16 May 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a corruptible crown, a crown of righteousness, a free-for-all society, a joyful summer, a means of restoring faith in you, a new flock of believers, accidents, amidst all the anxiety and confusion, an incorruptible crown, be responsible, being able to stand strong, bring it into subjection, but one receives the prize, by the example that we set, Christian Liberty, competes for the prize, crying out for your help, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, divine help, embrace your love and compassion, endurance, every man that striveth for mastery is temperate, exercise a modicum of circumspection, faith, faithful believers, finished my course, for a long duration, forfeiting rewards, fought a good fight, Friday chant, get a move on, God's omnipotent help, holy spirit, I am now ready to be offered, I have preached to others, I keep under my body, I myself should be a castaway, I should be disqualified, imperishable crown, increase our Christian witness, indiscipline, Jesus Christ, Jesus was the best example of endurance, keep our bodies and minds under self-control, kept the faith, lack of self-control, laid up for me, lest that by any means, LOVE, mercy, not as one that beateth the air, not uncertainly, perform an activity, perishable crown, problems are escalating, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, self-control, so fight I, so run, so run that you may obtain, spiritual growth, stand strong and steadfast, stay safe, sticking to the task at hand, take the bull by the horns, temperate in all things, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the ability to withstand adversity, the believer must discipline themself, the error of their way, the essence of perseverance, the righteous judge, the simmering unrest, the sinful world, the throne of grace, the time of my departure is at hand, these ungodly times, they which run in a race run all, to avert being disqualified from Christian ministry, to handle the unexpected storms properly, train like runner, trusting faith, truth, unto all them that love his appearing, use the discontent, Victoria Day weekend, wake up and smell the coffee, we don't falter when times get rough, wisdom, wise guidance, with God's help
1 Corinthians 9:25. And every man that striveth for the mastery (competes for the prize) is temperate (has self-control) in all things.
And finally it’s Friday, a good looking day too, after some early morning rain, with highs in the upper twenties. So the shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ have obviously risen to heaven, especially as we also celebrate the Victoria Day long weekend, the first long weekend of the summer. Now, Victoria Day is a Canadian statutory holiday celebrated on the Monday preceding May 25, in honour of the late Queen Victoria. This year it’s been celebrated on Monday May 19, the upcoming Monday, so you can imagine all the stuff that’s going to be happening, especially up in cottage country, as the homes are opened once again for a joyful summer.
And there’s nothing wrong with celebrating, but we’ve got to be sensible and exercise a modicum of circumspection, because so many accidents and other unwanted things happen when we’re not careful. So, with that warning for circumspection, (smile) let’s turn to the topic of endurance that we promised to continue today, if God spared life. And it’s obvious He did! So thank You Lord!
And to get us back into the topic, let’s reiterate the commentary of yesterday that described endurance. ‘Endurance, in general, refers to the ability to withstand hardship, adversity, or stress, particularly the ability to sustain a prolonged effort or activity. In a physical context, it refers to the body’s ability to perform an exercise or activity for a long duration, encompassing both cardiovascular and muscular endurance.’ So it’s basically being able to stand strong, despite problems and finish any task we’ve undertaken. And we know that Jesus was the best example of that, as we saw from the scriptures yesterday in Hebrews 12:1-3.
Now, Bruh Paul was also big on the point of endurance or sticking to the task at hand, which we see from many of his writings. And one of the most popular is this one to the Corinthians. ‘Know ye not 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 (has self-control) in all things.
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 my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.’ (1 Cor. 9:24-27)
And that’s the essence of perseverance my brethren! One has to practice it, train like a runner or a fighter, keep your bodies, souls and minds under self-control, so that you don’t falter when the times get real tough. And believe me, they will at some stage or stages in our earthly lives.
And the scholars offer an interesting explanation of that last line: ‘Lest that by any means … I myself should be a castaway.’ Literally meaning “So that … I myself will not be disqualified.” Paul was not afraid of losing his salvation: his subject is still Christian liberty. The point is that the believer must discipline himself to avert both being disqualified from Christian ministry, and forfeiting the rewards for such service.’
It’s obvious therefore, that although we might have freedom to do as we please, self-control and self-discipline are still very important in our Christian ministry. And sadly, that’s not something that our current world is famous for, or even tries to implement. Instead we live in a free-for-all society, where selfishness, greed and arrogance are the order of the day. That means it’s left up to the induvial believers and churches to instill self-discipline and self-control, which is not such an easy task, when all around you is indiscipline and lack of self-control. However, with God’s help, if we’re serious, we can do it.
But getting back to the subject of endurance, we also have these marvellous words of Bruh Paul to Timothy, when he believes his life is on the line. ‘For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure (death) is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that LOVE his appearing.’ (2 Tim. 4:6-8)
Now, those are the kinds of statements we as true believers, as Christ’s representatives here on earth, ought to be able to make when we’re about to be taken home. But we cannot do that unless we’ve had self-control and endurance and leaned heavily on the examples of Bruh Paul and Jesus, two of the best at enduring hardships without complaints. And for divine help to do that, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And my fellow believers, praying for aid is good, but at the same time, we too have to increase our Christian witness. We just cannot sit back and wait on the Lord to do it all. A lot depends on us. So please, let’s take the bull by the horns, and get a move on nuh! Much LOVE!
…to grow spiritually…one must be able to control one’s body and mind…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
21 Apr 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a great cloud of witnesses, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a true disciple of Christ, a warning, absolutely necessary, an incorruptible crown, be disqualified, bring it under subjection, business, Christian celebrations, compassed about, competes for the prize, corruptible crown, denying the spirituality of the situation, despising the shame, disicpline our bodies, disobeyed your word, disqualified from Christian ministry, divine aid, earthly spiritual journey, ease the pain, Easter celebrations, Easter Monday, encouraged by the enemy, endured the cross, eternal life, every man that striveth for mastery, faith, fall by the wayside, finished my course, flails helplessly, food, for the joy that was set before him, forfeiting rewards, fought a good fight, frustrations, gifts, grace, greed of the world, have a part to play, he that abideth in me, heavenly help, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, I am the vine, I in him, I keep under my body, I myself should be a castaway, I therefore so run, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, Jesus' miraculous resurrection, Jesus' sacrificial death, keep Jesus uppermost in our minds, kept the faith, know ye not, lay aside every weight, lest that by any means, looking unto Jesus, lose sight of the essential facts, LOVE, mass confusion, material selfishness, mercy, not as one that beateth the air, not that we are sufficient of ourselves, one receives the prize, our sufficiency is of God, parties, peace and calm, personal sacrifice, practical advice, pray, run not as uncertainly, run with patience, salvation, self-control, selfless sacrifice of Jesus, set down at the right hand of the throne of God, share a partnership with Christ, sin, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, so fight I, so run that ye may obtain, spiritual strength, spirituality, steal our joy In Jesus Christ, strong faith in Christ, suffering from negative situations, surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, ta perishable crown, temperate, temperate in all things, Thank you Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, the giver of life, the God who heals, the joy of the Lord is your strength, the material world, the race of life, the race that is set before us, the same bringeth forth much fruit, the sin which doth so easily beset us, they which run in a race run all, throne of grace, to think anything of ourselves, traffic jams, trainig for a marathon, truth, turn from our evil ways, we have all sinned, when I have preached to others, wisdom, wise guidance, without me ye can do nothing, work diligently, ye are the branches
1 Corinthians 9:24b. So run, that ye may obtain.
And the Easter celebrations continue unabated on this somewhat cloudy Easter Monday! And why not eh, when we were given the greatest presents ever; salvation and eternal life through Jesus’ sacrificial death and miraculous resurrection! And the other good thing about today is that many of us don’t have to face the traffic jams and all the other frustrations involved in going out to work. And all God’s children said, a loud and grateful, ‘Thank You Jesus!’
However, there’s always a warning needed in these Christian celebrations, a warning to not let the material selfishness and greed of the world to make us lose sight of what the celebration is truly about; the LOVE and selfless sacrifice of Jesus! For if we allow them, the material world, staunchly encouraged by the enemy, would just make it all about business, gifts, food, and parties, while denying the spirituality of the situation. So, as we celebrate, let’s keep Jesus uppermost in our minds today and every day, for He is the giver of life, health, wealth, LOVE, mercy, grace…in fact of everything that we enjoy!
Now, to always keep Jesus first place is no easy task, especially when the enemy’s main goal is to steal our joy in Christ, since, as the Bible says: ‘for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ (Neh. 8:10) That means if we lose our joy in Christ then we’ll lose our spiritual strength and won’t be able to make the wise decisions we ought to, or have the peace and calm we desire.
And how do we do that? We have to work sincerely and diligently at it. But obviously not by ourselves, for as Bruh Paul writes: ‘Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.’ (2 Cor. 3:5) And Jesus corroborates that when he declares (yesss!!!) that well known statement: ‘I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5)
But unlike what some might think, that does not stop us from working towards the goal of spiritual maturity, for we share a partnership with Christ, meaning we both have a part to play. If we do our part, He will do His. But if we don’t do our part, neither will He do His, and we’d be left in the lurch. And what’s our part in all this eh? Here’s one practical bit of advice from Bruh Paul. He writes thus in his first missive 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.’ (1 Cor. 9:24)
Yes friends, Bruh Paul is likening our earthly spiritual journey to a race, and in his last communication with Timothy, he uses that same imagery. ‘I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith.’ (2 Tim. 4:7) Likewise, the author of Hebrews views our earthly journey as a race, when he writes: ‘Wherefore seeing (since) we also are compassed about with (surrounded by) so great a cloud of witness, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (ensnare) us, and let us run with patience (perseverance) the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher (originator and perfector) of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.’ (Heb. 12:1-2)
So Jesus is our example for living this earthly life. But yuh know what, if we want to obtain anything positive and/or substantial from this race of life, we have to put out something. Therefore, Bruh Paul continues to the Corinthians. ‘And every man that striveth for the mastery (competes for the prize) is temperate (has self-control) in all things. 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 (flails helplessly): but I keep under my body (discipline my body), and bring it under subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway (disqualified).’ (1 Cor. 9:25-27)
Ah mih people, like a runner training for a marathon, we too have to discipline our bodies and exert ourselves so that we will do well in the race of life. If not, we’ll fall by the wayside and lose the promised imperishable crown that Christ has laid aside for us. As the scholars explain: ‘The point is that the believer must discipline himself to avert being disqualified from Christian ministry, and forfeiting the rewards for such service.’ So we see that running this earthly race is not easy, but with the help of our wonderful God, we can do it, if we put out the necessary effort. And to help us do so, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, pleading for divine assistance.
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 from our prayer, we see that there are some necessary steps we must take before divine aid is granted; humble ourselves, pray, sincerely seek God’s face with sincere repentance. So please, let’s get to them right now nuh, so that we’ll get heavenly help asap! Much LOVE!
…as a true disciple of Christ…personal sacrifice is absolutely necessary…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
14 Apr 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a battle between the forces of good and evil, a crown of righteousness, a tough nut to crack, a true believer, be glad also with exceeding joy, be reproached for the name of Christ, being constant in prayer, blasphemed, blessed are you, Christian fellowship, companionship in sorrow, depressing times, discomfort, disobeyed your word, divine aid, ease the pain, endure tough times, establishes the most intimate and lasting of ties, ethical death, exceeding joy, experience Christ's resurrection power, faith, finished my course, finished my race, for the prize of the high calling in God, fortunate to have a job, fought a good fight, getting to know Christ better, give thanks to Jesus, happy are ye, heavenly Father, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, I press toward the mark, in times of need, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep pressing forward, keep your promise to prosper us, kept the faith, laid up for me, living for Jesus, LOVE, made more comformable to his death, make things right, mass confusion in our world, meditating on the scriptures, mercy, no sunday afternoon stroll, now ready to be offered, obtain a personal relationship with Christ, of the many suffering from negative situations, on their part he is evil spoken of, on your part he is glorified, one more day of life, physical death, Praise the Lord, pray, provide solace and comfort, rejoice, salvation, shall give me at that day, share in Christ's sufferings, show them your awesome grace and mercy, show this evil world, sincere repentance in our hearts, sincerely seek your face, smarten up, standing up for Jesus, stay close to Jesus, strong faith in Christ, suffer injustice for Christ's sake, suffer insults for Christ's sake, that I may know him, the fellowship of his sufferings, the fiery trial, the God who heals, the most intimate of ties, the only one, the power of his resurrection, the power that raised Christ from the dead, the power to solve our problems, the powers that be, the rewards are worth ipain, the righteous judge, the righteousness of God, the spirit of glory rests on you, the stormy winds of life howl around us, the throne of grace, the time of my departure is at hand, think it not strange, to alleviate our problems, truth, turn from our evil ways, unashamedly taking place, unnecessary purge, unto all them that love his appearing, walking with Jesus, we have all sinned, when his glory shall be revealed, wisdom, wise guidance, with each passing day, ye are partakers of Christ's suffering
Philippians 3:10. That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.
One more Monday, one more day of life! And those of us who are fortunate enough to have jobs to go to in these distressing and depressing times have better say ‘Praise the Lord!’ instead of complaining about the dreariness and frustration that the job might cause, for there are many who would take your jobs in a jiffy, as they have recently lost theirs in the current unnecessary purge that’s so unashamedly taking place. And it’s only going to get worse if the powers that be don’t smarten up and make things right.
That’s why we always have to give thanks to Jesus and stay close to Him, for He’s the ONLY ONE who can provide solace and comfort when the stormy winds of life howl around us. Yes, we ought to be saying like Bruh Paul did to the Philippians: ‘That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.’ (Phil.3:10)
And the scholars give this explanation of that verse. ‘This verse may also be paraphrased : “In order that I may personally know Him, that I might both experience His resurrection power and share in His sufferings, and thus I will be more conformed to His death.” Paul wants “the righteousness … of God (vs. 9) so that he can obtain a personal relationship with Jesus in actual day-to-day experience. This knowledge of Christ is obtained by experiencing in daily problems, needs, ministry, and so forth, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead.
Knowing Christ also entails participating in His sufferings. Paul desires to share in the Lord’s sufferings because they bring him into a deeper and more meaningful relationship with Him; companionship in sorrow establishes the most intimate and lasting of ties, as afflicted hearts cling to each other.
The result of participating in Christ’s suffering is that Paul is being made like Him in death. This word “death” has double meaning here, including inward and outward, ethical and physical death. As Jesus died in regard to sin on the cross, so Paul is doing more and more in his daily life. As Jesus was bodily slain, so the apostle, should Caesar’s verdict go against him, is prepared to be slain.’
Now, that is truly wanting to know Jesus! And thankfully, not all of us will be called to suffer on His behalf as Bruh Paul was. However, we all will have to endure some tough times if we are serious about living for Jesus. That’s just the way it is! There’s no other name in the world that can cause as much commotion and arguments than the name of Jesus.
So, if you intend to be a true believer, then you’d better prepare yourself to go through some stuff you won’t like. But the good thing about standing up for Jesus, is that the rewards are wonderful and certainly worth the pain and discomfort we might have to endure. Remember walking with Jesus is no Sunday evening stroll in the park, but a serious battle between the forces of evil and those of good.
Thus Peter wrote to the Jewish diaspora: ‘Beloved , think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as (to the extent that) ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached (insulted) for the name of Christ, happy (blessed) are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of (blasphemed), but on your part he is glorified.’ (1 Pet. 4:12-14)
Yes friends, we will all suffer insults and injustices for Christ’s sake, and it’s not always easy to overlook them, but we have to, with the thought that we are suffering for His sake, and therefore glorifying Him. Consequently we need to do as Bruh Paul later said to the Philippians: ‘I press toward the mark (goal) for the prize of the high (upward) calling of God in Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 3:14) That means we have to keep pressing forward, getting to know Christ better with each passing day, by meditating on the scriptures, being constant in prayer and Christian fellowship.
So that at the end we can say like Bruh Paul said to Timothy. ‘For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure (death) is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that LOVE his appearing.’ (2 Tim. 4:6-8)
Yes my faithful brethren, being a good and true disciple of Jesus is a tough nut to crack, but we can certainly do it, especially when we have the help of His Holy Spirit that indwells us. So, let’s do as we are commanded to in times of need; confidently but humbly go to the throne of grace in prayer. And we’ll do that 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 we can see from our prayer itself, that there are some things we need to do to receive divine aid, like humbling ourselves, praying and sincerely seeking God’s face. So please, let’s be wise and get to doing them nuh, so that we will be blessed with God’s awesome grace and mercy and forgiveness! Much LOVE!
…only as we sincerely seek to be more like Jesus…will we ever become more like Him…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
18 Oct 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a vested interest, backsliders, Bible, but sinners to repentance, call the poor, come to seek and to save, compensated at the resurrection, crying out for your help, divine aid, economic deprivation, error of their ways, existing in a prosperous world, faith, feudal times, finished my course, fought a good fight, Friday chant, get together as One, get up off our fat fannies, god, God sent not his Son into the world to condemn it, God so loved the world, greed, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, heal the brokenhearted, holy spirit, hunger for power, I came not to call the righteous, inequality, inequity, Jesus Christ, kept the faith, LOVE, man's inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn, mercy, out of joint noses, poverty, preach deliverance to captives, preach the gospel to the poor, recovering of sight to the blind, restoring faith in you, set at liberty the oppressed, should not perish, sickness, simmering unrest, still have battles to fight, strife, sufferation, supposed believers in Christ, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that which was lost, the blind, the body of Christ, the downtrodden, the example your faithful believers set, the lame, the maimed, the poor, the Son of man, the spirit of the Lord, the throne of grace, the world through him might be saved, they cannot recompense thee, this day is salvation come to this house, to fight the wrongs in our world, to handle the unexpected storms properly, truth, ungodly state of our world, wake up and smell the coffee, walk the talk, when thou make a feast, whosoever believeth in him, wisdom, wise guidance, won the war
John 3:17. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
And then it was Friday.. and those shouts of TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here!’ echo around some of the world! I can’t even say much or a lot of the world, because much and a lot of the world is shrouded in chaos and disaster, both natural and man-made, so Fridays aren’t anything special for them. And it’s so sad to see all the confusion, poverty, sickness, strife and economic deprivation existing in such a prosperous world as ours. At a time when you’d think that we’d be wise enough to undo some of the inequity and inequality that’s causing the problems, our leaders, power brokers, and the greedy rich are instead seeking to make it worse, to bring us back to feudal times, if possible.
Ah Lord eh! Greed and hunger for power are further decimating our already decimated world. Thus, the term ‘man’s inhumanity to man, makes countless thousands or now millions, or even billions mourn,’ unfortunately is still most appropriate to the sinful, evil, ungodly state of our world. And the situation will never get better, but most likely worse, until and unless we supposed believers in Jesus Christ get up off our fat, lazy, comfortable and fearful fannies and help to do something about it.
We are the only ones, who according to God’s Word, have a vested interest in seeing the sick healed, the lame walk and the poor prosper. But that will never happen until the Body of Christ, His Church get’s together as ONE, not the many divisions now existing, and start fighting a serious and determined fight to right some of the many wrongs in our world. I don’t know if we remember what Jesus said He came to earth for, but let’s check them out nuh.
And it begins with these encouraging and reassuring words of Jesus re His purpose on earth. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:16-17) Now that’s His overall purpose, to save the world. And how did He intend to do that? This scripture from Isaiah 61:1-2a, which Jesus read in the synagogue of His hometown, Nazareth, on the sabbath helps to explain it.
‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath appointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised (oppressed). To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.’ (Luke 4:18-19) And Jesus showed His cares for the sick and suffering later on in that same chapter. ‘Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers (various) diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.’ (Luke 4:40) So Jesus wasn’t only talking the talk, like so many of us do today, but He also walked it.
Then in Luke 5: 30, where the scribes and Pharisees were complaining about Jesus and His disciples eating with publicans (tax collectors) and sinners. Jesus answers: ‘They that are whole (healthy) need not a physician, but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.’ (Luke 5:31-32)
And again in Luke 14, Jesus shows His compassion for the have nots by recommending: ‘When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again (invite you back), and a recompense be made thee. But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed (crippled), the lame, the blind: And thou shalt be blessed; they cannot recompense (repay) thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection.’ (Luke14:12-14)
But we, with our haughty, arrogant selves, contrary to Jesus’ recommendations, invite only the brightest and the best to our feasts, thumbing our out of joint noses at the poor and downtrodden. But nonetheless, we expect to receive rewards in heaven. Hn! That will be the day!
And remember the incident with the tax collector Zacheus, who climbed the tree so that he could see Jesus as he passed through Jericho, then Jesus called him down saying that He would dine with him. (Luke 19:1-6) Then, having eaten with Jesus, Zacheus said to Him: ‘Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.’ (Luke 19:8-10)
You see my fellow believers, Jesus didn’t just talk about His purpose, He went about fulfilling it, the way we ought to do. Remember we are His ambassadors, His earthly agents and He expects us to put up a good showing. We might not turn the world around, but we certainly can prevent it from sinking any deeper into the mire of Satan. But we can only do that if we become serious about our faith, get together and do what is required of us. We need to be up and doing like Bruh Paul said to Timothy: ‘I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith:’ (2 Tim. 4:7)
Oh my fellow saints, don’t you feel badly about our lack of real effort and zeal in living for Christ, our Lord and Saviour, who gave up His sinless life for us on the cross of Calvary? Who underwent so much ‘sufferation’ for our sake? Don’t we have enough shame and/or decency in us to do a better job than we’re currently doing in His name? I plead with us to start walking our talk, and not just talking it, otherwise we’ll never receive that crown of righteousness laid up in heaven for those who sincerely LOVE Jesus and have fought a good fight in His name!
Now, let’s go confidently to the throne of grace and through our Friday Chant, ask for divine aid to turn things around in both our lives and in the world. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help.
Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And please remember, that we’ll get no divine aid until we begin fighting a better fight of faith in Jesus’ name! Much LOVE!
…we might have won the war…but we still have battles to fight…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
08 Jul 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a corruptible crown, a crown of righteousness, an incorruptible crown, and every man that striveth for mastery, be a castaway, Bible, but one receives the prize, christianity, competes for the prize, endure afflictions, endure hardship, faith, fight the good fight of faith, fought a good fight, god, good soldiers, good soldiers are not born, grace and mercy, holy spirit, humble ourselves and pray, I discipline my body, is temperate in all things, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kept the faith, life is hard, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, one that beateth the air, pick up your cross daily, put on the armour of god, repercussions, run not as uncertainly, sacrifices, self-control, seriously disobeyed your word, sincerely seek your face, stale like day old bread, the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the God who heals, the helmet of salvation, the medium of prayer, the righteous judge, the shield of faith, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the spiritual armour of God, the sword of the Spirit, the throne of grace, the time of my departure is at hand, the two edged sword, the Word ofGod, they which run in a race run all, tough times, unto all them that love his appearing, when I have preached to others, 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).
Awright friends, it’s Monday…and there’s no birthday celebrations today. No. This is the start of a full work week, so please, let’s be up and about Christ’s business as we ought to, as good soldiers in His powerful army. And I guess there’s’ no better day to talk about fighting the good fight than on a Monday, when we’re supposed to be at our freshest and best, but so many of us seem uninterested and stale like day-old bread.
That’s why Bruh Paul exhorted Timothy with these words of valour: ‘Fight the good fight of faith…Thou therefore endure hardness (hardship) as a good soldier of Christ… But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the works of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure (death) is at hand.
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge shall give at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that LOVE his appearing.’ (1 Tim. 6:12a, 2 Tim. 2:3, 4:5-8)
Oh my people, that’s the kind of buzz we need to make in this world. A stand for Jesus so strong that few can refute it. So that we can receive that crown of righteousness from the Lord when our time on earth is up. And no it’s not an easy stand to make, but we have all the tools to do it, beginning with the powerful Holy Spirit that indwells each of us.
Then there’s the proctection of the spiritual armour of God that Bruh Paul talks of in Ephesians: The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, or the Word of God, that mighty two edged sword, all banded together with the equally powerful medium of prayer. (Eph. 6:14-18)
Yes friends, with all of that firepower available to us, we cannot be defeated if we put it to good use. But it doesn’t happen automatically, we have to first put on the armour, then go out and fight the good fight. But before we fight that good fight, like all good soldiers, we also have to train, to practice, so that we can become efficient and effective on the battlefield. And that’s why Bruh Paul sets out this tough but sensible and oh so necessary training regime in his first letter to the church at Corinth.
‘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 (throws wild and unconnected blows): 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 (be disqualified).’ (1 Cor. 9:24-27)
Now that, my fellow believers is how we ought to be training to be good disciples and tough soldiers of Christ! Unfortunately though, too many of us supposed believers are not interested in taking up that training regime because they claim it’s too hard. But however you live life, it’s hard, and the only way to fight life is by being tougher than it, and you can only get tougher by long hours of practice and training.
Too many of us are too enamoured with the wonderful amenities and entitlements the world has to offer and thus refuse to take up their armour, go into training and fight, but they still expect to receive an imperishable crown of righteousness come the day of judgement. Unfortunately though, I’m afraid those lackadaisical, apathetic soldiers will be sorely disappointed when those crowns of righteousness are handed out.
If you refuse to pick up your cross daily and follow Christ as a good disciple, then Christ will leave you behind when he comes into His kingdom. It’s as simple as that my fellow saints. There’s no easy or simple way to cut it. Working for Jesus implies sacrifices and tough times, which we all have the wherewithal to handle, but we’re just too bloody lazy and only desire to live the easy life.
But let’s remember that anything that’s comes too easily, will later on have serious repercussions. Life was just not meant to be easy. Whatever you want, you have to work for it. So if you truly desire that imperishable crown of righteousness, then you’d better get up off your fat, lazy fanny and work for it! Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid to help us with our earthly problems.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And the best way to encourage divine aid is by humbling ourselves, praying and sincerely seeking God’s face. Much LOVE!
…good soldiers are not born…but are developed…through discipline and serious training…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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
08 Jan 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a crown of righteousness, a full work week, deceitfulness, faith, fiery trial, finished my course, fought a good fight, get us to lose heart, holy spirit, humble servants, if any man suffer as a Christian, in heaviness, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, kept the faith, let him glorify God on this matter, let him not be ashamed, lies, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, more precious than gold, pray, refining faith through trials, rejoice with joy unspeakable, reproached for the name of Christ, salvation, sincerey seek your face, some strange thing happened to you., suffer without complaints, temptation, the God who heals, the spirit of glory rests on you, the trial of your faith, them that love his appearing, to be discouraged, to faint, tried with fire, truth, wiles, wisdom, wise guidance
1 Peter 4:16. Yet, if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf (matter).
And the first full work week in a while has dawned damp and cloudy, and undoubtedly some of us will find it difficult to handle the full five days. But we must rise up to the challenge if this year is to be a very important one in the annals of the Christian faith. The one where we make a significant impact on the negative, sinful, ungodly and evil doings of our world, as encouraged by the enemy. And believe me Satan won’t take out offensive decisions and actions lying down. No! He will increase his efforts of temptation and deceitfulness to get us to lose heart, to faint and be discouraged.
But friends, we can only gain the victory if we stand strong and steadfast in the promises and LOVING-KINDNESS of Christ, and not fall prey to the tempter’s wiles and lies! And he is very good at what he does, so please don’t think we can ever defeat him on our own. We most definitely need the help of the Holy Spirit to do it successfully. We need to be as Peter describes in his first epistle.
‘Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried (tested) with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing (revelation) of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye LOVE; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.’ (1 Pet. 1:6-9)
Yes friends, while we are alive in this world our faith will be tried, first by the devil through manifold or diversified temptations, and also by God, to see if our faith can stand the test of those temptations better than gold can stand the test of fire. As the scholars explain: ‘The problem of salvation looks to the present. Earthly trials constitute a problem of our salvation, but they are only for a season, or temporary. True faith cannot be destroyed though God is in the process of refining faith through our trials.’
Oh my people, if our faith is strong and true, then it will not be destroyed by God’s testing nor the devil’s provocation! And Peter solidifies that later in the chapter, when he talks about being partakers in Christ’s suffering. ‘Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you. But rejoice, inasmuch as (to the extent that) ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
If ye be reproached (insulted) for the name of Christ, happy (blessed) are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of (blasphemed), but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief or as an evildoer, or as a busybody (meddler) in other men’s matters. Yet, if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf (matter).’ (1 Pet. 4:12-16)
No doubt about it mih bredrin, the Christian life can be a difficult one to live, but if we stand up strong for Jesus and suffer whatever it is that comes against us in His name, with a true sense of purpose, then we will be well rewarded in the end. We need to be able to say like Bruh Paul did to Timothy: ‘I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (run my race), I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that LOVE his appearing.’ (2 Tim. 4:7-8)
So my fellow saints, that’s some of what we are up against if we truly desire to live for Christ and make a significant difference in this year of 2024! There’ll be temptations from Satan, tests from God, unjust accusations and trials, simply because we profess Christ’s name. However, in all these things we are expected to stand strong through Christ who strengthens us through His indwelling Holy Spirit. Now, there are times when we will falter and or fail, and God knows and expects that, but we must always get up and try again, for in Christ’s vocabulary the words ‘give up’ don’t exist. No friends, giving up is NEVER an option.
And if overall, we run a good earthly race and fight a good fight, then we will be handsomely rewarded come the judgement day with a crown of righteousness by the righteous judge, the Lord God Jehovah Himself! Now what can be better than that to look forward to eh? NOTHING my brethren, absolutely NOTHING! Now, with all of that possibly sitting on some of us like a heavy load, let’s take our problems to the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, so that we can find help in time of need.
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 as our prayer so wisely advises, if we expect to receive divine help, then a good place to begin is turning from our evil ways, with sincere repentance in our hearts. Much LOVE!
…Jesus suffered much for us…without complaints…and we are also expected to suffer some for Him…without complaints…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
15 Oct 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a crown of righteousness, a thirst for spiritual food, be prepared, confidence and faith renewed, crapaud smoke yuh pipe, day of freedom, finished my course, fought a good fight, give me oil in my lamp, joy to keep me singing, kept the faith, like a thief in the night, LOVE, love in my heart, perseverance, seek ye first the kingdom of God, sing hosanna, sing hossana, stamina, the Lord's Day, the righteous judge, till the break of day, to keep me burning, to keep me praying, to keep me sharing, watch therefore, where two or three are gathered, wherein the Son of man cometh, ye know neither the day nor the hour
Matthew 25:13. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
Oh friends, the big day, Sunday, the Lord’s Day is here at last! That joyful day when believers gather in the Lord’s sanctuary, or wherever two or three are gathered in Christ’s name, to celebrate our blessings, to praise and worship our wonderful God with grateful hearts, and have our confidence and faith renewed and uplifted! And all God’s people said a loud and proud ‘Amen!’
And today we’ll begin the celebrations with the singing of an old but favourite gospel spiritual titled ‘Give Me Oil in My Lamp.’ Remember those days when we use to sing that ditty as children? Unfortunately, in these supposed modern times, the children are not taught simple but very inspirational songs like that.
Now, in the Old Testament ‘Oil” is symbolic of the Holy Spirit, as well as ‘wealth, abundance, health, energy, and a vital ingredient for a good life. It can likewise represent spiritual abundance, only possible through what God gives. As Isaiah 55:1-7 shows, this oil is “bought” through listening to God, delighting in what He gives, and seeking to be like Him.’
And thus, in this song it can be said that we’re technically asking for “Oil” of the Holy Spirit to light up our lamps and our lives, to keep them “burning” so that we can keep being on fire for our God. Therefore, in accordance with that sentiment, let’s sing a joyful, up tempo, sincere heartfelt version to set the stage for today’s proceedings.
Singing: ‘Give me oil in my lamp, to keep me burning. Give me oil in my lamp, I pray. Give me oil in my lamp, to keep me burning, burning, burning. Keep me burning till the break of day. (Refrain: Sing hosanna, sing hosanna, sing hosanna to the King of kings! Sing hosanna, sing hosanna, sing hosanna to the King!) Give me LOVE in my heart, to keep me sharing. Give me LOVE in my heart, I pray. Give me LOVE in my heart, to keep me sharing, sharing, sharing. Keep me sharing till the break of day. (Refrain)
Give me joy in my heart, to keep me singing. Give me joy in my heart, I pray. Give me joy in my heart, to keep me singing, singing, singing. Keep me singing till the break of day. (Refrain) Give me faith in my heart, to keep me praying. Give me faith in my heart, I pray. Give me faith in my heart, to keep me praying, praying, praying. Keep me praying till the break of day. (Refrain: Sing hosanna, sing hosanna, sing hosanna to the King of kings! Sing hosanna, sing hosanna, sing hosanna to the King!) (Repeat).’
Oh my people, that ought to have brought back memories of our youth to some of us old fogeys, and thus enlivened our spirits this Sunday morning. (smile) I know it sure did mine. And what’s it all about eh? I guess there could be several interpretations, but I like this one commentary that claims, ‘it signifies a thirst for spiritual food – spiritual food to get one through the darkest of times in hopes of s brighter day, a clearer vision of one’s path or until one gains their salvation.’
And I can surely imagine the slaves on the plantations singing something like this as they unfairly toil in the burning sun, awaiting their day of freedom down here on earth or up in heaven. The song does give one encouragement to keep on keeping on, like Bruh Paul wrote to Timothy: ‘I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race); I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that LOVE his appearing.’ (2 Tim. 4:7-8)
Yes my brethren, that’s what we need, stamina, faith and perseverance to fight the good fight for Christ and to finish our earthly race as winners, so that the Lord can give us that awesome crown of righteousness! And that’s what this song helps us to do; stand strong and steadfast in Christ Jesus! But how can we do otherwise eh, with LOVE, joy, and faith in our hearts for our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ?
It seems that the song is based on Jesus’ parable of the ten virgins, which indicates readiness and stewardship of believers. He likened the kingdom of heaven to ten virgins, who were invited to light the way with lamps for a bridegroom when he arrived at the ceremony. But the bridegroom was delayed and didn’t show up until midnight.
And as the virgins went out to meet him, five realized that they didn’t have enough oil to keep their lamps burning and asked the other five who had brought extra oil to sell them some. But they refused, and so the five without oil, or the five foolish went out to buy some, but by the time they got back the bridegroom had arrived and closed the doors and they were left out of the celebration. (Matt. 25:1-12)
And the moral of the story? There are all sorts of controversies over the parable, even to whether Jesus even spoke it, or it was later added. However, the general consensus is that believers must always be in a state of readiness for whenever Jesus returns, for He is liable to come at any time, night or day. As Jesus says at the end of the parable: ‘Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.’ (Matt. 25:13) Or, as the saying goes, He can return like a thief in the night, and if you’re not ready, then crapaud smoke yuh pipe!
And as per the question as to why the wise virgins didn’t share their oil? I like how this commentary answers it. ‘The reason why the wise virgins couldn’t share their oil is because their oil isn’t oil. Their oil is their faith. Our faith is what prepares us for the day of our judgment and the coming of Christ. And you cannot share your faith.’ That means you cannot rely on anybody else’s’ faith, you must have your own! And the only way to get that is by receiving Christ as your Lord and Saviour, then studying His word and putting it into action in your life. That is the wisest decision a human being can ever make! Much LOVE!
…seek ye first the kingdom of heaven…and it’s righteousness…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
22 Sep 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a crown of righteousness, a life of regrets, a sacred responsibility, anointing, doing God's work, doing our God-given job, don't have to hurry, don't have to worry, dr robert h schuller, embarrassment, fear not, finished my course, forgiveness, fought a good fight, fruit of the Spirit, God's purpose for our lives, godly action, gospel truth, grace, Hour of Power Devotional, I am now ready to be offered, I have not found so great a faith, in God's holy name, in god's eyes, is at hand, keep us back, kept the faith, laid up for me, last testament, let fear rule the roost, Love his appearing, made this morning's wake up list, not in Israel, not what I do, not what I have, not what people say about me, nursing a multitude of regrets, O ye of little faith, peruse the obituaries, pursue with diligence and excellence, see someone else, seizing the same opportunity, self-respect, send faith to answer it, share His love with the world, show more faith than the Jews, spiritual understanding, take the bull by the horns, the beloved of God, the chosen people of God, the fear of failure, the Holy Spirit, the righteous judge, the time of my departure, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, verily I say unto you, when fear comes a-calling, work our work, you become jealous, you grow old
Matthew 8:10. Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
And on this bright Tuesday morning in late September of 2020, this turbulent and overwhelming year, I do hope friends that we are all bright and thankful and ever so grateful that we’ve made this morning’s wake up list! Glory Be! That means the Lord has more stuff for us to accomplish down here on this confusing and disaster filled earth, else He would have taken us home last night.
Mama Mia! One of the best things we can do every day is to peruse the obituaries and give much thanks that our name doesn’t appear there. (smile) Oh, one day it will, but until then, we have a sacred responsibility to pursue, with diligence and excellence, whatever plan our Creator, Almighty God has purposed for our earthly lives! And one thing is for sure; our great and wonderful God NEVER gives us a task to do without the underlying anointing and grace to do it, and to do it properly too.
That’s why we have to take the bull by the horns each and every day and work our work in His holy name. And though things will get difficult and heartbreaking at times, we cannot afford to sit down and let life pass us by, and then in our later years be filled with regrets and ‘I should haves.’ That’s why I believe these words of Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) from His Hour of Power Devotional are so important and encouraging for us today.
This devotion is titled ‘A Life of Regrets.’ And in it, Gramps Schuller says: ‘Suppose you have a great idea, but having surrendered to fear of failure, you let the golden opportunity pass you by. You remain safe from embarrassment but now you are bored. Boredom doesn’t build self-esteem. What does boredom do? It gives you loads of time to think, “It might have worked.” To quote John Greenleaf Whittier: “For of all sad words of tongue or pen, The saddest are these: “It might have been.”
Yes friends, how often have we already said those sad words in our lives eh? Much too often, I believe. That’s why we can’t allow the fear of failure, or the embarrassment it often brings to keep us back from doing God’s great work! Here’s how Gramps Schuller characterizes it: ‘You grow old, collecting and nursing a multitude of regrets. Why didn’t I do this? Why didn’t I do that? Why didn’t I buy it when I had a chance?
To further depress yourself, you may see someone else seizing the same opportunity. They are successful and you become jealous. The pangs of further jealousy will make you more bitter and inspire further negative thoughts and actions. Thus fear of failure does not protect your self respect – it prevents and aborts it. If you heed your fears you’ll die never knowing what a great person you might have been.’
And isn’t that the gospel truth my brethren? It surely is! When we let fear rule the roost, we abort whatever worthwhile job the Lord has tasked us with! And that certainly doesn’t do His kingdom, or us, any good! And that’s why the Good Book, the Lord’s Word constantly reminds to ‘FEAR NOT!’ No my people, if we want to be successful ambassadors of Christ, we cannot let fear be the uppermost factor in our lives. It has to be faith! One of Jesus’ favourite admonishments was, ‘O Ye of little faith!’
Remember his fateful words regarding the Roman Centurion who asked for healing for his servant, and when Christ wanted to go to his house, he said that it wasn’t necessary. ‘I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.’ (Matt. 8:8) Now back then that was indeed a big step for a Roman army leader. So much so, that ’When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.’ (Matt. 8:10)
Now wasn’t that somewhat shameful, that a Roman soldier could show more faith than the Jews, the Chosen People of God, to whom Jesus was specifically sent to heal and to save? It surely was. But that’s how it was back then, and how it still is today. The ones we show special care and affection for are ofttimes the ones who show the least appreciation for it. But it never stopped Jesus from doing His God-given job, and neither should it stop us. We need to persevere and endure in the faith come what may.
At the end of our time, our words ought to ring out as staunchly and faithfully as Bruh Paul’s last testament to Timothy. ‘For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure (death) is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that LOVE his appearing.’ (2 Tim. 4:6-8)
Yes my people, those are words we ought to be able to say at the end of our lives because we have sincerely kept the faith and diligently ran the race that God had set out for us. And the only way we can do that is by hunkering down in the word, in prayer and actioning all that’s set before us with LOVE, grace, mercy, forgiveness, kindness, gentleness, etc. etc. In other words, living our lives truly led by the Holy Spirit and bearing its good fruit.
As Bruh Paul said to the Colossians: ‘Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness. Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet (qualified us) to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in (the) light .’ (Col. 1:11-12)
Yes precious people of God, persevering through problems and difficulties, and forbearing and forgiving the faults and offences of others is the cross we’re called to bear, just like Jesus did it for us. That’s spiritual understanding which produces the necessary morality and happiness, and how we live in the light of His LOVE!
Now let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know who and whose we are. In strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And now it’s time to put those words into godly action! Much LOVE!
…when fear comes a-calling…send faith to answer it…
23 Jul 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, all around God's children, an arm of flesh, are more than they that be with them, be strong and of a good courage, be ye doers of the word, belieiving, calming, curse, deceiving your own selves, Elisha prayed, encouragingly, faith, fear not, finished my course, fought a good fight, generously, gets you lazy, greater is he that's in us, guardian angels, have faith and not works, he answered, he it is that doth go before thee, he will not fail thee, Hezekiah. Sennacherib, I have kept the faith, in a loving mood, is with thee, magnificent and magnanimous God, negative word, nor forsake thee, not hearers only, open the servant's eyes, prosper, protecting us from harm, put our faith to work, rain, ravished by fear, refreshing, scriptures on encouragement, self-discipline, spake comfotably to them, success, talk without action is useless, than he that's in the world, the Lord, the Lord our God to help us, the Lord thy God, the people were strengthened, they that be with us, Thursday's Blessings, what an awesome God we serve, what doth it profit, withersoever thou goest
2 Kings 6:16. And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.
And it looks like another cloudy day is in the offing in my area… Wonder if we’ll also get rain like yesterday? Ah, it’s so calming and refreshing when the rain falls – it also gets you lazy and in a LOVING mood… Now I could certainly handle that! (smile) But unfortunately we have more serious matters to attend to this Thursday morning in late July of 2020.
Now today I’ve been led to some scriptures on encouragement in times of peril and need. I guess the Lord sees our overwhelming need for encouragement and assurance in these rather turbulent and uncertain times. So here’s the first one: This from King Hezekiah when the Assyrians under Sennacherib came to do battle against Judah, in particular Jerusalem.
‘And he set captains of war over the people, and gathered them together to him in the street of the gate of the city, and spake comfortably (encouragingly) to them. Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him: With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves on (were strengthened by) the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.’ (2 Chr. 32:6-8)
Oh friends, those are some of the same words our God, that same God, is saying to us today in these frightful times! But are we listening? And if so, are we taking courage like the people of Jerusalem? That’s the million-dollar question! But that brings to mind another similar scripture – this time with the prophet Elisha and his servant when the King of Syria and a mighty host surrounded his house because Elisha was telling the king of Israel the secret things the king of Assyria planned against them.
Now this particular morning when Elisha’s servant went out early, he saw the host of Syrians surrounding the city, so he ran back and informed Elisha of the grave situation and said: ‘Alas, my master! how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.’ (2 Kin. 6:15b-16) What marvellous words of encouragement, but unfortunately the servant could not see what Elisha saw. So Elisha prayed that the Lord would open the servant’s eyes. ‘And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots round about Elisha.’ (2 Kin. 6:17)
Yes my people, likewise guardian angels are constantly all around God’s children protecting us, so that we do not come to harm. But we have to believe it to see it! Are we believing it though, or are we constantly being ravished by fear and the evil schemes of the enemy? But please remember these immortal words of Bruh Paul to Timothy. ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7) Please my brethren, let’s root that scripture deep in our hearts and souls nuh, and let it grow and flourish to give us strong assurance in these disturbing times!
Now hear these other encouraging scriptures that our God has been telling us from day one nuh. These from Moses to his people, when he handed over the leadership of Israel to Joshua. ‘Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them (your enemies): for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go before thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Deut. 31:6) Then he called Joshua and told him the same thing.
And what I LOVE about the passing of the torch from Moses to Joshua is that the Lord Himself told Joshua the very same thing when He appointed him the official leader. ‘Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.’ (Josh. 1:9) And not a word of that has changed down to this day my people! So why are we so afraid and fearful of life eh, when we have the assurance of the greatest power in the universe on our side?
And if yuh want to tell me nonsense about all of that being in the Old Testament which doesn’t matter now – ah Lord eh – then hear Jesus’ most often used words in the New Testament: ‘Fear not!’ And hear His encouraging words: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) That’s Jesus telling us the same thing in slightly different words! So what’s our excuse now for not following them eh?
Ah mih people, we just like to talk yes! And we must talk some, but all talk without any action is useless. That’s why James, Jesus’ brother wrote these oh so truthful words: ‘But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves…. What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him?… Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.’ (James 1:22; 2:14,17) And yes faith does save our souls like Bruh Paul says, but what’s the point of having faith if you don’t put it to work eh?
That’s exactly what Bruh Paul did too. As he told Timothy: ‘I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith:’ (2 Tim. 4:7) That meant he had done what the Lord called him to do; preach the gospel to the Gentiles; he had put his faith in God to work, and we all know the numerous trials and tribulations he went through to do it. But the Lord saw him through it all…and so will He with us if we are strong and courageous, if we put our faith to work.
And He’s so magnificent and magnanimous that He’s showered us with numerous blessings, to enable us to do just that! What an awesome God we serve my people! So as we go home now, let’s declare (awright!) some of those wonderful characteristics, what we call our Thursday Blessings, so that we can empower them in our lives.
All together now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
And having proclaimed them, it’s time to go out and put them to good use now… generously too! (smile) Much LOVE!
…greater is He that is in us…than he that is in the world… (1 John 4:4)
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