07 May 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abstain from fleshly lusts, all about glorifying God, among the Gentiles, as newborn babes, ask what you will, baptizing them, be sober minded, bring glory to God not shame, by your good works, Christ's ambassadors, christianity, Christians, desire the sincere milk of the word, endure to the very end, envies, evil speaking, faith, glorify God, glorify your father in heaven, go ye therefore and teach all nations, godly behaviour, good works, gravity, growing in spiritual maturity, guile, halfway home, hands on the plough, having your conduct honest, having your conversation honest, he that is of the contrary part, herein is my Father glorified, holy spirit, hypocrisies, I am with you always, I have commanded you, if ye abide in me and my words abide in you, immersing ourselves in the word, improve our standard of spiritual maturity, in doctrine, in living for christ, in the day of visitation, in the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost, incorruptibility, it shall be done for you, Jesus Christ, laying aside all malice, Let your light so shine before men, LOVE, make disciples of all nations, making any productive headway, may be ashamed, mercy, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, not turning back, perpetrating the ungodly deeds and views of this evil world, practical advice, restore our salty flavour, reverence, salvation, second wind day, showing integrity, showing thyself a pattern of good works, sincerity, so glad to be alive, so shall ye be my disciples, sound speech, speak against you as evildoers, teaching them to observe all things, thank God, that cannot be condemned, that ye may grow thereby, the BIBLE, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the Christian life, the Great Commission, the holy priesthood, the light of the world, the salt of the earth, the stranglehold evil has on the world, they may see your good works, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, turn up our lights, unto the end of the world, war against the soul, Wednesday Wail, whcih they shall behold, wisdom, ye bear much fruit, your opponent may be ashamed
John 15:8. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
And after Tuesday comes Wednesday, a bright sunshiny day with temps around the 20 degrees Celsius mark. It’s also the day we supposedly catch our second wind. Yes, we’re already halfway into the work week, which seems to be flowing by quite quickly. However, the question we must ask, is, are we making any serious and productive headway in living for Christ, growing in spiritual maturity and having a positive effect on the unbelieving majority of our world? And judging from the way it seems more people are turning away from Christ, than are turning to Him, and the stranglehold that evil has on our world, I’d venture to say that the answer to our question is a resounding NO!
Then the next question will be, what are we waiting for to go out into the world and fulfill Christ’s Great Commission? That was the last thing He desired of us: ‘Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:19-20)
Oh my people, Jesus’ desire for us on the earth could not be made any plainer and clearer than that! We’re supposed to go out and teach others what He taught us, as well as living a life that resonates with the things we teach. Like being the salt of the earth and the light of the world. As Jesus, so simply but very astutely puts it: ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven,’ (Matt. 5:16) And we need to remember that everything we do down here on earth ought to bring glory to God and not shame, as so many of us are doing, perpetrating the ungodly deeds and views of this evil and ungodly world.
And later on Jesus, when talking about the vine and the branches, said to the disciples: ‘If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto (for) you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.’ (John 15:7-8) Ah friends, it’s made very clear there again, that we’re supposed to be doing good works, bearing good fruit so that the Father can be glorified. But the only way to do that is by abiding in Christ and have His words abide in us. And obviously we are not doing that to any sufficient degree, otherwise our world would not be in such a chaotic and lawless state.
And Peter also said the same thing, when he wrote to the Christian diaspora, spread all over the world. ‘Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere (pure) milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.’ (1 Pet. 2:1-3) Yes friends, we need to lay aside all that negative, ungodly stuff that’s so prevalent in our world today. And we can only do that by immersing ourselves in the pure milk of God’s Word, the ONLY thing that can keep us safe and secure from the evils of the world, so that we can become the Holy Priesthood we are meant to be.
And here’s some practical advice from Peter on how to do that. ‘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. 2:11-12) There again my fellow believers we’re entreated to live a life that’s worthy of Christ and do works that will glorify our heavenly Father! How much more do we need to hear for us to get out there and live a Christ-worthy life eh?
Titus also specified the great need for good behaviour from believers, when he wrote: ‘Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded. In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness (integrity), gravity (reverence), sincerity (incorruptibility), Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part (an opponent) may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say to you.’ (Titus 2:6-8)
What more can I say eh friends? And those aren’t all the scriptures that speak of good conduct and good behaviour. There are many more throughout the Bible, which shows how important the subject is, for it’s only with our good behaviour and kind words will the unbeliever even consider turning to Christ. And it’s obvious we’re not doing such a good job, or, as we said earlier, our world would not be in such a disastrous state. That’s also why it’s ever so important, that RIGHT NOW, we need to make some changes, some improvements to our standard of spiritual maturity and living, so that the heathen can see the goodness and godliness in us, and want what we have.
Otherwise, our world will keep on sliding down the steep and slippery slope to hell fire and damnation. And I know we don’t want that happen, for it will show that we didn’t do such a good job as Christ’s disciples and ambassadors. So, let’s turn up our lights nuh mih people, make them shine as bright as ever, and restore the salty flavour to our lives, so that many others will desire to come to know and LOVE Jesus like we do. Now, let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus!
As one strong voice, in all sincerity and truth. ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And the good news is that if we endure to the very end with Jesus, the future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine. So, let’s be wise and endure to the very end nuh, that we can enjoy that glorious future together! Much LOVE!
…the Christian life is all about glorifying God…through good works…and godly behaviour…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
24 Oct 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a positive outlook on life., and all the host of them, are not able to kill the soul, awesome power and imagination of God, Bible, bounden duty, by the breath of his mouth, by the word of the Lord, Christ's ambassadors, Christ's Church, Christ's saving grace, christianity, Christians, courage, creativity, curse, dead in trespasses and sins, faith, favour, fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body, fear them not which kill the body, god, God spoke the world into existence, improve our witness, Jesus Christ, let all the earth fear the Lord, live by the dictates of Satan, living the true christian life, LOVE, many devices in a man's heart, negative word, obey God and leave all the consequences to him, playing the blame game, salvation, success, supernatural wisdom, the children of disobedience, the counsel of the Lord shall stand, the counsel of the Lord standeth forever, the course of this world, the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works, the thoughts of his heart, to all generations, truth, we walked according to, were the heavens made, wisdom, you hath he quickened
Psalm 33:11. The counsel of the Lord standeth forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
One more time friends; one more time! Yes, it looks like another bright and sunshiny day in my neighbourhood, but it certainly won’t be as warm. I believe that even the trees have finally got the message, for more of them seem to have finally begun changing colour and shedding their leaves. And my neighbour has a tall tree in his backyard and it’s all golden and yellow and rust and whatever! Every time I look out my bedroom window, I’m amazed at it’s beauty, and the awesome power and imagination of our great God!
And why not eh, since our God created the universe and all therein mostly by speaking them into existence. As the Bible says: ‘By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth, He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth (deep) in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast. The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices (plans) of the people of none effect. The counsel of the Lord standeth forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.’ (Ps. 33:6-11)
And that’s the gospel truth, to which Cousin Sol totally agrees, as he says in Proverbs: ‘There are many devices (plans) in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand.’ (Prov. 19:21) Yes my people, our God is a great and awesome God, Creator and Father! There’s no other like Him! That’s why we ought to both revere and fear Him in the real sense of the word. For as Jesus said: ‘And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.’ (Matt. 10:28)
And that’s a sad fact which not too many of us seem to take notice of, and thus keep on whiling away our precious time in the fleshly lusts and carnality of this sinful and ungodly world controlled by Satan and his evil minions. Yes, the Lord can kill all of our many parts, because He created them, but He certainly doesn’t want us to go to hell, and He doesn’t really send any of us to hell, we do it ourselves. He’s given us the way to salvation and eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ, and if we don’t obey Him and end up in hell, how can we blame Him eh?
But from the very beginning with Adam, Eve and Satan, we’ve been playing the blame game. When the Lord asked Adam why he ate of the forbidden fruit, he blamed Eve, and Eve blamed Satan. (Gen. 3:11-13) So it’s no wonder that today we’re still shirking our responsibilities and then trying to blame others for any negative consequences that occur from so doing. But friends, please, please, let’s remember these fateful words from our dear departed Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley). ‘Obey God, and lave all the consequences to Him.’
That’s about the best motto a human being, especially a supposed Christian can have! It seems though that we have gone back to what we were before the Lord saved us. Listen as Bruh Paul tells the Ephesians: ‘And you hath he quickened (made alive), who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.’ (Eph. 2:1-2) Yes my brethren, while we were wasting away in sinfulness and ungodliness, the Lord saved us from our sinful life by sending Jesus to die on the cross for us.
Before that as the scholars explain: ‘Ye walked means “you lived.” The course of this world: The word course signifies all the tendencies, thoughts, pursuits, deeds, and so on, that characterize the present period of history. This world means “world system,” that is those philosophies, values, and life-styles that are opposed to God and hostile to Him. Before conversion the Ephesians used to conduct themselves in accordance with such ungodly values. The prince of the power of the air may be read “the ruler of the kingdom of the air.” They also used to live by the dictates and wishes of Satan.’
Unfortunately friends, that’s exactly what’s happening in our current world; the majority of us are living by the carnal and fleshly lusts and desires as promoted by Satan. Many of us still don’t even know about Christ and His saving grace, and therefore are unable to live the way He desires. And we, the supposed believers are neither spreading His gospel to the degree that’s necessary to combat Satan’s evil ways, or living the true Christian life that just might attract others to Christ.
And the body that’s supposed to oversee and push the overall work of Christ, that’s His church, is so divided into numerous denominations and cliques, and in such dissension over His Word, that it’s falling far short of what it needs to make any worthwhile difference in this evil world. And we only have ourselves to blame for that my fellow saints. We can’t lay the blame on any one else, for we are supposed to be Christ’s ambassadors on the earth, but for whatever reason, it’s obvious we’re not doing such a good job, because instead of being lifted out of the mire, the world is constantly falling into more evil and ungodliness.
And if we don’t smarten up soon, make some appropriate changes, and improve our witness, we’ll be doing a whole lot of answering to Christ on the judgement day. But thankfully all is not yet lost, for the Lord in His amazing goodness has bestowed undeserved blessings for us to do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings. So let’s declare them so that they can be activated in our lives nuh.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration, it’s now our bounden duty to go out and use those blessings on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…Christians desperately need to improve their witness…if they truly desire to see godly changes…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
27 Feb 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a crown of life shall be, and Christ is Lord indeed, Carlene Davis, Christ's ambassadors, Dudley Atkins Tyng, fight to the death, fight us tooth and nail, freedom to worship, George Duffield Jr, God-given right, having done all to stand, let courage rise with danger, lift high his royal banner, live a life of sin, LOVE, put on the Gospel armour, sacrifice of praise, shall reign eternally, stand strong in the might of Christ, Stand up Stand up for Jesus, standing on the promises of Christ my Saviour, Standing on the promises of God, strength to strength oppose, take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, the arm of flesh will fail you, the breastplate of righteousness, the girdle of truth, the helmet of salvation, the king of glory, the next the victor's song, the power of prayer and perseverance, the principles of religious freedom, the shield of faith, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the spiritual battle is real, the strife will not be long, the sword of the Spirit, the trumpet call obey, this day the noise of battle, till every foe is vanquished, to him that overcometh
Ephesians 6:13. Wherefore take unto you (take up) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand.
And it’s another Sunday morning, damp and cloudy, but nonetheless a blessed day because we are alive and able to worship our heavenly Father without too many problems, unlike some of our Christian family in other parts of the world. However my faithful brethren, our freedom to worship whom we please, where and when we please is in great danger of being taken away in the dictatorial times that seem to be currently upon us. But as true and faithful soldiers of Christ we cannot allow that to happen. It’s just inconceivable that in this Western world that was founded on the principles of religious freedom we will be denied that God-given right.
However, it’s up to us to stand up and fight to keep it. And if we refuse to do so, it will eventually be taken away from us. Please don’t fool yourself and think otherwise, for there’s a movement out there that basically fears Jehovah God and desperately wants to remove Him from our society, so they can worship their dead idols and live a life of sin and evil. But I say again; we cannot allow that to ever happen, because we are Christ’s ambassadors, agents, soldiers and representatives on this here earth, which He created and which He still controls, but He depends on us to keep things flowing smoothly.
Remember earlier on in the week we spoke about two people in Finland being criminally prosecuted for tweeting something from the Bible? That ought to be a serious wake up call for us friends, because if it can happen there, means it will soon be happening here…that is if we lie down and play dead and allow it. And that’s why today’s song in our worship is that awesome song of praise, encouragement and standing strong for Jesus, so aptly titled, ‘Stand Up Stand Up For Jesus!’ And that’s exactly what we need to do in these times of our faith being endangered.
So let’s sing a powerful, easy rocking Reggae version a la Jamaican gospel singer Carlene Davis. Altogether now, let our sweet sacrifice of praise rise to high heaven in all sincerity ad truth: ‘Stand up, stand up for Jesus ye soldiers of the cross; lift high his royal banner, it must not suffer loss: from vict’ry unto vict’ry his army he shall lead, ’til ev’ry foe is vanquished, and Christ is Lord indeed. Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the trumpet call obey; forth to the mighty conflict in this his glorious day: ye that are men now serve him against unnumbered foes; let courage rise with danger, and strength to strength oppose.
(Chorus: Stand up, stand up, Stand up for Jesus, children stand up. Stand up, stand up, Stand up for Jesus children stand up. Yes we are standing on Christ my Saviour, standing on the promises of God. Standing on the promises of Christ my saviour, standing on the promises of God. Stand up, stand up, Stand up for Jesus, children stand up. Stand up, stand up, Stand up for Jesus children stand up.)
Stand up, stand up for Jesus, stand in his strength alone; the arm of flesh will fail you, ye dare not trust your own: put on the gospel armor, each piece put on with pray’r; where duty calls, or danger, be never wanting there. Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the strife will not be long; this day the noise of battle, the next the victor’s song: to him that overcometh a crown of life shall be; he with the King of glory shall reign eternally.
(Chorus: Stand up, stand up, Stand up for Jesus, children stand up. Stand up, stand up, Stand up for Jesus children stand up. Yes we are standing on the promises of Christ my Saviour, standing on the promises of God. Standing on the promises of Christ my saviour, standing on the promises of God. Stand up, stand up, Stand up for Jesus, children stand up. Stand up, stand up, Stand up for Jesus children stand up.)
Oh my fellow believers, in these trying and very threatening times that is what we are called to do as representatives of Christ: stand up strong and fight the evil enemy who wants to destroy His kingdom! And it’s interesting how the inspiration for this song came to its author George Duffield Jr. (1818-1888) the American Presbyterian Pastor. He claims that he was inspired by the words of his dying friend and fellow pastor Dudley A. Tyng, who had been ‘ousted from his own congregation for his strong anti-slavery stance.
Tyng preached to large crowds in weekday meetings sponsored by the YMCA. His work spearheaded an evangelical revival in Philadelphia early in 1858. At Tyng’s deathbed, caused by a farm accident in which he lost an arm, Duffield and others asked if he had any final message. Tyng replied, ‘Tell them to stand up for Jesus!” At Tyng’s memorial service on April 25, 1858, Duffield preached on Ephesians 6:14 and concluded his sermon by reading his new hymn text, “Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus.”
So you see friends, living sincerely for Christ, is, was, and will always be a battle, because the enemy, the ruler of this evil world does not want us to do so, and will fight us tooth and nail through every fraudulent and deceitful avenue possible. And it’s important to know that we’ve got the victory, but we still have to fight the spiritual battle, against the spiritual wickedness in high places and wherever the enemy has secluded his evil associates. That’s why Bruh Paul so strongly admonished us in that portion of Ephesians 6: ‘Wherefore take unto you (take up) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand.’ (Eph. 6:13)
We definitely cannot fight this spiritual battle without God’s spiritual armour, which we all know as the girdle of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, with the added power of prayer and perseverance. (Eph. 6:14-18) And when we have put on that marvellous armour, then we are required to STAND! To stand strong in the might of Christ!
And I want to end with this interesting quote that tells it like it is, don’t remember where I got it from though. (smile) ‘The challenge of “Stand Up for Jesus” is proclaimed through the military metaphors Paul uses in Ephesians 6:10-18. Although some decry the warlike imagery, the spiritual battle that Christians must fight is very real. Christ’s victory is assured even if we do not always move “from victory unto victory” in our earthly lives.’
Oh friends, please believe that there is a great spiritual battle taking place in all of our lives, against the Church of Christ and its members. Yes, Christ has indeed won the overall victory, but if we don’t put on our spiritual armour and stand up strong for Christ right now, then we are in danger of losing our battle in our time. And I don’t think we want to be looked upon as losers in Christ’s army. So let’s seriously and sincerely stand up and be counted nuh; that’s the wise and faithful thing to do. Much LOVE!
…all good soldiers are required to fight courageously…fight to the death…if need be…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
20 Dec 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's wisdom, aim for the heights of diligence, awesome grace and mercy, blasphemy, Christ's ambassadors, droughts, economic disasters, faithfully promised to hear our prayers, famines, for His goodness to the children of men, give us help from trouble, heal the breaches thereof, irreverence, Jehovah Rapha, keep our promises, LOVE, made us to drink the wine of astonishment, man's inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, negative situations, O god thou hast cast us off, O turn thyself to us again, Omicron variant, on which side his bread was buttered, positive answers to prayer, put our trust in man's evil ways, seek your face, sincere repentance in our hearts, the God who heals, the one and only true living God, thou hast been displeased, thou hast made the earth to tremble, thou hast scattered us, thou hast showed thy people hard things, time to roll out, To God be the glory, vain is the help of man
Psalm 60:11. Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man.
Come on friends, time to roll out and get on with the Monday morning show! The real winter season seems to be finally here, with temps now consistently in the minus category, that means we need to give ourselves some extra time to warm up the cars and ourselves. We can’t be late for work…Jesus was never late for anything, (smile) and as His ambassadors we need to aim for the same heights of diligence and excellence. And I’m only partially joking, because Jesus does want His people to be upstanding and excellent representatives of His kingdom.
On the other hand though, the traffic might not be as bad as it normally is, since a lot of people might be returning to work from home situations, or have no work at all, because of the new Covid-19 regulations handed down this past week, in an effort to stem the crazy spread of the Omicron variant, which they say might not be as dangerous as its forerunners, but spreads more quickly than them. Whatever our situation though my brethren, we must all be diligent and aware and take the necessary precautions to keep us safe, because this virus doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon, what with all the confusion and disagreement over what it is and how to stem its tide.
But on an interesting note, a little while ago I was looking through the psalms for something to talk about today and hit upon what I believe is a rather appropriate comparison to our current situation. It’s a situation found in Psalm 60 – A prayer for help against the foe. It seems while Bruh David was doing battle in the north, other enemies attacked in the south, so he had to split up his army and send his mighty warrior Joab to deal with the situation down there. And these were some of the words Bruh David voiced. ‘O God, thou hast cast us off, thou hast scattered (broken) us, thou hast been displeased; O turn thyself to us again (restore us again). (Ps. 60:1)
And there is ample reason to believe that God is very displeased with us right now and has left us to fight our battles on our own as we so adamantly desired. What with all the sinfulness, ungodliness, irreverence and blasphemy raging all over the world, why should that surprise us. And Bruh David continues: ‘Thou hast made the earth to tremble; thou hast broken it: heal the breaches thereof; for it shaketh.’ (Ps. 60:2)
Now there is absolutely no doubt that the Lord has made the earth to tremble in the last few years. Please note the unusual amount of earth trembling and shattering things like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes and tornadoes during that time, and also the unusual intensity of them all. And only through God’s mighty hand can the resulting breaches be healed.
But I like the next verse, as Bruh David shows his prowess also with words. He says: ‘Thou hast showed thy people hard things: thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment (staggering).’ (Ps. 60:3) Oh friends, has the Lord ever showed us hard things and made us to drink the wine of astonishment! So many tough situations have come upon us recently, not to mention the ongoing Covid virus pandemic, the numerous strife-filled areas of our world, with more coming on board every day.
Don’t talk about the famines and droughts, the economic disasters, the worldwide poverty in the face of untold wealth and all the inhumanity we are showing to each other. I don’t know if there’s ever been a time when the saying, ‘man’s inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn,’ has ever been truer.
And I know that many of us don’t think that the Lord has anything to do with the terrible state our world is currently experiencing, but I think that’s a fool’s wisdom. He might not be causing some of the disasters, but He’s surely not putting forth His hand to help us the way we expect Him to. And what else can we expect when we don’t reverence Him and obey His commandments eh, but are instead desperately trying to rid our society of His name and memory?
But yuh know what, Bruh David despite all his problems and his laments over them, knew exactly on which side his bread was buttered, on the Lord’s side. That’s why he ended the psalm thus. ‘Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man. Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.’ (Ps. 60:11-12) And that’s the indisputable truth my fellow saints! Only God can right our world, and only if we acknowledge that He is our Creator and Controller, our God and heavenly Father, the One and Only True and Living God!
What will it take for us to discover and acknowledge that our bread is buttered on His side eh? Look at the mess man has made and is still making of the world. Are we going to continue to put our trust in man’s evil ways, his greed and perfidy? That’s his deceptive ways, his duplicity and inability to keep promises. I certainly hope not. So, since there’s no time like the present to begin the turnaround, let’s go to fountain of life, that’s God, for help through prayer nuh, sincerely voicing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
Altogether now: ‘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. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that 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. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Now if we are serious and want positive answers to our prayers, then we must keep our promises, else the Lord will just ignore us. Much LOVE!
…to God be the glory…for His goodness to the children of men…who don’t seem to want or appreciate it…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
20 Aug 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a city set on a hill cannot be hid, bring backsliders back to your fold, but to be cast out trodden underfoot of men, Christ's ambassadors, Christians, Christians have lost our salty flavour, confusion and havoc of Covid 19, curdle the nourishing mile of Jesus in us, earthly agents, Friday chant, get up on our high horses, glorify your father in heaven, going to hell in a hand-basket, good for nothing, he who has ears to hear let him hear, if the salt has lost it s flavour, introduce a new flock, lack of diligence, Let your light so shine before men, men light a and put it under a bushel, not walk the walk, omnipotent help, pleading for forgiveness, sincere repentance, spouting lies and disinformation, talk a good talk, Thank the Lord for Jesus and the Holy Spirit, the status quo, they may see your good works, unrest in the streets, wake up and smell the coffee, what politicians want politicians get, wherewith shall it be salted, Ye are the light of the world, ye are the salt of the earth
Matthew 5:13a, 14a. Ye are the salt of the earth: Ye are the light of the world.
So what’s up this glorious Friday morning in this confusing and anxious summer of 2021 eh friends? With worldwide sickness, strife and turmoil galloping around the planet, I do hope that we are not allowing all that negative stuff to get to us … well not too much, because we are only human and such mind-blowing things will undoubtedly have some negative effect. And then, on top of all that turbulent stuff, here in our fine land of Canada, we now have a Federal Election to look forward to next month, despite it not being officially due for at least another year.
Ah Lord eh! And it seems no one wants an election during the pandemic…that is, except the politicians. Notwithstanding, that the status quo of a minority government seems to have worked quite well during the height of the pandemic. But yuh know, what politicians want, they usually get! And can you imagine all the unnecessary headache we will have to go through to make the elections seem safe and fair.
Thank the Lord though that we don’t have politicians as ignorant and evil as some of those down in the U.S, who insist on spouting lies and disinformation with absolutely no proof to back it up! Thank the Lord for Jesus Christ too, and the Holy Spirit, who give us the wherewithal to handle all these things in a sensible and safe manner! What would we do without our great God Jehovah eh? Just continue going to hell in a handbasket!
Unfortunately though, a lot of people still don’t know Him, and if they do, don’t believe in Him. How sad… For He is the Creator of the universe, and also the Protector and Provider. But if you don’t go to Him and ask for His protection and provision, how will you get it eh? You won’t! But truthfully, some of that blame for so many not knowing and accepting Christ as Lord and Saviour falls squarely on the shoulders of us, His ambassadors, His earthly agents, generally known as Christians.
Why you ask? Because we have not been doing a good enough job to make others want what we have. In other words, we have not been good enough examples of Christ’s wonderful promises and lifestyle to a lost and broken world, living in sin and evil darkness. Yes friends, it boils down to our lack of diligence in doing God’s work. And how is that you again ask?
Listen to these fateful words of Christ to all who choose to follow Him. ‘Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour (flavour), wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.’ (Matt. 5:13) And sorrowfully, I am here to tell us this morning my fellow believers that we Christians, the church of Christ, have indeed lost our salty flavour, through inattention, even disobedience to God’s Word, and following the ways of the evil world too much, seeking too much material possessions and earthly power.
Yes friends, instead of being in the world, but not a part of the world, we have become just like the world, allowing, fear, anxiety, laziness and a lack of enthusiasm to curdle the warm and nourishing milk of Christ that supposedly dwells within us. Therefore, if we are just like the world, it means we can no longer stand up before the world and make a difference. And that’s certainly heartbreaking to Christ!
And Jesus also describes us thus: ‘Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle (a lamp), and put it under a bushel (basket), but on a candlestick (lampstand); and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:14-16) There you have it friends; the command to be shining lights to this dark and evil world!
And as the scholars tell us: ‘5:14-16. Ye are the light of the world describes the essential mission of the Christian to the world. He is the condition (salt) to meet the world’s needs and has a mission (light) to the world. His light is to clearly shine forth into the darkness of human depravity. He is to set his light upon a candlestick, not hide it under a bushel, that is, a basket. Darkness is the absence of light, and darkness alone cannot dispel the light, but the smallest light can dispel the greatest darkness.’
However my fellow saints in Christ, we have unfortunately not been adding salt to the wounds of the world, thus not providing healing nor adding flavour to it. And neither have we been a dazzling light in the darkness of this dark and evil world. We have either been hiding our light under a bushel, through fear and anxiety, or worse yet, been joining the world in its dark and evil deeds. Both situations are highly unsatisfactory my people! But then to further muddy the waters, we get up on our high horses and talk a very good talk, but refuse to walk the walk the talk entails.
Ah friends, to say the least, Christ is very disappointed in us, because if we had put our best foot forward and served Him faithfully, no way would the world be in such an ungodly and sinful state of turmoil that it’s currently in today. But it’s not too late to try and rectify the situation, but we have to begin by going back to God in serious prayer, offering sincere repentance, and pleading for forgiveness. And there’s no better time than right now to do that through our Friday Chant.
Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means we desperately need your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets.
So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks. And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways.
And please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And, as with all prayers my people, if we don’t keep the promises we make, we won’t get positive answers. Nuff said! Much LOVE!
…he who has ears to hear…let him hear…
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19 Dec 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a city set on a hill cannot be hid, a light unto our path, all things are become new, aspires to inspire us, bold beautiful and brilliant, calm happy content, Christ's ambassadors, Christians, Christmas, eternal life, filled with such hope joy love, for a better tomorrow, free to create the life I desire, glorify your father in heaven, God or mammon, God's everlasting goodness grace and mercy, he is a new creature, His word is a lamp unto our feet, I allow my light to shine, if any man be in Christ, it giveth light unto all that are in the house, joy, Let your light so shine before men, LOVE, members of Christ's august body, neither do men light a candle, old things are passed away, on a candlestick, open to new adventures, our friend Anselm, please the heart of Jesus, pleasing to the eye of the beholder, positive affirmation, pursue right eating and consistent exercise, put it under a bushel, salvation, spiritual maturity, testify from personal experience, the beginning of true hope for mankind, the birth of Jesus, the church, the Holy Spirit, the ole bod rebelled, the prince of darkness, they may see your good works, throwing a monkey wrench, to rejoice in, turn on your high beams, what a joyful time, Ye are the light of the world, you have to bow to somebody, your standard bearer
Mathew 5:14. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.
Yes friends, we pretty late this chilly Saturday morning. And as usual, it’s because the ole fella did one of his real late nights, or early mornings, and the ole bod rebelled at getting up at the normal time without sufficient rest. (smile) And who says our body doesn’t have a mind of its own eh? So we’ll just get right down to business on this last Saturday before Christmas.
Just imagine it nuh, Christmas is only six days away! And what a joyful time it will be, despite the many problems and much strife in our current world, because the birth of Jesus was the beginning of true hope for mankind. Glory be! And every time His birthday rolls around we’re filled with such hope, joy, LOVE, wonder and gratitude that we set aside our earthly problems to rejoice in His everlasting goodness, grace and mercy! So let’s see what our friend Anselm had to tell us this past week nuh, as he aspired to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
And the new style persists, of prefacing each quote with these words: ‘Positive affirmation you should tell yourself to remind yourself just how awesome you are. I’m calm, happy, and content.’ But then I have to turn around and remind us that we can only be all those things if we’re truly in partnership with Jesus, for awesomeness, calmness, happiness and contentment don’t occur unless you have a strong personal relationship with the One who provides those things; Jesus Christ! Matter done!
So to the quotes, and I believe we can tie the first two together: ‘I’m bold, beautiful, and brilliant,’ and ‘My body shape is perfect in the way it’s intended to be.’ And yes, we ought to become bold, beautiful and brilliant when we become members of Christ’s august body, the church, because according to Bruh Paul: ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold ALL THINGS are become new.’ (2 Cor. 5:17)
And when all things become new in Christ my brethren then we do become bold and beautiful and brilliant because we are filled with the Holy Spirit of God which is sent to live in us and make us that way; bring us to a wonderful maturity in Christ! Give Him some thanks and praise nuh! And that maturity in Christ certainly gives our spiritual bodies a perfect body shape. I can’t say the same for the physical aspect, although with Christ in us and we in Him, some have been known to pursue right eating and consistent exercise to make our physical bodies look pleasing to the eye of the beholder. (smile)
Then there’s this quote: ‘ I’m open to new adventures in my life.’ Oh yes friends, when we work and live for Jesus, we’re always open to new adventures. We have to be, because undertaking or being involved in new adventures is one of the many ways He uses us to promote His gospel. As a member of Christ’s church and body, you can be sure that life will not be humdrum and very ordinary all the time.
Something new, or some variation of the old will always crop up to keep you on your toes, actively involved in His awesome ministry. And I can testify to that from personal experience. Since I’ve gotten closer to God, so many unexpected things have happened in my life, that sometimes I just have to sit down and ponder them in true amazement. So yes, walking with Christ is an adventure in itself.
But this next quote, ‘I’m free to create the life I desire,’ is definitely not true if you are a serious believer in Christ. And to tell the truth, you’re not even free to create the life you desire if you hold the prince of darkness as your standard bearer, because he too makes certain unwarranted and disliked demands of his followers, which don’t fall into step with their own plans for their lives. So you’re never totally free to live the life you desire, because as they say, you have to bow to somebody; either God or mammon.
And even then, life itself takes pleasure in throwing a monkey wrench into our best laid plans. But the best of all the worlds though is bowing to Christ Jesus, the One who’s name is above EVERY other name, and the One to whom EVERY knee will eventually have to bow. So the earlier you do that, the better it is for all concerned. (smile)
That brings us to this last quote: ‘I allow my light to shine, I unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.’ Now that will certainly please the heart of Jesus, for that’s what He longed for, when He spoke these encouraging words during His earthly sojourn. ‘Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle (a lamp), and put it under a bushel (basket), but on a candlestick (lampstand); and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.’ (Matt. 5:14-15)
And that’s the indisputable truth friends; a city that’s set on a hill can’t hide its light, neither do we light a light only to then hide it. But light is to drive away darkness and that’s what Jesus came to earth to do; to drive away the darkness from our imprisoned lives, give us a future and a hope, an expected end, not calamity, which darkness will always cause since you can’t see where you’re going. And that’s why too His word is a lamp unto our feet, and a light to our path; (Ps. 119:105) so that it can safely guide us as we traverse this dark and evil world.
That’s why Jesus’ next words are ever so important. ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:16) Oh my people, we are Christ’s ambassadors in this dark world, that means He expects us to shine brightly, to do His work diligently and efficiently, so that all the world can see what His Father and Him and the Holy Spirit are all about; abundant earthly life, LOVE, joy, salvation and eternal life!
And only as we diligently spread the Word and sincerely live the example, will others be willing to embrace our wonderful God and all that He so gloriously stands for! And when that happens, then we make that last quote ever so true; our light shining brightly, and allowing others to shine their light’s brightly too, so that God can be greatly and wonderfully glorified! Much LOVE!
…in this oh so dark world…Christians need to turn on their high beams…right now…
01 Aug 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's wisdom, a toe hold, adversary, afflictions, as the deer longs for water, be extra careful, bounden duty, buy wine and milk without money, Caribana, carnival time, celebration, Christ's ambassadors, come to the waters, devour, direction, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, easy pickings, error of their ways, eternal life, everlasting covenant, everlasting life, fantabulous, fellowship, freely, Friday chant, friends, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, gay abandon, generous help, Gentiles, God's free offer of mercy, God's invitation, grace, Granny's advice, guidance, heaven's doors, heavenly succour, holy spirit, Isaiah, Israel, Jacob's Well, Jesus is the Light, leggo-beast, light, long weekend, LOVE, Lucifer, mistake, my soul's thirsty for God, no one comes to the Father but through Jesus, Peter, relaxation, renewed and refeshed, resist steadfast in faith, Revelation, rivers of living water, roaring lion, salt, salvation, Samaritan woman, seek ye the Lord, sober, spiritually hungry and thirsty, steadfast faith, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the devil, the Truth, the water of life, the Way, true believer, ungodly world, vigilant, vulnerable, wisdom, without money
Psalm 42:1. As the hart panteth after (the deer long for) the water brooks, so panteth (longs) my soul after thee, O God.
Oh Friends, it’s Friday – Caribana Friday! And the joyful but raucous shouting begins: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes! Caribana Friday to boot! The partying in T.O is going to be fantabulous this long weekend, with everybody drinking, smoking, doing whatever, behaving like real leggo beast…!’
Hold down mih people, hold down! Wait a minute here! This leggo beast behaviour is not a wise move at all nuh, for you know it is at times like these, when we are at our most vulnerable, that that ole crook and rapscallion, Lucifer, is busiest, at his most zealous, because he knows when we start carrying on with gay abandon, we’re easy pickings.
So please check yuhself from the very start. For if is one time you truly need to heed Granny’s wise advice; ‘drunk or sober, mind yuh business,’ is at Carnival time. And if you don’t believe me and Granny, then listen to Peter.
‘Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in (experienced by) your brethren that are in the world.’ (1 Pet.5:8-9)
Yes Friends, it is in times of great celebration that we have to be extra careful not to open ourselves up to the enemy and allow him to get even a toe hold in our lives. Now let’s chant our Friday chant with as much gusto as we were just shouting, ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday!’
As one now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Now please take that to heart my people, because it will save us a whole lot of heartache later on. And having said all of that, let’s finally turn to our Bit: ‘As the hart panteth after (the deer long for) the water brooks, so panteth (longs) my soul after thee, O God.’
You know Friends, I had considered that Bit finished yesterday, but on further research, I found a few more scriptures that also complement it. Listen to Isaiah with God’s free offer of mercy to all. ‘Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money, come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.’ (Is.55:1)
And the scholars have this to say about that offer: ’55:1-7. God’s free gift of salvation is offered to all who will receive it. Those who are spiritually hungry and thirsty may come to eat and drink without money (or freely). He promises an everlasting covenant to the Gentiles (vs.3) like the one He established with Israel. His invitation to all men is clearly stated by the appeal, Seek ye the Lord, and call ye upon him (vs.7).’
Ah Friends, you see that from way back when, our wonderful and magnanimous God was freely offering food and drink to hungry and thirsty travellers. But, for whatever reason, people just refused to accept it.
And then along comes Jesus, many years later, making essentially the same offer. As He says to the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well: ‘Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well (fountains) of water springing up into everlasting life.’ (John 4:13-14)
And later on, Jesus again makes this incredible offer: ‘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)
But even then, the multitudes refused His offer. And unfortunately my brethren, two thousand years later, Jesus’ offer of heavenly succour is still on the table, and millions of earthlings are still unwisely refusing it. What can we say to that eh? Not much, other than it’s a fool’s wisdom!
Refusing Jesus’ free offer of grace, salvation and eternal life is the biggest mistake any human being can ever make. But sadly Friends, many many of us are doing it. And it is the job of the true believer to try and show them the error of their ways. To let them know that Jesus is indeed the Truth, the Light and the Way, and no one can come to the Father; enter heaven’s hallowed doors unless they do so through Him!
And John in his Revelations of Jesus’ plans, again offers this great invitation to all and sundry. ‘And the (Holy) Spirit and the bride (the church) say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst (thirsts) come. And whosoever will (desires), let him take the water of life (eternal life) freely.’ (Rev.22:17)
Oh Friends, it’s all available simply through belief and faith in Christ, our wonderful Lord and Saviour!
So today, let’s remember that we are Christ’s ambassadors, the salt and the light of the world, the ones He left to do His work here on earth. That means we have to go out and show the evil, unbelieving, ungodly world what Jesus is truly like, by being our best, most excellent selves, putting forth our best efforts on Jesus’ behalf, so that the unfortunate others can also see the light and add salt to richly flavour their lives too.
That’s our bounden duty that Jesus bequeathed to us. (Matt.28:19-20) So please, let’s go out and do it nuh, for it is wisdom, guidance and direction from on high! Much LOVE!
…too many people are living in the waterless desert… foolishly suffering from thirst…while right in front of them…rivers of living waters abundantly flow…from the free offerings of Jesus…
26 Jun 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: affection, animosity, be likeminded, Bruh Paul, Christ's ambassadors, Christ's Church, Christ's representatives, Christians, church unity, come up higher, conceit, consider our individual efforts, consolation, deference, dictates, dissension, disunity, effective action, emotions, encouragement, esteem each other, excellence, father of modern management, fear of God, fellowship of spirit, fulfill my joy, give thanks and praise, goals, harmony, in accord with God's wishes, in the fear of God, in the spirit of reflection, indisputable truth, Jesus Christ, joy, living in harmony, LOVE, lowliness of mind, motives of the world, mutual submission, negative things, of one mind, our best interest, partiality, Peter Drucker, Philippians, ponder, quiet reflection, reflect, relationships, resentment, reverence to God, seek to improve, selfish ambitions, sounding board, strife, submit yourselves to each other, sympathy, the body of Christ, the Holy Spirit, ungodly actions, united in spirit, vainglory, values, willy-nilly, worthy example
Ephesians 5:21. Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
And then it was Thursday – the day before Friday – the day before the weekend. Wow Friends, the weekend’s almost here! Give thanks and praise! (smile) Yes my people, we ought to always give thanks and praise, not only for stuff like the weekend, but for ALL things, be they good or bad!
As Bruh Paul so wisely advised the Ephesians: ‘Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (Eph.5:20) Yes mih breddren, thanks and praise are always in our best interest, no matter the situation!
And the word for today from my almanac (smile) is ‘REFLECT.’ The quote comes from Peter Drucker (1909-2005) He was the Austrian–born, American writer, professor and management consultant who set the management world afire in my days. He’s often referred to as ‘the Father of modern management.’ In my time, you couldn’t study management without reading Drucker. I must still have a book or two by him somewhere here on my shelf.
Anyway, the quote is: ‘From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action.’
And that’s indisputable truth my brethren! For when we first sit and reflect on what’s happening in our lives and around us, instead of just jumping in willy-nilly to some situation, we do produce much more effective actions.
And today, I want us to consider our Bit in the spirit of reflection. ‘Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.’
Yes my people, let’s ponder its meaning, then consider our individual efforts in doing what it advocates. Are we truly submitting ourselves to each other in reverence to God?
Or as the scholars describe it: ‘There is mutual submission, that is, showing deference to the wishes of one another, as long as that to which the believer submits is in the fear of God, which is to say, in accord with what pleases Him.’
Oh Friends, as true Christians, that’s how we ought to be living our lives. But unfortunately I don’t think we are doing that to any great extent. Instead we are allowing the dictates, emotions, ungodly actions and motives of the world to permeate our relationships. That’s why there is so much animosity, resentment, and all the other negative things to be found today in the body of Christ; His supposedly august church.
And that unity of effort is one thing Bruh Paul harps on, knowing its great importance. To the Philippians, he writes: ‘If there be therefore any consolation (encouragement) in Christ, if any comfort (consolation) of LOVE, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels (affection) and mercies (sympathy),
Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same LOVE, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.’ (Phil.1:1-4)
Yes that’s a mouthful, but here are some explanations from the scholars: ‘2:2-4. Fulfill ye my joy (or, “Make my joy complete”). Paul rejoiced over the Philippians (1:3), but his happiness was incomplete, owing to some disunity and lack of total harmony among them.
The Greek equates what, to Paul, constitutes “complete joy” with the readers being like-minded. This means “living in harmony” with one another. That is, the Philippians can “fulfill” the writer’s “joy” by living in harmony among themselves. But what does such harmonious living entail?
Beginning in verse 2 and continuing through verse 4, six participles spell out and clearly define what it means to “live in harmony”: (1) having the same LOVE toward one believer as shown toward another, without partiality; (2) being of one accord; that is, they are to be united in spirit; (3) of one mind; that is, the whole church is to have the same values and goals;
(4) let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; for selfish ambitions or conceit; (5) let each esteem other better than themselves; that is, each is to regard his fellow Christian as more important than himself; and (6) look…every man also on the things of others; that is, each is to be just as concerned for the needs and problems of his brother as he is for his own affairs.’
Yes my brethren, though Bruh Paul was generally happy with the Philippians, there was some disunity among them that displeased him. I hate to think what he would feel about the church today, for there is so much disunity and dissension, that it’s feeding on itself and every day creating more of the same.
Oh my fellow believers, Christians were meant to live in harmony, with Jesus Christ as our sounding board, as our most worthy example! Yuh see how the early Christians lived after the Holy Spirit was endowed on all believers! That’s how we ought to live!
Oh I know that we are only human and that the society is bigger and somewhat different, but even so, with the Holy Spirit of Christ dwelling within us, we ought, and can definitely come up much higher than we’re currently doing.
Remember Jesus’ motto is ‘Excellence in all things!’ And we’re definitely not being excellent in church unity and harmony.
So today my people, I’m pleading with us to try and do better, to come up higher, not only for our sakes and for those of our children, but more so for Jesus, since we are His representatives, His ambassadors here on earth, and we’re not doing such a great job in His name. Let’s sincerely seek to improve nuh. Much LOVE!
…oh…if there was even a tad more unity in Christ’s church…His LOVE Revolution would be much further along to completion…
SCRIP-BITS 