24 Feb 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brand new day, a name which is above every other name, accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, alive and kicking, all should come to repentance, appreciate how good God is to us, are not able to kill the soul, at the name of Jesus, believers are not stepping up to the plate, but of power love and a sound mind, cast off the works of darkness, Christ selflessly sacrificed His sinless life, Christ's church is in a terrible state, Christians, come to know and love christ like we do, comfortable Christians, consequences for every misdeed, destined for hell, dissensions, divisions, do something worthwhile for Christ, do stuff in our own backyards, duty bound, eagerly await a Saviour, eternal life, everlasting life, every knee should bow, every tongue confess, evil and ungodliness being perpetrated, faith, fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body, fear not them which kill the body, For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, get up off of our fat fannies, give thanks, glorify your Father which is in heaven, God is longsuffering towards us, God wanted nobody to perish, greed, hitting many home runs, holy spirit, hurry, in god's eyes, it is high time to awake out of sleep, Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God, Jesus paid our sin debt in full, knowing the time, Let your light so shine before men, life altering consequences, light of the world, live in urgent expectation, lock stock and barrel, LOVE, mercy, mind-boggling consequences, mitigate the negative circumstances, more afraid of man than God, movers and shakers, no place for spiritual lethargy, obedience to the Father's will, our citizenship is in heaven, our salvation is nearer than when we first believed, put on the armour of light, rebellious attitude, salt of the earth, salvation, Satan is ruling the roost, see your good works, selfless sacrifice, share His love with my neighbours, share the amazing love and friendship of Christ, sitting on the sidelines, strife, the beloved of God, the BIBLE, the breath of life that's still fowing through us, the day is at hand, the night is far spent, the sad truth, there are consequences to all decisions, time to heed the wake up call, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, undeserving children of men, we owe Christ a debt we can never repay, wide-awake preparedness, wisdom, worry
Romand 13:11. And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we (first) believed.
And after Monday comes Tuesday… just like the Lord designed it. Yes mih bredrin, it’s a brand new day, and we’re still alive and kicking so let’s give our wonderful Lord and Saviour much thanks for the breath of life that’s still flowing through our finite, fragile, mortal bodies, not forgetting the hope of salvation and eternal life that He so selflessly died to provide for us. And all God’s people sent up a sincere prayer of ‘Thank You Jesus! You are the Greatest! And we LOVE and worship you with all of our hearts, souls, bodies and minds! Amen!’
Ah friends, it’s so good when we give God thanks for His wonderful attention and blessings to us underserving children of men. And it’s something I don’t think we do often enough, because we don’t truly understand/or appreciate how good God has been to us, when He had no reason whatsoever to be. Instead, He had, and still has, every reason to destroy us completely for our prideful and rebellious attitude towards Him.
But as the Bible tells us He LOVED us so dearly and is so longsuffering or patient with us, and didn’t want any of His most wonderful creation to perish, but that all should come to repentance, (2 Pet. 3:9) that He broke His own heart and sent His ONE Son, yes His ONLY Son to earth to die for our rebelliousness, so that all who believed in Him could have everlasting life and not perish in the fires of hell, where we were all destined for, before Christ’s death ransomed us. (John 3:16)
So, when we talk about being indebted to our heavenly Father, it’s no joke or simple matter, because it’s a debt we can never repay. But the good thing about our God is that He doesn’t require repayment, all He needs is for us to sincerely accept His Son Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, and thus gain salvation and eternal life. And why is that? Because it’s Jesus who, in obedience to the Father’s will, paid our sin debt in full with the selfless sacrifice of His sinless life.
That’s why the Word says: ‘Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of (those) things in heaven, and (those) things in earth, and those (things) under the earth; And that every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil. 2: 9-11)
Now that’s how the Father rewards those who do His will. Are we in line for rewards…are we doing His will to the best of our ability? I doubt it. Otherwise, neither Christ’s body, the church, nor the world would be in such a terrible state, with dissensions, divisions, hate, greed, strife and all the negative aspects front and centre, rather than in the background.
And it’s no wonder that Satan is ruling the roost, because we supposed Christians, supposed believers in Christ Jesus, are not doing what He desires of His followers, namely to be the salt of the earth, and the light of the world, and thus show others how living with and for Him is the best life possible. In other words, we’re not doing as Jesus says: ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:16)
And that’s the sad truth! We believers are not stepping up to the plate sufficiently and hitting the many home runs that we need to turn things around in this evil and ungodly world. Remember that doing nothing to improve matters, is the same as encouraging them to be bad. So, sitting on the sidelines and seeing evil and ungodliness being perpetrated all over the world when you’re in a position to make some small improvement, makes you just as guilty as the perpetrators of the evil and ungodliness.
Consequently, a whole lot of us supposed Christians are guilty of plenty evil and ungodliness, for there’s always some small way that we can mitigate those negative circumstances, if it’s even in our own families or neighbourhoods. Oh friends, any evil or ungodliness mitigated is a win for Christ! Most of us can’t be big movers and shakers of the world, but we can certainly do stuff right in our backyards to improve the situation. It’s just that too many of us who call ourselves Christians, are either afraid of what others might say and/ or do, or too lazy and comfortable in our material wellbeing, and thus we refuse to get up off of our fat fannies and do something worthwhile for Christ!
But under those circumstances, here are two scriptures that we should consider well. The first comes from Bruh Paul to his protégé Timothy, regarding fear. ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7) And the second in Jesus words, is like unto it: ‘And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.’ (Matt. 10:28)
Now, that means you should not fear mankind, because they can only kill your body and not your soul. But the One to be truly afraid of is Almighty God, who can kill both body and soul in the roaring fires of hell! And it’s a sad fact that many, if not most of us are more afraid of man than of God. How foolish! But I guess we are more concerned about our bodies than our souls. However, let’s remember there are consequences for every misdeed, and sometimes those consequences can be mind boggling and also life-altering.
Anyway, let’s hope what we’ve spoken of today will jumpstart our consciences, will wake us from our stupor, for as Bruh Paul says to the Roman church: ‘And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we (first) believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.’ (Rom. 13:11-12) And as this commentary explains: ‘That means there’s no place for spiritual lethargy in the Christian life. Believers must live in urgent expectation and wide-awake preparedness for what is coming because “our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20)
So, nuff said. Let’s go home now declaring (chuh!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock stock and barrel! As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And with those words, we’ve now become duty bound to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…it’s time for believers to heed the wake up call…for who knows what will happen tomorrow…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
16 Feb 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Spiritual Living
Tags: a divine means of showing, a lack of circumspection, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, ambition to be rich, be he a wise man or a fool, before many witnesses, confessed a good confession, contentment is a learned behaviour, controversial times, discontentment, divine aid, drown men in destruction and perdition, easily led astray, erred from the faith, exercise a modicum of circumspection, face the opening bell, faith, faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers, fall into a temptation and a snare, fall into ruin, fight the good fight of faith, fighting in the trenches of work, find fulfillment in material accomplishment, follow after righteousness, follow the things of God, futility, godliness, godliness with contentment is great gain, greed, Happy Family Day, have money as our life goal, have rule over all my labour, having food and raiment, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, I hated all the labour that I toiled for, I have learned, in whatever state I am to be content, into many foolish and hurtful lusts, it is certain we can carry nothing out, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep your promise to prosper us, lay hold on eternal life, leave it unto the man tat comes after me, leave the fruit of his work to another, let us therewith be content, LOVE, mass confusion in our world, material wealth is insignifcant, meekness, mercy, not satisfied with what we have, Not that I speak in respect of want, O man of God flee these things, of the many suffering from negative situations, pateince, pierced themselves through with many sorrows, please ease the pain, pray, professed a good profession, ruin and destruction, run down money, salvation, sense and sensibility fly out the window, showed myself wise under the sun, sincere repentance in our hearts, sincerely seek God's face, sinned and seriously disobeyed your word, some in their greediness, strayed from the faith, strong faith in Christ, thank you for life, the fruit of the spirit, the God who heals, the hands of wastrels, the love of money is the root of all evil, the race to accumulate wealth, they that will be rich, this also is vanity, too busy making money, truth, turn from our evil ways, undesired repercussions, want is never a problem, we brought nothing into this world, we lose something important, when contentment fill the soul, which some coveted after, wisdom, wise guidance to alleviate our problems
1 Timothy 6:6. But godliness with contentment is great gain.
HAPPY FAMILY DAY!
And this third Monday in February, Family Day, a public holiday in Canada, has opened somewhat damp and cloudy because of the slight increase of temperature over the freezing mark. But by mid-morning we’ve seen the sun come out and overshadow most of the clouds. Now some of us don’t’ have to go to work, today, because it’s a civic holiday not a Federal one, and thankfully that postpones our fighting in the trenches of work for an extra day. Glory to God! However, some of our work counterparts who fight in the Federal arenas must get out there and face the opening bell. We feel for them, but certainly don’t wish ourselves in their place. (smile)
Anyway, for those who are blessed to be off work, remember, that though partying is expected, we’re also expected not to overdo it, because we must go out and labour tomorrow, and any sick calls, tardiness or lethargy on the job, will probably reap undesired repercussions. Therefore, it’s in our best interest to exercise a modicum of circumspection in our partying today, so we don’t have to suffer for it tomorrow. (smile) End of Sermon!
Now let’s consider two topics that are very close to our hearts that’s a desire for material things and for money. And Bruh Paul sets it out very nicely in his first letter to his protégé Timothy, when he warns him. ‘But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment (clothing) let us therewith be content.’ (1 Tim. 6:6-8)
Now that’s some of the best advice we can ever get my people, for too many of us are not satisfied with what we have, even though we have a lot more than most. And Bruh Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, says of himself: ‘Not that I speak in respect of want (regard of need): for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.’ (Phil. 4:11) Yes friends, contentment is a learned behaviour.
And the scholars offer an interesting explanation for the statement, ‘And it is certain we can carry nothing out.’ They say: ‘Man enters the world at birth possessing nothing, in order to teach him that he will exit the world in the same manner – taking nothing with him. This is a divine means of showing man that since material wealth is relatively insignificant, he should pursue the things mentioned in verse 11.’ And those things we’ll get to later.
But unfortunately, too many of us don’t learn that lesson, and we foolishly continue to run down material wealth and do like Cousin Sol queries in Ecclesiastes, as he writes: ‘Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken (toiled) under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me. And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have showed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity (futility).’ (Eccl. 2:18-19)
And as the scholars tell us: ‘Part of the futility of trying to find fulfillment in material accomplishment is the fact that one must leave the fruit of his work to another who may well waste the accrued benefits.’ And that’s exactly what happens on many occasions. The departed person’s wealth falls into the hands of wastrels, and it’s quickly extinguished. Or it is fought over between friends and families, through the same discontentment and greed that Bruh Paul talks about.
Then again, so often, most of it is wasted in paying lawyers’ bills, and most of them end up getting much less than they would have, if with a shred of common sense and contentment, and less greed, they had sat down and worked it out sensibly. But it seems that when it comes to money and material wealth, all sense and sensibility fly out the window. That’s why Bruh Paul continues his serious warning to Timothy. ‘But they that will be (desire to be) rich fall into a temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful (harmful) lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition (ruin and destruction).’ (1 Tim. 6:9)
Yes my brethren, those whose ambition is to be rich are very easily led astray and eventually face ruin, simply because of their greed and a lack of circumspection in their race to accumulate wealth. And Bruh Paul reasons it thus: ‘For the LOVE of money is the root of all evil (all kinds of evil): which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith (for which some in their greediness have strayed from the faith) and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.’ (1 Tim. 6:10)
And friends, that’s ever so true, for we see it happening every day in our greedy, discontented society. When we run down money, have it as our goal of life, we usually lose something, like our souls, health, friends and /or families, because we don’t have the time to spend with them, for we are too busy making money.
Now, here’s an important distinction from the scholars; ‘The root of all evil means a root or source of all kinds of evil. The LOVE for money is not the only source from which evil comes.’ So please let’s get that straight. Evil comes from many other sources besides money. It’s just that when we LOVE money too much, it usually gets us into trouble.
And then Bruh Paul tells Timothy what he expects of him. ‘But thou, O man of God, flee these things, and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience, meekness, (which just happen to be fruit of the Spirit). Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed (confessed) a good profession (confession) before many witnesses.’ (1 Tim. 6:11-12)
Oh my people, there’s no more for me to say, for Bruh Paul has laid it out very plainly for us all. It’s just for us now to follow his wisdom. And to help us do that, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle hymn, seeking divine aid in these crucial times. Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world.
Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And that simply means, that if we desire to see divine aid, then we need to follow the things of God, and not the way of the world. So, let’s get together and do that nuh, because we desperately need divine aid in these very controversial times! Much LOVE!
…when contentment fills the soul…want is never a problem…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
13 Feb 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a leadership method that foments hate and strife, a means of restoring faith in you, a modicum of circumspection, according to their own personal beliefs, anxiety, as flesh within the cauldron, as for my people, as for the pot, be resposnible, been evil in their deeds, behaved themselves ill in the doings, both shall fall into the ditch, break their bones, calamity, cause thee to err, children are their oppressors, chop them in little pieces, christianity, Christians, confusion, corruption is rampant, crying out for God's help, deceitfulness, declare their sin as Sodom, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, destroy the way of thy paths, disaster, don't go overboard with the celebrations, eat the fruit of their doings, egotism, faith, Family day, fellowship, followers, for personal gain, Friday chant, greed, hate the good and love the evil, he will not hear them, heads of Jacob, hide his face from them, holy spirit, if the blind lead the blind, in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, introduce a new flock of believers, is it not for you to know justice, it shall be ill with him, Jesus Christ, keep on our blinkers, lead you astray, LOVE, make sacrifices, male dominance, mercy, misleading the people, no respect for the law, omnipotent help, our only hope, our sinful world, power struggles, princes of the house of Israel, problems are escalating, real change only comes through real sacrifices, return backsliders to your fold, rewarded evil unto themselves, rising up and making godly changes, salvation, say to the righteous it is well with him, show them the error of their ways, smell it sweet and strong, stand strong and steadfast, stay safe, strip the skin from my people, TGIF!, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the BIBLE, the church of Jesus getting together, the current situation in our world, the failure of male leadership, the leaders of this people cause them to err, the look on their faces, the reward of his hands, the throne of grace, the worst set of leaders, their flesh from their bones, their guilty faces reveal their sinful hearts, they be blind leaders of the blind, they do not hide their sin, they shall cry unto the Lord, they that are led of them are destroyed, they which lead thee, trusting faith, truth, use the discontent and dissatisfaction, Valentine's day, wake up and smell the coffee, we are followers like sheep, we are like sheep, wisdom, wise guidance, witness against them, woe unto the wicked, woe unto their soul, women rule over them, your faithful believers set
Isaiah 9:16. For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.
So friends, we’ve finally come to Friday, the day we’ve all been looking forward to! And it’s sunny though cold…but who cares…it’s Friday! (smile) And obviously our Friday Mantra was offered up early and loud: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here at long last! And is this ever a big weekend in Canada. Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day and Monday is Family Day, a civic not federal holiday in most provinces, apparently created on the third Monday in February to provide a mid-winter break for families to spend time together.
So, you know the partying will be in full swing from today. But let’s all remember those important cautionary words of Jeeves: ‘a modicum of circumspection please.’ Yes, we don’t need to go overboard with all the celebrations, for our world is already overboard with all the strife and power struggles it faces. And let’s remember too, in the middle of all the celebrations, to fellowship with other believers on Sunday, so that we can be refreshed and renewed to face a new work week on Tuesday. End of Sermon! (smile)
And today we’ll look at an interesting passage of scripture from the prophet Isaiah that very much resembles the situation in our current world. Isaiah was talking to the people about their sins and refusal to repent and turn back to the God of their forefathers, and commented thus: ‘For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.’ (Is. 9:16) Oh friends, it’s the very same crime that can be thrown at today’s world leadership! Why? They are misleading the people according to their own personal beliefs and for their own personal gain.
Now that’s a method of leadership that does nothing but foment hate and strife, deceitfulness and power struggles. There’s no respect for the law, thus corruption is both rampant and flagrant. No one even considers hiding their corrupt souls any longer. It’s something to boast about. And right now I believe we have the worst set of leaders our world has seen in a very long time. Greed and egotism are their forte; not proper leadership. And remember, most of us are like sheep, mere followers, not given to do anything but what the corrupt, power hungry leaders do. So what can we expect then but a world filled with evil and ungodliness.
And it’s not the first time that Isaiah made that claim of misleading management. In chapter 3 where he talks about the Lord Pleads and Judges, he writes: ‘The shew of their countenance (the look on their faces) doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded (brought) evil unto themselves.
Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands given him (done to him). As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err (lead thee astray), and destroy the way of thy paths.’ (Is. 3:9-12)
Yes friends, their guilty faces clearly reveal their sinful hearts. And that last verse basically means the utter failure of male leadership over the society. Sadly, the same thing can be said for today’s leadership. The male dominance has driven the world to war and hate and corruption way too often in the last couple of centuries. Unfortunately though, it looks like that male dominance will continue amongst our leaders, so there’s very little change to expect.
And the prophet Micah reveals the same evil doing of the leaders when He declares: ‘And I said, Hear, I pray you, O heads of Jacob, and ye princes (rulers) of the house of Israel; Is it not for you to know judgement (justice)? Who hate the good, and love the evil; who pluck (strip) off their skin from off them (my people), and their flesh from off their bones; Who also eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them; and break their bones, and chop them to pieces, as for the pot, and as flesh within the cauldron. Then shall they cry unto the Lord, but he will not hear them: he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill (been evil) in their doings (deeds).’ (Mic. 3:1-4)
Now that’s not a pretty picture of leadership, but unfortunately it also correlates to the kind of leadership we have today. And sadly, we Christians who are supposed to improve the situation, too many of us are following the crowd; being OF the world instead of simply being IN it. And the remainder either are afraid or simply don’t care. So how is the world to improve eh? It’s like when the Pharisees complained about Jesus saying that what goes into the mouth doesn’t defile a man, but only what comes out. (Matt. 15:11) Jesus said to the disciples: ‘Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.’ (Matt. 15:14)
And that’s exactly what’s happening today. Our blind leaders are leading us astray, and if we keep our blinkers on, the eventual outcome will only be more disaster and calamity than we already have. And our only hope is the church of Christ, getting together, rising up and making godly changes. That’s it friends. The evil doers will not willingly destroy their evil empire, so we have to do it for them. And to help us do that, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid in these most crucial and critical 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 friends, things won’t turn around unless we are willing to make the sacrifices for them to happen. So, this long weekend, let’s ponder how willing we are to do that nuh. Much LOVE!
…real change only comes about through real sacrifices…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
02 Jan 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a means of restoring faith in you, a modicum of circumspection, a new year, and reaching forth, Bob Marley, by the example we faithful believers set, crapaud smoke we pipe, crying out for help, currently running rampant in our world, dictatorship, discontent, dissatisfaction, divine commendation, everywhere will be war, excessive hunger for power, experiencing Christ's power, experiencing the resurrected life, faith, for the prize of the high calling of God, forget our guilt or past successes, forgetting those things which are behind, Friday chant, get out of hand, greed, Haile Selassie I, heavenly reward for reaching this goal on earth, holds one race superior and another inferior, holy spirit, I count not myself to have apprehended, I press toward the mark, introduce a new flock of believers, Jesus Christ, keep our focus heavenward, keep the populace under control, know christ as well as I can, lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, look forward to what is ahead of us, lose the many advantages derived from using our differences as roadblocks, LOVE, make a positive difference, mankind's differences, mercy, more heavenly than earthly minded, moth and rust doth corrupt, negative and evil stuff, no longer first and second-class citizens, nothing will change without big overriding changes, of no more significance than the colour of his eyes, omnipotent help, our sinful world, participating in Christ's suffering, permanently discredited and abandoned, play up rather than play down our differences, practice the philosophy, prejudiced tools, problems are escalating, procrastinating attitude, put out differences behind us, reaching forth unto those things that are before, remain but a fleeting illusion, return backsliders to your fold, rumours of war, salvation, selfishness, show them the error of their ways, simmering unrest, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the colour of a man's skin, the divine summons extended to the believer for salvation, the dream of lasting peace, the goal of knowing Jesus to the best of our ability, the gospel truth, the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, the joyful personal satisfaction, the prize, the rule of international morality, the weekend, thieves break through and steal, this one thing I do, to be pursued but never attained, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, ungodly times, until basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all, until that day, using our differences as roadblocks, wake up and smell the coffee, where your treasure is there will be your heart also, wisdom, wise guidance, without regard to race, world citizenship
Philippians 3:14. I press toward the mark (goal) for the prize of the high (upward) calling of God in Christ Jesus.
And would you believe it, we’re already into the second day of this new year of 2026, and the partying will continue over the weekend, after offering up the Friday anthem: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and the weekend is here at last!’ Now, nothing’s wrong with partying, but there needs to be a modicum of circumspection attached to it, otherwise things will eventually get out of hand, as they’ve recently gotten out of hand in many other aspects of life in our world. And we can’t expect our greedy, strife filled world to turn around in only two days, or because it’s a new year.
To tell the truth, this new year stuff is simply another way for the powers that be to make money and keep the populace under control, for not much usually changes from one year to the next. Now, in an attempt to get over my lazy and procrastinating attitude for this new year, (smile) after several months of ignoring it, I finally went into my music studio last night and played some music. And one of the songs I played was one by Bob Marley that makes an impact on me every time I hear it, and which is rather appropriate for these evil and ungodly times. The song’s simply titled ‘WAR.’
It’s where he takes the words of a speech given by the Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I in California in 1968 and puts it to music. And it prophetically declares: ‘…Until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior, is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned. That until there are no longer first and second-class citizens of any nation. Until the colour of a man’s skin is of no more significance than his eyes. That until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all, without regard to race. That until that day, the dream of lasting peace, world citizenship and the rule of international morality will remain but a fleeting illusion, to be pursued but never attained…And everywhere will be war…ah say war…’
And that my people is the gospel truth! Until we stop using our differences as roadblocks to our future, that future will be filled with nothing but war and rumours of war, of greed and selfishness, of excessive hunger for power and dictatorship and all the other negative and evil stuff that’s currently running rampant in our world. So all this guff or foolishness we spout at the end of every year is just that, for nothing is going to change until we make those big overriding changes mentioned in Haile Selassie’s speech above. And who really wants to make them eh, or even be responsible for making them?
None of the powers that be, nor many supposed Christians either, because it will take away the many advantages they possess from using the prejudiced tools that play up, rather than play down our differences. That’s why, to make a difference in this turbulent world, true believers have to put our differences behind us and do like Bruh Paul exhorted the Philippians in his letter. ‘Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended (known Christ as well as I can): but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth (forward) unto those things which are before (ahead), I press toward the mark (goal) for the prize of the high (upward) calling of God in Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 3:13-14)
Yes my fellow believers, if we want to undertake serious changes in our world, we have to forget all that’s behind us, any guilt or past successes, and look forward to what is ahead of us, that’s the goal of knowing Jesus to the best of our ability, with all that it implies. And the scholars point out, that basically means ‘experiencing Christ’s power and participating in His suffering, becoming more like Him in death, and experiencing the resurrected life.’ Now those are some of the important things we need to attend to in this new year, if we truly desire to improve both our lives and our world.
And what’s the purpose of, or prize for attaining that mark or goal, you ask? The scholars tell us: ‘The prize is the joyful personal satisfaction of having attained it, as well as the divine commendation and reward to be granted in heaven for having reached this goal on earth. The high calling of God is the divine summons extended to the believer for salvation.’ So, in the long run, we’re building up heavenly rewards and commendations for our Christ-like work on earth.
And there’s nothing better than doing that, for as Jesus so rightly exhorted us: ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ (Matt. 6:19-21)
And that’s more gospel truth my people! Wherever our treasures are stored that’s where our concentration will naturally follow. And since we’re more heavenly than earthly minded, (smile) let’s go the throne of grace through our Friday Chant to get divine aid to keep our focus heavenward. 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!’
Oh my people, do we ever desperately need to wake up and see the great amount of evil that’s being perpetrated in our world, with some of it even purported, or alleged to be under Jehovah God’s direction, and do our best to make a positive difference. Otherwise…crapaud smoke we pipe! It’s as simple as that! Much LOVE!
…until mankind’s differences are used for and not against him…our world will never know true peace…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
30 Dec 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a disciplined mind, a piece of pottery, as the heavens are higher than the earth, be continually surprised by your vastness, be of good cheer, begun a good work in you, being confident of this very thing, but of power love and a sound mind, combat the forces of evil, come to know and love him like we do, December Prayer, do away with every limit, duty bound, dwell in your higher and better ways, enjoy the good life, every moment of my life, faith, fearful, forever find myself amazed, God has no limits, God has not given us a spirit of fear, greed, holy spirit, humbled in your presence, humbling ourselves before God, hurry, I fully understand you, i have overcome the world, I try to impose on you, improve our ways and thoughts, in god's eyes, in me ye might have peace, in the Master Potter's hands, in the world ye shall have tribulation, In Touch Devotional, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the answer to our every need, light of the world, LOVE, man-made disasters, mercy, my desire for certainty, my thoughts are not your thoughts, my thoughts higher than your thoughts, natural disasters, neither are your ways my ways, new theatres of conflict, our job is to go about in faith, perform it until the day of jesus, plundering our world, poverty, promises, resolutions, resting and rejoicing in them, ring in the New year, salt of the earth, salvation, shaping us as closely as possible into the image of Jesus, share His love with my neighbours, share the amazing love and friendship of Christ, so are my ways higher than your ways, stop putting God in a box, strife, tempted to think, the beloved of God, the gospel truth, the Prince of Peace, the Third World War, these things I have spoken unto you, trust my friend Jesus, trusting in god's faithful promises, truth, Tuesday Mantra, wisdom, with my whole heart, worry, your uneding wisdom kindness and grace
Isaiah 55:9. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
And then it was Tuesday… the Eve of New Year’s Eve, and everyone’s trying to get ready for the big party, that will ring in the new year of 2026, with all sorts of new resolutions and promises etc. etc. But will the new year be any different from this one just past? Oh friends, I certainly hope and prayer that it is! Because 2025 has been one of unspeakable natural and manmade disasters, as well as enormous greed and poverty, where the powerful few have been busy grabbing more power and wealth, while leaving a large part of the population to suffer.
Not to mention the worldwide strife that’s been occurring, where instead of hearing of the end of conflicts, a new theater of conflict seems to be opening up almost every day. The world has become more ungodly and evil with Christians not doing much to help matters either, as we either enjoy the good life with no cares for what’s happening around us, or are too fearful to do anything to combat the forces of evil that are plundering our world.
We keep forgetting, or refuse to remember that we are supposed to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world, and most importantly that ‘God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7) So with all of that happening in 2025, it’s hard for it to get worse, unless there is all-out war; the third and last World War. Consequently, let’s hope more of us choose to remember and action those wise words of God above this coming year.
And to help us turn things around in the new year, this prayer from the December In Touch Devotional is a very good place to start. So please pray with me: ‘Lord, when I’m tempted to think I fully understand You, do away with every limit I try to impose on You in my desire for certainty. Let me be continually surprised by Your vastness and dwell in Your higher and better ways, resting and rejoicing in them with my whole heart. May I forever find myself amazed by your unending wisdom, kindness and grace – humbled in Your presence every moment of my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.’
Oh my people that prayer contains so many of the things we ought to be doing in this coming new year to better our world and uplift our great God! For instance, let’s stop putting God in a box, trying to know what He plans for or doesn’t plan for. In other words, stop limiting Him, when He has no limits. If He had limits then He would not be God. Our duty is to go about this earthly life in faith, trusting in His faithful promises to look out for us in all circumstances.
And then, it would be so wonderful if we could dwell and rejoice in His higher ways, and not our mediocre or devilish ones. Remember the scriptures tell us very clearly of God’s position as opposed to ours. The prophet Isaiah spells it out in plain language. ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.’ (Is. 55:8-9) And that’s the gospel truth! That’s why He is God and we are His creation.
However, although we will never reach to the level of ways and thoughts of God, it doesn’t mean we cannot try to improve our ways and thoughts, and thus come up higher than we are right now. And that’s exactly what the Lord desires of us, that’s why He is in the process of making us more like His wonderful Son Jesus every day. That’s why Bruh Paul wrote thus to the Philippians: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil. 1:6)
Yes my fellow believers, until the day that Jesus returns, or the Lord takes us home, we will be like a piece of pottery in the Master Potter’s hands, being shaped as closely as possible to the image of Jesus Christ! And if we take God out of the finite box many of us have Him in, then as the prayer says, we will be amazed by His unending wisdom, kindness and grace, and thus wanting to do what we’re supposed to; that’s humbling ourselves before Him for the rest of our lives.
Oh my faithful brethren, living faithfully for God in this evil world is not easy, especially when Satan makes it his duty to tempt us to turn away from God, but if we’re sincere in our faith, God will help us to get through it, despite all the many setbacks we will face. Remember what Jesus said: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) And that my fellow believers is the ONLY way we can ever have true peace in this ungodly and strife-filled world. Yes, for Jesus is indeed the Prince of Peace!
Now, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And having declared that prayer, we’re now duty bound to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…how often must we say it before we truly believe it…Jesus IS the answer to our EVERY need…hopefully we will finally believe and action it in 2026…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
07 Oct 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a leisurely day, anger, at the forefront of our minds, away from have to things, be of good cheer, behooves us, burn out, coddling a pent-up rebellion, come to know and love him like we do, didn't want to go to church, do what we feel like, doing a brisk business, faith, fear, followers of Christ Jesus, foolishness, for His name's sake, get away from the alarm clocks, get away from work family friends, God is a refuge for us, greed, handle our problems properly, hate, he leads me beside the still waters, he leads me in the paths of righteousness, he makes me lie down in green pastures, he restores my soul, holy spirit, hurry, i have overcome the world, I shall not want, I will fear no evil, In God is my salvation and my glory, in god's eyes, in me ye might have peace, in the world ye shall have tribulation, insecurity, Jesus Christ, learned a profound lesson, let not your heart be troubled, life is good, lock stock and barrel, lose our focus, lose the capacity for personal enjoyment, LOVE, mental illness, mercy, my hope is from him, my peace I give unto you, my refuge is in God, my soul wait thou only upon God, neither let it be afraid, not as the world gives, of whom shall I be afraid, Once in a while we can, once in a while we can do what we want to, once in awhile we need to walk think meditate, One Year Book of Bible promises, only God can satisfy our deepest longings, our competitive society, Peace i leave with you, personal enjoyment, pour out your hearts before him, pressing commitments, propaganda, rely upon God, reminiscent of our current society, retain our sanity in this crazy world, salvation, Selah, sense of purpose, share His love with my neighbours, share our private secrets with God, share the amazing love and friendship of Christ, the beloved of God, the Lord is my light and my salvation, The Lord is my shepherd, the Lord is the strength of my life, the mind doctors, the negatives running rampant in our society, the rock of my strength, the shattering pressures, these things I have spoken unto you, thou art with me, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me, to whom we belong, trust in him at all times, trust my friend Jesus, truth, trying to keep up with the world system, unfair systems of the world, whom shall I fear, wisdom, without hurting someone, worry
Psalm 23:1. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
And finally the bright sunshiny days have come to an end! Yes, rain is in the offing for today. We’ve already had a small drizzle, but with all the cloudiness around, we’ll probably have some bigger showers later in the day. And we really can’t complain because we’ve had such beautiful unseasonable weather recently, and though rain might fall, the temperature is still almost summer-like. (smile) So let’s give thanks, for life is good; we’re alive, and the weather is fine!
Now, here’s a very interesting and rather appropriate writing from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. And though I’m sure I’ve shared this one before, it’s worthwhile hearing again, because it’s highly reminiscent of our current society. It’s aptly titled, ‘Once in a While We Can.’
So please read with me: ‘One bright Sunday when I was twelve, I didn’t want to go to church. I wasn’t coddling a pent-up rebellion. I simply pictured a leisurely day away from “have to” things. How to explain and be understood! Finally I just blurted it out as Mother prepared breakfast. She listened attentively. “Honey,” she said calmly, we can’t always do what we feel like doing without hurting someone.” That settled it, I thought. I was sorry I had asked. Suddenly I heard, “But once in a while we can do what we want to – just because we want to. You may stay home this Sunday.”
The memory of that day is still vivid. Not because I stayed home from church, but because I learned a profound lesson: Once in a while we can! Once in a while we can get away from the alarm clocks, peanut butter jars, milk cartons…away from the shattering pressures of our competitive society. Once in a while we need to get away from work, family, friends, and pressing commitments. Often we lose the capacity for personal enjoyment. Once in a while we need to walk, think, and meditate. Only God can satisfy our deepest longings. He longs for us to share our private secrets with Him. Once in a while we can.’
And that my friends is ever so true! In fact, it’s not only we need to do it, but we must do it, if we’re to retain our sanity in this crazy world in which we now live! Everything is fast and quick, busy and now for now, that if every so often we don’t get away from it all, we’ll simply burn out, lose our focus and sense of purpose. And that’s not a very nice picture to contemplate, much less experience.
And all around us, we see the danger in living at the crazy pace our society dictates with the high amount of mental illness and burn out that now exists. Pharmaceuticals for tiredness and mental illness have reached a sky high level, and the mind doctors are doing a brisk business because of the amount of fear, insecurity, greed, anger, hate, and all the other negatives that currently are running rampant throughout our world. And please note that this downward trend is not filled with only unbelievers, but also many believers, who are trying to keep up with the world system, but unfortunately are not doing so well at it.
Why? Because we have forgotten where our hope, health and strength come from. And just to remind us where it comes from, please listen as Bruh David passionately declares: ‘The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?’ (Ps. 27:1) Yes my fellow believers, as a follower of Christ Jesus, that’s where our health, hope and strength are supposed to come from! Not from the insecure, unfair and uncompromising systems of the world, that so many of us are trying to get them from.
That’s why Bruh David also penned these words in Psalm 62: ‘My soul, (silently) wait thou only upon God; for my expectation (hope) is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved (shaken). In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your hearts before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.’ (Ps. 62:5-8) Now that’s something we ought never to forget, especially when the trials and tribulations of the world come upon us.
And we also need to vividly remember these two poignant and very reassuring verses from Jesus. The first says: ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27) And the second verse strengthens the first. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) Now, if those two verses from our Lord and Saviour don’t resonate strongly within us, then I don’t know what will.
But hopefully, may be these verses will. (smile) They are the ones listed as the Bible Promise for our reading today. So, please read with me: ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.’ (Ps. 23:1-4)
And if we keep those scriptures at the forefront of our minds, then we won’t allow the world to drive us crazy with all the foolishness and the propaganda that it purports to be progress and wisdom. Now, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting all the world know to whom we belong lock, stock and barrel.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And having said all of that, it now behooves us to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…only as we rely upon God…will we be able to handle our problems properly…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
16 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a servant of Christ, almost all of our unhappiness is the result of, angry, arrogant, at the hands of a just and righteous God, be discouraged, be like minded, be ye followers of me, being of one accord, believers must stop comparing themselves, bitter envying and strife in your hearts, building ourselves up in front of others, but every man also on the interests of others, celebrities, christ is the only one worth comparing ourselves to, climate change, come to know and love him like we do, comparing ourselves to each other, confusion and every evil work, consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners, demonic, depressed, despising the shame, do I now persuade men or God, do not boast, driving the soicety to its unfortunate end, duty bound, earthly, endured the cross, envy, even as I am also of Christ, faith, fashion ourselves after others, focus on christ, for the joy that was set before him, forgetful of our many blessings, fulfil ye my joy, glory not, good summer weather, greed, having the same love, holding on to envy, holy spirit, hurry, if i pleased men, in god's eyes, in humility, in lowliness of mind, influencers, jealous, Jesus Christ, Leaders, leading, leading people astray, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds, let each esteem the other better than themselves, let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, lie not against the truth, live in harmony with each other, lock stock and barrel, look not every man on his own things, looking unto Jesus, LOVE, lust, mercy, miserable, no real substance to them, not satisfied with who we are, not try to win approval from others, of one mind, only compare ourselves to Christ, P.S. I Love You, power brokers, proud, salvation, seek to please men, sensual, set down at the right hand of the throne of God, share His love with my neighbours, share the amazing love and friendship of Christ, social media, stop wanting to be like those in the upper echelons, strife, suffer the same fate, telling others how to live, the author and finisher of our faith, the beloved of God, the desire for material wealth, the gospel truth, the power of the enemy, the result of comparing ourselves to others, thinking that we're better than others, this ungodly and evil society, this wisdom descendeth not from above, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, undaulterated sin, ungodly, unhappy, utter destruction, value others above yourselves, wanting to be like someone else, where envying and strife is, wisdom, worry
1 Corinthians 11:1. ‘Be ye followers (imitators) of me, even as I also am of Christ.’
Oh friends, it’s another sunshiny day in mid-September! And I must say that September is treating us very nicely with lots of decent summer weather in a very un-September-like manner. (smile) Yes, usually by mid-September we’re experiencing some cold days, getting us accustomed to the winter weather that’s forthcoming. But not so this year. And are we ever glad and thankful for it, and hope it continues for a while yet. And I guess we have to thank climate change for that blessing. But let’s remember that what we gain one way, we’re likely to lose another, so let’s not go overboard, for soon we might be singing a completely different song. (smile)
And today I want to look at a quote from my ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU’ Poster. We haven’t looked at anything from it for a long while. And it’s simply a cardboard poster my young daughter gave me several years ago, with some living truths written on them. Quotes like this one: ‘Almost all of our unhappiness is the result of comparing ourselves to others.’ And isn’t that the gospel truth! It surely is! For in this modern day society, it’s all about comparisons, and wanting to be like somebody else, or have what they have.
We simply are not satisfied to be who we are and grow in that character. It’s like we believe God didn’t know what He was doing when He made all of us different, even unique, so we have to fashion ourselves after others, like celebrities and other leaders and power brokers in our society, figuring that if we look and behave like them, we will become like them and acquire what they have.
What utter rot! Especially when the supposed leaders of this society, the celebrities and influencers have no real substance to them, are two-faced, and their actual lives are truly not worth living, for many of them are miserable, unhappy, depressed and ungodly. They have never even truly lived through the ups and downs of real life but are endeavouring to tell others how to live. They are just leading people, especially the young ones astray, with all the nonsense on social media and the many other platforms available for posting their foolishness.
But the power of the enemy, through strife, greed, envy, lust and the great desire for material wealth is driving the society to its unfortunate end. And unless believers stop comparing themselves to others, and stop wanting to be like those in the upper echelons of this ungodly and evil society, we too will suffer the same fate that they will eventually suffer; that’s utter destruction at the hands of a just and righteous God.
Anyway, the really sad thing about comparing ourselves is that it can either make us angry, jealous and forgetful of all our many blessings, or it can make us proud, arrogant and thinking that we’re better than others. Neither of those outcomes is satisfactory, so let’s park for a minute and check out a few of the many scriptures that dissuade us from comparing ourselves to others.
And this first scripture comes from Bruh Paul’s letter to the Philippians, where he advises then: ‘Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be like minded, having the same LOVE, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the interests of others.’ (Phil. 2:2-4) And what does all of the mean? Basically to live in harmony with each other, and in humility, value others above yourselves, while paying serious attention to your own work, but also taking an interest in the work of others.
Then there’s this scripture from James, that hits right to the heart of the matter. ‘But if ye have bitter envying and strife (self-seeking) in your hearts, glory not (do not boast), and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish (demonic). For where envying and strife is (self-seeking exist), there is confusion and every evil work.’ (James 3:14-16) Yes friends, holding on to envy, and trying to build ourselves up in front of others is nothing but unadulterated sin.
And I like this verse from Bruh Paul to the Galatians: ‘For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.’ (Gal. 1:10) And that my people is the indisputable truth! If we seek to please men, then we obviously cannot please God. We must focus on Christ and not try to win the approval of others. So, therefore as this commentary tells us: ‘It does not matter what your neighbor has, is doing, or has done; it only matters that we focus on God and what He wants us to do and be.’
Now, we don’t have time for the many more scriptures on comparing ourselves to others, but we’ll close with this very important one. In the words of Bruh Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians, he ardently advises and admonishes them: ‘Be ye followers (imitators) of me, even as I also am of Christ.’ (1 Cor. 11:1) Oh my people, if there’s anyone, we should desire to compare ourselves to, it ought to be none other than our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, for He is the only One worthy of such an honour.
As the author of Hebrews so confidently writes: ‘Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher (originator and perfector) of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction (hostility) of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint (become discouraged) in your minds (souls).’ (Heb. 11:2-3) Yes friends, if we want to compare, that’s the kind of comparison we ought to make!
Now, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And having said that, we’re now duty bound to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…the only comparison that interests God…is to that of Jesus Christ…in whose image He’s fashioning us…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
29 Aug 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 parable of covetousness and greed, all such rejoicing is evil, amidst all the anxiety and confusion, boast in your arrogance, boast not thyself of tomorrow, buy and sell and make profit, concentrate on the problems of today, contingency plans for tomorrow, continue there a year, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, discontent, dissatisfaction, divine aid, doeth it not, eat drink and be merry, enquire about the wisdom of our intentions, faith, for that ye ought to say, Friday chant, give first thought to God, go to now ye say, greed, holy spirit, honour worker's contribution to the labour scene, humdrum work life, hunger for power, if the Lord will, improve our witness for Christ, inhumane times, intorduce a new flock of believers, is not rich toward God, it is even a vapour, Jesus Christ, labour day weekend, labour unrest and violence, legalization of unions, LOVE, mercy, omnipotent help, our sinful world, rejoicing in boastings is evil, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, say to my soul, show them the error of their ways, so is he that layeth up treasure for himself, Soul thou hast much goods laid up for any years, stand strong and steadfast, stand up strong and fight for what we have, strife-filled times, sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof, take therefore no thought for tomorrow, take thine ease, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that appeareth for a little time then vanisheth away, the horrific labour scenes, the living truth, the morrow shall take thought for itself, the throne of grace, these ungodly times, this night thy soul shall be required of thee, thou fool, thou knowest not what a day may bring forth, times of lawlessness and uncertainty, to him it is sin, to him that knoweth to do good, today or tomorrow, truth, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee, we shall live and do this or that, we will go into such a city, what is your life, whcih thou hast provided, when anything goes, whose shall those things be, wisdom, wise guidance, workers have little say in working conditions, working conditions, ye know not what shall be on the morrow, ye rejoice in your boastings
Proverbs 27:1. Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.
And then it was Friday, a sunny but somewhat chilly day for August. It’s only about 15 degrees Celsius. But that did not stop the many shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ from going up to high heaven. There’s just something about Friday, whether it be hot or cold, that gets the populace in shouting mode. And it’s all because of the upcoming weekend, and the relaxing break from the humdrum work life that it promises.
And this weekend promises to be a big one, as it’s the last long weekend of the summer season, as well as the celebration of Labour Day on Monday. It’s a holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September, dedicated to honour the contribution of workers to the current Labour scene, to remember all the labour unrest and violence that happened in the 19th century, when workers were brutally illtreated by management and had very little, if any legal rights. Those demonstrations, that met with extremely violent reactions by the owners, thankfully led to the eventual legalization of unions in 1894.
Most of us take the current situation for granted, but it certainly wasn’t so in the beginning, and many workers suffered and died at the hands of owners to enshrine the work system we now have. But even today, you can see the owners fighting to get it back to where the workers have very little or no rights or say in their working conditions. Unfortunately, the excessive greed and hunger for power still lives within the ownership class. But let’s hope that today’s workers won’t allow the situation to deteriorate to what it was like a couple of centuries ago, although that would please the owners no end.
So, although this is a weekend for celebration, it’s also one for remembering the horrific labour scenes that took place not that long ago, and pledging to stand up strong and fight for what we now have, and not let those inhumane times ever happen again. End of Sermon. (smile)
And today, our scripture lesson is also very applicable to these greedy, selfish, and strife filled times. The words come from the wise writings of Cousin Sol in Proverbs. He admonishes us thus: ‘Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.’ (Prov. 27:1) And believe me people, those are indeed very wise words, especially in these times of lawlessness and uncertainty.
Remember Jesus warned us to ‘Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (troubles) thereof.’ (Matt. 6:34) So, although some contingency plans can be made for tomorrow, we should not worry about it, and instead concentrate on the problems and challenges of today, for tomorrow will bring it’s own problems and challenges. And we might not even make it to tomorrow if we don’t handle today’s problems properly.
And Jesus also gave a wonderful parable that spoke to covetousness and greed, but also highlighted the problems of placing too much interest and trust in tomorrow. He spoke of the rich man whose land produced so much fruit, that he did not have enough room to store it all. But after a moment’s contemplation, he hit upon this wonderful plan.
‘And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow (store) all my fruits (crops) and goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat drink, and be merry. But the Lord said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.’ (Luke 12:18-21)
Yes friends, whatever we do, we must first give thought to God, and enquire about the wisdom of our decisions or intentions, for He might have completely different plans and ideas for us, like He did for that greedy, rich man. And that’s why James also warns us that rejoicing in boastings is evil. He puts it thus: ‘Go to now (come now), ye say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain (profit): Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.’ (James 4:13-14)
And that’s the living truth my fellow believers! Our earthly lives are very short and can be taken away from us at any time by Almighty God, our Creator and Life-giver. So, instead of boasting about what we will do tomorrow or in the distant future, James wisely advises: ‘For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings (boast in your arrogance): all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.’ (James 4:15-17)
Oh my fellow believers, I could not put it any better than that, and it’s something we ought to seriously consider in our daily walk, especially in this season when anything goes. Are there good things we know we ought to do, and are not doing them? If so, we are only building up our sin account, which is not a wise move. So, let’s go right now to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant seeking divine aid 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!’
Now friends, despite our prayer, we still need to do our part; that’s improve our witness for Christ, because it’s our lack of good, strong and constant witness that’s caused the enemy to become so powerful in our world. And until we improve, divine aid will not be forthcoming. It’s as simple as that! Much LOVE!
…believers know what to do…but for one reason or another…we are not doing it…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
16 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a position of authority, a sincere heart for God, according to my integrity, according to the fruit of his doings, believe not every spirit, boggles the mind, chaotic world, Christians, concrete jungle, deceit, deepen my breath, desperately wicked, every spirit that confesseth Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus is come in the flesh, false doctrines, false prophets, false prophets are gone out into the world, God is omniscient, God searches our hearts to discover our true motives, God's plan for our lives, God's playbook, greater is he that is in you, greed, holy spirit, honour me with their lips, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I test the most secret parts, I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, in vain they do worship me, increase my awareness of you today, incurably sick, inequality, inequality of wealth, is not of God, is of God, it is already in the world, Jesus Christ, judge me O Lord according to my righteousness, know ye the Spirit of God, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, look not on his countenance, Lord I want to be with you now, LOVE, man looks on the outward appearance, mercy, my defence is of God, negative and ungodly things, outright lies, poverty, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, salvation, seeking intimacy with God, slander, slow my thoughts, strife, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men, test the mind, than he that's in the world, thankful to see another day, the BIBLE, the fruit of his deeds, the gospel truth, the heart is deceitful above all things, the height of his stature, the indisputable truth, the Lord looks on the heart, the Lord sees not as man sees, the main point is sincerity, the medium of prayer, the power of the Holy spirit, the spirit of the antichrist, their heart is far from me, these people draw near to me with their mouth, to give every man according to his ways, truth, try the spirits whether they be of God, try to hide things from God, who can know it, wisdom, ye are of God, ye have overcome them, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Today’s Scrip-Bit 16 August 2025 1 Samuel 1:7b.
1 Samuel 1:7b. for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.
Oh friends, am I ever disappointed that I could not stay longer abed this glorious lazy-day Saturday in the middle of August 2025! And why is that? Because after spending almost the whole day in the concrete jungle city called Toronto, enduring traffic jams, going and coming, and waiting a couple of hours before I could have my procedure done, I got home tired and went to bed early – well early by my standards. (smile) But then the ole back eventually rebelled when I lay abed for longer than normal, thus forcing me to get up earlier than I intended. But that’s what happens when you’re getting on in life. Note, I did not say getting old. (smile)
Anyway, we’re up and about, and thankful that we’re alive to see another beautiful day on God’s beautiful but currently chaotic and disastrous earth. That means we have a purpose for being here at this time and place, and the Lord is trying to initiate His plan, His playbook for our lives, but unfortunately too many of us are resisting His advances and His plays. But let’s see if we can’t turn things around somewhat nuh, through the medium of prayer, which God instituted so we can communicate with Him, thus letting Him know how we feel about any and everything, especially the plays He’s calling in our lives. (smile)
Remember, He wants to be involved in everything that concerns us, be it big or small, relevant or irrelevant. So let’s begin with offering up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
Now that’s the easiest way to get God’s attention, by seeking greater communication and intimacy with Him. For remember one of the reasons He created us is for us to LOVE Him and each other, and achieve an intimacy that’s pure and wholesome. But the main point of the whole process is sincerity. If we’re not sincere, then the Lord will ignore whatever we say. For unlike mankind, He doesn’t just listen to our words, but searches the depths of our hearts to discover our real motives.
And there are several scriptures which repeat that fact, beginning with this one from 1 Samuel, where the Lord admonished Samuel when he sent him to anoint a new king from the sons of Jesse, and Samuel looks on the comely and manly features of the eldest son, Eliab and believes that he is the chosen one. ‘But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature, because I have refused (rejected) him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.’ (1 Sam. 16:7)
And so it went, until the Lord chose the most unlikely of Jesse’s sons to be king, Bruh David, because he had a sincere heart for the Lord. Then, we have these words of Bruh David from Psalm 7 – A Plea for Protection from Enemies – where he declares: ‘The Lord shall judge the people: judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me. O let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins (tests the hearts and minds). My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.’ (Ps. 7:8-10)
Oh my people, being of an upright, sincere heart is ever so important in our relationships; both with God and with our fellow man. Although, like the prophet Jeremiah said so long ago: ‘The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked (incurably sick): who can know it?’ (Jer. 17:9) And that’s the indisputable truth! Man’s heart is oh so wicked that it cannot be trusted, especially in what looks like these last days, when negative and ungodly things like greed, deceit, envy, slander, strife, poverty, inequality are ruling the roost in our world.
That’s why Jeremiah follows up that verse with this one: ‘I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins (test the mind, the most secret parts), even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings (deeds).’ (Jer. 17:10) And knowing all that, it boggles my mind to think that so many of us, even supposed believers, still try to hide things from God eh? We go to Him with a lot of praise and whatever in our mouths, but our hearts are nowhere close to what our mouths are spewing.
It’s like Jesus said to the scribes and Pharisees: ‘This people draweth nigh (near) unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.’ (Matt. 15:8-9) And brother, is that ever happening in today’s society! The false prophets, the evil snake and His cohorts are running riot over the land with false doctrines, deceits and even outright lies. And sadly, many of us are buying into it!
But if we are true believers, we ought to know better, for as John warns in his first epistle: ‘Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try (test) the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is the spirit of the antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.’ (1 John 4:1-3)
And that’s ever so true friends, for the antichrist is raising a hue and cry all over our world right now, and we have to be very careful about what and whom we listen to. But hear this most important fact from the next verse. ‘Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.’ (1 John 4:4)
Now my people, if we don’t believe anything else today, please, let’s believe that, and please, let’s take it to heart, write it indelibly in souls, mind and bodies, because it is the gospel truth, and only as we believe it, and operate from that position of authority and power of the Holy Spirit, will we ever defeat the enemy. Much LOVE!
…it’s foolish to try and hide anything from God…for He created us…and is omniscient – all-knowing…knows everything about us…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
03 Jul 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid, a godless society, a great family, a positive outlook on life, a strong will, abundance, actions prove love, an expression of love, another day another dollar, arise and flourish, baptizing them in the name of the Father, be completely lost, Christians, complacent, curse, discarded on the dumping ground fo life, divine protection, even unto the end of the world, faith, favour, fear him which can destroy both soul and body, fear not them which kill the body, fight the good fight, glorify your Father which is in heaven, good for nothing, good friends, greed, hide your light under a bushel, highest level of innovation, his commandments are not grievous, holy spirit, I am with you always, if any man will come after me, if ye love me keep my commandments, in the name of the Holy Spirit, in the name of the Son, Jesus Christ, keep arrogance and judgement from my heart, lack of faithful witness for Christ, lazy, let him deny himself, Let your light so shine before men, lost our salty flavour, LOVE, mercy, negative things, negative word, nigh impossible, not able to kill the soul, not putting fort the necessary effort, nothing can separate us from the Love of God, overrun by negative things, positive ad productive changes, preach Christ Crucified, promotion, prosperity, salvation, see your good works, self-aggrandizement, self-control, spread our salty flavour, stand strong in Faith, supernatural wisdom, take up his cross daily and follow me, talent, teach all nations, teaching them to observe all things, that we keep his commandments, the BIBLE, the Great Commission, the salt of the earth, this is the love of God, through him that loved us, to be cast out, trodden under foot of men, truth, we are more than conquerors, we can do anything through Jesus, whatsoever I have commanded you, wisdom, with Jesus in our lives, Ye are the light of the world
John 14:15. If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments.
Another day, another dollar! That’s what we’re working for, on this Thursday morning in early July. But in reality, after taxes, inflation, pension plan etc. etc. we might only end up with about thirty five cents out of that dollar, and it’s definitely not easy, nigh impossible, to live on that in these dreadful times. However, as children of God, who have been made to see another sunshiny summer’s day on God’s great earth, we have the ability to make something from nothing, for we can do any and everything through Christ Jesus who strengthens and enables us. (Phil. 4:13)
Give Him the glory my people! For He’s been such a blessing to us, that without Him, we’d be completely lost and discarded on the dumping ground of life. But with Jesus in our lives, we can arise and flourish, for we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us. (Rom. 8:37) And how wonderful it is to further know that NOTHING can separate us from the marvellous LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom. 8:38-39)
No wonder we stand strong in faith and fight the good fight that Jesus has called us to engage in on His behalf. We know it as the Great Commission, where He commands us to ‘Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:19-20)
Now that’s the job we ought to be doing down here on earth if we claim to believe in Jesus and all that he stands for. But unfortunately we’re not doing such a great job, judging by the overwhelming strife, anguish, poverty, hunger and sickness that exist in a world of plenty; a world that’s reached its highest level of innovation, knowledge, information and prosperity in its entire existence. But all these negative things exist because our world is also a generally godless society that is overrun by other negative things like greed, arrogance, entitlement and self-aggrandizement.
The truth of the matter though is that we supposed believers are not putting forth the energy and effort necessary to make positive and productive changes in our world. We’re either lazy and complacent, living in our comfortable little corner, not wanting to be disturbed or bothered to help anyone in need. Or, we are afraid of what man can do to us, if and when we preach and live Christ crucified. But please remember Jesus’ warning to that situation. ‘And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.’ (Matt. 10:28)
That means we’re not to be afraid of man, because all he can kill is our bodies, but our fear should be of God who can destroy both our bodies and souls. But that doesn’t seem to bother us in the least since we’re going about our selfish business as usual, without a qualm regarding our lack of good and faithful witness for Jesus.
Like we’ve also forgotten, or simply disregarded His entreaty, that we’re the salt of the earth, and should be spreading that salty flavour of Christianity all over the planet. And why aren’t we doing that eh? Is it because we have apparently lost our salty flavour? If so, then as Jesus says, we are good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men. (Matt. 5:13) I would certainly hope that is not the case.
And what about Jesus’ other contention? ‘Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.’ (Matt. 5:14) Yes friends, that’s what we’re supposed to be; bright lights shining forth like cities and lighthouses set on hills, to provide the light of Jesus for the numerous people who are still living in darkness today. But instead, we seem to be hiding our light under a bushel or a basket, so that it’s not getting to anyone else and lighting their way. But Jesus’ specific instruction was to: ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:16)
Ah mih people, how easily we disregard Jesus’ desires, but yet still insist on calling ourselves His ambassadors and disciples. Remember His saying on discipleship? ‘If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) Yes friends, that’s what a disciple of Christ looks like! And how many of us can truthfully claim to be doing that to the best of our ability eh? Not enough of us!
Let’s also remember the rather profound statement that Jesus made while comforting the disciples before His departure. ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments.’ (John 14:15) It’s as simple as that my fellow believers. If we LOVE Jesus, we will keep His commandments. And this commentary explains the verse thus: ‘It emphasizes that LOVING Jesus is demonstrated through obedience to his teachings and instructions. The verse highlights that keeping commandments is not a burden, but an expression of LOVE and a way to experience a deeper relationship with God.’
And John corroborates that when he says in his first epistle: ‘For this is the LOVE of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous (burdensome).’ (1 John 5:3) No my brethren, God’s commandments are not burdensome, but we do have to come up a little higher than normal to keep them. And on that exhilarating note, (smile) let’s go home declaring (steupsss!!!) and thus activating what we call our Thursday Blessings, undeserved, but generously given to us by God to do His earthly work.
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 (yesss!!!) it now behooves us to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…you can’t say you LOVE someone…and not have actions to prove it…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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