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The Overwhelming Importance of Christians Being True Disciples of Christ in all Walks of Life!

16 Sep 2026 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a committed follower of Jesus Christ, a custom for the condemned man to carry his cross, a dedicated learner, a personal relationship with Christ, a student, a theological basis for holy living, an earthen ware jar depicts humanity in its weakness, be wise and stick with Jesus to the end, being a true disciple of Jesus, bounden duty, carry the Christian message worldwide, catch our second wind, Chrisitans striving to follow Christ's example, christianity, commanded light to shine out of the darkness, disicples, do extraordinary things in Christ's name, doing good work for Jesus, drawing people to faith, embracing whatever challenges that come our way, empowered them to heal the sick, endure to the very end with Christ, experience an even more glorious future than we can ask or imagine, eyes fixed straight ahead, eyewitnesses to Jesus' resurrection, faith, fish for people wherever we are, fishers of men, flawed people like you and me, followeth after me, future leaders of the church, God works through unexpected people, halfway home, hands on the plough, he that taketh not his cross, holy spirit, humanity in its strength, humans are fragile and brittle, if any man will come after me, in the face of Jesus Christ, is not worthy of me, Jesus anticipated His mode of death, Jesus Christ, Jesus picked ordinary flawed people as His disicples, Jesus trained the disciples to preach and to teach, Jesus wanted a personal relational community, let him deny himself, live to glorify God in our bodies and spirits, living according to the teachings of Jesus, LOVE, mercy, not looking back at the past, not turning back, observe his way of life, of the glory of God, one who tries to live according the the teachings of a leader, our bodies are not our own, our bodies are the temple of the Holy spirit, our second wind day, our wonderful position in Christ Jesus, ourselves your servant for Jesus' sake, salvation, share the message of His good news, shined in our lives, so glad to be alive, take up his cross daily and follow me, thank God, the BIBLE, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the earthenware Jar, the excellency of the power may be of God, the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us, the gospel is not a product of human genius, the gospel resides in men of clay, the power of the Holy spirit, the twelve tribes of Isreal, the wisest decision a human being can ever make, to a glorious future with Jesus, to become fishers of people, to build the foundation of the church, to cast our demons, to give the light of knowledge, to share the message of the kingdom of God, today god dwells in the believer's heart, truth, unspeakable truth, visible signs of God's work, we have been bought with a price, we have this treasure in earthen vessels, we preach not ourselves but Christ Jesus the Lord, Wednesday Wail, wisdom

Today’s Scrip-Bit 16 September 2026 Matthew 10:38.

Matthew 10:38. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

And then it was Wednesday; our second wind day. Let’s hope we all catch our second wind, so that we can go on doing good work for Jesus, because that’s our bounden duty as His disciples. Now some of you might query the use of the word disciple with our modern day roles in Jesus, but if we look at the meaning of the word as provided by the Cambridge dictionary, we’ll see that it’s still totally appropriate to these modern times. And the dictionary defines ‘a disciple as a dedicated learner, student, or follower who accepts and tries to live according to the teachings of a leader or master.’

And isn’t that what we’re doing today; living and learning according to the teachings of Jesus Christ? At least that’s what we’re supposed to be doing. And this overview describes discipleship in Christianity thus: ‘A disciple is a committed follower of Jesus Christ. In the Gospels, it most often refers to the people who walked, learned, and lived with Jesus during his ministry, which included his twelve core Apostles. Today, it describes any Christian striving to follow Christ’s example.’ And as supposed Christians in today’s world, that’s exactly what we’re supposed to be striving for!

Now, just for good measure, let’s see what Jesus had to say on the topic. He declared: ‘If any man will follow (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) Ah mih people, there’s nothing to misunderstand in Jesus’ statement. He made it quite clear that following Him, or being His disciple was a daily duty, embracing whatever challenges might come our way, as we strive to live the way He desires us to live. So, if we’re not embracing our challenges every day, taking up our crosses daily and doing as He desires, then we’re not truly disciples or followers of Christ.

And according to Christ in the gospel of Matthew: ‘And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.’ (Matt. 10:38) Another very clear statement. If we cannot take up our cross on a daily basis and follow Christ, then we’re certainly not worthy of His name or benefits. And the scholars raise an interesting point here about ‘Taketh not his cross: This is the first mention of the cross in the New Testament. It was the custom for the condemned man to carry his cross on the way to his execution. There is plenty of evidence that our Lord anticipated the mode of His death.’

Thankfully though, very few, if any of us will die by such sadistic and tortuous means today. So that’s one less thing we need to worry about. (smile) And I like how this Overview draws from several different documents and authorities, the key reasons for Jesus calling the disciples. Those reasons were: ‘To be with Him: Jesus wanted a personal, relational community. They lived, traveled, and ate together so the disciples could learn His teachings and observe His way of life. To preach and teach: He trained them to share the message of the kingdom of God with others.

To have authority and power: He empowered them to heal the sick and cast out demons as visible signs of God’s work. To become “fishers of people”: He called them to transition from their everyday jobs, like fishing or collecting taxes, to drawing people into faith. To build the foundation of the Church: The twelve chosen apostles symbolized the twelve tribes of Israel. They served as eyewitnesses to His resurrection and future leaders who would carry the Christian Message worldwide.’

And yuh know what friends, those are the same reasons for our partaking in discipleship today. We still need to have a personal relationship with Jesus so that we can learn His teachings and His ways, so that we can share the message of His good news gospel, with the Holy Spirit that dwells within each believer, enabling us to have the extraordinary power of Christ, so that we can do extraordinary things in His name. Unlike those first disciples though, we don’t all have to give up our regular jobs to become ‘fishers of men’, for today we are expected to fish for people in whatever regular job we do.

In fact, wherever we go we must be on the lookout for opportunities to spread Christ’s good news and try to attract people to His wise and most worthwhile cause, which is all a part of building His church and taking the Christian message worldwide. And one last thing about Christ’s call to discipleship. The Overview tells us about the nature of Christ’s selection. The disciples were intentionally chosen. ‘Jesus did not pick the religious elite or the most educated scholars. He chose ordinary, flawed people—including fishermen and a tax collector—to show that God works through unexpected people.’ And believe me people, God is still doing that today, working through flawed people like you and me!

It’s like Bruh Paul writes about Preaching Christ Jesus the Lord in 2 Corinthians. ‘For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God who commanded light to shine out of the darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.’ (2 Cor. 4:5-7)

As the scholars say: ‘In the wilderness under the old covenant, God’s presence dwelt in a tent. Today He dwells in the believer’s heart. This is unspeakable truth and forms a theological basis for holy living (cf. 1 Cor. 6:19-20 – our bodies are not ours, but the temples of the Holy Ghost, that we were bought with a price, so live to glorify God in our bodies and spirits). But the stress here is on earthen. An earthenware jar is brittle. It depicts humanity in its weakness. The gospel is not a product of human genius or clever intellect (humanity in its strength). Yet it resides in men of clay, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.’

Yes mih bredrin, although we are fragile and brittle, God still cherishes us so much that He allows His wonderful Word to live in our bodies. And that’s why we can go home declaring 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 if we endure to the very end with Jesus, then it’s promised that we will experience an even more glorious future than we can ask or imagine. So let’s be wise and stick with Jesus right to the very end nuh, so that we can enjoy that more than glorious future together! Much LOVE!

…being a true disciple of Jesus…is the wisest decision a human being can ever make…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

The Overwhelming Importance of Christians Reflecting the Steadfast Devotion and Commitment to His Father’s Will!

03 Nov 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a forward-looking perspective, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a new work week, accomplishing his redemptive purpose, adopt Jesus' selfless attitude, ambassadors, an example of self-control, as much as humanly possible, assurance of his heavenly Father's guidance and protection, came down from heaven, come back to haunt us, consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners, despising the shame, disicples, disobeyed God's word, divine aid, earth's corrupt treasures, earthly purpose, ease the pain, endured such hostility of sinners, endured the cross, eternal life, faith, faithfully promised, for eternity, fulfilling God's redemptive purpose, fulfilling God's Will, give his life for a ransom, give to all who love his appearing, God-given purpose, handle them with great aplomb, highlighting his obedience, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, if thou be willing, in the face of immense suffering, in the face of numerous difficulties, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, Jesus handled his earthly life, Jesus' ability to endure extreme suffering, Jesus' human struggle and distress, Jesus' primary focus, joy, laying up treasures in heaven, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds, life with Christ will be forever, looking unto Jesus, LOVE, mass confusion, material things, mercy, my meat is to do the will of him who sent me, never be discouraged, not my will but thine be done, not to do mine own will, our lives should be governed by the will of Jesus, poise, pray, reflecting the way, remove this cup from me, resolute obedience, salvation, self-confidence, set down at the right hand of the throne of God, shame, sincerely seek God's face, sinful pleasures, sought a reprieve, spreaing the good news of Christ, steadfast devotion, strong faith in Christ, sufferation of the cross, the author and finisher of our faith, the bread of life, the crown of righteousness, the Garden of Gethsemane, the God who heals, the joy that was set before Him, the many suffering from negative situations, the obedient attitude of Jesus, the righteous judge, the sacrificial nature of Jesus' purpose, the Son of man came not to be served, the throne of grace, the travails of Jesus, the ultimate joy, the will of him that sent me, to finish his work, to hear and answer our prayers, to serve, truth, turn from our evil ways, unwavering commitment, waiver from his purpose, welcome thou good and faithful servant, wisdom

John 4:34. ‘My meat (food) is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.’

Awright my people, Monday and a new work week has come back to haunt us one more time. But let’s remember that we have the wherewithal through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to handle them both with great aplomb, that’s amazing poise and self-confidence. Reflecting the way Jesus handled His earthly life with the assurance and certainty of His heavenly Father’s guidance and protection. All the trials and tribulations, the abuse and denial of His holy person, did not make Him turn back or waiver from His purpose.

And there are several scriptures that point out, as this commentary puts it: ‘The unwavering commitment to His earthly purpose and the will of the Father, highlighting His obedience, focus, and determination, even in the face of immense suffering.’ And was Jesus ever a marvellous example of self-control in the face of numerous difficulties. And why is that you ask? Listen to Him explain it to the disciples after speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well and refusing the food they offered. ‘My meat (food) is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.’ (John 4:34)

And the commentary tells us: ‘This verse clearly demonstrates that fulfilling God’s will was Jesus’ primary sustenance and focus in life.’ Oh, how I wish that many more of us would adopt that selfless and obedient attitude, and do the work that Jesus expects of us as His disciples and ambassadors. (smile)

Then there’s this other time, after accusing the multitude of only following Him because they ate of the bread He provided, and telling them that He is the bread of life, (John 6:26-35), Jesus then informs them: ‘For I came down from heaven not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.’ (John 6:38) And according to the commentary: ‘Jesus explicitly states that His mission was defined entirely by the Father’s will, not His own desires.’ So should our lives be entirely governed by the will of Jesus.

And when we talk about Jesus being the perfect example for us to follow, Hebrews tells us loud and clear: ‘Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher (originator and perfector) of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction (hostility) of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds (become discouraged in your souls).’ (Heb. 12:2-3)

And per the commentary; ‘These verses point to Jesus’ ability to endure extreme suffering and shame by maintaining a forward-looking perspective on the ultimate joy of accomplishing His redemptive purpose.’ And don’t we have a purpose that ought to also bring us joy? Yes, that of spreading the good news of Christ and living like He desires of us. And what’s the joy we should look forward to? That’s salvation and eternal life with Jesus, being greeted with the words ‘Welcome thou good and faithful servant,’ (Matt. 25:21) and ‘the crown of righteousness that the righteous judge, (the Lord) will give to all who LOVE his appearing.’ (2 Tim. 4:8)

Now, isn’t that a big enough reward to encourage us to do Jesus’ will? I believe it is. And let’s remember that our earthly lives and all the material things we covet and the sinful pleasures we so avidly desire down here only last for a short while. But life with Christ will be for eternity…that’s forever…without end. So, it’s certainly not wise to expend so much energy and use up what little time we have here on earth running down its corrupt and rust-driven treasures, but ought to be laying up treasures in heaven that don’t rust or spoil.

But getting back to Jesus’ serious focus on His God-given purpose, listen to what He tells the disciples after the argument that erupted when John and James asked for one of them to sit on His right and the other on the left hand in His glory. (Mark 10:35-41) ‘For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto (be served), but to minister (to serve), and to give his life as a ransom for many.’ (Mark 10:45) And the commentary explains that verse thus: ‘This highlights the sacrificial nature of His purpose, to which He remained committed.’

And we see that commitment further displayed in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus in His human form was terribly weighed down by the whole situation and pleaded: ‘Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine be done.’ (Luke 22:39) The commentary tells us: ‘This shows His human struggle and distress, but ultimately, His resolute obedience to the Father’s plan, which included the cross.’ Yes friends, though Jesus was undergoing a lot of ‘sufferation’ and sought a reprieve from His heavenly Father, deep down He knew that it could not happen if the Father’s overall plan for our salvation was to be successful.

And we’ll close with a final word from the commentary. They say: ‘These scriptures collectively demonstrate Jesus’ singular and steadfast devotion to fulfilling God’s redemptive purpose on earth, despite the personal cost and suffering involved.’ And though we all know it’s not easy to do, that is the same singular and steadfast devotion that we need to show in fulfilling Jesus’ purpose for us here on earth. Now, let’s use one more benefit we acquired through the travails of Jesus, that’s the ability to go directly to the throne of grace and ask for divine aid in times of need. Let’s do that right now, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.

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 what’s the answer we received? ‘Begin by turning from your evil ways, humbling yourselves, and sincerely seeking my face.’ So, if we truly desire divine aid, then it’s up to us to put those demands into action! Much LOVE!

…as disciples of Jesus…our lives ought to reflect His steadfast devotion and commitment…as much as is humanly possible…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 May 2016 Joshua 24:14

01 May 2016 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: ambassadors, Amorites, as for me and my house, be my guide, blatant refusal, blessings, bounden duty, Christian living, comfort, covers all the bases, different strokes, difficult times, disicples, do His will, encompassing, encouragement, evil, examples speak more forcibly than words, fear the Lord, feel discouraged, fellowship, first day of May, glamour, glitz, grateful, guidance, happiness, heartfelt thanks, Israelites, Jesus Christ, Joshua, lean on God for support, listen with conern, living God, LOVE, magnanimous god, material possessions, my every deed, my every word, New World Order, one and only God, peaceful moments, praise, praise the Lord for His goodness, prayer, put away the gods, reassure, rejuvenation of spirit, seek God, serve him, sincerity, sinful trap, steadfastness of purpose, strength to keep going, Sunday, talk the talk, thanksgiving, the Euphrates river, the gospel of Jesus, the Great Commission, the Lord's Day, the Most High God jehovah, the other side of the flood, time for church, troubles, truth, ungodliness, ungodly world, uplift, we will serve the Lord, wisdom, worship

Joshua 24:14. Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood (The Euphrates River), and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.

Oh my beautiful believers in Jesus Christ, it’s the first day of May, as well as the Lord’s Day, better known as Sunday!

That means it’s time for church; time for praise and worship, for thanksgiving and fellowship, for rejuvenation of spirit, encouragement and steadfastness of purpose, plus all the other good things that our magnanimous God pours out on those who LOVE Him, diligently seek Him and obediently do His will!

Now I’m not going to harangue or lecture us about going to church today. That shouldn’t be at all necessary, for if you’re a true believer, then you’ll know that’s your bounden duty, so I’ll just leave that up to you and your heavenly Father. (smile)

What I’ve been guided to do though, is to share a prayer which I shared a long time back, so many of you would not have heard it, but it’s one of my favourite prayers. From the first time I found it in my mother’s Bible after she died, something about it just touched me, and I’ve prayed it almost every day after that.

It’s a special prayer prepared by the Life Study Fellowship, Noroton, Connecticut. It’s titled ‘Lord, Please Accept My Heartfelt Thanks!’ And the sub-title is ‘Praise the Lord for His Goodness.’ – Psalm 107:8’

Now please pray with me: ‘Dear Lord, You are so good to me! And I thank You sincerely for the many blessings You send me! I’m very glad to have You in my life day in and day out – whatever I do and wherever I go! You are the One who always does what is best for my happiness!

How grateful I am to be able to turn to You for guidance and comfort when troubles come my way! If any situation arises that makes me feel discouraged, You let me know I can lean on You for support! And because of Your LOVE for me, somehow I seem to find the strength to keep going – even through the most difficult times!

I’m grateful too, for peaceful moments like these when I’m all alone with You in prayer! Talking with You never fails to reassure and uplift me! Nothing I say to You goes unheard. You listen with great concern to everything I confide in You! For You truly care about me!

As I look to 2016 (or whatever year) I pray that You will continue to watch over me – and grant me even more of Your wonderful blessings! And may I serve You well in my every word, my every deed! Be my Guide hour by hour; I pray! Amen.’

Oh friends, I do hope that prayer touched you all! I guess what I like about it is that it covers all the bases, it’s so all encompassing, plus everything it says is true and relevant. Some of you may not like it, but that’s okay; it’s your choice. As they say, different strokes for different folks! (smile) Anyway, that’s my contribution for today.

Now let’s turn to our new Bit, a part of Joshua’s farewell address to the Israelites. He had just finished reminding them about all the good things the Lord had done for them, giving them houses they didn’t build, vineyards they didn’t plant etc.

‘Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood (The Euphrates River), and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.’

Ah mih people, that verse is even more appropriate and relevant in this New World Order than it was thousands of years ago when Joshua spoke those fateful words. That’s because the worshipping of other gods, plus basic ungodliness is so rampant in our current society.

Unfortunately, the ONE and ONLY TRUE and LIVING God; He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is not held in respect nor reverence by a rather large part of the world. Many people know of and about Him, but yet they steadfastly refuse to honour and obey Him. How sad that is my people, for our world could be truly such a beautiful place if more of us sincerely worshipped and revered the Most High God Jehovah.

Now why the blatant refusal to accept the God of heaven eh? I believe there are two main reasons. First of all, the pull of the material, lustful and sinful world is rather strong. We feast our eyes on all the supposed glitz and glamour and possessions available, and our hearts clamour for them, and the evil one just makes it so easy for us to fall into his sinful trap.

And the second reason is that we believers, supposed ambassadors and disciples of Jesus, who have been assigned the Great Commission (Matt.28:19-20) to teach and baptize and spread the wonderful gospel of Jesus all over the world, are not doing as good a job as we should. The hypocritical examples of our lives are turning people away from Jesus instead of drawing them closer to Him.

So there we have it; Lucifer and his evil cronies are doing a good job on selling sin, while the followers of Jesus are not doing a good job of selling righteousness. No rocket science involved at all friends.

So what are we doing, or going to do to change this rather unpalatable situation eh my believing breddren? All I can say is that we need to pull up our britches and do a better job of spreading the good news of Jesus, and backing it up with perfect, well not quite perfect, but much better examples of true Christian living.

Remember friends, examples speak more forcibly than words, and we can talk all the talk in the world, if we don’t walk that talk, then it’s useless, just wasted talk. And we’ll close with these precious and fateful words of Joshua, declared after our Bit.

‘And if it seems evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood (The Euphrates River), or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.’ (Josh.24:15)

Yes friends, that’s the big and serious decision we all have to make. And like Joshua, I surely hope that we will all decide, with our families, to serve the Lord God Jehovah, for that is indeed the wisdom of the ages! Much LOVE!

…until more believers get truly serious about the Great Commission…both talking and living it…the good news of Jesus will be sadly lacking in this ungodly world…

SCRIP-BITS

The Overwhelming Importance of Christians Reflecting the Steadfast Devotion and Commitment to His Father’s Will!

Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 May 2016 Joshua 24:14

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