15 Mar 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fallen angel, a personal relationship with God, all should come to repentance, Bible, choose life, Christ died for us, Christ sacrificed His sinless life for us, christianity, Christians, closer intimacy with God, communion with god, deepen my breath, disgrace, disobedience, eternal life, eternal separation from God, falling into Satan's trap, flowing in our souls and spirits, fraternize with Satan, free will, get the ball rolling, God commendeth his love for us, God demonstrated his LOVE for us.', God is not willing that any should perish, have it more abundantly, heartfelt prayers, holy spirit, I am come that they might have life, I am the good shepherd, I know my sheep, I may know you all the more, I place before you life and death, I praise you Lord, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus cares deeply for us, Jesus Christ, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, leaves us in the lurch, LOVE, made righteous in God's eyes, meditate on God's Word, mercy, nothing of substance to offer us, one fold one shepherd, other sheep I have, peace, putter around the house, quiet my soul, quietly interact with God, relax my muscles, repentance, rest, rolls of thunder, salvation, shame, sin, sincerity and truth, slow my thoughts, steal us away from Jesus, straight and narrow path, thank you for your tenderness, that you and yours might live, the ball's in our court, the father of lies, the good shepherd gives his life for his sheep, the greatest show of love, the Lord never leaves us in the lurch, the right perspective, the thief, the thief only comes to steal and to kill, truth, while we were yet sinners, wisdom, wrongdoing, you can't be contained, your love surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present, your unceasing nearness
John 10:11. ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’
Well, I guess in the Lord’s wisdom, He figured that everyday could not be bright, sunshiny and dry, but there must be an opposite to keep everything well balanced and in the right perspective, that’s why today is cloudy, rainy and wet. (smile) I believe I also heard a couple rolls of thunder earlier on, so it looks like a serious day. But yuh know what, it’s also a perfect lazy-day Saturday, where you simply putter around the house, rest and meditate on the Lord’s Word and quietly interact with Him. Nothing can be more refreshing and uplifting that that!
So let’s get the ball rolling by offering up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer with all sincerity and truth. As one positive voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And the peace and calm just begin flowing in our spirits and souls, as the Lord answers our heartfelt prayers that only serve to bring us closer to Him. Yes friends, there’s nothing the Lord desires and likes more than His children seeking to have closer intimacy and communion with Him, because that’s the main purpose for which He created us. And it breaks His heart when we turn away and instead fraternize with the foolish, fallen angel Satan, who has nothing of substance to offer us, nothing but sin, shame and disgrace that will eventually lead to eternal separation from our Creator and heavenly Father.
That’s why it’s oh so important to create a personal relationship with Jehovah God, through His Son Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit that indwells us to try and keep us out of the clutches of the enemy and guide us on the straight and narrow path that leads to salvation and eternal life with Him. But because we have fair amount of free will, and are naturally imbued with a sinful nature, we tend to drift and stray away from the straight and narrow path, anxious to sample some of the seemingly awesome delights of the world held out and up to us by the deceitful and devious Satan, who’s so full of wiles and lies that he’s called the father of lies.
And Jesus spells it all out in His analogy to the thief and the shepherd, in this scripture passage from John’s gospel. ‘The thief cometh not, but for (except) to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10) Right there we see the answer friends, Satan is a thief and only in intent on death and destruction. However, Jesus came that we could have life, and have it in abundance! So, whom will you accept as your leader and guide under those circumstances eh? Jesus of course!
Unfortunately though, for whatever reason, too many of us are choosing Satan, or somehow or the other are falling in his devious trap, that’s why our world is so sinful, angry, strife-filled and ungodly! But it’s time many more of us wake up and listen to Jesus, when He says: ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’ (John 10:11) And that is exactly what He did when He sacrificed His sinless life on the cross of Calvary so that our abominable sins could be forgiven and we be made righteous in God’s eyes.
So why this great movement, this sudden trend to turn to Satan eh, whom Jesus candidly describes in the next couple of verses? ‘But he that is an hireling (a hired man), and not the shepherd whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.’ (John 10:12) And Satan is both the thief and the hireling, for he tries to steal us away from Jesus, and when we find ourselves in trouble, he runs off and leaves us in the lurch, because he’s not really interested in our wellbeing, neither has he anything good or worthwhile to offer us.
Jesus explains it thus: ‘The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have (Gentiles), which are not of this fold: them also must I bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold (flock), and one shepherd.’ (John 10:13-16)
There you have it my fellow believers: Jesus states it in black and white. Unlike Beelzebub, He won’t run away from us when we find ourselves in trouble, but will always runs to us, because He cares deeply for us, that’s why He came to earth and died on Calvary’s cross. And if you can’t see the awesome truth in that, then you’d better get your mind examined right away.
And please note how much Jesus cares for His creation, when He declares that He has other sheep to add to His fold, meaning us, the non-Jews or Gentiles. He came first to bring salvation to the Jews, through whom God worked and distilled His message down through the ages. But God didn’t forget the rest of His creation, because He LOVES us all, so badly, that it’s as Bruh Paul writes in Romans: ‘But God commendeth his LOVE toward us (demonstrated His own LOVE for us), in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8)
Now, isn’t that the greatest show of LOVE? Of course it is! Moreover, He couldn’t stand to lose even one of us to Beelzebub, as Peter says; ‘He’s not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.’ (2 Pet. 3:9:b) Yes friends, God LOVES all of His creation and has done His best to ensure that we all have the privilege of gaining salvation and eternal life through the sacrificial death of His sinless Son, which paid for all of our disobedience and wrongdoing. The ball is now in our court; it’s up to us to either accept or reject His most gracious offering of life with Him for ever and ever. Please be wise and accept it! Much LOVE!
… I place before you life and death…please choose life…that you and yours may live… (Deut. 30:19)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
08 Mar 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: added joy, all these things shall be added unto you, choose life, christianity, Christians, cleanse your hands ye sinners, communion with god, crowns thee with lovingkindness, deepen my breath, delight thyself in the Lord, draw nigh to God, enjoy the comforts of home, faith, for your unceasing nearness, forget not all his benefits, forgives thine iniquities, give thee the desires of thine heart, God so loved the world, God will abundantly pardon, he gave his only begotten son, heals your diseases, holy spirit, humble yourselves in the sight of God, I call heaven and earth, I may know you all the more, I praise you, I will hearken unto you, if from thence, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, Lord I want to be with you now, LOVE, mercy, my neck of the woods, out frolicking, pray unto me, purify your hearts, quiet my soul, receive our love in return, redeems thy life from destruction, relax my muscles, resist the devil, return unto the Lord, salvation, satisfies thy mouth with good things, search for me with all your heart, seek me and find me, seek the Lord thy God, seek the Lord while he may be found, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, set before you life and death, should not perish but have everlasting life, shower us with love, slow my thoughts, stay inside, submit yourselves to God, tender mercies, thank you for this tenderness, that you and your seed may live, the BIBLE, the breaks you get, the choices you make, the quality of life, then shall ye call upon me, thou shalt find him, thy youth is renewed like the eagle's, to witness against you, trust in the Lord and do good, truth, under the mighty hand of god, whosoever believes in him, wisdom, with all sincerity and truth, you can't be contianed, your peace and love are present
Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 March 2025 Deuteronomy 4:29.
Deuteronomy 4:29. ‘But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him, with all thy heart and with all thy soul.’
And it’s another sunshiny, clear, dry day in my neck of the woods, although some snow fell during the midnight hours. But that’s all gone now. So, we can be out and about frolicking on this lazy-day Saturday, or simply stay inside, and enjoy the comforts of home, with the added joy of knowing that it’s beautiful outside. (smile) And to ramp up our joy even further, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, with all sincerity and truth.
As one strong voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And there’s nothing more pleasant or desirous than having God’s peace and presence increased in our souls! And it’s assured when we pray sincere prayers like those, because our God LOVES nothing more than to hear us asking Him to come deeper and more plentiful into our lives, spirits and souls. For that’s why He made us; to have good and strong communion with us; to shower His LOVE on us, and receive our LOVE in return.
Now that’s why there are so many scriptures in the Lord’s Word about seeking Him. So, let’s check out a few today nuh, starting with this one from Jeremiah that we all know. ‘Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:12-13) It could not be any clearer or more straightforward than that my fellow believers!
And, earlier on, Moses told the Israelites the very same thing when cautioning them about repentance of sin. ‘But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him, with all thy heart and with all thy soul.’ (Deut. 4:29) Then Isaiah, in his reminder that God abundantly pardons, tells his people: ‘Seek the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.’ (Is. 55: 6-7)
Oh my people, that is exactly what our evil and ungodly world desperately needs RIGHT NOW! A return to God and acceptance of all the good things He has to offer. As Bruh David so sincerely and truly puts it in Psalm 103: ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVINGKINDNESS and tender mercies. Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ (Ps. 103:2-5)
Wow mih bredrin! Who wouldn’t want all those wonderful benefits eh? Well, they are readily available by simply turning to the Lord God in repentance and becoming the new man that requires, with the awesome help of His Holy Spirit. And if you’re wanting more scripture about getting good things from God, listen to these two nuh. The first from Isaiah, from that scripture on God’s continual strength and unsearchable understanding: ‘But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is. 40:31)
We all know it, but do we practice it? Now that’s another quandary, or difficult position in which we find ourselves; there’s something that we want, but apparently are not willing to do what it takes to get it. The same goes for this scripture from Psalm 37, titled Trust in the Lord. Bruh David writes: ‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on his faithfulness). 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. 37:3-5)
And that’s only a few of the things we can do to get the desires of our heart from God! So who’s to blame if we don’t get them eh? No one else but us! But let’s get back to some more modern scriptures that blatantly tell us to seek the Lord. Here’s this one from James, where he admonishes us: ‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you. Cleanse your hands ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded….Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.’ (James 4:7-8, 10)
And Peter echoes the same sentiments: ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.’ (1 Pet. 6-7) And we spoke about that early on when we said that God created us to LOVE us, and be LOVED in return. That’s because He cares the whole world about us. Why else would He send His Son to earth to die for our sins eh? The basic reason was LOVE for his sinful, disobedient creation, as Jesus so eloquently puts it. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ (John 3:16)
That’s as good as it gets my fellow saints, and why Jesus therefore strongly advised us; ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) The long and short of the story then is we have all the information and tools before us, it’s our choice how we choose to use them. But please, please hear this last admonition from the scriptures; where Moses tells the Israelites as they are preparing to enter the Promised Land. ‘I call heaven and earth to record (witness) this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.’ (Deut. 30:19)
I offer this same admonition to us today my people. Why? ‘Because the quality of your life isn’t determined as much by the breaks that you get, as its determined by the choices that you make.’ Much LOVE!
…one can only find God….when one seeks Him diligently and sincerely…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
26 Feb 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a balmy spring day, a genuine and unfeigned love, a hunger for power, a sad reflection of today's world, abhor that which is evil, admonishments, associate with the humble, basic foundation of Christianity, be kindly affectioned one to another, be not wise in your own conceits, be of the same mind, Bible, bless and curse not, bless them which persecute you, boiling over, brotherly LOVE, Christian denominations, christianity, Christians, church hierarchy, church unity, cleave to that which is good, cliques, condescend to men of low estate, cry tears of sorrow, despite the response received, difficuly in expressing unity, distributing to the necessity of the saints, divorce, don't set your mind on high things, endure to the end, enjoy it while we have it, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, fervent in spirit, getting on in age, given to hospitality, giving preference to one another, halfway home, hands on the plough, holy spirit, hope, hypocrisy, incomparable position in Jesus, Jesus Christ, lagging in diligence, let love be without dissimulation, LOVE, Love makes the world go round, loving faithfully, Martin Luther, mercy, mind not high things, negative vibes, not slothful in business, not turning back, patient in tribulation, persevering, personal faith, petty differences, Protestantism, real love in the church is lacking, Reformation, rejoice with those who rejoice, rejoicing in hope, rfits in the Catholic Church, selfishness, serving the Lord, solidarity, steadfast in prayer, thank God, the breath of life is still flowing through me, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, unworthy gossip, voluntary caring, weep with those who weep, wisdom
Romans 12:9. Let LOVE be without dissimulation (hypocrisy). Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
Aye friends, it’s almost like a balmy spring day in my neighbourhood this Wednesday morning! It’s around plus 5 degrees, and the sun’s mostly overpowering the clouds, and one can walk around without too much fear of icy patches on the ground. However, although the snow has melted some, and thankfully slowly, the mounds are still there, not as big as they were, but big enough to remind you of what we recently went through. How long this comparatively balmy weather will last is anyone’s guess, so we’d better enjoy it while we have it.
By the way, let me apologize for an incorrect reference yesterday. I mistakenly referenced the verse that our poem was based on, as Rom. 3:12. It should have been Rom. 12:3. I don’t know if I was in a rush or simply forgetful, but you have to excuse the ole fella sometimes for those mistakes, because He’s getting on in age and possibly not all of his faculties are functioning properly. (smile)
And yuh know what, today I think we should just continue with Bruh Paul’s words to the Romans in the rest of Chapter 12, beginning with this ever so important admonishment about church unity. So please read and inwardly digest with me: ‘Let LOVE be without dissimulation (hypocrisy). Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.’ (Rom. 12:9)
And right there we have the basic foundation of our Christian faith, especially to our church brethren. Or as the scholars explain: ‘The Christian’s conduct in the local church toward fellow believers is to be a volitional (voluntary, on purpose) caring for others, LOVING faithfully in spite of the response received. The LOVE is to be genuine and unfeigned.’
Now, that makes me want to cry tears of sorrow because the basic or real LOVE in Christ’s church is almost non-existent, and what little there is, is oftentimes hypocritical. We speak and talk kindly to each other, but underneath there are so many negative vibes, with cliques and unworthy gossip floating around, that it destroys the little good there is. And this most important failing isn’t only exhibited in the local churches, but in ALL of Christianity! Just look at the petty differences that are keeping one supposed denomination from working sincerely and faithfully with each other.
A 2024 worldwide survey has estimated that there are more than 45,000 Christian denominations worldwide. Wow! Now why should there be a need for so many eh, when we’re supposedly teaching the same gospel and worshiping the same Triune God? It’s basically because petty differences have gotten in the way over the years, plus selfishness and a hunger for power. That recalls the serious rifts in the Catholic Church which was then the main body of Christianity.
Some happened in the fifth century, but very notable is the one where England broke away because King Henry V111 wanted to divorce his current wife and the church would not allow it. So, He broke away and formed the Protestant Division. That was further split during the 16th century when German priest, Martin Luther began what we call the Reformation Movement by writing his 95 Theses. His theses emphasized personal faith and the Bible as the ultimate authority, rather than the church hierarchy.
And so it goes on, even today. Every day you hear of some congregation splitting up and becoming two rather than one. And just for our information, a Christian denomination is noted as a religious organization that combines local congregations into a single administrative body. Members of the same denomination share similar beliefs, worship practices, and work together to preserve shared enterprises.
And what are some examples of Christian denominations you ask? These are some of the largest; Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Baptist, Apostolic, Methodist, Anglican, Moravian, Plymouth Brethren, and Quaker. However, each one can have different cliques and groups operating under the overall umbrellas of those names but doing some different things in the way they worship. And there are also a lot of Independent Churches, which don’t come under any of the basic Christian headings, simply doing their own thing.
Therefore, with that kind of unilateral, autonomous, independent behaviour, it’s no wonder that down through the ages Christians have had much difficulty in expressing unity and solidarity. And that’s why Bruh Paul was so adamant about our volitional caring behaviour to each other. He then continues thus: ‘Be kindly affectioned (affectionate) one to another with brotherly LOVE; in honour preferring (giving preference to) one another. Not slothful in business (lagging in diligence); fervent in spirit (lit., boiling over); serving the Lord; Rejoicing in hope; patient (persevering) in tribulation; continuing instant (steadfastly) in prayer; Distributing to the necessity (needs) of saints; given to hospitality.’ (Rom. 12:10-13)
Yuh see friends, that’s basically how Christ’s church ought to operate, at least on the local level. But most of us would agree that even in the local churches that tight reign of brotherly LOVE seldom exists. Therefore, how can we expect it to exist on the higher levels eh? And Bruh Paul’s not done with his admonishment nuh. He continues: ‘Bless (speak well of) them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not (do not set your mind on) high things, but condescend to men of low estate (associate with the humble). Be not wise in your own conceits (estimation).’ (Rom. 12:14-16)
There again my brethren, we’re taught not to think too highly of ourselves, which in itself, is a sad reflection of today’s world. Now Bruh Paul goes on to say more, but we’ll leave that until tomorrow, if God spares life, because it would just make today’s Bit too long, and we have enough fodder today to contemplate and meditate on. (smile) So let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry and sundry know of our wonderful, incomparable position in Christ Jesus.
In 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 isn’t that just dandy? It surely is, but it gets even better, because we’ve also been promised that if we endure with Christ right down to the very end, then that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine! So, let’s do our best to stay the course nuh, so that we can enjoy that everlastingly glorious future together! Much LOVE!
…LOVE makes the world go round…that’s our heavenly Father’s greatest desire…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
23 Feb 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a gospel music standard, a sacrifice for mankind, and to your children, be as wool, be baptized, be made the righteousness of God in Him, be reconciled back to Him, be red like crimson, be white as snow, Bible, bringing salvation to mankind, by the one offereing, Christ offered His sinless self, Christians, come now and let us reason together, Edwin Hawkins singers, even as many as the Lord will call, faith, fellowship, for the remission of sins, God placed all of our sins, good news, he hath made him to be sin for us, He taught me how, holy spirit, I will remember no more, imbued by the Holy spirit, in the name of Jesus Christ, It is finished, Jesus Christ, live rejoicing every day, LOVE, mercy, offered one sacrifice for sins forever, Oh Happy Day, on Jesus' sinless shoulders, on the cross of Calvary, once and for all time, perfected forever, pro, put my laws in their hearts, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, repeating the same sacrifices, repent, sacrifices of praise, salvation, salvation is for anyone who desires it, sat down on the right hand of God, that can never take away sin, The Day of Pentecost, the gift of salvation, the mountains of snow, the promise is unto you, the promise of redemption, their sins and iniquities, them that are sanctified, though your sins be as scarlet, till his enemies be made his footstool, to all that are far away, to watch and fight and pray, Triune God, truth, we could be set free, what a momentous day, when Jesus washed my sins away, who knew no sin, wisdom, write them in their minds
1 Corinthians 5:21. For he (God) hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
It’s Sunday once again friends, and I don’t believe we’ll have to cancel the sanctuary visits and in person fellowship this weekend because the snow is all on the banks now, the roads are clean and the temperature has finally dropped a couple of degrees. The good news is that in the early part of next week we’re supposed to be getting temps above freezing for the first time in ages. And who says our God is not a good God eh? Let’s hope that it will be warm enough and long enough to melt away all the mountains of snow by which we’re now surrounded.
And since we can now get to church without too many impediments, I think our song of worship for today is rather appropriate. It’s that 1967 gospel music arrangement of an 18th-century hymn by clergyman Philip Doddridge, recorded by the Edwin Hawkins Singers, which became a big hit in the last years of the 70’s decade, and has now become a gospel music standard. We’re talking about “Oh Happy Day.” So, let’s put our hands, voices, and souls together as we offer up sacrifices of praise for being able to see another day, to join in fellowship in God’s sanctuary, and to be thankful for it. And please don’t forget the marvellous calls and responses: (smile)
Singing: ‘Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day) Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day) When Jesus washed (When Jesus washed) Oh, when He washed (When Jesus washed) When Jesus washed (When Jesus washed) He washed my sins away (Oh, happy day) Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day) (Repeat) He taught me how (He taught me how) To watch and fight and pray Watch and pray And live rejoicing every day Every day Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day) Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day)
When Jesus washed (When Jesus washed) Oh, when He washed (When Jesus washed) When Jesus washed (When Jesus washed) He washed my sins away (Oh, happy day) Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day) He taught me how (He taught me how) To watch and fight and pray Watch and pray And live rejoicing every day (Good God) Every day Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day) Oh, it’s a happy day (Oh, happy day) Oh, Lord (Oh, happy day) Mmm, good God (Oh, happy day) Oh yeah (Oh, happy day) Mmm, oh (Oh, happy day).’
Oh yes friends, it’s certainly a happy day, because even though we might not be kicking too strong, we’re alive and imbued by the Holy Spirit of our Triune God. And there’s been no happier day in this universe than when our Lord and Saviour Jesus washed all our sins away. Wow! What a momentous day that was! And there are so many scriptures that refer to that tremendous day, that we can never cover them all, but will look at a few.
And I believe we can begin with this one that’s filled with the promise of redemption from the prophet Isaiah, when he promised on the Lord’s behalf: ‘Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.’ (Is. 1:17-18) And that promise was faithfully kept when the Lord Jesus Christ offered his sinless self on the cross of Calvary as a sacrifice for all mankind, once and for all time.
Yes, when He cried out, ‘It is finished, and he bowed his head and gave up the ghost.’ (John 19:30) That meant the work of bringing salvation to mankind had been successfully implemented for then and forevermore. No more sacrifices of animals and blood that could not erase, but only cover sin for a while. It took Jesus’ shed blood to lift the sins of all mankind. It was an awesome price that the Father desired, but Jesus willingly paid it for our benefit. As Bruh Paul writes in 2 Corinthians: ‘For he (God) hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.’ (1 Cor. 5:21)
Oh my people, the Lord placed all of our sins on Jesus’ sinless shoulders and made Him bear them so that we could be set free, be reconciled back to our Creator, which was His heart’s greatest desire. The point is that Jesus was the only one capable of doing that because He was sinless. That’s why on the famous day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit began indwelling believers, and Peter and the apostles addressed a large crowd who after hearing about Jesus and His crucifixion asked them what to do.
‘Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission (forgiveness) of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord shall call.’ (Acts 2:38-39) Ah my fellow believers, that’s why the gift of salvation is so important; it’s for anyone who desires it, for now and all time.
Wherefore the author of Hebrews could write thus: ‘And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes (repeatedly) the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man (Jesus), after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting (waiting) till his enemies be made his footstool. For by the one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he hath said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities (lawless deeds) will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.’ (Heb. 10:11-18)
The author of Hebrews is there quoting Jeremiah 31: 33-34. And all of God’s people gave a loud and grateful shout of ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace and goodwill to men!’ because that is exactly what Jesus came to earth to bring. So, my fellow saints, with the many promises of the Old Testament fulfilled by Jesus in the New Testament, believers ought to be the most joyful people on God’s great earth! And if you’re not joyful, then something is seriously wrong with your faith, so please take a moment today and turn to God and ask Him to help you become as joyful as you ought to be! Much LOVE!
…if Christians were as joyful as they ought to be…then this world would be such a wonderful place…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
22 Feb 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abide in me and I in you, active love, actively caring for others, assure our hearts before God, believe on the name of the Son of God, Bible, brings forth much fruit, by the spirit He's given us, Christians, consistent obedience, do pleasing things in God's sight, effective prayer, faith, feeble attempts to honour God, for your unceasing nearness, God can't be contained, God is greater than our heart, God is greater than our self-awareness, God knows all things, God looks at our motives, God made everything beautiful, God's calming presence, God's love surrounds and fills me, he hears us, holy spirit, I am the vine ye are the branches, I may know you all the more, I praise you god, if our heart condemns us, if our hearts condemns us not, if we ask anything according to His will, if we know that God hears us, in line with, increase my awareness of you, internal assurance, Jesus Christ, know that you have eternal life, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, let us not love in word neither in tongue, Lord I want to be with you now, LOVE, love God your neighbour and yourself, love in deed and truth, love one another as I have loved you, mercy, our outward actions, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, right living, salvation, sincere prayer, slow my thoughts, successful prayer life, thank you for this tenderness, the assurance of salvation, the external testimony of true faith, the great commandments, the standard of christian living, this is the confidence that we have in Him, to corroborate, truth, we are of the truth, we have confidence toward God, we know that God abides in us, we know we have the petitions we desire, we receive, whatsoever we ask, wisdom, without me ye can do nothing, your peace and love are present
1 John 5:14. And this is the confidence we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
And what a beautiful wintry, Lazy-day Saturday it is my people. It’s windy and cold, with lots of snow from our two recent snowfalls piled up on the banks, but being beautifully displayed by the light of the sparkling sun. It’s winter at it most beautiful. Remember, everything God’s made, is beautiful in its own way. (smile) And having said that, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday prayer with all sincerity and truth.
As one voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And if our prayer was sincere, then we can expect to feel the Lord’s warming, peaceful and calming presence soon overtaking our souls, bodies, minds and spirits. For, as John so rightly tells us in his first epistle: ‘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. And this is the confidence we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired (asked) of him.’ (1 John 5:13-15)
And believe me, asking God to come into our hearts, and bring His awesome presence of peace and LOVE, so that we can know Him more, is probably His greatest desire, and therefore He can never turn away such a request. That brings us to this earlier passage from John’s epistle, where he puts it in a fuller and more practical context. He writes: ‘My little children, let us not LOVE in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure (persuade) our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then we have confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and LOVE one another, as he gave us commandment. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the spirit which he hath given us.’ (1 John 3:18-24)
Yes friends, that’s as brief and good an explanation you can get about our relationship with Christ, the Holy Spirit and the Father, our Triune God! So, let’s break it down some. Right at the beginning John stresses one of the most important tenets of our faith; not to LOVE only through vain and insincere words, but with sincere hearts and good actual deeds. And as to the interaction between vs.18 &19, re believers are of the truth: The scholars opine: ‘John seems to be saying that assurance of salvation comes in part as one reaches out actively in caring for others.’ And that’s something we are definitely called on to do!
Then as per vs. 20, the scholars explain: ‘In light of John’s strict teaching above, he may have felt that some readers might begin to despair. He assures them that, although our feeble attempts to honour God may leave us feeling defeated inside, God is greater than our self-awareness (cf. 1 Cor. 4:4) and can justify us even when we would condemn ourselves. He sees not only our actions, which at times are thwarted or misguided, but also the motives and intentions behind them.’ That’s why it’s oh so important to have right motives in all we do, because it’s those the Lord looks at, not merely our outward actions.
And as per verses 21 & 22, the scholars declare: ‘We have confidence toward God if our lives are in in line with the standard of Christian living set forth above. John is not saying that whether a person is right or wrong is simply a matter of how he subjectively feels about himself. That is why John has given so many indicators and commands for Christians to take note of and assess themselves by. And one of the great results of a life lived in purity before God is a life where there is effective prayer. Right living is an important part of successful praying.’ And that’s the indisputable truth friends! You cannot have a successful prayer life if you’re not living right, and vice versa.
Then as per vs. 23, the scholars say: ‘John has already set forth the importance of true faith in Christ and true LOVE for others. Now he combines the two.’ And we know very well what that means, for Jesus told us about the two great commandments in Matt. 22:37-40. That’s LOVING God, your neighbour and yourself. Then later on in the gospel of John, several times He reiterates: ‘This is my commandment, That ye LOVE one another, as I have LOVED you.’ (John 15:12)
And that last verse (24) vividly reminds us of Jesus words in John 15, where He says: ‘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) And for good measure, the scholars tell us: ‘The Sprit gives internal assurance to corroborate the external testimony of true faith, active LOVE, and consistent obedience.’
And that’s a very good statement to ponder on this lazy-day winter Saturday my people: How much internal assurance do we possess because of those three characteristics in our lives? And whatever the answer, let’s turn to God and ask for His help to improve, because we all need improvement! Much LOVE!
…one cannot please God…unless you are obeying His commandments…from a sincere heart…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
18 Feb 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a chosen generation, a peculiar people, a royal priesthood, a special relationship with God, a thing of beauty, abstain from fleshly lusts, all God's creations, an holy nation, be led of the Spirit, Bible, bought with a price, bright sunshine on white snow, by your good works, called us out of darkness into His light, Christ's shed blood at Calvary, Christ's special people, Christians, come to know and love Christ, contrary to one another, do our bounden duty, faith, false believers, glorify God, glorify God in your body and spirit, God's Word, having honourable conduct, having your conversation honest, him shall God destroy, holy spirit, hurry, if any man defiles the temple of God, in god's eyes, in the day of visitation, Jesus Christ, keeping the old man at bay, know ye not, LOVE, mercy, moral life governed by the Spirit, not under the law, obtained mercy, pilgrims, proclaim the praises of Christ, renewing our minds, salvation, share His love with my neighbours, share the Love and friendship of Christ, speak against you as evildoers, strangers, the believer's moral life, the beloved of God, the enemy of God, the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, the friendship of the world is enmity with God, the people of god, The Spirit of God dwells in you, the temple of God is holy, the unsaved masquerading as saved, the whole wide world, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, untouched by man, walk in the Spirit, which ye have of God, wisdom, worry, ye are not your own, ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh, your body is the temple of the holy Ghost
1 Corinthians 6:19. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
And then it was Tuesday, working time for all again. Thankfully, most of the serious clean-up has been completed after this weekend’s severe snowstorm. And it’s turned out to be another bright, sunshiny day in my neighbourhood, with the dazzling light of the sun reflecting so beautifully off of the white snow. It’s truly a thing of beauty, like all God’s creations, when untouched by man! (smile)
Now, yesterday we dealt with a somewhat touchy subject to some people, but a rather important one to God. So today, let’s clarify and expand on it nuh. It says: Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile (destroys) the temple of God, him shall God destroy: for the temple of God is holy, which ye are.’ (1 Cor. 3:16-17)
According to scholars those verses refer primarily to the people of the local church and not so much to the individual believer. They say that ‘Paul seems to have in mind unsaved people who may or may not be in the assembly, but who are in fact false believers. The prospect for such a one is fearful.’ Now if the penalty for the unsaved masquerading as saved is fearful, what can be said about the price that the saved will pay if they defile their bodies, which is also the Holy Temple of God?
Bruh Paul lays it out quite clearly later in 1 Corinthians, when He again asked, but on an individual basis this time: ‘What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.’ (1 Cor. 6:19-20) So as the scholars say: ‘Not only is the local church a temple of the Holy Spirit, but the individual believer’s body itself is also a temple of the Holy Spirit.’
Yes friends, we are not our own, we do not belong to us, but to Jesus Christ who bought us with the enormous price of His shed blood on the cross of Calvary. That means we ought to keep our bought and paid for bodies as clean and wholesome as possible. And per being bought with a price, the scholars offer this interesting explanation. ‘The blessed fact that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit has two sides: one, that He is ours; the other, that we are His. The believer was purchased on Golgotha’s hill. The price paid was the blood of God’s only Son. (Acts 20:28). This has profound significance for the believer (cf.1 Tim. 4:10; 1 Pet. 2:9).’
Now, I’ll leave you to look up the first two references, and we’ll look at that from Peter, where he’s talking about believers being of a Holy Priesthood. He writes: ‘But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people (Christ’s special people); that ye should shew forth (proclaim) the praises of him who hath called us out of a darkness into his marvellous light:
Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation (conduct) honest (honourable) among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.’ (1 Pet. 2:9-12)
Oh my people, you know what all that says? Per the scholars: ‘The priesthood of the believer and his unique relationship to God are described by the terms a chosen generation … a royal priesthood … an holy nation. Thus, the New Testament church stands in a unique relationship to God as did Old Testament Israel.’ Now, isn’t that marvellous…we have a special relationship with God! But you know what that also means…we cannot defile our bodies which belong to God with too much sinful and carnal stuff. We’ll never be perfect like Jesus, but our job is to work as close to perfection as possible.
That means treating our bodies with holy respect as they now belong to God. And that’s why this warning from James is also very important. He writes: ‘Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of (with) the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be (wants to be) a friend of the world is (makes himself) the enemy of God.’ (James 4:4)
It could not get any clearer than that my brethren. If we choose to associate with the world, and live by its tenets instead of God’s, then we automatically become enemies of God, and that’s the worst thing that can ever happen to us, because in the long run we’ll be destroyed with all His other enemies, separated eternally from His LOVE, mercy and grace.
And here’s the last scripture passage for today on the subject of keeping our bodies, the temple of God holy and clean. Bruh Paul writes thus to the Galatians: ‘This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so ye cannot do that things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.’ (Gal. 5:16-18)
And that’s a fact; if we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us, then we’re not going to continually participate in all the things this sinful world considers right and good. As the scholars explain: ‘The Spirit-led person is not under the law. The Christian does not need the restraints of the law because his moral life is governed by the spirit.’ And all God’s people said a loud and grateful, ‘Amen!’
Now let’s go home declaring 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 pledge, it now becomes our bounden duty to go out and share the awesome LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…keeping our bodily temples clean…means constantly renewing our minds with God’s Word…while keeping our old man at bay…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
17 Feb 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a day to spend with families, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, act accordingly, awesome grace, be not deceived, Bible, Christians, deluge of snow, divine aid, do mind the things of the flesh, earthly problems, ease the pain, faith, faithfully promised to hear our prayers, Family Day Holiday, God is good, God is not mocked, God looks at our hearts not our outward appearances, God shall destroy him, Good Book, Good Library, he that sows to his flesh, he that sows to the Spirit, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, if a man defile the temple of God, if ye have not the Spirit of Christ, in accordance with God's will, in the Spirit, Jesus Christ, keep your promise to prosper us, know ye not, LOVE, make changes in our lives, mass confusion, mercy, mind the things of the Spirit, negative situations, not subject to the law of God, of the flesh reap corruption, of the many suffering from negative situations, our cordial relationship with God, pray, righteousness, salvation, shall of the Spirit reap everlasting life, show this evil world, sincerely seek your face, sinned and disobeyed your Word, strong faith in Christ, thank you for life, the body is dead because of sin, the busyness of society, the carnal mind is enmity against God, the God who heals, the many distractions we encounter, the Spirit is life because of righteousness, The Spirit of God dwells in you, the Spirit of God dwells within you, the temple of God is holy, the third Monday in February, the throne of grace, they that after the Spirit, they that are after the flesh, they that are in the flesh cannot please God, to be carnally minded is death, to be spiritually minded is life and peace, truth, turn from our evil ways, undeserving mercy, what a man sows he reaps, wisdom, You are Jehovah Rapha, you are not Christ's, you are not in the flesh, you are the temple of God
1 Corinthians 3:16. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
And the great deluge of snow has finally stopped. It did so sometime during the evening hours…and now it’s clean up time! And to enable us to do that in a somewhat easy manner, the Lord has seen fit to gift us with a bright and sunshiny Family Day Provincial Holiday Monday! Isn’t He a good God? For sure He is! Remember too that after the last snowstorm on Thursday, we also had a bright and sunshiny Friday to clean up. (smile) The problem today though is that there’s a strong wind that’s causing some havoc, blowing the snow all about the place, so that as soon as you’ve finished cleaning one spot, it’s very likely for the wind to blow more snow back there. But it’s a matter of simply pressing forward, until you’ve done all you can.
By the way, here’s another reason that our God is good: He chose the Family Day long weekend to aggravate our souls bodies and minds. Can you imagine if this was a regular Monday and everybody needed to go to work. There would be even more chaos than we already have. But the Lord in His LOVING-KINDNESS chose a day when most of us would be at home celebrating Family Day, which is a public holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February, that gives people a day off to spend with their families. It was introduced in 2008 to give provincially regulated workers a long weekend in February and most provincially regulated employees receive the day off with pay.
Many of the other Provinces have the same holiday, but not all call it Family Day. For example in Manitoba it’s Louis Riel Day, named after a Métis (Indigenous) leader who fought to protect French and aboriginal rights. Meanwhile, in the Province of Nova Scotia, it’s called Heritage Day. Unfortunately, Family Day is not a federally mandated holiday, so federal workers, such as post office employees and public servants, work on Family Day. So please don’t say our God is not good, for even in the midst of chaos and disaster, He still eases our path with His awesome grace and undeserving mercy.
And having said all of that, what shall we talk about scripturally today eh? (smile) Soon come. Let me check the Good Library…. And we’re back, a minute later. The Good Book opened to 1 Corinthians Chapter 3, where we find these interesting and rather appropriate words for these decadent and sinful times. Bruh Paul writes: ‘Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile (destroys) the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.’ (1 Cor. 3:16-17)
And truthfully, many of us know that we are supposed to be God’s temple, because His Holy Spirit dwells within us, therefore we ought to keep our bodies as holy and clean from sin and it’s associates. However, with the busyness of our society and the many distractions steadily hurled at us, it becomes somewhat difficult to do, even if we remember it. But remember it we must my faithful brethren, for it affects our very lives, our cordial relationship with Almighty God.
Now, Bruh Paul also wrote something similar to the Roman church, where he proclaims: ‘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.’ (Rom. 8:5-8)
And that’s the gospel truth my people! If we’re living carnally, for and in our flesh, then we certainly cannot please God. However, here’s the good news as Bruh Paul continues: ‘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 if life because of righteousness.’ (Rom. 8:9-10) Yes friends, let’s praise the Lord that the Spirit of His Son Jesus Christ does dwell in us, and we are going to do our best to live by it’s guidance.
But here’s one more interesting scripture we ought to pay attention to today, that’s this one from Bruh Paul to the Galatians: ‘Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.’ (Gal. 6:7-8) Now that’s a scripture we should always keep front and centre in our lives: God sees it all because He looks at our hearts and not our outward doings, therefore we cannot fool Him, by saying one thing while doing another, as so many of us still foolishly try to do.
So, let’s go now to the throne of grace in confident humility, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid to help us with 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 it’s all well and good to pray, but if we do not make changes in our lives in accordance with God’s will, then no divine aid will be forthcoming. Let’s remember that and act accordingly. Much LOVE!
…the Spirit of God lives in His temple…our bodies…therefore we need to keep them as clean and holy as possible…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
14 Feb 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new flock of believers, anxiety, as long as there's life there's always hope in God, as the hart panteth after the water brooks, Bible, Chistianaity, Christians, confusion, deep longing for God, divine aid, every morning is a fresh beginning, faith, for the help of his countenance, for the hope I have today, Friday chant, give me new direction, goals vanish, God's greatest attribute, guide my steps, holy spirit, hope, hope thou in God, I know you never fail, I shall yet praise him, I take your hand in this place, In you I always have hope, Jesus Christ, longing, LOVE, mercy, my soul thirsteth for god, my tears have been my meat, obedience, omnipotent help, our sinful world, perplexity, prayer on Hope, regret, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, shrouded in darkness, simmering unrest, sing a song of praise, so panteth my soul for thee, sure confidence in God, tempted to fear all is lost, Thank You God, the error of their ways, the living God, the sons of Korah, the throne of grace, the trail ahead, this day of love, trust, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, ungodly times, Valentine's day, wake up and smell the coffee, when plans evaporate, where is thy God, Why art thou cast down o my soul, why art thou disquieted within me, wisdom, with hope anything is possible, without hope there's no real life, witness for Christ, You know the way, you're my light, your great faithfulness
Psalm 42:5. Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance (presence).
And the shouts went up in loud unison this Valentine’s Day morning: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and the weekend is here!’ That said, a Happy Valentine’s Day to all you my Scrip-Bit friends and families! Let’s hope that this day of LOVE will indeed be one that brings God’s greatest attribute sincerely to our hearts, and stay there after the day is done. Because we talk a lot about LOVE, but many of us don’t know what it really means, or don’t show it enough in our relationships with others.
Anyway, it’s been a bright, sunshiny, though somewhat windy day in my area, but at least the streets are clean and the snow has been mostly removed. I heard the snow crew working diligently all night, until around four this morning to get it done. However, after the 25-30 cm. of snow we recently received, it’s forecasted to have another big downpour this weekend. Let’s hope that there’s enough money in the Snow Removal Budget to clean that up also, and we don’t end up like we’ve done in some past years, with not enough money to facilitate a quick and thorough clean up. (smile)
But you know the most important word in that sentence is the li’l word HOPE! It’s small but ever so powerful, so that without it, one is without true life, but with it, all things are possible. Especially if we have Christ Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. And we’ll dedicate this Valentine’s Day Friday to not only LOVE, but also to HOPE, because, if we have those two things in abundance, we are truly blessed. And we’ll begin with this most appropriate prayer on HOPE, from the recently published Prayer Series of Cards by the In Touch Ministries.
So please pray with me: ‘Thank You, God, for the Hope I have today. The trail ahead is shrouded in darkness, but You’re my light. Though I’m tempted to fear all is lost, I know You never fail. Guide my steps, because You know the way. When plans evaporate and goals vanish, give me new direction. Every morning is a fresh beginning in Your great faithfulness. So I take Your hand in this place and sing a song of praise. In You I always have hope.’ And all God’s people said a loud and sincerely grateful ‘Amen!’
Yes friends, In Christ our Saviour there’s ALWAYS HOPE! Let’s never forget that. And there are no better words from the scriptures to describe our great hope in God than these awesome words from Psalm 42, penned by the Sons of Korah. Please read with me: ‘As the hart panteth after (deer longs for) the water brooks, so panteth (longs) my soul for thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my meat (food) day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?
When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday (a pilgrim feast). Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance (presence).’ (Ps. 42:1-5) And that’s the best advice we can ever take or give anyone else; continue hoping in God and His amazing presence!
Now we don’t have time for all of the psalm, but these words of explanation from the scholars bring it’s truth home to us. In the first place, they claim that Psalms 42 and 43 could be read as one, and in fact are joined together in some Hebrew texts. So here, they are talking about both psalms together.
‘Using the refrain Hope thou in God as a marker, the poem yields three stanzas. First, the psalmist expresses his deep longing for God (42:1-5); second, his sad lament and dejection before God (42: 6-11); finally, his sure confidence in God (43:1-5). The three stanzas reveal the changing moods of the psalmist: from longing and regret to perplexity, then to trust and assurance. If only every downcast soul could end up in that third stanza!’
Yes friends, if only. However, we can, because we have the true and real hope in God, for when our souls are cast down and disquieted, we can go confidently, but ever so humbly, to the throne of grace, seeking divine aid to help with our earthly problems. So let’s do that right now nuh, go to the throne of grace through our Friday Chant for aid in these dire 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!’
But please remember, divine aid all depends on our level of obedience, trust and the quality of witness we give for Christ. Much LOVE!
…as long as there’s life…there’s ALWAYS HOPE in Almighty God…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
13 Feb 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a dazzling effect, a desire for eternity, a positive outlook on life, abundance, as the heavens are higher than the earth, be a part of both worlds, Bible, bounden duty, bringeth forth much fruit, cannot serve God and mammon, christianity, Christians, clear direction for my life, courage, creativity, curse, divine protection, entice to eat the forbidden fruit, enveloped by the bright rays of the sun, eternal separation from Almighty God, eternity, everlasting, faith, favour, from the beginning to the end, frustrated by his finite limitations, generous manner, God has made everything beautiful in his time, God's supernatural wisdom, greater love hath no man, he hath set the world in their heart, his ways past finding out, holy spirit, how unsearchable are his judgements, I am the vine ye are the branches, Jesus Christ, LOVE, major snowstorm, mercy, my thoughts are not your thoughts, my thoughts higher than your thoughts, my ways are not your ways, my ways higher than your ways, negative word, no man can find out, no pain sorrow tears or death, o the depth of the riches, of the wisdom and knowledge of God, on the same wavelength as God, our basic DNA, perpetuity, promotion, ride the fence, salvation, self-discipline, stick to Christ like white on rice, success, sunshine reflecting off the pure snow, talent, temporal mans quest for the eternal, the hope of salvation, the work that God does, truth, unsullied by human hands, we can do all things though Christ who strengthens us, what God has for his human creation, wisdom, without me ye can do nothing, you shall be as God, your eyes shall be opened
Ecclesiastes 3:11a. He (God) hath made everything beautiful in his time:
And then it was Thursday; the day of the big cleanup, after the evening of Wednesday’s big snowstorm. It’s definitely the biggest we’ve had so far and thoroughly disrupted the evening commute with people and traffic snarled for hours in the Greater Toronto Area. But yuh know what, it’s still not as big as some other parts of the country have received. And we need to be thankful for the dry day and the beautiful sunshine that’s reflecting off of the pure, driven snow, unsullied by human hands.
Now you might not like snow, but you cannot deny the dazzling effect it has when it’s enveloped by the bright rays of the sun. (smile) Remember, everything that God’s made is beautiful in its own way. And this is so eloquently and truthfully borne out by these words of Cousin Sol, writing as the Preacher in Ecclesiastes. ‘He (God) hath made everything beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world (eternity) in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh (does) from the beginning to the end.’ (Eccl. 3:11)
And that’s a very interesting verse of scripture which says a whole lot to us. As the scholars explain. ‘The world is better translated “eternity.” God has given man a desire for eternity and perpetuity; therefore man cannot be satisfied with what is merely temporal. Man’s quest for the eternal, however is frustrated by his finite limitations.’
And Bruh Paul follows that up with this agreeing verse from Romans 11: ‘O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgements, and his ways past finding out!’ (Rom. 11:33) That’s for sure my people! We seek greater involvement and deeper understanding, because God’s put that in our basic DNA, but unfortunately our finite limitations indeed keep us from understanding the higher things and ways of God. God did that on purpose, to always keep us on our toes.
Remember what He says through the prophet Isaiah? ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.’ (Is. 55:8-9) And for Him to be God, that’s how it ought to be, otherwise we’d be on exactly the same wavelength as Him, and therefore have no need of Him.
And that’s the deceitful trick the enemy played on Eve in the garden of Eden when he enticed her to eat of the forbidden fruit. ‘And the serpent said unto the woman, ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and shall be as gods (God), knowing good and evil.’ (Gen. 3:4-5) And it’s the same old trick he’s still plying with us today, deceiving us into thinking that if we do his bidding we’d be like God.
But friends, there’s nothing further from the truth. We can never be like God, in the sense that we’re a created being, and we simply don’t have the capacity to do much without His help. As Jesus so nicely tells us in the gospel of John. ‘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 15:5)
There again, truer words were never spoken my brethren! With Jesus we can do all things, because He strengthens us to do them, (Phil. 4:13) but without Him, we’re definitely not able to do a whole lot. That means we have to stay as close to Him as possible, like white on rice, (smile) if we ever hope to accomplish anything worthwhile in this world. And when we say worthwhile, we’re not speaking about what the evil and ungodly world considers worthwhile, but what Jesus considers worthwhile in His kingdom.
And yes, on a few occasions, they can be the same things, but oftentimes, they are not, because the things the world holds worthwhile, and the things Jesus considers worthwhile are usually the total opposite. That’s why you cannot serve God and mammon too. It’s either one or the other. Although many of us supposed believers foolishly try to ride the fence and be a part of both worlds, but in the long run you only find great disappointment in that tactic.
And it’s so much easier serving God than mammon. For the pleasures of the world are fleeting, and most of them only lead to hellfire and damnation, or eternal separation from Almighty God, while the hope of salvation and heaven are everlasting, and lead to eternity with God, where there’s no pain, sorrow, tears, death or any of those former things. And our God is so good to us that He’s even bestowed underserved benefits on us, so that we can do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings.
So, let’s declare and thus activate them right now nuh, so we can get on with His business. 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!’
Now, with that awesome declaration (awright!!!) it’s become our bounden duty to use those blessings to help others, in the same generous manner that the Lord bestowed them on us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…greater LOVE hath no man…than what God has for His human creation…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
04 Feb 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a light unto my path, a rough row to hoe, according to his glorious power, an accurate perception, at all times in life, atonement, be filled with the knowledge of his will, Bible, blood, christianity, Christians, darkness, delve deeper into God's Word, duty bound, ever coming to know the Lord better, faith, forbearing the faults of others, forgiveness of sins, forsake her not, fruitful in every good work, get understanding, get wisdom, giving thanks unto the Father, growing spiritually stronger in Christ, happiness, holy spirit, hurry, in all wisdom, in god's eyes, in the habit of giving thanks, increasing in the knowledge of God, Jesus Christ, light, longsuffering, LOVE, love her and she shall keep thee, mercy, morality, of the inheritance of the saints, of the true nature of things, patience, persevering through trials, practical situations, prayer for the Colossians, productive in Christian service, qualified us, redemption, redemption through Christ's blood, sacrifice, salvation, share His love with my neighbours, she shall preserve thee, sincerely expressing gratitude to god, spiritual maturity, spiritual understanding, strengthened with all might, take the bull by the horns, the atonement by Jesus' death, the beloved of God, the Christian life, the ehtical condition in which God's children live, the fruit of the spirit, the pleasant and unpleasant experiences of life, the religious stae of unbelievers, the skillful application of wisdom, thy word is a lamp unto my feet, to be partakers, trust my friend Jesuss, truth, Tuesday Mantra, ungodly times, unto all patience and longsuffering, walk worthy of the Lord, wisdom, wisdom is the principal thing, with all thy getting, with joyfulness, worry
Proverbs 4:7. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom; and with all thy getting get understanding.
And then it was a nice, sunshiny but windy Tuesday, ideal to give us hope for a better day than Monday, which was cold, snowy, and dreary. However it turns out though, we just have to keep moving forward, becoming wiser, as we delve deeper into the study of God’s Word, and thus getting better in the performance of the tasks He desires of us. That certainly brings to mind the effusive and all-embracing prayer that Bruh Paul prayed for the Colossians.
‘For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet (qualified us) to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in (the) light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated (transferred) us into the kingdom of his dear Son (the Son of His LOVE): In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:’ (Col. 1:9-14)
Oh friends, that’s a mighty big prayer to wish on anyone, so can you imagine how the Colossians must have felt when they received Bruh Paul’s missive, not knowing him, since they were evangelized by Epaphras, Bruh Paul’s fellow servant in Christ. But Epaphras had spoken highly of them, and Bruh Paul, as always, wanted to invigorate and motivate them to greater works and heights. Thus, it’s a prayer that we believers today also are expected to take seriously, because it also pertains to our spiritual state which leaves a lot to be desired in these evil and ungodly times.
And though the prayer seems tough and long-winded, it’s fairly simple when you break it down. What’s Bruh Paul actually praying for eh? That the Colossians, and consequently us, will be filled with the knowledge of God’s will for their lives in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. And the scholars explain wisdom as an ‘accurate perception into the true nature of things. And understanding is the skillful application of this wisdom in practical situations.’
Therefore, with those two things we’re set on the right path of the Lord, or as the psalmist says: ‘Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.’ (Ps. 119:105) And being on the right path, we ought to be able to walk worthy of the Lord, allowing the fruit of His Spirit to flourish in our lives, so that others can see it and desire to know Him. But then too, Bruh Paul expects that all believers ought to keep growing in the knowledge of God’s Word; in other words, moving along the path of spiritual maturity to a higher calling in Christ Jesus.
Or, as the scholars explain; ‘Verse 10 expresses the reason that in verse 9, Paul wants the Colossians to obtain a knowledge of God’s will. That they walk (live) properly and fully please God. And in Greek the four explanatory participles of verses 10b-12 spell out and precisely define what a worthy walk entails: the believer is (1) fruitful in every good work, productive in Christian service; (2) constantly increasing in the knowledge of God, ever coming to know the Lord better; (3) always “strengthened with all might,” becoming spiritually stronger and stronger; and (4) in the habit of giving thanks, sincerely expressing gratitude to God in both the pleasant and unpleasant experiences in his life.’
Now that’s indeed a rough row to hoe, but hoe it we must if we intend to be true believers in Christ Jesus. And remember that the Lord does not call us to do anything in which He does not give us the wherewithal to perform it. That’s the beauty of our ever-LOVING God! And the scholars continue to explain some of the terms found in the above passages of scripture. They say ‘Patience is persevering through problems, trials, tribulations, and so forth. Longsuffering is forbearing the faults and offences of others.’
Meanwhile, verse 12 might also be translated “thanking the Father, for He made us fit to share in the salvation belonging to the saints who are in the light.” Light is the ethical condition in which God’s children live, namely, that of spiritual understanding with its accompanying morality and happiness. Then in verse 13, Darkness is the religious state in which unbelievers exist, namely, that of spiritual ignorance with its attending immorality and misery. And in verse 14 Blood reminds the Colossians, and us, of the enormous price and sacrifice paid to secure their redemption. Redemption, then is achieved by the atonement wrought by Jesus’ death.’
And that’s it in a nutshell friends. Let’s hope that what we’ve said and read today will help us raise our spirituality to new levels. But that will only happen if we take the bull by the horns and begin delving deeper in the Word and putting it into practical application in our lives. Remember Wisdom tells us the truth, and Understanding tells us best how to apply it.
That’s why Cousin Sol was so emphatic in Proverbs when he admonishes: ‘Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from (turn away) the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: LOVE her, and she shall keep thee. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom; and with all thy getting get understanding.’ (Prov. 4:5-7)
Now, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all the world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel! As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And having made that declaration (awright!!!) we are now duty bound to go out and share the awesome LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…the Christian life is ever about…spiritually growing stronger…in Christ…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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