27 Feb 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a means of restoring faith in you, a zeppo, above the highest heavens, amidst all the anxiety and confusion, be able to comfort them which are in trouble, be exalted O God, be responsible, be strong and of a good courage, blessed be God, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God, by the example your faithful believers set, Christ has given us the victory, come boldly to the throne of grace, comforts us in all our tribulation, crying out for God's help, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, discontent and dissatisfaction, divine aid, every ounce of emotion is drained, faith, fear not nor be afraid of them, feel and extra connection with God, find grace to help in time of need, Friday chant, God intuitively provides information, God sent not his son into thte world to condemn the world, God's love is everlasting, Gods' word is unquestionable, guide thee with mine eye, he hath not believed, he that believeth not is condemned already, he that believeth on him is not condemned, he will not fail thee nor forsake thee, holy spirit, humbly with confidence, I give them eternal life, I will instruct thee, I will not leave you comfortless, in the name of Jesus, in the name of the only begotten Son of God, introduce a new flock of believers, Jesus Christ, lifted to peaks of delight, LOVE, loved you with an everlasting love, may your glory shine over all the earth, mercy, my future is secure, my heart is a brambled desert, my past is forgiven, my sheep hear my voice, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand, never leave me comfortless, obtain mercy, omnipotent help, one body of Christ, One Year Book of Bible promises, our sinful world can wake up, Rare Moments of Delight, rare mysterious momnets, return backsliders to your fold, Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, serious problems are escalating, show them the error of their ways, smell it sweet and strong, stand strong and steadfast, stay safe, teach thee in the way thou shall go, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the ecstacy of feeling, the Father of mercies, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the God of All Comfort, the Holy Spirit is the Comforter, the Holy Trinity, the Lord hath appeared of old unto me, the Lord thy God doth go with thee, the world through him might be saved, these ungodly times, they shall never perish, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee, wisdom, wise guidance, with lovingkindness have I drawn thee, you add to my knowing
Psalm 108: 5. ‘Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens. May your glory shine over all the earth.’
So finally it’s Friday; the day we’ve all been looking forward to, and although it’s somewhat cloudy, we really don’t care, and have offered up our Friday Mantra: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here!’ But please note, that doesn’t mean we can laze around at work today. No! It means we still have to be diligent and do whatever is needed in the name of Jesus, because that’s what He expects of us.
And today we’ll look at an interesting poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. This one doesn’t sound familiar to me, but who knows, I might have shared it before. The fact is that they are all worthy to be shared again and again for they are inspiring, encouraging and tell lots of truths about our situations. This one is titled ‘Rare Moments of Delight.’
So please read with me: ‘Because you are God And Your Word is unquestionable There are things I assuredly know Even when my heart is a brambled desert And every ounce of emotion is drained: I know Your LOVE is everlasting I know You will never forsake me Nor will you leave me comfortless I know I can come to You boldly I know you will teach and instruct me You will guide me with Your eye I know my past is forgiven And my future is secure. But, oh, dear God How I praise You for the marvel Of those rare, mysterious moments when suddenly, without a flash or a sound You add to my knowing The ecstasy of feeling and I am lifted to peaks of delight!’
Oh friends, the poem doesn’t only gives us some of the many promises that our great God has made, and what we know from reading His Word, which keeps us safe and secure, but there’s an even greater feeling, one where He just intuitively flashes us some information that we were not expecting, which brings us even closer to Him. It’s what we sometimes call receiving a Zeppo. That sudden intuitive feeling that something is right, or it’s what we should do. It’s like when I was looking through the book today for a poem to offer, when I came to the one we just read, there was this feeling like the Lord was saying that’s the right one. So I just used it. At times like those we feel and extra connection with our God, renewing our convictions that He is indeed real and looking out for us.
And all I want to do now is remind us of some of the scriptures that we spoke of in the poem. For instance God’s everlasting LOVE. The Bible says it in different ways in several scriptures, but this one from Jeremiah probably says it the best. ‘The Lord hath appeared of old (from afar) unto me, saying, Yea, I have LOVED you with an everlasting LOVE: therefore with LOVING-KINDNESS have I drawn thee.’ (Jer. 31:3) And as per never leaving nor forsaking us, there are again several scriptures that point out that promise, but Moses said it quite early to the children of Israel. ‘Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee nor forsake thee.’ (Deut. 31:6)
Then as per never leaving us comfortless, there’s this great scripture from Bruh Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth, where he talks about the Comfort of God. ‘Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble (tribulation), by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.’ (2 Cor. 1:3-4)
Wow! What a magnificent scripture! God comforts us so that we can comfort others with the comfort we receive from Him. And don’t forget the Holy Spirit that dwells within us is also know as the Comforter. (John 14:16; 15:26) And Jesus also promised, ‘I will not leave you comfortless (as orphans): I will come to you.’ (John 14:18) So there’s lots of comfort to be had from our Holy Trinity!
Then, as per going boldly to God, we all know the scripture from Hebrews that says: ‘Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.’ (Heb. 4:16) Now, boldly there doesn’t mean proudly or arrogantly, but humbly with the confidence that God will not turn us away. And as per His teaching and instructing us, Bruh David says it quite clearly in Psalm 32: ‘I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.’ (Ps. 32:8)
And finally, as per our forgiven past and safe futures, there are many scriptures that address those points, but for time’s sake we’ll only check out a couple of statements from Jesus. The first is one we all know: ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world: but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.’ (John 3:17-18) Then later on Jesus declares to His accusers: ‘My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck (snatch) them out of my hand.’ (John 10:27-28) You cannot get any safer or more secure than that my faithful brethren!
And lest we forget, (smile) the Bible Promise for today’s poem comes from Psalm 108. ‘Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens. May your glory shine over all the earth.’ (Ps. 108:5) That’s the NLT (New Living Translation). Meanwhile the KJV (King James Version) says: ‘Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: and thy glory above all the earth;’ (Ps. 108:5) And though we are King James people here, (smile) I like the NLT version, and we’ll use it as our Bit. Now let’s go to the throne of grace, confidently, but humbly, through our Friday Chant seeking divine aid to help in these very troubled times.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And though we pray good prayers, friends, the truth is that until we come together as the supposed one body of Christ, and begin seriously living for Him, getting divine aid will always be a problem for us. Much LOVE!
…Christ has given us the victory…we now have to make sure we don’t lose it…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
20 Feb 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a means of restoring faith in you, amidst all the anxiety and confusion, be responisble, bow to none other than Almighty God, by the example that we faithful believers set, can wake up and smell the coffee, christianity, Christians, crying out for God's help, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, divine aid, embrace your love and compassion, enjoy the weekend, faith, fear not, four men walking loose in the fire, Friday chant, god moves in mysterious ways, God's omnipotent help, heated seven time more than normal, help to navigate this crazy world, holy spirit, I am the Lord thy God, I have called thee by name, I have redeemed thee, I will be with thee, I will give men for thee, if God spares life, introduce a new flock of believers, Jesus Christ, LOVE, mercy, Nebuchadnezzar, our Christian witness is not good enough, our sinful world can wake up, people for thy life, problems are escalating, reach our destination safely, redeemed by Jesus Christ, refused to bow to a golden calf, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, Shadrach Meshach Abednego, show them the error of their ways, stand strong and steadfast, stay safe, strong in faith, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the BIBLE, the evening commute, the fourth is like the son of God, the Holy One of Israel, the Lord keeps all his promises, the real power of faith is shown in the positive action of faith, the throne of grace, the weather conditions, these ungodly times, they have no hurt, they shall not overflow thee, thou art mine, thou hast been honoured, thou wast precious in my sight, through the rivers, thrown into a furnace of fire, thy Saviour, trusting faith, truth, use the discontent and dissatisfaction, when thou passest through the waters, wisdom, wise guidance and direction, with God's help
Isaiah 43:1b. O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
And it’s Friday friends; the day we’ve all been looking forward to. And we’ve offered up our Friday Mantra: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and the weekend is here at last!’ However, I don’t think we’ll be happy with the weather conditions, for they are forecasting rain and snow for today. Well, the rain has already begun, which means it’s wet and cloudy, now we’re only waiting for it to change to snow.
And if that happens before the evening commute, it will be a long and dangerous time for many getting home to enjoy the weekend. But there’s not much we can do about the weather conditions except grin and bear it, and take our time moving through it, and with God’s help, eventually get to our destination safely.
And who says our God isn’t great and moves in mysterious ways eh? After talking about the weather, I didn’t know what to write on, so, as always, in those situations, I simply opened the Bible, and the Lord be praised, it fell open to this most appropriate scripture from the prophet Isaiah, talking about being redeemed by the Lord.
Please read with me: ‘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 thy 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. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee (in thy place). Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable (honoured), and I have LOVED thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.’ (Is. 43:1-4)
What a marvellous promise my people! And we know the Lord keeps all His promises. He did indeed redeem Israel from all the terrible consequences of her rebellion, by bringing her back to her former land and making her great again. And the same way God reassured them: ‘Fear not: for I have redeemed thee,’ it’s the same thing He’s saying to us today, and we know that it’s true, because we have been redeemed by His Son Jesus Christ! So there’s nothing to fear!
And if you think our great God cannot protect us from the floods and fires, just check out the scripture in Daniel chapter 3, where his three friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who refused to bow down to a golden calf made by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar, were thrown into a furnace of fire heated seven times hotter than normal. And what was the result? Because the fire was so hot, it slew the men who took the three Hebrew men up to the mouth of the furnace and cast them in.
But what of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego? The Bible tells us: ‘Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was atonied (astonished), and rose up in haste, and spake, and said to his counsellors (high officials), did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt (are not hurt); and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God (like a son of the gods).’ (Dan. 3:24-25)
Yes friends, anything is possible when your faith in Jehovah God is strong. They knew that the Lord could save them, but were not sure of it, yet, they still refused to bow to an idol. And that’s how we ought to be in these terrible times of ungodliness and evil. So strong in faith that whatever comes against us, we will not bow to anyone but God Almighty!
But here’s some interesting info from the scholars, who say, re The fourth is like the Son of God: (lit., a son of the gods”): Neb had no knowledge of Christ and was probably saying nothing more than that a divine being was protecting the three men. The fourth person may have been the preincarnate Christ, who often appears in the Old Testament as “the angel of the Lord,” or may have been an angel sent by God to protect them.’
Unfortunately though friends, we’ll have to stop there for today, because the story although it has a wonderful ending, will make the Bit much too long, and we’re already on a late bus. (smile) So if God spares life tomorrow, we’ll continue with the awesome story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace. Now let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant to find divine aid to help us successfully navigate this stormy and crazy world.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And friends, although our prayers might be sincere, our Christian witness is not good enough, and until it improves, we will not see much divine aid! So let’s up the ante on our witness nuh! Much LOVE!
…the real power of faith…is not shown merely in talk of faith…but in the positive action of faith…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
13 Feb 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a leadership method that foments hate and strife, a means of restoring faith in you, a modicum of circumspection, according to their own personal beliefs, anxiety, as flesh within the cauldron, as for my people, as for the pot, be resposnible, been evil in their deeds, behaved themselves ill in the doings, both shall fall into the ditch, break their bones, calamity, cause thee to err, children are their oppressors, chop them in little pieces, christianity, Christians, confusion, corruption is rampant, crying out for God's help, deceitfulness, declare their sin as Sodom, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, destroy the way of thy paths, disaster, don't go overboard with the celebrations, eat the fruit of their doings, egotism, faith, Family day, fellowship, followers, for personal gain, Friday chant, greed, hate the good and love the evil, he will not hear them, heads of Jacob, hide his face from them, holy spirit, if the blind lead the blind, in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, introduce a new flock of believers, is it not for you to know justice, it shall be ill with him, Jesus Christ, keep on our blinkers, lead you astray, LOVE, make sacrifices, male dominance, mercy, misleading the people, no respect for the law, omnipotent help, our only hope, our sinful world, power struggles, princes of the house of Israel, problems are escalating, real change only comes through real sacrifices, return backsliders to your fold, rewarded evil unto themselves, rising up and making godly changes, salvation, say to the righteous it is well with him, show them the error of their ways, smell it sweet and strong, stand strong and steadfast, stay safe, strip the skin from my people, TGIF!, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the BIBLE, the church of Jesus getting together, the current situation in our world, the failure of male leadership, the leaders of this people cause them to err, the look on their faces, the reward of his hands, the throne of grace, the worst set of leaders, their flesh from their bones, their guilty faces reveal their sinful hearts, they be blind leaders of the blind, they do not hide their sin, they shall cry unto the Lord, they that are led of them are destroyed, they which lead thee, trusting faith, truth, use the discontent and dissatisfaction, Valentine's day, wake up and smell the coffee, we are followers like sheep, we are like sheep, wisdom, wise guidance, witness against them, woe unto the wicked, woe unto their soul, women rule over them, your faithful believers set
Isaiah 9:16. For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.
So friends, we’ve finally come to Friday, the day we’ve all been looking forward to! And it’s sunny though cold…but who cares…it’s Friday! (smile) And obviously our Friday Mantra was offered up early and loud: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here at long last! And is this ever a big weekend in Canada. Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day and Monday is Family Day, a civic not federal holiday in most provinces, apparently created on the third Monday in February to provide a mid-winter break for families to spend time together.
So, you know the partying will be in full swing from today. But let’s all remember those important cautionary words of Jeeves: ‘a modicum of circumspection please.’ Yes, we don’t need to go overboard with all the celebrations, for our world is already overboard with all the strife and power struggles it faces. And let’s remember too, in the middle of all the celebrations, to fellowship with other believers on Sunday, so that we can be refreshed and renewed to face a new work week on Tuesday. End of Sermon! (smile)
And today we’ll look at an interesting passage of scripture from the prophet Isaiah that very much resembles the situation in our current world. Isaiah was talking to the people about their sins and refusal to repent and turn back to the God of their forefathers, and commented thus: ‘For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.’ (Is. 9:16) Oh friends, it’s the very same crime that can be thrown at today’s world leadership! Why? They are misleading the people according to their own personal beliefs and for their own personal gain.
Now that’s a method of leadership that does nothing but foment hate and strife, deceitfulness and power struggles. There’s no respect for the law, thus corruption is both rampant and flagrant. No one even considers hiding their corrupt souls any longer. It’s something to boast about. And right now I believe we have the worst set of leaders our world has seen in a very long time. Greed and egotism are their forte; not proper leadership. And remember, most of us are like sheep, mere followers, not given to do anything but what the corrupt, power hungry leaders do. So what can we expect then but a world filled with evil and ungodliness.
And it’s not the first time that Isaiah made that claim of misleading management. In chapter 3 where he talks about the Lord Pleads and Judges, he writes: ‘The shew of their countenance (the look on their faces) doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded (brought) evil unto themselves.
Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands given him (done to him). As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err (lead thee astray), and destroy the way of thy paths.’ (Is. 3:9-12)
Yes friends, their guilty faces clearly reveal their sinful hearts. And that last verse basically means the utter failure of male leadership over the society. Sadly, the same thing can be said for today’s leadership. The male dominance has driven the world to war and hate and corruption way too often in the last couple of centuries. Unfortunately though, it looks like that male dominance will continue amongst our leaders, so there’s very little change to expect.
And the prophet Micah reveals the same evil doing of the leaders when He declares: ‘And I said, Hear, I pray you, O heads of Jacob, and ye princes (rulers) of the house of Israel; Is it not for you to know judgement (justice)? Who hate the good, and love the evil; who pluck (strip) off their skin from off them (my people), and their flesh from off their bones; Who also eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them; and break their bones, and chop them to pieces, as for the pot, and as flesh within the cauldron. Then shall they cry unto the Lord, but he will not hear them: he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill (been evil) in their doings (deeds).’ (Mic. 3:1-4)
Now that’s not a pretty picture of leadership, but unfortunately it also correlates to the kind of leadership we have today. And sadly, we Christians who are supposed to improve the situation, too many of us are following the crowd; being OF the world instead of simply being IN it. And the remainder either are afraid or simply don’t care. So how is the world to improve eh? It’s like when the Pharisees complained about Jesus saying that what goes into the mouth doesn’t defile a man, but only what comes out. (Matt. 15:11) Jesus said to the disciples: ‘Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.’ (Matt. 15:14)
And that’s exactly what’s happening today. Our blind leaders are leading us astray, and if we keep our blinkers on, the eventual outcome will only be more disaster and calamity than we already have. And our only hope is the church of Christ, getting together, rising up and making godly changes. That’s it friends. The evil doers will not willingly destroy their evil empire, so we have to do it for them. And to help us do that, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid in these most crucial and critical times.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And friends, things won’t turn around unless we are willing to make the sacrifices for them to happen. So, this long weekend, let’s ponder how willing we are to do that nuh. Much LOVE!
…real change only comes about through real sacrifices…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
06 Feb 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a disciple of Jesus, a disciple picks up his cross daily, a senior's moment, abhor that which is evil, anxiety, as your Father in heaven is perfect, avenge not yourselves, be not overcome of evil, be responsible, be the children of your Father in heaven, be ye therefore perfect, bless and curse not, bless them that curse you, bless them which persecute you, by the example we faithful believers set, christianity, Christians, cleave to that which is good, confusion, crying out for God's help, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, divine aid, do good to them that hate you, even the publicans the same, faith, Friday chant, getting on in age, give place unto wrath, God sends rain on the just and the unjust, going against the grain, greet your brethren only, have regard for good things, he is the anointed of the Lord, he makes his sun to rise, heap coals of fire on his head, holy spirit, hypocrisy, I shall repay, if he thirst give him drink, if thine enemy hunger feed him, if ye love them which love you, introduce a new flock of believers, Jesus Christ, let love be without dissimulation, live peaceably with all men, LOVE, love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy, Love your enemies, make the sacrifices available to us, mercy, on the evil and the good, only good can overcome evil, overcome evil with good, pray for them which spitefully use you, problems escalating, provide things honest in the sight of all men, recompense no maan evil for evil, relent from the evil in our souls, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, show them the error of their ways, showed mercy, stand strong and steadfast, strife-filled times, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the BIBLE, the goodness of God, the Lord reward thee good, the Lord's anointed, the Lord's word is for our benefit, the weekend, these ungodly times, thou art more righteous than I, thou hast rewarded me good. I have rewarded thee evil, throne of grace, to stretch forth mine hand against him, took the high road, truth, unexpected storms, vengeance is mine saith the Lord, wake up and smell the coffe, what do ye more than others, what reward have ye, wisdom, wise guidance
Romans 12:21. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
And we’ve finally gotten to Friday! But though it’s a somewhat snowy and cloudy day, we’ve nonetheless sent up our Mantra: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and the weekend is here!’ We don’t seem to care what kind of day it is, once it’s Friday, (smile) because it means the work week is almost over.
Now, before we get into today’s topic, let me apologize for my mistake of yesterday. Ah Lord eh! I got so tied up in the prayer situation that I referred to yesterday’s message as the third instead of the fourth. My poor brain could not comprehend that we had already done three messages on prayer. I hope you all realized that it was a senior’s moment, (smile) and forgave the ole fella. He’s getting on in age, so anything’s possible.
Anyway, today we’re going to talk about a topic that should be at the heart of Christ’s church, but sadly isn’t. That topic is overcoming evil with good. And Bruh Paul wrote a lot about that, especially in his letter to the Romans. ‘Let LOVE be without dissimulation (hypocrisy). Abhor that which is evil; cleave (cling) to that which is good… Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not… Recompense (repay) no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men (have regard for good things).
If it be possible, as much as lieth in (depends on) you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I shall repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.’ (Rom. 12: 9, 14, 17-21)
And the pertinent question now is whether the members of Christ’s church are living like that? Unfortunately, the answer is no. Definitely not to a sufficient amount or level. And yes, some of that stuff is difficult to do, especially in these strife-filled and greedy times, but that’s the whole point of being a disciple of Jesus; going against the grain, going against what the world considers normal and right.
Remember Jesus said basically the same thing in the sermon on the Mount. ‘Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, LOVE your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully (spitefully) use you, and persecute you: That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
For if ye LOVE them which LOVE you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans (tax collectors) the same? And if ye salute (greet) your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans (tax collectors) so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.’ (Matt. 5:43-48)
And we all know that we’ll never be perfect like our heavenly Father while we’re here on earth, but the important thing is to try to be much more like Him than we currently are. Remember what a disciple is supposed to be: One who denies himself, picks up His cross daily and follows Jesus. (Luke 9:23) Now that doesn’t mean being like the rest of the world. And if we need to show the unbelievers the goodness of God, then we have to relent from all the evil we carry in our souls and bodies, and let the good that resides there come out instead.
And I’m amazed at the way our God moves. Earlier on, when I opened the Bible, it opened at a passage that showed exactly what we’re talking about, and it’s what eventually lead me to the topic. And that scripture is about the time when Bruh David, after running from King Saul for many years, had the chance to kill him in a cave in the wilderness, but only cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. And when his men encouraged him to kill Saul, he refused, saying: ‘The Lord forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord.’ (1 Sam. 24:6)
But after Saul left the cave, Bruh David rose up and accosted him outside of the cave, even bowing to his nemesis, because he was still the king and the Lord’s anointed. He than gave Saul a long speech, which you can find in 1 Sam. 24: 9-15. And surprisingly, after that, Saul admitted his sin. The Bible tells us that Saul said, ‘Is this thy voice, my son David? And Saul lifted his voice and wept.
And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil. And thou hast showed this day how that thou hast dealt well with me: forasmuch as when the Lord hath delivered me into thine hand, thou killedst me not. For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away (get away safely)? Wherefore the Lord reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day.’ (1 Sam. 24: 16-19)
Oh my people, what a wonderful example that is of overcoming evil with good. Although Bruh David had the right and the chance to kill Saul, instead, he took the high road and showed mercy like the Lord required of him. And it’s the same way that the Lord requires us to be much more merciful that we currently are, for when we show others mercy, He shows it back to us. Remember, everything in the Lord’s Word is for our benefit! Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid to handle the evil that surrounds us with the goodness of God.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Oh friends, prayer is a wonderful tool, but divine aid will only be forthcoming when the Lord sees us willing to get up and make the sacrifices available to us! Much LOVE!
…the only thing that can overcome evil…is good…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
30 Jan 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a means of restoring faith in you, anxiety, arise and go down to the potter's house, as the clay is in the potter's hand, be proactive, being confident of this very thing, blasphemous, cannot I do with you as this potter, cause thee to hear my words, changing our spiritual shape, children of Almighty God, Christian witness, confusion, confusion of these ungodly times, crying out for God's help, discontent, dissatisfaction, divine aid, do a better job for Jesus, faith, Friday chant, God is moulding us into the image of Christ, God is our Creator, God's divine sovereignty, God's greatest desire, God's power to reshape and redeem, growing closer to christ, hath not the potter power over clay, he made it again into another vessel, he which hath begun a good work in you, holy spirit, improve our discipleship, insulting, introduce a new flock of believers, Jesus Christ, like the potter moulds the clay, LOVE, make hay while the sun shines, mercy, O house of Israel, O Lord thou art our father, pleading for mercy, problems are escalating, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, saw the light, shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, show them the error of their ways, simmering unrest, so are ye in mine hand, surrendered to God, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the annals of history, the created to question the right of the creator, the example we faithful believers set, the gospel truth, the need for human submission, the unexpected storms, the vessel that he made was marred, the weekend is here at last, thou repliest against God, to make one vessel into honour and another unto dishonour, truth, wake up and smell the coffee, we all are the work of thy hand, we are the clay and thou our potter, who art thou, why hast thou made me thus, will perform it until the day of Jesus, wisdom, wise guidance
Jeremiah 18:6b. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.
Oh boy, it’s another bright and sunshiny day, this last Friday in January, as we offer up our Friday Mantra; ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and the weekend is here at long last! And it’s certainly been a trying week for many of us who had to go out to work amidst all the madness invoked by last Sunday’s snowstorm. But we’ve survived, like the hardy lot that we are. (smile) It takes much more than a few inches of snow to keep us bowed down, especially when we are children of the most omnipotent God Jehovah!
And can you imagine that in another couple of days we’ll be talking about February, while the month of January 2026, is confined to the annals of History. So let’s remind ourselves again, that the days, months, and years are not waiting for us, they are moving along very quickly, so we have to be proactive and make hay while the sun shines, otherwise we’ll just get left behind. Therefore let’s up the ante, and do a better for job Jesus in the coming month of February. Remember our New Year’s resolution was to simply be a better Christian, a better disciple, daily growing closer to and more like Christ.
As Bruh Paul reminds us in his letter 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) Yes friends, each day that the Lord allows us to draw breath on this confused and crazy earth, He is working on us to mould us into the image of His Son Jesus Christ, for His earnest desire is that ALL His children be the living image of His first born. That means some of the pressures we might feel are simply the Lord changing our spiritual shape like a potter moulds the clay he works with. And in several passages of the scriptures God is indeed referred to as a potter.
But before we get into some of those scriptures, listen to how this commentary explains that situation. ‘The metaphor of God as a potter and humans or nations as clay is a prominent biblical illustration used to convey divine sovereignty, the need for human submission, and God’s power to reshape and redeem.’ And as the scripture from Philippians above indicates, God is constantly on His potter’s wheel reshaping and reforming His rebellious children. Now let’s check out some of those scriptures that refer to us as clay and the Lord as the potter, the most obvious one being that from Jeremiah 18, where the Lord explains the analogy to Jeremiah, inviting him to go down to the potter’s house and see how he works.
The Bible tells it thus: ‘The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying, Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels (the Potter’s wheel). And the vessel that he made (was making) of clay was marred (ruined) in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.’ (Jer. 18:1-6)
And that’s the gospel truth my fellow believers! We are like clay in God’s hands. So, as the ruined clay is reformed or transformed into something else by the potter, so can the Lord form or transform us into anything He chooses. For remember, He is our Creator, who first formed man from the dust of the ground, and then woman from the rib of man, so He has the power to do anything with us. He’s just being nice and generous by telling us what He has in mind, whether we be good or evil. (smile) So as He tells Jeremiah, He can do what He wants with a nation, or consequently an individual.
Then there’s this scripture from Isaiah, where he says: ‘But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. Be not wroth very sore (don’t be very furious), O Lord, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people.’ (Is. 18:8-9) Yes friends, Isaiah saw the light and surrendered to God, pleading for mercy, on the basis that they were all His people. He acknowledged that God was both the Creator and heavenly Father.
Finally, we have these verses from Bruh Paul’s letter to the Romans, where he talks about God showing His mercy as He wills. ‘Nay but, O man, who art thou that thou repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?’ (Rom. 9:20-21) And so He has. It’s insulting and blasphemous for the created to question the right of the Creator to make whatever He desires, with whatever He has. Therefore God does have the authority and right to assign purposes for each one of us.
And to summarize it all, the commentary closes thus: ‘The metaphor conveys God’s total sovereignty and authority over our lives. It also implies the clay’s responsibility to remain submissive. The analogy shows God’s power to rework even a “marred” vessel for a new purpose. God shapes us, often through trials.’ And that’s a fact! Many of the trials we go through in this life are basically God shaping us into the image He desires. Now let’s go to the throne of grace through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid to help us withstand those trials and temptations that befall us.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Now, we’re asking for plenty from the Lord, but don’t seem willing to give what He asks for; that’s better Christian witness. However, until we improve our discipleship, divine aid will not be forthcoming. It’s as simple as that! And we cannot complain, because we already have all the tools to do it! Much LOVE!
…God’s greatest desire…to make us all into the image of His Son Jesus Christ…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
26 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new flock of believers, Abraham prayed for Ahimelech, Abraham wavered not from God's command, Abram did not learn his lesson, Abram twice claimed Sarai was his sister, Abram's behaviour, be not afraid of them that kill the body, because of the Pharisees, by the example we faithful believers set, can do no more after that, Christians often live by fear not faith, crying out for God's help, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, discontent, dissatisfaction, divine aid, embrace your love and compassion, escalating problems, faith, favourite day of our work week, fear God who can kill both body and soul, fear him who after killing, Friday chant, give our leaders wise guidance, God commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, God made the women of Ahimelech's household barren, God's omnipotent help, God's amazing grace, hath power to cast into hell, him will I also deny before my Father in heaven, him will I confess before my Father in heaven, holy spirit, improved witness for Christ, in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, lest they be put out of the synagogue, LOVE, many believed on Jesus, mercy, more than the praise of God, our sinful world, refused to publicly acknowledge Jesus, restoring faith in you, return backsliders to your fold, safe in the protection of God, salvation, show them the error of their ways, slay me for my wife's sake, stand strong and steadfast, standard of witness for Christ, stop fearing man, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the anxiety and confusion, the fear of God is not in this place, the fear of man bringeth a snare, the last weekend of September, the Lord healed the women's barrenness, the Lord plagued Pharaoh, the Lord provided a ram for the sacrifice, the promised child Isaac, the throne of grace, these ungodly times, they loved the praise of men, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee, we of little faith, whoso puts their trust in the Lord shall be safe, whosoever shall confess me before men, wisdom, wise guidance
Proverbs 29:25. The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe (secure).
And then, it was that favourite day of our work week, Friday! And all kinds of shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ obviously rose to high heaven, especially since Friday has turned out to be bright and sunny, not cloudy and damp like the last few days have been. Now, would you believe that we’re also getting into the last weekend of September and we haven’t seen one truly chilly day as yet. That’s certainly unusual, but we’ll take it, and say the Lord be praised. (smile)
Now today, we want to continue along the same path as yesterday, talking about being safe in the protection of Almighty God. And once more, we want to put forward this marvellous advice from Cousin Sol. ‘The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe (secure).’ (Prov. 29:25) And we see the truth of that statement right from the very beginning, when Abram went down to Egypt due to a famine in his land, and feared for his life because his wife Sarai was beautiful, and convinced her to say that she was his sister.
And so it was. The Egyptians indeed saw her as beautiful and Pharaoh took her into his house and paid Abram well for the privilege. (Gen. 12:10-16) But soon thereafter, the Bible tells us: ‘Then the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram’s wife.’ (Gen. 12:17) When Pharaoh realized what had happened, he called Abram, upbraided him, and sent him away with Sarai and all his possessions.
But he still did not learn his lesson, for later on when he became Abraham and sojourned in Gerar, he again said that Sarah was his sister. This time to king Abimelech, who obviously took her into his household. But thankfully, the Lord appeared to the king and threatened him to give Sarah back to her husband. (Gen. 20:1-10) And when Abimelech rebuked Abraham, his excuse was: ‘Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife’s sake (on account of my wife).’ (Gen. 20:11)
And thus again, through God’s amazing grace, he was sent away with more riches. But the interesting scenario is that God had closed up all the wombs of the women in Ahimelech’s household because he took Sarah into his house. However, when all was said and done, Abraham prayed for Ahimelech and his household, and the Lord healed the women’s barrenness. Obviously friends, up to that time, our patriarch, both as Abram and Abraham, did not truly put his complete trust in the God whom he claimed to believe in.
But all of that was greatly improved by the time that Abraham received the promised child of Isaac and then the Lord told him to go and sacrifice the child. Abraham did not waiver, but went and did as the Lord commanded,. And we all know that the Lord provided a ram for the sacrifice instead of Issac. (Gen. 22:1-14) Now that’s the level of trust and faith to which we should all aspire, simply doing whatever God tells us to do, without querying it, knowing that He will eventually work it all out for our good.
Oh my brethren, it’s like Jesus warns in the gospel of Luke: ‘And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kil the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea,, I say unto you, Fear him.’ (Luke 12:4-5) And that’s the best advice we can ever receive; stop fearing man, who can only kill the body, but fear God, who can kill both the body and soul.
And we see that fear of man persisting even amongst the Jewish rulers of Jesus’ time. As John writes about people refusing to believe in Jesus despite all that he had done. ‘Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess (publicly acknowledge) him, lest they be put out of the synagogue. For they LOVED the praise of men more than the praise of God.’ (John 12:42-43)
And to this day, nothing much has changed in that respect. Many of us still refuse to confess Jesus publicly because we’re afraid of what mankind would do. Ah we of little faith! But let’s go home remembering these most important words of Jesus on the subject. ‘Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 10:32-33) Yes friends, those are good words for us to ponder on today, as we go to the throne of grace through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid in these terrible times.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Oh my people, we pray good prayers, but unfortunately our Christian witness is not up to standard, so our prayers are not answered. Therefore, let’s concentrate on lifting the standard of witness for Christ nuh, for then, and only then will we receive divine aid! Much LOVE!
…many Christians claim to have faith…but too often it’s fear they live by…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
08 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new flock of believers, all of a sudden, brought sin into the world, brought you a daisy bouquet, by the example your faithful believers set, can wake up and smell the coffee, Christ died for the ungodly, Christ died for us, crying out for God's help, defeat the enemy, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, divine help, eternal destiny, faith, for no discernible reason, Friday chant, God commendeth his own love toward us, God created us to have constant communion with Him, God is longing for our affection, God wanted a people to love, herein is love, holy spirit, hugged me, I long to hug you more often, I love you, I was puzzled, improve our witness for Christ, in due time, Jesus Christ, Jesus offered His sinless blood, LOVE, mercy, not living up to our part of the bargain, not that we loved God but that he loved us, omnipotent help, One year Book of Bible Promise, pay the Piper, positive evidence of God's love, practiced my lessons, problems escalating, put a damper on the enthusiasm, reconciliation, return backsliders to your fold, Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, sinful ingrates, stand strong and steadfast for Christ, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the error of their ways, the materialism the cares of this world, the propitiation of our sins, the sinful world, the throne of grace, the very reason for our existence, today you picked me up, too busy hugging yourself, trusting faith, truth, underperforming believers, unexpected storms, unwise actions, we love him because he first loved us, when the time was right, when we were without strength, while we were yet sinners, Who Me, wise guidance
1 John 4:19. We LOVE Him, because he first LOVED us.
And did the ‘TGIF’s! Thank God it’s Friday!’ ever go up this morning, but in a rather tired and halfhearted manner, as last weekend’s celebrations and this week’s work put a damper on the usual enthusiasm for the weekend. The great hope and expectation for this one is not to party, but to rest. (smile) Yes friends, if you want to call the tune, then you have to be able to pay the piper. And if you can’t, then you’ll simply have to suffer the consequences. Sermon done! (smile)
And today we’re going to check out a rather interesting poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, simply titled ‘Who, Me?’ Yes, You! (smile) I don’t know if I’ve shared this poem before, but we know that they are all worth sharing over and over.
So please read with me: ‘Lord All of a sudden today you picked me up And hugged me And hugged me For no discernible reason. I was puzzled. After all – I hadn’t picked up my toys Or practiced my lessons Or brought You a daisy bouquet – Hesitantly, I asked why. You smiled and said I LOVE you, that’s all. Then You added: I long to hug you more often. Why don’t You, Lord? You are too busy. Too busy, Lord? Too busy hugging yourself.’
Ah my fellow believers, can that admonishment apply to us? Are we too busy hugging ourselves, too taken up with our own cares and worries to pay any attention to our wonderful and ever-LOVING God? Somehow, I think that many of us are guilty of just such unwise actions. The cares and the materialism of this crazy world occupy too much of our time. We all feel so busy. But busy doing what?
Most of the time it’s not any earth moving circumstance, but simply something we feel we ought to do. On the other hand, how often do we feel like we should be hugging our great God eh? Certainly not enough! Meanwhile, He’s there starving, longing for our affection. Remember He created us so that we could have good and constant communion with Him. But unfortunately, we’re not living up to our part of the bargain.
And the Bible verse for the poem is a simple but very telling one: The Book uses this translation: ‘We LOVE because He first LOVED us.’ But we like our good ole King James version which says: ‘We LOVE Him, because he first LOVED us.’ (1 John 4:19) Now that is such a very poignant and important statement; one that we should know and keep uppermost in our hearts, souls, bodies and minds at all times!
Why? Because it’s the very reason for our existence, our salvation and our eternal destiny! Remember we said that God created us because he wanted a people to LOVE and have constant communication with. And then, when we disobeyed His commands and thus brought sin into the world, He was heartbroken and therefore sought a way to return us to His flock. And that way was to Have His Son, Jesus Christ come to earth and selflessly offer His sinless blood as propitiation for our sins.
Why do you think the Lord did that eh? Why did He go to such great lengths to obtain a just and righteous reconciliation eh? Because He LOVED us! Else why would He break His own heart by sacrificing His only Son for a bunch of sinful ingrates eh? There’s only one logical answer; overwhelming LOVE for His sinful creation! And John explains that earlier on in the epistle, when he writes: ‘Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.’ (1 John 4:10)
Oh my fellow believers, that’s the greatest showing of LOVE there’s ever been, and will ever be! And I don’t understand why we don’t appreciate it so much more than we do. But that’s why the Lord gave us free will, so we could make our own choices, even though they may turn out to be the wrong ones. And how can we not appreciate and reverence these amazing words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome eh?
‘For when we were yet without strength, in due time (at the right time) Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure (perhaps) for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:6-8)
Oh my people, what else will it take for us to recognize and truly appreciate God’s great, undying LOVE for us eh? All through the Bible it’s said, written and actioned! So why do we still refuse to believe it and live like it mattered? Only each disbelieving individual and our all- knowing God know. Nuff said. Now it’s time to go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine help for our numerous problems.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Unfortunately though friends, it’s not only the sinful world that needs to wake up and smell the coffee, but also we underperforming supposed believers. And until we improve our witness for Christ, we won’t see much, if any divine help! Much LOVE!
…with all the positive evidence available…if you can’t believe God’s great LOVE for mankind…how can you believe anything else…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
30 May 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new flock of believers, a rewarder of them that diligently seek him, a time of peace, a time of war, a time to be born, a time to break down, a time to build up, a time to cast away stones, a time to dance, a time to die, a time to embrace, a time to every purpose under heaven, a time to gather stones together, a time to get, a time to hate, a time to heal, a time to keep silence, a time to kill, a time to laugh, a time to lose, a time to love, a time to mourn, a time to plant, a time to pluck up that which is planted, a time to rend, a time to sew, a time to speak, a time to weep, all things work together for good, bask in the freedom, blasphemy, by the example your faithful believers set, Christ is not to this world, Christian witness, crying out for God's help, dire times, escalating problems, faith, faith is the substance of things hoped for, finite minds, Friday chant, God's sovereign design behind everything, God-given wisdom, he that comes to God, he that cometh to God must believe that He is, holy spirit, in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, leggo-beasts, LOVE, mercy, negative happenings, not up to scratch, omnipotent help, our sinful world, return backsliders to your fold, salt and light, salvation, stand strong and steadfast for Christ, summer gets closer, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the error of their ways, the evidence of things not seen, the Lords thoughts and ways are higher than ours, the simmering unrest, the throne of grace, to every thing there is a season, to those who love God, trusting faith, truth, turn back to God, wake up and smell the coffee, who are called according to His purpose, wisdom, without faith it is impossible to please God
Ecclesiastes 3:1. To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
Oh friends, it’s another Friday in the life – a warm but somewhat cloudy one. And thankfully, with each passing day the summer season grows closer, and so do thoughts of vacation time. That means, each weekend the shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ are also louder. Those fortunate people living in year round sunshine and warmth cannot fathom the great desire that those of us who live in the northern climes have for summer weather. But that’s when we’re let loose like leggo-beasts; freed from all the clothing and indoor living that we are forced to wear and do for several months of the year.
And I guess that’s why we take so many liberties, bask in the freedom of it all, and consequently have so many accidents during the summer. Therefore, Cousin Sol, in his great God-given wisdom, could write as the Preacher in Ecclesiastes: ‘To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born (to bear), and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get (gain), and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend (tear apart), and a time to sew (sew together); a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to LOVE, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.’ (Eccl. 3:1-8)
Yes my people, there’s a time for everything in God’s great universe, but unfortunately right now seems to be the time for most of the negative happenings: like a time for many to die, one for many things to be plucked up that were planted, a time to kill and break down the beautiful things we’ve built over the years, a time to weep and mourn, as so many are doing in these disastrous times, a time to cast away stones and to refrain from embracing, a time for many to lose what they have and cast off relationships, a time to tear up and a time to speak blasphemy and lies, a time to hate and a time of war.
Oh my fellow believers these times of strife and hardship, of lack and greed, of envy and distrust seem to be all a part of God’s great plan for His universe. And the scholars put it thus: ‘As Solomon reflects on all of life, he expresses in a beautiful poem of 14 pairs of opposite events that God has a sovereign design behind all events. (cf. Rom. 8:28).’ Of that we can be very sure, for our God does not move in a vikey-vie, careless or unplanned manner. No sir! All His moves are planned out from the beginning and are so intertwined as to produce His purpose.
That’s why, as believers in Almighty God we have to hold on tightly to this foundational scripture: ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28) That’s because the Lord’s thoughts and ways are higher than ours, (Is. 55:8-9) and He doesn’t always move in straight line, or in ways that our puny and finite minds can understand. Therefore we need to hold on tightly to His promises in tough times, especially that one, where He’s going to eventually work everything out for our good.
Yes, it’s all about faith, about trust, about surrender to Almighty God, the Creator and Controller of this great universe! And what does the author of Hebrews tell us about faith? ‘Now faith is the substance (realization, assurance) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction, sense of proof) of things not seen.’ (Heb.11:1) However, even more importantly, the author of Hebrews informs us: ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him (God): 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)
So it’s all wrapped up in our belief and faith friends. Once we give our hearts, souls, bodies and minds to Christ, then we have to stay strong and operate under the laws of His kingdom, though some of them might seem strange and are definitely not in sync with those of the world system. But then, Christ is not of this world, neither are we. So, for help in these dire times of need, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Now friends, our own prayer indicates that our Christian witness is not up to scratch, otherwise our world would not be in such a vile, disgusting and strife-filled state. So please, let’s get together as ONE in Christ and improve our witness, so that the world can see our salt and light, our good works, and joyfully turn back to God and glorify Him. Much LOVE!
…God causes or allows ALL things to happen…and Christians must show absolute trust in His goodness and mercy…towards those who sincerely LOVE Him….
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
23 May 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living
Tags: a close relationship with God, a new flock of believers, a phenomenon, a sin nature, animosity in Christ's church, be responsible, behave like the rest of the world, can wake up and smell the coffee, Christ's church is divided, cleanseth us from all sin, confusion of these ungodly times, crying out for God's help, disciples of Jesus, discipleship demands sacrifice, discontent, dissatisfaction, divide and conquer, eternal life, faith, Friday chant, get united, get wise, God has no sin nature, God is light, have the light of life, he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, His sacrifices demand it, holy spirit, I am the light of the world, in him there is no darkness at all, Jesus Christ, keep Satan at bay, lives characterized by sin, LOVE, lying to ourselves, mercy, not putting out the necessary effort, problems are escalating, refuse the charm of Satan's offers, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, Satan's sinful route to hell fire and damnation, set free from the bondage of sin, simmering unrest, stand up and fight for Christ, stay safe, talk is cheap, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the blood of Jesus Christ, the error of their ways, the example we faithful believers set, the Great Commission, the Lord helps those who help themselves, the nature of the human animal, the slide down into the quicksand of hell, the throne of grace, the weekend, the world's in disaster mode, this is the message we have heard of him, time for Christians to unite, truth, unexpected storms, walk in darkness, walk in the light as he is in the light, walking in sin, we have fellowship one with the other, wind storms, wisdom, wise guidance
1 John 1:5b. God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
And then it was Friday, the end of our work week, with many of us shouting the traditional ‘Thank God it’s Friday, and the weekend’s here at long last!’ We’re behaving as though we’ve worked a full, hard week, when it’s been only four, easy days. But that’s the nature of the human animal. (smile) Thankfully too, the rain’s finally stopped in my area, but it’s still very cloudy with a feeble sun trying to make some headway against the dark, threatening clouds. However, it’s also windy as ever!
I don’t know where these sudden wind storms have come from, but over the last few years they have become a more noticeable phenomenon…even in the summer. But as is our won’t, we’ll blame it all on climate change, the new blame outlet for many of our current problems. Anyway, today, I want us to look at a particular aspect of scripture that John deals with very nicely in his first epistle; that’s walking in the light. He writes: ‘This then is the message which we have heard of him (Jesus), and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.’ (1 John 1:5)
John is here giving us first hand witness of the teaching he heard from Jesus Himself, when He claimed: ‘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) He’s saying that darkness and light are metaphors for evil and goodness. And since there’s no sin or evil in God, then He’s perfect and good. Now, do we believe that my brethren? We ought to, otherwise our faith is of no use. For, as John continues: ‘If we say that we have fellowship with him (Jesus), and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not (practice) the truth.’ (1 John 1:6)
And according to the scholars, ‘walk in darkness means walking in sin. John may have had in mind people who claimed to have a close relationship with God, but whose lives were clearly characterized by sin. Such a state of affairs, John says boldly is impossible; such persons are lying.’ And, sadly, that’s seems to be the state of affairs with many supposed believers; we might believe or say that we’re walking with Christ, but we’re actually lying to ourselves. Otherwise our world would not be in its current disaster mode, we would have made much more headway against the devil and his evil cronies than we have.
But talk is cheap, while true discipleship and sacrifice are rather expensive, and many of us don’t have the wherewithal to stand up and fight Beelzebub, or refuse the charm of his worldly offers. However, as John further proclaims: ‘But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.’ (1 John 1:7) And that is such a necessary truth my people! Our God is light; has no sin nature, therefore if we walk in His light, then we too would have no sin nature, be set free from the bondage of sin for which purpose Christ died on the cross of Calvary.
His shed blood cleanses us from all sin, and is supposed to draw believers closer together. But that isn’t happening as it ought to, for today, the church of Christ is split into so many denominations, cliques, groups, etc. etc., and there’s so much animosity amongst us over such petty stuff, that it’s unbelievable. The devil doesn’t even have to try to divide and conquers us, no, for we’ve already divided ourselves. No wonder he’s having such an easy time, for the church cannot produce any worthy offence unless it’s united.
Oh my people, everyday our world is slipping and sliding ever deeper into disaster and chaos, sadly following Satan’s ungodly and sinful route to hell fire and damnation! But as disciples of Jesus, we cannot allow that to happen, for He’s put His utmost trust in us to help bring the world to salvation and eternal life. Remember His Great Commission, (Matt. 28:19-20) where we’re supposed to go out to all nations and make disciples of them, teaching them all that He’s taught us? So why aren’t we being more successful eh? Because we’re not united, and therefore we’re not putting out the necessary effort to keep Satan at bay. It’s as simple as that.
Just look around at how many of us go to church on Sundays and behave so holy and righteous, then look at our conduct from Monday to Saturday…just like the rest of the world. That’s obviously not conducive to kingdom building. But friends, we have to do something, and do something right now, if we want to stop the serious slide down into the quicksand of hell. So please, let’s get wise, get united and start fighting seriously for Jesus nuh. He deserves that much from us. And to help us on our way, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine help in these disastrous times.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Now, my faithful brethren, we cannot just simply pray and wait for God to move on our behalf. No! We also have to help ourselves, for as the old saying goes: ‘the Lord helps those who help themselves!’ Much LOVE!
…it’s time for Christians to unite…and sincerely stand up and fight for Christ…His sacrifices on our behalf demand it…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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