11 Oct 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a God of many chances, a sense of responsibility, a warning, any wicked way in me, backsliders, Bible, Canada Thanksgiving, change in behaviour, christianity, consider the sinful state of our lives, crime spree, divine aid, error of their ways, eternal life, faith, faith comes by hearing, Friday chant, god, God's love and compassion, he that hath ears to hear let him hear, hearing by the word of God, hope, Hurricane Milton, Jesus Christ, know my heart, laws too lax, lead me in the way everlasting, listen to the Word of God' like our lives depended on it, LOVE, mercy, not taught children enough about God, obedient to His will, omnipotent help, problems escalating, raising its ugly head, search me O God, simmering unrest, Sodom and Gomorrah, spectre of crime, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, thanksgiving weekend, the example we faithful believers set, the hand of God, the joy of the Lord is our strength, the throne of grace, there's a way, there's always hope, trusting faith, truth, try me and know my anxious thoughts, ungodly times, where there's a will, wisdom, work ethic
Matthew 11:15. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
And then it was Friday, the day that brings us light and hope of freedom from work, albeit for a measly two days. (smile) That means the shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ rose to high heaven, especially in this good and grateful land of Canada, because this is our long Thanksgiving Weekend! Yes friends, we in the northern climes celebrate our Thanksgiving in mid-October, while those to the south of us, the U.S. celebrate theirs in November.
And right now we’d like to remember and pray for those down there, especially in the State of Florida, who in the last couple of days have suffered the wrath of Hurricane Milton, after suffering that of Hurricane Helene a couple of weeks before. Who knows if in all the current disaster, both natural and man-made, that’s occurring all over our world, the hand of God isn’t somewhere in there giving us a warning.
Remember all those times in the Bible where He wreaked destruction on overwhelmingly sinful and disobedient societies and nations, like Sodom and Gomorrah, and His own people Israel. And also turned away His wrath from sinful cities like Nineveh, who repented and became obedient to His will after the crying out of the prophet Jonah to them.
So why couldn’t He be doing the same thing now, in this the most sinful state that mankind has ever been in? I don’t know the answer, but for our sakes and those of our children’s children, we’d be wise to consider it and act accordingly. For as Jesus says: ‘He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.’ (Matt. 11:15)
And what does that mean? Listen as this commentary explains. ‘Jesus wants us to believe Him and His promises. For that kind of life, we need faith. And faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. He who has ears to hear let him hear this: We should listen to the Word of God like our life depends on it because it does, both our eternal life and our life here and now.’
I could not have said it any better my people. So I’m pleading with us to take the time to consider the sinful state of our lives and do like Bruh David says at the end of his famous Psalm 139. ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart: try (test) me, and know my (anxious) thoughts. And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.’ (Ps. 139:23-24) And this Thanksgiving weekend is possibly the best time to consider the state of our hearts, thoughts and society my fellow Canadians.
Anyway, it’s obvious that there will be many joyful happenings this weekend in our free and native land, not the least of which is giving thanks to Almighty God for the numerous blessings He’s bestowed on our land and our society. Oh, we are not perfect, nowhere close, but we do have one of the best societies going. The strife and dissension are not as bad as many other countries, and thankfully there’s no brawling in the streets, although recently the spectre of crime, like shootings, stabbings, carjackings and fraud has raised its ugly head and is haunting us like it hasn’t done in a long while.
But where there is a will, there is a way, and let’s hope that together, and with God’s help, we can attack and conquer the crime spree that’s now enveloping our land. And the sad part is that most of those criminal activities are being carried out by young people, as young as 13 and 14 years old, and by many who are either out on bail, probation or parole. It’s obvious that our laws are too lax, and we have not taught them enough about God, or given them a proper sense of responsibility and the work ethic.
Let’s remember though, that Thanksgiving is not only a time to celebrate the Lord’s goodness and mercy upon us and our land, but also a time to take stock of what we’ve done right and what we’ve done wrong and make the necessary changes, to do more right than wrong in the upcoming year. And it’s never too late to change or turn things around my people, for our God is a God of many chances… even third, fourth, fifth, six and seventh chances – as many as we need! So once we’re alive, we can never say there’s no hope.
And there’s no better time than at the beginning of this long Thanksgiving weekend to go to God, to go confidently to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, and ask for divine help in these troubled and uncertain times. 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 my fellow saints, it’s all well and good to pray and ask for help, but then there must also be some change in our behaviour, if we expect to ever see divine aid. Let him who hath ears to hear…hear! Much LOVE!
…the joy of the Lord is our strength…let’s not allow Satan to rob us of it…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
10 Oct 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a man after His own heart, a positive outlook on life, Bible, bring it to pass, christianity, commit thy way unto the Lord, curse, deceit, delight thyself also in the Lord, difficult circumstances, divine protection, emotionally, enjoy all the blessings of God, faith, favour, feed thee, fewer your days, give the the desires of thine heart, god, grateful devoted heart, greed, happiness, holy spirit, Jesus Christ, like putty in God's hands, LOVE, lovers of God, makes you stronger, more like Jesus, negative word, not doing thine own ways, obedience, physocally, pliable in God's hands, praise God, promotion, repentant, reverent, ride upon the high places, satisfaction, seek intimacy with God, selfishness, spiritually, supernatural wisdom, teachable, tender, the clock's ticking, the essence of our faith, the heritage of Jacob, the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it, the world's way, to gain great pleasure, trust also in him, trust God wholeheartedly, truth, turn away from your pleasure, value God for who He is not what He can do for us, value people for who they are, value the giver more than the gifts, wisdom
Psalm 37:4-5. Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass.
And believe it or not, it’s Thursday, the second to last day of our work week. I don’t know if I’m happy or sad that the days seem to be passing by so quickly. The problem might just be that the older you get the fewer your days on God’s good earth become, and you get anxious that you’ve not done as much as you wanted to do, or more importantly, the things you’ve desired to do. And right now, that’s somewhat true for me, because there are several things I haven’t yet done that I greatly desire to do.
When you’re twenty odd, you easily envision many more days alive and kicking, but at the ripe ole age of seventy odd, you know that the clock’s ticking and your days are not that many. But then again, when you trust God wholeheartedly, you’re not supposed to be worried or anxious about anything, for the Bible tells us, in the words of Bruh David from Psalm 37 – titled Trust in the Lord: ‘Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass.’ (Ps. 37:4-5)
And what does it mean to delight thyself in the Lord? Here’s a short and simple answer from this commentary. ‘To “delight in the Lord” is to enjoy all the blessings found in Him, because they are from Him, not merely because they are to our benefit. It’s often said that the person who delights in the Lord values the Giver more highly than His gifts.’ Now that’s an attitude we should surely have towards our God; appreciating and valuing Him for what and who He is, than merely for what He can do for us in terms of worldly needs.
It’s also something we should be seriously pursuing in our daily lives with other people; valuing them more as God’s people, our brothers and sisters in Christ, rather than merely thinking of them in terms of what they can do for us. And that brings us right back to what we’re talking about; foregoing all the selfishness, greed and deceit that our world today teaches as a way of life, and committing to God’s way, which is the exact opposite. (smile)
Meanwhile, this other commentary shows delighting in God in a different light. It asks, ‘What is the biblical meaning of delight?’ And answers: ‘The word delight means “to gain great pleasure, satisfaction, and happiness.” Additionally, another meaning of the Hebrew word for delight is “to be soft, tender.” I think LOVERS of God are those who are soft and tender toward Him, always teachable, always pliable in His hands.’
That’s also true. We need to be like putty in God’s hands, obedient, and committing our ways to Him, meaning ‘invite the Lord to examine our desires and intentions—and change whatever does not fit his purpose or advance his plan for our life.’ And we wonder why God delighted in Bruh David with all of his abominable behaviour. Because he had a repentant, reverent, grateful and devoted heart.
And we can see that from the words of this commentary. ‘Because of his knowledge of God, David refrained from killing Saul when he had the opportunity, content to wait for God to act in his perfect timing. David demonstrated delight in God through his obedience and praise to God despite his difficult circumstances.’
Ah friends, if only we could be so trusting and obedient. That doesn’t mean we won’t do wrong, but when we realize, it we turn asap to God and confess and repent of it. That’s what Bruh David did, and the Lord still considered him a friend and a man after His own heart. The whole point of delighting in God, and committing our ways to Him, is encouraging and challenging us to seek intimacy with God every day. And the greater the intimacy, the greater the obedience and the greater the blessing!
It’s all a part of God’s great plan for us to commune continuously and deeply with Him. It’s one of the reasons He created us. So when we don’t seek to get close to God, then we’re losing out, missing a whole set of wonderful blessings and interesting adventures and situations. Now, they won’t always be a Sunday walk in the park, (smile) but they’ll surely brighten up your life and make you stronger; physically, spiritually and emotionally, in other words, more like Jesus.
Now listen to this scripture from Isaiah, where he’s talking to the people about honouring the Sabbath. ‘If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shall honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places (hills) of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.’ (Is. 58:13-14)
Yes my fellow believers, if we choose the Lord’s way, rather than ours, He will rain down blessings on us in such abundance that we won’t be able to handle them. But unfortunately, too many of us are following the foolish dictates of the world, to basically go against everything that God stands for. No wonder our world is filled with man-made chaos and natural disasters. So what are we going to do about this undesirable situation eh? The answer lies in our hands my fellow saints, and the Lord has most generously given us the tools to handle it. We call them our Thursday Blessings. So let’s declare (chuh!!!) them right now, so that they can be activated in our lives.
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 (yesss!!!) it now behooves us to go out and use those blessings for the benefit of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…delighting in our wonderful God…is the essence of our faith…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
08 Oct 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: alive and kicking, became obedient unto death, being found in fashion as a man, being in the form of God, Bible, christianity, diligent servants, don't do the right things, duty bound, even the death of the cross, faith, god, he humbled himself, holy spirit, hurry, hypocrites, if there be any wicked way in me, in god's eyes, Jesus Christ, know my anxious thoughts, know my heart, lead me in the way everlasting, LOVE, masquerading as Christians, meditate on the Word, mercy, new mercies and compassions, permeating the land, salvation, search me O God, share His love with my neighbours, sinfulness, the beloved of God, the breath of life, the dustbin of history, the form of a servant, the light of the world, the salt of the earth, to be qual with God, too comfortable, too fearful, too lazy, trust my friend Jesus, truth, try me, Tuesday Mantra, ungodliness, walking our talk, wisdom, without complaining, worry
Philippians 2:8. And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Tuesday, Oh Tuesday! How we LOVE thee! For thou hast pushed that ugly, ole, disruptive, overbearing Monday out of our way! And for that, we give thee much thanks, Oh Tuesday! Yes friends, many of us are happy to see Monday flushed into the dustbin of history, because it brings out too many negative things in us. But that’s just because we don’t do the right things in the first place.
But nonetheless, we’re alive and kicking this Tuesday morning, so let’s give our wonderful God some thanks and praise for that, as well as for all of His new mercies and compassions that He’s poured out on us on this brand-new day, that’s sunny, but a tad cool in my neighbourhood.
Please pray with me: ‘Oh heavenly Father, we thank You for the breath of life to see this new day, and ask that You let Your Holy Spirit lead and guide us in the way You desire us to go, so that we can be good and diligent servants as we engage in our daily walk. Please help us to be the salt of the earth and light of the world that You desire us to be. We pray it all in the holy name of Jesus! Amen.’
Now, that means listening to whatever the Holy Spirit has to say to each of us, then getting up and doing His bidding. And there’s oodles of work to be done, if we ever hope to make something godly and righteous of this sinful world. The point being, that we can only make any worthwhile changes with the help of Jesus and His Holy Spirit.
But there’s so much work to be done, that we cannot only touch the surface with Jesus, but we have to dig deep down in and with Him; study and meditate on the Word like there was no tomorrow, then right away put it into practice. For who knows if there will be any tomorrow? Our biggest problem, I believe, is not so much knowing the word, but putting it into practice, which ofttimes takes more than what many of us are willing to give.
Many of us know the word well enough to make some beneficial changes in our world, but the problem is getting us to make the effort, to put out the energy needed to make the sacrifices required to put those changes into effect. It’s all a matter of us being too lazy, too comfortable or too fearful. Remember, Jesus didn’t have to undergo the sufferation He underwent, but because of the Father’s great LOVE for his sinful creation, that’s us, and Jesus LOVE for the Father, He did it, without complaining too.
As the Bible tells us: ‘(Jesus) Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men (emptied himself of all his privileges): And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ (Phil. 2:6-8)
Yes my brethren, that’s what Christ did for us, so why can’t we become a li’l uncomfortable and do His work eh? Because we’re just a bunch of talkative, no good, lazy, compromising, comfortable and fearful hypocrites, masquerading as Christians! Yuh think, with the number of supposed believers in the world, if each one of us would get out into the world and act like we should, not join or compromise with the world, that the sinfulness and ungodliness that’s currently permeating the land would be as bad?
No way! But it’s just that we supposed believers are not prepared to stand up and sincerely fight for what we claim to believe in. And the longer we wait to pull up the reins on the soaring ungodliness, the worst it will become, until we won’t ever have a chance of stopping it. Oh my people, do we really want to see our grandchildren and their children living in a world that’s worse than this one?
Of course not! But to make that happen, we have to stand up strong and fight the enemy RIGHT NOW! It’s high time to stop all the talking, which we’re so good at, like the hypocrite Pharisees of Jesus’ day, and begin walking that talk. That’s the only way we will ever make any serious changes in our current sinful and ungodly world. And what a wonderful world we can bring about if we would just walk our talk a bit more than we’re currently doing.
But it actively requires Christ’s church, that’s His people, not the buildings, to get together and stop fighting against each other, to drop the animosity and petty differences that keep us apart. Christ is depending on us to do His work, and we cannot do it if we’re as divided and uncompromising as we are.
Oh my fellow saints, we desperately need to search our hearts and see what’s there and how we can make the necessary changes. It’s like Bruh David says in that great Psalm 139: ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my (anxious) thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.’ (Ps. 139:23-24)
Yes my fellow saints, that’s what we all need to do TODAY, so that we can be on our way to becoming the true salt of the earth and light of the world as Jesus desires. End of Sermon! (smile) Now let’s go home declaring (oh heifer dust!!!) yes, my exclamation was much stronger today. (smile) Let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And having said all of that, we are now duty bound to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…what’s it going to take… for Christians…to get up and truly act like Christians eh…another world war…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
07 Oct 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a crying shame, a disciple of Jesus, a new creation, a nuclear holocaust, accoring to his riches in glory, after the things of the Spirit, all our needs met, all things are become new, as babes in Christ, Bible, cannot please God, carnal, christianity, deny himself, divine aid, enmity against God, excellence, faith, fed you with milk not meat, fervently, forget ourselves, grow in faith, humble servants, if any man be in Christ, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, just laze around, life, LOVE, make a living, mass confusion, mercy, mid the things of the Spirit, mind the things of the flesh, negative situations, old things are passed away, peace, reconciled us to himself, sacrifice, sacrificing for Christ, saints of Christ, salvation, seek God and his righteousness first, sincere repentance, spiritual maturity, strife, strong faith in Christ, take up his cross daily, the carnal mind, the God who heals, the sins of the flesh, the Spirit of God, they athat are after the flesh, those in the flesh, to be carnally minded is death, to be spiritually minded is life and peace, trun from our evil ways, truth, wisdom, wise guidance, work dilgently, ye are yet carnal
Romans 8:6. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
And the roller coaster ride keeps rolling on! Another day, another dollar! Yes my people, it’s another Monday, the start of a new work week and we have to get out into the evil world and make a living. And Jesus did instruct us to seek God and His righteousness first, and all of our needs would be met; (Matt. 6:33) while Bruh Paul also promised that God would provide all our needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus; (Philp. 4:19) but all of that implies that we would get up and work diligently, fervently and efficiently, not just laze around, as so many of us are doing, and expecting our needs to be filled.
Being a disciple of Jesus can be hard work. Remember how He described a disciple? ‘If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) That means we have to take up our cross, every day, and follow Him, wherever He may lead us, sacrificing our own desires for His. And that’s not easy to do, especially in this prosperous and amenity filled society in which we currently live.
The word ‘sacrifice’ doesn’t even register with a large portion of our population, many of whom have no idea what it means, much less know how to put it into practice. But if we desire to be true believers, true disciples of Christ, then we have to learn how to do the job, how to forget ourselves and sacrifice whenever and wherever necessary, so that His desires can be achieved.
And my fellow believers, we can say whatever we want, fool ourselves as much as we desire, but it’s obvious in this last generation, our witness, our sacrifice, diligence, fervency and excellence on Jesus’ behalf have not been very satisfactory. We have allowed the world and all its carnality, it’s fleshly lusts, to lessen our call to righteousness.
That’s why Bruh Paul wrote these words of warning to the Roman church. ‘For they that are after the flesh do mind (set their minds on) the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.’ (Rom. 8:5-10)
Yes friends, we have received the indwelling Spirit of God to help us lead a godly life, not turn back to the sins of the flesh that Christ died to save us from. When we become saints of Christ, we have to kill that old life. As Bruh Paul wrote in his second missive to the Corinthians: ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given us the ministry of reconciliation.’ (2 Cor. 5:17-18)
Now my people, that change in us to the new man cannot be just for a time… no. When we come into a new relationship with the risen and glorified Lord, we see things in a different light, and that change has to continue for the rest of our lives, so we can sincerely do the work Christ requires of us. And furthermore, we have to grow in faith, in spiritual maturity – from no faith, to little faith, to great faith! Otherwise we’d end up, and have indeed ended up just like Bruh Paul chided the Corinthians in his first letter.
‘And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat (solid food): for hitherto (until now)ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions (dissensions), are ye not carnal (fleshly), and walk as men (according to man’s ways).’ (1 Cor. 3:1-3)
And unfortunately that carnal and fleshly attitude still prevails in Christ’s church today. The majority of the people are not growing in spiritual maturity, they’re not seriously and sincerely studying the Word and living it. At this stage of their development when they should be eating solid food, they still can only drink milk, because there’s too much envying and strife and dissensions amongst the body of Christ.
That’s why the negative attributes of the enemy are currently holding our world hostage, and unless we supposed believers get up and begin fighting back mano a mano, God’s great world is liable to implode with all the strife and talk of strife that’s currently in the air. We’re talking about World War Three, which won’t be fought with ordinary weapons, but will be a nuclear holocaust. So let’s start doing something about it right now nuh, by going to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine aid to help in this time of dire need.
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!’
But first things first, we have to start changing from our evil ways and becoming true disciples of Christ before any divine aid will start flowing down to us. Much LOVE!
…it’s a crying shame…that Christ’s church…is still so carnally minded…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
04 Oct 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a parable, ambassadors, apostasy, backsliders, be responsible, better examples, Bible, blasphemers, boasters, Christian living, christianity, corrupt minds, disciples, discontent, disobedience, dissatisfaction, divers lusts, divine aid, faith, false teachers, folly, Friday chant, in the last days, in the last days perilous times shall come, insatiable need, Jambres, Jannes, Jesus Christ, laden with sins, late to bed - late to rise, lead captive silly women, liars, LOVE, lovers of pleasures, lovers of their own selves, manifest unto all men, men, more than lovers of God, omnipotent help, perilous times, proud, resist the truth, simmering unrest, slanderers, smell the coffee, stay safe, the church age, the error of their ways, traitors, truth, turning away from God, unexpected storms, ungodly times, wake up, wisdom, wise guidance
2 Timothy 3:1. This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
And He spake unto them a parable, saying, Late to bed, late to rise. Let him who has ears to hear, hear. And as always, there’s truth to Jesus’ parables. (smile) I did go to bed rather late this morning, thus I woke up rather late, and that explains the lateness of the Bit. But, nonetheless, we were able to shout ’TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and the weekend is here at long last!’ Although I doubt it’s at long last, because the days are flying by so fast; they morph into each so speedily that before you can truly consider one, it’s another.
Anyway, it’s also another beautiful sunny, fairly warm day in the month of October, for which we also give great thanks. And finally I get to quote some scripture on the last days of the church age that I’ve been trying to get in from the outset of our discourse on that topic, but could never find the time nor space to fit it in, (smile) and it’s oh so relevant and reflect Jesus’ words on the subject. We’re talking here about Bruh Paul’s wise words of warning to his protégé Timothy.
Listen up, as he says: ‘This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous (money lovers), boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers (irreconcilable), false accusers (slanderers), incontinent (without self-control), fierce (brutal), despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady (reckless) highminded (haughty), lovers of pleasures more than (rather than) lovers of God;
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers (varied) lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate (disapproved) concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs was also.’ (2 Tim. 3:1-9)
Oh friends, every time I read those words of Bruh Paul, I wonder if he isn’t still alive, because those words so aptly describe our cultures, societies and our overall world today! The world is currently filled with perilous times galore, and mankind is all that Bruh Paul foretold they would be; greedy, with no LOVE for God, but plenty for worldly pleasures, covetous, liars, traitors, haughty, without thanks or holiness, and especially disobedient to parents. Now that last one we certainly cannot deny, as this generation is so disobedient it’s not funny.
And the scholars explain the first four verses thus: ‘The last days began with the birth of Christ and will culminate in Christ’s return to the earth to set up His kingdom. The prediction of perilous times indicates that apostasy (turning away from God) will characterize the final days of the church age.’
And we don’t have to look very far to see that people are turning away from God in droves, while figuratively speaking, only a handful are coming to Him. That doesn’t say much for our world or Jesus’ church, meaning us, His supposed believers, disciples and ambassadors. We obviously have not been the worthy salt of the earth and light of the world we ought to have been, otherwise our world would not have fallen so far and fast on the way to hell in a handbasket.
Meanwhile, per the other five verses in the scripture passage, the scholars explain: ‘A form of godliness is mere religion without power or spiritual life. Paul commands Timothy to turn away from these false teachers who pray upon silly women laden with sins, who are especially susceptible to false teachers. Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth condemns not intense study but some esoteric quest for truth apart from God’s Word. Jannes and Jambres, according to Jewish tradition were the two magicians in Pharaoh’s court who attempted to duplicate the miracles of Moses. (cf. Ex. 7:11; 9:11).’
Ah mih people, there’s absolutely no doubt that Bruh Paul’s prophecy holds true to the state of our current society. But the only unfortunate difference is that not only are silly women, but also silly men are being persuaded to turn away from God by the numerous false teachers out there. And the supposed quest for truth, apart from God’s Word, has never before been so intense in the modern world, with so many different types of truth abounding, and where everyone has his or her own truth.
And though, deep down we might desire to turn things around, we all know we cannot do it without the help of Jesus, for He says, He is the vine, and we are the branches, and if we don’t stick close to Him, we won’t be able to do anything. (John 15:5) So please, let’s go to the throne of grace, right now, through our Friday Chant, seeking that divine aid to help us do what we cannot do in our own strength.
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 having prayed that prayer, let’s not forget that nothing will change until we change, until we become better examples of true Christian living! Much LOVE!
…in a world that’s turning away from God…there’s an insatiable need for true believers…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
03 Oct 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a peace that transcends, a state of unbelief, avenge all wrongs, B.S. baffles brains, be careful for nothing, be ye thankful, Bible, blessings, Christ's return is near, christianity, coming as judge, courage, creativity, curse, damnation, disruption, eternal life, eternal separation from God, extreme circumstances, faith, favour, frees the believer from fear and worry, fulfilment, god, heathenism, heifer dust, hellfire, in everything by prayer and supplication, invitation to dismiss legitimate concerns, irresponsibility, Jesus Christ, let not your heart be troubled, let the peace of God rule in your hearts, let your moderation be known unto all men, let your request be made known unto God, LOVE, mercy, my peace I give unto you, names written in the Lamb's Book of Life, negative distractions, negative effects, negative word, neither let it be afraid, no peace like the peace of God, not as the world gives, Peace i leave with you, Rejoice in the Lord always, salvation, self-control, shall keep your hearts and minds, thanksgiving, the church age, the Lord is at hand, the normal cycles of God's universe, the peace of God, the tranquility of mind, through Christ Jesus, Thursday Blessings, truth, weather, which passeth all understanding, wisdom, wreaking havoc
Colossians 3:15a. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts,
Wow! Is it really Thursday already? I can’t believe it. The week just began …and it’s already almost at an end. (smile) Something curious and serious is happening in the world; time and weather are moving along in extreme circumstances. The well-planned and hitherto normal cycles of God’s universe have been seriously disturbed by mankind; thus we are suffering the negative effects of their disruption. And that’s why they say B.S. baffles brains! (smile)
Believe me though, there’s a lot of heifer dust out there that’s baffling the brains of many, else why would our world be in such a sad state of unbelief and heathenism eh? Why are we refusing to accept the truth of Jesus and His gospel, which leads to salvation and eternal life, but believing Beelzebub and his B.S. which leads to hell fire, damnation and eternal separation from God?
Oh my people, in these trying times, which might just be the last days of the church age, we need the truth of Jesus more desperately than ever before, because of the great number of deadly and negative distractions fighting for our minds, bodies and souls. And Jesus is the only one who can bring us the kind of peace and understanding we need to handle all the unfortunate stuff that’s currently wreaking havoc in our world. That’s why, Jesus, before He left earth, reassured us with these encouraging words: ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27)
Yes friends, when we have the peace that Jesus gives, which is nothing like what the world offers as peace, we don’t need to be troubled or afraid. That’s also why Bruh Paul wrote these words of encouragement and warning to the church at Philippi. ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say rejoice. Let your moderation (gentleness) be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:5-7)
And that’s all ever so true my fellow believers! If we are saved and our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, then that’s more than sufficient cause to rejoice. And when we rejoice, we will most likely be gracious and reasonable with our fellow believers.
And I like how the scholars explain the Lord is at hand. They say it means two things; ‘His return to earth is near. His imminent coming as judge encourages the Christian to be “gracious” unto all men, for He will judge the believer for all of his actions toward all people, and will avenge all wrongs committed by others against him. Second, “the Lord is at hand” spiritually. The Lord’s being presently near should free the Christian from fear and anxiety. Hence the command of verse 6. Be careful for nothing.’
Yes my people, when we hold close to Jesus and carry everything to him in prayer, with thanksgiving, we don’t need to worry about all the stuff that’s happening to and around us. And as the scholars remind us, ‘This is no summons to irresponsibility or an invitation to dismiss legitimate concerns.’ Not at all. We have to still be on our p’s and q’s but not given to overall worry, since God’s peace is with us. As the scholars describe it. ‘That tranquility of mind that frees the believer from fear and worry.’
And it passes all understanding because ‘it’s a peace that’s divinely bestowed in times of anxiety, so wonderful that it exceeds one’s ability to understand it.’ It also means that God’s peace far surpasses our understanding, and He is thus able to handle and solve our problems better than us.
And this commentary gives us a brief, simple, but excellent idea of what’s meant by the peace of God that passes all understanding. It says: ‘This is a peace that transcends, outdoes, surpasses, excels, rises above, goes beyond and over the top of any other kind of peace. The implication is that people may try to find peace in other places, but there is no peace like the peace of God.’ And that’s no lie my brethren! There’s definitely no peace like that of our great God!
That’s also why Bruh Paul in writing to the Colossians about putting on the new man in Christ, included this verse. ‘And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body, and be ye thankful.’ (Col. 3:15) Obviously the peace of God is very important for believers to possess if they are to be successful in living a truly Christian life, and spreading the gospel of Christ to all nations, to all the earth.
And our God, who is so wise and wonderful, and knows all our needs, even gave us undeserved blessings to help us do just that. We call them our Thursday Blessings, so let’s declare (ah Lord eh!!!) them, so that they can be activated in our souls and spirits.
As one 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 (yesss!!!) it now behooves us to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…if the peace of God truly ruled in the hearts of believers…His church would not be so divided and in such chaos…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
02 Oct 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: be of good cheer, betrayal, Bible, but the end is not yet, chaos, christianity, earthqukes, faith, false prophets, famines, fires, floods, for a witness unto all the nations, god, gospel truth, halfway home, hands on the plough, hate abounds, he that shall endure to the end, holy spirit, hurricanes, in me ye might have peace, in the world ye shall have tribulation, iniquity, Jesus is always there for us, Jesus is the only one we can cling to, Jesus is the only solid findation, lawlessness, LOVE, love is on the back burner, man-made disasters, messiahs, murder and martyrdom, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, nation shall rise against nation, not looikng back, offence-taking, pandemonium, pestilences, rise in technology, shall be preached in all the world, strife, summer in October, take heed that no man deceive you, thank God, the beginning of sorrows, the breath of life, the gospel of the kingdom, the love of many will wax cold, the same shall be saved, then shall the end come, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, ye shall be hated for my name's sake
Matthew 24:13. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
And yes, we have already reached the mid-point of our work week! It’s Wednesday, a bright and sunshiny day with temps rising to at least the high teens. Wow! It’s still almost summer in October! We certainly cannot complain about the weather. And even the rain is cooperating by falling in the late hours of the night, so that we can have bright and sunshiny days. But unfortunately, in many other places our brethren are not having it so wonderful, and instead are suffering disastrous times due to floods and hurricanes, fires and other natural, as well as man-made disasters.
Oh friends, our world right now is filled with so much chaos, a state of pandemonium like we’ve never seen before. And it doesn’t look like it’s going to go away or end any time soon. The man made strife is escalating instead of subsiding, and the natural disasters seem to be also spreading, partly due to climate change. And the only solid foundation left in our world is Jesus!
Yes, that’s the gospel truth! Jesus is the ONLY ONE we can cling to with some degree of certainty when things get bad. He won’t always pull us out of them unscathed, but He will help us get through them peacefully and with a good attitude. Please note His awesome assurance in these most encouraging words. ‘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)
That’s the beauty of our Lord and Saviour. He’s always there for us, be it sunshine or rain, strife or LOVE-ins. The sad part is that we don’t have very much of the latter in our world today, as strife seems to be ruling the roost. Right now it’s probably easier to name the nations that are not strife-filled, either internally or externally, than to name those that are engaged in serious strife. The number of the latter is much greater that that of the former. And in addition to all the natural disasters that are occurring, mankind seems to have gone on a strife rampage in the early years of this 21st century.
Who knows if this is the time that Jesus spoke of when He answered His disciples’ question about His coming again and the end of the age. (Matt. 24:3) But in answer to their questions Jesus replied: ‘Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers (various) places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted (to tribulation), and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity (lawlessness) shall abound, the LOVE of many shall wax (grow) cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.’ (Matt. 24:4-14)
Ah mih people, those are tough words to hear and digest, but if Jesus said them, they must be true. And believe me, we are seeing those signs like never before. The false prophets and messiahs are all over the place, leading people astray. Just look at the divisions and dissensions in Christ’s church nuh! Then there are wars and rumours of wars that have been with us all through the ages, but are now more rampant than ever, as well as the many natural disasters, that we see happening with unexpected frequency.
But according to Christ; that’s only the beginning of sorrows. For then believers will be persecuted, they will face martyrdom for simply believing in Jesus. Then offence-taking, hatred and betrayal will be the name of the game. And that’s certainly true right now, with lawlessness and irresponsibility abounding, while LOVE is placed on the back burner. And through the sudden rise in technology, the gospel today is being preached to many parts of the world, there are only a few more parts left for us to reach. That means, according to Jesus’ words, the end cannot be too far away.
But yuh know what my fellow believers, all that stuff can be rather frightening and worrisome, but with the Holy Spirit of Jesus indwelling our souls and spirits, we can handle whatever might come against us. And the most important words of Jesus’ discourse were these: ‘But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.’ (Matt. 24:13)
Oh my fellow saints, as true believers in, and disciples of Jesus that’s what we need to do; endure to the very end! And we can do it, because He’s given us all the tools we need to do so. But we have to rise up, grow in Christian maturity, and stand strong in His name despite the trials and tribulations that might come against us! It’s the only way for us to be successful disciples and believers!
So please, lets raise our faith and stand up strong for him nuh! Just look at all He’s done for us, the least we can do is to believe, live the way He desires, and spread His gospel as much as we can. And we can begin doing that right now by declaring (chuh!!!) 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 truly endure right to the very end, as Jesus desires, then as He promised, we will be saved, and that future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine. So, hoping to see you at the very end that we can enjoy that glorious future together! Much LOVE!
in this world…trials and tribulations may batter and buffet us…but they will not kill our LOVE for Jesus…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
01 Oct 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sound from heaven, abide in me and I in you, as a rushing mighty wind, Bible, bringeth forth much fruit, buried, Christ lives in Christians, christianity, conquer sin, crucified, crucified with Christ, dead, eteranl life, faith, filled with the Holy Ghost, glorified, he that believeth on me, holy spirit, hurry, I am the vine ye are the branches, I am the way the truth and the life, I can do all things, I live by faith in the Son of God, if any man thirst, in god's eyes, Jesus Christ, let him come unto me and drink, LOVE, made alive, no one comes to the Father but by me, nothing is impossible, out of his belly shall flow, Pentecost, quickened, raised, rivers of living water, salvation, seated, share His love with my neighbours, speak in other languages, speak with other tongues, the beloved of God, the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, the life I now live in the flesh, the union of Christ and the believer, the uniqueness of the Christian experience, through Christ who strengthens me, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, wisdom, with Christ in our corner, with you we're everything, without me ye can do nothing, worry
John 15:5b. …for without me ye can do nothing.
And we’re moving on, without missing a beat, to this somewhat cloudy Tuesday, the first day of October 2024! Yes friends, it is October! Where has September gone with all those wonderful, warm sunny days? I very much doubt that October will be as nice to us. But be assured that whatever October choses to bring against us, we have the wherewithal to handle it, through the amazing auspices of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
As Bruh Paul so rightly says: ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!’ (Phil. 4:13) And that’s the gospel truth! When Christ is in our corner, and we in His, then nothing’s impossible to us, because nothing’s impossible to Him. And all of God’s children said a loud and grateful, ‘Thank You Jesus! Without You we’re nothing, and with You, we’re everything!’
And that’s brought out in most excellent fashion by these words of Jesus from the gospel of John. ‘Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15: 4-5)
Yes friends, Jesus uses the image of the vine and it’s branches to describe His union with believers. And as the scholars explain: ‘The uniqueness of the Christian experience results from the union of Christ and the believer. This is expressed in the Scripture as Christ being in the believer and the believer in Christ. Ten times Paul uses the Greek preposition sun (together) to describe this relationship. Believers were crucified (Gal. 2:20), dead (Col. 2:20), buried (Rom. 6:4), quickened or made alive (Eph. 2:1-5; Col. 2:13), raised (Eph. 2:6; Col. 3:1) seated (Eph. 2:6), and glorified (Rom. 8:17).
On the basis of this union with Christ, the apostle Paul showed how the successful Christian life can be opened with four key words in Romans 6: know (vs. 6), reckon (vs.11) yield (vs. 13), and obey (vs. 17). The Christian can conquer sin because Christ lives in him (Gal. 2:20) First Ref. – John 7:37-38; Primary Ref. -John 15:1-5; cf. 1 John 5:13).’
Wow! What a whole heap of Scriptures for us to check out my fellow believers. (smile) And if we want to truly understand our relationship with Jesus we ought to make the effort to do so, for it’s only when we truly understand what the Lord’s Word says that we can understand the real depths and uniqueness of our relationship with our Creator and heavenly Father. And the basic purpose of being in relationship with Jesus is for us to conquer sin. His major purpose for coming to earth was to help us do just that.
And here’s the scripture passage that the scholars quoted in reference to believers conquering sin through Christ living in them. ‘I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of (in) the Son of God, who LOVED me, and gave himself for me.’ (Gal. 2:20) Now that’s a scripture we ought to write indelibly in our hearts, souls and minds, for it is the basis of our renewed life in Christ.
Now, let’s look to that First scripture Reference that the scholars gave. ‘In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly (heart) shall flow rivers of living water.’ (John 7:37-38) Jesus was there speaking of the Holy Spirit, which was to eventually come to all those who believed in Him. And it finally came on that great day of Pentecost, when all the then believers were seated together.
The scripture says: ‘And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were siting. And there appeared unto them cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues (in other languages), as the Spirit gave them utterance (enabled them to do).’ (Acts 2:2-4) And since that auspicious moment in time, the Holy Spirit has been indwelling every believer, though not with the same panache (flamboyant manner).
And here’s the last of those references by the scholars; a verse from the first epistle of John that we ought also to hold dear to our hearts. ‘These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.’ (1 John 5:13) Yes my brethren, we can have eternal life if we believe in Christ!
And please note, that’s the ONLY way to access it! Don’t be fooled by anything different that the enemy and his evil cronies try to tell you. It’s as Jesus says: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:6) And I strongly advise us to believe that, and furthermore, live it, otherwise we might just end up with the devil and his people in Hades, eternally separated from Almighty God.
So, as always, I’ve spoon fed us some of the salient scriptures, (smile) the remainder is for you to look up yourself. And I plead with us to do that, because it’s all for our benefit. As I said before the more time we invest in the Lord’s Word, the better we will be able to understand our relationship with Him. Now, let’s go home declaring (steups!!!) our Tuesday mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And having said that, we are now committed to going out and sharing Jesus’ amazing LOVE and friendship with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…there’s ONLY one way to get to heaven…and that’s through Jesus…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
30 Sep 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a kaleidoscope of colours, a marvellous feat, a name above every other, a rewarder of them that diligently seek him, at the name of Jesus, autumn season, become discouraged in your souls, Bible, christianity, climate change, despising the shame, disobeyed your word, divine aid, endured the cross, eternal life, every knee shall bow, faith, famine, floods, for the joy that was set before him, god, holy spirit, humble servants, if this cup may not pass away, it is impossible to please God, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus, Jesus Christ, keep thinking this, lest ye be wearied and faint, let this mind be in you, like clockwork, looking unto Jesus, LOVE, made himself of no reputation, mass confusion, obedience, our Day Star -Jesus, pray, sacrificed His sinless life, salvation, set down at the right hand of the throne of God, sincerely seek your face, such contradiction of sinners, the author and finisher of our faith, the beautiful colours of autumn, the best example to follow, the God who heals, thy will be done, truth, turn from our evil ways, which was also in Jesus, wildfires, winter, wisdom, wise guidance
Philippians 2:5. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus (keep thinking this):
And then it was Monday, the last day of September 2024. We are also now officially into the fall or autumn season, where the leaves on the trees start changing colours in preparation for falling, so that trees can hibernate during the upcoming winter. And the system of the changing seasons is so ingeniously set up that only a great God like ours could have accomplished such a marvellous feat.
The seasons occur like clockwork; spring, summer, autumn, winter. You can be sure that they will happen one after the other, although with this climate change business, another instance of man’s disruption of God’s flawless system, there will be unpredictable variations in each season. And quite rightly, we the disrupters will have to bear whatever consequences results from it, like abnormal hot spells, rainfall and drought, causing serious floods, famine and wildfires.
Blessedly, in my area, the rains have caused some flooding, but we’ve generally had glorious summer weather right up to now, with the leaves remaining green and full of life. But that won’t last for much longer, and we’ll soon see all the beautiful colours of autumn, rightly considered the most colourful season, when God just went crazy with His paint brush and produced a kaleidoscope of amazing colours to awaken and titivate our senses. And the Lord knew what He was doing; preparing us with a bright, colourful season for the upcoming dead, dreary one called winter.
But in His awesome wisdom, He also gave us Jesus; our Lord and Saviour, our Redeemer and Mighty Conqueror! Wow! What a bright and shining light, our Day Star, is our Jesus! That’s why the author of Hebrews can cite, or refer to Him as a glorious example for us to follow, describing Him thus:
‘Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher (originator and perfector) of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction (hostility) of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint (become discouraged) in your minds (souls).’ (Heb. 12:2-3)
Ah friends, Jesus endured so much hostility, rejection, abuse, persecution and punishment for our sakes, that we can never repay any of it. But that was never the idea. It all stemmed from the LOVE of the Father for us, and the LOVE of Jesus for the Father, the desire to do His will. As He says in the night of agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, before His crucifixion, when He prayed the Father to remove the cup of wrath from Him: ‘O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me except (unless) I drink it, thy will be done.’ (Matt. 26:42)
That’s the obedient kind of Son He was. That’s why Bruh Paul could pen these tough words to the Philippians and to us, to follow Jesus’ example. ‘Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus (keep thinking this): Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men (emptied himself of his privileges): And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ (Phil. 2:5-8)
Now that’s what you call obedience and perseverance! And He never complained either! Oh how I wish that many more of us supposed believers could come up even a little higher on that score! For then our suffering world would be greatly improved. But it seems like our pleas are falling on deaf ears because not many of us are willing to sacrifice even a little for the greater good of all, and that’s the only way we will ever raise the level of our maturity.
That’s what Jesus did for us: He selflessly sacrificed His sinless life for our abominable sins! The Father laid all of our disgusting iniquity on His shoulders, and Jesus humbly went to the cross and paid our sin debt in full. But now we can hardly give Him the time of day, much less be His true and devoted disciples! Hn! But again, as we said earlier, Jesus is the best example for us to follow, for look at how the Father rewarded Him for His obedience, perseverance and biting the bullet in those terrible times.
Bruh Paul writes thus to the church at Philippi: ‘Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of (those) things in heaven, and (those) things in earth, and (those) things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil. 2:9-11)
That’s how generous and rewarding the Father is to those who do His will! That’s why the author of Hebrews also 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)
Yes my fellow saints, only when we believe that God is who He says He is and rewards those who diligently seek Him, will we ever be on the road to true salvation. In the meanwhile, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, pleading for help to get on, and stay on, that straight and narrow path that leads to eternal life with Jesus.
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!’
But let’s not forget the words of our prayer; no divine aid will be forthcoming until and unless we humble ourselves, pray, sincerely seek God, and turn from our evil ways! Much LOVE!
…we will never be fully like Jesus…but He’s the best example to aspire to…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
29 Sep 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a cripple, bedridden, Bible, boundless faith, but one step I may see, by the path he leadeth, Charles H Gabriel, christianity, Civilla D Martin, cleanses, Elmira, faith, fear ye not, feel discouraged, from care he sets me free, gather in barns, god, goodness, guide thee with mine eye, His eye is on the sparrow, holy spirit, home, hope within me dies, I draw closer to him, I know He watches me, I lose my doubts and fears, I sing because I'm free, I sing because I'm happy, if god be for us who can be against us, indisputable truth, instruct thee, Jesus Christ, Jesus is my portion, joy, kindness, let not your heart be troubled, long for heaven, LOVE, my constant friend, neither do they reap, patience, peace, refreshes, resting on His goodness, self-control, songs give place to sighing, sparrows, sweet sacrifice, teach thee, teach thee in the way thou shall go, the Doolittles, the fowls of the air, the fruit of the spirit, the King of kings is on our side, the very hairs of your head are all numbered, they sow not, truth, uplifts, whenever clouds arise, whenever I am tempted, why should I feel discouraged, why should my heart be lonely, why should the shadows come, wisdom, worship, ye are of more value than many sparrows, your heavenly Father feeds them
Matthew 10:31. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
Sunday friends, it’s Sunday! And a fine looking one too! That means a gathering in the Lord’s house to worship and celebrate His holy name, on His day! And there’s nothing better than when we pray, praise, sing and glorify our wonderful God and Creator, and feel the glorious workings of His Holy Spirit right down in the very depths of our souls, which refreshes, cleanses and uplifts us so that we can go out and do His work for another week in this topsy-turvy world.
And our opening words of praise is a magnificent hymn written in 1905 by lyricist Civilla D Martin and composer Charles H Gabriel. The story of the song is very inspirational. It seems that in the spring of 1905, Mrs. Martin and her husband were holidaying in the town of Elmira in New York Sate. While there, they developed a strong friendship with a couple named Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle. She refers to them as true saints of God.
Mrs. Doolittle had been bedridden for close to twenty years, while Mr. Doolittle was an incurable cripple who got around to his business and elsewhere by means of a wheelchair. However, despite their severe afflictions, they lived happy Christian lives, bringing inspiration and comfort to all who knew them. One day, as the Martins were visiting the Doolittles, Mr. Martin enquired as to the secret of their bright hopefulness. Mrs. Doolittle’s simply replied: ‘His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches over me.’
Oh friends, what boundless faith to be called forth from a sick and suffering physical body! How our desperate world could use many of the Doolittles at this critical juncture in our journey. And now that we know our song for today is ‘His Eye is on the Sparrow,’ let’s raise our voices in sweet sacrifice to high heaven and offer up a mid-tempo, soulful and sincere version of this awesome song.
Singing: ‘Why should I feel discouraged, Why should the shadows come, Why should my heart be lonely, And long for heav’n and home; When Jesus is my portion? My constant Friend is He; His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He watches me; His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He watches me. (Chorus: I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free; For His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He watches me.)
“Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear, And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears; Though by the path He leadeth, But one step I may see; His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He watches me; His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He watches me. (Chorus) Whenever I am tempted, Whenever clouds arise; When songs give place to sighing, When hope within me dies, I draw the closer to Him, From care He sets me free;
His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He watches me, His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He watches me. (Chorus: I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free; For His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He watches me. Yes, His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.’
And to truly believe that my people takes a very mature and sure faith in Christ Jesus. Now, the scriptural basis for the song seems to be from three basic passages. The first one comes from Psalm 32, where Bruh David is writing of Confession and Forgiveness. In the 8the verse he writes thus of divine instruction: ‘I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way in which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.’ (Ps. 32:8) That means the Lord’s eyes are always upon us, but we also have to be cognizant of His presence and pay attention.
Then there’s this reasoning from Jesus on the subject of worry, from His famous Sermon on the Mount, where He states: ‘Behold (look at) the fowls of the air (birds): for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?’ (Matt. 6:26)
Now that’s an interesting question my people. If mankind is the Lord’s greatest creation, and He looks after the lesser creations like the birds, why wouldn’t He look after us eh? No reason whatsoever! But we have to believe and live it, like the afflicted Doolittles were doing back then in 1905 in the town of Elmira in the State of New York.
We can’t say we believe and then don’t show the fruit of that belief, the fruit of the Spirit in our lives – LOVE, Joy, Peace, Patience, Goodness, Gentleness, Kindness, Faithfulness and Self-control. (Gal. 5:22-23) If those virtues are not playing a major part in our lives, then we’re not sincerely living the Christian life.
But getting back to the scriptural basis for the song. The last verses come from when Jesus is teaching on the subject of fear; fearing God or mankind. He asks: ‘Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing (the lowest coin denomination)? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father (without His permission). But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.’ (Matt. 10:29-31)
Ah my fellow saints, that’s Jesus for you; always encouraging and enlightening us as to our value to our heavenly Father. As the scholars say, He reminds the disciples, and consequently us of ‘God’s LOVING care even for sparrows, and His gracious providential care over His saints.’ And most of us have seen physical evidence of God’s providential care for us, so why do we refuse to sincerely believe and do the work we’re called upon to do eh? Who knows?
Nonetheless, we’ll end with these marvellous words of encouragement from this commentary. ‘Throughout life, we may feel discouraged and down. But always remember that He is by our side and watches over us through it all. Just like the lyrics of ‘His Eye Is On The Sparrow’ remember that He is with us in all that we do. Do not be troubled because we have the King of kings on our side!’
And that’s the indisputable truth friends! Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords is on our side, thus no one can harm to us. Let’s remember that as we go about our daily business in God’s name! Much LOVE!
…if God be for us…who can be against us… (Rom. 8:31)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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