13 Jun 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: amidst all the anxiety and confusion, be as a tree planted by the waters, be fat and flourishing, be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, be responisble, blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, blessed is the man that walketh not in the way of the ungodly, bring forth fruit in their old age, brings forth his fruit in his season, by the example your faithful believers set, cease from bearing fruit, crying out for your help, day and night, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, depart from evil, discontent, dissatisfaction, do good, doesn't take your fancy, dwell for evermore, dwell therein for ever, faith, flourish in the courts of God, Friday chant, God's promises for the righteous, gospel truth, grow in spirituality, grow like a cedar in Lebanon, he delights in his way, he is always merciful and lendeth, he shall exalt thee to inherit the land, he shall not be utterly cast down, heavenly Father, her leaf shall be green, his delight is in the law of the Lord, his leaf shall not wither, his seed begging bread, hit the ball out of the park, holy spirit, I have been young and now am old, I have not seen the righteous forsaken, in his law doth he meditate, insufficient Christian witness, introduce a new flock of believers, Jesus Christ, keep his way, lean on God's everlasting arms, LOVE, mercy, nor sits in the seat of the scornful, nor stands in the way of sinners, not afraid of whatever comes against him, obedience, omnipotent help, our sinful world, positive chages, problems escalating, Psalm 23, restoring faith in you, return backsliders to your fold, righteousness, salvation, shall not be careful in the year of drought, shall not fear when heat comes, show them the error of their ways, spreading our slat and light, spreads out her roots by the river, stand strong and steadfast, stay safe, step up to the plate, strong faith in God, strong roots planted in God, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the Lord forsakes not his saints, The Lord is my rock, The Lord is my shepherd, the Lord loves justice, the Lord upholds him with his hand, the necessities of life, the righteous shall flourish like the palm tree, the righteous shall inherit the land, the seed of the wicked shall be cut off, the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, there is no unrighteousness, these ungodly times, they are preserved for ever, though he fall, to enjoy the good life one must live the good life, to shew that the Lord is upright, to show that the Lord is upright, too much a part of the world, trust God's every word, trusting faith, truth, unbelievers could be attracted to jesus, unexpected storms, wait on the Lord, wake up and smell the coffee, whatsoever he does shall prosper, when the wicked are cut off, whose hope the Lord is, wisdom, wise guidance
Psalm 92:12. The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon (strong and tall).
And then, at long last, it was our favourite workday, Friday. And although the sun’s not as hot and shining as we might like it, with a few clouds overhead, it doesn’t stop those shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ from rising on high. I guess it would take a really terrible Friday to stop those shouts from rising up. (smile) Anyway, since God has spared our lives to see another day on His beautiful planet earth, that’s sadly beset by all kinds of disasters, both natural and man-made, let’s keep our promise of yesterday to check out God’s promises for the righteous, having seen how He intends to utterly destroy the wicked.
And one of the best scriptures on God’s blessing on the righteous is found in Psalm 1, aptly titled – Blessings on the Godly. The psalmist opens with this awesome proclamation: ‘Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate (ponder on) day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers (channels) of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.’ (Ps. 1:1-3)
Wow! What a wonderful blessing the Lord proclaims for the righteous! And if that scripture doesn’t take your fancy, then try this one from Psalm 92, titled – Give Thaks to God. The psalmist confidently declares: ‘The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon (strong and tall). Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall bring forth fruit in their old age; they shall be fat and flourishing (plump and green); To shew that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.’ (Ps. 92:12-15)
Now, that’s the indisputable truth! There is no unrighteousness whatsoever in the Lord God Almighty! That’s why we can trust His every word and lean on His everlasting arms without fear! And even in their old age, the righteous will still be flourishing bringing forth good fruit, because the Lord is with them. But if you still don’t believe, then try this word from the prophet Jeremiah. ‘Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see (fear) when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful (anxious) in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.’ (Jer. 17:8)
Another wonderful verse of the Lord’s blessing upon the righteous! And you might be wondering why all these metaphors about trees planted by water. That’s because in the old time agrarian society, where farming was a major part of life, it was much easier for them to understand that kind of comparison. And furthermore, when you receive Christ as Lord and Saviour, afterwards you don’t just sit around and do nothing, No, you’re expected to grow in spirituality and obedience, in faith and righteousness.
And what better way to explain that than by talking about trees planted by a plentiful supply of water with long, strong roots that go deep into the ground, and bear good fruit even in a season of drought. That’s how the righteous Christian ought to be; with strong roots planted in God and His Word, not afraid of whatever comes against him because of his strong faith in His Creator and Giver of Life, who blesses Him with all the necessities of life.
And Psalm 37 further tells us: ‘The steps of a good man are ordered (established) by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. I have been young, and am now old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed (descendants) begging bread. He is ever (always) merciful, and lendeth; and his seed (descendants) is blessed. Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore. For the Lord LOVETH judgement (justice), and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.’ (Ps. 37:23-29)
Now, you cannot want better testimony than that! Straight from the personal experience of Bruh David. He was a man just like us, with all our faults and foibles, but He trusted the Lord with all of his heart, and though his life was not easy, he still ended up victorious because of the Lord’s faithfulness. And he perfectly describes the Lord’s faithfulness and blessings on the righteous in his famous and heartfelt Psalm 23 – the Lord is My shepherd. Perhaps you should take a minute afterwards and check it out and see how rich and wonderful it is in godly faithfulness and blessings. (smile)
In the meanwhile please follow these most reassuring words of Bruh David from Psalm 37. ‘Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.’ (Ps. 37:34) And that’s the gospel truth my people! Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine help in these tough and turbulent times.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And truthfully, one of the major reasons for the chaotic state of our world is insufficient Christian witness. We have been too much a part of the world, rather than being apart from it and spreading our marvellous salt and light so that the unbelievers could be attracted to Jesus. And if we want to see productive and positive changes in our world, then we have to step up to the plate and hit the ball out of the park. And do it right now! It’s as simple as that my faithful brethren! Much LOVE!
…to enjoy the good life…one must live the good life…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
06 Jun 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living
Tags: a means of restoring faith in you, a new flock of believers, amidst all the anxiety and confusion, be responsible, cause for pause, ceaseless drive for wealth and power, chaos, chastened every morning, Christian living, corrupt, crying out for help, disaster areas, drifting smoke from wildfires, eyes bulge with abundance, faith, feudal states, Friday chant, genocide, God is good to Israel, gospel truth, holy spirit, I almost stumbled, I have cleansed my heart in vain, I saw the prosperity of the wicked, I was envious at the foolish, in whose powerful name we stand, inequality of wealth, inhumanity, is there knowledge in the most High, LOVE, man's fault, man's inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn, mercy, my feet were almost gone, my steps had well nigh slipped, no bands in their death, no holds barred, no pain in their death, no regard for planet earth, not in trouble as other men, omnipotent help, plagued like other men, pride surrounds them like a necklace, problems escalating, return backsliders to your fold, salt and light, salvation, simmering unrest, sinful world, slavery, stay safe, such as are of a clean heart, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the error of their ways, the example your faithful believers set, the King of Kings, the Lord of lords, the ordinary man, the poor are getting poorer, the powerful attraction to a wealthy lifestyle, the prosperity of the wicked, the rich are getting richer, the ungodly, the world to come, their eyes stand out with fatness, their strength is firm, then I understood their end, these ungodly times, they increase in riches, to handle the unexpected storms properly, to whom we belong, too few have too much, too many have too little, too painful for me, truth, until I went into the sanctuary of God, violence covers them like a garment, wake up and smell the coffee, washed my hands in innocency, who prosper in the world, wisdom, wise guidance
Psalm 73:3. For I was envious at the foolish (boastful), when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
And it looks like it might be a hazy and somewhat smokey Friday, as smoke from the wildfires drift our way. And it’s indeed possible, for I remember smelling the smoke in the air a couple of years ago when the wildfires were particularly bad. But that hasn’t stopped the shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ from being sent up to heaven.
Ah Lord eh! What a sad state our world has come to, with only chaos and disaster all over our beautiful earth! But that’s man’s fault, not God’s, as in our ceaseless drive for wealth and power, we have done everything to abuse and destroy all that God’s made. What a destructive, childish, selfish and greedy animal is man, with very little regard for planet earth or his fellow man! That’s why down through the years this saying has continued to be ever so true: ‘Man’s inhumanity to man, makes countless thousands mourn!’ Nowadays it’s millions!
And if that isn’t the gospel truth, I don’t know what is! From slavery, to genocide to feudal states, to right now when the inequality of income and wealth is so vast that so few have the majority of the wealth and power, while so many have next to nothing. But do you think that gives us cause for pause? Not on your life! For the haves are trying to take even the little that the have nots possess. I don’t know how much they want, or how much they need to live, but unfortunately their mantra is more…ever more.
That’s why even the psalmist Asaph was perplexed and envied the wealthy, as he writes in Psalm 73 – Prosperity of the Wicked. ‘Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean (pure) heart. But as for me, my feet were almost gone (I had almost stumbled), my steps had well nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish (boastful), when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.’ (Ps. 73:1-3) And for the ordinary man, who’s trying to make an honest living, it’s difficult not to be envious of the boastful, greedy and wicked wealthy.
And there’s no doubting the powerful attraction to that lifestyle, since we all desire to live the good and easy life. It made even a spiritually strong man like Asaph almost to stumble spiritually and lose his faith. And why not, especially as Asaph continues: ‘For there are no bands (pangs or pain) in their death: but their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men. Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain (serves as a necklace); violence covereth them as a garment.
Their eyes stand out with fatness (bulge with abundance): they have more than heart could wish. They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning (scoff at) oppression: they speak loftily (proudly). They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth. Therefore his people return hither: and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them (drained by them). And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High? Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world (are always at ease); they increase in riches.’ (Ps. 73:4-12)
Yes my faithful brethren, that’s exactly what’s happening in our world today; the rich are getting richer, while the poor are getting poorer! And the rich are blatantly showing that they don’t give a damn about God or man by their utter avariciousness. Sadly, there are no holds barred to their greed. That’s why Asaph could further say: ‘Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain (kept my heart pure in vain), and washed my hands in innocency. For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning. If I say, I will speak thus; behold I should offend against (would have been untrue to) the generation of thy children. When I thought to know (understand) this, it was too painful for me (too troublesome in my eyes). Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood their end.’ (Ps. 73:13-17)
Glory be my people! It was only when Asaph went into the Lord’s house that he understood what would eventually happen to the greedy and wicked and evil. Now, the same remedy might apply to some of the many of us who understandably are envious of the wicked and prosperous. We might just need to visit the Lord’s house and talk to Him, or let Him talk to us about the situation. For as it’s been said throughout the Bible, the wicked may prosper in their day, but eventually they all will be destroyed by the Lord God Jehovah! And they’re so bold face to ask, how does the Lord know, and if there’s knowledge in the most High? That blasphemy alone will condemn them to certain death.
So let’s remember that though the wicked might be prosperous in this world, they will not be in the world to come, therefore let’s avoid envying them, since this world doesn’t count as much as the other. And yes, that’s hard to do when we see the amount of inhumanity being meted out to the poor and downtrodden, but please remember whose we are, and in whose powerful name we stand…Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords, the most powerful person in the universe!
Now, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Friday Chant, seeking divine help in these very awful and very atrocious times. All together: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help.
Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And if we’re truthful to ourselves, we already know that much of the world’s sad state can be attributed to the faithful not being good examples of Christian living, not spreading enough salt and light to the unbelieving world. So, let’s try and turn things around by better witnessing nuh. It’s not too late to start! Much LOVE!
…now might be the wicked’s time…but tomorrow it will Jesus’ time…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
30 May 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new flock of believers, a rewarder of them that diligently seek him, a time of peace, a time of war, a time to be born, a time to break down, a time to build up, a time to cast away stones, a time to dance, a time to die, a time to embrace, a time to every purpose under heaven, a time to gather stones together, a time to get, a time to hate, a time to heal, a time to keep silence, a time to kill, a time to laugh, a time to lose, a time to love, a time to mourn, a time to plant, a time to pluck up that which is planted, a time to rend, a time to sew, a time to speak, a time to weep, all things work together for good, bask in the freedom, blasphemy, by the example your faithful believers set, Christ is not to this world, Christian witness, crying out for God's help, dire times, escalating problems, faith, faith is the substance of things hoped for, finite minds, Friday chant, God's sovereign design behind everything, God-given wisdom, he that comes to God, he that cometh to God must believe that He is, holy spirit, in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, leggo-beasts, LOVE, mercy, negative happenings, not up to scratch, omnipotent help, our sinful world, return backsliders to your fold, salt and light, salvation, stand strong and steadfast for Christ, summer gets closer, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the error of their ways, the evidence of things not seen, the Lords thoughts and ways are higher than ours, the simmering unrest, the throne of grace, to every thing there is a season, to those who love God, trusting faith, truth, turn back to God, wake up and smell the coffee, who are called according to His purpose, wisdom, without faith it is impossible to please God
Ecclesiastes 3:1. To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
Oh friends, it’s another Friday in the life – a warm but somewhat cloudy one. And thankfully, with each passing day the summer season grows closer, and so do thoughts of vacation time. That means, each weekend the shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ are also louder. Those fortunate people living in year round sunshine and warmth cannot fathom the great desire that those of us who live in the northern climes have for summer weather. But that’s when we’re let loose like leggo-beasts; freed from all the clothing and indoor living that we are forced to wear and do for several months of the year.
And I guess that’s why we take so many liberties, bask in the freedom of it all, and consequently have so many accidents during the summer. Therefore, Cousin Sol, in his great God-given wisdom, could write as the Preacher in Ecclesiastes: ‘To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born (to bear), and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get (gain), and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend (tear apart), and a time to sew (sew together); a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to LOVE, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.’ (Eccl. 3:1-8)
Yes my people, there’s a time for everything in God’s great universe, but unfortunately right now seems to be the time for most of the negative happenings: like a time for many to die, one for many things to be plucked up that were planted, a time to kill and break down the beautiful things we’ve built over the years, a time to weep and mourn, as so many are doing in these disastrous times, a time to cast away stones and to refrain from embracing, a time for many to lose what they have and cast off relationships, a time to tear up and a time to speak blasphemy and lies, a time to hate and a time of war.
Oh my fellow believers these times of strife and hardship, of lack and greed, of envy and distrust seem to be all a part of God’s great plan for His universe. And the scholars put it thus: ‘As Solomon reflects on all of life, he expresses in a beautiful poem of 14 pairs of opposite events that God has a sovereign design behind all events. (cf. Rom. 8:28).’ Of that we can be very sure, for our God does not move in a vikey-vie, careless or unplanned manner. No sir! All His moves are planned out from the beginning and are so intertwined as to produce His purpose.
That’s why, as believers in Almighty God we have to hold on tightly to this foundational scripture: ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28) That’s because the Lord’s thoughts and ways are higher than ours, (Is. 55:8-9) and He doesn’t always move in straight line, or in ways that our puny and finite minds can understand. Therefore we need to hold on tightly to His promises in tough times, especially that one, where He’s going to eventually work everything out for our good.
Yes, it’s all about faith, about trust, about surrender to Almighty God, the Creator and Controller of this great universe! And what does the author of Hebrews tell us about faith? ‘Now faith is the substance (realization, assurance) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction, sense of proof) of things not seen.’ (Heb.11:1) However, even more importantly, the author of Hebrews informs us: ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him (God): for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb. 11:6)
So it’s all wrapped up in our belief and faith friends. Once we give our hearts, souls, bodies and minds to Christ, then we have to stay strong and operate under the laws of His kingdom, though some of them might seem strange and are definitely not in sync with those of the world system. But then, Christ is not of this world, neither are we. So, for help in these dire times of need, 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!’
Now friends, our own prayer indicates that our Christian witness is not up to scratch, otherwise our world would not be in such a vile, disgusting and strife-filled state. So please, let’s get together as ONE in Christ and improve our witness, so that the world can see our salt and light, our good works, and joyfully turn back to God and glorify Him. Much LOVE!
…God causes or allows ALL things to happen…and Christians must show absolute trust in His goodness and mercy…towards those who sincerely LOVE Him….
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
23 May 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living
Tags: a close relationship with God, a new flock of believers, a phenomenon, a sin nature, animosity in Christ's church, be responsible, behave like the rest of the world, can wake up and smell the coffee, Christ's church is divided, cleanseth us from all sin, confusion of these ungodly times, crying out for God's help, disciples of Jesus, discipleship demands sacrifice, discontent, dissatisfaction, divide and conquer, eternal life, faith, Friday chant, get united, get wise, God has no sin nature, God is light, have the light of life, he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, His sacrifices demand it, holy spirit, I am the light of the world, in him there is no darkness at all, Jesus Christ, keep Satan at bay, lives characterized by sin, LOVE, lying to ourselves, mercy, not putting out the necessary effort, problems are escalating, refuse the charm of Satan's offers, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, Satan's sinful route to hell fire and damnation, set free from the bondage of sin, simmering unrest, stand up and fight for Christ, stay safe, talk is cheap, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the blood of Jesus Christ, the error of their ways, the example we faithful believers set, the Great Commission, the Lord helps those who help themselves, the nature of the human animal, the slide down into the quicksand of hell, the throne of grace, the weekend, the world's in disaster mode, this is the message we have heard of him, time for Christians to unite, truth, unexpected storms, walk in darkness, walk in the light as he is in the light, walking in sin, we have fellowship one with the other, wind storms, wisdom, wise guidance
1 John 1:5b. God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
And then it was Friday, the end of our work week, with many of us shouting the traditional ‘Thank God it’s Friday, and the weekend’s here at long last!’ We’re behaving as though we’ve worked a full, hard week, when it’s been only four, easy days. But that’s the nature of the human animal. (smile) Thankfully too, the rain’s finally stopped in my area, but it’s still very cloudy with a feeble sun trying to make some headway against the dark, threatening clouds. However, it’s also windy as ever!
I don’t know where these sudden wind storms have come from, but over the last few years they have become a more noticeable phenomenon…even in the summer. But as is our won’t, we’ll blame it all on climate change, the new blame outlet for many of our current problems. Anyway, today, I want us to look at a particular aspect of scripture that John deals with very nicely in his first epistle; that’s walking in the light. He writes: ‘This then is the message which we have heard of him (Jesus), and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.’ (1 John 1:5)
John is here giving us first hand witness of the teaching he heard from Jesus Himself, when He claimed: ‘I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ (John 8:12) He’s saying that darkness and light are metaphors for evil and goodness. And since there’s no sin or evil in God, then He’s perfect and good. Now, do we believe that my brethren? We ought to, otherwise our faith is of no use. For, as John continues: ‘If we say that we have fellowship with him (Jesus), and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not (practice) the truth.’ (1 John 1:6)
And according to the scholars, ‘walk in darkness means walking in sin. John may have had in mind people who claimed to have a close relationship with God, but whose lives were clearly characterized by sin. Such a state of affairs, John says boldly is impossible; such persons are lying.’ And, sadly, that’s seems to be the state of affairs with many supposed believers; we might believe or say that we’re walking with Christ, but we’re actually lying to ourselves. Otherwise our world would not be in its current disaster mode, we would have made much more headway against the devil and his evil cronies than we have.
But talk is cheap, while true discipleship and sacrifice are rather expensive, and many of us don’t have the wherewithal to stand up and fight Beelzebub, or refuse the charm of his worldly offers. However, as John further proclaims: ‘But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.’ (1 John 1:7) And that is such a necessary truth my people! Our God is light; has no sin nature, therefore if we walk in His light, then we too would have no sin nature, be set free from the bondage of sin for which purpose Christ died on the cross of Calvary.
His shed blood cleanses us from all sin, and is supposed to draw believers closer together. But that isn’t happening as it ought to, for today, the church of Christ is split into so many denominations, cliques, groups, etc. etc., and there’s so much animosity amongst us over such petty stuff, that it’s unbelievable. The devil doesn’t even have to try to divide and conquers us, no, for we’ve already divided ourselves. No wonder he’s having such an easy time, for the church cannot produce any worthy offence unless it’s united.
Oh my people, everyday our world is slipping and sliding ever deeper into disaster and chaos, sadly following Satan’s ungodly and sinful route to hell fire and damnation! But as disciples of Jesus, we cannot allow that to happen, for He’s put His utmost trust in us to help bring the world to salvation and eternal life. Remember His Great Commission, (Matt. 28:19-20) where we’re supposed to go out to all nations and make disciples of them, teaching them all that He’s taught us? So why aren’t we being more successful eh? Because we’re not united, and therefore we’re not putting out the necessary effort to keep Satan at bay. It’s as simple as that.
Just look around at how many of us go to church on Sundays and behave so holy and righteous, then look at our conduct from Monday to Saturday…just like the rest of the world. That’s obviously not conducive to kingdom building. But friends, we have to do something, and do something right now, if we want to stop the serious slide down into the quicksand of hell. So please, let’s get wise, get united and start fighting seriously for Jesus nuh. He deserves that much from us. And to help us on our way, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine help in these disastrous times.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Now, my faithful brethren, we cannot just simply pray and wait for God to move on our behalf. No! We also have to help ourselves, for as the old saying goes: ‘the Lord helps those who help themselves!’ Much LOVE!
…it’s time for Christians to unite…and sincerely stand up and fight for Christ…His sacrifices on our behalf demand it…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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
09 May 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a means of restoring faith in you, a new flock of believers, backsliders, be of good courage, both hope and wait quietly, by the example your faithful believers set, Christian witness, christianity, Christians, divine help, error of their ways, faced with challenges, faith, for the salvation of the Lord, Friday chant, gospel truth, great grief of soul, he shall strengthen your heart, holy spirit, I am vile, I had fainted, I will hope in him, in times of difficulty, it is good, it is good for me to draw near to God, it is good that a man, Jesus Christ, lay my hand upon my mouth, lean on God in total confidence, LOVE, mercy, Mother's Day weekend, my flesh and my heart faileth, omnipotent help, our sinful world can wake up, perfect peace, persevere in one's faith, problems escalating, put my trust in the Lord God, resilience, salvation, shalom, smell the coffee, stand strong and steadfast, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the BIBLE, the Lord God Jehovah, the Lord is my portion saith my soul, the object of Faith, the simmering unrest, the throne of grace, thou will keep him in perfect peace, to see the goodness of God in the land of the living, true courage comes from relying on God, trust in the Lord for ever, trusting faith, truth, unless I had believed, wait in faith on the Lord, waiting for Christ is action oriented, whose mind is stayed on thee, wisdom
Lamentations 3:26. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.
And it’s a bright, sunshiny Friday, though only about 12 degrees Celsius, but that didn’t stop all the ‘Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here!’ shouts from rising to heaven. Now, everybody’s excited about this weekend, especially the merchants, because this is another celebratory occasion on which we spend big bucks. Yes friends, this is the Mother’s Day weekend, so you know all the attention will be on Mom, and she will be showered with flowers, cards, and all kind of other gifts, to celebrate this her special Day.
But unfortunately, the rest of the year we don’t seem to appreciate, or even remember her as much. How hollow and ungrateful is that eh? Forgetting, or not paying sufficient attention to the one who spent nine long months carrying you in their womb, much to their own pain and discomfort, then bore the maddening pain of childbirth, suckling you at her tender breast, then enduring the even more maddening years of raising you to be the godly person you are today. Please, let’s not only remember our Mothers on this one day of the year, but every single day, because what she did for us was a God-given task, that no one else could ever do for us. End of Sermon! (smile)
Today, the Good Library opened unto the Book of Lamentations, to some interesting and important scriptures that the prophet Jeremiah wrote in his time of sadness and despondency. Although he was going through a rough time seeing Jerusalem destroyed and his own imprisonment, yet when he sat and thought about it all, he was still able to come up with these most encouraging and true words. ‘The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam. 3:24-26)
And all that’s the gospel truth my people, as corroborated by many other people of God who while going through their own trials and tribulations still adhered to and extolled the hope and faithfulness found in Almighty God. And the scholars agree when they say, ‘Jeremiah’s observation resembles those of other saints who have experienced great grief of soul.’ And we have some great examples like this one from Job, who having first challenged God, then the Lord turned the tide and asked him,
‘Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth (rebukes) God, let him answer it. Then Job answered the Lord, and said, ‘Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth. Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further.’ (Job 40:2-5) And as the scholars inform us. ‘Job’s reply is one of humble submission in the face of an omnipotent and omniscient God.’ Oh, how I hope and pray that many more of us would come to such a wise conclusion and be so humble before our Creator and heavenly Father!
And we all know of Isaiah’s famous encouraging words. ‘Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord JEHOVAH (Yahweh) is everlasting strength (the Rock of Ages).’ (Is. 26:3-4) And the scholars explain all of that thus: ‘Israel is promised perfect peace (shalom, shalom). This emphatic expression indicates a peace that goes beyond human comprehension (cf. Phil. 4:7). To have one’s mind…stayed means to lean on God in total confidence and security. Trust is the ultimate expression of that confidence. Notice that the object of one’s faith is as important as the act of trust. Here the object of faith is the Lord JEHOVAH.’
Then we have these very humbling words of the psalmist Asaph, after understanding that being worried about the prosperity of the wicked is not worth it. At the end of Psalm 73, he writes: ‘Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength (rock) of my heart, and my portion for ever. For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee (that are unfaithful to thee). But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.’ (Ps. 73:25-28)
Truer words were never spoken my people. But we cannot talk about waiting and trusting in God without these most poignant verses of Bruh David’s from psalm 27: ‘I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of God in the land of the living. Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.’ (Ps. 27:13-14) And this commentary breaks down the phrase ‘wait on the Lord’ for us. As per the ‘Meaning of “wait on the Lord”: This phrase doesn’t imply idle waiting. It signifies a state of expectancy, seeking, and relying on God’s guidance and provision. It’s a posture of faith and trust in His promises.
As per Courage and Strength: The verse emphasizes that while believers wait on the Lord, they should also be of good courage. God promises to strengthen their hearts, providing them with resilience and strength in times of difficulty. And as per Relevance for believers: The phrase encourages believers to persevere in their faith, even when faced with challenges. It reminds them that true strength and courage come from relying on God, not from their own abilities.’
And having heard all of that encouraging scripture, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, to find divine aid in these most difficult times. Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land.
We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders 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 friends, having offered up that prayer for divine help, we now need to improve our faithfulness as believers in Christ, because we all know that our Christian witness is not as good as it ought to be, otherwise our world would not be in such chaos. Much LOVE!
…waiting for Christ is not a passive situation…but an active one…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
02 May 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a cloud of raised voices, a day of gladness and feasting, a good day, a means of restoring faith in you, a moment of intrigue, advanced society, amidst all the anxiety and confusion, anti-semite, assault the queen before me, back breaking work, be responsible, better wages, brave and just people, build a gallows, by the example your faithful believers set, can wake up and smell the coffee, crying out for your help, deliverance, dissatisfaction in our land, divine aid, embrace your love and compassion, ensuing violence, faith, for such a time as this, Friday chant, genocidal plan, Haman hanged on the gallows he built for Mordecai, hang him thereon, holy spirit, if thou hold thy peace at this time, introduce a new flock of believers, Jesus Christ, King Xerxes, Labour Day marches, LOVE, machination, mercy, money men, Mordecai, of sending portions one to another, omnipotent help, our sinful world, physical rest, pleased with his wife's advice, plots, problems are escalating, relief, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, see God's hand at work, sending presents to each other, serfs, show them the error of their ways, simmering unrest, smell it sweet and strong, stand strong and steadfast, stay safe, sub-plots, tedious work schedule, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, Thanks be to God, the Feast of Purim, the king's wrath pacified, the Lord does nothing without a plan, the story of Esther, the throne of grace, the weekend, these ungodly times, time with family, time with God, to exterminate the Jews, unexpected storms, use the discontent, whom the king delighted to honour, wise guidance, you're alive at the right time
Esther 4:14b. and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
So we’ve finally come to Friday, and all those shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ have gone up to heaven like a cloud of raised voices. (smile) And we’re all thankful that the weekend is here with two days of much needed rest from the tedious work schedule of our supposedly sophisticated and advanced society. And it’s surprising how many people suffered and died for those two days off, with all the Labour Day marches and the ensuing violence. For if the money men had their way, the serfs would still be working long hours with little pay, as they once did.
But thanks be to God, that some brave and just people were willing to sacrifice their lives and fight for the right to have a short break and better wages from the back breaking work that then manifested itself. So please, let’s not abuse it, but use it to fulfill the purposes for which it was granted, physical rest and time well spent with family and God. End of Sermon! (smile)
It reminds us of the story of the Jewess Esther and her uncle Mordecai, in the Persian winter capital of Shushan, that resonated with much machination and intrigue, plots and sub-plots. In the reign of King Xerxes, (486-465 B.C) there was one anti-Semite at the top of the power chain by the name of Haman, who hated Mordecai and planned to destroy the Jews, but through God’s mysterious working power, Esther, the Jewess, married the Gentile king and became Queen of Persia.
However, no one knew that Esther was Jewish, and when Haman set his genocidal plan to exterminate the Jews, Esther’s uncle and guardian, Mordecai, through secret messengers, told her that she needed to go into the king and let him know about Haman’s evil plan. But understandably Esther was afraid, firstly, because she was Jewish and that discovery could cause her serious problems. But even worse, she could not go into the king unless He summoned her, which he hadn’t done for the past thirty days. Going in on her own accord would mean certain death, if the king did not welcome her, by holding out his golden sceptre to her.
So, unfortunately, Esther had those serious problems to consider if she wanted to help her Jewish race escape Haman’s evil machinations. But her uncle Mordecai kept bugging her to do it and she kept refusing, until one day after a refusal, he sent this interesting message to Esther. ‘Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews. for if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time (remain completely silent), then shall there enlargement (relief) and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?’ (Esth. 4:13-14)
Now friends, that’s a good question to ask ourselves: have we been born for such a time as this? And most likely the answer is yes, for the Lord does nothing without a solid plan, and in whatever period of time you end being alive is exactly when God planned for you to be there. Finally, Mordecai’s argument got home to Esther and she sent him a message for all the Jews to fast for three days, then she would go into the king.
On the third day then, Esther went in unto the king, and as the Lord would have it, the king held out his golden sceptre to Esther, and in another moment of intrigue, Esther told the king of a banquet she intended to hold and for him and that Haman was also invited. But that night the king could not sleep and called for the records, wherein he saw how Mordecai had warned of the king’s traitorous chamberlains (eunuchs). Then the king asked what honour had been done for Mordecai and found that nothing had been done.
In the meanwhile, Zeresh, Haman’s wife advised him to build a gallows fifty cubits high on which to hang Mordecai, then speak to king about it the next day. Haman being pleased with his wife’s advice did exactly that. (Esth. 5:13) Then the next day when he saw the king, the king asked him: ‘What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighted to honour? Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour than to myself?’ (Esth. 6:6) So he spewed out a whole lot of stuff about putting the kings clothing and crown on the man’s head and letting him ride the king’s horse, and parade him through the streets. Much to his surprise though the king told hm to do exactly all of that to Mordecai, which Haman in bittersweet obedience did. (Esth. 6:10-11)
After that, Haman was taken to the queen’s banquet and on the second day of the banquet, the king asked Esther her petition or desire, and she told him of Haman’s wicked plan to exterminate the Jews. The king became mad and went out into garden, while Haman threw himself on the bed where Esther lay, seeking mercy. But that only incensed the king more, and he said: ‘Will he force (assault) the queen also before me in the house. As the word went out of the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.’ (Esth. 7:8) That signified that Haman was about to be executed.
Then Harbonah, one of the king’s eunuchs told him about the gallows Haman had bult for Mordecai. ‘Then the king said, Hang him thereon. So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king’s wrath pacified (his wrath subsided).’ (Esth. 9-10) Oh my people, to really get all the intrigue in the story and truly see God’s hand at work you need to read he whole Book of Esther. In the end, the Jews were victorious and celebrated the Feast of Purim, on the fourteenth day of the month Adar to witness their victory; ‘a day of gladness and feasting, and a good day, and of sending portions (presents) one to another.’ (Esth. 9:19)
And now, for help in our own current battles, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help.
Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
The truth of the story though, is that we supposed believers are not setting a good enough example for the unbelievers, that’s why there’s still so many of them, and until we begin doing better, divine aid will not be forthcoming! Much LOVE!
…the devil sets up lots of evil schemes…but with the Lord’s help…we can certainly dismantle them…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
25 Apr 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a means of restoring faith in you, a new flock of believers, anointed with fresh oil, behaving too much like the world, blessed is the people that know the joyful sound, bring forth fruit in old age, crying out for your help, discontent, disobey God's will, dissatisfaction, divine aid, embrace your love and compassion, established it upon the floods, faith, fellow saints, flourish in the courts of God, Friday chant, grow like a cedar in Lebanon, he hath founded it upon the seas, he is my rock, high is thy right hand, holy spirit, in thy name shall they rejoice all the day, in thy righteousness, Jesus Christ, justice and judgement are the habitation of thy throne, like the horn of a unicorn, LOVE, loving-kindness and truth shall go be fore thy face, make a joyful noise to the Lord, mercy, mouthing the platitude, my horn shalt thou exalt, no unrighteousness in God, not doing our best to represent God, not pulling our weight, our sinful world, planted in the house of the Lord, problems are escalating, return backsliders to your fold, righteousness and justice, salvation, shall they be exalted., simmering unrest, smell it sweet and strong, stand strong, strong is thy hand, suffer the consequences, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, thankful for another day in God's universe, the Creator and Controller of the universe, the earth also is thine, the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the error of their ways, the example we faithful believers set, the foundation of thy throne, the heavens are thine, the Lord is my defence, the Lord is upright, the righteous shall flourish like the palm tree, the throne of God, the unexpected storms, the workers of iniquity, the world and they that dwell therein, truth, wake up and smell the coffee, walk in the light of God's countenance, wisdom, wise guidance, work for Christ
1 Corinthians 10:26. For the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.
So it’s Friday, and we’re all overjoyed at the prospect of the weekend hovering right around the corner; time to rest and /or party. And many of sent up the cry of ‘Thank God it’s Friday!’ whether sincerely thanking God, or just mouthing the platitude, only you alone know. But hopefully, many will be truly thankful to see another day in God’s great universe, because that’s the right and wise way to be.
Remember the Lord created the universe and everything within it as Bruh David says in Psalm 24: ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods (rivers).’ (Ps. 24:1-2) Meanwhile Bruh Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians reminds them thus: ‘For the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.’ (1 Cor. 10:26) And Ethan the Ezrahite puts it this way in Psalm 89. ‘The heavens are thine, the earth is also thine: as for the world and the fullness thereof, thou hast founded them.’ (Ps. 89:11)
Yes friends, not only did God establish the universe and all therein, but He still controls it and rules sovereignly over it! For as Ethan the Ezrahite continues in Psalm 89: ‘Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand. Justice and judgement (righteousness and justice) are the habitation (foundation) of thy throne: LOVING-KINDNESS and truth shall go before thy face.’ (Ps. 89:13-14) So the Lord our God is also strong and mighty, and only deals in truth, justice and righteousness.
And because of that, Ethan could further say: ‘Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound (make a joyful noise to the Lord): they shall walk, O Lord in the light of thy countenance. In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted. For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn (strength) shall be exalted. For the Lord is our defence; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.’ (Ps. 89:15-18) And that’s the living truth my brethren! The Lord God Jehovah is our shield, our defence our strong arm in the time of battle.
Listen as the psalmist tells it. ‘When the wicked spring (sprout) as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever: But thou, Lord, art most high for evermore. For, lo, thine enemies, O Lord, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered. But my horn (my strength) shalt thou exalt like the horn (strength) of a unicorn (wild ox): I shall be anointed with fresh oil. Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me.’ (Ps. 92:7-11)
That tells it like it is my people! The Lord will destroy the wicked, the workers of iniquity in His own time and strengthen those who sincerely trust in Him. And on top of all that, the psalmist furthermore proclaims: ‘The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon (tall and strong). Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing (plump and green); To show that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.’ (Ps. 92:12-15)
Now friends, who wouldn’t want to be a part of all that eh? Strong, exalted, flourishing, bringing forth good fruit even in your old age, with the Lord being your rock and strength and defence! It doesn’t get any better than that my people! And yes it’s hard to withstand all the temptations of the wicked enemy, but fortunately the Lord has given us all the tools to do it, with the Holy Spirit dwelling within us to lead and guide us. And if all that fails, then we even have the option of going to the throne of grace directly to ask for divine aid. So, let’s do that right now nuh, 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!’
Ah my fellow saints, unfortunately it’s not only the sinful world that needs to wake up and smell the coffee, no, many of us supposed believers also need to do that too, because we’re not pulling our weight, we are not doing our best to represent God in this ungodly world, we’re behaving too much like the world, and that will never do. It will never help us to turn things around. So please, let’s wake up and do what we know we’re supposed to do nuh; that’s stand strong and work for Christ! Much LOVE!
…regardless of what you believe…God IS the Creator and Controller of the universe…and those who disobey His will…will suffer the consequences…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
11 Apr 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a double minded man is unstable in all his ways, a life in sync with God's word, a life where there is effective prayer, a means of restoring faith in you, Abide in me, abiding in God's will, aggressive driving attitudes, an important proviso, an understanding heart, ask, ask and it shall be given to you, ask what ye will, be in agreement with God's will, be responsible, by the example that we set, confidence toward God, crying out for help, discern between good and bad, discontent, dissatisfaction, divine aid, do those things which are pleasing in his sight, driven with the wind and tossed, embrace your love and compassion, everyone that asks receives, faith, faithful believers, Friday chant, give therefore thy servant an understanding heart, good news, he that seeks finds, he that wavers, herein is my Father glorified, holy spirit, if any of you lack wisdom, if our heart condemn us not, introduce a new flock of believers, is like a wave of the sea, it shall be done for you, it shall be given you, it shall be opened, Jesus Christ, knock, let him ask in faith, let him ask of god, living a life of purity before God, LOVE, lustful things, mercy, my words abide in you, not doubting, nothing wavering, now for now desires, omnipotent help, our sinful world, pleasing in God's sight, problems are escalating, rain, return backsliders to your fold, right living, right living is an important part of successful living, righteous living, salvation, seek, show them the error of their ways, simmering unrest, so shall you be my disciples, stay safe, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that giveth to all men liberally, that will I do, the anxiety and confusion, the Christian's journey, the importance of faith, the nature of the human animal, the promise of the weekend, the Sermon on the Mount, the standard of christian living, the straight and narrow path, the throne of grace, times of speed, to him that knocks it shall be opened, to judge thy people, trusting faith, truth, turbulent times, unexpected storms, ungodly times, upbraideth not, wake up and smell the coffee, we keep His commandments, weekday lifestyle, wet snow, whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, wisdom, wise guidance, without reproach, ye bear much fruit, ye shall find
Matthew 7:7. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
Oh friends, I’m sorry to say that the sun did not win yesterday’s battle! No sir! By early afternoon the wet snow and rain began and lasted until the middle of the evening, and it was just my luck to get caught out in it as I had to go for some tests. So, you can imagine the driving was not the greatest, with too many of us still rushing and being rather aggressive in our driving attitudes. But that’s the nature of the human animal in these times of speed and now for now desires.
Sadly too, Friday opened with some big, fat snowdrops falling down, but that has now stopped, so it’s just wet and cloudy with the sun trying to make an appearance. Let’s hope it’s more successful than it was yesterday. But yuh know what? None of that stopped the ‘Thank God it’s Friday!’ prayer from rising up to heaven. Nothing seems to stop that, because we know on the other side is the promise of the weekend, which means a break from the same ole, same ole dreary, ofttimes frustrating weekday lifestyle.
But here’s some good news from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. In the latter part of His Sermon on the Mount, He sincerely declares: ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.’ (Matt. 7:7-8) What a glorious, encouraging and assuring scripture that is my people! If we ask, we will receive, if we seek, we will find, and if we knock, doors will be opened to us. It couldn’t get any better than that.
However, there is one very important proviso to all that; whatever we ask for must be in agreement with God’s Will and Word, otherwise we’d just be asking for all sorts of wrong, foolish and lustful things! (smile) And there are several scriptures that attest to Jesus words, with a couple more from Him too. In talking to the disciples about His going away (ascension), He informs them: ‘And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.’ (John 14:13-14)
Then later on, when talking about the vine and the branches, Jesus tells the disciples: ‘If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto (for) you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.’ (John 15:6-8) Please note my brethren that it all depends on Jesus words abiding in us, and we doing His will, and bearing good fruit, so that the Father can be glorified.
Then there’s this famous passage from James on the subject of asking. He writes: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not (without reproach); and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering (not doubting). For he that wavereth (doubts) is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.’ (James 1:5-8)
There now, we see the importance of faith and not doubting in asking of the Lord. And possibly the best example of that is when Cousin Sol became king of Israel, and in a vison, the Lord asked him his heart’s desire. We all know his marvellous reply. ‘Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?’ (1 Kin. 3:9) And the Lord was so pleased that he didn’t ask for riches and long life, or the lives of his enemies, that He made him the wisest and richest man ever! That’s what comes from abiding in God’s will and asking for sensible things. (smile)
Now that doesn’t mean you cannot ask for the desires of your heart, but they must be in line with God’s will. And John, in his first epistle says this about the topic. ‘Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then we have confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him. because we keep his commandments, and do those things which are pleasing in his sight.’ (1 John 3:21-22) That says it loud and clear my brethren!
And the scholars offer this interesting explanation on those verses. ‘If our heart condemn us not: We have confidence toward God if our lives are in line with the standard of Christian living set forth above (vs.11-20). John is not saying that whether a person is right or wrong is simply a matter of how he subjectively feels about himself. That is why John has given so many indicators and commands for Christians to take note of and assess themselves by. And one of the great results of a life lived in purity before God is a life where there is effective prayer. Right living is an important part of successful living.’
Wow! I could not have said it any better my people! Our prayers won’t meet with much success until and unless our daily living is in sync with God’s Word and Will. It’s as simple as that. And we all need daily help to handle the many trials that come our way, so let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, so that we can access divine aid in these turbulent times. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help.
Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Now friends, we have offered up our prayer, let’s see to our right living nuh, otherwise no divine aid will be forthcoming. Much LOVE!
…salvation only begins the Christian’s journey…righteous living is what keeps it going…on the straight and narrow path…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
04 Apr 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a demonstration of God's power, a sign of God's miraculous provision, according to his riches in glory, after all these things do the Gentiles seek, all these things shall be added unto you, amidst all the anxiety, an understanding heart, an ungodly world, be responsible, believers, by Christ Jesus, by the example your faithful believers set, Christ died for us to have, christianity, Christians, climate change, confusion, crying out for your help, discern between good and bad, discontent, dissatisfaction, divine aid, do not worry, embrace your love and compassion, enjoy the abundant life, faith, fall outs, fervently pray, figments of our imaginations, Friday chant, God's unwavering support, guide us through, holy spirit, I am the good shepherd, I know my sheep and are known of mine, improve our witness for Christ, in the big desert of an ungodly world, in the face of hardship, introduce a new flock of believers, Jesus Christ, Jesus is our caretaker, led you forty years in the wilderness, long life, LOVE, make Jesus our light and life, manna form heaven, mercy, mirages, my God shall supply all your needs, oasis in the desert, our sinful world, our won oasis, problems are escalating, put God first He will put you first, restoring faith in you, return backsliders to your fold, revere the Lord, right down here on earth, salvation, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, show trust towards our Triune Godhead, smell it sweet and strong, Solomon's humility, stay safe, stroms, take no thought, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the arduous journey, the BIBLE, the error of their ways, the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want, the throne of grace, the turbulent desert, the weekend, the wisest and richest man ever, these ungodly times, this chaotic world, thy shoe is not waxen old, to judge thy people, truth, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee, wealth, what clothes shall we wear, what shall we drink, what shall we eat, wherewithal shall we be clothed, wisdom, wise guidance, your clothes are not waxen old, your heavenly Father knows you need all these things
John 10:14. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of them.
And then it was Friday, and the climate change games continue. Yesterday the temperature was in the high teens, but with a big wind, today there’s not much wind, but although it’s sunny, the temp has dropped back into single digits, with a promise of them falling even further. So, who knows what to expect? But for sure, it doesn’t stop the loud shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ from rising up to heaven.
Apparently, nothing stops that as the weekend is our own li’l oasis in the big desert of an ungodly world. And thankfully, we have Jesus, our omnipotent Lord and Saviour, our ever-LOVING Shepherd to guide us through the turbulent desert called our world, filled with all sorts of storms, fall outs, figments of our imaginations and mirages. That’s why this scripture is ever so important. Jesus declares in no uncertain terms: ‘I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of them.’ (John 10:14)
Yes friends, that scripture should constantly be at the forefront of our minds, reminding us that Jesus is our caretaker, or as Bruh David so nicely puts it in psalm 23; ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.’ (Ps. 23:1) Oh my brethren, when we make Jesus our light and life, then He takes care of us and all of our needs. As Bruh Paul so confidently says in Philippians: ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:19)
And if you don’t believe that God can do that, then you need to remember how He fed the Israelites in the wilderness with manna for forty long years, while He said through Moses: ‘And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot.’ (Deut. 29:5) So you see, our God can indeed look after us.
And this commentary breaks down that verse thus, calling it ‘A Miraculous Preservation: The passage emphasizes that despite the arduous journey, the Israelites’ clothes and sandals remained intact, which is presented as a sign of God’s miraculous provision and care.’ And per it’s Significance: ‘This event is often interpreted as a demonstration of God’s power and unwavering support for his people, even in the face of hardship.’ That should certainly lessen our fears and assure us of the provision that God can provide.
But there’s one important proviso in that assurance my fellow believers. And Jesus in His teachings on worry from the Sermon on the Mount, put’s it like this: ‘Therefore take no thought (do not worry), saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:31-33)
Yes, as we said earlier, our Triune Godhead must continually be at the forefront of our thinking if we expect to enjoy the miraculous and abundant life that Jeus died for us to have, not waiting till we get to heaven, but starting right down here on earth. And we see from Biblical History how that can be miraculously portrayed in a believer’s life by the wonderful story of Cousin Sol’s humility and acknowledgement of Almighty God. It began when he became king after Bruh David, and the Lord in a dream, asked him what he wanted.
But instead of asking for wealth, long life, or the life of his enemies, he said: ‘And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or to come in. And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great people.’ (1 Kin. 3:7-9)
Tell me nuh, how many of us would have asked for that simple but very important attribute eh? Not too many! Most of us would have asked for wealth, long life and all the many baubles and bangles that the world continually jingles in our faces. But Cousin Sol’s unusual request thrilled the Lord so much, that He not only gave him the wisdom and understanding he asked for, but also made him the wisest and richest man ever! (1 Kin. 3:10-14)
Oh my people, that shows what’s possible when we sincerely revere the Lord and do our best to observe His law. Unfortunately though, in this current world, that isn’t happening as much as it ought to, but we can surely seek help to improve by going to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant. So, altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help.
Oh, heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And our prayer says it all; if we need divine aid, then we desperately need to improve our witness for Christ. It’s as simple as that friends. So, let’s get to doing that nuh…if we genuinely want divine help in this chaotic world! Much LOVE!
…put God first…and He will also put you first…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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