The Overwhelming Importance of Believers Knowing God’s LOVE for the Unfortunates, and Acting Like Him on Their Behalf!

Deuteronomy 10:18.        He (the Lord) doth execute the judgement (justice) of the fatherless and widow, and LOVETH the stranger, in giving him food and raiment (clothing).

And Tuesday has morphed into a sunshiny Wednesday, our second wind day! And many of us do need to catch that second wind after the harrowing last few days with the winter snowstorm and the resultant digging out and cleaning up. But let’s remember that we’re are children of God, believers in Christ Jesus and thus can do anything He desires us to do, because He enables, He strengthens us to do His will. And all God’s children said a loud and grateful ‘Amen!’ 

 Now, let’s to look at this month’s prayer from the In Touch Devotional, which is certainly an interesting and most appropriate one. So, please pray with me: ‘Lord, when suffering overwhelms me inside and out, help me remember what seems hopeless isn’t hopeless to You. You give food to the hungry and set prisoners free. You open the eyes of the blind and lift up the brokenhearted. You cherish those who follow You and care for the orphans and widows, 

You protect strangers and unravel plans meant for evil. You do. You do. You do. In every place where there’s suffering, You’re there – tending, healing, restoring. That is who You are in the world. That is who You are in my life. When despair whispers, “Nothing changes,” remind me of all the ways You’re working. Let hope rise in me as I rest in your care. In Jesus’ name, amen.’ 

Oh my people, that prayer surely resonated with me, because in the last couple of months I’ve just been plagued with all kinds of illness, one directly after the other and if my faith wasn’t fairly strong, I’d be toast right now. And I have to laugh here, because right now I’m going through another unexpected difficulty; my right knee began seriously acting up a couple of days ago, although I was at home during the snow storm and did not do anything too strenuous to disturb it. And although I have intermittent knee pains, this was the worst I’ve ever felt, like my whole knee was going to disintegrate on me. 

So, here I’ve been for the last two days hobbling around the house, in excruciating, non-understandable pain (smile) trying to get down to the basement to write the Bit, then get back upstairs. And I must admit that today the pain in the right knee has calmed somewhat, but because of my having to use the left one to compensate for the right, the left one is now beginning to act up. Ah Lord eh! As the old people would say, if it’s not one thing, then it’s another. And I know that this too shall pass, but the problem is when? 

But the truth of the matter is that our wonderful God is always with us, healing, cleansing and comforting us. So although I’m in pain that I don’t like, I know that the Lord is working, and in His own time, He will bring the matter to a successful end. And I just have to grin and bear it, and say the Lord be praised! (smile) But on a more serious note the Lord has always been partial to the sick and suffering, the poor and brokenhearted, widows, orphans and strangers. And it’s no coincidence that right from the beginning the Lord warned the Israelites about looking after those kinds of people. 

Listen to His directives through Moses in Exodus, as they begin their journey through the wilderness to the Promised Land. ‘Thou shalt neither vex a stranger (sojourner), nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child. If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry; And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.’ (Ex. 22:21-24) Oh friends, it could not be put any clearer than that. 

Then in Deuteronomy, Moses reminds the younger generation of God’s directives. ‘For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward (the great God, mighty and awesome who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe). He doth execute the judgement (justice) of the fatherless and widow, and LOVETH the stranger, in giving him food and raiment (clothing). LOVE ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.’ (Deut. 10:17-19) And I like how the Lord keeps reminding them that at one time they were strangers in Egypt and were treated handsomely by the Egyptians. 

Meanwhile in Psalm 67, which advises us to ‘Trust in the Lord,’ the psalmist writes: ‘Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God: Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever: Which executeth judgement (justice) for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The Lord looseth (gives freedom to) the prisoners: 

The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind: the Lord raiseth them that are bowed down: the Lord LOVETH the righteous: The Lord preserveth (watches over) the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down (makes crooked). The Lord shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the Lord.’ (Ps. 146:5-10) 

Yes my fellow believers, that’s the nature of our great and wonderful God, and there are several other scriptures that describe Him in that manner, but the important point here is if we consider ourselves children of God, then our actions should be similar. Unfortunately though, our actions don’t seem to be similar, otherwise in this world of plenty, so many would not be suffering. So let’s take those words  we’ve read today very seriously nuh, write them deep and indelibly in our hearts, and vow to improve our efforts to help the poor and suffering. 

Now, let’s 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 truly LOVE Jesus, then we will endure with Him to the very end, so that together we can enjoy the promise of an even more glorious future than we can either ask or imagine! Much LOVE!

…God LOVES us all…but He takes umbrage when we abuse or mistreat our fellow man…

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

The Overwhelming Importance for Christians to Be Patient and not Hasty, and to Wait on God’s Timing!

Isaiah 52:12.           ‘For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the Lord will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward (rear guard).’

Well friends, it’s one of those days, when we are reminded that winter is in the air! (smile) And the snow began falling early this Wednesday morning, and in some places, like my area, it’s still falling. Therefore you can imagine what the morning commute was like, or rather is like. I’ve seen several pictures of accidents and road blocks caused by the snow and inappropriate driving. But it looks like the snow plows and sanders are our in full force and are doing their best to keep up with the falling snow. 

Let’s hope and pray that by the time evening commute rolls around that things would have settled down and the roads will not be as dangerous, although there are always impatient and ignorant folks who try to go too fast and cause accidents. And I guess that’s a good enough reason for us to check out some scriptures on haste and impatience today. And I like the overview on the subject from this commentary. ‘Scriptures often caution against haste and impatience, linking them to foolishness, mistakes, and a lack of trust in God’s timing. Instead, the Bible encourages diligence, patience, and seeking wisdom before acting.’ 

And that’s the living truth. We see much loss in scripture by haste and not waiting on God’s timing, like how King Saul, the first king of Israel lost his kingship due to his impatience in offering a sacrifice. And Abraham and Sarah’s impatience to have a child of their own, led them to father one with their Egyptian maid Hagar, Ishmael, which only caused family conflict back then, with Isaac their natural son, and is till causing it today, between the Jews and the Muslims. 

And Cousin Sol, the wisest man, had a lot to tell us about haste. Proverbs 19 opens with two dillies. ‘Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool. Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good: and he that hasteth with his feet sinneth.’ (Prov. 19:1-2) Yes friends, desire without knowledge and hasty actions can certainly lead to serious mistakes and even more serious consequences. 

Then in Proverbs 21, Cousin Sol offers this bit of awesome wisdom. ‘The thoughts (plans) of the diligent tend only (lead surely) to plenteousness; but every one that is hasty only to want (surely to poverty). (Prov. 21:19) And we all know there’s much truth in those words, as many of us have experienced them in our own lives, where instead of careful planning, we hastened to get plenty, but instead suffered disappointment. As the old people would say, more haste, less speed. And again, the Proverbs of Cousin Sol offers up this gem re hastiness. ‘He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit (impulsive) exalteth folly.’ (Prov. 14:29)

 Meanwhile in Ecclesiastes, writing as the Preacher, Cousin Sol offers up this other tidbit on haste. ‘Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.’ (Eccl. 7:9) More unadulterated truth! And the last piece of wisdom from Cousin Sol is this: ‘A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent (go unpunished).’ (Prov. 28:20) And we see that happening every day, especially in this current greedy and avaricious society, people rushing to get rich and falling flat on their faces. 

But Isaiah however tells us about waiting on God’s timing. ‘For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the Lord will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward (rear guard).’ (Is. 52:12) And we also get the same wise advice from Isaiah. 40. ‘But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run , and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is. 40:31) Yes my faithful brethren, God’s protection is always present when we wait on him, and don’t rush out in haste or fear. Furthermore, in Galatians, Bruh Paul lists patience (longsuffering) as a fruit of the Spirit. (Gal. 5:22-23) 

Then in the epistle of James, he cautions us re patience and anger, when he writes: ‘Wherefore my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not (does not produce) the righteousness of God.’ (James 1:19-20) Then Romans 12:12, tells us about patience in affliction as an aspect of faith ‘Rejoicing in hope; patient (persevering) in tribulation; continuing instant (steadfastly) in prayer.’ And in Bruh Paul’s letter to the Colossians, when talking about walking worthy of the Lord, he exhorts: ‘Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness.’ (Col. 1:12) 

There we have it friends, walking with God in patience and joyfulness despite what might happen to us. And we’ll close with this gem from the pen of Bruh David in Psalm 27 that we all know. ‘Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait (in faith) I say, on the Lord.’ (Ps. 27:14) 

Now, with all those wise and wonderful words of scripture on haste and patience under our belts, lets’ 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 the long and short of the story is that if we endure to the very end with Jesus, then we will enjoy a future even more glorious than we can ask or imagine. So, wisdom dictates that we endure to the very end, so we can enjoy that more than glorious future together! Much LOVE!

…patience is the bedrock of the Christian life…

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