04 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a lively hope, a living hope, a long and arduous journey, a new stage of life, a paradox, a sinner becomes a saint, a Sunday evening stroll, abundance, according to His abundant mercy, an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, at the appearing of Christ, be found with praise honour and glory, being much more precious than gold, believers in Christ, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, children of the Most High God, clear direction for my life, conform to the image of Jesus, continually guarded by God, courage, creativity, curse, distressed through numerous temptations, diversified trials, divine protection, earthly trials, even the salvation of your souls, faith, fear, for a season, fortitude, full of glory, God's infinite wisdom, God's Master Plan, godly courage, good friends, good health, guaranteed by Jesus' resurrection, hath begotten us again unto a lively hope, holy spirit, in heaviness, Jesus Christ, Jesus is a hard act to follow, kept by the power of God, looks to the future, LOVE, made of stern stuff, manifold temptations, mercy, mind boggling, morally untainted, more than conquerors, negative word, no element of uncertainty, not subject to the ravages of time, our godly purpose, promotion, receiving the end of your faith, refining faith through trials, reflecting a christ-like image, rescued from this world into the presence of God, reserved in heaven for you, salvation, self-control, self-discipline, spiritual growth, talent, temptation, testing, that does not fade away, that fadeth not away, the author of salvation, the best example to follow, the Christian life, the genuineness of our faith, the indisputable truth, the level of faith, the metamorphosis of a butterfly, the paradox of the Christian life, the parched earth was satisfied, the portrayal of salvation, the problem of salvation looks to the present, the rains fell, the resurrection of Christ, the salvation of your souls, the trial of your faith, the ultimate salvation, the work of salvation, though now you see him not yet believing, though you see him not, through faith unto salvation, to be revealed in the last time, trials and tribulations, tried with fire, true faith cannot be destroyed, truth, unspeakable joy, we can handle whatever comes against us, we only grow in hard times, whom having not seen you love, wisdom, work everything out for our good, ye greatly rejoice, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable
1 Peter 1:9. Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
And the rains fell…and the parched earth was satisfied… Yes friends, the rain did fall this Thursday morning in early September, thus it’s wet, dark and somewhat chilly out there in my neighbourhood. But as believers in Christ Jesus, we are made of stern stuff and can handle whatever comes against us, for we are also children of the Most High God, and more than conquerors.
However, all joking aside, it’s not easy to get to that level of faith where we can deal fairly easily deal with the trials and tribulations of this cruel and evil world. And as we’ve been seeing for the last couple of days, the Lord has an overall Master Plan for His children; that’s to conform them to the image of His firstborn Jesus. Now, Jesus is indeed a hard act to follow, but He is indeed the best example of godliness, holiness, obedience, LOVE and compassion that exists. And the Lord God Jehovah in His infinite wisdom has built up a way for His adopted children to attain a good likeness to His first born.
Unfortunately though, this transformation doesn’t happen overnight, but it’s a lifelong journey with the Lord, the Master Potter that He is, molding us a little more every day into the Christlike image that He desires. And we know that clay goes through a lot of changes and plenty of heat until it eventually turns into what the Potter desires. And so it is with us, as the Father LOVINGLY molds us to His Son’s image.
The best analogy of Christian transformation might be the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly, where it goes through a comparatively long and arduous task and journey of turning from one to the other, but with the Lord’s inbuilt help, it eventually accomplishes it and flies away on beautiful gossamer wings. And we saw yesterday where this work of transformation was done by the Holy Spirit. And somewhere along the line we also mentioned testing and temptation as being the only way to grow spiritually. And that’s simply the indisputable truth. We only grow when we go through unfamiliar and tough times.
Now, per those aspects of testing and spiritual growth, Peter captures the very essence of the paradox of Christian life, in his first epistle, when he writes: ‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively (living) hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness (distressed) through manifold temptations: That the trial (genuineness) of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried (tested) with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye LOVE; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.’ (1 Pet. 1:3-9)
Oh my people, that sounds mind boggling, but it’s simple when you understand it. Now here are some explanations from the scholars, which I hope will bring us such understanding. They say that, ‘The portrayal of salvation looks to the future, that is the ultimate salvation when the believer will be rescued from this world into the presence of God. The author of salvation is portrayed as the blessed God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The work of salvation (vs. 3-5) is described as to its effect.
Hath begotten us again refers to a new stage of life that begins at salvation. This lively hope has no element of uncertainty, for it is guaranteed by Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. The believer’s inheritance is described as incorruptible, imperishable or indestructible, and undefiled (i.e. morally untainted). That fadeth not away means it is not subject to the ravages of time. Further it is reserved, that is, it has been preserved in the past and still is in heaven. Kept is a present passive participle – we are secure because we are continually guarded by God, who never relaxes His vigil. Salvation here refers to final salvation, that is, deliverance from the presence of sin and into the presence of God.’
Now, that’s all the flowery and heavenly stuff, but getting down to brass tacks, to the actual heart of the matter, which concerns us in the now not the hereafter, the scholars explain about verses 6-9 thus: ‘The problem of salvation looks to the present. Earthly trials constitute a problem of our salvation, but they are only for a season, or temporary. Manifold temptations means diversified trials. True faith cannot be destroyed though God is in the process of refining faith through our trials.’
Yes friends, the life of the serious Christian is not a Sunday evening stroll in the park, but serious business, with tough stuff coming from Satan as well as from God. However, we must never forget God’s promise to eventually work out everything for our good, (Rom. 8:28) because He LOVES us dearly and has our best interest at heart. But we do have to bear the unfortunate or tough stuff that comes against us with godly courage and fortitude, not allowing fear, the enemy’s weapon, to distract us from our godly purpose, because the Lord God, our heavenly Father, is always with us, and will not let us fall.
And as the scholars explain above; ‘true faith cannot be destroyed…’ No! Because God shores up our faith while refining us! And hopefully, as we continually read and meditate on God’s Word and better understand it, we’ll relax and walk expectantly and patiently with the Lord. Now, it’s time to declare and thus activate our Thursday Blessings, which the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work.
All together: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration (awright!!!) it now behooves us to go out and use those underserved blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…it’s oh so beautiful…when a sinner…becomes a saint…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
28 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a great family, a prophet unto the nations, abundance, all things work together for good, as yet was none of them, be not afraid of their faces, before I formed thee in the belly, before thou camest out of the womb, Christians, clear direction for my life, courage, covered me in my mother's womb, creativity, curiously wrought, curse, divine protection, faith, favour, formed my inward parts, frustrating, fulfillment, good friends, he also did predestinate, health, holy spirit, How high Lord, I am fearfully and wonderfully made, I am not eloquent, I am slow of speech, I am with thee to deliver thee, I have put my words in thy mouth, I have this day set thee over nations, I knew thee, I ordained thee, I sanctified thee, I set thee apart, I was made in secret, I will be with thy mouth, I will praise thee, in continuance were fashioned, in thy book all my members were written, it's best to say, Jesus Christ, LOVE, marvellous are thy works, mercy, my soul knoweth right well, my substance was not hid from thee, negative word, of a slow tongue, promotion, prosper and succeed, salvation, say I am not a child, Scrip-Bits Blog, showers of blessing, success, supernatural wisdom, talent, teach thee what thou shalt say, testify to the Lord's faithfulness, the BIBLE, the firstborn among many brethren, the Lord put forth his hand and touched my mouth, the word of the Lord came unto me, them he also called, therefore go, thine eyes did see my substance, thou hast possessed my reins, time consuming, to be conformed to the image of his Son, to build and plant, to destroy, to pull down, to root out, to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose, truth, undeserved blessings, whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak, when the Lord says jump, who hath made man's mouth, who maketh the dumb the deaf the seeing or the blind, whom he did foreknow, whom he did predestinate, whom he justified he also glorified, wisdom, womb, wrought in the lowest parts of the earth, yet being unperfect
Jeremiah 1:8. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord.
Now, this last Thursday of August, the penultimate day of our work week, is definitely a cloudy one. No sign whatsoever of the morning sun. But that’s okay, cause it might mean we will finally receive some showers of blessing. And we do need it because the earth, at least in my area, is desperately calling out for refreshment. (smile)
So, what’s on the agenda for today? Well I just opened the Good Library and it fell open at the first chapter of Jeremiah, where the Lord called him to be a prophet. Therefore, I guess that’s what the Lord wants us to talk about today. (smile) And it’s a very interesting situation, so applicable to many of our own lives. It seems, as the book opens Jeremiah prophesied under three kings, Josiah, Jehoiakim, and Zedekiah. That means he had a long prophetic career.
But getting to God’s call on Jeremiah. He writes: ‘Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly (womb) I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee (set thee apart), and I ordained (appointed) thee a prophet unto the nations.’ (Jer. 1:4-5) Yes friends, that’s how the Lord operates. He calls some of us even before we are formed in our mother’s womb.
As Bruh David so eloquently writes in Psalm 139: ‘For thou hast possessed my reins (formed my inward parts): thou hast covered (weaved) me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee: for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right (very) well. My substance (frame, bones), was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously (skillfully) wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect (unformed); and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned (the days fashioned for me), when as yet was none of them.’ (Ps. 139:13-16)
Oh my people, you see the majesty and wonderful works of our great God. He knows everything about us, has a plan for our lives before we’re even formed in our mother’s womb. It’s also like Bruh Paul wrote to the Romans. ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and who he justified, them he also glorified.’ (Rom. 8:28-30)
Wow mih bredrin! Our God is so good and great, that when He calls us to do his work, He gives us all we need. But we often respond to His call in a negative manner. We behave similarly to Jeremiah, who after the Lord called him, responded thus. ‘Then said I, Ah Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child (youth). (Jer. 1:6) Now, many of us have behaved the very same way eh, finding some foolish excuse to refuse the Lord’s call.
It’s like when Moses tried to refuse the Lord’s call to lead the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt. ‘And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore (before), nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant; but I am slow of speech, and of a slow (heavy, dull, stuttering) tongue. And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man’s mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.’ (Ex. 4:10-12) But Moses persisted in asking for help, then the Lord in His anger finally promised to send Aaron his brother with him as the spokesperson. (Ex. 4:13-16)
And I’m chuckling here because I know exactly how both Jeremiah and Moses felt, for when the Lord initiated a conversation with me, some eighteen years ago, about writing what turned out to be the Scrip-Bits Blog, I also excused myself by saying I didn’t know enough scripture to write such a thing. But just like Moses and Jeremiah, I found out that the Lord does not give up when He wants us to do stuff for Him. Consequently, He kept after me, making my life so difficult, that final I had no choice but to relent and do it. And you’d notice, the first few Bits are merely pieces of scripture, without anything much added.
Now, it wasn’t easy, very time consuming and ofttimes frustrating, and several times I wanted to give up. However, as the years went by, with the Lord’s help, I got more involved with the Word, until now I’ve reached the stage where I write too much. (smile) But through it all, I can certainly testify to the Lord’s goodness and faithfulness in helping me do what He desired.
Thus, when Jeremiah claimed to be a child and unable to do the Lord’s bidding, he writes: ‘But the Lord said unto me, Say not I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord. Then the Lord put forth his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down (tear down), and to destroy, and to throw down, to build and to plant.’ (Jer. 1:7-10)
And we all know that Jeremiah’s life was not an easy one, but the Lord stuck with him through all the tough times, just like He will stick with whoever He calls to do a job for Him. Meanwhile, let’s not forget God’s general goodness in generously bestowing our undeserved Thursday Blessings on us, so that we may do His earthly work. So, let’s declare and thus activate them right now.
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 those declarations (yesss!!!), it now behooves us to go out and use those underserved blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed then on us. Much LOVE!
…when the Lord says jump…it’s wisest to quickly say…Yes Lord…how high…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
17 Jul 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a Bible study, a cacophony of noise, a compassionate heart, a discordant mixture of sounds, a positive outlook on life, a prayer for self-control, A Quiet Tongue, a request for divine assistance, a revealing fact, bits of wisdom, blessings, break into conversations, chatty chatty lips, Chistianity, clear direction for my life, counted wise, curse, death and life are in the power of the tongue, discernment, discipline always costs, divine protection, duty bound, enlightened insight, even a fool when he holdeth his peace, faith, favour, feel more comfortable expounding, he that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life, he that shutteth his lips, holy spirit, I talk more than I listen, I wanted to run, idle chatter, in the name of Jesus, inappropriate language, is esteemed a man of understanding, it's best to listen much, Jesus Christ, Jesus is all we'll ever need, keep the door of my lips, keeps his soul from trouble, let every man be swift to hear, listening is a discipline, LOVE, mercy, must pay a price, my guilty heart, my inspiring experiences, negative words, One Year Book of Bible promises, promotion, Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, searching for a needle in a haystack, set a watch O Lord before my mouth, slow to speak, slow to wrath, solve the predicament, speak little and not become angry, the BIBLE, the importaceof using words responsibly, the power of words, the wrath of man, they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof, truth, wherefore my beloved brethren, whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue, wisdom, worketh not the righteousness of God
James 1:19. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
So it’s Thursday, our penultimate work day; one day closer to that blessed day of Friday. Thankfully, it might not be as hot as the last several days, but it’s also somewhat cloudy and windy. Guess you can’t always have it how you want it. (smile) Anyway, we have Jesus, and He’s all we need and will ever need! Give Him some thanks and praise for being the wonderful Lord and Saviour that He is!
Now, today,` we’ll look at a very interesting and very appropriate poem for these ungodly and evil times from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s titled ‘A Quiet Tongue.’ And for once, I’m sure that I’ve shared it before, (smile) but with so much senseless and unnecessary talking that’s bombarding us today from all different angles and places, I believe it’s something we should look at again.
So please read with me. ‘Lord, a revealing fact Began to surface today: I talk more than I listen. I seem to be thoroughly convinced That my ideas My inspiring experiences My bits of wisdom Are exactly what all my friends need. Too often I break into conversations Confident that my enlightened insight Will solve the predicament – Whatever it is. Obviously, I feel more comfortable when I’m expounding.
But this morning at a Bible study I cringed when I read Your command In the first chapter of James: “Don’t ever forget That it is best to listen much Speak little, and not become angry.” At first I wanted to run. But as the words kept battering away At my guilty heart I finally circled them with red ink. Now, Lord, please help me to obey them. Remind me daily, hourly That listening is a discipline And a discipline always costs. I know I must pay a price. The price for me Is a listening ear And a quiet tongue.’
Oh friends those words ring so true for so many of us although we try to deny it. In these times of so many new communication methods, we’re all trying to talk at the same time, thus we’re unfortunately only creating a cacophony of noise. That’s a harsh discordant mixture of sounds, from which not much sense can be made. I know that I’m guilty of talking too much, although I try not to. I’ve asked the Lord several times like Bruh David does in Psalm 141:3. ‘Set a watch (guard), O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door (keep watch over the door) of my lips.’ But I don’t think He’s listening, for I still talk too much. (smile)
And this commentary explains that ‘it is a prayer for self-control, specifically in speech. It’s a request for divine assistance in moderating one’s words, preventing harmful or inappropriate language. It highlights the power of words and the importance of using them responsibly.’ And do we ever need it badly in this over talkative society, especially with all the many social media platforms we have where talk is cheap but wisdom and discernment are sadly lacking.
Yes my people many of us need to make that prayer, entrusting the guarding of our lips to God, for we open our mouths way too much and talk unnecessarily about things we don’t know. Our society is suffering from a surfeit, an excess or overabundance of opinions and idle chatter, and unfortunately most of it is ungodly and evil stuff. And there are several places in the Bible where it specifically talks about keeping one’s mouth shut as much as possible. Cousin Sol alone has three examples in Proverbs.
The first says: ‘He that keepeth (guards) his mouth keepeth (preserves) his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.’ (Prov. 13:2) And the second warning on talking too much tells us: ‘Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from trouble.’ (Prov. 21:23) And the third is one that we hear very often, and don’t pay much attention to, but it is very relevant to our faith.. It says: ‘Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that LOVE it shall eat the fruit thereof.’ (Prov. 18:21)
And is that ever the gospel truth! For the Lord spoke everything but mankind into existence, and blessings or curses from our mouth are very powerful. Our words, be they good or bad, are very powerful my brethren, and I plead with us to take those three warnings to heart and sincerely ask the Lord to help us put them into action in our lives, for so many of us are getting in serious trouble because of our ‘chatty chatty’ lips.
Then there’s this other warning verse from James, that’s the Bible Promise verse for our poem today. In speaking about Hearers and Doers of the Word, he solemnly advises: ‘Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not (does not produce) the righteousness of God.’ (James 1:19-20) And we can see the indisputable truth in those words for our world has become so filled with angry people that godliness is like searching for a needle in a haystack.
So friends, if we want to reduce the anger and therefore the strife and all the negative things in our world, the fist thing we need to do is watch what we say, and then say as little as possible. For remember what Cousin Sol tells us again in Proverbs: ‘Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace (keeps silent), is counted (considered) wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.’ (Prov. 17:28) And it’s not like we don’t have the wherewithal to do it, for God has given us all that we need to live godly down here, but we’re just too lazy and/or too rebellious to do it.
He’s even generously bestowed on us what we call our Thursday Blessings; undeserved blessings to do His earthly work. That means we have no grounds whatsoever for complaints. So let’s be wise and declare those blessings and thus activate them right now. 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 those declarations (steups!!!) we’re now duty bound to go out and use those blessings on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…words are one of our most powerful tools…be careful how we use them…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
17 Apr 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a strong will, abundance, brake it and gave to the disciples, by whom the Son of man is betrayed, Christ's Last Supper, christianity, clear direction for my life, come to know and love Jesus, commemorating the memory of Jesus, consternation, courage, creativity, curse, drink it new with you, drink of the fruit of this vine, drink ye all of it, duty bound, enabled God to forgive sins, example of humility, exceeding sorrowful, faith, favour, for the remission of sins, goes as it is written of him, good for that man he had not been born, he that dippeth his hand with me, he took the cup and gave thanks, Holy Communion, holy spirit, Holy Thursday, humility- a lost attitude, in my Father's kingdom, in the name of Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus too bread and blessed it, Jesus' sacrificial death, Lord is it I, LOVE, Maundy Thursday, mercy, my time is at hand, negative word, one of you shall betray me, prosper, redemption from Egyptthe cup of blessing, salvation, self-disicpline, shed for many, success, supernatural wisdom, surprise announcement, take eat this is my body, talent, the BIBLE, the bread of affliction, the covenant was sealed with blood, the cup of blessing, the current attitude is to exalt oneself, the greatest among you shall be your servant, the intimate nature of the betrayal, the Passover, the redemption from sin, the same shall betray me, the Son of man, this is my blood of the new testament, truth, washing of feet, which our fathers ate in Egypt, whoever shall exalt himself shall be hubled, wisdom, woe unto the man
Matthew 26:28. For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission (forgiveness) of sins.
At last it’s Holy Thursday or Maundy Thursday, according to which religion or geographical area you belong to. Anyway, it’s the second saddest day of the year, after Good Friday. It’s the fifth day of Holy Week and is known for the Celebration of Christ’s Last Supper with His disciples, where He gave us the discipline of Holy Communion to remember Him by.
That night Jesus also gave the disciples a warning example of the humility He expected from them, and consequently from us by washing their feet. It was one of the lowliest jobs in existence and was usually done by slaves. However, Jesus doffed His clothes and donned a towel and washed their feet letting them see and experience the full meaning of the words He had spoken to them before: ‘But he that is the greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased (humbled); and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted (lifted up)’ (Matt. 23:11-12)
But sadly that state of affairs doesn’t exist in today’s world nor enough in Christ’s church, for the current attitude is to exalt oneself above others; the higher, the better. Humility is a lost attitude in these proud and arrogant times, and when it’s found, it’s considered weakness and foolishness by the majority of our fellow men. But let’s not forget that Jesus’ kingdom is an upside down one, where you believe before you see, you humble yourself and not exalt it, and several other attitudes that the world considers nonsense.
Anyway, on that famous night of the Last Supper, Jesus skewed the usual Jewish Passover meal, when He sat with them in the room He had directed them to go and arrange. When they asked where they were to prepare the meal, He’d said: ‘Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master (teacher) saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at thy house with my disciples.’ (Matt. 26:18) And they did as instructed.
The Bible then tells us: ‘Now when the even (evening) was come, he sat down with the twelve. And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?’ (Matt. 26:20-22) Can you imagine the consternation that surprise announcement must have made amongst the twelve, with each wondering if it would be them.
But Jesus answered and said, ‘He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: (Dan. 9:26) but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born. Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He (Jesus) said unto him, Thou hast said (said it).’ (Matt. 26:23-24) Now the Bible doesn’t tell us what happened directly after those statements. But the scholars tell us that He that dippeth reveals the personal and intimate nature of the betrayal, and Thou hast said means “yes.”
After those eye opening comments, the Bible continues: ‘And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them saying, Drink ye all of it (drink from it all of you); For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission (forgiveness) of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom. And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.’ (Matt. 26:26-30)
Yes friends, that’s the advent of what we call Holy Communion, the commemorating or honouring the memory of Jesus, of His sacrificial body and blood when we celebrate it. Now, let’s hear some interesting explanations from the scholars on what we’ve just read. As per ‘Jesus took bread: The head of the Jewish household was accustomed to doing this during the Passover feast. Jesus gave a completely new significance to the action. This is my body: During the Passover feast, the Jewish householder took bread in hand and said, “This is the bread of affliction which our fathers ate in the land of Egypt,” meaning of course, that one represented the other.
By His words the Lord changed the whole significance and emphasis of the feast from looking back to the typical redemption from Egypt to faith in the redemption from sin accomplished by His death. The bread and wine were only outward symbols of our Lord’s death. Nothing in the Gospels indicates that these were to be viewed as a means of grace, sacraments, or that they were physically necessary for one’s salvation. Per The cup: Three cups were passed around by the Jewish householder during the Passover meal; the third, which is probably the one referred to here, being known as “the cup of blessing.”
Then My blood of the new testament taken from the Greek Septuagint version (the earliest Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible) of Exodus 24:8, with allusions to Jeremiah 31:31 and Zechariah 9:11. The covenant in Exodus 24:8 was sealed with blood. The word testament can also mean a covenant. Shed for many for the remission of sins: Here is a clear statement that the death of Jesus was necessary to enable God to forgive sins. It, in fact made it right or morally justifiable for Him to do so. That day refers to the time when He comes again in glory.’
Now, I do hope that we all learned some new and interesting stuff from the scholars explanations. I did. But it’s time to for us to declare (oh no!!!) our Thursday Blessings, undeserved blessings the Lord bestowed on us do His earthly work. So let’s do that as one loud and sincere voice nuh. ‘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!’
That means we’re now duty bound to go out and use those blessings on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…Holy Communion…serves to remind us…of the overall importance of Jesus…especially His sacrificial death…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
03 Apr 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a positive outlook on life, a zone of comfort and security, adaptability to change is a key in mental health, Bible, change for change sake, change is difficult to handle, change must be constrained by God's Word, christianity, Christians, clear direction for my life, climate change, comparing existing things to the flow of a river, constant transition, curse, eventual destruction of the wicked, every good and perfect gift is from above, everything must change, faith, favour, fear of change leads to depression, freezing rain, God's character doesn't change, good family, good freinds, good health, Heraclitus, his compassions never fail, holy spirit, I am the Lord I change not, It is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed, Jesus Christ, LOVE, mercy, negative word, neither shadow of turning., nothing stays the same, one of those days, prosper, results in stagnation, salvation, succeed, talent, the Father of lights, the fear of cahnge, the inability to change, the inherent nature of constant flux, the instability of life, the only constant in life is change, the topic of change, the Unchanging God, truth, when you are finished changing you're finished, wisdom, with whom is no variableness, ye sons of Jacob are not consumed, you could not step twice in the same river
Malachi 3:6. For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
Oh my people, as the song says, yesterday was just another one of those days, one where we see the ever-increasing action of climate change. First came the snow in the early afternoon, light, but then heavy, thankfully though not the 6 cm that was forecasted. Then came the freezing rain, and you could hear it hitting against the windows like it was trying to break them. So you can imagine the mess that weather situation caused in the evening drive home. Then came the rain, and that lasted for most of the night, only stopping sometime this morning.
Now it’s mostly cloudy with a ray of sunshine peeping through. However, they are forecasting heavy rain again for later, although the temperature is supposed to be in the high teens, and wonder of wonders, 9 cm. of snow for next Tuesday. And I’m not going to doubt them, because they have been right the last few times, except for the amount of snow we’ve received. (smile)
That brings us to this interesting topic of changes or changing. It’s been said that the only thing that doesn’t change is change. And this commentary tells us: ‘The saying “the only constant in life is change,” attributed to the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus, highlights the inherent nature of constant flux and transition in the world and our lives.’ So, we’re to assume that everything and everyone changes , possibly several times during their existence. And furthermore, many of us find change, be it good or bad, very difficult to handle.
And this commentary by Arapahoe Tim from his arapahoelibraries.org website attempts to give us an even broader understanding of the topic. He begins by quoting the other Greek Philosopher Plato. “Heraclitus, I believe, says that all things pass and nothing stays, and comparing existing things to the flow of a river, he says you could not step twice into the same river.” Then he continues: ‘One constant since the beginning of time might be change, however, the fear of change is also a constant. Since times immemorial, humans have liked routine. It makes us feel in control of our lives.
When that fear of change becomes irrational our ability to control it becomes a phobia, particularly Metathesiophobia. A Metathesiophobe feels they have no control over their lives due to constant change. Metathesiophobes tend to live in the past and are unwilling to progress, which often leads to depression which can seriously impact their professional and personal lives.
If a society or country rejects change there is no growth, no progress. The inability to change, progress, or grow can result in stagnation. Stagnation rejects realizing one’s full potential. Stagnation is not a healthy flowing river; it is an idle and stale pond.’ Then the writer ends with this quote from the U.S President Benjamin Franklin. “When you are finished changing, you are finished.”
And there’s no doubt that change is good, but change just for the sake of change is not wise. If the change improves things, then it makes sense, but if it doesn’t, then why change eh? Meanwhile, this other commentary from Hope Gilette on the psychcentral.com website further explains: ‘Change is all around us. Some change is fixed, like the shift of one season to another, while other change is evolutionary and progressive, tossing new circumstances our way as time goes on. It’s natural to dislike change — it often requires you to come out from a zone of comfort and security. But adaptability, the process of reinventing your behaviors, thoughts, and emotions, can be a key protective feature in mental health.’
And there’s truth to it all, but there’s one good thing to be thankful for; that our wonderful God does not change, otherwise we’d be up the proverbial creek. (smile) All the changes in life would drive us crazy, if we didn’t have at least one solid and unchangeable entity to turn to in times of change. And He summarily declares it through the prophet Malachi: ‘For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.’ (Mal. 3:6) This commentary explains it thus: ‘This means he doesn’t change his character, his plan, or his mind. Frankly, with the instability of life, this is the security we all long for—consistent unconditional love. The Unchanging God.’
Now that’s certainly good news, for if God wasn’t steadfast and unruffled, He would have destroyed us long ago for all the disobedience and ungodly things we do. But because of His great LOVE for us, He’s stuck with His original plan of salvation, but certain eventual destruction of the wicked and their endeavours. And the prophet Jeremiah reminds us of that most salient fact in his Lamentations. ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.’ (Lam. 3:23)
Then we have another couple reminders of God’s unchangeable nature. This first one from Hebrews that declares: ‘Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.’ (Heb. 13:8) And last but by no means least, James throws in his two cents worth, when he writes: ‘Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness (variation), neither shadow of turning.’ (James 1:17) And do we ever have plenty of good and perfect gifts that the Father has bestowed on us, gifts to enable us to do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings, and it’s necessary to declare and thus activate them right now.
So as one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having activated those perfect gifts, we’re now duty bound to go out and use them on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that others can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…change is a necessary aspect of life…but it must be constrained by God’s Word…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
13 Mar 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a guarantee of salvation, a new creation, a positive outlook on life, a significant undertaking, accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour, after you believed, all things are become new, avoiding wrongdoing, baptism, born spiritually, christianity, clear direction for my life, conflict of rules, courage, creativity, curse, down payment on our inheritance, enter in at the strait gate, eternal life, except a man be born again, faith, favour, forgiveness of sins, fulfillment, giving up our old way of life, God's Word, he cannot see the kingdom of God, holy spirit, if any man be Christ he is a new creation, Jesus Christ, lead and guide us, LOVE, mercy, negative word, Nicodemus, old things are passed away, perceives Christ in a new way, repentance, salvation, Satan, Satan bombards us with temptations, sealed for all eternity, sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, self-control, self-disciplime, supernatural wisdom, take it all in stride, the BIBLE, the earnest of our inheritance, the gospel of your salvation, the importance of staying on the right path, the new life that Christ has planned for us, the paths of righteousness, the way God planned it, the wide gate that leads to hell, the word of truth, truth, underserved blessings, until redemption of the purchased possession, vital union with Christ, wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, wisdom
2 Corinthians 5:17. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
And then it was Thursday, our penultimate day of the work week. But can you imagine that the week is almost finished? It seems like it was only yesterday I wrote about it beginning. (smile) But that’s the way God planned it, so we just have to take it all in stride. And we can do that because He’s given us the tools to do so, if we sincerely pay heed to His Word and Holy Spirit that dwells within us to lead and guide us in the paths of righteousness.
Now, let’s look at this interesting verse from 2 Corinthians that describes in basic terms what happens when we accept Christ as Lord and Saviour. Bruh Paul writes: ‘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) Now that’s something we all ought to know, accept and make happen. As the scholars explain: ‘When a man comes into vital union with the risen and glorified Lord, he is a “new creation” and perceives Christ in a new way.’
That’s why Jesus told Nicodemus, the Jewish leader who came to Him by night to find out who He really was: ‘Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again (spiritually, from above), he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ (John 3:3) That tells us right away that coming into union with Jesus is a significant undertaking. It’s easy to begin; simply asking God to forgive your sins and sincerely promising to accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour. But then the road gets somewhat difficult, because Jesus has His own rules and regulations, which very often conflict with those of the world.
No wonder Bruh Paul declares that when you’re born again, old things are passed away and everything then becomes new, for that’s how Jesus wants them to be, and He helps us make them so. The scholars tell us, ‘that indicates a decisive break with the old life at the moment of salvation.’ Yes friends, we have to let go a lot of our old life, the things we did, the places we went, and the people we hung out with, because those things prevent us from getting into the new life that Christ has planned for us.
And giving up our old way of life is not always easy to do, especially when Satan keeps bombarding us with temptations to revert to that old way. But if we are serious, and strong, we can resist the devil’s wiles through the power of the Holy Spirit that immediately comes to dwell in us at salvation, and by learning God’s Word from the Bible and putting it into practice. For this relationship with Jesus is a very binding and lasting one, as described by Bruh Paul in his letter to the Ephesians.
‘That we should be to the praise of his glory, (glorify God), who first trusted in Christ (Jews). In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy spirit of promise, Which is the earnest (down payment, deposit) of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.’ (Eph. 1:12-14)
So, Bruh Paul is pointing out that the Jews first believed in Christ, then the Gentiles, but there’s no difference between the two groups, because they are both under the umbrella of Jesus who’s sealed them as His for all eternity. Or, as this commentary informs us: ‘being “sealed by the Holy Spirit” signifies that God has marked believers as belonging to Him, and it’s a guarantee of their salvation and future inheritance.’
Now it’s important to note that we won’t lose our salvation if we revert to some of our old ways, but it’s oh so necessary to adopt the new ways that Jesus desires of us, so that we can walk hand in hand with Him. Remember how Jesus puts it in the gospel of Matthew? ‘Enter ye in at the strait (narrow) gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate (how narrow is the gate), and narrow (difficult or confined) is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.’ (Matt. 7:13-14)
And what does that mean? This commentary states: ‘The straight and narrow path” is an idiom that refers to a course of behavior that is honest, moral, and correct, emphasizing the importance of staying on the right path and avoiding wrongdoing.’ And this other commentary explains: ‘the gate that opens on the path to eternal life is “strait”—that is, narrow—since repentance and baptism in the name of Christ is the only gate. The narrow gate is contrasted with the wide gate that leads to hell.’
So, basically, the world says we can do about almost everything, that gives us much leeway, or a broad path. However, in Jesus’ kingdom, there are a lot of things that believers are not expected to do, which makes our path somewhat restricted, and the sinful nature of man draws many more of us to the wide and broad path that leads to destruction than to the narrow one that leads to eternal life. But as we said earlier on, God gives us tools to handle our every situation, and some of those tools we call our Thursday Blessings. So, let’s declare them right now nuh, so that we can activate them and keep on rolling even stronger in Christ.
As one 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 now that we’ve been strengthened with God’s undeserved blessings, it’s time for us to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…If you’re born again…and don’t act somewhat differently than before… then something’s wrong, somewhere…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
27 Feb 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a great family, a sense of shame or remorse, a tooth for a tooth, abundance, all scripture is given by inspiration of God, an eye for an eye, angry attitudes, avenge not yourselves, basement leak, be not overcome of evil, be tenderhearted, be ye all of one mind, christianity, clear direction for my life, courage, courteous, creativity, curse, duty bound, equipped to do good works, faith, favour, give place unto wrath, give way to anger, go two miles when asked to go one, God has the right to avenge, God's supernatural wisdom, good freinds, good heallth, good will always prevail over evil, haing compassion on each other, have regard fro good things, heap coals of fire on his head, holy spirit, if he thirst give him drink, if thine enemy hunger feed him, in the sight of all men, inherit a blessing, instruction in righteousness, Jesus Christ, like manna from heaven, live peacefully with everybody, LOVE, love as brethren, make the right choices, mercy, negative word, not rendering evil for evil, overcome evil with good, profitable for doctrine reproof correction, prosper, provide things honest to all men, recompense to no man evil for evil, salvation, self-control, snow raining down, strive to be kind, succeed, talent, the BIBLE, the Lord shall reward thee, the man of God may be perfect, truth, turn the other cheek, vengeance is mine saith the Lord, when it's not one thing it's another, wisdom
Romans 12:21. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
Oh friends, I woke up this morning, looked outside and saw snow raining down like manna from heaven and thought the balmy weather was over. But a short while later the snow stopped and it began melting. And therein lies the source of my biggest problem this Thursday morning. Ah Lord eh! But as the old people would say, when it’s not one thing in this life, it’s certainly another!
I came down to write the Bit about an hour ago, only to discover an unknown leak in the laundry room of my basement that the melting snow was seeping through, apparently for some time now, because all the stuff on the ground around it was wet, and water was flowing down to the furnace. We thought that the furnace was leaking, and called the furnace people, but I’m not so sure about that now nuh. (smile) So I obviously had to move things around and clean it all up, plus set some preventive measures in place so that the new leak would not spread water all over the laundry room floor.
By the way, the furnace repair man eventually came, wasted a half hour more of my time, only to reaffirm my suspicion, the furnace was not leaking, it was the water from the leak on the wall finding its way down to the drain at the bottom of the furnace. No wonder the Bit keeps getting delayed. (smile) Anyway, as promised, today we’ll continue with the words of Bruh Paul from Chapter 12 of Romans. And my fellow believers, these are some very important ones pertaining to our behaviour between good and evil.
So please read and inwardly digest with me. ‘Recompence (repay) to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest (have regard for good things) in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in (depends on) you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not your selves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.’ (Rom. 12:17-21)
Ah mih people, those instructions are indeed godly and good, but very difficult to maintain in this evil and vengeful world. Nonetheless, as believers in Christ we have to try our best and live up to them. Not repaying evil for evil seems to be the same thing Jesus teaches on forgiveness in Matthew 5:38 42., about not giving an eye for an eye, or a tooth for a tooth, turning the other cheek and going two miles when asked to go one. It’s just not a natural human reaction. But the truth of the story is that Jesus’ kingdom and ways are different to normal human reactions.
And Peter also weighs in on the topic. ‘Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, LOVE as brethren, be pitiful (tenderhearted), be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing (reviling) for railing (reviling): but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. (1 Pet. 3:8-9)
Next comes the admonishment to live peacefully with all men. Now that’s truly difficult to do with the angry, hateful and resentful attitudes that are now running rampant in our world. Then there’s the big one, where we are advised not to give way to anger and take vengeance in our own hands, for that is the Lord’s jurisdiction. The scholars say that ‘Paul quotes Deuteronomy 32:35 to show that only God has the right to avenge, and he certainly will avenge.’
As per heaping coals of fire on an enemies head by treating him good, the scholars believe that Bruh Paul might have been referring to ‘a sense of shame or remorse engendered when we treat an evildoer kindly. Paul is discussing personal, not national enemies. He is not teaching pacifism.’ And it’s interesting to note that Bruh Paul might have gotten those words of being kind to our enemies and heaping coals of fire on an enemy’s head from the wisdom of Cousin Sol. In Proverbs 25, he solemnly states: ‘If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the Lord shall reward thee.’ (Prov. 25:21-22)
Now, isn’t it interesting that throughout the Bible you have different people reiterating different things from by gone times to reinforce the stuff they want to get home to their readers and/or listeners. That’s why the Bible is such a wonderful Book, it gives encouragement, wisdom and spiritual understanding all the way through, from the first page to the last. That’s why Bruh Paul could attest to these facts to Timothy: ‘All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished (equipped) unto all good works.’ (2 Tim. 3:16-17)
And one of the most important of those facts that are good for doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness is this last one that Bruh Paul wrote in our scripture passage for today: ‘Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.’ (Rom. 12:21) Once again, that’s a hard nut to crack, especially with all the evil that’s floating around in our current world. However, we are required to do our best, obviously with God’s help. And to show how our God is a good and wonderful God, He’s generously bestowed on us all kinds of tools to help us do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings. So, let’s declare and thus activate them right now nuh.
As one strong 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, we’re fully equipped to do God’s work, and therefore duty bound to go out and share those blessings with others just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…Let us always strive to be kind and make the right choices…for in the end…good will always prevail over evil…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
20 Feb 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a great family, accounted as sheep for the slaughter, adversity, all things work together for good, anxiety, any other creature, as it is written, be not afraid of life, be not dismayed, Bible, christianity, clear direction for my life, curse, depth, distress, faith, famine, favour, fear thou not for I am with thee, for thy sake, God gives us the tools to do His work, God is greater than any potential enemy, God's desire for us, God's desire to redeem believers cannot be frustrated, God's purpose, good friends, good health, hard tiems, hjeight, holy spirit, hunker down, I am persuaded, I am thy God, I will strengthen thee, I will uphold thee, in a state of alarm, in all these things, in Christ Jesus our Lord, Jesus Christ, LOVE, make the right decisions, mercy, nakedness, negative word, neither death, nor angels, obedient to God's will, peril, persecution, powers, prevailing circumstances, principalities, prosper, salvation, show our mettle, statements of trust and faithfulness, succeed, success, supernatural strength, supernatural wisdom, sword, the right hand of my righteousness, things present, things to come, through him that loved us, to grow in spiritual maturity, to separate us from the Lorve of God, to them that love God, tribulation, truth, undeserved blessings, want to have things easy, we are killed all the day long, we are more than conquerors, we can do all things though Christ who strengthens us, who are called according to His purpose, who shall separate us from the Love of Christ, wisdom, with God's help
Romans 8:35a. Who shall separate us from the LOVE of Christ?
And it’s a somewhat cold and cloudy Thursday morning in my part of the universe. The sun’s striving valiantly to come out, but not with a whole lot of success. Thankfully, that does not apply to us faithful believers in Christ Jesus, for He’s promised that when we are obedient to His will, we can do all things through the strength He provides us. (Phil. 4:13) Therefore we should not be dismayed, or afraid to keep on keeping on when things look somewhat dismal, and we can’t seem to make the right decisions in our prevailing circumstances.
That’s why I LOVE this verse from the prophet Isaiah, where God tells us: ‘Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.’ (Is. 41:10) Oh friends, there could not be a better promise than that from the Lord our God, Creator and Controller!
And just for your information, they say that the phrase ‘do not be afraid,’ occurs 365 times in the Bible. Therefore, it must surely be important for our wellbeing. And this commentary offers an interesting take on the subject. It says, ‘There’s a word in that verse, you don’t hear much anymore… dismayed. Dismayed means feeling distress or anxiety, typically at something unexpected. It also means to look around in terror. God is speaking with tenderness here, telling us not to look around as one might do in danger or in a state of alarm.’
Now that’s the gospel truth my fellow believers! For all through the Lord’s Word we are reminded not to be afraid, not to live in fear, not to be dismayed, because our great and ever-faithful God is always with us! That’s why Bruh Paul could make these wonderful statements of trust and faithfulness in that mighty Chapter of Romans 8.
‘Who shall separate us from the LOVE of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Rom. 8:35-39)
Wow! What a wonderful scripture! And the scholars offer this explanation per the last two verses. ‘We cannot be separated from God’s LOVE, because it is set forth in a person who is God Himself, Jesus Christ, our Saviour. God’s desire to redeem believers cannot be frustrated, because He is definitely greater than any potential enemy. His plan will be realized because it is His purpose (cf. vs. 28).’ Which says: ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28) More acknowledgement that though life will not always be easy, God will eventually work it all out for our good.
And all these promises that our great God has made are certainly wonderful, but the problem is that they don’t just happen automatically. No! We must have the hope, faith, and trust to believe them, and live a life, an obedient life, that will allow them to come true. And yes, we all want to have things easy, but that obviously is not God’s desire. He desires that we grow in spiritual maturity, and the only way to grow is through adversity, through hard times. That’s because in the good times we learn nothing at all, or very little, but when the times get tough, we need to hunker down and show our true selves, show the mettle that we truly possess, all with God’s help!
And the marvellous thing about our God is that He not only helps us in all situations, but that He’s also bestowed underserved blessings for us to do His earthly work. He’s not asking us to do stuff in our own strength, which He knows we are incapable of doing. So, He gives us the tools to do it. We call these particular tools our Thursday Blessings. And to activate them, we must declare them aloud. So, let’s do that right now nuh.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection!
I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that awesome declaration (yesss!) we must now go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…true believers in Christ…ought not to be afraid of life…and the troubling circumstances that can and will confront them…
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
16 Jan 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a decent world for our grandchildren, agents of change, althugh you don't give them the things they need, an angry storm cloud, be ye warmed and filled, behaving like the heathen, being alone, Bible Christianity, broken in the name of Jesus, can faith save him, change never comes easily, chaos, Christians, clear direction for my life, courage, creativity, curse, depart in peace, destitue of daily food, disaster, do the work you promised to do, doing good works for others, faith, faith if it hath not works is dead, fall into line with the world, get serious about God, glorify your father in heaven, God sent not his Son into the world to condemn it, godly influence, hard work, holy spirit, if any man will come after me, Jesus Christ, Jesus gave His sinless life as a ransom for us, Jesus worked his tail off, knocks me for six, let him deny himself, light of the world, like the world desires, LOVE, mercy, naked, negative word, not like what Jesus desires, not to condemn the world but to save it, paying lip service to God, pointless talking about faith, positive change, prosper, sacrifice, salt of the earth, salvation, see your good works, sitting on your fat comfortable fannies, sitting on your laurels, strife, succeed, supernatural wisdom, take up his cross daily and follow me, talent, talk without works is useless, that passes all understanding, the gospel truth, the peace of Christ, Thursday Blessings, tried and found wanting, truth, ungodliness, what does it profit you, what doth it profit to have faith and no works, wisdom, young innocent heads
James 2:17. Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
So it’s Thursday, and another week is almost done! It sure knocks me for six, how quickly the days pass by and therefore the weeks, but I guess that’s a sign for us to get real serious about the God we claim to LOVE and worship and begin doing the things He truly desires of us, and not just paying Him and His Word lip service, like so many of us supposed Christians do.
And I bring up the same ole reason; if we were living a truly Christian life, our world would not be so filled with strife, anger, resentment and hatred as it is, and our children would not be mired in the current ungodliness that threatens them like an angry storm cloud just waiting to burst forth on their young and innocent heads. It’s as simple as that. If Christians talked less and did more, we’d have a much better and calmer world.
James, Jesus’ brother said it very clearly in his epistle. ‘What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.’ (James 2:14-17)
And that’s the gospel truth my fellow believers! We can talk all the faith we want, if we don’t translate some of it into works, out faith is useless. Remember, Jesus came down here to work, to give His sinless life as a ransom for our abominable ones, and He didn’t accomplish that by simply sitting on his laurels like so many of us want to do.
No! He worked His tail off, and we’re supposed to do the same thing. Jesus explained it thus: ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:17) And how do you think you save the world, by sitting on your fat, comfortable fannies? No! You get up and work, do the work you promised to do!
Remember the vow we took when we became disciples of Jesus, what we agreed to do? Let’s revisit it, so that we can all be clear on it. Jesus said it quite clearly: ‘If any man will come after me (desires to follow me), let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) Remember that friends?
And can I ask a most appropriate question on that subject: when last have any of us truly denied ourselves eh? Let’s stop for a moment and ponder that. Very likely, not lately, because we’re all too concerned with what we can get for ourselves to be concerned about giving up anything for someone else. And what about the other part of the vow; that of taking up our crosses daily and following Jesus? There too we have been tried and sadly found wanting.
The sad fact is that too many of us are behaving like the heathen, like the world desires and expects, instead of like Jesus desires and expects. What else can we expect then but strife, chaos and disaster, which is all the heathen knows, instead of the godly calm and peace of Christ, which passes all human understanding. Now that’s what He desires us to bring to the world, not fall into line with the world.
We are expected to be agents of change, and change never comes easily. It almost always requires sacrifice and hard work, things that so many of us supposed believers despise and don’t want to engage in. But how else will we leave a world that is somewhat decent for our children’s children eh my people? Only by stepping up to the plate RIGHT NOW, before it’s too late and doing like Jesus asked us to do, and we promised to do; that’s initiate and keep promoting the Great Commission until He returns.
How can we forget these illustrious words eh? ‘All power (authority) is given unto me in heaven and earth. 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. 28:18-20)
Oh my fellow saints, are we following those expectations of Jesus? Possibly to a small extent, but certainly not to the extent that it will make a positive and productive change and reawaken godly influence in our world. Only we believers can do it. And if we don’t, as you can see, our world keeps getting more ungodly, evil and strife filled every day!
All I can do is plead with us, exhort us in the name of Jesus, to get up and begin behaving the way we ought to; adding works to our faith, being the true salt of the earth and light of the world, so that the heathen can see our good works and glorify our heavenly Father. And I know that in this evil world that might be somewhat difficult to do, but in and with Christ, anything is possible, and He’s given us all the tools to do His earthly work, amongst which, is what we call our Thursday Blessings.
So let’s declare (steups!!!) and thus activate them right now nuh. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration (yesss!!!) it’s now our bounden duty to go out and share those blessings with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…it’s pointless talking about faith…if we’re not using it for the good of others…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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