The Lack of Wisdom and Futility in trying to serve both God and Earthly Wealth at the same time!

28 Sep 2024 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 15:8.        This people draweth nigh (near) unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

Well, it seems like this lazy-day Saturday won’t be sunshiny like the last few days of this past week, for it has opened dark and cloudy after some precipitation precipitated during the early morning hours. (smile) And according to the weather people, we might get some of the remnants of hurricane Helene sometime today. Please don’t forget to pray for those unfortunate souls whom Helene ravished over the last few days, while giving thanks for our own well-being. 

 And don’t think the hurricane business is over nuh, for there seems to be two more hurricanes brewing; one in the Atlantic ocean and one in the Caribbean. I’ve forgotten their names, though more likely than not, we’ll eventually hear from them. But to turn our eyes from the negativity of all that the hurricanes stand for, let’s get positive and raise our faith by sending up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer to heaven. 

As one 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!’ 

And is that ever so reassuring, since the Lord likes nothing better than His people seeking His presence in their lives. Remember His words through the prophet Jeremiah? ‘Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:12-13) 

Yes friends, our God desires that we devotedly and sincerely seek Him with all of our heart, meaning in total truth, not like what Jesus says of the people of His day. ‘This people draweth nigh (near) unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.’ (Matt. 15:8) 

It’s like the psalmist Asaph declares in Psalm 78, in the section titled ‘A Plea for God’s Mercy.’ He writes: ‘The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest (stoutest) of them, and smote down the chosen (choice) men of Israel. For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works. Therefore their days did he consume in vanity (futility), and their years in trouble (sudden terror). 

When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and enquired early (sought diligently) after God. And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer. Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues. For their heart was not right (steadfast) with him, neither were they steadfast (faithful) in his covenant.’ (Ps. 78:31-37) 

Unfortunately friends, many of us supposed believers are still engaging in those same rebellious, and unfaithful acts today! We say we LOVE God and use all the right words and terminology, but our hearts are far from Him, as we lustfully wallow in the ungodly things of the world. And that’s sad, because if seek after God and His righteousness first, as Jesus says, in Matt. 6:33, then most of the very same things we’re running down on our own, will be made available to us by our heavenly Father. 

The problem though is that because of our sinful and carnal nature, we are more enamoured with the things of Satan rather than those of God, and if we sincerely follow God, we won’t get those ungodly and lustful things that we truly desire. But please remember my brethren there are consequences to every action, and if we disobey God and follow after the enemy, then we will receive the same terrible consequences like he will receive; that’s eternal separation from Almighty God. 

And I keep repeating that’s the worst thing that can ever happen to a human soul! Please believe me, and do your best to renounce the things of the enemy, and accept those of God. For, all of us know that the things of the enemy, the sinful pleasures that he encourages only last for short while then they vanish into thin air. As Cousin Sol would say of them: ‘Vanity of vanities (futility of futilities), all is vanity (futile).’ (Eccl. 1:2) 

And that’s the indisputable truth! For nothing of the enemy is really worth anything, because we leave it all here when we die. But when we live for God, we amass rewards in heaven. As Peter puts it: ‘An inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.’ (1 Pet. 1:4) 

Oh friends, let’s also remember Jesus’ warning that the earthly treasures we accumulate down here are susceptible to ruin and loss through moth and rust and thieves, but the heavenly treasures we accumulate don’t have any of those shortcomings, but are securely stored, waiting for you to come and receive them. (Matt. 6:19-20) 

Thus as Jesus so rightly says: ‘No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and LOVE the other; or else he will hold to (be loyal to) the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (earthly riches).’ (Matt. 6:20) And that’s the gospel truth my people! We cannot serve God and the earthly wealth advertised by Satan. 

There are only two roads in this world; the straight and narrow path that leads to Jesus and everlasting life, and the wide and winding one that leads to destruction, hellfire, damnation and eternal separation from Almighty God. And we cannot ride the fence; that’s one moment with God, the other with Satan. For as James so correctly advises; ‘For he that wavereth (doubts) is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he will receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.’ (James 1:6-8) 

More indisputable truth friends. Truth that we should seriously ponder on this dark and cloudy lazy-day Saturday, and see how, or if any of it applies to our personal circumstances. And it’s a known fact that all of us have room for improvement, so, today, let’s sincerely consider avenues of growth and maturity in our Christian journey and worship God with both our mouths and our hearts. That can only stand us in good stead! Much LOVE!

…we came with nothing…and will leave with nothing…but in heaven…we’ll find everything…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   9 November 2023 Acts 5:11.

09 Nov 2023 Leave a comment

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

Acts 5:11.       And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.

Awright! So I’ve finally caught up on all my backlogged tasks and can now devote my time seriously to the Bit! Glory Be! And we had our first spell of winter weather yesterday evening and night with freezing rain amidst some heavy showers. The warnings had been sounded, but you know these days we’ve become so obstinate and know-it-all that we don’t pay sufficient attention to the warnings. And I’m sure many people paid for that lack of attention last evening as they made their way home from work. Anyway, that situation has now been rectified (smile) and there’s some sunshine out there amongst the clouds with a decent non-freezing temperature. So all’s right with the world! 

Not true at all friends. Nothing seems to be right with our crazy, war-like, power hungry, hateful world, for everywhere you turn, there’s disaster and chaos aplenty. And most of it is man made. And when you add the many natural disasters constantly occurring, it balloons to a situation that only our great, omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present God can fix! That is, if He so desires. But are we giving Him occasion to have that desire? Certainly not! For even His supposed believers are not living as right as we should be, and living more like the devil’s children than those of Almighty God. 

There’s no way on earth, nor in heaven for that matter, for our world to be in such man-made chaos if the majority of Christians were actually living a truly Christian life. That is truly having God as the Number One priority in our lives, by doing as Jesus demanded. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) We only pay lip service to that scripture. As well as to this one about the great commandment in the law. To which Jesus answered: ‘Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.’ (Matt. 22:37-38) 

What’s so difficult in that to understand eh? Nothing whatsoever! It says quite plainly that you must LOVE the Lord with every fibre of your being, not to LOVE Him partially, or conveniently, as so many of us do. With the Lord it’s ALL or NOTHING at ALL! And until many more of us realize that and begin giving ALL of ourselves to Him, our lives won’t improve and thus our world will continue to sink into the evil mire that the devil so eagerly wants to happen. And we’re aiding and abetting him by not concentrating fully on our Christian duties. Oh friends, what will it take for us to shake up ourselves and rise to the occasion for which we’ve been called eh? 

And I recently heard a pastor mention what might just be our problem. We don’t FEAR the Lord! Don’t truly reverence Him and consider His awesome power and sense of justice and righteousness. We claim to LOVE the Lord, trust Him, believe in His infinite grace and mercy, but you never hear us talking about fearing Him, both in terms of reverence and outright fear. Jesus said it thus: ‘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) 

No my faithful brethren, let’s not be afraid of people, who can only kill our body, but cannot harm our souls. However, we should fear God who can destroy both our bodies and souls in hell. And Cousin Sol pointed that out right at the very beginning of Proverbs when he so wisely wrote: ‘The fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the beginning (the principal beginning or very start) of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.’ (Prov. 1:7) There it is in black and white, written thousands of years ago, but it’s still the God-awesome truth! 

You don’t achieve any kind of true, serious or lasting wisdom unless it comes from God, and you first have to fear and reverence Him to get it. As James so correctly said: ‘If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not (without reproach); and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering (not doubting). for he that wavereth  (doubts) is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think he shall receive anything of the Lord. a double minded man is unstable in all is ways.’ (James 1:5-8)  

And I like the reference the pastor pointed out in the New Testament pertaining to God’s awesome sense of justice and righteousness. The scripture is found in Acts 5, where the New Testament church was growing and people were sharing what they had with each other. But this bumptious husband and wife (Ananias and Sapphira) decided to try and pull a fast one. They went out and sold a piece of land, but only decided to give a portion of the proceeds to the church. And that was quite okay, everybody only had to give what they wanted. But the fools went up to John and Peter, and said they’d given all they got for the land. 

‘But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own, and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power (control)? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost (died): and great fear came on all them that heard these things. And the young men arose, wound (wrapped) him up, and carried him out, and buried him.’ (Acts 5: 3-6) 

Yes friends, there was no need for him to lie. But that’s not the whole story. Listen to this next part that’s even more interesting. The Bible tells us: ‘And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much. Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt (test) the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out. Then she fell down straightway (instantly) at his feet, and yielded up the ghost (breathed her last): and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband. And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.’ (Acts 5:7-11) 

And yuh know what happened after that friends? The church settled down and it grew in numbers and grace and goodness to each other! And I believe we need some such awakening like that, or whatever it takes to bring great fear on the church today, so that we can get up off our fat, lazy, comfortable fannies and do what we’re supposed to do, instead of fighting each other and doing the things we ought not to do. And the sad part is that we have all the tools to do it in what we call our Thursday Blessings, conveniently bestowed on us for the express purpose of doing our earthly work. So let’s activate them right now by declaring (yesss!!!) them out loud. 

As one 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!’ 

Now it’s time to rise up, to get out and use those blessings just as generously on Christ’s behalf, so that we can make the productive and positive difference we were placed here to make! Much LOVE!

…Christ’s church cannot positively affect the world…until it positively cleans up its own house… 

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