27 Jul 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a desire for easy living, a desire to be comfortable, a little folding of the hands to sleep, a little sleep, a little slumber, a prowler, a secret destination, a secret purpose, allow your incredible aura of love, amenitites that make life easy, as a thief in the night, as one that travelleth, be as busy as the days, be prepared for whenever Jesus returns, be ye also ready, begin a new week of work, buffeted and bombarded, busy like bees, consider her ways and be wise, diligence, dire poverty, divine aid, faith, fill us with steadfast faith, filled with doom and gloom, for in such an hour as ye think not, foresight, furthering your glorious kingdom, gathereth her food in the harvest, get left behind, go out to meet the enemy in battle, go to the ant thou sluggard, having no guide overseer ruler, he becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand, holy spirit, how long wilt thou sleep O sluggard, into the evil and ungodly world, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs that serve a useful purpose, known when the thief would come, laggards, laziness leads to dire poverty, lead and guide all your servants, leaves a lot to be desired, life lessons, living in our efforts of yesteryear, living on past glory, LOVE, make worthwhile inroads into the enemy's ranks, mercy, not allowed his house to be broken into, perpetual laziness, poverty comes quickly and unexpectedly, prepare for unpredictable circumstances, prepare for unpredictable situations, prosperity comes from diligent work, prosperity requires contiual diligence, provideth her meat in the summer, raise our work ethic, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality and enthusiasm, sally forth with confidence, salvation, self-motivation, serve a useful purpose, so shall thy poverty come, stop being lackadaisical, suffer the resulting consequences, sure conquerors, the ant is a self-starter, the enemy's evil schemes, the error of their ways, the goodman of the house, the hand of the diligent maketh rich, the last Monday in July, the sense of entitlement, the Son of man cometh, the throne of grace, this generation's work ethic, thy want as an armed man, treading down a road to certain destruction, truth, unpredictable times, unstable and uncertain times, we surrender our all to you, we're not afraid, wearing your powerful protective spiritual armour, what a surprise, when wilt thou arise, wisdom, work ethic, would have watched, wrought in our weary souls
Today’s Scrip-Bit 27 July 2026 Proverbs 6:6.
Proverbs 6:6. Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
And here we are on a hot, somewhat cloudy day; the last Monday in July…what a surprise! It should not be, because the days are rapidly moving ahead as though they have some secret purpose; some secret destination to reach in a certain amount of time and they are just busy like bees going about their jobs, regardless of if it’s causing some of us problems. (smile)
The truth though, is that we should be just as busy as the days are, doing what God has called us to do. We cannot afford to be laggards, or else we’ll simply get left behind and thus suffer the resulting consequences. And that advice is even more apropos for today’s world than ever before, since every day more problems are arising and what was once a reasonably sure and secure life, now seems unstable and uncertain at the best of times.
And how are we supposed to behave, you ask? Generally speaking, as Jesus desires, but I guess more specifically and to the point, as Cousin Sol advises in Proverbs. ‘Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide (leader), overseer or ruler, Provideth her meat (grains, bread) in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.’ (Prov. 6:6-8) Now that’s a wonderful bit of advice for all of us!
Yes friends, Cousin Sol is using the lowly ant to teach us life lessons re that most important subject of work ethic; ‘featuring themes of diligence, foresight and self-motivation.’ And that’s rather interesting, since the ant has neither, leader, ruler nor overseer to guide him, but nonetheless knows instinctively to collect food in the summer harvest months so that he will be able to survive in the hard, cold winter months. In other words, as the scholars say: ‘The ant is a self-starter, and is wise enough to prepare for unpredictable circumstances.’
And all of us know that our crazy times can, and will produce unpredictable circumstances, that’s why it’s ever so necessary to do our best and be prepared for them when they come. But Cousin Sol doesn’t only point out the ant’s wise work ethic; he also preaches to the sluggard, lazy person directly, showing them the error of their ways.
He asks? ‘How long wilt thou sleep (lie down, be lazy), O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth (a prowler), and thy want (need) as an armed man.’ (Prov. 6:9-11) Yes my bredrin, perpetual laziness is filled with only doom and gloom. As Cousin Sol points out; it leads to dire poverty, and that dire poverty will come as quickly, unexpectedly and decisively as a robber or thief hits in the dark of night.
Remember how Jesus warned about His return. ‘But know this, that if the goodman (master) of the house had known in what watch (hour) the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered (allowed) his house to be broken up (into). Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.’ (Matt. 24:43-44)
Oh my people, just as we should stop being lackadaisical and be prepared for whenever Jesus returns, likewise we must stop being lazy in our work habits and prepare for the unpredictable circumstances that will arise, but which we will be unable to handle if we continue to be lazy. And sadly, in our very progressive world, we possess too many amenities that make life much easier than before, and when we add the sense of entitlement that currently permeates our society, they have bred a desire for comfortable, easy living.
Thus, the work ethic of this generation leaves a lot to be desired. And if they don’t wake up soon and realize that they are treading down a road to certain destruction, then that’s where they will eventually end up. And it’s very unfortunate, that we seem to gather more knowledge every day, but we also seem to lose just as much too, in particular this most important aspect; that prosperity arises out of sincere and serious work, but prosperity does not stick around long without continuous sincere and serious work.
And we see that happening all down through the ages; countries getting prosperous by encouraging a good work ethic, but when the prosperity arrives, the work ethic eventually dies and living on our efforts of yesteryear begin, and so does the decline and destruction of the society. However, as true believers in Jesus Christ, we have options, and one of those is to go to the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine aid in these most unpredictable times.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise and thank You this Monday morning for our jobs; jobs we sometimes don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose; keeping lives and families together. We also thank You Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm You’ve wrought in our weary souls over the weekend. It’s that rejuvenation of spirit which now allows us to sally forth with confidence into the evil and ungodly world, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s evil schemes.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing Your powerful, protective spiritual armour! We surrender our all to You, and humbly ask that You allow Your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit to lead and guide all Your servants, as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, thereby furthering Your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And having said all of that, let’s now go out and raise our work ethic as required! Much LOVE!
…He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack (negligent) hand…but the hand of the diligent maketh rich… (Prov. 10:4)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
01 Jun 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a beautiful summer Monday, a little folding of the hands to sleep, a little slumber, a prowler, a society is only as strong and productive as its people, a spirit of diligence, a wonderful work ethic, allow your incredible aura of love, another mistake, as good Christian folk, as one that travelleth, asking for forgivenss, be wise, begin a new week of work, beginning to decay, bring about positive change, christianity, Christians, Christians need to unite, colonies of ants are always busy, consider her ways and be wise, constantly buffeted, crazy idea, deeper and deeper, dire want, divine aid, do good work for Jesus, do nothing productive, do our duty, encouragement, enthusiasm, eventual poverty, expect forgiveness, faith, fill us with steadfast faith, furthering your glorious kingdom, gathereth her food in the harvest, get serious and come together, getting on in age, glorify Jesus' awesome name, go out to meet the enemy in battle, go to the ant thou sluggard, God has not given us a spirit of laziness, habitual laziness, having no guide leader overseer, holy spirit, hope and pray, how long wilt thou sleep O sluggard, humble servants, industriousness, into the evil and ungodly world, invincible conquerors, Jesus Christ, jobs, keeping lives and families together, leads to destruction, learn two important lessons from the ant, LOVE, make another apology, make living too easy, make worthwhile inroads into the enemy's ranks, mankind, many who choose to sit on our fannies, May only had thrity days, mercy, numerous separate entities, ONE body in Christ, one of the lowliest of God's creations, only human, our Father who art in heaven, over the weekend, perseveraance, poverty will come as suddenly and decisively as a robber, prepare for predictable circumstances, provideth her meat in the summer, quicksand, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality and enthusiasm, sally forth with confidence, salvation, self-starter, serve a useful purpose, sluggard, so shall thy poverty come, somebody looking over their shoulder, standing over it to make it work, suffeing from a lack of positive production, surrender our all to God, the ant has no taskmaster, the apple of God's creation, the BIBLE, the enemy's evil schemes, the first day of June, the habitually lazy person, the last of my mistakes, the mind sometimes gets fuzzy, the poor are getting poorer, the result of laziness is dire poverty, the rich are getting richer, the society begins going downhill, the throne of grace, the wisdom and knowledge imbued in man by God, this wealthy comfortable society, thy want as an armed man, to, to lead and guide all your servants, too many amentities, truth, turbulent and uncertain times, unfortunate circumstances, we're not afraid, wealth distributed more equitably, wealth is consolidated in too few hands, wearing God's powerful protective spiritual armour, when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep, wisdom, wise enough to, wise words that seem appropriate, work ethic, wrought in our weary souls, yet a little sleep
Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 June 2026 Proverbs 6:9.
Proverbs 6:9. How long wilt thou sleep (lie down), O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
Oh friends, the first day of June 2026 has turned out to be a beautiful summer Monday, which ought to give us encouragement and enthusiasm to get out there and do good work for Jesus! (smile) But, unfortunately, I need to make another apology for another mistake, don’t know how many of you noticed it, but this one was in Saturday’s Bit, where I claimed that that was the last day of the month … and I did it twice to boot, at the beginning and at the end. I don’t know where I got the crazy idea that May only had thirty days. My mind must be going on me.
And it seems like I had forgotten the old rhyme that they taught us back in the old days: ‘Thirty days have April, June and September; the rest have thirty-one, except February which has twenty-eight, but in leap years twenty-nine.’ But somehow or the other I got it in my mind that May only had thirty days. So again, I’m asking for your forgiveness, and as good Christian folk, expect you to give it to me most willingly, (smile) for the ole fella is only human and is also getting on in age, and you know the mind sometimes gets fuzzy when that happens. So, let’s hope and pray that will be the last of my mistakes for a while. (smile)
And on this marvellous Monday in June, let’s look at some wise words of Cousin Sol, that seem rather appropriate for these turbulent and uncertain times, and can only benefit us if we follow them. Now, Cousin Sol’s first admonishment in this passage is: ‘Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide (leader), overseer or ruler, Provideth her meat (grain or bread) in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.’ (Prov. 6:6-8)
Oh my people, what wise and wonderful words and ever so applicable to many of us in this wealthy, comfortable society, who choose to just sit on our fannies and don’t do anything productive. It’s as the scholars explain: ‘The sluggard is the habitually lazy person. He is admonished to learn two important lessons from the ant: (1) the ant has no guide, overseer, or ruler (vs. 7), meaning that the ant does not have to have a taskmaster standing over it to make it work; it is a self-starter. (2) The ant is wise enough to prepare for predictable circumstances (vs.8).’
Yes mih brethren, we’ve all seen how colonies of ants are always busy, especially in the summer months, when they go about collecting food and storing it away for the winter months when food is hard to come by. And they don’t need to be told to do that, or have somebody looking over their shoulder prodding them to do it. So, if ants, one of the lowliest of God’s creations, are so wise and have such a wonderful work ethic, why can’t mankind, the apple of God’s creation, with all the wisdom and knowledge imbued in Him by His Creator, react the same way to life eh?
Possibly because our society has gotten too wealthy and we have too many amenities that make living too easy. But wait, Cousin Sol isn’t done with the sluggard, for he continues: ‘How long wilt thou sleep (lie down), O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth (a prowler), and thy want (need) as an armed man.’ (Prov. 6:9-11)
And what’s that all about you ask? Listen to the scholars’ explanation: ‘Two questions about sleep are posed to the sluggard (vs.9). His answer is given in verse 10: “Just a little bit more sleep!” The result of such laziness is dire poverty, which will come as suddenly and decisively as a robber (v.11).’ And isn’t that the awful truth! Habitual laziness only leads to dire want and eventual poverty. No wonder there are so many needy people in our society. Now let’s note that all needy people are not lazy, but some have indeed endured genuine unfortunate circumstances.
However, there are indeed too many lazy people in our society, from which the work ethic is quickly disappearing, and once that happens, it’s only a matter of time before the society itself begins going downhill. That’s because a society is only as strong and productive as its people. And when we look around our world, despite our total wealth, which unfortunately is consolidated in too few hands, many societies are suffering from a lack of positive production and are thus beginning to decay.
Who knows if the wealth was distributed more equitably, if the situation would change, but for sure right now, the rich are getting insanely richer while the poor are getting inhumanely poorer, and that’s not a good situation for our world. So what can be done about it? We Christians, supposed believers in, and followers of Christ, are the only ones who can bring about positive change. But before we can do that, we desperately need to unite as the ONE BODY in Christ that we were created to be, not the numerous separate entities that we’ve become. And if we don’t unite soon, our world will just keep getting deeper and deeper in the quicksand that leads to total destruction.
And to help us do all we need to do to turn the situation around, let’s confidently, but humbly, approach the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine aid. Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise and thank You this Monday morning for our jobs; jobs we sometimes don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank You Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm You’ve wrought in our weary souls over the weekend. It’s that rejuvenation of spirit which now allows us to sally forth with confidence into the evil and ungodly world, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s evil schemes. But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing Your powerful, protective spiritual armour!
We surrender our all to You, and humbly ask that You allow Your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit to lead and guide all Your servants, as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, thereby furthering Your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Amen!
Now, let’s get serious and come together, so that we can do our duty and glorify Jesus’ awesome name! Much LOVE!
…Jesus has not given us a spirit of laziness…but one of diligence…industriousness…and perseverance…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
22 Feb 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a little folding of the hands to sleep, a little sleep, a little slumber, a self-starter, and doeth it not to him it is sin, apply our hearts unto wisdom, arise out of thy sleep, as an hedge of thorns, as one that travelleth (a prowler), because the days are evil, Bible, consider her ways and be wise, curse, disobedience, faith, favour, gathereth her food in the harvest, go to the ant thou sluggard, god, handcrafted cane, how long wilt thou sleep O sluggard, is made plain (level), Jesus, Jesus Christ, laziness, live the life God planned for us, LOVE, loving each other like Christ loved us, negative word, prosper, Proverbs, provideth her meat in the summer, put things off until the last minute, redeeming the time, self-control, so shall thy poverty come, succeed, talent, teach us to number our days, the light of the world, the result of procrastination is poverty, the salt of the earth, the way of the righteous, the way of the slothful man, Thursday Blessings, thy want as an armed man, time is of the essence, to him that knoweth to do good, wisdom
Proverbs 15:19. The way of the slothful (lazy) man is as an hedge of thorns: but the way of the righteous is made plain (like a level highway).
Sorry friends, but we’re somewhat late with the Bit, this cloudy, spring -like Thursday. But that’s nothing new! (smile) However, the reason for today’s lateness is that I had to go out this morning and do some bloodwork. And would you believe I used my trusty Jamaican handcrafted cane for the first time in several years. A cane that sits unused beside it’s more polished, professionally made and heavier brother at the edge of one of the steps between my bedroom and living room.
Yes, the ole hip is still acting up, but I had to go out and do the blood work since I have run out of time to do it. That’s what happens when you keep putting things off until the last minute. Hopefully, today will be one of the few days I have to use the cane. Although if the hip-pain continues, I’ll probably use it to go into the city tomorrow to have a post-op check on my eye. Sadly, that means the Bit will most likely be also late tomorrow. But fear not; once there’s life in the ole fella, the Bit will arrive eventually. (smile)
And today we’ll look at some Bible comments on the remark I made earlier; that of putting off things until the last minute, or even completely. God’s Word makes it very clear that we are to guard against laziness and sloth. And what better place to find wisdom than in Proverbs, the writings of Cousin Sol. On the subject of procrastination, he says: ‘The way of the slothful (lazy) man is as an hedge of thorns: but the way of the righteous is made plain (like a level highway).’ (Prov. 15:19).
As the scholars explain: ‘The lazy man multiplies his own obstacles, but the righteous man moves freely down life’s road.’ And that’s gospel truth. Procrastinators find all sorts of obstacles in their way, but those who face their tasks mano a mano, find smoother going. And earlier on in Proverbs, Cousin Sol also wisely advises. ‘Go to the ant, thou sluggard (lazy person); consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide (leader) overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat (food) in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.’ (Prov. 6:6-8)
Yes friends, the ant doesn’t have a leader or guide, neither needs a taskmaster to stand up over it and tell it what and when to do something. It’s a self-starter; gets up on it’s own and does what it needs to do to live a good life. Furthermore, as verse 8 describes; ‘the ant is wise enough to prepare for predictable circumstances;’ like gathering food in the summer so they can have food stored up for the winter. And with that in mind, Cousin Sol continues by asking these very important questions of the lazy person.
‘How long wilt thou sleep (lie down, be lazy), O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: so shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth (a prowler), and thy want (need) as an armed man.’ (Prov. 6:9-11) In other words, the result of too much sleep, too much laziness and procrastination is dire poverty, and it won’t come as lazily or as ‘procrastinatingly’ as you, (smile) but it will come suddenly, unexpectedly and decisively as a thief does. Now that ought to wake us up some!
But if you’re like the fellow who said: ‘I started to procrastinate, then decided to put it off,’ then you’re in a lot of trouble. For as James says: ‘Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.’ (James 4;17) And I like this commentary on the subject from the website wf.org/daily-devotions/procrastination-costs-you-dearly#. It reads: ‘Procrastination is a form of disobedience. When God tells us to do something and we don’t do it, we can label our actions with all kinds of fancy words, but the bottom line is, it’s sin. Each day gives you 1,440 minutes. Days are passing and time cannot be stopped. You can’t call a “time out” in life.
And time can’t be stored like money in the bank. A #1 hit song in the 70’s began, “If I could save time in a bottle….” You can’t. Really, the only thing you can do with time is use it or lose it. The oldest of all the psalms, written by Moses, says, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). Someone once wrote, “Lost: One golden hour, studded with sixty diamond minutes. No reward offered, for it is lost forever.” And Ephesians 5:16 cautions us, “Redeeming the time, because the days are [filled with] evil.” These are evil times. Make every minute count.’
Oh my fellow believers, I could not say it any better. Time is indeed of the essence in these evil and ungodly days, and we ought to appreciate it much more, and use it much more wisely than many of us are doing, if we intend to make something of our God-given lives, if we intend to live the life God planned for us, the abundant life that Christ died for us to have. No friends, we cannot procrastinate and be lazy while the enemy is active and seriously about his business of evil and ungodliness. We need to be up and about doing God’s work, standing up to and fighting the enemy by being the salt of the earth and the light of the world and LOVING each other like Christ LOVED us!
And, unfortunately, we cannot achieve any of that through procrastination and/or laziness. So, let’s declare (chuh!!!) and thus activate our Thursday Blessings that have been so generously bestowed on us by Almighty God so that we can do His earthly work. Altogether: ‘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 activated those blessings, we’re now duty bound to go out and use them to help others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us! Much LOVE!
…believers must not be procrastinators…but be self-starters…like the lowly ant…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
03 Feb 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, a godly reason for being alive, a little folding of the hands to sleep, a little slumber, a means of restoring faith in you, anger, anxiety, apathetic, as one that travelleth (a prowler), cast off the works of darkness, compromising, confusion, consider her ways and be wise, embrace your love and compassion, evil traits of the enemy, fearful, Friday chant, go to the ant thou sluggard, hatred, how long wilt thou sleep O sluggard, it is high time to awake out of sleep, it takes two to tango, laziness, LOVE, materialistic, omnipotent help, pandemic, prepare for predictable circumstances, procrastination, put on the armour of light, resentment, return backsliders to your fold, self-starters, so shall thy poverty come, stand strong and steadfast, strife, taking the Great Invitation to heart, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, Thank God we're alive and kicking, the day is at hand, the error of their ways, the light of the world, the night is far spent, the salt of the earth, thy want as an armed man, trusting faith, unexpected storm, wake up and smell the coffee, when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep, wise guidance, yet a little sleep
Proverbs 6:9. How long will thou sleep (be lazy), O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep (laziness)?
Oh what a bright and sunshiny Friday! But the wind’s in a tizzy though, from since last night, thus making it seem even colder than the minus 14 it’s supposed to be. And though you have to be careful how you navigate out there, it doesn’t stop us from saying a loud and hearty “TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! And Thank God that we are alive and kicking to see and enjoy it!’ We’ve obviously been blessed, and there’s also a purpose, a godly reason that we’re still going strong on God’s great earth.
As the saying goes, we were made for a time such as this. And that’s no lie. God put us here right now with all the qualities and gifts we require to do a special job for Him. So please let’s stop wasting precious time, get serious and do whatever it is, for He is depending on us to provide that special link in the overall chain that only we have the ability to provide. Remember, a chain is only as strong as it’s weakest link. Therefore, let’s endeavour to not be the weakest link in God’s mighty chain nuh. (smile)
And unfortunately, right now too many of us believers are fighting for that dubious honour by not doing what we’re supposed to, by not living the life Christ envisioned us living. We’re not taking His Great Invitation to heart, to spread His word to all and sundry, and make disciples of all nations. We’re not being the salt of the earth and the light of the world He requires us to be, if our world is to come back to its senses and return to fully worship Almighty God. We’re too lazy, fearful, apathetic, loveless, materialistic and compromising. And those are definitely not the traits expected of Christ’s followers.
But like Bruh Paul wrote to the church at Rome: ‘And that knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than 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. Let us walk honestly (properly), as in the day; not in rioting (revelry) and drunkenness, not in chambering (licentiousness) and wantonness (lewdness), not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.’ (Rom. 13:11-14)
Oh my people, those words apply so aptly to us that I’m ashamed to say it. But we are in a stupor of darkness and fleshly lusts. The enemy has found his way into our hearts and souls, making us insensitive to the demands of Christ in our lives. And please remember the coming of Christ draws nearer every day, and we don’t want him to return and find us living in the darkness of the enemy, rather than in His bright and shining light. So it’s indeed high time that we wake up and ‘cast off the works of darkness, and put on the armour of light’ that comes from Jesus.
Time to stop all the dishonest and wanton living like the world does. To stop seeking opportunities to satisfy our deep-seated desires of our sinful nature, but rather seek occasion to show works that are consistent with our new and wonderful life in Christ Jesus. For our world is abuzz and an aflame with the evil traits of the enemy; anger, hatred, strife, resentment, greed, jealousy, covetousness, none of which should be named among the traits of a true believer in Christ. and it’s ONLY through us, sincere believers, that any worthwhile changes can and will be made. That’s why it’s essential that we wake up RIGHT NOW and begin doing our bounden duty in Christ.
And if perchance Bruh Paul didn’t get through to us, let’s see if Cousin Sol can, (smile) as he chips in his two cents worth, with this strong and true advice. ‘Go to the ant, thou sluggard: consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide (leader), overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat (food) in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.’ (Prov. 6:6-8) Now that’s golden advice for free! You can’t beat it, for the ants has no leader but they do what they have to do, like gather and store food in the summer for the harsh winter months. Likewise, we supposed Christians ought to be up and about Christ’s Business while we still have time to do it. Be self-starters like the ants and prepare for predictable circumstances.
And Cousin Sol continues in a powerful vein: ‘How long will thou sleep (be lazy), O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep (laziness)?’ (Prov. 6:9) Now that’s a most pertinent question! When will we believers get up and get going for Jesus eh? Why you ask? Listen as Cousin Sol provides the answer. ‘Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth (a prowler), and thy want (need) as an armed man.’ (Prov. 6:10-11)
Yes friends, our continued laziness and procrastination will inevitably bring sudden and dire poverty as an unexpected robber who takes away our possessions. And that will not do! So please, let’s wake up right now, and with prayer and thanksgiving, through our Friday Chant, go to our wonderful God and ask for His divine and most merciful help.
Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the confusion and anxiety caused by the pandemic and our many other serious problems. We can’t fix them on our own Lord, so we desperately need your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, without further serious setbacks.
And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe. And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to return backsliders to your fold, show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic, the bubbling discontent and dissatisfaction in our land, as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Remember, it takes two to tango, so it’s up to us now to do our part in the partnership, so that the Lord can do His. Much LOVE!
…we can’t do God’s part…and He won’t do ours…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
21 Feb 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a little folding of the hands to sleep, a little slumber, all grown over with thorns, as one that traveleth, ashamed and repentant, become lax lazy and complacent, caught flat-footed, confident in God's great mercy, diligently goes about his business, Family Day Holiday, get up off of our fat fannies, glory to God, how long wilt thou sleep O sluggard, humble servants, I looked upon it and received instruction, I saw and considered it well, Jehovah Rapha, live sincerely for God, LOVE, mass confusion, nettles covered the face thereof, positive answers to prayer, pray, pray and sincerely seek your face, prepare for unpredictable situations, sinned and disobeyed your Word, small surrenders lead to great disasters, so shall thy poverty come, strong faith in Christ, suffering from negative situations, the ant is a self-starter, the ant with no leader, the barrage of unexpected problems, the field of the slothful, the God who heals, the motives of our hearts, the salt and light of the earth, the stone wall was broken down, the vineyard of the man void of understanding, thy want as an armed man, turn from our evil ways, when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep, wise guidance, yet a little sleep
Proverbs 6:9. How long wilt thou sleep (lie down, be lazy) O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
Well, this Family Day holiday in Ontario is a somewhat damp and cloudy Monday morning, but the sun seems to be fighting through the clouds so its glorious sunshine can prevail! Glory to God!
And you know that’s exactly what we supposed believers in Christ ought to be doing; fighting through all the sin, the evil, the darkness and ungodliness of this world in His holy name! But unfortunately, too many of us have become lax, lazy and complacent, while enjoying the amenities that the world has to offer, and thus have been caught flat-footed and unprepared when the barrage of unexpected problems recently descended on us.
So we’re afraid…and anxious…and don’t know what to do. But nothing has changed friends, we’re still supposed to do what we know is right to do: that’s get up off of our fat fannies, pray and live sincerely for God! And Cousin Sol puts forth the correct question for us today after showing us the magnificent work ethic of the ant, who has no leader or overseer to force him to work, but nonetheless, diligently goes about his business. In other words, the ant is a self-starter. He is wise enough to prepare for predictable situations. (Prov. 6:6-8)
Cousin Sol asks this poignant question: ‘How long wilt thou sleep (lie down, be lazy) O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?’ (Prov. 6:9) Now that’s a question that many of us need to answer right away by getting up and doing God’s work, for if we had been doing it, had been the salt and light of the earth like Christ desires of us, our world would never have fallen into such a sad state of disrepair and disrepute.
And like the lazy and sleepy sluggard, our just deserts will fall on us, in fact, they have already fallen on us. Like Cousin Sol says: ‘Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that traveleth (a prowler), and thy want (need) as an armed man.’ (Prov. 6:10-11) Yes my brethren, as the scholars tell us: ‘The result of such laziness is dire poverty, which will come as suddenly and decisively as a robber.’
And yuh better believe that the Covid 19 pandemic, the worldwide strife, the race and religious problems and the many natural disasters of the last couple of years have indeed come upon us without our ever seeing them, much less being prepared for them. And later on in Proverbs, Cousin Sol mentions an interesting fact that ties in quite nicely with what we are talking about.
He solemnly declares in chapter 24: ‘I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face (surface) thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction. Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep (rest): So shall thy poverty come as one that traveleth (a prowler); and thy want (need) as an armed man.’ (Prov. 24:30-34)
Oh friends, you noticed that Cousin Sol learned from the mistakes of the slothful man. And what did he learn? According to the scholars, he learned that ‘The slothful is too lazy to keep thorns and nettles out of his vineyard or to keep his stone wall repaired (vs.31). His laziness is further exhibited in sleeping late when he should be working (vs.33). Therefore, his poverty will come as one that traveleth: that is, a bandit or a vagabond. Small surrenders lead to great disasters.’
Now what wise words those are my fellow saints: ‘small surrenders lead to great disasters.’ It’s the gospel truth! It’s the li’l things in life that we despise and don’t do that ofttimes cause us a whale of a problem. And we are experiencing that in spades right now, with all the various problems howling around us and we don’t know how to solve them. However, if we had been paying attention all along, living the way Christ desires us to live, those many problems would not have caught us off guard, they might not have even seen the light of day.
But sadly they have, so now we have to wake up from our slothful slumber and try to fix them as best we can. However the problems have gotten so deep and involved, that now we can only fix them with God’s divine help. So as the wise people we are (smile), let’s go to God, ashamed and repentant, but confident in His great mercy, and sincerely ask for His omnipotent help.
Altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that 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. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land 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!’
Now, please remember that God doesn’t only listen to the words we speak, but more importantly checks out the motives of our hearts, to see if our words are truly sincere. And we all know what that means! Much LOVE!
…no right motives in hearts…no positive answers to prayer…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
12 Oct 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a couple pounds heavier, a little folding of the hands to sleep, a truth based society, and share His love with the world, as one that travelleth (a prowler), busybodies, consider her ways and be wise, deliver thyself as a roe, depend on the Good Book, dire poverty, distractions on social media, fill the world with Jesus, from the hand of the fowler, from the hand of the hunter, gathereth her food in the harvest, gave much thanks for our many blessings, give not sleep to thine eyes, go to the ant thou sluggard, having no guide leader overseer, how long wilt thou sleep O sluggard, I am the beloved of god, I don't have to hurry, I don't have to worry, idle hands are the Devil's workshop, idleness, if any would not work, in god's eyes, keep up the attitude of thanksgiving, LOVE, lowering the temptation to celebrate, neither should he eat, no one can take that from me, not what I do, not what I have, not what people say about me, provideth her meat in the summer, rear their ugly heads, sleep is one of the enemy's traps, slothfulness, slumber to thine eyelids, so shall thy poverty come, some which walk among you disorderly, Thanksgiving Day, the food was over the top, the habitually lazy person, the skies were blue, the sun shone brightly, thy want (need) as an armed man, to fill the world with love, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, yet a little sleep
Proverbs 6:6. Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
Well, it was indeed a beautiful Thanksgiving Day! The sun shone brightly for a change, and the skies were blue (smile) with temps in the mid to low twenties! Wow! We haven’t seen that type of day in my area for a while now. And I do hope that all of us gave much thanks for the many blessings we have in this blessed land. I know the celebrations were plentiful, what with the recent opening up of the lockdown conditions, and though my own celebration was fairly quiet, the food was over the top and unfortunately, I partook of it with a zest that I’ve not seen or experienced in recent times. (smile)
And since West Indian food, though nourishing and strengthening is also fattening, consequently I am a couple pounds heavier this morning. But what to do eh? When you celebrate and give thanks these things will happen. (smile) The problem now is to keep up the attitude of thanksgiving while lowering the temptation to the celebration aspect. Remember, we can never give too much thanks, but we can always overdo the celebration part, which can get us in serious trouble when laziness, idleness, slothfulness and their fellow companions rear their ugly heads.
Sadly though, a lot of that is now floating around in our current turbulent and unhinged society. That’s why right now is a good time to consider the marvellous advice of Cousin Sol from his writings in Proverbs, where he warns against laziness and falsehood. Please listen up closely to this wise and godly advice. ‘Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids. Deliver thyself as a roe (gazelle) from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler (the bird trapper).’ (Prov. 6:4-5)
Yes friends, we must not let the seeming beauty of sleep to capture us unawares, like a hunter captures a deer, or a fowler traps a bird in his snare. Sleep is necessary to reset our tired bodies and souls, but overdone, it can lead to very disastrous situations. And yuh better believe that sleep is one of the best traps the enemy uses to ensnare us and get us away from doing the Lord’s work. That’s why Cousin Sol in his advice directs us thus: ‘Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:’ (Prov. 6:6)
And you ask, what’s he talking about eh? How can you learn wisdom from the ways of the ant? Well then, he explains it by saying that the ant: ‘Which having no guide (leader), overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat (food) in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.’ (Prov. 6:7-8) Now isn’t that a wonderful example of self-reliance and wisdom? It surely is! Then Cousin Sol goes on to ask these most pertinent questions. ‘How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?’ (Prov. 6:9)
Oh my people, those are questions that each of must seriously consider, especially in these dangerous and crazy times of sickness and dissatisfaction. And why is that you ask again? Cousin Sol also provides the answer to that question. ‘Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth (a prowler), and thy want (need) as an armed man.’ (Prov. 6:10-11) Yes mih bredrin, that’s how laziness, idleness and slothfulness bring us to our knees without our realizing it. Working too hard is not good, but not working hard enough is even worse.
Now here are some explanations on the subject from the scholars. ‘6:6-11. The sluggard is the habitually lazy person. He is admonished to learn two important lessons from the ant: (1) the ant has no guide, overseer, or ruler (vs.7), meaning that the ant does not have to have a taskmaster standing over it to make it work; it is a self-starter. (2) The ant is wise enough to prepare for predictable circumstances (vs.8). Two questions about sleep are posed to the sluggard (vs.9). His answer is given in verse 10: “Just a little more sleep!” The result of such laziness is dire poverty, which will come as suddenly and as decisively as a robber (vs.11).’
And yuh better believe that our society currently seems overwhelmed with laziness, or always seeking the easy way out, or just looking at today and not tomorrow. But we must also prepare for the future, for the hereafter. And yes, not many of us want to work, but it’s wise if we do… and don’t consume everything all at once either, put aside something for the rainy day too. At least in earlier generations some of us had no choice whatsoever but to work, if we wanted to eat and a place to sleep.
That brings to mind Bruh Paul’s directive to the Thessalonians: ‘For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.’ (2 Thess. 3:10-11) And there are many like that in our current society! Meanwhile, the scholars explain: ‘3:10-12. Paul expounds his simple and straightforward ethic. If a person will not work, he should not eat! The Thessalonians’ diversion encouraged their meddlesome ways, demonstrating that ‘idle hands are the Devil’s workshop.’
And is that ever the truth! We get into trouble most often when we are not doing anything, or anything productive. And that is exactly what’s happening right now in our society. Too many people have nothing constructive to do, so they are engaging in a whole lot of negative and evil devices and schemes. And with so much government and charitable help around, it would be hard to implement a scheme of no work, no bread. On top of that, there just are not enough jobs so that everyone can be gainfully employed.
So what do we do eh? The best we can. That’s working ourselves, showing forth the benefits of living for Jesus, and encouraging others to do something constructive, whatever it might be. Something that would benefit them and the society. Time to stop paying so much attention to the foolishness, lies and distractions on social media, and return to a fact and truth based society. That means depending on the Good Book, the Lord’s Word! It’s not an easy task, but if we work in concert with Jesus, we can certainly do it, because He gives us strength to do any and everything He needs us to do! Glory be!
Now for those of us who are willing and able to work for our Saviour, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, loudly and proudly proclaiming to the whole world, who and whose we are; in other words, to whom we belong! As one strong 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 the world. Amen!’
And having said that, let’s go out now and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him! Much LOVE!
…to fill the world with peace and LOVE…we must fill the world with Jesus…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
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