25 Jun 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a most important characteristic of our faith, a positive outlook on life, a strong will, above all these things put on charity, abundance, and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, and with what measure ye mete, anger, as far as the east is from the west, As God for christ's sake forgave you, as the elect of God, based upon prejudicial information, be ye kind to one another, christianity, clamour, come to know and love christ like we do, courage, creativity, curse, delivered him unto the tormentors, divine protection, do also unto you, don't care who we hurt, don't condemn the inner motives of another, don't use yourself as the standard of judgement, even as Christ forgave you so also do ye, evil speaking, faith, for our benefit, for with what judgement ye judge, forbearing one another, forgive not every one his brother their trespasses, forgiven of a huge debt, forgiveness, forgiving one another, God's love in action, hath shewed no mercy, holy and beloved bowels of mercies, holy spirit, humbleness of mind, if any man hath a quarrel against any, if ye forgive men their trespasses, if ye forgive not men their trespasses, if ye from your hearts, it shall be measured to you again, Jesus Christ, judge not that ye might not be judged, judged by the law of liberty, judgement without mercy, kindness, let all bitterness, likewise shall my heavenly Father, living in an evil and ungodly society, longsuffering, LOVE, malice, meekness, mercy, mercy rejoiceth against judgement, mercy triumphs over judgement, negative word, neither will your heavenly Father forgive your tespasses, no need to worry, pay all that was due to him, Praise the Lord, refuses to forgive a small debt, remorse, render a verdict, salvation, self-discipline, so far hath he removed our transgressions, so little remorse over the wrondoing, so much wrongdoing in our world, so speak ye and so do, supernatural strength, talent, tender mercies, tenderhearted, the BIBLE, the bond of perfectness, the gospel truth, the parable of the unforgiving servant, through Christ who strengthens us, true judgement will come from God, truth, use our blessings to help others, we can handle anything that comes against us, wisdom, wrath, wrath clamour anger be put away from you, ye are sealed unto the day of redemption, your heavenly Father will also forgive you
Today’s Scrip-Bit 25 June 2026 Matthew 6:14.
Matthew 6:14. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
And we’ve come to Thursday, the second to last day of our work week, a day that begun with some cloud and a little sun, but has now morphed into total cloud and some drizzle. But there’s no need to worry, for we can handle anything that comes our way through the amazing power of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who strengthens us. And all God’s people gave a loud and grateful shout of ‘Praise the Lord!’
And today we’ll look at a very interesting aspect of our faith, that’s forgiveness. Jesus made it very clear that forgiveness is one of the most important characteristics of our faith. But unfortunately, today, it’s not something that we practice as much as we ought. Now it all stems from Jesus coming to earth to die on the cross so that the Father could forgive us our sins. And consequently, Jesus clearly stated what the Lord desired of His people, in terms of forgiveness. ‘For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your heavenly Father forgive your trespasses.’ (Matt. 6:14-15)
Oh my brethren, it’s oh so clear that the Lord forgave us of our trespasses, as the psalm says, ‘As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.’ (Ps. 103:12) Now He desires us to forgive each other in the same spirit that He forgave us. But our current society is so evil and ungodly, with so much wrong being done against each other, that it’s sometimes difficult to forgive the wrongdoers, especially when they don’t appear to have any remorse over the wrong they committed. And believe me, like forgiveness, remorse in today’s society is almost non -existent. For we knowingly commit wrongs and don’t give a care who they hurt.
But the covenant still stands, as Jesus says: ‘Judge (condemn) not, that ye be not judged (condemned). For with what judgement (condemnation) ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete (use), it shall be measured to you again.’ (Matt. 7:1-2) In other words, we are not to judge or condemn the inner motives of another, or render a verdict based upon prejudiced information, neither are we to use ourselves as the standard of judgement, because it will be the same standard of judgement used against us. The only true judgement will come from the Lord on the day He chooses.
Jesus also bore down on the subject of forgiveness when He told the parable of the unforgiving servant; one who owed his master a lot of money and when he couldn’t pay it, begged for forgiveness, and the master forgave him the debt. But then the same servant had a fellow servant owe him a much smaller sum and when he couldn’t repay the debt, he refused to forgive him, and had him cast into prison until he could pay. However his fellow servants on seeing such unforgiveness went and told the master about it.
The master called him and said to him; ‘O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst (begged ) me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth (angry), and delivered him unto the tormentors (torturers), till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.’ (Matt. 18:32-35)
Yes friends, our God is very serious about our forgiving each other, because He forgives us. As I heard one preacher recently ask, when has the Lord refused to forgive you of a sin eh? And the answer is NEVER! That’s the point the Lord is trying to drive home to us. If he could forgive us, so can we forgive our fellow human beings.
It’s as Bruh Paul wrote to the Ephesians: ‘And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.’ (Eph. 4:30-32) Yes my people, we grieve the Spirit of God when we refuse to forgive each other.
Then to the Colossians, Bruh Paul wrote almost the same thing: ‘Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies (tender mercies), kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing (bearing with) one another, and forgiving one another, if any man hath a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity (LOVE), which is the bond of perfectness.’ (Col. 3:12-14)
It could not get any clearer than that my brethren. James though adds a perfect ending to our discourse, when he writes: ‘So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. For he shall have judgement without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against (triumphs over) judgement.’ (James 2:12-13) And that’s the gospel truth friends, mercy triumphs over judgement every time! So please, let’s practice it nuh, as it’s all for our benefit.
And just to show how generous and forgiving is our God, let’s declare our Thursday Blessings, undeserved blessings bestowed on us to help do His earthly work. 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 now behooves 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!
…forgiveness…God’s LOVE in action…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
18 Jun 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a litle faith is better than no faith, a minimum of cloud cover, a rainy night, a seed contains life, a seed isn't a static lifeless object, a unique way to heal one's body, a windstorm, abundance, achieve profound results, and said unto the sea, asking for strength, be of good comfort, because of your unbelief, behooves us to go out and share those blessings, believe only, carest thou not that we perish, change ourselves, christianity, clear direction for my life, climate change, come to know and love God like we do, courage, creativity, crucial and crticial times, cure a child stricken with epilepsy, curse, divine promotion, divine protection, encouragement to look past our own doubts and fears, even a tiny amount of living faith when rooted in God, even the wind and the sea obey him, faith, faith as a grain of mustard seed, faith can deepen through action and adversity, faith can start out small, faith that grows, favour, fear not, go in peace, he arose and rebuked the wind, holy spirit, how is that ye have no faith, in steadfast faith, it shall remove, Jesus Christ, life seems to be speeding along the highway, literally changing geography, LOVE, marvellous results, mercy, much to gain, negative word, nothing shall be impossible to you, nothing to lose, peace be still, penultimate day of our workweek, praise and bless the life energy, praise the life in every part of your body, pray, ready to crash at any time, realize wholeness, release all thoughts of weakness or disease, remove hence to yonder place, salvation, say unto this mountain, see wholeness, self-control, self-discipline, size versus potential, speaking words of strength and power, symbolizing the removal of impossible life barriers, talent, teach my body, the BIBLE, the capacity to grow, the cells of your body and mind, the immense power of placing small beliefs into God's hands, the life energy in your body, the power to overcome insurmountable obstacles, the wind ceased and there was a great calm, the woman with and issue of blood, think kind loving thoughts about your body, this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting, thy faith hath me thee whole, touched the garments of Jesus and was healed, true belief in God that drives our faith, trust in Jehovah God, truth, virtue is gone out of me, what manner of man is this, why are ye so fearful, wisdom, you don't need strong faith to experience God's power, your intelligence can guide
Today’s Scrip-Bit 18 June 2026 Matthew 17:20b.
Matthew 17:20b. If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove (move);
And after a rainy, rainy night, Thursday, the penultimate day of our work week, by mid-morning has blossomed into a bright and somewhat shiny day, with only a minimum of cloud cover. However it’s beset by a strong windstorm, one of those things that just magically appeared in our lives some five or six summers ago. Before that we never had so many summer windstorms, but with climate change and all the other stuff that’s happening in and around our besieged world, anything’s possible.
Now, we might not be able to change the world, but we can certainly change ourselves, so here’s some good news. I don’t remember where I got this information from, or if I’ve even shared it before, but recently I found it among the numerous pieces of paper sitting on my desk, and since we have nothing to lose, but so much to gain by trying what it suggests, I decided to share it. (smile) It’s about the healing of our body.
So please read with me: ‘Your Intelligence can guide the Life energy in your body – I began to teach my body and got marvellous results. Speaking words of Strength and Power – Praise the life in every part of your body. Pray, asking for strength to think only kind, LOVING and sincere thoughts about your body. Release all thoughts of weakness or disease. In steadfast faith, praise and bless the life energy, the cells of your body and mind. Realize Wholeness!!! See Wholeness!!!’
Wow! What a unique way to heal one’s body. But if it worked for the author, there’s no reason why it cannot work for us. However, we need to pay serious attention to these three words, ‘In steadfast faith…’ I believe that’s where the healing power comes from, and as supposed Christians we should have no difficulty in doing that, although many of us have a hard time mounting even a little faith. But remember what Jesus said to the disciples when they unsuccessfully tried to cure a child stricken with epilepsy, and they asked Him why.
‘And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove (move); and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.’ (Matt. 17:20-21) Yes friends, it’s like this overview tells us: ‘It illustrates that even a tiny amount of genuine, living faith—when rooted in God—has the power to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles and achieve profound results.’ And that’s the living truth!
And the overview further breaks down the scripture into three basic parts, that allow us to better understand it. Size vs. Potential: The mustard seed was known as one of the smallest seeds in the ancient Near East. The metaphor emphasizes that you do not need perfect or giant faith to experience God’s power. Faith That Grows: A seed isn’t a static, lifeless object; it contains life and the capacity to grow. Discussions across communities like Reddit Christianity, highlight how this faith can start small and continuously deepen through action and adversity.
Moving Mountains: Jesus stated that if you have faith this size, you could say to a mountain “Move from here to there,” and it would move, symbolizing the removal of impossible life barriers rather than literally changing geography. Ultimately, the teaching is an encouragement to look past your own doubts and focus on the immense power of placing even your smallest, struggling beliefs into God’s hands.’ And do we ever need to do that in these very crucial and critical times, when life seems to be speeding along the highway, seemingly ready to crash at any time.
Ah mih people, even a little faith is better than no faith, once it’s rooted in Almighty God. And there are so many examples in the scriptures where Jesus either applauded someone for their faith or admonished them for lack thereof. Let’s look at one instances of each. First off, remember when Jesus was on His way to heal the daughter of Jewish synagogue ruler, Jairus, and this woman who had suffered with an issue of blood for twelve years, got a Zeppo that if she could only touch Jesus’ garments she would be healed. Thus she fought though the crowd surrounding Him and most likely touched the hem of His prayer shawl, and was immediately healed. (Luke 8:40-44)
Simultaneously, Jesus began enquiring who had touched Him? The disciples were amazed, that He would ask that question with the crush of people around Him. But Jesus replied, ‘Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue (power) is gone out of me.’ (Luke 8:46) Eventually the woman, being afraid, fell down before Jesus and confessed that she had touched Him. Jesus then said to her, ‘Daughter, be of good comfort (cheer): thy faith hath made thee whole (well); go in peace.’ (Luke 8:48)
So yuh see what a li’l faith can do, it can work miracles if it’s rooted in God. And right after that some of Jairus’ people came and told him his daughter was dead, but Jesus said to him, ‘Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.’ (Luke 8:50) That’s the important thing my brethren, true belief in Almighty God that drives our faith.
Now here’s an interesting scene of the opposite reaction. This one we all know about Jesus and the disciples crossing the Sea of Galilee in a boat and a serious storm suddenly arising and the agitated water filling the boat. Obviously the disciples were afraid for it was possible that few if any of them could even swim. So they went looking for Jesus, who was asleep in the stern of the ship. They awakened him and said, ‘Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace be still. And the wind ceased, and there was great calm. And he said unto them, why are ye so fearful? how is that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, what manner of man is this (who can this be) that even the wind and the sea obey Him?’ (Mark 4:38-41)
Ah friends, it’s hard to fault the disciples, when we also have so many doubts and fears, especially when life is so uncertain these days. But the only way to conquer whatever is troubling us is by having true faith in our heavenly Father. And to show how wonderful He’s been to us, let’s declare our Thursday Blessings, undeserved blessings so generously bestowed on us by God to help us do His earthly work. So, in 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 that declaration now behooves 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!
…life is all about hope…belief…faith…and trust in Jehovah God…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
11 Jun 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a great family, a strong will, abundance, be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage, behave like the Pharisees, being spiritual is not everything, caught up in our spirituality, challenging, Charlie Brown, christianity, clear direction for my life, come to know and love christ like we do, courage, creativity, curse, divine protection, doubted I'd ever reach the goal, enjoying intimacy with us, faith, Feeling Spiritual, for freedom Christ freed u, freedom from the law, fulfillment, God formed us in the womb, God knows all about us, God put His breath of life in us, God wants to be totally involved in our lives, good friends, good health. favour, holy spirit, hypocritical airs and grace, I could not feel spiritual, I keep remembering, I was delighted, in the liberty, in the quiet of our family room, it's foolish to try and fool God, Jesus Christ, just you and me, let's read it together, lighten up, lose the freedom Christ died for us to have, LOVE, man looketh on the outward appearance, mercy, negative word, never worry about feeling spiritual, One Year Book of Bible promises, our happy time last night, promotion, reading a devotional book, Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, self-control, self-discipline, sentences twirled, share everything with me, stand fast, stop trying to hide from the Lord, subject to a yoke of bondage, success, suddenly the book felt heavy, supernatural strength, talent, tantalizingly calling our names, the BIBLE, the Lord is that Spirit, the Lord looketh on the heart, the Lord seeth not as man seeth, the penultimate day of the work week, the siren call of Friday and the weekend, the spirit of God indwells each believer, the truth shall set you free, the whole weight of the world on our shoulders, there is liberty, too focused on Friday and the weekend, truth, undeserved blessings, very inspirational, we read and laughed, where the Spirit of the Lord is, wherewith Christ hath made us free, wisdom, with all my valiant effort, words collided, ye shall know the truth
Today’s Scrip-Bit 11 June 2026 2 Corinthians 3:17.
2 Corinthians 3:17. ‘Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.’
And then it was Thursday, our penultimate day of the work week, and unfortunately too many of our minds are focused on Friday and the weekend rather than on Thursday and what challenges it presents. But that’s the siren call of Friday and the weekend, (smile) so difficult to ignore, especially when it keeps on tantalizingly calling our names. However, we need to develop the discipline to not look forward too much to Friday and the weekend, and concentrate on the day before us, if we want to be successful.
Anyway, today, we’re going to look at a very interesting poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. All right, I understand, all of them are very interesting…but this one is also amusing, neither do I remember sharing it, as if I ever remember sharing any. (smile) However, it’s simply titled ‘Feeling Spiritual.’ Like many more of us ought to be. So please read with me:
‘Lord, I keep remembering Our happy time last night – Just You and me In the quiet of our family room. I had been reading a devotional book Very “spiritual” Very inspirational So challenging I doubted that I’d ever reach the goal. Suddenly the book felt heavy Sentences twirled Words collided And with all my valiant effort I simply could not feel “spiritual.” Then, glancing at a Charlie Brown book I thought I heard You say “Let’s read it together – You and me.” I was delighted. We read and laughed and read and laughed… And just as we finished the last page You said what I needed most to hear: “Never worry about feeling ‘spiritual.’ Just share everything with me.”
Oh friends, that’s why our God is so great and wonderful! He would like us to be spiritual, but being spiritual is not everything. However, He does desire to share everything with us. He wants to be totally involved in our lives. Whatever we’re doing He wants to be included in it, because that makes Him feel wanted and desired and a part of our lives, and enjoying the intimacy with us He so dearly desires. Besides, He cannot do His best for us unless He’s involved in every aspect of our lives.
And I hope that that poem causes some of us to lighten up and stop trying to be this big, holy, spiritual person, behaving as though we have the whole weight of the world on our shoulders, because we don’t. Life was made for living and once you have God, first and foremost in your life, you will be fine. You don’t have to behave like the Pharisees of old and put on all the hypocritical airs and graces of being spiritual and godly. For God knows who we really are.
Remember what He told Samuel when He sent him to anoint a king from Jesse’s house and Samuel looked on the fine appearance of the eldest son Eliab and assumed he was the one? ‘For the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.’ (1 Sam. 16:7b)
So friends, it’s time we stop trying to hide from the Lord, for He knows all that we’ll ever think, say or do. Remember He’s the one who created us, who formed us in our mother’s womb, and put His breath of life in us. So it’s foolish to try and fool Him. But many of us still try to do it. And when we do, like a wise and LOVING but disappointed Father, He just shakes His head and sadly chuckles at our unwise attempt to fool Him.
And interestingly enough the Bible verse for the poem comes from the pen of Bruh Paul, where in talking to the Corinthians about the Glory of God, he states: ‘Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.’ (2 Cor. 3:17) In other words, wherever the Spirit of God is, there’s freedom, you don’t have to worry. And since the Spirit of God indwells each believer, then we’re free, we don’t have to trouble ourselves because sometimes we don’t feel particularly spiritual, because the Lord is right there with us…always and forever.
As Bruh Paul say in Galatians: ‘Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.’ (Gal. 5:1) And as the scholars explain: ‘The verse could be rendered: “For freedom Christ freed us. therefore stand fast, and do not again be subject to a yoke of bondage.” The “freedom” in view is freedom from the law, here called “a yoke of bondage.” Paul wants the Galatians ( as well as us) to “stand fast,” that is, retain their spiritual freedom.’
And that’s exactly what we also need to do my faithful brethren; don’t let the law coax us back into its bondage, for we know the truth about it, and when we know the truth, as Jesus says: ‘And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.’ (John 8:32) And when Jesus says it, then that’s it, full stop! (smile)
Now let’s declare and thus activate our undeserved Thursday Blessings which the Lord has generously bestowed on us to help do our earthly work. 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 with that declaration we’ve become obliged to go out and use those undeserved 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!
…sometimes we get so caught up in our spirituality…that we lose the freedom Christ died for us to have…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
04 Jun 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a burr in our sides, a compassionate heart, a positive outlook on life, abundance, an attitude of prayer, as the heavens are higher than the earth, carrying your loved ones as you go, christianity, clear direction for my life, come to know and love christ like we do, courage, creativity, curse, die an eteral death, divine protection, even in the midst of trials, every day, every hour, faith, favour, fulfilment, glorious and incomparable, God is still on the throne, God never reneges on His promises, God's supernatural wisdom, God's unfailing faithfulness, God's unwavering faithfulness, good familygood friends, good health, have I not seen the righteous forsaken, his seed begging bread, holding them in prayer, holy spirit, honouring this life, how do you show up, how to keep on in our faithful journey with Christ, how you move forward in faith, I have been young and now am old, if any man will come after me, in the name of Jesus, In Touch Devotional, Jesus Christ, Jesus is all about sacrificing, knowing that God is carrying you through, let him deny himself, live for earthly pleasure, live for Jesus, live forever, live the abundant life, living for Christ is the ultimate decision, LOVE, loving sacrifically, lustful pleasures, men ought always to pray and not faint, mercy, move beyond what's comfortable, move forward with faith, moved you from glory to glory, my thoughts are not your thoughts, my thoughts higher than your thoughts, negative word, offer short lived thrills, only two choices, penultimate day of our workweek, pray without ceasing, promotion, prosper and succeed, put our utmost trust in God, remaining steadfast with those around you, remember all God has done for you in the past, remembering where God has brought you from, sacrificial living, sacrificing is against man's basic human nature, salvation, share our undeserved blessings, so are my ways higher than your ways, staying open to where god will lead you, success, take up his cross daily and follow me, talent, the best way to build faith, the BIBLE, the children go without provision, the rewards from living for christ, the righteous are not forsaken by God, to pay for our sins, truth, undeserved blessings, we're here for all of the journey, wisdom, your ways are not my ways
Today’s Scrip-Bit 4 June 2026 Luke 9:23.
Luke 9:23. ‘If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’
And so we’ve moved on to Thursday, the hot, sunny penultimate day of our work week – rather quickly in my humble opinion. (smile) But then, the way the Lord runs His universe is too big for us small-minded folks to understand. And He states that quite plainly 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 than your thoughts.’ (Is. 55:8-9)
That means we will not be able to understand a lot of things that happen both in our lives and in the world, because God is still on the throne and still ruling the universe He created in the fashion He desires. Consequently, we need to put our utmost trust in Him, and rely on His unmatched, unfailing faithfulness, if we desire to live the good and abundant life here on earth.
And today we’re going to look at some tips from the May In Touch Devotional that shows us how to keep on keeping on in our faithful journey with Christ. They advise: ‘This is how you move forward in faith: by remembering where God has taken you so far and staying open to where He’ll take you tomorrow.’
Yes my brethren, the best way to build faith is to remember all that God has dome for us in the past, how He moved us forward from one point of glory to another, and therefore He will be there to look after us in the future. It’s like Bruh David says in Psalm 37 – titled ‘Trust in the Lord.’ ‘I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed (descendants) begging bread,’ (Ps. 37:25).
One commentary explains it thus: ‘In that verse David is reflecting on God’s unwavering faithfulness throughout his lifetime. He shares his observation that, even in the midst of trials, those who walk in righteousness are never abandoned by God, nor do their children go without provision.’ So let’s move forward in faith.
The next bit of advice the Devotional offers is: ‘This is how you show up: by carrying your LOVED ones as you go, every hour, every day – not perfectly but faithfully, holding them in prayer.’ I guess that’s like Jesus said in the parable of the persevering widow and unjust judge: ‘men ought always to pray, and not to faint (lose heart).’ (Luke 18:1) Or like Bruh Paul advises in 1 Thessalonians: ‘Pray without ceasing.’ (1 Thess. 5:17) In other words, as the scholars declare: ‘a believer ought to remain in the attitude of prayer though not always praying audibly.’
Then the Devotional continues by saying: ‘This is how you move beyond what’s comfortable: by LOVING sacrificially, doing right by everyone, honouring this life you’ve been entrusted with.’ And you know the sacrificial living thing is always a burr in our sides, because sacrificing is against our basic human nature. But that’s what Jesus is all about. That’s why He came to earth; to sacrifice His sinless life to pay for our abominable sins.
And when you signed up to be His follower you also signed up for sacrificial living. Remember what discipleship is all about? As Jesus defined it: ‘If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) Yes my people, as followers of Christ, we are called to be sacrificial whenever necessary.
And that’s how we need to live for Jesus, as the Devotional continues: ‘Even on the long days, the boring days, the wish-it-were-already-tomorrow days. Remaining steady, present with the people around you. Knowing that God is carrying you through.’ Oh my fellow believers those are ever so true and faithful words! We need to remain strong and steadfast in LOVE and compassionate caring, knowing without a doubt that God’s faithfulness will carry us through, because He’s promised that if we’re faithful to Him, He will be faithful to us. And He never reneges on any of His promises.
And the concluding, crowning statement of the Devotional is this: ‘We’re here for that journey. All of it.’ And so we are my fellow believers in Christ! It’s a journey we have signed up for, knowing that it would not be an easy one, but that the rewards from undertaking it successfully will be glorious and incomparable; salvation and eternal life with Christ!
There’s nothing in this world to truly beat that. Lustful pleasures might thrill us for a while, but what happens when this comparatively short life is over, as it will certainly be? What’s going to happen for the rest of that never-ending period called eternity? There are only two choices friends; live for earthly pleasure and die an eternal death, or live for Jesus and live forever. The choice is the individual’s!
And to show how good God is, and how much He wants you to spend eternity with Him, He’s generously bestowed undeserved blessings on us, to enable us to do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings. So, let’s declare 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 accepted those undeserved blessings, it now behooves us to go out and use them 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!
…living for Christ…that’s the decision of all decisions…the ultimate decision…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
21 May 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a great family, a strong will, abundance, christianity, Christians, come to know and love God like we do, courage, creativity, David behaved himself wisely, David his ten thousands, dying for Friday to come, end of sermon, faith, favour, God's awesome wisdom, good friends, good health, holy spirit, if God spares life, in a more refined manner, jealousy, Jesus Christ, Jonathan stripped himself, Jonathanand David made a covenant, LOVE, loved him as his own soul, make a mess of today, mercy, negative word, one of the devil's most successful tools is jealousy, promotion, prosper and succeed, receive clear direction for my life, rise to today's challenges, salvation, Saul eyed David from that day forward, Saul hath slain his thousands, Saul was very wroth, self-control, self-discipline, share those undeserved blessings, small things can easily stir up jealousy, still warlike and bloodthirsty today, success, supernatural strength, talent, the BIBLE, the green eyed monster, the head of the Philistine in his hand, the interesting relationship between Saul David and Jonathan, the long and short of the story, the love that's possible despite tough circumstances, the son of thy servant Jesse, the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, the women came out singing and dancing, their blood took to one another, truth, undeserved blessings, viewed him suspiciously, what can he have more than the kingdom, what jealousy can wreak in our lives, wisdom, with tabrets with joy and with instruments of musick
Today’s Scrip-Bit 21 May 2026 1 Samuel 18:9.
1 Samuel 18:9. And Saul eyed David (viewed him suspiciously) from that day and forward.
And it seems that this Thursday will be another bright and sunshiny but mid-teens temperature day. But we’ll take it any day over the cold and miserable winter weather! (smile) And many of us are just dying for Friday to come so that we can rest up after our hectic Victoria Day weekend. However, remember that we’ve still got to rise to whatever challenges today will bring, so please don’t think too much about tomorrow and the rest period following it, or else you might just make a mess of today. End of Sermon!
And today we’re going to take a look at the violence and damage the green eyed monster, jealousy, can wreak in our lives, as portrayed by the relationships between King Saul and Bruh David, as well as the LOVE that’s possible, in spite of tough circumstances, as portrayed by Bruh David and Jonathan, Saul’s son and heir. We see the relationships begin with Bruh David’s victory Goliath. King Saul enquired whose son Bruh David was, but his captain Abner had no idea. So Saul told him to find out.
The Bible then tells us: ‘And as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. And Saul said to him, Whose son art thou, thou young man? And David answered, I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.’ (1 Sam. 17:57-58) Imagine that nuh, a young boy, only in his teen age years, walking around with the head of a man he’d slaughtered held in his hands! But we’re no different today, still warlike and blood thirsty, just in a supposedly more refined manner.
But the Bible continues: ‘And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David (the life of Jonathan was bound up with the life of David), and Jonathan LOVED him as his own soul.’ (1 Sam. 18:1) I guess Jonathan was hanging around his father when he spoke to Bruh David, and possibly after some conversation, the souls of the two young boys just took to each other. Or as the old people would say, their blood just took to one another. But however it happened, that day, saw the beginning of a very strong relationship develop between the two youngsters.
And per the Good Book: ‘And Saul took him (Bruh David) that day, and would let him go no more home to his father’s house.’ (1 Sam.18:2) Such was the power of the king, and his apparent liking for Bruh David. ‘Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he LOVED him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of (took off) the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.’ (1 Sam. 18:3-4)
The scholars speculate that ‘Jonathan’s transfer of his royal attire to David may indicate his covenantal pledge to transfer his privileged position as heir to the throne.’ Who knows? Jonathan most likely knew that Bruh David had already been anointed as the next king of Israel, and with a strong religious background felt it the right thing to do under those circumstances. The long and short of the story though is that Bruh David ended up working for Saul, both as a warrior and as a harp player to pacify Saul’s soul with the music when the evil spirit took it over.
The Bible states: ‘And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely (prospered): and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul’s servants. And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine(s), that the women came out of the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tabrets (small drums), with joy, and with instruments of musick (three stringed instruments).
And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. And Saul was very wroth (angry), and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom? And Saul eyed David (viewed him suspiciously) from that day and forward.’ (1 Sam. 18:5-9)
Ah friends, how these little things can stir up jealously and cause us to do crazy and evil things. So what if Saul only slew thousands and David slew ten thousands? Saul was still the king, and David his servant. But no, we always want to be doing better than anyone who is supposedly below us in social status. Unfortunately though, time and space have run out on us, so tomorrow, if God spares life, we’ll continue with this most insightful story, between Saul, Jonathan and Bruh David.
Now let’s declare our undeserved Thursday Blessings, which the Lord in His awesome wisdom and generosity had seen fit to nonetheless bestow on us to help us do His earthly work. 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 now behooves us to go out and use those undeserved 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!
…jealousy…one of the devil’s most successful tools…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
14 May 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a strong will, abundance, access by faith into grace, being justified by faith, belief, by the Holy Ghost which is given to us, character, Christians, clear direction for my life, courage, creativity, culminates in eternal life, curse, divine protection, even the youths shall faint and be weary, experienced, faith, favour, for what a man sees why does he yet hope for ir, fulfillment, glory in tribulations, God's faithfulness, God's supernatural wisdom, have peace with God through Christ, He gives power to the faint, holy spirit, hope does not disappoint, hope for what we don't see, hope in God, hope is the basis of faith, hope keeps us holding on to our dreams, hope keps us going, hope maketh not ashamed, hope of a good futre, hope that is seen is not hope, hope that things will turn out alright, I know the thoughts I think toward you, I wait for God my Saviour, I watch in hope for the Lord, I will look unto the Lord, I will wait for the God of my salvation, Jesus Christ, LOVE, mercy, my God will hear me, negative word, patience, penultimate day of our workweek, plans to give us a future and a hope, promotion, rejoice in hope of the glory of God, run and not be weary, salvation, self-control, self-disicpline, self-sacrifice, shall mount up with wings like eagles, talent, the basic catalyst, the BIBLE, the gospel truth, the groundwork called for in God's word, the level of our belief based on our hope, the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts, the young men shall utterly fall, they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end, to them that have no might he increaseth strength, tribulation worketh patience, truth, undeniable truth, walk and not faint, we are saved by hope, wisdom, with patience we wait for it, without hope you cannot have faith
Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 May 2026 Jeremiah 29:11.
Jeremiah 29:11. ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’
Ah friends, the penultimate day of our work week, Thursday, has opened somewhat cloudy and chilly, but let’s not lose hope, for yesterday afternoon turned out to be quite nice, despite the poor early morning weather. And if it’s one thing we Christians have is hope. Hope in God, and hope that things will turn out all right in the end. For without hope, what’s the purpose of living? None whatsoever! Since hope is the basic catalyst that keeps us going; keeps us holding on to our dreams and desires, whatever they may be. With hope we expect things to get better and those dreams to materialize at some point in time.
And that’s why the Bible, God’s Word is filled with so many wonderful verses on hope. So let’s look at some of them, and see how they boost our faith. for remember without hope, you cannot have faith, as hope is the basis of faith. And possibly the most well known and favourite verse of hope in the Bible is this one from Jeremiah. ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer. 29:11) Yes my fellow believers, that’s what the Lord has in mind for us; hope of a good future, that culminates with Him in eternal life. And there’s nothing better to look forward to than that!
Then there’s this other amazing promise from the prophet Isaiah, that we all know and mouth, but don’t always believe, otherwise we would not be so often lacking in hope. ‘He giveth power to the faint (weak); and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is. 40:29-31)
What a marvellous promise! But if we don’t truly believe it, then it will not happen for us, for that’s the groundwork called for in God’s Word; belief, which is born of hope and topped by faith. As Bruh Paul says in Romans. ‘For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience (perseverance) wait (eagerly wait) for it.’ (Rom. 8:24-25) And that’s the gospel truth! For hope is looking and waiting for something we don’t see. If we see it, then there’s no point in hoping for it.
Then there’s this interesting verse from the prophet Micah, where he declares: ‘Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.’ (Mic. 7:7) Now that’s a tremendous statement of hope and faith. As this translation puts it: ‘But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.’ And that’s more undeniable truth my brethren. If we wait and hope in our God, He will hear us and provide salvation. But then again, that all depends on the level of our belief that’s based on the amount of our hope. (smile)
Now these are also important verses on belief and hope, but I don’t think we appreciate them as much as some of the others. Why? Just listen. ‘Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. and not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh (produces) patience; And patience, experience (character); and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed (does not disappoint); because the LOVE of God is shed abroad (poured out) in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.’ (Rom. 5:1-5)
Ah mih people, we all like the end product, but none of us like to go through the middle section that talks of tribulations and perseverance. However, that is a most basic and foundational aspect of truly living for Jesus. It’s the calling of self-sacrifice that all followers of Jesus are expected to engage in, following His glorious example. And there are several more interesting scriptures on hope, but since time and space have runout on us, we’ll look at those tomorrow, if God spares life obviously. (smile)
And to help us find and keep that hope, the Lord has also most generously bestowed on us undeserved blessings, we call our Thursday Blessings. So let’s declare and activate them right now! In 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 now behooves 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!
…there are too many examples of God’s faithfulness…to ever lose hope in Him…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
30 Apr 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a complete satisfaction, a genreal designation of the dwelling place of the saved, a proof of spiritual rebirth, a strong will, abundance, acknolwedges their sin, be as a tree planted by the waters, behooves us to go out and share those blessings, being fortunate, blessed a certain characterisitic of someone who want to serve God, blessed are the meek, blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are they that mourn, blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, blessed is the man tha trusteth in the Lord, children of the Most High God Jehovah, christianity, Christians, clear direction for my life, come to know and love him like we do, comforted by the compassion of God, comforted in confession, courage, creativity, curse, delay the greenery of spring, divine grace, divine protection, experience a deep desire for personal rightousness, experience profound inner joy and spiritual well being, faith, favour, favoured by God, frost avisory warning, future possessors of earth, good freinds, good health, got a zeppo, gratitude for life's gifts, he filleth the hungry soul with goodness, he satisfieth the longing soul, her leaf shall be green, holy spirit, how prideful foolish and unwise nakind can be, humbled by the grace og God, hunger and thirst for what only God can give, if God spares life, independent of circumstances, inherit the kingdom of heaven, Jesus Christ, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, LOVE, mercy, mourn for human anguish, mourn for sin, negative word, neither shall cease from yielding fruit, promotion, salvation, shall not be careful in the year of drought, shall not see when heat comes, spiritual poverty, spreadeth out her roots by the river, supernatural wisdom, talent, the Beatitudes, the BIBLE, the kingdom Jesus preached is both in you and yet to moe, the opposite of the proud and haughty in spirit, the penultimate day of our work week, the presently installed rightful heirs, the Sermon on the Mount, their dependence on God to save them, theirs is the kingdom of heaven, they shall be comforted, they shall be filled, they shall inherit the earth, those who mourn for sin cahll be cmforted in, to possess divine favour, true blessings only come from sincere association with God, truth, ultimately share in the kingdom of God on earth, wanting something but not willing to pay the price, whose hope the Lord is, wisdom
Jeremiah 17:7. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.
And then it was Thursday, the penultimate day of our work week, and are we ever looking forward to Friday and the weekend. But wait, am I seeing correctly? The computer is giving me a Frost advisory warning. Between the last day of April and the first day of May, we should expect frost… Let’s hope that isn’t true, for the young buds are just beginning to appear on the trees, and a frost cover would only inhibit their growth and thus further delay the greenery of spring that we’re all just dying to see, after a tough winter.
But yuh know what, we can handle anything that comes against us because we are children of the Most High God Jehovah and thus are blessed. And talking about being blessed, I read a scripture earlier this morning that talked about it, and afterward got a zeppo that we should check out some scriptures that deal with the subject. (smile) And there are several interesting ones in the Bible. But before we begin looking at scriptures about being blessed, it might be useful to first have a definition of what we mean by being blessed.
And this overview explains it thus: ‘”Be blessed” generally means to be favored by God, to possess divine favor, or to experience profound inner joy, peace, and spiritual well-being independent of circumstances. It signifies being fortunate, consecrated, or fortunate to have something. The term is used in both spiritual contexts (divine grace) and secular, everyday language (gratitude for life’s gifts).’
So, however we take it, blessed means to be rich or well-off in certain aspects of life. And the scripture I read earlier on certainly displays those sentiments. And it’s a scripture that we all know from the prophet Jeremiah, speaking on the Lord’s behalf ‘Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see (fear) when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful (anxious) in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.’ (Jer. 17:7-8)
Wow! What a marvellous blessing! You’d think that all of us would then be running down such an awesome blessing by totally putting our trust in the Lord God Jehovah. But we’re not. However, we all want to be blessed like that tree. That just goes to show how prideful, foolish and unwise mankind can be; desperately wanting something but not willing to pay the price to get it. Yes friends, we all want to be blessed by the Lord, but we don’t want to live the way He desires, so foolishly we forego His many blessings.
And Jesus brought the message of blessing to the forefront by giving us the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount. Each of the Beatitudes begins with the word ‘Blessed’ and talks about a certain characteristic of a person who wants to serve God, or who has been saved. Jesus begins with ‘Blessed are the poor in Spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’ (Matt. 5:3) And the scholars explain that by saying: ‘The poor in spirit are the opposite of the proud or haughty in spirit. They have been humbled by the grace of God and have acknowledged their sin and therefore their dependence on God to save them. They will inherit the kingdom of heaven; is a general designation of the dwelling place of the saved.’
Then the next Beatitude says: ‘Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.’ (Matt. 5:4) And the scholars offer this explanation of that verse. ‘Those that mourn … shall be comforted. The depth of the promise of these statements is almost inexhaustible. Those who mourn for sin shall be comforted in confession. Those who mourn for the human anguish of the lost shall be comforted by the compassion of God.’
Now here’s the next Beatitude: ‘Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth (land).’ (Matt, 5:5) Which the scholars say refers again to those who have been humbled before God and will not only inherit the blessedness of heaven, but also will ultimately share in the kingdom of God on earth. Here in the opening statements of the Sermon on the Mount, is the balance between the physical and spiritual promise of the kingdom. The kingdom of which Jesus preached is both “in you” and is yet “to come.”
We then hear this awesome promise from our Lord and Saviour: ‘Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.’ (Matt. 5:6) And the scholars say that ‘These future possessors of the earth are its presently installed rightful heirs, and even now they hunger and thirst after righteousness. They experience a deep desire for personal righteousness, which in itself is a proof of their spiritual rebirth. Those who are poor and empty in their own spiritual poverty recognize the depth of their need, and they hunger and thirst for that which only God can give them. They shall be filled refers to a complete satisfaction. The psalmist proclaimed: “He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.’ (Ps. 107:9)
Ah friends, I do hope we’ve gotten an understanding of the Beatitudes that we’ve covered so far, only halfway, because time and space are forcing us to stop for today. So tomorrow, if God spares life, then we’ll continue looking at the Beatitudes and some other scriptures that talk about being blessed. Now, let’s turn and declare our Thursday Blessings; undeserved blessings which the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to help us do His earthly work.
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 now behooves us to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us, so that they can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…true blessings…only come from…sincere association with God…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
26 Mar 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a by product of our addiction to speed, abundance, addiction to speed, be of good courage, blessed are all they that wait for him, both hope and wait quietly, christianity, Christians, clear direction for my life, come to know and love christ like we do, courage, creativity, curse, delight thyself also in the Lord, divine protection, duty bound, even the youths shall faint and be weary, excessive reliance on speed, eyes blazing, faith, favour, focus on today's tasks, fulfillment, give thee the desires of thine heart, good friends, good health, He giveth power to the faint, he may be gracious unto you, he may have mercy on you, he shall exalt thee to inherit the land, he shall strengthen thine heart, holy spirit, hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord, I had fainted, I wait for the Lord, in his word do I hope, in the Lord's kingdom timing is everything, it is good that a man, it's hard to wait on the Lord's timing, Jesus Christ, let Israel hope in the Lord, LOVE, mercy, more than they that watch for the morning, mount up with wings as eagles, mouths salivating, my soul doth wait, my soul waiteth for the Lord, negative word, offering their morning sacrifices of praise, personal experience, promotion, prosper and succeed, run and not be weary, salvation, self-control, serenade the one who provides for them, talent, the BIBLE, the Lord has me in waiting mode, the Lord is a God of justice, the Lord is good unto them that wait for him, the young men shall utterly fall, therefore will he be exalted, therefore will the Lord wait, they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, thou shalt see it, times of total impatience, to see the goodness of God in the land of the living, to the soul that seeketh him, to them that have no might he increaseth strength, truth, undeserved blessings, unless I had believed, uplifting to hear them, use those blessings to help others, wait in faith I say on the Lord, wait in faith on the Lord, wait on the Lord and keep his way, waiting on God and His timing, wake up to the sweet singing of birds, walk and not faint, when the time is right things will happen, when the wicked are cut off, wisdom, with him is plenteous redemption, with the Lord there is mercy
Psalm 37:34. ‘Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off thou shalt see it.’
Oh friends, how wonderful it is to awaken to the sweet singing of the birds on a spring Thursday morning, or any morning for that matter! It’s certainly uplifting to hear them offering their morning sacrifices of praise to their Maker and Provider, in such a natural manner. They can’t think like we do, but they know that they must serenade the one who provides for them. Only wish that more of us would do like them.
And on this fairly warm but cloudy and drizzly penultimate day of our work week, instead of wishing that tomorrow and the weekend would hurry up and come, let’s focus instead on the many tasks we need to perform today, for some of us might not even be around to see tomorrow. That’s why I believe the Lord guided me to these scriptures for today on waiting on Him and His timing.
Listen to these wise words of Jeremiah from his Lamentations. ‘The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam. 3:25-26) Yes my people, waiting on our God is most important, but sometimes extremely difficult to do especially in these times of total impatience and the excessive reliance on speed.
And waiting on God is so important that there are many scriptures that call for it. So let’s look at a few of them, so that we can renew our minds and spirits on the subject. (smile) Hear, as the prophet Isaiah, talks about God’s graciousness and mercy. ‘And therefore will the Lord wait. That he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgement (justice): blessed are all they that wait for him.’ (Is. 30:18)
And we all know this next popular scripture from Isaiah. ‘He giveth power to the faint (weak); and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint. ‘ (Is. 40:29-31)
Now all of us want to ‘mount up with wings as eagles,’ but we don’t want to do the waiting on the Lord. And not wanting to wait is a sad byproduct of this society’s addiction to speed, to have everything move faster and done more quickly. We’re regularly offered new devices, and in many cases they’re not really much better than the last one, but they are always faster, and that gets our eyes blazing and our mouths salivating for them.
Meanwhile in Psalm 130 – Hoping and Waiting for the Lord – the psalmist declares: ‘I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy (LOVING-KINDNESS), And with him is plenteous (abundant) redemption.’ (Ps. 130: 5-7) Wow! What great reasons to wait on the Lord: abundant redemption and plenty mercy!
Then there are a couple of scriptures from Bruh David that we all know, but don’t necessarily action them. (smile) The first comes from Psalm 127 – My Heart Shall Not Fear. he writes: ‘I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait (in faith), I say, on the Lord.’ (Ps. 27:13 -14) Bruh David could not have put it any clearer or stronger than that my faithful brethren. And we all know his story, where although he made some bad mistakes, he waited on the Lord for most of his life, and he was successful as a king, a warrior, a poet and a musician.
And yes, it is hard to wait on the Lord’s timing. I can tell you that from personal experience, because I’ve been through it earlier on in life. When I didn’t wait, my projects were unsuccessful, but when I waited, they bore good fruit. Right now, I have several projects waiting in the wings, but not doing anything about them, either because I’m too lazy to jump start them, (smile) or the Lord has me in waiting mode. I’d like to think it’s the latter, but who knows,?
Anyway, I’ve learned from hard experience that when the time is right, things will happen. Therefore I’m doing as Bruh David says in Psalm 37 – Trust in the Lord – ‘Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.’ (Ps. 37:4) And do I ever have several desires of mine heart still left to be manifested, in the short time I have left! (smile)
And lastly, there’s this verse also from Psalm 37, where Bruh David advises us to: ‘Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off thou shalt see it.’ (Ps. 37:34) Yes my people, if we want to see the goodness and mercy of God, then we have to wait on His timing. That’s the living truth. Now, let’s declare and thus activate our undeserved Thursday Blessings, which the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work.
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 we’re now duty bound to 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!
…in the Lord’s kingdom…timing is everything…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
19 Mar 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a good attitude, a just man falleth seven times and riseth up again, a tough nut to crack, abundance, adversity, as generously as the Lord shared them with us, ascend up into heaven, at thy right hand, become intimate with God, behold thou art there, broken right now in the name of Jesus, Christian maturity, christianity, clear direction for my life, come to know and love christ like we do, commit thy way unto the Lord, constantly be on the lookout, courage, creativity, curse, divine protection, duty bound, dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall thy hand lead me, experience with adversity, faith, favour, feed on his faithfulness, foundational truth, good health, he shall bring it to pass, he shall direct thy paths, holy spirit, I will give thee rest, in all thy ways acknowledge him, in thy presence is fullness of joy, Jane Williams, Jesus Christ, lean not unto thine own understanding, like a thief in the night, LOVE, make my bed in hell, Mellitus College, mercy, my presence shall go with thee, negative words, never escape the presence of God, omni-present, poverty wages, Prayer Through The, promotion, salvation, self-control, shew me the paths of life, so shall thou dwell in the land, take heed, take the wings of the morning, talent, teach me to wait with patience, the BIBLE, the penultimate day of our work week, the problem of trust, the unknown future, there are pleasures for ever more, thou art there, thou shalt be fed, thy right hand shall hold me, to go out and share those blessings, to know your presence, to prepare a place for me, to trust that you are with me, trust also in him, trust comes with experience, trust in the Lord and do good, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, truth, waiting with faith, walking by faith and not by sight, watch and pray, watch with alertness, we need to feel God's presence, whither shall I flee from thy presence, whither shall I go from thy spirit, wisdom
Proverbs 3:5. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
And then we come to Thursday, the penultimate day of our work week. Wow! The week’s almost over! But please remember what Jesus said, don’t look forward too much to tomorrow, Friday, for Friday will present its own problems, (Matt. 6:34) let’s concentrate mostly on handling today’s challenges. (smile) Now, since God so generously spared our lives to see another day on His wonderful though currently chaotic planet earth, let’s keep our promise to continue looking at the prayer credited to Jane Williams, a professor at St. Mellitus College in London, England, founded in 2007, whose mission is to provide innovative theological education and training for those called to serve Christ in the church and the world.
The prayer is found in the 2025 publication of the Anglican Diocese of Toronto, titled ‘Prayers Through The Ages.’ And it’s short and sweet enough for us to pray it again. (smile) So please pray with me: ‘Christ, you have gone before me to prepare a place for me, that where you are there I may be also. Teach me to wait with patience, to watch with alertness, to trust that you are with me in the unknown future and to know your presence.’ What wonderful sentiments! And yesterday we looked at Jesus’ promise to go and prepare a place for us and then come back to take us with Him, (John 14:1-3) a foundational truth of our faith, as well as the request for God to teach us to wait with patience.
Now that waiting with patience is a tough nut to crack, because it only comes through lots of experience; waiting with faith and a good attitude despite the adversity we all go through. Likewise the other request from the prayer: ‘teach me to watch with alertness.’ That only comes through faith and experience. As we saw a few day ago, where Jesus warns us to ‘Take heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.’ (Mark 13:33)
Yes, we know that Jesus is coming back, but we don’t know when, and it could be anytime, like a thief in the night. That means we have to constantly be on the lookout and also be ready. For if He comes back and we’re not ready, then it’s hell fire and damnation for us. That’s why these words of His are so important. ‘And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.’ (Mark 13:37) And we cannot overestimate how important it is to watch and be ready for whenever Jesus returns.
Then there’s the problem of trust, which means walking by faith and not sight. (2 Cor. 5:7) Putting all our trust in Jesus is again not easy, and only comes with experience. The longer we live with Jesus, the more we see His absolute faithfulness and learn to trust Him. And again there are numerous scriptures that detail that requirement. And here are a couple of the most prominent verses. The first ones come from Cousin Sol in Proverbs. ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make straight or smooth) thy paths.’ (Prov. 3:5-6)
Then there’s this from Bruh David from Psalm 37. ‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on His faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.’ (Ps. 37:3-5)
And finally the prayer talks about knowing God’s presence. That’s another aspect that only comes with experience. But knowing and feeling God’s presence around us is of major importance, as it especially brings us comfort and lack of fear. And there are many scriptures that talk about the importance of feeling God’s presence in our daily lives. And I guess the first one ought to be Moses’ plea to God for grace and knowledge of Him, (Ex.33:13) while leading the Israelites to the Promised Land. ‘And he (God) said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.’ (Ex. 33;14)
Now that gave Moses the encouragement he needed, because he knew if the Lord wasn’t present with them, they would see lots of trouble. Then in Psalm 16, Bruh David encourages us with this titillating verse on the subject. He writes: ‘Thou wilt shew me the paths of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for ever more.’ (Ps. 16:11) Yes friends, when we’re in the presence of God, our spirits are light and fanciful and there’s such joy that we cannot contain it.
And I believe Bruh David says it best in the remarkable Psalm 139 ‘Praise to the All-Knowing God.’ There, he expounds thus on God’s presence: ‘Whither shall (can) I go from thy spirit? or whither shall (can) I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea: Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.’ (Ps. 139: 7-10)
Oh my people, that just goes to show that we can never escape the presence of God; for he’s Omi-present Wherever we go, He’s always around. And every time I read that scripture I’m reminded of the first time I heard it acted out so marvellously by Dr. Robert Schuller on the Hour of Power T.V. programme. The problem though with God’s presence is for us to feel it. He’s always there, but unless we feel it, it does us no good. And to do that we have to become very intimate with God, through prayer, His Word and the Holy Spirit that dwells within us to lead, guide and comfort us.
Unfortunately friends, the whole Christian thing, growing in spiritual maturity, takes time and experience; going through adversity and failure, but not giving up because your faith and trust is strong. And every time you go through something negative; your faith gets stronger. As Cousin Sol says: ‘For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again…’ (Prov. 24:16a) That’s the only way to grow!
Now, let’s declare our Thursday Blessings, undeserved ones, so generously bestowed on us by God to do His earthly work. 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, we’re now duty bound 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!
…growing in Christian maturity…only comes through… sincere trust and faith in God…and experience with adversity…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
12 Mar 2026
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 strong will, a tree with a third of its leaves in winter, abundance, according to His abundant mercy, acquiring earthly treasure should not be your number one goal, an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, can't take your earthly treasure with you when you die, cannot be divided between him and one's material possessions, cannot worship material wealth and God simultaneously, check out a junkyard, come to know and love God like we do, consequences to every action, courage, creativity, curse, detest making mistakes, don't ignore today's challenges, don't look forward too much to tomorrow, drive you to do all kinds of evil, everything in the junkyard was once new, faith, favour, forgive me, getting soft in the head, go out and share our blessings, god moves in mysterious ways, gospel truth, hate the one and love the other, hath begotten us again unto a lively hope, hold to the one and despise the other, holy spirit, interesting phenomenon, Jesus Christ, kept by the power of God, lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, LOVE, mercy, morally untainted, negative word, no man serve two masters, not one of meritorious benefits, not subject ot the ravages of time, our foucus is concentrated on our treasure, our improper attitude of enslavement toward wealth, reserved in heaven for you, rewards for faithful service, salvation, self-control, Sermon on the Mount, supernatural wisdom, talent, that fadeth not away, the accumulation of things, the concept of laying up treasures in heaven, the current worldly trend, the indisputable truth, the LOVE of money, the penultimate day of our work week, thieves break through and steal, thieves do not break through and steal, through faith unto salvation, to be revealed in the last time, to run down earthly wealth, total loyalty to God, truth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, where neither moth and rust doth corrupt, where your treasure is there will be your heart also, wisdom, worked our tails off, Ye cannot serve God and mammon, your number one treasure ought to be seeking the kingdom of God and His righeousness
Matthew 6:21. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Oh friends, it’s Thursday, our penultimate day of the week! It’s a windy one with some sunshine, but also a cloud cover, and please, as Jesus says, don’t look forward too much to tomorrow and thus ignore today’s challenges. (Matt. 6:34) The weekend will come in due time and give you enough troubles to manage.
Anyway, I don’t know if the ole fella is getting soft in the head or what, (smile) but I just noticed that I sent our yesterday’s Bit as the 10th of March instead of the 11th. And I always check the dates and headings before I send them out. But the problem lies in the fact that I usually copy the headings and just change the dates, apparently though, I forgot to do that yesterday. Please forgive me. And I know you will, but it’s if I can forgive myself, for I detest making mistakes, especially such glaring ones, although I know they are a human possibility. (smile) But please don’t worry, we will get over it eventually.
Now here’s an interesting phenomenon I noticed some time last week. On looking out my bedroom window on to my backyard, I suddenly noticed that the big tree in my neighbour’s yard still had about three to four dozen leaves attached to it from the bottom branches to a third of the way up. And they are not new growth, for they are light brown in colour. That means they must have weathered the winter with all the snow, strong winds and lack of proper nourishment. I can’t remember ever seeing this sort of thing before, where two thirds of a tree was bare while the remaining third had numerous leaves on it’s dry branches. And I wonder how come I never noticed it before, as I look out my bedroom window every day to see what’s happening out there.
But who knows why and how it happened? So we’ll just place it in the God moves in mysterious ways folder, until we know better. (smile) And here’s another most important and appropriate message from Jesus to His followers. This from His teachings on the Sermon on the Mount, where He strongly admonishes us: ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ (Matt. 6:19-21)
And we all know that’s the indisputable truth; wherever our treasure is hidden that’s where our focus will be concentrated. But unfortunately, too many of us still kill ourselves working, or scamming, to lay up earthly treasures for ourselves, despite knowing the truth of Jesus’ warning. But just check out a junkyard. Everything in there was once bright, shiny and new, and we worked or stole our tails off to get them. But with the passage of time they withered, rusted, or rotted and are now considered junk.
Then things like money and jewels are stolen or fraudulently acquired every day. Banks are robbed, big museums are robbed in broad daylight despite the many intrepid alarm systems they possess. So there’s really no safe way to hoard your earthly possessions. And Jesus didn’t even talk about the worse part of hoarding earthly treasures, that is when you die you don’t carry them with you, but leave them right here on earth for others to waste or fight over. So what’s the point of running down earthly treasures eh? None whatsoever!
Now Jesus didn’t mean you cannot acquire earthly treasures, but that should not be your number one goal. Your number one goal should be seeking God’s kingdom and His righteousness, which would allow you to lay up treasures in heaven, where there are no moths, rust or thieves, and whatever you lay up there is completely safe. And Peter seconds Jesus’ warning 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.’ (1 Pet. 1:3-5)
Yes my fellow believers, if the Lord could raise Jesus from the dead, and keep our inheritance of salvation and eternal life imperishable or indestructible, morally untainted and not subject to the ravages of time, why can’t He keep our other lesser treasures and rewards that we store in heaven safe eh? No reason at all. And the scholars offer this explanation on the subject of treasures. ‘The attention of the believer is directed toward treasures in heaven. The term ‘treasures’ implies the addition or accumulation of things. The two kinds of treasures are conditioned by their place (either on earth or in heaven). The concept of laying up treasures in heaven is not pictured as one of meritorious benefits but rather rewards for faithful service, as illustrated elsewhere in the teaching of Jesus.’
And with that explanation come this other warning, where some of us try to ride the fence. Jesus rightfully declares: ‘No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and LOVE the other, or else he will hold to the one (be loyal to one), and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.’ (Matt. 6:24) That’s more gospel truth friends! You cannot worship material wealth and God at the same time. As the scholars say: ‘Total loyalty to God cannot be divided between Him and one’s material possessions… Jesus is not condemning money or possessions in and of themselves, but the improper attitude of enslavement toward wealth.’
But how many of us are listening to Jesus eh? Not a whole lot, for the current trend in our world is to run down earthly wealth like it’s going out of style. Anyway, unless we choose to listen, nobody can really tell us how to make our individual way in this evil, greedy and ungodly world. But let’s remember there are consequences to every action, and some of those consequences can be very dangerous and damning. So please pay serious attention to the warnings of Jesus, for He knows whereof He speaks.
Now let’s declare and thus activate our underserved Thursday Blessings that God has so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work. 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 now behooves us 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 as we do! Much LOVE!
…the LOVE of money and/or material wealth…will drive you to do all kinds of evil deeds…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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