The Overwhelming Importance of Christians Being Ready For Whenever Jesus Returns!

23 Jul 2026 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Today’s Scrip-Bit   23 July 2026   Matthew 24:44.

Matthew 24:44.        Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

And then it was Thursday, a somewhat cool but bright and sunshiny second to last day of our work week. And would you believe it, we only have one more week left in this fast receding, controversial month of July. We just said hello to July, celebrating Canada Day and the 4th of July, now we’re on the verge of saying goodbye and welcoming the last summer month of August. Where has it all gone eh? Only the Lord alone knows, that’s why it’s ever so important to get up and get a move on with our own lives and business and don’t wait for a supposed better time, because a better one might never come.

And remember also, that Jesus can return at any time, like a thief in the night, as He says, and if you’re not ready, then crapaud smoke yuh pipe! So, let’s be up and doing as this interesting poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow advises. It’s titled ‘A Psalm of Life,’ and does offer wise insights. So please read with me. ‘Tell me not, in mournful numbers, Life is but an empty dream! For the soul is dead that slumbers, And things are not what they seem. Life is real! Life is earnest! And the grave is not its goal; Dust thou art, to dust returnest, Was not spoken of the soul. Not enjoyment, and not sorrow, Is our destined end or way; But to act, that each to-morrow Find us farther than to-day.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting, And our hearts, though stout and brave, Still, like muffled drums, are beating Funeral marches to the grave. In the world’s broad field of battle, In the bivouac of Life, Be not like dumb, driven cattle! Be a hero in the strife! Trust no Future, howe’er pleasant! Let the dead Past bury its dead! Act,— act in the living Present! Heart within, and God o’erhead! Lives of great men all remind us We can make our lives sublime, And, departing, leave behind us Footprints on the sands of time; Footprints, that perhaps another, Sailing o’er life’s solemn main, A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,  Seeing, shall take heart again. Let us, then, be up and doing, With a heart for any fate; Still achieving, still pursuing, Learn to labor and to wait.’

Ah friends what wonderful advice! Let’s remember that ‘the soul is dead that slumbers,’ but ‘Life is real! Life is earnest! And the grave is not it’s goal.’ No my brethren, the grave is not our goal, it is only a passing moment in our journey to eternal life with Jesus. As the poem says: ‘Dust thou art, to dust returnest, Was not spoken of the soul.’  Yes my people, Dust to dust was spoken for our bodies, but not our souls, so let’s not worry about death, because it comes to all of us at some time or another. Let’s worry instead about where our souls will be spending eternity; in eternal death, or in eternal life.

And the time to consider that situation is right now! For ‘Time is fleeting,’ and Jesus can come back at any time, or we can be taken home without any notice, and if we’re not prepared, then ‘So long sonny!’ And Jesus, in talking about that specific situation, said only the Father knew when the Son would return, then warned: ‘Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman (master) of the house had known in what watch (hour) the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered (allowed) his house to be broken up (into). Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.’ (Matt. 24:42-44)

Then in the next chapter, in the parable of the five wise and five foolish virgins, Jesus again warns: ‘Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.’ (Matt. 25:13) That means we always have to be a in a state of readiness, of preparedness for whenever Jesus comes back; be it today or years from now! And I like how the poem describes the life we should lead: ‘In the world’s broad field of battle, In the bivouac of Life, Be not like dumb, driven cattle! Be a hero in the strife! Trust no Future, howe’er pleasant! Let the dead Past bury its dead! Act,— act in the living Present! Heart within, and God o’erhead!’

And isn’t that the living truth! We’ve got to get up and get going, live in the present not the past, and be heroes for Jesus, rather than dumb driven cattle for Satan. And when we live that life, our godly efforts will leave behind a valuable legacy for those who come after us. As the poem says: ‘And, departing, leave behind us Footprints on the sands of time; Footprints, that perhaps another, Sailing o’er life’s solemn main, A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,  Seeing, shall take heart again.’

Yes friends, that’s the kind of life and legacy we need to live and leave behind, and we can only do that through living consistently and faithfully for Jesus. So as we said earlier on: ‘Let us, then, be up and doing, With a heart for any fate; Still achieving, still pursuing, Learn to labor and to wait.’ Oh my brethren, all the scriptures tell us about working for and waiting on Jesus as being the best way to live this life. So let’s do just that nuh! Especially when the Lord has granted us these undeserved blessings we call our Thursday Blessings, generously bestowed on us to help us do His earthly work.

So let’s declare and thus activate them now nuh, since a blessing is not a blessing until it’s declared. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘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 every day! Amen!’ 

And having made that declaration, it now behooves us to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…life is made for living…living for Jesus…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   9 June 2023   2 Corinthians 12:9a.

09 Jun 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

2 Corinthians 12:9a.        And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power) is made perfect in weaknesses.

And then it was Friday, with the attendant shouting of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ But in my area the thanking of God was not only because it was Friday and the end of the work week, we had a much more important shout of ‘Thank God for some rain at last!’ 

Yes friends, some time in the morning hours I heard some most welcome raindrops beating against my window pane, and although I had to drive through the drizzle to get to the doctor later on, I was happy to do so, for our land needed some heavenly blessing in the worst way. Let’s hope that some of that heavenly blessing also fell on the areas with forest fires, so that they can be put out more quickly and stop spreading the polluted air like they are currently doing. And all of God’s people said a loud and grateful, ‘Amen!’ 

And as per my ongoing illness, the doctor and I did not see eye to eye on the remedies for it, but you would have been proud of me, I was a well behaved Christian gentleman and just listened quietly to what he had to say, and will try to take his advice, although I don’t believe it will solve my current problems, and simply continue doing my own thing. 

I’m sure of this one thing though, these problems too will pass, for with the Lord guiding me, I will not be sick forever, and even with the illness, I know that the Lord’s grace will help me to get through whatever I need to do. For as Bruh Paul says after he asked the Lord to remove a thorn in his flesh three times. ‘And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power) is made perfect in weaknesses.’ (2 Cor. 12:9a) 

And believe me, several times I have recently experienced that power in my weakness. I guess it must have been exhibited before, but it’s only lately that I’ve noticed it. (smile) Although I don’t know if I’m quite ready to say like Bruh Paul did: ‘Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities (weaknesses), that the power of Christ may rest upon me.’ (2 Cor. 12:9b) I doubt that if I will glory in them, but when they do show up, I’ll definitely turn to the Lord for His strengthening power. 

And I certainly haven’t reached this level as yet, where Burh Paul declares (yesss!!!): ‘Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.’ (2 Cor. 12:10) Now, I might suffer the bad stuff for Christ’s sake, and be strong in doing so, but I don’t know if I’ll take pleasure in it. (smile) 

Bruh Paul’s zeal is just too much for me. He was an exception to the rule. And I don’t think that the Lord expects us all to have that level of zeal, but I’m sure that we can all come up higher that we’re currently doing. If we just look around us, I’m sure we’ll see the lack of direction, the loneliness, the searching, the emptiness that so many of our fellow men are currently feeling and experiencing. 

Although we are seem so connected by technology, in actual fact we are very disconnected from each other. Just look on any gathering of individuals and you’ll see most, if not all of them on their cellphones, doing whatever, while their friends and families around them are doing the same thing. So, there’s no communication whatsoever with those directly next to them. And sadly, that’s what’s happening all around the world, despite the many almost instant methods of communication, we’re turning away from each other. 

And when you include the consequences of the Covid 19 pandemic, it just makes matters even worse. And if we ever hope to survive as a strong and vibrant society, we have to get back to the basics of true communication, caring and sharing from deep in our hearts, not the surface stuff that’s going on now. And again, only the LOVE of Christ can bring us back to that place of trust, compassion and kindness that we once had. Thus, it is very necessary, of the utmost importance, for we believers to stir up ourselves, each other and those whom we know are needy in some area. 

We are Christ’s ambassadors, His earthly agents, His hands and feet down here, and He’s expecting us to do much better than we’re currently doing. When He comes back, He expects to find plenty of strong faith on the earth, and that will only happen if we get up and get going. So please, for Christ’s sake, for the LOVE and gratitude we claim to feel towards Him, let’s make the effort to get up and get going nuh. Besides, that’s our bounden duty as believers. 

Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, asking for the help we need to handle our problems and thus make this world a better place for Christ. Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the confusion and anxiety caused by the pandemic and our many other serious problems. We can’t fix them on our own Lord, so we desperately need 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. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, without further serious setbacks. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe. 

And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to 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. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic, the bubbling discontent and dissatisfaction in our land, as a means of restoring faith in You, 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 it’s obvious that if we expect to receive positive answers to our petitions, then we also need to make positive changes in our lives. Much LOVE!

…it takes two to tango…one hand to wash the other…that means….help from God comes with obedience to His will and word…  

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ