08 Aug 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a crown of life, a crown of righteousness, a pure heart, abundance, all things work together for good, all to god's glory, be careful to maintian good works, blessed is the man that endureth temptation, called according to His purpose, creativity, curse, faith, faith if it hath no works is dead, favour, finished my course, for our benefit, fought the good fight, God is still controlling things, god is still on his throne, good friends, hang in there for Christ, he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him, He is faithful that promised, he that comes to God, he that cometh to God must believe that He is, hold fast the profession of our faith, I have refused him, Jesus Christ, kept the faith, look not on his countenance, LOVE, man looketh on the outward appearance, negative word, omnipotent god, on the height of his stature, our ever-faithful God, receive the crown of life, right motives, sincere hearts, talent, the Lord hath promised to them that love Him, the Lord looketh on the heart, the Lord seeth not as man seeth, the righteous judge, their wake of dust, them that love God, these things affirm constantly, these things are good and profitable, they which have believed in God, this is a faithful saying, Thursday Blessings, to all them who love his appearing, truth, when he is tried, wisdom, without faith it is impossible to please God, without wavering
2 Timothy 4:7. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith:
Oh friends, can you believe that we’re already into the eight day of August? The month just began late last week, and it’s almost a third over already. The days are just whizzing by, leaving many of us (including me) in their wake of dust. But not to worry, our omnipotent God is still on His throne, and He’s still controlling things, and if you’re a follower of His magnificent Son, Jesus Christ, then you can be assured that He has you in the palm of His hand, looking after you, and eventually everything will be okay.
As Bruh Paul promised in Romans: ‘And we know that all things work together for good for them that LOVE God, to them who are called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28) So although things aren’t looking so hot now, if we persevere with Christ, stand strong and steadfast throughout the many trials and tribulations, do our best to witness in His name, and live a life that’s overall pleasing to Him, then, in the end, the Lord will make it work out for our benefit.
And if you don’t believe that, then there’s also this magnificent promise that we read in yesterday’s Bit from James. ‘Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried (has been proved), he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that LOVE him.’ (James 1:12) Oh my people, isn’t that a most reassuring scripture? It certainly is! As it encourages us to hang in there for Christ, because in the long run we will benefit greatly.
That leads us to these two other marvellous and true scriptures from Hebrews. The first one says: ‘Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) (Heb. 10:23) That means we have to hold on steadfastly to our faith, without ever giving up, despite the highs and lows we will go through, because God is ever-faithful. And you definitely cannot be a sincere believer in Christ unless you believe and live by the faithful promises of our ever-faithful God!
Which brings us to this other noteworthy scripture. ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb. 11:6) Yes my fellow saints, that scripture expects two things from us; the first being we cannot please God unless we have faith, we must believe that He exists, and is who He says He is. And it’s not only the talking faith, but also the action kind.
Remember what James says: ‘Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.’ (James 2:17) And that’s a major reason why our world is in such a chaotic state; too many of us supposed believers are talking our faith, but not working it, which does absolutely nothing to bring unbelievers to the kingdom.
And the second expectation of that last scripture from Hebrews is that we must believe God rewards those who diligently seek Him. And that’s ever so important in our faith walk, for if don’t believe that, then we will never put our best foot forward. Not that we’re putting our best foot forward only to get rewards, but it gives us something concrete to look forward to, like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
Oh, we were indeed made by God to do good works in Christ, meaning that we’re expected to do good works when we become believers, but with those good works, He’s promised numerous rewards. As these words of Bruh Paul in his letter to Titus acknowledge. ‘This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.’ (Titus 3:8)
And remember we’re not doing good works just to get rewards, but our hearts, our motives must be pure, which brings up what the Lord said to Samuel when he sent him to anoint the next king of Israel from one of Jesse’s sons. When Eliab the first son came in, he looked real good, tall, handsome, strong, etc., like he would make an excellent king. ‘But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature, because I have refused (rejected) him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.’ (1 Sam. 16:7)
Now, it’s obvious that we won’t do everything with right motives and a pure heart, and the Lord understands that, because He created us and knows all our faults and foibles, but overall, that ought to be our desire. And to pull it all together, I believe these memorable words of Bruh Paul to Timothy perfectly encapsulate what we’ve been trying to say.
‘For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure (death) is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give to me at that day; and not to me only, but unto all them also that LOVE his appearing.’ (2 Tim. 4:6-8)
Wow! What awesome words my brethren! And I know that very few, if any of us can reach the levels of faith and works that Bruh Paul achieved, but we can certainly die trying. (smile) Yes, at the end of our earthly days, it would definitely be nice to say words like those, or words close to them. But we can only do that if we stand strong and steadfast in our heyday and make hay for Christ while the sun shines in our lives! Now let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings, so we can activate those undeserved blessings the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work.
Altogether: ‘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 passionate declaration (steups!!!) we must now go out and use those blessings on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…whatever we do…let it be with sincere hearts…all to the glory of God…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
25 Jul 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adversity, be of good courage, Bible, Blessed be the name of the Lord, count it all joy, creativity, curse, curse God and die, enduring to the end, faith, favour, fret not because of him who prospers, fret not thyself, fruit of the Spirit, god, He also shall be my salvation, he shall strengthen thine heart, he who endures to the end shall be saved, health, in your patience posses ye your souls, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Job prayed for his friends, longsuffering, LOVE, naked came I out of my mother's womg, naked shall I return thither, negative word, one who lives by faith and not by sight, pateince is bitter but its fruit is sweet, patience, perseverance, Rest in the Lord, shall we not receive evil, shall we receive good at the hand of God, talent, the drudgery of work, the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning, The Lord gave and He hath taken away, Though he slay me, to lose patience is to lose the battle, trials produce patience, trials test our faith, tribulation worketh patience, truth, unquenchable faith, wait in faith on the Lord, wait patiently for him, yet will I trust him
Luke 21:19. In your patience possess ye your souls.
It’s Thursday friends! One more day to Friday, our day of escape from the drudgery of work! (smile) And though work might not be to our liking, let’s realize its utmost importance in our lives, for remember, if we don’t work, most likely we won’t eat. Nuff said. Now, let’s fulfill our promise of a couple of days ago to continue looking into that magnificent, but oh so hard to cultivate, fruit of the Spirit called patience.
The last time we saw how James talked about counting it all joy when we fall into various trials, because those trials test our faith and produce patience. (James 1:2-3) And that’s the cut-tail thing about patience, it can only grow through adversity, through disappointments and such. Because patience is not only waiting for whatever we expect, but also waiting with a good temperament and behaviour.
That’s why Bruh David says in Psalm 27: ‘Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say on the Lord.’ (Ps. 27:14) And again in Psalm 35, he advises: ‘Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass.’ (Ps. 35:7)
But what does it mean to wait on the Lord? This commentary puts it quite simply. ‘In the scriptures, the word wait means to hope, to anticipate, and to trust. To hope and trust in the Lord requires faith, patience, humility, meekness, long-suffering, keeping the commandments, and enduring to the end.’ Yes friends, we need all of those things to be able to acquire that elusive attribute overall called patience. And we cannot grow in spiritual maturity without it. and no, it’s not easy to acquire, but it’s an essential part of true discipleship.
Look at the story of Job, where the Lord allowed Satan to come against him. He was a righteous man and had not done any apparent wrong, but yet, in short time he lost everything; health, wealth, children. And when he heard the terrible news, what was his response? The Bible tells us: ‘Then Job arose, and rent (tore) his mantle (robe), and shaved his head, and fell down on the ground, and worshipped. And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly (accused Him with wrong).’ (Job. 1:20-22)
Now, how many of us would have had that reaction to such a terrible loss? Very few, if any. But that was Job’s reaction. Then his wife said to him: ‘dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God and die. But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive (accept) good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive (accept) evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.’ (Job 2:9-10)
And when three of Job’s supposed friends showed up to ostensibly comfort him, all they could think of and harp on was that Job had committed some big sin, that’s why such disaster had befallen him. And although he kept telling them he had committed no terrible sin, they still lectured him as though he had. Fine friends those. But here’s the very essence of Job’s faith. Despite his disaster, he could still declare: ‘Though he slay me, yet will I trust him: but I will maintain (defend) mine own ways before him. he also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before him.’ (Job 13:15-16)
Oh my fellow believers, what faith! As the scholars say; Job’s words ‘express the unquenchable faith of one who lives by faith, not by sight. Even when it appears that God Himself has turned against Job, he will still trust God.’ Now that’s the kind of faith we all need to have in these evil times if we desire to make a difference, to be the salt and light that Jesus desires us to be. Unfortunately though few of us have it…and even fewer want to develop it, because it takes sacrifice and adversity.
But look at Job’s final situation. The Bible informs us that when Job prayed for his friends, the Lord gave him twice as much as he had before. (Job 42:10) Also: ‘The Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning:’ and it goes on to tell of all the wealth and children Job received. (Job 42:12-15) And furthermore: ‘After this lived job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, even four generations. So Job died, being old and full of days.’ (Job 42:16-17)
Yes friends, it’s a great story, and it’s why Job is called the Father of Patience. But it’s certainly not an easy story to enact, especially in these times of ease, wealth and much entitlement. However, we do have to do better than we’re currently doing; increasing our patience, and thus our faith, and putting it as best we can into action…right now!
Note too, this commentary on what Jeus taught on patience. ‘Jesus said, “In your patience possess ye your souls” (Luke 21:19). He also emphasized, “He who endures to the end shall be saved” (Matt. 24:13 NKJV). Some things don’t happen overnight, and it takes patience to get there.’ And that’s for certain sure my brethren, as these famous words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome indicate.
‘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 patience (produces perseverance); And patience, experience (character); and experience hope: And hope maketh not ashamed (does not disappoint); because the LOVE of God is shed abroad (has been poured out) in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.’ (Rom. 5:1-5)
Yes my people, patience is a difficult thing to acquire, but if we want to be true followers of Christ, we must sincerely seek to acquire it. Now let’s go home declaring (steupsss!!!) our Thursday Blessings so we can activate those blessings that the Lord has very generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work.
As one voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
Now, we’re 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!
… “To lose patience is to lose the battle. —Mahatma Gandhi… “Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.” —Jean-Jacques Rousseau…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
27 Jun 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a strong will, abundance, be not dismayed, Bible, blessed are ye, christianity, conditional promises, courage, creativity, curse, discipleship, even to the end of the world, faith, fear not, fear thou not for I am with thee, for my sake, god, great is your reward in heaven, heavenly blessings, holy spirit, I am thy God, I am with you always, I have called the by name, I have redeemed thee, I will be with thee, I will strengthen thee, Jesus, Jesus Christ, like the Son of God, LOVE, meditating on the scriptures, negative outlook on life, neither shall the flame kindle thee, our response to God's promises, persecute you, rejoice and be exceeding glad, say all manner of evil against you falsely, show our mettle, stand strong in Faith, stepping up to the plate, supernatural wisdom, talent, Thank You Lord, the form of the fourth, the help of God, they shall not overflow thee, they that strive with thee shall perish, thou art mine, thou shalt not be burned, through the rivers, unconditional promises, uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness, when men shall revile you, when thou pass through the waters, when thou walkest through the fire, wisdom
Isaiah 43:1b. O Israel, Fear not; for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by name; thou art mine.
And then it was Thursday, the penultimate day of our work week, a somewhat cool and cloudy summer’s day. It’s definitely not as hot as those of the last week, and neither is the wind as strong as it’s recently been. The beleaguered trees must certainly have sent up a ‘Thank You Lord Prayer’ for this break in the cruel wind dance they’ve been forced to perform for way too long. (smile)
But you know what friends, in this crazy and cruel world, oftentimes we are also called on to perform deeds we don’t want to perform, for long periods of time, and it’s only with the help of God, through His Holy Spirit are we able to hang on until a period of rest comes. And it’s of the utmost importance for believers to note and to remember that we have the assurance of our great God that He will enable us to hang in there, though our world seems to be falling apart at our very feet.
Listen to these comforting and reassuring words of God from the Book of Isaiah, as he let’s the children of Israel, and also we believers today, know that we have been chosen by Almighty God. ‘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. Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded (disgraced): they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.’ (Is. 41:10-11)
Yes my fellow believers, that’s a sure promise of our ever-faithful God for us to hold on to in these dark and very dangerous times. Now it won’t all happen automatically… No! We have to make our contribution to the situation by sincerely believing and having the faith that allows us to do what’s necessary while holding on the Lord’s promise. And those things are only attained by constantly meditating on the scriptures, putting them into action, praying and fellowshipping with other believers.
Remember, we are partners with God, and in almost every situation we have a partner’s part to play, for the Lord won’t do it all, every time. And, unfortunately, that’s why so many of us supposed believers don’t see the Lord’s hand at work in our lives; we don’t do our part, simply expecting the Lord to show up and make every thing right.
Oh, sometimes He will, but certainly not all the time, because He expects us to pull our weight. He’s given us the promises, some of which are unconditional, but many that are conditional, or depend on our coming up to scratch, stepping up to the plate. So, to avail ourselves of the Lord’s promises, it’s often necessary to show our faith, our mettle and stand up strong, do whatever it takes to make the promises come true in our lives.
Now here’s another interesting promise from the Lord through Isaiah, as He assures the children of Israel of their redemption. ‘But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not; for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon (scorch) thee.’ (Is, 43:1-2)
And my beleiving brethren, we’ve seen those promises literally come to pass, like when the Hebrew teenagers, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were thrown into the fire for not bowing down to the idol made by the Babylonian king, but they came out untouched, not even smelling of smoke. (Dan. 3) The king when looking into the furnace even said that he saw four people instead of three in there… ‘and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God (a son of the gods) (Dan. 3:25)
You see friends, Jesus Himself was in there with those faithful teenagers. And it’s the same way He’ll be with us when we suffer trials and tribulations for His sake. Remember His words from the Sermon on the Mount. ‘Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.’ (Matt. 5::11-12)
And no, it’s not always easy to put up with false accusations and unjust persecutions while doing Jesus’ work, but unfortunately it’s all part of our discipleship. And while giving us the wherewithal to handle it, He will also stand beside us during the whole time of trial. For He’s also promised: ‘and, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:20b)
Yes my fellow saints, life on this earth never was easy, and never will be, until Jesus returns and sets up His kingdom, but in the meanwhile He’s assured us of His awesome help by coming to earth and dying on the cross of Calvary to pay our sin debt in full, redeeming us like promised in Isaiah. Then rising from the dead and assuring us of that same resurrection if we believe in Him, then sending the Holy Spirit to dwell in us, to lead, guide and comfort us in our times of trial, and finally to return and take us back with him, so that wherever He is, we might also be. We certainly cannot expect more from Him. No! The rest of it is up to us… providing we believe.
And God is so good to us that He’s also given us a bunch of undeserved heavenly blessings to do His earthly work. So let’s declare them so they can be activated in our lives. As one voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration (yesss!!!) we are 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!
…God’s promised us a lot…but a lot depends on…our response to the promises…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
20 Jun 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a sweet smelling savour, a taste of hellfire, abundance, already reached perfection, an offering and a sacrifice to God, as Christ loved us, avoid hell, be all that Christ saved me for, be with us to the end of the world, be ye followers of God, being confident of this very thing, Bible, bounden duty, chickens coming home to roost, christianity, consuming desire, conversion takes a moment, courage, creativity, curse, faith, for the prize of the high calling in God, forgetting the past, god, growth takes a lifetime, he which hath begun a good work in you, heatwave, I press toward the mark, I strain to reach the end of the race, It Takes a Lifetime, Jesus, Jesus Christ, keep working toward that day, looking forward to what lies ahead, LOVE, negative word, never leave nor forsake u, never lose sight of heaven, no AC in hell, One Year Book of Bible promises, prosper, reached the pinnacle that God ordained, Ruth Harms Calkin, sacrifice is a part of discipleship, self-discipline, succeed, supernatural wisdom, sweet smelling aroma, talent, Thursday Blessings, tough sledding, turn to Jesus right now, walk in LOVE, will perform it until the day of Jesus, wisdom
Philippians 3:14. I press toward the mark (goal) for the prize of the high (upward) calling of God in Christ Jesus.
And the band of musicians and revellers came dancing down the street in the hot sun singing: ‘Heat wave, heat wave…Everywhere is heatwave…’ And that seems to be the gospel truth these days, for all about the world that familiar refrain is being heard. In my neighbourhood we’re now up to our fourth or fifth day of over thirty-degree temps… I’ve lost count. And even when we have a strong wind, the wind’s invariably hot.
Ah Lord eh! Our chickens are coming home to roost. We getting a li’l taste of what hellfire’s going to be like, and most of us definitely don’t like it. (smile) And remember, you won’t be able to turn on no AC down there. So I’d strongly recommend that we turn to Jesus RIGHT NOW and accept Him as Lord and Saviour, so that we can avoid that inferno, where we’ll sashay down to at the end times, if He isn’t the Lord of our lives.
Consequently, unless you have to go out, it’s best to stay inside in air conditioned comfort, if possible. And if you do have to go out, make sure you’re well protected with sun-block, leaving as little skin as possible exposed to the scorching elements. End of Sermon! (smile)
And today, I’ve been led to a rather appropriate writing from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin titled, ‘It Takes a Lifetime.’ Not sure if I’ve shared it before, but it’s ever so apropos for these treacherous and ungodly times.
Please read with me: ‘How I LOVE the words of the apostle Paul. “I don’t mean to say…that I have already reached perfection! But I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be. No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.” (Phil. 3:12-14 NLT)
What tremendous encouragement! Paul, who knew Jesus Christ so intimately, whose consuming desire was to please him, who endured illness, imprisonment, shipwreck, beatings, mockery, and heartache all for the sake of Christ – this very same Paul confessed he hadn’t “arrived.” God was still growing him! I see again, while my conversion took but a moment, my growth takes an entire lifetime. In God’s great wisdom and knowledge He anticipates the finished product while He LOVINGLY takes me through the long, long process.’ End of story!
And what a most enlightening and encouraging story it is my faithful believers. It clearly shows us that the tough and resilient Bruh Paul, who withstood numerous difficulties and dangers for the Lord’s sake, still didn’t think that he had reached the pinnacle that God had called him to attain. It’s the same with us. As the story says, it takes a moment to be converted, but a lifetime to reach our planned end. And all that time God is growing us, transforming, shaping us into the perfect image of His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, for that’s been His most ardent desire from the beginning of time.
Yes friends, Ephesians 5 tells us in no uncertain terms: ‘Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children: And walk in LOVE, as Christ also hath LOVED us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour (aroma).’ (Eph. 5:1-2) That means we have to be like Jesus in both our thinking and behaviour.
And this passage from Philippians puts it even better. ‘Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men (emptied himself of all his privileges). And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ (Phil. 2:5-8)
Oh my people, Jesus though deity, came to earth as a man, as a servant, and sacrificed himself for us on the cross of Calvary. So, if we’re to be like Jesus, then we ought to be prepared to sacrifice ourselves, both on His behalf and those of our fellow believers. Let’s remember that sacrifice is an integral part of discipleship. And though we might find it tough sledding sometimes, we need to remember what Jesus did for us, and that He’s promised never to leave nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5) and to be with us always, even unto the end of the world. (Matt. 28:20) Those scriptures ought to keep us encouraged and constantly working on His behalf.
Now here’s this other important scripture that shows God’s presence, purpose and plan for us. Bruh Paul writes to the Philippians: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil. 1:6) Of course my fellow believers! If God begins a good work in us, transforming us to the behaviour and beliefs of Jesus, He won’t stop until He takes us home or Jesus returns to earth! So there’s no need to fear being left out in the cold, like some unfinished work that someone just threw aside. Our God will NEVER do that! He LOVES us too much! We’re too valuable to Him; His greatest and most dear creation!
But we have to be of the same mind as Jesus. That’s prepared to work though whatever comes against us, and do like Bruh Paul says: ‘I press toward the mark (goal) for the prize of the high (upward) calling of God in Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 3:14) Please, my fellow saints, I plead with us to never lose sight of that high calling of God in Christ, for it’s our earthly goal. Now, let’s declare our Thursday Blessings, so that we can activate them. Blessings so generously given to us by our heavenly Father to do His earthly work.
Altogether: ‘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 now activated those blessings, it’s our bounden duty to go out and use them for the benefit of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…while here on earth…Christians should never lose sight of heaven…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
13 Jun 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, a great family, a li'l light displaces much darkness, belief, Bible, Christian walk, christianity, conviction, courage, creativity, curse, eil cronies, exercising our faith, faith, faith builders, favour, glorify your father in heaven, god, God always anoints us to do His work, good friends, have the light of life, he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, I am come a light into the world, I am the light of the world, in the face of adversity, Jesus, Jesus Christ, leave a good legacy, Let your light so shine before men, LOVE, negative word, prosper, remember what god has done for us before, scared of failure, seen a great light, shy away from God's work, sin, succeed, supernatural wisdom, the land of the shadow of death, the onus is on us, the people that walked in darkness, they may see your good works, Thursday Blessings, truth, upon them hath the light shined, whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness, wisdom, Ye are the light of the world, ye are the salt of the earth
John 8:12. I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
And then it was Thursday, the penultimate day of our work week. Another week of the month, of the year, of our lives behind us… And did we do anything in it that will leave a good legacy behind us for others to contemplate and possibly follow? For all our sakes, I surely hope so, (smile) otherwise it would have been just another wasted week in our wonderful, God-given lives. Ah friends, too many of us waste our lives either doing nothing or doing stuff that’s not really worthwhile, while God has a plan for us to do good work for His kingdom. And many of us shy away from doing God’s work, from putting His plan for our lives into action because we’re either sacred of failure, or find that God’s plan might be too big for us to handle.
But remember friends, God NEVER asks us to do anything without giving us the necessary tools, the wherewithal, the anointing to do it. But we have to dredge up the conviction, the faith, the belief that we can do it, otherwise all the anointing will be of no use. We need to remember all the promises He’s made us, and all the times before when He’s helped us through whatever project He had assigned. That’s one of the most important faith builders in our Christian walk; remembering all the previous times when God saw us through whatever problems we encountered, and believing that if He could do it before, He can certainly do it again.
Oh my people, the onus to make something of our lives is not on God, but on us. He gives us whatever we need, shows us the way, then we have to get up and action the situation. And yes, it oftentimes takes a lot of faith to do stuff in the face of adversity, but the Lord has sincerely promised to never leave nor forsake us, and since we full well know that He’s not a God who reneges on any of His promises, then we should have the gumption to get up and do His will. But laziness…and fear…the need for comfort…etc. etc. keep us from exercising our faith.
Unfortunately though, when we fail to react positively to God’s will, it leaves the way completely open for the devil and his evil cronies to pile more evil into our world, enslave more of our brethren into the depths of darkness that the evil doers like to keep their captives in. And that’s against the very reason that Jesus came to earth. As He says in the gospel of John: ‘I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ (John 8:12) And Jesus’ coming was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy: ‘The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.’ (Is. 9:2)
Then later on in John’s gospel Christ reiterated His purpose of bringing light to a darkened world when He cried out to the unbelieving people, some of whom believed in Him, but were afraid that the Pharisees would put them out of the synagogue if they showed their faith, for they LOVED the praise of men more than the praise of God. ‘Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me. I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.’ (John 12:44-46)
Oh friends, Jesus did not come to earth to do His own will, but that of the Father, that means when we refuse to get up and do God’s will we are thwarting the very reason Jesus came into the world; to save it from the evil powers of darkness, and bring it into the bright and shining light of God the Father. Sin has caused our world to become a dark and frightening place with nothing good to ever come out of it. However, Jesus came to change all of that, to bring light to a darkened world, and we are a part of His plan to do so.
Consequently, He’s depending on us to get up and help Him spread the good news of His gospel and bring the many captives and slaves of darkness into the bright light of His kingdom. Remember what He said: ‘As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’ (John 9:5) But once He left this world, He expects His followers; apostles, disciples or whatever you choose to call them to continue being the light and continue spreading the truth of His word. That’s why He also said in the Sermon on the Mount: ‘Ye are the salt of the earth…Ye are the light of the world… Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:13, 14,16.)
Yes my fellow saints, that’s our basic purpose on this earth; to spread the light of Christ through His gospel, His word of truth. And when we refuse to do it, regardless of the reason, we effectively short-circuit the entire operation, for each chain is only as strong as its weakest link. So please, let’s wake up and stand up for Christ, the way He stood up for us! And as I said earlier on, God doesn’t ask us to do anything without giving us the wherewithal to do it, and He’s generously blessed us with the very tools we need to do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings. So let’s declare them (chuhhh!!!) so they can be activated.
Altogether: ‘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 those amazing blessings under our belts, it’s our duty to go out and share them with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they can come out of their darkness into the light of Jesus, and come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…where light shines…darkness is displaced…and it only takes a li’l light to displace much darkness…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
02 May 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a heart glowing with praise, a positive outlook on life, be careful for nothing, Bible, christianity, compassionate heart, courage, creativity, devotional, faith, favour curse, great is our God and of great power, great is our Lord, great is thy faithfulness, he healeth the broken in heart, his compassions fail not, his understanding is limitless, in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, in every thing give thanks, in the morning, it is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, it is good to sing praises unto God, It is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed, it is pleasant, Jesus Christ, LOVE, mercy, more love and joy, negative word, praise is comely, Praise ye the Lord, pray without ceasing, psalms, rejoice evermore, success, supernatural strength, the believer's best freind, they are new every morning, this is the will of God in Christ, Thursday Blessings, thy faithfulness every night, to shew forth thy lovingkindness, to sing praises unto thy name O Most High, to warm our cold hearts, upon an instrument of ten strings, upon the harp, with a solemn sound, worship
Psalm 92:1. ‘It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:
Oh friends, at long last, warm and sunny days seem to be here again! Thank the Lord! It’s about time we felt some of the sun’s awesome heat to warm our cold hearts, souls, bodies and minds after this long winter season. Granted, it wasn’t that cold, but still the chilly, damp weather is what really gets into the bones and causes all sorts of illnesses and emotional downturns. But with summer seemingly on the way, there is a li’l more LOVE and joy in the society, although not as much as we so badly need.
And today we’ll take a look at a couple of scriptures about giving thanks to our great God, for all that He’s done on our behalf. And the first scriptures come from Psalm 92, aptly titled ‘Give Thanks to the Lord.’ So please read with me: ‘It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: To shew forth (declare) (steups!!!) thy LOVING-kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night, Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery (lyre or lute); upon the harp with a solemn (harmonious or melodic) sound. For thou Lord, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.’ (Ps. 92:1-4)
Oh my fellow saints, it’s so obvious that the Lord deserves our thanks, both morning and evening, and even during the daytime because of His unfailing goodness and mercy to us each and every day! And if, as the psalmist says he has made us glad through His work, then there’s even more reason to give Him praise and thanks!
And Psalm 147, titled ‘Sing Praise to the Lord,’ gives the same message. ‘Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah): for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely (beautiful). (It surely is!) The Lord doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel. He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds (sorrows). He telleth (counts) the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite (limitless).’ (Ps. 147:1-5)
More indisputable truth my brethren! Our God is both great and good, therefore He necessitates praise from His people! Unfortunately though, His people don’t thank him as much as they ought to. Some of us only give thanks on Sundays when we go to church, others don’t even remember to give thanks at all. But please remember as Jeremiah says: ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam. 3:22-23)
Oh friends, our wonderful God deserves amazing praise and thanks for the simple reason that we are still alive today, through His great mercies and faithfulness. You know how many people didn’t wake up this Thursday morning? Many! Why? I don’t know. But I’m sure some of them did not waken today because they were not in the habit of giving the Lord the thanks and praise He so richly deserves. It’s mind boggling that we can call on the Lord for all the stuff we want, but when we get it, we forget to give Him thanks and praise.
My people, we should be thanking our God all through the day: for every good and positive move we make; for every scrape or negative situation that He gets us out of. Praise should be a continual thing in the hearts and lives of the true believer. Why do you think Bruh Paul highly advised us through his letter to the Philippians to ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing: but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God.’ (Phil. 4:6) And to the Thessalonians, he said: ‘Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5: 16-18)
Yes my fellow believers, giving thanks and praise to Almighty God is essential in our daily lives, it’s His will for us. One of the reasons He created us is that we could praise and worship Him, and reciprocate his wonderful LOVE like all the other heavenly hosts. He didn’t just make us to beg and badger Him for lustful, ungodly stuff, as some of us seem to think from our ungrateful and rebellious attitudes. Heartfelt thanks is essential for the believer if he or she expects to receive all that God has in store for them. And I don’t know how else to say it but like that.
Anyway, enough preaching for today. And the Bit is already late because I had to go down to the hospital for some tests this morning, so let’s keep it short and sweet. (smile) And since it’s Thursday, it means declaring (chuh man!!!) our Thursday Blessings very generously given to us by the Lord to do His earthly work. 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 made that declaration (awright!!!) it’s now our duty to go out and generously use those blessings, so that others can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…a heart glowing with praise and thanksgiving…is the believers best friend…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
25 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a positive outlook on life, achieve perfection, advantage of light over darkness, anger flares, blaring car horns, buy into Christ's philosophy, christianity, compassion, courage, creativity, curse, faith, favour, fear hath torment, flawless, fulfill God's purpose in our lives, furious voices, god, God loved us, God's love for us, God's ways are higher than ours, great is thy faithfulness, grieved souls, herein is love, his compassions fail not, In Touch Devotional, It is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed, Jesus, Jesus brings life and light, Jesus Christ, let my presence bring quietness, LOVE, muscles tense, negative word, new every morning, not that we loved God, offer softness to strangers, peace flowing in my words, perfect love, perfect love casteth out fear, ramp up the love of God, salvation, Satan brings death and darkness, self-discipline, supernatural wisdom, tempers rise, the art of gentleness, the propitiation for our sins, there is no fear in love, Thursday Blessings, we ought also to love one another, wisdom, without blemish, your light warming hearts
1 John 4:18a. There is no fear in LOVE; but perfect LOVE casteth out fear: because fear hath (involves) torment.
Well, unlike yesterday, today, Thursday, our penultimate day of the work week, has opened bright and sunshiny, though somewhat chilly. But that’s okay, for once there is sunshine in the neighbourhood, then many spirits will be uplifted just because of it. That’s the advantage that light has over darkness, specifically, the light that Jesus brings to our lives and our world, over the sinful and ungodly darkness that Satan desires to engulf it in. And to help us see and receive that amazing light of Jesus, let’s turn to God in prayer. It’s this month’s prayer from the In Touch Devotional, Let Us Pray section.
So please pray with me: ‘God, teach me the art of gentleness in a world of blaring car horns, furious voices, and grieved souls. May I offer softness to strangers and to people I know – the same tenderness You’ve shown me. Not harsh, rushed, or callous, You’re filled with compassion and perfect LOVE. When tempers start to rise and muscles begin to tense, when anger flares in people’s eyes, Let my presence bring a quietness – Your light warming hearts, Your peace flowing in my words. In Jesus’ name. Amen’
Oh friends, do we ever need that kind of quiet calming and gentleness that Jesus offers in this harsh, angry and strife-filled world! And the world can only experience it through us, His loyal followers. As the prayer says: ‘Your light warming hearts, Your peace flowing in my words.’ And sadly, that’s the only way the world will ever see light and peace; through us, if we wholeheartedly buy into Christ’s philosophy and seriously and sincerely put it into practice. And all I want to do today is remind us of a few important scriptures that sort of jumped out at me while reading the prayer.
The first one deals with the phrase ‘You’re filled with compassion and perfect LOVE.’ And is our great God ever! And we all know this magnificent, heart-warming and uplifting scripture dealing with God’s wonderful compassion, as Jeremiah so rightly puts it in his Lamentations: ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam.3:22-23) And we’d better say, praise the Lord for those new compassion every day, otherwise we would have long ago been destroyed for our obstinate sinfulness and disobedience.
And as per ‘perfect LOVE’ what’s that you ask? Basically, as this commentary explains: ‘Perfect LOVE is an expression of God’s LOVE for us, and it is only complete (or perfect) when we reflect it back onto Him.’ And the Bible is peppered throughout with the amazing LOVE of God for us. And John in particular deals with what we call perfect LOVE in his epistles. Listen up: ‘Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that He LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so LOVED us, we ought also to LOVE one another.’ (1 John 4:10-11)
And there is no doubting that logic my fellow believers, for without God’s LOVE we’d all be headed straight for hell fire and damnation, with no option whatsoever to receive salvation and eternal life. So we had better be thankful for God’s LOVE and be wise and reciprocate it as best we can. And as the scholars tell us: ‘No human LOVE is the standard for understanding God’s great compassion, but God’s own action on man’s behalf.’ That brings to mind God’s declaration (yesss!!!) in Isaiah that His thoughts and ways are higher than ours, therefore we cannot understand them. (Is. 55:8-9) But we can definitely understand what He tells us to do.
Then John later continues: ‘Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the LOVE that God hath to us. God is LOVE; and he that dwelleth (abides) in LOVE dwelleth (abides) in God, and God in him. Herein is our LOVE made perfect (LOVE made perfect among us), that we may have boldness in the day of judgement: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in LOVE; but perfect LOVE casteth out fear: because fear hath (involves) torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in LOVE.’ (1 John 4:15-18)
And I believe it’s important to note this commentary on what it means to be made perfect in LOVE. It says: ‘We normally use “perfect” to mean “flawless, without any blemish” (“He got a perfect score on his exam”). But ‘teleios,’ (Greek word translated perfect) primarily means to fulfill one’s purpose. So being “perfected in LOVE” means “having God’s LOVE fulfill its purpose in us.” Remember that though we can try with God’s help to achieve perfection, none of us can be truly perfect in this world, except in the sense that we truly fulfill God’s purpose in our lives.
Ah my fellow saints, there seems to be much more I want to say, (smile) but time and space are not cooperating, so if God spares life, we’ll continue on this topic tomorrow. Now, let’s declare out loud, and thus activate our Thursday Blessings, those undeserved blessings bestowed on us by God to do His earthly work. As one voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance!
I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!
And having set those blessings in motion, we are now required to go out and share them 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!
…until Christians ramp up the LOVE of God in our world…evil will continue to have the upper hand…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
11 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: as many as received Him, Bible, born not of blood or flesh but of God, but the world knew him not, christianity, courage, creativity, curse, dwell in the land of the shadow of death, enshrined in darkness, experienced the darkness, faith, formidable actions, glorify your father in heaven, god, have the light of life, He came unto his own, he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, his own received him not, I am the light of the world, in the shadow of death, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John the Baptist, Let your light so shine before men, lighteth every man that cometh into the world, LOVE, miraculous appearance, negative word, prayer, prosper, repent, salt of the earth, salvation, seen a great light, self-control, success, supernatural strength, the dayspring from on high, the kingdom of heaven is at hand, the Messiah, the people that walked in darkness, the remission of sins, the tender mercy of our God, the world was made by him, they may see your good works, Thursday Blessings, to bear witness of the Light, to give knowledge of salvation, to give light to them that sit in darkness, to guide our feet in the way of peace, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, tooted his own horn, truth, upon them hath shined the light, witnessed unto himself, Ye are the light of the world, you can't enjoy the light
John 8:12. I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Ah Lord, why couldn’t today be like yesterday eh? Unfortunately, the bright and warm sunshine of Wednesday has been transformed into a wet, bleak, dreary, dark, uninviting Thursday morning. And yesterday afternoon I so enjoyed sitting on my front porch for the first time this year, very comfortably drinking in the activity on the street, whether they were humans, cars, dogs, or simply Mother Nature. That looks though, like it will just be a one day stand, (smile) as the computer is calling for rain today. But that’s okay, we’ll live with it, for we’ll enjoy the sunshine even more after having experienced the rain. As they say, you can’t enjoy the light, until you’ve experienced the darkness.
And that’s oh so true, especially when speaking of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Before He came, we were totally enshrined in darkness, without any hope of ever getting out of it, but with His miraculous appearance and formidable actions, we did get out of the darkness into His glorious light! Glory be! As Isaiah so gloriously testified: ‘The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath shined the light.’ (Is. 9:2) And that prophesy was certainly fulfilled by the coming of Jesus!
As Matthew writes of Jesus’ teaching ministry. ‘Now when Jesus had heard that John (the Baptist) was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; and leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias (Isaiah) the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; The people which sat in darkness saw a great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up (has dawned). From that time Jesus began preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ (Matt. 4:12-17)
Yes friends, there’s no doubt that Jesus came a to shed light on our darkness. As Luke also writes of Zacharias’ speech at the birth of his son, John the Baptist. ‘And thou, child, shall be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission (forgiveness) of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring (the Dawn, the Messiah) from on high hath visited us, To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. And the child grew, and waxed (became) strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing (manifestation) unto Israel.’ (Luke 1:76-80)
And we all know that John the Baptist was the forerunner of Jesus, setting the stage for Him, talking of repentance, of baptism and the forgiveness of sins. The words of John the apostle also attest to those facts. ‘There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of the Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, (own domain), and his own (his own people the Jews) received him not.
But as many as received him, to them gave he power (the right) to become the sons (children) of God, even to them that believe on his name. Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made (became) flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.’ (John 1:6-14) Oh my faithful brethren, Jesus was indeed the One sent by the Father to bring us out of darkness into His wonderful light.
And if you still don’t believe that He is, was, and will always be the Light of this world, then listen to Him say it Himself. He said to the disbelieving religious sect of the Jews, the Pharisees: ‘I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ (John 8:12) And the Pharisees did not believe, because He bore witness of Himself, or as we would say today, was tooting His own horn. But the fact still remains that if Jesus did not come to earth, die on the cross of Calvary to atone for our sins, then rise again on the third day, so we could do the same, we would still be forever shrouded in the darkness of Satan, the evil ruler of this world, who desires to keep us chained to his evil doings.
But Christ, the Light of the world, came and set us free! Glory Hallelujah! And to make it even better, He told us that when He left this world, that we, His true followers would assume that mantle. ‘Ye are the light of the world…Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:14a, 16) And our God is so wonderful that He even gave us the tools, the undeserved blessings to do the job. We call them our Thursday Blessings, so let’s declare them now, so that they can be activated in our lives.
As one voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
Now, it’s our bounden duty to go out and put those blessings to work in the lives of others, as generously as the Lord shared them with us. Much LOVE!
…it’s high time that we Christians behave…like the real salt of the earth…and the true light of the world…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
28 Mar 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: as it is written of him, Bible, but woe unto that man, by whom the Son of man is betrayed, Christ's Last Supper, communion, courage, creativity, curse, drink ye all of it, eat, faith, for the remission of sins, God's supernatural wisdom, Good Friday, he brake it and gave to the disicples, he that dippeth his hand with me, he took the cup and gave thanks, Holy Week, I have given you an example, if I wash thee not thou hast no part of me, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus took bread and blessed it, Jesus washed the disciples' feet, Judas Iscariot, LOVE, Maundy Thursday, negative word, one of you shall betray me, resurrection, take, take eat this is my body, the blood of the new testament, the feast of unleavened bread, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Passover, the practice of communion, the same shall betray me, the servant is not greater than his lord, the Son of man goeth, Thursday Blessings, which is shed for many, ye also ought to wash one another's feet, ye are not all clean
Matthew 26:28. For this is the blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission (forgiveness) of sins.
And it’s a bright and sunshiny Maundy Thursday friends, the day in Holy Week before Christ was crucified. It’s when we commemorate Christ’s Last Supper, the Passover, with His disciples where He established the practice of communion and also gave us His most servant-like example; His washing of their feet. Now that was a most interesting, contemplative and memorable day in the annals of our faith. So let’s recount some of it to refresh our memories and uplift our faith. (smile) And though all four synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) have some information on the day, none of them seem to have it in its entirety, so this first portion comes from the gospel of Luke.
He writes: ‘Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh (near), which is called the Passover. (The God-sent plague during Israel’s bondage in Egypt, when the death angel passed over the land and killed all the first born of the houses that did not have lamb’s blood above their door. (Ex. 12). And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill him (Jesus); for they feared the people. Then Satan entered into Judas Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve (disciples). And he went his way, and communed (conferred) with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them. And they were glad, and covenanted (agreed) to give him money. And he promised, and sought opportunity to betray him unto them in the absences of the multitude.’ (Luke 22:1-6)
Now, Judas Iscariot’s upcoming betrayal set the stage for this next part. Luke continues: ‘Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the Passover must be killed (sacrificed). And he (Jesus) sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the Passover, that we may eat. And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare? And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water, follow him into the house where he entereth in. And ye shall say unto the goodman (master) of the house, The Master (Teacher) saith unto thee, where is the guestchamber where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? And he shall shew you a large upper room furnished: there make ready. And they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.’ (Luke 22:7-13)
That reminds us of the previous Sunday, Palm Sunday, the same kind of positive direction, when Jesus sent His disciples into the village to locate the donkey and her colt for Him to ride into Jerusalem. (Matt. 21:1-7) And we pick up the story from Matthew. ‘Now when the even (evening) was come, he (Jesus) 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? And he 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: 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 (Rabbi), is it I? He said unto hm, Thou hast said (it).’ (Matt. 26:20-25)
That further enlightens us on the betrayal story, which was an important part of the whole scenario. Matthew then 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 the 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 the day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.’ (Matt. 26:26-29) And that’s basically where we’ve gotten our present communion ceremony from.
But that wasn’t the only memorable thing that happened that Maundy Thursday evening. Listen as John tells this most compelling story. ‘And supper being ended, the devil having now (already) put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him (not Simon Peter’s son); Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went (was going) to God: He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.
Then cometh he to Simon Peter, and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest (understandeth) not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus saith unto Him, he that is washed (bathed) needed not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit (completely clean): and ye are clean, but not all. For he knew who should (would) betray him; therefore he said, Ye are not all clean.’ (John 13:2-11)
And that’s where we get our Maundy Thursday ritual of washing each other’s feet. But that story is not complete until we hear these words of Jesus. John writes: ‘So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master (Teacher) and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, Your Lord and Master (Teacher), have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, the servant is not greater than his lord (master); neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.’ (John 13:12-17)
There we have it my fellow believers, Jesus makes it very plain that none of us is greater than the other, and that we’re supposed to be servant and service oriented, rather than expect to be waited on hand and foot. And since time and space are against us, we cannot tell the other momentous tale of Jesus going to the Garden of Gethsemane after the Passover supper and being very despondent and agonised about the upcoming crucifixion, prayed to the Father: ‘If thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will but thine be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.’ Luke 22:42-43) Yes friends, both Jesus and the Father knew that His crucifixion could not be retracted if sinners were to be saved, and so the Father sent his angel to strengthen His Son, in the midst of His agony.
Then Judas came into the garden with a band of soldiers, kissed Jesus, an agreed sign, and they arrested Him and took Him before the high priests, where His fate was sealed. But likewise, the Lord has not left us in a lurch in our tough times, being the ever-faithful God, He’s also given us strength and blessings, to do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings, so let’s declare them so they can be activated.
Altogether: ‘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 undeserved blessings, we now need to go out and share them with others just as generously as the Lord shared them us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…holy communion reminds us of Christ’s sinless sacrifice…on Good Friday…and His triumphant resurrection on Easter Sunday…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
29 Feb 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: ashamed because your faith wavered, attain the resurrection of the dead, basking in the joy and peace of Christ, be at peacem secure in God's love, Bible, christianity, continue on the strait and narrow path, courage, creativity, curse, divine protection, don't get tired of doing good, erroneous thinking, faith, favour, for the prize of the high calling of God, god, good health, I press toward the mark, In Touch Devotional, is God truly good, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus reassured Thomas, leap year, LOVE, mature believers, negative word, one of many thoughts in yur mind, picture doubt as a bird, quick to judge ourselves, secure in God's love, self-control, spiritually arrived, that I may know him, the power of his resurrection, Thursday Blessings, watch it come and go
Philippians 3:14. I press toward the mark (goal) for the prize of the high (upward) calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Here it is friends, the final day of February, where every four years a day is added to the shortest month of the year to keep our calendar in tune with the astronomical and seasonal cycles. As far as I knew, every fourth year was a leap year, but apparently not, so 2024 doesn’t’ seem to be a leap year, and since I don’t understand the science and the maths behind it, I’ll just leave it alone. (smile) Let it be known that today is simply the 29th day of February 2024, and we’re alive and kicking, basking in the joy and peace of Jesus Christ, our wonderful Lord and Saviour.
And now, I want to share an interesting feature I found in the In Touch Devotional. Don’t know if it’s new, or I just never paid attention to it before. (smile) But it’s a section titled ‘Let’s Pause.’ And in this month’s edition, they pose this interesting question and answer. Please read with me. ‘Have you ever wondered if God is truly good? It’s an honest question, considering our broken world. Think back to a time you doubted. What started it? Were you alarmed? Ashamed because your faith wavered? We’re quick to judge ourselves, but God isn’t. Remember Jesus’ response to Thomas. He didn’t shame the disciple – He reassured him. And He’ll do the same for you. Picture doubt as a bird, one of many thoughts flying across the blue sky of your mind. Watch it come and go and be at peace, secure in God’s LOVE.’
Now isn’t that wonderful advice? It surely is! Because, regardless of how strong our faith normally is, things happen every so often that causes doubt to creep in, and though it doesn’t cause us to lose faith completely, it does drive us to ask some serious and sincere questions about our faith walk. And there’s definitely no need to beat ourselves up if once in a while a sliver of doubt enters our minds, since God doesn’t expect us to be perfect every living moment. He made us and knows all our faults and foibles and accepts and LOVES us just as we are. Now it’s our turn to do like Him and accept ourselves, just as we are.
That however doesn’t mean we should not be continually making improvements and moving forward in our faith journey. No! Just that when we falter, we don’t think too little of ourselves or give up, but keep moving ahead, or as Bruh Paul wrote to the Philippians. ‘I press toward the mark (goal) for the prize of the high (upward) calling of God in Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 3:14) Yes friends, pressing forward should always be the objective of Christians. And what does it all mean eh?
The scholars tell us that The mark is the objective of verses 10 and 11, where Bruh Paul declares his utmost desire to know Christ: ‘That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain (arrive at) the resurrection of the dead.’ (Phil. 3:10-11) Now those are good but mighty goals, which not all of us can attain to or are as zealous in doing as Bruh Paul was, but that’s the direction in which we should always be moving.
So, as the scholars say, we can reach ‘the prize which is the joyful satisfaction of having attained it, as well as the divine commendation and reward to be granted in heaven for having reached this goal on earth. The high calling of God is the divine summons extended to the believer for salvation.’ Now all of that might sound like hifalutin stuff to some of us, so let’s see if we can simplify it with a couple of other commentaries. This first one explains: “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” To press toward the mark is to faithfully continue on the “strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life” with our Savior and our Father in Heaven.’
And the second commentary says: “Keep pressing.” Meaning, stay faithful and persevere in the midst of fatigue, hurt, or whatever it is that could make you discouraged. Sometimes in this walk, we grow weary and get tired, but I want to encourage you today with God’s word, “So don’t get tired of doing what is good.’ And I do hope that makes things somewhat clearer, as we ‘press on’ (smile) with a few more appropriate words from Bruh Paul: ‘Let us therefore, as many as be perfect (mature), be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.’ (Phil. 3:15)
Yes friends, we need to keep on thinking about pressing towards the mark. And the scholars explain that verse thus: ‘Mature Christians must realize that they are not ethically perfect, but they tirelessly press onward for higher spiritual attainment. There is present then a bit of irony: perfect (mature) believers are those who admit they are not perfect in any absolute sense. The apostle urges all mature Philippian Christians to hold this attitude concerning that none has yet “spiritually arrived” but ever pressing on toward further development.’
Now that’s exactly what we need to do in these despairing and doubtful times my brethren; stand strong, and with fervent faith, keep pressing along the straight and narrow path. Then, as per If … ye be otherwise minded, the scholars explain: ‘The writer realizes that not all of the Philippian readers agree with his conviction of verse 12-15. But he is confident that God shall reveal their erroneous thinking to them.’ And so He will to us also my people. If we are sincerely trying to walk God’s path, and happen to slip or slide, the Lord will definitely get us back on track, after teaching us whatever lesson He desires us to learn from our slipping and sliding. (smile) Nuff said!
Now let’s declare and thus activate our Thursday Blessings, so generously bestowed on us by the Lord to do His earthly work. As one confident 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, it’s time to go out and put those blessings into action with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…the mark of a true believer…to be always pressing forward to know Christ better…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
Previous Older Entries Next Newer Entries
SCRIP-BITS 