.

16 Jan 2021 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Philippians 1:6.     ​Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.

Well Saturday has finally come around. That’s good news for some of us, but not for others. However, I am bringing good and wonderful news to ALL of us this sunny, but cold Saturday morning! Wow! 

Hear these words from Bruh Paul to the church at Philippi: ‘Grace be unto you, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now.’ (Phil. 1:2-5) 

Oh my people, do we joyfully pray for each other as we remember our fellow saints? I do hope so, because it’s one of our bounden duties in Christ. Remember Bruh Paul’s words to the Ephesians, and to us, when he spoke about putting on the armour of God? 

‘Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery (hidden truth) of the gospel, For which I am an ambassador in bonds (chains): that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.’ (Eph. 6:18-20) 

Yes my brethren, we’re to always pray for our fellow saints in Christ, because spiritual combat is not only an individual matter, but also a corporate matter. And furthermore, as we are also ambassadors of Christ in this age, we also need the courage, perspicacity and discernment to boldly speak the truth of Christ’s gospel! 

So we do need to pray for each other, remember prayer is our greatest tool in God’s economy! And some of you might be wondering how come there are no quotes from our friend Anselm this Saturday morning? Well the simple answer is that I did not receive any from him all week. So I have nothing like that to offer. (smile) 

Don’t know what happened, maybe he’s on vacation, hiatus or something, even possibly sick, so let’s pray for him, that whatever’s become of him, he may be safe and comforted in God’s arms. And that’s exactly what today’s Bit is all about; keeping each other in our prayers. 

But I do have wonderful truths from Christ’s gospel. Overwhelming truths like this one. More Bruh Paul words to the Philippians: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil. 1:6) 

Oh mih people, what a wonderful promise, what amazing assurance! Yes siree, just like Bruh Paul promised that the Lord would complete the work of salvation He had begun in the Philippians, likewise He will continue and complete the work done in each of us, right until the very day that Christ comes back! Glory be! 

Yes friends, we don’t need to worry about God giving up on us. According to the scholars: ‘This speaks of the Christian’s eternal security. For God had a purpose in view when He began His saving work in the Philippians, and that purpose will neither be abandoned or unrealized.’ 

Wow! What amazing security for all the saints of Christ! Our God never abandons us, or what He begins in us! Once we’re sealed by the Holy Ghost it’s all systems forward! Now if we would only realize and accept that as gospel truth, then our lives would not be as confused and miserable. 

And yuh know friends, it’s all quite simple. Living for Christ might be difficult, but the philosophy is oh so simple. Hear what Jesus said to a crowd while teaching in Capernaum. ‘Then said they (the crowd) unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.’ (John 6:28-29) 

That’s very simple friends, the work of God is merely to believe on Christ and everything else will fall into place. But the foolish people listening to Him then wanted a sign, which He refused to give them. The same goes for us today, we want to see signs and wonders but it’s really all about faith, faith in Almighty God and consequently His wonderful Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

As the author of Hebrews so plainly tells us: ‘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) 

That’s all it’s about friends; faith, belief, and consequently trust. Just like we trust the big banks enough to put our life’s savings in them for safekeeping, just so we need to trust Christ to save us and bring us to eternal glory. 

And just like we use to spout, we’re in the best hands with All State, even more, we should be faithfully shouting: ‘We’re in good, no better, no the BEST hands with Christ Jesus!’ 

There are no bigger, safer, or more secure hands than those of the Deity that created the world and all therein, including us, and still controls it! And until we believe that sincerely in our very being and live accordingly, our lives will continue to be miserable and confused! Much LOVE!

…the amazing simplicity of Christ…ohhh…it’s just too much for the human brain to wrap around…

P.S. Short and sweet eh! So I like it! (smile) Much LOVE!

Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 July 2020 James 1:2.

13 Jul 2020 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

James 1:2.     ​My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations (various trials),
 

‘Everything’s coming up roses…’ Well friends, it’s not really coming up nuh, it has already come up! We talking about the resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and all that does and says for us poor sinners! Wow! And yes, we might be going through some rough and trying times now, but those are only here to test our faith, endurance and perseverance, because we already know the end of the story; Jesus has won the victory over the enemy! Glory be! 

James, the half-brother of Jesus puts it quite succinctly when he speaks of faith and humility. ‘My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations (various trials), Knowing this, that the trying (testing) of your faith worketh (produces) patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire (complete), wanting (lacking) nothing.’ (James 1:2-4) 

And the scholars offer these explanations. ‘1:2-3. In this epistle on Christian living, James opens with a most crucial topic: the trials of life. These verses describe the various testings – whether from the world and Satan, or from God – into which godly Christians fall, (Gr. peripipto). These “negative” experiences are to be accepted with great joy, not for the sake of the trial itself but because of the positive work God can accomplish through the testing.’ Then the scholars note, as per ‘1:4: The natural response to adversity is to escape it. But God uses trouble to mature His people.’ 

Yes friends, as a true believer in Christ, we WILL experience testing, and it is NEVER easy to accept trials and tribulations with joy, but if we hold on tightly to Jesus, be the branch that’s seamlessly welded to His vine, we can successfully withstand the rigours of those tests. And remember, He promises not to give us more than we can handle. 

Bruh Paul explains it thus: ‘There hath no temptation taken (overtaken) you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear (endure) it.’ (1 Cor. 10:13) That doesn’t mean we will necessarily escape the temptation, but He will always assist us to land safely on the other side. So as the old people would say: ‘Yuh could run, but yuh can’t hide from temptation and testing!’ (smile) 

And Peter in his first letter to the scattered diaspora of early believers stated it more fully. ‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that faded not away, reserved in heaven for you. Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be relieved in the last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness (distressed) through manifold temptations.’ (1 Pet. 1:3-6) 

Yes my people, it’s through God’s abundant mercy, whereby Christ was resurrected, and the faith in Him that we manifest that allows us to look forward to the wonderful indestructible inheritance at the time of ultimate salvation. And though life might be hard for a season, that inheritance down the road helps us to bear these tests. 

As Peter continues: ‘That the trial of your faith (the genuineness), being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried (tested) with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing (revelation) of Jesus Christ. Whom having not seen, ye LOVE; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.’ (1 Pet. 1:7-9) 

Yeh, I know it seems deep and heavy, but remember Christ’s yoke is easy, and His burden light. We not here for child’s play and constant good times, we here to do a job for Jesus which means we have to buckle down and be diligent about it, letting the eventual rewards keep us strong and faithful. Hear what the scholars offer. ‘1:6-9. The problem of salvation looks to the present. Earthly trials constitute a problem of our salvation, but they are only for a season, or temporary. Manifold temptations means diversified trials. True faith cannot be destroyed though God is in the process of refining faith through our trials.’ 

So what can we do? As always, the number one step is prayer. So let’s pray nuh, raise up our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to heaven, in strong voice, with sincere hearts, in true and humble but confident faith. ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive, and hopefully haven’t contracted the virus that’s causing havoc around our world. And our anxieties have been recently deepened because some restrictions have been lifted in the lockdown, so more of us are going out to work now without any guarantees of safety. 

Then to complicate matters Father, suddenly, and unexpectedly, just like the virus, worldwide strife and protests have also struck us in this sad time of pandemic, and we don’t have a clue how to handle either situation properly. Mass confusion is currently prevailing in our world, and we desperately need your help to solve both problems, as You are the ONLY One with the power and insight to successfully handle them. 

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction. 

Please show us how to successfully handle these scourges that are currently plaguing Your beautiful earth. Please help our leaders to wisely quell the strife and protests, thus bringing unity, peaceful consensus and real improvement in the areas that are now sadly lacking. Please help the scientists to also find a positive solution, a sure antidote to the virus as quickly as possible. And for those who have already contracted the virus, or been injured in the strife, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them. 

Father, please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land 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!’ 

Now we sit and wait quietly for a while, for God’s wise direction, then we go out and obediently follow it. Much LOVE!

…to endure to the end…we need a combination of…hope, faith, belief and trust…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 4 January 2020 Matthew 6:33.

04 Jan 2020 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Matthew 6:33.    ​But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
 
And on this first Saturday in the new year, there is a veneer, a patina of snow on the ground. (smile) Oh, it’s not much, but we haven’t seen any for a few days now because the temperature has been around 4 or 5 since New Year’s Eve. But let’s not get too complacent, these are the northern climes in the winter season, and as such, are supposed to receive a fair amount of snow. So though climate change has somewhat disrupted the schedule, don’t worry, we will get our fair share eventually. (smile) 

And with that prognostication – what a way the ole fella using big words this morning! Just hope he’s using them right. (smile) So let’s stay prepared! Anyway, it’s Saturday, that means we need to look at some of the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he continues aspiring to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And he’s certainly waxed long and wise this past week. 

Hear this first one: ‘A fantasy noted down with a date turns into an objective. An objective partitioned into ascertained strides turns into an arrangement. An arrangement bolstered by activities makes your fantasies work out as expected. So this New Year, take your fantasies, travel the distance to their goal and make them a reality.’ Now how can I find any fault with that eh, since it calls for sincere belief, endurance and perseverance, three of the most important aspects of a believer’s life. 

My only comment is that I hope our biggest fantasy, well not really a fantasy, but rather a goal, is to walk closer with Jesus this new year of 2020! Now if we do that, then things will be awesome, the Lord will work out everything for good, as He’s so faithfully promised! Glory Be! And following on from that, is this gospel true quote. ‘There are greater things to be achieved in every new year, and each and everyone must prepare themselves to be great, not by words of the mouth, but by a lot of sacrifices.’ 

Now friends, that is an eternal truth we can never escape! All of us want to be great. But too many of us don’t realize that to be a notch or two above the ordinary also takes more sacrifices than it does to be just ordinary. Take a close look at the lives of any great person, and you’ll see the abnormal amount of sacrifices he or she made to reach the level we consider great. Rising up in this life was never, and will never be easy. Look at Jesus. Our Lord and Saviour, the Son of God; His achieved His greatness at considerable sacrifice, the ultimate in sacrifice, His sinless life. 

And as followers of His, we are also called to make sacrifices. Most likely not as much, or as painful as He did, but definitely some that will indeed hurt our flesh. So, if we want to truly follow Jesus this year my brethren, we have to be prepared to make some serious sacrifices, not merely talking a good talk, because walking in His footsteps calls for exactly that! And this next quote is long but wise and very doable, and one we should all try to implement, with Jesus’ help of course. 

Listen up: ‘We spend January 1st walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives… not looking for flaws, but for potential. Things to think about for 2020: 1. Talk less; listen more; 2. Remind yourself you are not the General Manager of the Universe; 3. Sit on your ego; 4. Take one day at a time; 5. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you to do and let go of the anxiety. If you can’t do anything about a situation, forget it; 6. Pray. Happy New Year to all my friends and family.’ 

And it’s rather unfortunate, but quite true, that ALL of us can take those six steps to heart this new year and implement them in our lives! But please remember that the most important step is the last one: ‘PRAY!’ Yes friends, prayer is ever so important because it means serious communication with God; the source, the fountainhead of all that we are, of our very being; the holy, immortal and omnipotent One who fashioned us in His celestial image, and breathed His awesome breath of life into our dirt based bodies! 

So having said all of that, here’s the last quote: ‘Cheers to a new year and another chance for you to get it right.’ And what do we mean by that? Well two scriptures stand out in my mind right now. The first is Jesus’ assurance to his disciples, and consequently to us His modern-day followers. ‘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 16:33) 

And so He has my fellow believers. He has defeated hell, death and the grave, and has the keys of both heaven and hell attached to his key ring, so we don’t have to worry about anything, just  receive His awesome peace that passes all the understanding our puny and finite minds can muster, and be cheerful because of all the wonderful things He’s done on our behalf. 

But nonetheless this next scripture is the one that will really cause us to enjoy all the blessings, and endure with strong faith, all the ‘sufferation’ that’s inherent in a believer’s life. Again, the wise advice of Jesus: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ 

Now my people, that’s our first step for this new year. Please, let’s take it, and take it very seriously, so that our greatly disturbed, badly directed, desperate world and all therein, can benefit from God’s goodness! Much LOVE!

…2020…must be the year…we sincerely talk the talk…and even more importantly…walk the walk…in Jesus’ name… Amen!

Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 December 2019 Daniel 6:16b.

10 Dec 2019 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Daniel 6:16b.    Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.
 

Ah friends, the weather nowadays can be so finicky and capricious, just like… hold that thought mih brother, because in these days of female empowerment, the fairer sex is liable to get all over yuh case. (smile) But seriously though, just two days ago there was snow all over the rooftops and ground, but now there’s little trace of it, because the temperature went up to almost double digits yesterday, thus it ended up being a rainy day, and all the snow was washed away. 

And I must say that I now miss seeing the snow covered rooves of the houses when I look out my window. Imagine that nuh! But that’s the kind of guy the ole fella is; if it’s pleasing to the eye, then say so, although the presence of said thing might be inconvenient and dangerous. (smile) 

And I just want to point out to us today, how unconventional our great God can be. Remember when Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den because he refused to fall in line with King Darius’ decree ‘that every man who shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?’ (Dan. 6:12) Now we all know that was simply a set up to get Daniel thrown into the lion’s den since they knew he would not bow down to any other God save that of his forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 

And when the king realized that he’d been played by his senior bureaucrats, he was heartbroken, ‘sore displeased  with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured (greatly strived) till the going down of the sun to deliver him.’(Dan.6:14) That shows how important and close Daniel was to the king. But unfortunately he couldn’t do anything about it because no decree or statute of the Medes and Persians could be changed once the king established it. So with a sad heart he watched as Daniel was thrown into the den of lions. 

But here’s what I want us to pay particular attention to; the kings last words to Daniel before he was thrown in. ‘Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.’  Wow! What words of faith and encouragement the Lord placed in the pagan king’s mouth! The king knew of Daniel’s faithfulness to his God, and obviously had heard and seen some of the miracles He wrought in and through Daniel, so his supposedly last words to Daniel were not as far-fetched as they might at first seem. 

Oh my people, how many of us can truthfully say that we serve our great and wonderful God with zeal such as Daniel eh? Not very many; certainly not enough, especially in this current mish-mash world of ours! But NOW friends, NOW is the time when our zeal for the Lord ought to be the highest it’s ever been, because the enemy is getting more powerful every day, and we simply cannot allow that to happen! We simply cannot allow the fear of the world to stop us from fighting tooth and nail for Jesus’ eternal cause. We desperately need to stand on the words of king Darius: that the God whom we serve continually will deliver us in any and every situation! 

It’s all about belief and faith friends! And those two things will bring trust and surrender and courage and confidence! It’s already all inside of us, we now have to water those seeds with faith and let them grow strong and true! If we’re to be victorious in Jesus’ cause, then we have to hunker down NOW, just like the enemy is doing, and fight, fight the good fight in our Lord and Saviour’s name! Nothing less will do! Now it’s not going to be easy, since life’s never easy, but with Almighty God in our hearts and souls remember that everything is possible; we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us! 

This is the time when we need the powerful and reassuring Word of God to reassure us. But it can’t do that unless we seriously and continually read, study and write it indelibly in our hearts. Please remember the immortal words of the Lord to Joshua when He appointed him leader of Israel after Moses died. ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (be constantly 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.’ (Josh. 1:8) 

Oh my faithful brethren, that is the most defining verse in the entire Word of God! Study it, and live it, then you will have good success! It’s clear as day! Please note the importance of the word ‘good’ there, for you can have success by following the enemy, but that’s bad success, a success that never lasts or get’s one into eternal life with God. And that’s simply why so many of us are not leading lives as prosperous as we can; we don’t spend enough serious and sincere time in the Word, and thus we can’t live it as we ought. 

Oh my people, I do hope that my words, or rather the words put into my heart and fingers by the Holy Spirit will be of great encouragement to us today, because we do need to increase our faithfulness and trust, so that we can fight the good fight that’s called for in these most trying and turbulent times! 

Now let’s go home declaring (yeah!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know who and whose we are. In strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘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 the world.  Amen!’ 

Now that should lead us to put on our battle armour and excitedly go out and share Christ’s LOVE and friendship! Much LOVE!

..the time is NOW…the time is NOW…NOW is the time…

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