10 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a codicil to the promise, be patient therefore brethren, be ye also patient stablish your hearts, behold the upright, blessed is the man that trusteth in him, deal treacherously, deliver them from the wicked, deliverance, encampeth round about them that fear him, endure right to the end, even the youths shall faint and be weary, fainteth not neither is weary, faith, glad to be alive, God spared our lives, halfway home, hands on the plough, hast thou not heard, hast thou not known, hath long patience, He gives power to the faint, holy spirit, Jesus Christ, lead me in thy truth and teach me, let me not be ashamed, let none that wait in faith on thee be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me, let them be ashamed which transgress without cause, LOVE, mark the perfect man, mercy, mount up with wings as eagles, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, none of them shall be desolate, not turning back, nothing's ever as good as when we wait on God for it, O fear the Lord ye saints, O my God I trust in thee, O taste and see that the Lord is good, on thee do I wait all the day, our second wind day, redemption, run and not be weary, salvation, save them because they trust in him, saved him out of all his troubles, shall renew their strength, shew me thy ways O Lord, summer hiatus, teach me thy paths, thank God, the angel of the Lord, the breath of life, the Christians' motto, the coming of the Lord draweth nigh, the Creator of the ends of the earth, the early and latter rain, the end of that man is peace, the end of the wicked shall be cut off, the everlasting God, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit, the Lord heard him, the Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants, the Lord shall help them and deliver them, the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord, the transgressors shall be destroyed together, the young lions do lack and suffer hunger, the young men shall utterly fall, their strength in time of trouble, there is no searching of His understanding, there is no want to them that fear him, they that seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing, they that wait upon the Lord, this poor man cried, thou art the God of my salvation, to a glorious future with Jesus, to them that have no might he increaseth strength, to wait in faith on the lord, truth, unto the coming of the Lord, waiting on god, walk and not faint, Wednesday Wail, wisdom
Isaiah 40:31a. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;
Oh mih people, it’s Wednesday, our second wind day! And it’s a beautiful, warm sunshiny day in my neighbourhood. However, we’re on the late bus today, because our Wednesday morning group at church has reconvened after the summer hiatus, and then, as usual, I had to run a couple of errands afterwards. (smile) But it’s not too bad because we know what we’re talking about as God spared our lives to see another marvellous day on Planet Earth.
Yes, as we promised yesterday, we’re continuing to look at scriptures on that ever important attitude of waiting on God. It’s not an easy task, but it’s oh so wise and beneficial. When we wait on God, we get the best of what He has to offer…and when we don’t, we get second rate stuff, or no stuff at all. And we’ll begin with one of the big scriptures on the subject of waiting, another one from the prophet Isaiah.
When talking about the Greatness of God’s Might, he confidently proclaims: ‘Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint (weak); and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is. 40:28-31)
Oh friends, what a glorious scripture that is! What a promise it contains for waiting on God! Wow! If we wait on God we can walk and not be weary, as well as soar like eagles, because He strengthens us and enables us to walk in His might and power! Now there’s nothing better than that! However, it all depends on our waiting on God for His timing. And yes, sometimes we can force an issue and have it come out all right, but the truth of the matter is that it never comes out as good as if we wait for God’s time to do it.
And we see Bruh David advising that we wait on the Lord in several psalms. Listen to this from Psalm 25: ‘O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me. Yea, let none that wait (in faith) on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause (deal treacherously). Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation: on thee do I wait all the day.’ (Ps. 25:2-5)
And then in that magnificent Psalm 34, Bruh David testifies: ‘This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want (lack) to them that fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing …The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them shall be desolate (condemned).’ (Ps. 34:6-10, 22)
Yes my fellow believers, if we trust in the Lord, then we will wait upon Him, and then we shall not be ashamed of anything and want for anything. That’s His faithful promise! Now hear these verses from the end of this other mighty psalm, Psalm 37. Bruh David declares: ‘Mark the perfect (blameless) man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace. But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off. But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: he is their strength in the time of trouble. And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.’ (Ps. 37:37-40)
There again trusting in the Lord and therefore waiting on Him will bring redemption and deliverance! And there are many more scriptures about waiting on and trusting in God, but we’ll end with this one from James, Christ’s brother, as he talks about the Value of Patience and Prayer. He writes: ‘Be patient, therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman (farmer) waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish (establish) your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh (has come near).’ (James 5:7-8)
Yes friends, we need to build a solid attitude of patience like farmers have, and keep waiting in faith on God, for that is one of the best ways to show our faith and acknowledge His sovereignty. Now, let’s go home declaring (yesss!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus!
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And there’s a codicil to that promise, which says, those who endure right to the very end with Jesus, will have an even more glorious future than we can ever ask or imagine. So please, let’s be wise and endure right the end with Christ nuh, so that we can be a part of that glorious future together! Much LOVE!
…to wait…to wait…to wait in faith on the Lord…that ought to be the Christians’ motto…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
02 May 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a cloud of raised voices, a day of gladness and feasting, a good day, a means of restoring faith in you, a moment of intrigue, advanced society, amidst all the anxiety and confusion, anti-semite, assault the queen before me, back breaking work, be responsible, better wages, brave and just people, build a gallows, by the example your faithful believers set, can wake up and smell the coffee, crying out for your help, deliverance, dissatisfaction in our land, divine aid, embrace your love and compassion, ensuing violence, faith, for such a time as this, Friday chant, genocidal plan, Haman hanged on the gallows he built for Mordecai, hang him thereon, holy spirit, if thou hold thy peace at this time, introduce a new flock of believers, Jesus Christ, King Xerxes, Labour Day marches, LOVE, machination, mercy, money men, Mordecai, of sending portions one to another, omnipotent help, our sinful world, physical rest, pleased with his wife's advice, plots, problems are escalating, relief, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, see God's hand at work, sending presents to each other, serfs, show them the error of their ways, simmering unrest, smell it sweet and strong, stand strong and steadfast, stay safe, sub-plots, tedious work schedule, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, Thanks be to God, the Feast of Purim, the king's wrath pacified, the Lord does nothing without a plan, the story of Esther, the throne of grace, the weekend, these ungodly times, time with family, time with God, to exterminate the Jews, unexpected storms, use the discontent, whom the king delighted to honour, wise guidance, you're alive at the right time
Esther 4:14b. and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
So we’ve finally come to Friday, and all those shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ have gone up to heaven like a cloud of raised voices. (smile) And we’re all thankful that the weekend is here with two days of much needed rest from the tedious work schedule of our supposedly sophisticated and advanced society. And it’s surprising how many people suffered and died for those two days off, with all the Labour Day marches and the ensuing violence. For if the money men had their way, the serfs would still be working long hours with little pay, as they once did.
But thanks be to God, that some brave and just people were willing to sacrifice their lives and fight for the right to have a short break and better wages from the back breaking work that then manifested itself. So please, let’s not abuse it, but use it to fulfill the purposes for which it was granted, physical rest and time well spent with family and God. End of Sermon! (smile)
It reminds us of the story of the Jewess Esther and her uncle Mordecai, in the Persian winter capital of Shushan, that resonated with much machination and intrigue, plots and sub-plots. In the reign of King Xerxes, (486-465 B.C) there was one anti-Semite at the top of the power chain by the name of Haman, who hated Mordecai and planned to destroy the Jews, but through God’s mysterious working power, Esther, the Jewess, married the Gentile king and became Queen of Persia.
However, no one knew that Esther was Jewish, and when Haman set his genocidal plan to exterminate the Jews, Esther’s uncle and guardian, Mordecai, through secret messengers, told her that she needed to go into the king and let him know about Haman’s evil plan. But understandably Esther was afraid, firstly, because she was Jewish and that discovery could cause her serious problems. But even worse, she could not go into the king unless He summoned her, which he hadn’t done for the past thirty days. Going in on her own accord would mean certain death, if the king did not welcome her, by holding out his golden sceptre to her.
So, unfortunately, Esther had those serious problems to consider if she wanted to help her Jewish race escape Haman’s evil machinations. But her uncle Mordecai kept bugging her to do it and she kept refusing, until one day after a refusal, he sent this interesting message to Esther. ‘Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews. for if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time (remain completely silent), then shall there enlargement (relief) and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?’ (Esth. 4:13-14)
Now friends, that’s a good question to ask ourselves: have we been born for such a time as this? And most likely the answer is yes, for the Lord does nothing without a solid plan, and in whatever period of time you end being alive is exactly when God planned for you to be there. Finally, Mordecai’s argument got home to Esther and she sent him a message for all the Jews to fast for three days, then she would go into the king.
On the third day then, Esther went in unto the king, and as the Lord would have it, the king held out his golden sceptre to Esther, and in another moment of intrigue, Esther told the king of a banquet she intended to hold and for him and that Haman was also invited. But that night the king could not sleep and called for the records, wherein he saw how Mordecai had warned of the king’s traitorous chamberlains (eunuchs). Then the king asked what honour had been done for Mordecai and found that nothing had been done.
In the meanwhile, Zeresh, Haman’s wife advised him to build a gallows fifty cubits high on which to hang Mordecai, then speak to king about it the next day. Haman being pleased with his wife’s advice did exactly that. (Esth. 5:13) Then the next day when he saw the king, the king asked him: ‘What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighted to honour? Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour than to myself?’ (Esth. 6:6) So he spewed out a whole lot of stuff about putting the kings clothing and crown on the man’s head and letting him ride the king’s horse, and parade him through the streets. Much to his surprise though the king told hm to do exactly all of that to Mordecai, which Haman in bittersweet obedience did. (Esth. 6:10-11)
After that, Haman was taken to the queen’s banquet and on the second day of the banquet, the king asked Esther her petition or desire, and she told him of Haman’s wicked plan to exterminate the Jews. The king became mad and went out into garden, while Haman threw himself on the bed where Esther lay, seeking mercy. But that only incensed the king more, and he said: ‘Will he force (assault) the queen also before me in the house. As the word went out of the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.’ (Esth. 7:8) That signified that Haman was about to be executed.
Then Harbonah, one of the king’s eunuchs told him about the gallows Haman had bult for Mordecai. ‘Then the king said, Hang him thereon. So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king’s wrath pacified (his wrath subsided).’ (Esth. 9-10) Oh my people, to really get all the intrigue in the story and truly see God’s hand at work you need to read he whole Book of Esther. In the end, the Jews were victorious and celebrated the Feast of Purim, on the fourteenth day of the month Adar to witness their victory; ‘a day of gladness and feasting, and a good day, and of sending portions (presents) one to another.’ (Esth. 9:19)
And now, for help in our own current battles, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid. 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!’
The truth of the story though, is that we supposed believers are not setting a good enough example for the unbelievers, that’s why there’s still so many of them, and until we begin doing better, divine aid will not be forthcoming! Much LOVE!
…the devil sets up lots of evil schemes…but with the Lord’s help…we can certainly dismantle them…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
16 Dec 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a light to lighten the Gentiles, a sword shall pierce thy own soul, a tumultuous climax, Advent, anguish, Bible, blessed God, christianity, deliverance, devout, divine aid, divine helphumble servants, division, eternal life, faith, fellowship, for a sign, forgiveness, great fanfare, Happy Holidays, heartache for Mary, hellfire and damnation, holy spirit, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the reason for the season, Jesus' coming, Jesus' sacrifice, joyful festive season, judgement, just, let thy servant depart in peace, life, LOVE, machinations, mercy, Merry Christmas, messianic hope, mine eyes have seen thy salvation, praise, prosper, redemption, salvation, Seasons Greetings, seeking God's face, Simeon, sincere repentance in our hearts, special insight, strong faith in Christ, thanksgiving, that will be spoken against, the big day of Christmas, the fall and rising of many in Israel, the God who heals, the Holy Spirit's influence, the Messiah, the power to solve our many problems, the thoughts of many hearts be revealed, the throne of grace, this child is set for, to bring revelation to, truth, turn from our evil ways, when Christ was born, wisdom, wise guidance, worship
Luke 2:32. A light to lighten (bring revelation to) the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
Nine days and counting friends! Counting down to the big day of Christmas, when we celebrate our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ’s birth! It’s the day when all the hullabaloo of the Christmas season will come to a tumultuous climax, of food, drink and partying, but hopefully too, one of praise, thanksgiving, worship and fellowship, in appreciation of the Father’s great gift to us.
And as we go out on this wet, cloudy, Monday morning in mid-December, and get into the spirit of the season with our co-workers and fellow shoppers, please, let’s remember that Jesus is the reason for this joyful festive season, and don’t allow others to forget it either, as the world is trying to do.
So it’s not merely ‘Happy Holidays,’ or ‘Season’s Greetings,’ but ‘Merry Christmas,’ or some such greeting that makes it clear that this is the Christmas Season, when Christ was born, when He came down from heaven, so that He could bring us forgiveness, salvation and eternal life! End of Sermon! (smile)
And today we’ll look at another prophetic phenomenon in the life of Jesus, corroborating all the things the Old Testament said about Him. We’re talking about the story of Simeon, who, as the scholars tell us ‘had his heart set on the messianic hope (of seeing the Messiah), which alone could bring consolation to his troubled land. He was therefore open under the Holy Spirit’s influence for God to impart special insight to him.’
And when Mary and Joseph came to the temple to present Jesus to the Lord, and to offer sacrifices for Him according to the law, the Bible recounts this very interesting scene: ‘And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
And he came by the spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, Then took he him (Jesus) up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all the people; A light to lighten (bring revelation to) the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.’ (Luke 2:25-32)
Yes friends, we see that all through His Word, the Lord moved in all kinds of mysterious ways to let mankind know that He was going to redeem them at the appropriate time, through the coming of His Messiah. Simeon was just one of those instances, guided by the Holy Ghost to be at the right place at the right time. And like so many other instances of the Lord’s largesse and mercy, Simeon had to wait a long time to see it. He was rather old by then. But our God keeps His promises, even if He has to keep us alive till we’re old and grey. (smile)
And that’s how it was with Simeon. But it was also another lesson for Jospeh and Mary in the Lord’s infinite machinations, as the scholars reveal that the words ‘a light to lighten (bring revelation to the Gentiles,’ was the first time they were hearing the startling prophecy that Jesus’ significance will extend even to the Gentiles. And that would have been surprising even if it had not come from a stranger.’
No wonder, as the Bible continues: ‘And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.’ (Luke 2:33) No doubt it reminded them of the shepherds who were led by the angels and the heavenly host to the place where Jesus lay on the night that He was born. They too had seen and spoken of some marvellous things. By then Mary and Joseph must have been wandering what they had gotten themselves into.
But the worst was yet to come. ‘And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set (destined) for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thine own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.’ (Luke 2: 34-35)
Oh, Jesus’s coming will bring deliverance, but also division, anguish and all sorts of heartache for Mary. As the scholars say: ‘Both redemption and judgement are bound up in His advent (coming).’ Now, how many of us still want to be Mary the mother of Jesus eh? It might have come with great fanfare and blessings, but the heartaches were also enormous. But be that as it may, let’s take our problems to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking help for our many problems.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And to get that divine aid, means cleaning up our own act, through prayer, repentance and sincerely seeking God’s face! Much LOVE!…
were it not for Jesus’ sacrifice…mankind would ALL be heading for hellfire and damnation…so let’s be very thankful for Him…this Christmas season…
08 Sep 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a beacon in darkest times, a candle in every soul, a family whose hearts are blazing, a light unto my path, and glorify your Father in heaven, arise from the dead, awake thou that sleepest, Bible, blessings, Christ shall give thee light, christianity, confidence in our faith, confused, deliverance, drowning in the mire of Satan, faith, fellowship, frustrated brother, Go light your world, god, have the light of life, he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, holds a candle without a flame, holy spirit, I am the light of the world, Jesus Christ, let your light so shine, light your candle, LOVE, men may see your good works, much-needed relief, negative sentiments, now are ye light in the Lord, praying to the Father, renewed strength, run to the darkness, salvation, seek out the helpless, sin darkened world, strife, the darkness comprehended it not, the light shineth in the darkness, the source of ligght, the straight and narrow path, the unfruitful works of darkness, thy word is a lamp unto my feet, torn, truth, walk as children of light, walking in sin, wisdom, worship, ye were sometimes darkness
Ephesians 5:8. ‘For ye were sometimes (once) darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
Then it was Sunday once again… and all roads lead to the Lord’s house to spend the most pleasurable time in a believer’s week, that of celebrating in worship and fellowship with other believers, giving praise to God and encouragement to the saints, while receiving blessings and renewed strength and confidence in our faith from our heavenly Father.
And today’s song of worship is none other than the Christopher Rice authored song of 2004, so appropriately titled for these trying and troubled times, ‘Go Light Your World’ as performed by Kathy Troccoli. We’ll do a spirited, scintillating, encouraging version that will have the saints, just bursting with excitement and enthusiasm to get out into the cruel world and light their candles to show the unbeliever the way to Jesus.
Singing: ‘There is a candle in every soul Some brightly burning, some dark and cold There is a Spirit who brings a fire Ignites a candle and makes His home. (Chorus: So carry your candle, run to the darkness Seek out the helpless, confused and torn Hold out your candle for all to see it Take your candle, and go light your world Take your candle, and go light your world.) Frustrated brother, see how he’s tried to Light his own candle some other way See now your sister, she’s been robbed and lied to Still holds a candle without a flame
(Chorus:…Carry your candle…) ‘Cause we are a family whose hearts are blazing So let’s raise our candles and light up the sky Praying to our Father, in the name of Jesus Make us a beacon in darkest times. (Chorus: So carry your candle, run to the darkness Seek out the hopeless, deceived and poor Hold out your candle for all to see it Take your candle, and go light your world… Repeat… Take your candle, and go light your world…Take your candle, and go light your world.’
Ah friends, that’s exactly what our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ expects of us! And we all know how dark and dreary our world has become, with all the strife, resentment and all the other negative sentiments and evil deeds that currently abound, and only candle or light carrying believers in Jesus can penetrate that darkness to bring some much-needed relief to a world drowning in the mire of Satan.
And it’s not like we don’t know that Jesus is the light bearer to Satan’s darkness, for He said it Himself, when He was down here on earth. ‘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 how is Jesus the light of your life? This commentary tells us: “Jesus is the light of life and the life of light. He embodies all that we know spiritual light is and does.” Jesus is the light of life (John 8:12) and the life of light (John 1:4).’ Yes, John spells it out right at the beginning of his gospel. ‘In him (Jesus) was life; and the life was in the light of men. And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness comprehended (apprehended) it not.’ (John 1:4-5)
And the scholars explain those verses thus: ‘In John’s writings, life represents salvation and deliverance through Christ, and light denotes Jesus’ revelation of God which calls men to accountability.’ Therefore, in Jesus there is both life or salvation and also enlightenment about God and what He expects of us. And to put it in its most basic context, according to this commentary, Jesus is called the light of the world ‘because he is the source of the light that quickens our understanding, because his teachings and his example illuminate our path, and because his power persuades us to do good.’
As the famous verse from Psalm 119 describes the Lord’s Word: ‘Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.’ (Ps. 119:105) Walking in darkness is therefore walking in sin, living by the dictates of Satan and this evil world, without Christ and without the benefit of God’s Word in our lives. Obviously then, we must trip and fall often when we cannot see where we’re going. But with Jesus in our lives, and the benefit of God’s word there is a light that guides us on the straight and narrow path.
However, before Jesus went back to heaven, He made a great pronouncement about the subject of light in this world. Namely: ‘Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle (lamp), and put it under a bushel (basket), but on a candlestick (lampstand); and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is heaven.’ (Matt. 5:14-16)
In other words, my fellow believers, once Christ left the earth, we were the light bearers, and we were supposed to go out into the world do as the song says: ‘Seek out the helpless, confused and torn Hold out your candle for all to see it…Cause we are a family whose hearts are blazing…’
But that’s obviously not the truth, because the world is so badly clothed in darkness that most of its inhabitants cannot even see their hands right in front of their faces, for Satan has so blinded them with sin, and we supposed believers in Christ Jesus; the light bearers, have for whatever reason(s) been hiding our lights under a bushel, the very opposite of what Jesus desires of us. So if the presence of Jesus is not far flung, to all nations, what else can we expect but a dark, disgusting, sinful world.
Now here is another encouraging scripture to go home to. This one from Bruh Paul to the Ephesians. ‘For ye were sometimes (once) darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove (expose) them.
For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved (exposed) are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.’ (Eph. 5:8-14)
Ah my fellow saints, it’s indeed time for us to awake from our slumber and acknowledge the great darkness that’s enveloped our world, because of too many ‘dark and cold candles’ and do something to turn things around, because it all depends on us. And the song says it best: ‘So let’s raise our candles and light up the sky Praying to our Father, in the name of Jesus Make us a beacon in darkest times.’ Much LOVE!
…it’s high time for all believers to set their candles aflame…so that the light of Jesus…can erupt in this sin darkened world…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
25 Apr 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sound mind, a spirit of fear, a wake up call, a warning, April showers bring May flowers, be not afraid, be of good cheer, but of power, come and save you, contented with little, Coronavirus, deliverance, disciplined mind, doing it afraid, edge of a precipice, elbow grease, entitled, fat and lazy, fear and courage, get up off our fat fannies, God hath not given us, God will come, gospel truth, His Holy Spirit, history repeats itself, I will not fear, is that which shall be done, It is I, it is that which shall be, let's not quit, man-made idols, marvellous gifts, oblivion, of love, prosperity, reassuring words, rest on our laurels, rolling from one day to the next, salvation, satiafied, take courage, that which is done, the beauty of His philosophy, the Lord is on my side, the Lord is working in the background, the thing that hath been, the world keeps turning, there is no new thing under the sun, too big for their britches, turning away from God, two sides of the same coin, what can man do unto me, with a recompense, with a vengeance
Mark 6:50b. Be of good cheer (take courage); it is I; be not afraid.
And the world keeps turning, like the Lord planned it to: it’s pages quietly and unconcernedly rolling along from one day to the next, regardless of what happens from one day to the next! (smile) And it’s finally rolled around to this Saturday in what’s supposed to be spring time, but we haven’t seen any rain in such a long time that the old adage ‘April showers bring May flowers’ is in danger of not being true this year of the Coronavirus. But what else is new eh? Cousin Sol said long ago that there’s nothing new under the sun. Yes: ‘The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.’ (Eccl. 1:9)
And yuh know, if the wisest man ever said that, then it ought to be so. (smile) But it also shows up in our age old cliché that ‘History repeats itself.’ And that is oh so true. If we look back we can see every powerful society that ever walked the earth making the same mistake of getting too full of themselves, too big for their britches, replacing God with man made idols as they obtained some basic knowledge of life, and then getting fat and lazy off of their prosperity, which meant they stopped growing and began falling behind into eventual oblivion.
And the same thing is happening in our current society, and our current worldwide trouble is simply a reflection of our stubbornness, hard heartedness and highly egotistical nature. It’s a wake up call from the Creator to the created, warning that we’re on the edge of a terrible precipice, and if we don’t heed the warning and repent and turn back to Him, a whole lot more damage will be done to our world. He who has ears to hear, let him hear! End of sermon! And friends I’m chuckling here, because I never came out to preach this morning, but that’s where I was led, so please take it easy on the ole fella nuh.
But moving right along, since it’s Saturday, that lazy, late wake up day – most days are like that now though – let’s see what interesting quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a brighter tomorrow…and do we ever need one! And he seems to have been on progress kick this past week. Hear this first quote: ‘Delay is the enemy of progress.’ And so it is! Laziness and procrastination, and anything else that keeps us from doing what we have to do, is in fact delaying our progress. We can’t progress unless we get up off our fat fannies and do what we need to do!
And the next quote also declares a great truth: ‘Comfort is the enemy of progress.’ Yes my people, as we said above, that’s why most societies eventually die. We start out by working hard and making progress, then when we reach a certain point of prosperity, we believe we can now rest on our laurels and enjoy what we have. But the sad fact of the matter is that continued prosperity depends on continued hard work, and resting comfortable on one’s laurels only eats away at said prosperity.
It’s like your savings in the bank. The more you put in the more you will have, but when you stop putting in and only withdraw, then it will wither away li’l by li’l until it runs out. Well it’s the same way with progress and prosperity. Unless you keep building, working and saving, you will stop making progress and eventually fall.
Now hear this one: ‘Some quit due to slow progress. Never grasping the fact that slow progress is progress.’ That’s more gospel truth my brethren! Good progress is usually a creeping thing that includes some failure in between. We don’t just begin something today, if it’s a worthwhile project, put in a li’l elbow grease and declare victory or significant progress tomorrow. No friends, progress is a time consuming thing, and ofttimes needs a lot of blood, sweat and tears before it can be significantly achieved.
And that’s a major problem for this generation. We the parents have not taught the children sufficiently about waiting and working and being satisfied or contented with a little, that’s why they’re all going crazy, feeling entitled to everything while not wanting to work for or make a sacrifice for anything! That thing called true progress is ever so slow my people that sometimes you can’t even see it, although you know you’re making it. So let’s not quit when it looks like positive things are not happening for us nuh. It just means that the Lord is working in the background, doing the hard and dirty work that’s necessary to move us forward.
In light of all that, it is therefore necessary for us to quickly befriend this next quote and hold on to it tightly, as our very lives may depend on it. ‘Courage means to keep making forward progress while you still feel afraid.’ And isn’t that the living truth! All of us feel afraid at some time or other in our lives, so it’s not a matter of never being afraid, or never having fear, for fear is a natural aspect of human life. But the important thing there is like Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) puts it: ‘doing it afraid.’ That’s what courage is really all about; doing what we need to despite the fear or anxiety we might feel.
And the only thing that really conquers fear is faith! That’s why the most used command or warning in the Good Book is ‘Fear not! Do not be afraid!’ Moses said it thus to the Israelites when they were leaving Egypt and the massive Egyptian army was hot on their heels: ‘Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation (deliverance) of the Lord, which he will show to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more for ever.’ (Ex. 14:13) And that promise did come true in spades as the entire Egyptian army was drowned in the Red Sea when the Lord closed it back up.
And the psalmist gives us this small but everlasting treasure: ‘The Lord is on my side, I will not fear: what can man do unto me?’ (Ps.118:6) Yes friends, if the Lord is on our side, man cannot prevail over us. And Isaiah drives it home on the Lord’s behalf. ‘Say to them that are of a fearful heart, be strong, fear not: behold your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense: he will come and save you.’ (Is. 35:4) And he did exactly that through His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
And when Jesus walked on water towards His disciples and they were afraid, His comforting words were simply: ‘Be of good cheer (take courage); it is I; be not afraid.’ Yes my people, simple, but oh so reassuring words from our Master. That’s the beauty of His philosophy and words!
And we’ll end with this most important warning from Bruh Paul to Timothy in his tough times, which we all ought to know by now, even if we didn’t know it before Covid-19. (smile) ‘For God hath not given us a spirit of fear; but of power (His Holy Spirit), and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7) Now let’s go out and use those marvellous gifts in His work nuh! Much LOVE!
…fear and courage…two sides of the same coin…
13 Apr 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a revolution, according to His abundant mercy, Amen, an antidote, blessed be the God, Corona virus, covenant, deliverance, faith, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, fearful, guidance and direction, hath begotten us again, havoc, healing, hope, live for Jesus, LOVE, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, more abundatly, preordained plan, prisoners of hope, repentance, salvation, scourge, suffering, the christian's destiny, the presence of God, the resurrection of Christ, they might have life, unto a lively hope
1 Peter 1:3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively (living) hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
And the Easter Celebrations continue, though somewhat muted because of the Coronavirus pandemic. But do you think anything at all can stop we believers from celebrating Christ’s revolutionary resurrection that assures us of life after earthly death? No way Jose! Yes, we couldn’t get together physically like we are accustomed doing at such a joyful time, but it in no way lessens the importance and awesome promise of the amazing event and consequently celebrations and church services were held in all forms and fashions, with the help of our modern technology.
But unfortunately, so far, that modern technology has not been able to come up with an answer for the virus that’s causing us so much devastation, grief and heartache. But also, as true believers and followers of Christ, whom we believe can do anything, we keep hoping and praying and believing that a cure, an antidote, will soon be found. Yes friends, we are indeed ‘prisoners of hope.’ (Zech. 9:12) And speaking about ‘prisoners of hope,’ I recently read an article by one Joshua Ryan Butler with that exact title, and he had a rather interesting characterization of ‘hope.’
He says: ‘Hope is a revolution, a powerful presence that breaks in from the future and transforms today. Jesus’ arrival has brought God’s destiny for humanity crashing into the now – an explosion of life into a world marked by the death. It changes everything.’ And is that ever so true! Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection certainly catapulted us into the future, showing us God’s great, preordained plan for our lives. And there is no better verse of scripture that describes that situation than these words of Peter:
‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively (living) hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.’ And has Jesus’ resurrection ever given us hope for the future, for salvation! The scholars explain: ‘1:3-2:10. The Christian’s destiny: salvation. Salvation means “deliverance.” Peter’s view of salvation is ultimate salvation, that is, when the believer will be rescued from this world into the presence of God.’
But remember what Joshua said in his definition of ‘hope’ above? It ‘breaks in from the future and transforms today.’ That means we don’t have to wait till we die to enjoy the benefits that Jesus died for us to have, but can begin enjoying heaven down here on earth right now! As Jesus said: ‘The thief cometh not but (except) to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10) And that’s the beauty of the Christian faith and life! We also have a now, as well as a then.
The only problem is all of that doesn’t just happen automatically; there are some requirements, the first one being Jesus’ directive to Nicodemus: ‘Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again (from above), he cannot see the kingdom of God…. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.’ (John 3:3, 5) So if we don’t meet that requirement, then we can forget about salvation through Jesus. Then we have to believe in Jesus as the Way, the Truth, the Light and the Life. All of which gives us hope that leads and morphs into faith, which makes us strong and keeps us going. Glory to God, my fellow believers!
And now that we’ve said all that, let’s turn to the operating system of the situation; the real work horse of the Christian life, the ultimate means of communication with our Saviour and Father; prayer! Yes friends, prayer is our very life blood! Without it we’re just lost and alone; but with it, in God’s company, we’re powerful and NEVER alone! So let’s talk to our Father right now about our greatest need at this current time nuh; relief from the Covid-19 pandemic. Yes, in strong voice, with confident humility (smile) let’s cry out to Him for help through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
All together now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Easter Monday morning we’re alive, and hopefully haven’t contracted the virus that’s causing havoc around our world. Despite the crucial lockdown, those of us considered essential, still have go to work, and we’re somewhat fearful, because we have no idea, how, when and where the virus might strike.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction.
Please show us how to successfully handle this scourge that’s plaguing the earth, and help the scientists to find a positive solution, a sure antidote to it as quickly as possible. And for those who have already contracted the virus, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them Father. Show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again we say: Amen!’
And now that we’ve fulfilled one aspect of our role in our covenant, our partnership with God, let’s go out and do the rest, basically living for Jesus, with supreme hope and faith in our hearts. And as He has faithfully promised, the Father will do the parts we can’t do. Much LOVE!
…without living hope…and strong faith…one can’t live for Jesus…
30 Jan 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, accountability, curse, deliverance, divine protection, faith, favour, fulfillment, generously share, glorify your father in heaven, have the light of life, he that follweth me, I am the light of the world, in Jesus' name, joy, Let there be light, let your light so shine, lifts the spirits, made to enjoy light, negative word, physical sunlight, pleasure, prosperity, revelation of God, salt of the earth, salvation, see your good works, self-control, selfishly hoard, Sermon on the Mount, spiritual light of Jesus, success, sunshine, supernatural wisdom, the Beatitudes, the darkness comprehended it not, the Life, the Word, Thursday Blessings, walk in darkness, work the works
John 9:12. I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Well it’s begun as a somewhat grey and unappealing Thursday morning, but let’s hope that it will eventually turn into a bright sunshiny day like yesterday, although it was a tad on the chilly side. Yes friends, there’s something to be said for sunshine, even when it’s freezing cold! (smile) It just lifts the spirits…don’t know if it’s because of the light and our spirits were made to enjoy light, not darkness, but it certainly does help to see a nice, bright day filled with sunshine, especially when things are not going too well.
But yuh know what? We believers don’t really need to depend so much on the physical sunlight because we have the one who made that sunlight, who is also that sunlight, dwelling deep down inside of us! And consequently, when the physical sunlight is not apparent, we can faithfully call on the spiritual light of Jesus to brighten up our days…and also our nights! Wow! That’s why He could make this awesome, but oh so true statement: ‘I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’
Ah friends, what a blessing it is to have the Light of the world in our lives; dwelling securely and faithfully in the souls and spirits of each believer! (chuh!) Give Him much thanks and praise for He is certainly deserving of them! Now hear how John characterizes Him nuh: ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.’ (John 1:1-4)
Yes my people, Jesus was there from the very beginning: He was the Word; the awesome Word that God spoke to create the universe! ‘Let there be light…and there was light.’ (Gen. 1:3) He was also ‘the life’, which was the light of men, meaning when we have Jesus, we have both life and light! Glory be! And as the scholars explain: ‘1:4-5. Life…light: See also 8:12; 9:5; 11:25; 14:6. In John’s writings, life represents salvation and deliverance through Christ, and light denotes Jesus’ revelation of God which calls men to accountability.’
That’s why it’s so sad and unfortunate when John continues: ‘And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness comprehended (apprehended) it not.’ (John 1:5) Yes, Jesus came to shine light into a darkened world, but the world did not cotton to His light. Why, you wonder? Because as Jesus said in His famous discourse to Nicodemus: ‘And this is the condemnation of the world, that light (the light) is come into the world, and men LOVED darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.’ (John 3:19)
No wonder we refused the life and light that was, is, and will always be Jesus! It’s hard for evil man to give up his evil deeds because it’s just an inherent part of his nature. But friends, that evil nature will not get us anywhere except hellfire and damnation, eternal separation from Almighty God, which is the worst thing that can ever happen to a human soul and spirit! That’s why the Father sent Jesus to earth to redeem us and to reconcile us to Him, otherwise come the big judgement day, we’d be left on the outside looking in. And believe me friends, whatever that might entail in reality, it certainly will not be a good thing!
Now listen to Jesus again on the subject of ‘the light of the world,’ when He was about to heal a man born blind and the disciples asked Him who had sinned that he was born blind? ‘Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest (be revealed) in him. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’
Yes precious people of God, certain things are made to happen in this evil word so that our God can cause them to be rectified and thus glorify His most blessed and holy name! But the most important part of those statements is the fact that while Jesus was in the world, He was indeed the light of the world, but once He left the world, the duty of being light to a darkened world fell on us, His believers. Like He said back on the Sermon on the Mount after the Beatitudes: ‘Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. …Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:14, 16)
Ah my fellow believers (yeah!), we are now the reflection of Jesus’ shining light to this evil world, so let’s go out and shine nuh… Oh and don’t forget we’re also the salt of the earth, so we have to be tasty too, otherwise we’ll just be cast out and ground underfoot. (smile) And the great thing about Jesus is that He never gives us a task to perform unless He gives us the wherewithal, the tools to perform it. And He’s certainly given us the tools to be the salt and light of the earth in our Thursday Blessings, so let’s declare (yeah!) them now nuh, so we can invoke them in our daily routine.
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 everyday! Amen!’
And if we truly believe and are truly sincere, then we’ll go out now and generously share those blessings with others as Jesus desires of us, and don’t selfishly hoard them for ourselves. Much LOVE!
…oh…what a joy and pleasure it is…to be the salt and light of this evil world…in Jesus’ name…
11 Dec 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, all about the money, blase, blatant, corruption, deliverance, depravity, don't give up, eyes fixed straight ahead, feelings of greed, frame of mind, glad to be alive, halfway home, hands on the plough, highly contagious, hopeful prayer, knowledge, not looking back, not turning back, please hang in there, said in his heart, seek God, snow, spawn, thank God, the atheist, the breath of life, the children of men, the fool, the human race, the Lord looked down, the opportunity, there is no god, to get wealth, unbelievably foolish, understand, wanty wanty nuh get it, Wednesday Wail, workers of iniquity
Psalm 14:1. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable iniquity (works): there is none that doeth good.
Oh my people, let me begin by apologizing for the lateness of the Bit. But I was really abed rather late this morning and thus my rising was also rather late. The devil got in my spirit! Chuh! I looked at the clock and thought I saw eight, but it was really nine. (smile) And to upset the apple cart even further, remember yesterday I spoke about missing seeing the snow on the housetops? Well who says there isn’t a dusting of snow on the housetops and the ground this Wednesday morning eh!
As the ole people would warn, be careful what you wish for, because you might just get it, but then realize it’s not what you really wanted. And I guess that can be a warning for many of us this Christmas season, where we tend to desire so much stuff, half of which we don’t really need, but the season just seems to spawn our feelings of want and greed. Remember too, the old Jamaican saying: ‘wanty wanty nuh get it.’ (smile) I guess the ole fella is in an ole people frame of mind this morning. (smile)
And keeping all that stuff in mind, the Lord has led me to this rather potent scripture for us to check out this morning; something dealing with the foolishness of men. Oh my people, has mankind ever gotten unbelievably foolish in these trying times! It seems like the more worldly knowledge he acquires, the more foolish he becomes. Listen to Bruh David’s opening statement in his contemplation on the subject. ‘The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable iniquity (works): there is none that doeth good.’
And if Bruh David thought that things were bad in his time, he should see them now. He would hold his head and bawl like crazy, such is the ungodliness and sinfulness of man. As I said earlier, it seems like the more prosperous and knowledgeable the Lord allows him to become, the more evil and ungodly he becomes. Yeah, because he thinks that all that increase is his doing. How foolish and short sighted can we be eh my people? How can we ever forget that it’s the Lord God Almighty who created us in the first place and now allows us the opportunity to get wealth and knowledge?
As Bruh David continues: ‘The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand and seek God.’ (Ps.14:2) Oh friends, don’t you think the Lord is doing the same thing today? Most definitely! And what do you think He’s finding eh? The very same thing Bruh David found in his time; a whole set of ungodliness and unrighteousness, and in greater numbers too. ‘They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy (corrupt): there is none that doeth good, no not one.’ (Ps. 14:3)
And you don’t have to be a seer, or overflowing with wisdom to know and see the indescribable level of corruption that’s present in our current world. And what makes it even worse, is the blatant, blase, don’t care, ‘unfearing’ way in which it’s been promoted and promulgated! The question God asked through Bruh David back then is also very apropos to our time. ‘Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the Lord.’ (Ps. 14:4) Oh my faithful brethren, I guess the answer to that is a loud ‘NO!’
Now check out this info from the scholars. ‘Psalm 14. This psalm could be dedicated to the atheist. With the denial of God’s existence comes the moral decay described in verses 1-6, and which was used by Paul to prove the universal depravity of the human race (Rom. 3:10-12). While the fool may deny that God is, the righteous finds in Him the object of hopeful prayer for deliverance (vs.7).’ And I had to chuckle when I read about the psalm being a possible dedication to the atheist.
And yuh wouldn’t believe how bold face the atheist and them could be nuh? Recently I heard something about them fighting to be called a church! Steups! If you don’t believe in the existence of any god, how can you have a church eh? But it seems like what they really want is the ability to become a non-profit or charitable organization, so they can reap the tax and other monetary benefits. As usual; it’s all about the money!
And I don’t know why, but the same psalm is also found in the Psalter as Psalm 53. According to the scholars, it’s been slightly revised. ‘Two major differences are apparent: this psalm (53) substitutes the generic word for God, Elohim, for the personal name of God used in Psalm 14, Yahweh. This was done evidently to give the psalm a wider appeal. Second, verse 5 has been rewritten and has become an encouraging affirmation of God’s protection.’
So let’s hear it nuh: ‘There they were in great fear, where no fear was: for God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee: thou hast put them to shame, because God hath despised them.’ (Ps. 53:5) Oh my fellow believers, our great, powerful and ever-faithful God will do the same thing for us, because He still despises the workers of iniquity and has promised to eradicate them and send them into the realms of eternal darkness, just in His own time. So please hang in there and don’t give up!
Now let’s go home declaring (steups!) our Wednesday Wail letting the heathen, the atheist, the workers of iniquity know right well our strong and potent position in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And please be reassured that if we keep that up, we will be rewarded with a future so glorious that our puny, finite minds won’t be able to comprehend it. (smile) That’s how great and wonderful our God is! Much LOVE!
…foolishness is highly contagious…so please stay away from it…
18 Mar 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: able to comfort, adoration, adversity, afraid of a mortal man, antidotes, aura of love, be cheerful, blessed be God, by the comfort, characterized by mercy, Christianity 101, comforted, comforted in Jerusalem, comforts us in tribulation, confidence, defeated hell death and the grave, deliver us, deliverance, enthusiasm, evil world, exotic locale, friends, from glory to glory, from God the Father, gave himself for our sins, grace be to you, heartfelt prayers, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, humility, invincible, joy, lies, LOVE, made as grass, March break, mercy, miracle powers, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, our Lord Jesus Christ, overcome the world, peace, praise, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, reverential homage, righteousness., salvation, shaking it rough, sincerity, sonship, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, the Father of mercies, the God of All Comfort, the Son of man, them which are in trouble, trust, ungodly world, we are comforted ourselves by God, wisdom, woeful times, Zion's future
2 Corinthians 1:4. 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.
Oh my friends and Scrip-Bit family members, in the immortal and reassuring words of Bruh Paul to the Galatians, I greet you similarly this Monday morning: ‘Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ. Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world (age), according to the will of God, and our Father: To whom be glory for ever and ever.’ (Gal.1:3-5)
Ah mih people, he say’s so much in just one mouthful. But we need to remember those very basic but oh so fundamental facts of our faith if we are to grow strong and mature in it from glory to glory. But I know that some of us are shaking it somewhat rough this morning, especially those who have just come back from a March Break vacation in some warm, exotic locale and now have to immediately go back to work in the cold weather. But that’s life!
Remember that Jesus said we’d surely face adversity in this world, but we ought to be cheerful about it, because He had already overcome the world. (John 16:33) Yes, He has indeed defeated hell, death and grave, but it’s not always easy to just grin and bear our adversity, that’s why we have antidotes for times like this one, it’s called our Monday Morning Battle Hymn! And for it to help us we have to declare (right ho) it together in all sincerity and humility.
So let’s send our heartfelt prayers up to heaven nuh, as one strong, unified and harmonious voice. ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
And we know our prayer was heard and answered by our wonderful heavenly Father because we can already feel our spirits lifting and the adrenaline beginning to flow through our mortal bodies as his Holy Spirit works its miracle powers in our souls! Praise His holy and faithful name my people!
That brings us to some more of Bruh Paul’s memorable words, this time to the Corinthians: ‘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)
Mama Yo! What a wonderful God we serve and worship my brethren! And the scholars offer this explanation. ‘1:3-4. Blessed (Gr. eulogetos –well spoken of) is used in the New Testament of God (e.g. Eph.1:3). It is a term of adoration and praise. The Father of mercies: The mercies in view here include everything here from deliverance from the world, sin, and Satan, to participation in sonship, light and life. But the force is even more than this. The stress is that the Father is characterized by mercy (cf. Ps. 86:5; Dan.9:9; Mic.7:18).’
Yes friends, those mercies of the Father run the whole gamut of our human and spiritual existence in both the now and the hereafter! That’s what makes Him such a wonderful Deity; He has provided for us in all situations! We don’t have to worry about a thing; just believe sincerely in His Son and be obedient to His will! And I strongly advise you all to take a moment and look up those scriptures suggested by the scholars. I just did, and they are indeed beautiful and useful ones.
But my favourite of those two verses is our Bit. Bruh Paul says that our God is also the God of all comfort, and I like how He uses that attribute; to comfort us, so that we can also comfort others who are facing adversity. Chuh! What a wonderful plan! Only our God could think up something like that! (smile)
And the prophet Isaiah says it thus of our God when proclaiming that the faithful will be comforted. ‘I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a (mortal) man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass.’ (Is.51:12) And again, when talking about Zion’s future hope, Isaiah reminds us that God will not forsake us, but ‘As one when his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.’ (Is.66:13)
Ah my fellow believers in Jesus Christ, there’s not much more for me to say because the scripture says it all! So let’s be wise and faithful and look to God for mercy and comfort nuh, so that we can share them with others, as He so desperately desires of us in these sad and woeful times. That’s Christianity 101! (smile)Much LOVE!
…from our heavenly Father comes…all that we have…and all that we are…so to whom then should we pay reverential homage…
06 Feb 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fearful heart, Abba, adoption, afflictions of the gospel, afraid, afraid of life, be strong, benefits, Big Boss Man, Christian walk, Christians, comfort me, complaining, compromise ourselves, confront the heathen, damnation, deliverance, Egypt, Father, fear no evil, fear not little flock, fear ye not, freezing rain, glorious future with Jesus, Hades, halfway home, hands on the plough, heavenly rewards, hell fire, hold your peace, in jeopardy, Jesus compromised, lack of belief, living for Jesus, LOVE, make waves, middle of the workweek, Moses, no cause to fear, not looking back, of their own shadows, out of bondage, Pharaoh, power, power of our God, push come to shove, recompense, refresh our memories, rough going, satnd still, save you, snow, sons of God, spirit of bodage, spirit of fear, strong mind, the Good Book, The Israelites, The Lord is my shepherd, the Lord shall fight for you, the man, the One, the Red Sea, the salvation of the Lord, the valley of death, thy rod and staff, to give you the kingdom, total control, unworthy actions, vengeance, walk through, Wednesday Wail, your Father's good pleasure
Luke 12:32. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Well it’s the middle of the workweek and most of us are catching our second wind, but we have to be careful because we seem to be playing some sort of weather musical chairs. Remember just last week it was a winter storm, then rain and flood? Well this morning I came down and looked outside and it was white as snow! (smile) It didn’t seem like a whole lot, but if the place is covered all over, then there’s too much snow in my opinion…as though that counts.
But then I heard some noise like stones hitting the window panes, only to discover freezing rain was also in action! And that’s possibly the worst combination you can have. So for all of you who have to go out today, please, please be careful because the snow is going to hide the ice and falling is definitely not recommended for this time of year. (smile)
But what’s certainly recommended is walking closer with Jesus, walking in lockstep with Him! For as the Daily Bread Devotional quote so rightly tells us: ‘There is no need to fear where you are going, when Jesus is going with you!’ Oh Glory Be my people! And that’s the living truth! Once Jesus is alongside us there’s no cause to fear because He is the MAN! He is the ONE in total control of ALL that happens in heaven and down here on earth!
So why should we fear if we have the Big Boss Man walking alongside us eh; securely holding our hands and whispering sweet encouragement? No reason whatsoever! So why are so many of us supposed Christians still so afraid of even our own shadows eh? We’re afraid to go out and confront the heathen, the devil, and whoever comes against us. We don’t want to make waves because somebody might complain, so we either stay quiet or compromise ourselves with some unworthy actions.
Now just think of what would have happened to us, what our situation would currently be like if Jesus had been afraid to make waves and just compromised with the heathen? We’d all be still headed for Hades, for hell fire and damnation, instead of having heaven as a wonderful and viable option! So what we going to do today is just refresh our memories with some doh fear talk from the Good Book that we all know and LOVE to spout, but when push comes to shove, we fraid to put into action!
And we going to start right at the beginning, where the Israelites on their way out of bondage in Egypt came upon the impassable Red Sea with Pharaoh and his Egyptian army hot on their heels. ‘And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation (deliverance) of the Lord, which he will show to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace (be quiet).’ (Ex.14:13-14)
And we all know what happened on that most momentous day; the Lord parted the Red Sea through Moses, and the people walked across on dry land, then He closed back up the Red Sea and drowned Pharaoh and his whole army. One would have thought that the Israelites would never have forgotten such a day. But unfortunately, as soon as they got over the other side and found a li’l rough going, they began to complain and carry on against Moses and God, and thus spent forty years wandering in the wilderness for their lack of belief and foolish complaining.
But don’t laugh nuh friends, because we’re doing the same thing today; full well knowing the power of our God, but still being afraid of life! But moving on: Here’s another verse we all know and spout, but don’t truly action. This is from Bruh David’s famous psalm -the Lord is my shepherd.’ Remember these words: ‘Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.’ (Ps.23:4)
Think on that friends…and at the same time on these other words of Bruh David: ‘The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?’ (Ps.27:1) Good question that my brethren!
And the Lord told Isaiah when He promised that Israel would be restored to Zion: ‘Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you.’ (Is.35:4) And we all know that He did just that!
And how many times did Jesus tell His disciples and those around Him to fear not eh? We’ll just mention this one when He was talking about man’s first priority should be seeking the kingdom of God. ‘Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.’ And if we don’t know that by now, then our Christian walk is really in jeopardy.
Then Bruh Paul had these words for the church at Rome: ‘For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.’ (Rom.8:14-15) So friends, if we are the children of God, then what do we have to fear eh? I’ll let you answer that. (smile)
And we’ll close with this last and oh so popular verse; words of Bruh Paul to Timothy. ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of (share with me) the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God.’ (2 Tim.1:7-8) What more can I say eh friends? Bruh Paul said it all!
But we can definitely go home declaring (right ho) our Wednesday Wail with sincere hearts and minds, letting the world know our position in Christ! In strong voice now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday!
Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And one of these days, when we’re all in heaven, I’ll remind us of how I kept saying that the future with Jesus would be even greater than we can ask or imagine, and you wouldn’t believe me! (smile) Much LOVE!
…doing anything right isn’t easy…but living for Jesus…oh my,my…it brings out of this world benefits…heavenly rewards…
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