02 Feb 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a grave, a grave in the angry deep, a great storm of wind, a raging storm, and of the Holy Spirit, and of the son, asleep on a pilow, baptizing them, Bible, Bill and Gloria Gaither Homecoming, blessed time, bring you successfully through the storm, bringing order to a chaotic situation, calm the storms of our lives, carest not that we perish, chaotic state of the world, christianity, clinging tightly to Jesus, demons, divine help, each moment, even the winds and the sea obey him, even to the end of the world, evil men, faith, fellowship, fellowship with God, get down on your knees, get up Jesus, go ye therefore, God is always with you, God will give you peace, having Jesus as Lord and Saviour, He will never leave nor forsake you, He will sustain you, holy spirit, how can you lie there asleep, how is it that ye have no faith, I am with you always, I have commanded you, in all of your needs, In the Midnight Hour, in the name of the Father, in the stern of the ship, in times of storm, Jessy Dixon, Jesus Christ, Jesus constantly questions, Jesus is the only answer, Jesus reveals His authority and power over nature, joy, last days, LOVE, make disciples of all nations, Mary A Baker, mercy, no help is nigh, no shelter, no water can swallow the ship, overshadowed with blackness, pass over unto the other side, peace be still, praise, put your trust in the Lord, quiet the storm, rebuked the wind, regain our focus, renews our faith, restores our confidence, said unto the sea, salvation, shall obey thy will, so madly is threatening, start taking the battle to the enemy, sweet sacrifices of praise, talk to Jesus, teach all nations, teaching them, tempestuous times, thanksgiving, the best defence is strong offence, the billows are tossing high, the Great Commission, the Lord can speak peace to your situation, the Lord will give you peace, the Lord's saving power, the Master of the ocean earth and sky, the Prince of Peace, the sea of Galilee, the sky, the storms of life come your way, The tempest is raging, the tempestuousness of the times, the vim and vigour, the waves beat into the ship, the wind ceased, the winds and waves, the wrath of the storm tossed sea, there was a great calm, time to gather in the Lord's sanctuary, to do the Lord's work, to heart, to observe all things, to spur people to deeper trust, truth, when you feel lonely, wherein lies the master, why are ye so fearful, Wilfred Graves, wisdom, words of encouragement, worship
Mark 4:40. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
Sunday, Sunday, most welcome Sunday! That blessed time for believers to gather in the Lord’s sanctuary and observe His special day with praise, worship, joy and thanksgiving! And that’s a must, especially in these turbulent and tempestuous last days, because fellowship with God and with others, renews our faith, restores our confidence and gives us the vim and vigour we so desperately need to get out into our troubled and evil world and do the very important work that Jesus desires of us, as stated in our Great Commission:
‘Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:19-20) And from the very chaotic state of our world, it’s obvious we haven’t being our duty to the best of our ability, that’s why we need to regain our focus and start taking the battle to the enemy, instead of waiting for him to come to us. Remember, the best act of defence is strong offense.
So, today, we’re going to open our worship session with a very appropriate song for these tempestuous times, titled, ‘The Tempest is Raging!’ It’s a Mary A Baker composition, wonderfully done by the Chicago Gospel Artist, Jessy Dixon in concert with the Bill and Gloria Gaither Homecoming Ensemble. So, without further ado, let’s open our hearts, mouths and voices in sweet sacrifices of praise, as we render a most soulful and heart rending version of this marvelous song.
Singing: ‘Master, the tempest is raging, Oh, The billows are tossing high The sky is o’ershadowed with blackness Oh, No shelter, no shelter or help is nigh – Carest thou not that we perish? How canst you lie, How canst thou lie there asleep When it seems like each moment so madly is threatening, Oh A grave. a grave, a grave in the angry deep?
Get up Jesus because! The winds and the waves shall obey thy will. All you got to say is, Peace, be still, Peace, be still, Peace, be still, Peace, be still. Whether the wrath, the wrath of the storm-tossed sea, Or demons, or evil men, or whatever it be No water can swallow the ship wherein lies The Master of the ocean, the earth and sky They all shall sweetly obey thy will, If You say, Peace, peace, be still They all shall sweetly obey thy will, If You say, Peace, peace, peace, be still.
The Lord will give you peace, He wants to give you peace, In the midnight hour, When there’s nobody else there, God will give you peace, When you feel lonely, You have someone who will give you perfect peace. He‘ll be your friend, Yes He will, The Lord will give you peace, If you’re looking for peace, in all of your needs, in all of your days, get down on your knees and talk to Jesus, Yes talk to Jesus. Yes whenever the Lord says, there will be peace, there will be peace, For He knew it, yes He knew it, Peace, be still, Peace, be still, Peace, be still Peace, be still…..’
Oh that was wonderful my fellow believers! And yuh know why, because it truly evoked the tempestuousness of the times we’re living in, as well as the unsettled and unpeaceful situations in so many of our own personal lives. And the only way to handle both a tempestuous world and a tempestuous personal life is by having Jesus as Lord and Saviour and clinging tightly to Him. For remember, He is the Prince of Peace! (Is. 9:6) And ONLY He can calm the storms in our world and in our own lives. Or as the song says, ‘No water can swallow the ship wherein lies The Master of the ocean, the earth and sky.’
And we all know the story on which the song is so competently based. Mark tells it thus: ‘And the same day, (Jesus, after speaking in parables to the multitudes), when the even (evening) was come, he saith unto them (the disciples), Let us pass (cross) over unto the other side. (The other side of the sea of Galilee). And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there was also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full (already filling).
And he (Jesus) was in the hinder part of the ship (the stern), asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master (Teacher), carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this (who can this be), that even the winds and the sea obey him.’ (Mark 4:35-41)
And that last question is an easy one to answer. The wind and sea obey Him because like us, He is their Creator and Controller and sets their boundaries and directions. Meanwhile, as per Jesus’ question to the disciples about their lack of faith, the scholars tell us that ‘Jesus constantly questions in order to spur people to deeper trust.’ And since many of us can use a sense of deeper trust in these tough times, we should possibly ask that question of ourselves right now: why is our faith not as great as it ought to be? And then turn to the Lord and ask for it to increase. (smile)
Now, let’s end on this note of encouragement from an article by Wilfred Graves on the subject of ‘Peace be still.’ He writes: ‘In our text, Jesus reveals his authority and power over nature by bringing order to a chaotic situation. He says to a raging storm, “Peace, be still!” Immediately, the winds and waves obey his command. No matter what you may be going through in your life right now, the Lord can speak peace to your situation.
When the storms of life come your way, you can put your trust in the Lord and He will sustain you. He is always with you and He will never leave nor forsake you. The Lord will either quiet the storm that you are in or He will bring you successfully through the storm. Sometimes God saves us from trouble; sometimes he saves us in trouble. In either case, divine help comes to those who put their trust in the Lord’s saving power.’
Oh friends, I could not have said it any better. So let’s take those words of encouragement to heart nuh! Much LOVE!
…in times of storm…Jesus is the ONLY answer…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
24 Jan 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a gnawing pain in my stomach, a means of restoring faith in you, addicted to, annoying pain, anointing him with oil, anxiety, bless the LOrd o my soul, bruised for our iniquities, by his stripes we a re healed, by the example that we set, call for the elders of the church, can't fix problems on our own, chills, Christian witness, confess your faults one to another, confusion, crowneth thee with loving-kindness, crying out for your help, discontent, dissatisfaction, divine aid, divine help, effective supplication, embrace your love and compassion, enough to drive me crazy, faith, faithful believers, forget not all his benefits, forgives your sins, Friday chant, get a healing touch from Jesus, he was wounded for our transgressions, heal me O lord, heals your diseases, heavenly Father, holy spirit, I shall be healed, I shall be saved, if he has committed sins, if he have committed sins they shall be forgiven, in the name of the Lord of hosts, introduce a new flock of believers, is any among you afflicted, is any merry, is any sick among you, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, Jesus heals Peter's mother-in-law, Jesus touched her hand, keep on pressing on, let him pray, let him sing psalms, let them pray over him, LOVE, mercy, my prayer for today, narcotic based pain medication, omnipotent help, problems are escalating, proper concentration, redeemeth thy life from destruction, regurgitation, return backsliders to your fold, satisfieth thy mouth with good things, save me, scriptural truths on healing, she arose and ministered unto them, sick of a fever, simmering unrest, sinful world, stand strong and steadfast, stomach pains, strong and trusting faith in Jesus, tender mercies, that ye may be healed, the chastisement of our peace, the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man, the error of their ways, the fever left her, the God who heals, the Great Physician, the Lord shall raise him up, the prayer of faith, the prayer of faith shall save the sick, the throne of grace, them's the breaks, thou art my praise, thy youth is renewed like the eagle's, times of desperate need, truth, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee, who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases, wisdom, wise guidance
Jeremiah 17:14. Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.
And the shouts have gone up: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, with the weekend right around the corner!’ And the ole fella is back after a couple of days of illness. Please accept my apology for those two missed days. It seems that being out Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning in some very cold conditions didn’t agree with me, and when I came back from my church group on Wednesday morning I was tired, having had little sleep during the night, so obviously I had to have a nap. (smile)
But during that supposed nap time, the chills began trembling my body, although I was wrapped up under heavy covers. Then my stomach joined in. At first, I thought I was hungry and got up to get something to eat. But lo and behold, whatever I ate came right back up. Now, regurgitation is something I don’t normally do, (smile) even the Duchess said she’s never seen me do it, but in less than 24 hours she saw or heard me do it six times.
The problem apparently was a stomach pain that I’d had some years before, but after a whole lot of tests, they’d found nothing wrong, so they simply gave me some tablets to take whenever it occurred. And the few times the pain occurred; the tablets did take care of it. But not this past Wednesday. Brother! The whole day was a mixture of chills and stomach pains and regurgitation.
And when the chills settled down in the afternoon, I thought about writing the Bit, but the stomach pain nixed that idea right in the bud, for it just got worse, and nothing I took could ease it. And it’s not to say that it was a bright and blazing pain, but a steady gnawing in the upper left side of my stomach, like some rodent was there just eating away at it, enough to drive me crazy, and not allow proper concentration.
Well, on Thursday morning after the sixth regurgitation, tired, worn out and empty, I went to the Emergency Department of the nearby hospital. I got there at ten o’clock, but didn’t leave until five in the evening, having done all sorts of tests and waiting for reports to come back. And even then, there was no firm diagnosis, so pain tablets and further tests were prescribed. And that’s where we sit right now. Please pray that they come up with something firm and simple, very soon, because I don’t want to get addicted to this narcotic based pain medication.
And I guess since we’ve been talking about illness and healing, we can just continue by renewing our hearts and minds on some scriptural truths on the subject. And there’s no better verse to begin with than this one from Isaiah. ‘But he (Jesus) was wounded (pierced through) for our transgressions, he was bruised (crushed) for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with (by) his stripes (cruel blows that cut into him) we are healed.’ (Is. 55:5)
Then there are these marvellous words of encouragement from Bruh David in Psalm 103. ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases. Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVING-KINDNESS and tender mercies. Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ (Ps. 103:2-5)
And there’s nothing better than Jesus’ personal touch, as Matthew recounts. ‘And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever. And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.’ (Matt. 8:14-15) Oh, how I wish could get such a touch from Jesus right now, so that this annoying pain could go away. I would certainly minister to Him with everything I have. (smile)
Excuse me, but I just had to go upstairs and get another pill to ease the pain because the first one had apparently worn off. Ah Lord eh! But them’s the breaks, we simply have to keep on pressing on regardless. Then there’s this prayer from Jeremiah. ‘Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.’ (Jer. 17:14) Now, that’s my prayer for today my fellow believers. (smile)
And scriptures on healing would not be complete without this one from James. ‘Is any among you afflicted (suffering)? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults (trespasses) one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual (effective) fervent prayer (supplication) of a righteous man availeth much.’ (James 5:13-16)
And I would certainly appreciate some effective supplication from you righteous bredrin in our Scrip-Bit family. (smile) Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant for divine aid to help in these times of desperate need. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help.
Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways.
And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ And before we do like the man who sees his face in the mirror and immediately forgets what he looks like, remember that we need to increase our Christian witness to get divine help Much LOVE!
…who is the Great Physician…Jehovah Rapha…the God who heals…our Jesus…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
12 Aug 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a disciple of Christ, a living sacrifice, a society without discipline, abusing children, an incorruptible crown, an unruly mob, be not conformed to this world, be ye transformed, bring my body into subjection, chasteneth him betimes, crown of righteousness, discipline, disciplining our body, disobeyed your word, divine help, every man that striveth for mastery, faith, faith restored, God's Word, he that loveth him, he that spareth his rod hateth his son, humble ourselves, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, if any man will come after me, infallible truth, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, let him deny himself, live godly lives, LOVE, mass confusion, mercy, Monday morning debacle, Olympic Games, pray, present your bodies, running amok, self-control, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, spiritual tank refilled, strong faith in Christ, take up his cross daily, temperate in all things, the bullyboy, the God who heals, the gospel truth, the perfect will of God, the renewing of your mind, the righteous judge, traffic jams, truth, turn from our evil ways, wisdom, wise guidance
1 Corinthians 9:25a. And every man that striveth for the mastery (competes for the prize) is temperate in all things (has self-control).
Ah friends, another weekend disturbing Monday to contend with! But we’re fully able to handle it if we’re true believers in Christ Jesus, went to church yesterday, had our spiritual tank refilled, our faith restored, and we got some decent rest last night. Yes, that’s all it takes to handle the bullyboy called Monday!
The problem though, is that so many of us don’t acquire the necessary tools for the job, the things we just recommended, therefore, come Monday morning we’re scrambling and rushing around helter skelter, frustrated and afraid of being late for work, especially with the maddening traffic jams that constantly clog up the roadways.
And the sad part is every week we complain, but come the long-awaited weekend we forget about the Monday morning debacle in our lives, and thus, never make the effort to improve the situation. But it all comes down to two words: discipline and self-control. Two words that are not adhered to very much in our modern technology and information-based society. No wonder the society is running amok with so much chaos and man-made disaster.
And since the Bible, the Lord’s Word is the Guidebook for our earthly journey, let’s see what it has to say on the subject nuh. Remember, the Lord’s Word is infallible truth, so whatever it says, we ought to believe and live by it. And there are numerous Bible verses on the subject. So, let’s look at few, some of which we already know, but don’t put into action. (smile)
And the first one comes from the wisdom of Cousin Sol, the supposed wisest man ever. In terms of rearing children, Cousin Sol advocates: ‘He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that LOVETH him chasteneth him betimes (promptly).’ (Prov. 13:24) And that’s the gospel truth! Although nowadays our foolish society takes that to mean abusing our children. And thus, many parents don’t discipline their children, and it’s one of the reasons why our society is so undisciplined and godless.
But disciplining our children is an important aspect of parenthood, and there are many ways to teach them discipline, which they need to learn to become valuable members of the society. For a society without discipline is nothing but an unruly mob. And that’s where we’re heading today because, for whatever reason(s), we refuse to discipline our children. Nuff said on that. (smile)
Then there’s this scripture on disciplining our body from Bruh Paul to the Corinthians. ‘Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery (competes for the prize) is temperate in all things (has self-control).
Now they do it to obtain a corruptible (perishable) crown; but we an incorruptible (imperishable). I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under (discipline) my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway (disqualified). (1 Cor. 9:24-27)
Yes friends, that’s also true. If we want to be good at anything we’ve got to train our bodies, discipline them so that they can perform at a high level. And we have the best example of that in the recently concluded Olympic Games in Paris, where all the athletes trained to the nth degree, disciplined their bodies so that they could perform at the highest level possible, and hopefully win a gold medal, the highest honour in whatever sport they participated in.
Likewise, we believers in Christ need to train our bodies, so that we live the goldy lives that Christ desires of us, although our goal is a much higher and better honour than a mere perishable gold medal, that’s an imperishable crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to all who obey His will. (2 Tim.4:8)
So we’ve dealt with disciplining our children and our bodies, let’s turn to our minds now, with words from Bruh Paul to the Romans. ‘I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable (rational) service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.’ (Rom. 12:1-2)
Oh my fellow believers, to live sincerely for God, or even be successful at anything, our minds must also be disciplined, turned away from the lusts and ungodly behaviour of the world. And I’m chuckling here, because I just remembered the activity that possibly requires the biggest and longest efforts of discipline and self-control. It’s being a true disciple of Jesus. He puts it thus: ‘If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23).
Now that’s something that requires lots of discipline, self-control, sacrifice, belly and backbone – every day! But like most things in this world, if we are serious about them and are willing to contribute the necessary effort, we can certainly do them, especially when the Bible assures us that we can do anything and everything through Christ who strengthens us. (Phil. 4:13)
But we first need to develop the discipline and self-control, which doesn’t come easily or overnight, but is oftentimes a long, hard and painstaking process. However, it always begins with prayer. So let’s take this opportunity through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn and go to God for divine help, without which we’ll be totally lost.
As one voice: ‘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 a word to the wise; unfortunately, that divine aid doesn’t start flowing until we begin to change our evil ways! Much LOVE!
…to do anything properly…demands discipline and self-control…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
21 Jun 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a good attitude, annoyed, anxiety, be perfect and entire, be responsible, Bible, Christian living, christianity, confusion, count it all joy, divine help, faith, fall into various trials, Friday chant, genuine faith will never pass away, god, God's favour, impatient, Jesus, Jesus Christ, lacking nothing, let patience have her perfect work, LOVE, meant to teach a lesson, negative experiences, one's victory over trials, purified genuine faith, restoring faith in you, return backsliders to your fold, spiritual growth, spiritual maturity, stay safe, test our faith, test our mettle, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the error of their ways, the example your faithful believers set, the furnace for gold, the positive work God accomplishes through testing, the refining pot is for silver, the simmering unrest, the treasure trove of wisdom, the trials of life, the trieth the hearts, the trying of your faith worketh patience, trials burn away impurities in the believer's faith, unexpected storms, ungodly times, when the time was right, when ye fall into divers temptations, wisdom, wise guidance
James 1:2. My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations (various trials);
Thankfully, this morning when we shouted ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ we discovered that it was not going to be as scorching as the last few days, but still hot enough, in the mid to high twenties. And additionally it will be somewhat cloudy, which will also help to keep the heat down.
Now here’s an interesting happening. Yesterday evening, having put off some errands all week, because of the heat, I decided to brave the weather and went out in a slight drizzle. After putting gas in my car, I headed for the pharmacy, two blocks away to get some medication. However, before I got to the parking lot of the pharmacy, the rain was pouring down. I didn’t want to get all soaked because I had other errands to run, so I sat in the car and waited for it to stop.
Ten minutes later though, with the windows all foggy, the rain was still pouring down. So annoyed and impatient I decided to get out, get wet, then simply go back home and leave the other errands for a later date. The road in front of the pharmacy was like a river, so much rain had fallen and flowed down the angled parking lot to that flat surface. I braved it all in the name of medication. (smile)
But shortly thereafter, when I exited the pharmacy the rain had stopped. So, somewhat miffed at getting soaked unnecessarily, I headed for home. But before I got there, although the skies were dark and ominous, I changed my mind and decided to complete my other errands, reasoning that I’d already gotten wet, so what was another shower of heavenly blessings. (smile) And as the Lord would have it, I got through my errands before the rain came down again. I don’t know if that was meant to teach me a lesson, (smile) perhaps in persistence and not always seeking the easy way out, but I’m glad I don’t have to go out today to finish my errands.
Yes friends, every so often we encounter circumstances, though small and seemingly insignificant that test our mettle and our faith. And there are numerous scriptures in the Bible that speak of the testing of our faith, so let’s look at a few of them today, for they are very important to know so that we can use them, especially in these very deceitful, evil and trying times.
Now here’s this first one from the man of wisdom, Cousin Sol, from his treasure trove of wisdom, the Book of Proverbs. He writes: ‘The fining (refining) pot is for silver, and furnace for gold: but the Lord trieth the hearts.’ (Prov. 17:3) And that’s an indisputable fact my fellow believers. The Lord tries us to test our faith, to see how strong it is. If we truly believe and care for Him enough to go through such testing with a good attitude and not turn against Him.
And I like this commentary which speaks to what happens when our faith is tested. ‘The trials burn away any impurities in the believer’s faith. What is left when the trials have ended is purified, genuine faith, analogous to the pure gold that emerges from the refiner’s fire. As valuable as gold is, it is not as precious as our faith because genuine faith will never pass away.’
Of course! It’s as James says in his epistle: ‘My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations (various trials); Knowing this, that the trying (testing) of your faith worketh (produces) patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire (complete), wanting (lacking) nothing.’ (James 1:2-4)
Now that’s certainly a tough scripture to digest. But here are some explanations on it from the scholars. Per verses 1-2: ‘In this epistle on Christian living, James opens with a most crucial topic: the trials of life. These verses describe the various testings – whether from the world and Satan, or from God – into which godly Christians fall. (Greek: peripipto) These “negative” experiences are to be accepted with great joy, not for the sake of the trial itself but because of the positive work God can accomplish through the testing.
The words in verses 2 and 3 (temptations and trying) are often regarded as synonymous. If this were true, then trials themselves would produce spiritual maturity. But they do not. Often, testings make Christians bitter instead of better, with no spiritual growth occurring. The Greek word for “trying” (dokimion) might be better translated as “approving.” It is not merely one’s presence in such trials but one’s victory over them that brings spiritual growth and maturity. Those Christians whom God can use the most are those whom God has bruised the most.’
Now that last sentence is indeed another tough one to digest, but it’s the gospel truth, because if you look through the Bible, many, if not all of the great heroes of faith went through some very trying times, often when innocent. Take for example, Bruh Joseph. He was sold by his brothers to slavery in Egypt, got locked up in prison for a number of years for sexual assault, a crime he did not commit. Pharoah’s baker and barber forget him when they got out of prison, although they had promised to plead his cause.
But when the time was right in God’s sight, He arranged circumstances to help him get out of prison and become the second most important person in Egypt, the most powerful country then on the earth. And what did Bruh Joseph do through all those trials and temptations? He stood strong and steadfast in his faith. He might not have termed it joy, but he maintained a good attitude throughout it all, possibly because, in all of his trials, he found instances of God’s goodness, of God’s favour.
Likewise friends, when we keep a good attitude, and not get bitter, God will enable us to handle the situations. He’s promised never to leave nor forsake us and He keeps all His promises. So we need to be strong and understand His position, although we many not like it. That’s what our faith is all about. Tomorrow, if God spares life, we’ll continue looking at some more scriptures on the testing of our faith. Now let’s go to God, through our Friday Chant, asking for divine help to keep our faith strong.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And if we truly want to see divine help, then we’ve got to get the ball rolling by setting good Christian examples to those around us. Much LOVE!
…faith can only be measured…by the tests we successfully endure…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
17 Jun 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a creature of habit, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, as some of them also murmured, bear your iniquities, Bible, blameless and harmless, breach of promise, Caleb, complaining, death by serpents, destroyed by the destroyer, disobedience, divine help, do all things without murmurings and disputings, don't hurry on Mondays, faith, finding fault with the manna, get up off our fat fannies, giants in the land, go round the mulberry bush, god, how long shall I bear with this evil congregation, humble servants, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Joshua, lack of true faith, like grasshoppers, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Moses, neither murmur ye, shine as lights in the world, sincere repentance, sinned and disobeyed your Word, strong faith in Christ, the children of God, the end of his rope, the God who heals, the wrath of God, traffic jams, turn from our evil ways, uninspiring work, wandered in the wilderness, wisdom, wise guidance, without rebuke, your carcasses shall fall in the wilderness
Philippians 2:14. Do all things without murmurings (grumbling) and disputing.
Here we go round the mulberry bush, the mulberry bush: Hear we go round the mulberry bush on a Monday morning! And does it ever feel like we’re going round and round that deleted expletive bush every first day of the new work week? It certainly does! After a terrific weekend, we’re forced to get up at an early hour and do basically the same things, the same way; travel the same route, with the same annoying traffic jams, to see the same people and do the same uninspiring work!
But that obviously gets a tad much doing it every week, for although mankind is basically a creature of habit, some habits become burdensome and frustrating if carried on too long without a break. So, perhaps to break up the sameness, we can sometimes try doing our Monday mornings a little differently. That all depends though on how much leeway we have in our routines. The first thing I would suggest though is to make whatever preparations are necessary, so you don’t have to hurry to get out the door on Mondays.
I believe that lack of rushing will help relieve some of the usual frustration. And what about possibly taking a different route, to and from work. Oh, I know, the traffic jams are everywhere! And since those are only suggestions, please don’t be offended. (smile) However, here’s one suggestion, or rather requirement that we do need for our Christian walk. In the words of Bruh Paul to the Philippians: ‘Do all things without murmurings (grumbling) and disputing.’ (Phil. 2:14)
Now that exhortation will certainly solve some of our Monday woes, since those are the things we do most on that disliked day! (smile) So it seems like a very wise suggestion to act upon. And why did Bruh Paul write it to the church at Philippi? ‘That ye may be blameless and harmless (innocent), the sons (children) of God, without rebuke (fault), in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation (generation), among whom ye shine as lights in the world.’ (Phil. 2:15)
And that’s a wonderful reason for not complaining and getting into disputes. For then we will be setting a very good example as worthy children of God. And there’s also this verse about complaining from Bruh Paul to the church at Corinth. ‘Neither murmur ye, as some of them (the Israelites in the wilderness) also murmured, and were destroyed by the destroyer.’ (1 Cor. 10:10)
Yes friends, the Israelites were great grumblers and complainers as they made their way from Egypt towards the Promised Land, and for that unnecessary complaining the Lord punished them once with death by serpents for finding fault with the manna He provided (Num. 21) , and another with a plague for demanding meat (Num. 13). In fact they wandered in the wilderness for forty long years because of their disobedience and complaining and lack of true faith in the Lord who had showed them so many miracles and done so much for them.
And when Moses sent the twelve spies into the Promised Land to check it out, only Joshua and Caleb had positive reports, while the other ten were negative, saying there were giants in the land, to whom they were like grasshoppers and the land was unconquerable. That brought the Lord to the end of His rope.
‘And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron saying, How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur (grumble) against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me. Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the Lord, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: Your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole (entire) number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me.
Doubtless you shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware (solemnly promised) to make you dwell therein, save Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua, the son of Nun. But your little ones which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised. But as for you, your carcasses they shall fall (die) in this wilderness. And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcasses be wasted in the wilderness.
After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities (guilt), even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise (rejection). I the Lord have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.’ (Num,. 14:26-35)
Yuh see friends, the older Israelites who came out of Egypt should have known better after witnessing all the miracles the Lord did for them, but instead they chose to grumble and complain, and so, none of those who left Egypt, except Joshua and Caleb ever set foot in the Promised Land, they wandered in the wilderness until they all died. Now let’s hope that teaches us a lesson about complaining, for the Lord has given us ALL that we need to live this life successfully, but we need to get up off our fat and lazy fannies and get to work on His behalf.
So, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine help in handling 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!’
Now, my fellow saints, please remember that without sincere repentance and turning from our evil ways, divine aid will not be forthcoming. Much LOVE!
…as a sincere believer…to murmur and to complain…is to raise the wrath of God…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
10 Jun 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: agent of Jesus, answer our prayers, believe me for the works sake, believing, Bible, disobeyed your word, divine help, do good work for Jesus, faith, faith can move mountains, faith like a mustard seed, go ye therefore and teach all nations, god, grace, greater works than these, he that believeth on me, humble servants, I am in the Father, if ye have faith and doubt not, in the name of the Father, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus, Jesus Christ, LOVE, mass confusion, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, negative situations, of the Holy Ghost, of the Son, put our whole hearts into it, receptive ears, repentnace, salvation, sincerely seek your face, strong faith in Christ, the Father is in me, the Father may be glorified in the Son, the Father that dwelleth in me, the God who heals, the works that I do shall he also do, turn from our evil ways, welcome Monday, whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, wisdom
John 14:12. … he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do;
Welcome Monday! We’re up and about and just dying to greet you, to get out into the evil and ungodly world and so some good work for Jesus! So greetings, as we open this new work week, where things in the world have not really improved, possibly gotten worse, but with Christ in front, behind and beside us we can most definitely make some amazing changes, if we put our whole hearts, bodies, souls and minds into the work.
For as Jesus said to the disciples after Philip asked Him to show them the Father. (John 14:8) ‘Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself (my own authority): but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works sake.’ (John 14:10 -11)
And the scholars explain that last verse thus: ‘Works sake: Jesus reiterates what He had said to the Pharisees (10:38), but here His words fall on receptive ears. The works have evidential value to the unsaved (to convince of the truth), and the saved (to assure them of the truth.’ So even if you refuse to believe Jesus, there is enough evidence of the truth in the works themselves. And just to spoon feed us a bit, (smile) John 10:37-38 says: ‘If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.’
Then Jesus continues to the disciples: ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.’ (John 14:12) Yes friends, we are meant to do greater works than Jesus. That is greater in quantity, but not quality. In the sense that Christ’s ministry was primarily meant for Israel. But His followers were going to spread the gospel to the whole world.
As He said to them in the Great Commission: ‘Go ye therefore and teach (make disciples) of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.’ (Matt. 28:19) That means we are empowered my fellow believers; empowered to take the gospel to all parts of the world, and there’s nothing to stop us but ourselves. Especially after Jesus made these momentous statements. ‘And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.’ (John 14:13-14)
And the scholars explain those verses by saying: ‘In my name means “as My agent.” The promise of answered prayer is based on the disciple acting as the agent of Jesus’ will (cf. 16:23-26). It is also linked here especially in the accomplishment of the “greater works.” The promise is for unlimited resources to do the works of God.’ There we have it friends! That’s why we can confidently claim to have the power to do anything that God wills us to do.
And Jesus tells us that all throughout the gospels. For example, in Matthew, after He had cursed the fig tree that had only leaves but no fruit, and the disciples marvelled at how soon it withered. He said to them: ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, if ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.’ (Matt. 21:21-22)
So there’s absolutely no reason for us to doubt the amazing and awesome power that resides within us when we have faith, ask in prayer and believe! Let’s remember though that whatever we ask must be in the Father’s will, not just our selfish desires. I rest my case then for saying above that we have everything we need to go out this Monday morning and do whatever is necessary to forward the name of Christ and His Good News Gospel. So let’s get up and go and do our duty nuh. Jesus expects us to be good agents and ambassadors for His kingdom.
And to help us in our endeavours in these tough times, let’s seek divine aid through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. Altogether now: ‘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 please remember that divine help depends to a great extent on us turning from our evil ways, and sincerely seeking the Lord’s face! Much LOVE!
…even a little faith…like a mustard seed…can move mountains…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
10 May 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a caring and compassionate manner, a demanding mistress, Bible, bore us in the womb, divine help, erred from the faith, faith, Friday chant, God's omnipotent help, have rule over all my labour, heaven, introduce a new flock of believers, Jesus, Jesus Christ, lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, LOVE, material wealth, money, Mother's Day, our sinful world, restoring faith in you, return backsliders to your fold, rewards for faithful service, simmering unrest, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the accumulation of things, the LOVE of money, the root of all kinds of evil, the spiritual realm, thieves do not break through and steal, truth, wake up and smell the coffee, we brought nothing into this world, we can carry nothing out, where moth and rust doth corrupt, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, where thieves break through and steal, where your treasure is there will be your heart also, wine and dine, wisdom, Ye cannot serve God and mammon
Matthew 6:21. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be.
And though it’s a cloudy kind of a sunny day, we don’t care because we’ve gotten to shout, ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! Yes friends, the weekend’s here, work’s done for another week and we’re joyful as we set out to celebrate another eventful Mother’s Day, where we’ll wine and dine those wonderful women who bore us in their wombs for nine tough months, and then showed us what LOVE and life are all about, as they raised us in a caring and compassionate manner. And that’s a good Bruh Paulian sentence! (smile)
Today, we’re going to talk about something near and very dear to all of our hearts; that’s treasure, material wealth of the world, which all of us need to live, but too many of us live to get, to accumulate it, and will do anything necessary to get it. However friends, that’s not a good way to live at all. For running down material wealth is fraught with all kinds of problems, some even life threatening. Remember Bruh Paul’s serious warning to Timothy? ‘For the LOVE of money is the root of all (kinds) of evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith (for which some in their greediness have strayed from the faith), and pierced themselves through with many sorrows (ruined themselves).’ (2 Tim. 6:10)
And that’s the gospel truth my people! When we run down money and all it’s inherent trials, we lose track of life, of our families, of ourselves, because the accumulation of money is a very demanding mistress. It can spoil everything around us, and even drive us from faith in God. And that’s the devil’s greatest hope. That’s why Jesus gave this very intentional warning: ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal:’ (Matt. 6:19)
Now we all know that to be true, because we hear and see it every day, where someone with lots of money is either defrauded out of it, or it’s physically stolen. And if your treasure happens to be in things like clothes, art, books or some mechanical device, then, with the passing of time, moth and rust will certainly attack them and thus drive down their value, or even make them completely worthless. So what’s the answer to that conundrum, that difficult problem of storing up our treasures?
Jesus answers it thus: ‘But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves do not break through nor steal.’ (Matt. 6:20) More gospel truth my people! For heaven is such a secure place where there’s no moth, rust nor thieves. No, none of those negative things exist in God’s, and our soon to be home. So it’s obviously the best place to lay up your treasures. Then Jesus makes this oh so important statement: ‘For where your treasure is, there will your heart be.’ (Matt. 6:21)
And there’s absolutely no doubt about that, for wherever your treasure is laid up there you will concentrate your focus. Thus, if you have an accumulation of earthly treasures, you will focus on them down here on earth more than on anything else. That means God will most likely not be an important aspect of your life. However, if your treasures are in heaven, in the spiritual realm, then there will your heart be also, and God will be the focus of your life. What Jesus is saying my brethren, is that the spiritual things of life are more important than the material things. And therefore one must concentrate on building up one’s spiritual maturity and life.
That brings up Bruh Paul’s words to Timothy shortly before he told him about the destruction the LOVE of money can cause. ‘For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.’ (2 Tim. 6:7) More indisputable truth, since we didn’t bring anything when we were born, and we certainly cannot carry all, or any of the material wealth we’ve accumulated here on earth. So why kill our selves to accumulate it eh? Only to leave it for others to enjoy and waste.
As Cousin Sol so wisely says in Ecclesiastes about leaving one’s wealth to others. ‘And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity (futility).’ (Eccl. 2:19) That’s another problem with leaving behind too much material possessions; people either waste it, or fight over it and the lawyers end up getting most of it. That’s why it’s so important to lay up treasures in heaven where you will be spending eternity.
And the scholars offer these explanations on the subject. ‘The attention of the believer is directed toward treasures in heaven. The term ‘treasures’ implies the addition or accumulation of things. The two kinds of treasures are conditioned by their place (either on earth or in heaven). The concept of laying up treasures in heaven is not pictured as one of meritorious benefits but rather of rewards for faithful service, as is illustrated elsewhere in the teaching of Jesus.’ And since treasures in heaven come from faithful service to God, that means we cannot both focus on earthly treasure and heavenly rewards at the same time. As Jesus puts it: ‘Ye cannot serve God and mammon (money, riches).’ (Matt. 6:25b)
More gospel truth! So we therefore have to decide which one we’re going to serve, and for all the reasons listed above, serving God is obviously the wisest decision. And to help us make that crucial decision today and stick to it, in light of all wiles and lies of the devil, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, for divine help. Altogether now: ‘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 wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And to get that divine aid rolling, as our prayer directs, we first need to show ourselves as true and faithful believers. Much LOVE!
…since earthly life is short and heavenly life lasts forever…wisdom dictates storing up more heavenly treasures than earthly ones…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
22 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a merciful forgiving gracious God, a pipe dream, a unified whole, beautiful day, Bible, destroying each other, discombobulated their enemies, disobedient world, dissension, divine help, division, do God's will, enjoy the comfortable life, faith, fight the enemy in unity, finished my course, for brethren to dwell together in unity, fought a good fight, He spake a parable unto them to this end, how good and how pleasant it is, humble confidence, humble ourselves, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kept the faith, LOVE, men ought always to pray and not faint, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my greatest desire, my major purpose, One Body, plunder the spoils, positive changes, prayer, psalms, put up a valiant fight, reaping the profits, repentance, ruling the roost, Satan's running amuck, sincerely seek your face, steadfast faith, the evil one, the God who heals, the love filled gospel of Jesus, unity in the ranks, wisdom
Psalm 133:1. Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
Oh Monday… you beautiful day! Thanks for coming around again so that I can get back out into the dark and dangerous world and share the light and LOVE-filled gospel of Jesus with all those I meet; for that’s my major purpose and greatest desire! Ah friends, I wish that we could all truly feel that way as we return to work on this Monday morning, because it’s only through believers like you and I, as we sincerely spread the enlightening words and deeds of Christ that any real positive and productive changes will ever be made in our rebellious and disobedient world.
For right now Satan and his evil cronies are running amuck on God’s great earth, and we cannot allow that to go on without trying to stop, or at least curb it. Yes, we believers in Christ Jesus need to put up a valiant fight against that overriding evil that’s currently enveloping our planet. We desperately need to do like Bruh Paul did, when he told Timothy: ‘I have fought a good fight; I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith.’ (2 Tim. 4:7) And do we ever need to run our race with steadfast faith and trust in Almighty God to help us do His earthly will.
But because fighting the enemy is not an easy task, we therefore need to do like Bruh Paul also warned Timothy: ‘Thou therefore endure harness (hardship), as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.’ (2. Tim. 2:3) And remember these words of Jesus re discipleship: ‘If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) Now, that means being willing to sacrifice our own desires every day if Jesus so desires. And this verse of scripture is also a very telling one: ‘And he (Jesus) spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint (lose heart) (Luke 18:1)
However, those are the very problems that Christians are having; we’re either too soft or too afraid to enjoin the battle as needs be with the enemy, while some of us just prefer to enjoy the comfortable life and don’t intend to sacrifice anything and/or engage the enemy in spiritual battle at all. But yet we expect to see positive and productive changes in our society and our world. But that’s just a pipe dream my people, because no war will be one if one party just sits on the sidelines and watches the other plunder the spoils, which is what we Christians are doing to a great extent.
In other words, our efforts and energy are not good or great enough to make a substantial difference in this spiritual war in which we’re currently engaged, whether we like it, or even want to acknowledge it. The long and short of the story is that the enemy is putting up a better fight than we are, that’s why he’s currently ruling the roost, and the only way to turn that around is for us to get busy and significantly increase our puny efforts as one great body of believers. Remember what Psalm 133 says: ‘Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! (Ps, 133:1)
And the awful truth of the matter is that Christ’s church is not living in unity, nowhere near it. There’s absolutely too much dissension and division amongst what is supposed to be a unified whole. And until we seriously recognize that and are determined to do something about it, the enemy will be delighted to see us remain disunited, so he can further divide and conquer us! Church unity is the first problem we need to fix before we can even think of making any successful headway against Beelzebub and his crowd of evil doers.
Unfortunately, what’s happening is that we are fighting each other over mostly petty and unimportant issues; we’re seeing the individual trees instead of the forest as a whole. Consequently, we’re playing right into the enemy’s hands. That reminds me of the time in the reign of King Jehoshaphat, when several of the enemies of Judah came together to war against them. The enemy army consisted of the children of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir. However when Jehoshaphat and the people prayed for protection, the Lord told them through Jahaziel, not to worry, for He would be with them.
So, the next day, they went out with worshippers in their front ranks singing praises unto the Lord, and He so discombobulated their enemies that they eventually ended up destroying each other without Judah lifting a hand, and they gained so much spoil that it took them three days to collect it. (2 Chr. 20:1-30) Now that infighting between Judah’s enemies resembles what’s happening in Christ’s church today. We’re falling all over each other, trying to gain the upper hand, but sadly the evil one is reaping all the profits.
But my fellow saints, I’m pleading with us, if not for our sakes, but for those of our children and their children, let’s wake up and smell the proverbial roses nuh, and truly get together as ONE body in Christ, so that we can fight the enemy in unity, for that’s the only way we’ll ever make any headway against him. End of Sermon! Now, for divine help to do just that, let’s go to the throne of grace in humble confidence, 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 it will be to our benefit if we remember on what conditions God promised to help us; if we humble ourselves turn from our evil ways and sincerely seek his face in prayer! Much LOVE!
…no battle can ever be won…unless there’s unity in the ranks…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
15 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a good attitude, abide with you forever, another comforter, bring all things to your remembrance, christianity, degeneration of our well being, divine help, ease the pain, faith, forgiving God, full spiritual armour, gentle leading, god, God-centred lives, grace, guide you into all truth, he shall testify of me, holy spirit, I will pray the Father, if ye love me keep my commandments, in the holy name of Jesus, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus, Jesus Christ, leave you comfortless, let not your heart be troubled, LOVE, mercy, method to God's madness, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my peace I give unto you, negative situations, neither let it be afraid, our Triune God, Peace i leave with you, Pentecost Sunday, rat race, repentance in our hearts, road rage, send in my name, stressful factors, teach you all things, the calming power of Jesus, the God who heals, the Holy Ghost, the Holy Trinity, the pittance, the Spirit of truth, truth, turn from our evil ways, unsavoury work mates, until our dying day, weekend reverie, wisdom
John 14:16. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter (Helper), that he may abide with you for ever;
And as always, after Sunday comes Monday – the day we rather unfairly dislike. And why do we dislike Monday? Because it disturbs our weekend reverie, sending us back out into never ending rat race of the workday world, with endless traffic jams, that breed bitter road rage, and on top of all that, unsavoury work mates. (smile) But if we want to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table, then we have to bite the bullet, get out there and labour for the pittance our selfish and greedy masters believe we’re worth.
And it’s best we do it with a good attitude, for anything less will only lead to further degeneration of our wellbeing. We cannot be overwhelmed by the stressful factors of this busy world and yet lead productive, God-centred lives. Thus, we need the calming power of Jesus at the forefront of all that we do, through the leading and guidance of His Holy Spirit that dwells within us to accomplish that very task. Remember Jesus’ promise to the disciples, when He informed them of His return to heaven in the near future? ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter (Helper), that he may abide with you for ever;’ (John 14:15-16)
Please note that last phrase, the Comforter is to be with them and us forever! So, from the day we believe in Christ, and that Comforter comes to dwell within us, He never leaves until our dying day. Now, that ought to give us a wellspring of confidence, but unfortunately not enough of us supposed believers enjoy it, because we don’t follow the Comforter’s gentle leading. We talk the talk, but in reality don’t walk the walk. And what’s this Comforter all about eh? As per Jesus: ‘Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless (as orphans): I will come to you.’ (John 14:17-18)
And there Jesus promises that He will always be with us through the Spirit of truth, which the world doesn’t and cannot know, but that we know and will eventually have dwelling in us. Then later on He expands on the Spirit of truth and what it would do. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter (Helper), which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:25-27)
Ah friends, what comforting words from our Lord and Saviour! Yes, the Comforter or Helper, would be the Holy Spirit, the third member of the Holy Trinity, our Triune God! And according to Jesus, He would enable the apostles to remember all His words and works as they endeavoured to do His bidding and put quill to parchment to ensure that His earthly legacy endured down through the ages. And that’s exactly what the Holy Spirit did back then when He filled the believers on that fateful Pentecost Sunday in Jerusalem and the church of Christ was born, and what He’s still doing to this day for us who have believed because of what the disciples have written; that’s the New Testament.
And if there’s one thing to be said for Jesus, He was always encouraging His followers. As we saw above there, He blessed them with His particular kind of peace, unlike any the world could provide, and that they should not be worried because He had things under control. And in the next chapter, He reiterates His earlier encouragement. ‘But when the Comforter (Helper) is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which preceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: And ye shall also bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.’ (John 15:26-27)
Then Jesus expands on that when He tells them: ‘I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself (on his own authority); but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine (what is mine), and shall shew (declare) it unto you.’ (John 1612-14) Now that’s certainly an interesting scripture and as the scholars point out: ‘Just as Jesus came to do the will of His Father, so the Holy Spirit is sent to speak not of Himself, but of Christ.’
So what’s the long and short of the story? That if we have Jesus, His peace, LOVE, grace, mercy etc. as well as the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us and remind us of Jesus, then we ought not to be afraid of this evil and ungodly world, and should get out there on Mondays, in full spiritual armour, just rearing to go and to do serious battle in the holy name of Jesus! And to help us keep everything in perspective, let’s go to the throne of grace right now, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine help.
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 if we do as we prayed; turn from our evil ways, by humbling ourselves, praying and sincerely seeking God’s face, then divine help will surely be forthcoming! Much LOVE!
…there is method to God’s supposed madness…as first He operated through Jesus…and now operates through the Holy Spirit…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
12 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new flock of believers, A Plea for God's Presence, anxiety, backsliders, be not far from me for trouble is near, be responsible, Christian values, confusion, divine help, error of their ways, evil times, faith, Friday chant, god, God will never let us down, God's way are higher than ours, I cry in the daytime, in the night season am not silent, inclement weather, Jesus Christ, laugh me to scorn, let him deliver him, LOVE, My God my God, prayer, psalms, seeing he delighted in him, simmering unrest, so far from helping me, stay safe, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the example your faithful believers set, the horns of the unicorns, the words of my roaring, there is none to help, this too shall pass, thou hearest not, trusted on the Lord, unexpected storms, ungodly times, why hast thou forsaken me, wisdom, wisdom of the ages, wise guidance
Psalm 22:1a. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
And the inclement weather continues. What a nice way to put it eh…inclement weather – the constant drizzle and occasional heavy shower of rain, plus the dreary cloudiness, fog at nights and early morning, and what else have you. I do believe that the usual shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ have been somewhat dampened by the joyless weather, especially those who have slogged through it for the last couple of days. But here’s the best perspective in which to see this inclement weather: the next time we see the sun we’ll be even more appreciative and joyful over it! That’s for sure! So, as the wise ones say, take it in your stride, for this too shall pass. And yuh better believe it most certainly will!
And the Good Library opened this morning to Psalm 22 – A Plea for God’s Presence. And the scholars say this is a most important psalm, but before getting into their explanations, first, let’s read some of Bruh David’s words. He begins thus: ‘My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring (groaning)? O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent. But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded (ashamed). But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip (show contempt with their mouth), they shake the head, saying, He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.’ (Ps. 22:1-8)
Ah friends, I’m sure that on this Friday morning many of us are experiencing a situation not unlike Bruh David’s when he wrote those heartfelt words. But like Bruh David, we cannot afford to give up on our God, whatever reason He might have for not taking us out of our undesirable situations. Remember God’s thoughts and ways are higher than ours, (Is. 55:8-9) and we won’t always understand His purpose for leaving us in unfavourable situations. And Bruh David continues his plea for God’s presence. ‘But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope (caused me to trust) when I was upon my mother’s breast. I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother’s belly.
Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help. Many bulls have compassed (surrounded) me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round (have encircled me). They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening (raging) and roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels (within me). My strength is dried up like a potsherd (a broken vessel); and my tongue cleaveth (clings) to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.
For dogs have compassed (surrounded) me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell (can count) all my bones: they look and stare upon me. They part my garments (divided my clothing) among them, and cast lots upon my vesture (for my clothing). But be not thou far from me, O Lord: my strength, haste to help me. Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling (precious life) from the power of the dog. Save me from the lion’s mouth: for thou has heard me from the horns of the unicorns (and from the horns of the wild oxen! You have answered me).’ (Ps. 22:9-21)
Ah mih people, Bruh David must have been having a real rough time of it, to be crying out so hauntingly to God. And no doubt many of us go through similar situations during the endless trials and tribulations of this earthly life, however, the important thing in those troubled and trying times is to keep our focus on our great God, for He will NEVER let us down, but will come through for us when He believes the time is right. You can witness that from the life of Bruh David who went through all types of tribulation, some for cause, and others not so, but the Lord eventually delivered him out of them all, after he had learned whatever lesson the Lord wanted him to learn.
And the same thing applies to us in these trying and desperately evil times. So let’s not ever give up, just keep on holding on tightly to the Lord of our forefathers, for that is the wisdom of the ages. Now, let’s go humbly, but confidently to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, asking for grace and mercy to help us in these ungodly times. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help.
Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you.
Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And our first act to receive divine help, must be to show ourselves good examples of Christian values to those around us. Much LOVE!
…God will never forsake us…even though He has good reason to…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
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