17 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a large responsibility, add a little balm to our wounds, another fine summer's day, appear beautiful outward, born of God, detracts from our Christian influence, endure to the end, faith, follow the world's wisdom, God's commandments are not burdensome, God's commandments are not grievous, halfway home, hands on the plough, he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God, he that endureth to the end shall be saved, holy spirit, honour me with their lips, hypocrites, if any man will come after me, if ye love me keep my commandments, in vain do they worship me, insincere religious behaviour, Jesus Christ, Jesus' admonishment of the Pharisees, let him deny himself, like unto whited sepulchres, LOVE, mercy, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, not looking back at the past, our second wind day, outwardly appear righteous, pay lip service to God, paying lip service, salvation, so glad to be alive, take up his cross daily and follow me, talking through our hats, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men, thank God, the breath of life, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the Christian life is not easy and comfortable, the Comforter, the lack of true Christian behaviour, the rewards are worth the sacrifices, the sun is in ascendance, the world is going to hell in a handbasket, their heart is far from me, this is the love of God, this is the victory that overcometh the world, this people draw near to me with their mouth, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, undeserved grace, we love the children of God, Wednesday Wail, whatever is born of God overcomes the world, when we love God and keep his commandments, whitewashed tombs, who is he that overcometh the world, whosoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, wisdom, within are full of dead men's bones, within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity, woe unto you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites, ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake
John 14:15. If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments.
And this Wednesday, our second wind day, has turned out to be another fine summer’s Day! Well, it’s a tad cloudy, (smile) but there’s no doubt that the sun is in ascendance, so let’s give our good God some thanks and praise for allowing us to see another beautiful day on planet earth. And all God’s children gave a loud and grateful shout of: ‘Thank you heavenly Father, for LOVING us so much and granting us the undeserved grace and mercy to live another day! We LOVE You, and praise Your holy name! Amen!’
And I’m sadly chuckling here friends, because that statement we made above there about LOVING God, carries a rather large requirement and responsibility with it. For remember what Jesus said to the disciples before telling them about the coming of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. it was a simple but most important statement. ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments.’ (John 14:35) Yes my fellow believers, that’s the gist of the whole story; if we LOVE God, we will keep His commandments.
And since too many of us are not keeping His commandments, then it means we don’t truly LOVE Him, we’re merely talking through our hats, merely paying lip service. It brings us right back to Jesus’ admonishment of the Pharisees. ‘Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias (Isaiah) prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh (near) unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with 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 that’s oh so true my people! Too many of us supposed Christians only pay lip service to God, but basically follow the world’s wisdom in most of what we do. And that greatly detracts from whatever influence we might have with the unbelievers. That means we’re behaving like the leaders of Israel in Jesus’ time, when He again admonished them for their insincere religious behaviour, this time re washing of hands before eating, by saying:
‘Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres (whitewashed tombs), which indeed appear beautiful outward, but within are full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.’ (Matt. 23:27-28)
And unfortunately my brethren, too many supposed Christians of today are the same way. We look good on the outside, behave ever so righteously, but on the inside we’re a terrible mess, or as Jesus says, ‘full of hypocrisy and iniquity.’ No wonder the world is going to hell in a handbasket…and very quickly too. And a lot of it has to do with the lack of true Christian behaviour by those of us who claim to be followers of Christ.
But have we ever seriously considered what it means to be a follower, a disciple of Christ? I doubt many of us have, but just take it for granted. Here though, is what Jesus says about and expects from His disciples and followers. ‘And he (Jesus) said to them all, 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 my fellow believers that’s what Jesus expects from those who claim to be His followers. But how many of us really fall into that category eh? Not many, since we find it hard to deny ourselves, and even more so, take up our cross DAILY. Now that’s the operative word in that whole sentence. We have to be able to deny ourselves and live for Jesus DAILY, not only when it’s convenient for us. And no, it’s not easy doing that, but whoever said that following Christ was easy eh? It’s not! But the rewards for doing so are most definitely worth the sacrifice it entails.
Enough admonishment though, for we all know that we’re not doing such a great job on Jesus’ behalf, otherwise our world would not be in the sorry, strife-filled, angry and hateful state it’s now in. So now, let’s add a little balm to our wounds, (smile) with these healing words from the first epistle of John.
‘Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that LOVETH him that begat LOVETH him also that is begotten of him. By this we know that we LOVE the children of God, when we LOVE God, and keep his commandments. For this is the LOVE of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous (burdensome). For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?’ (1 John 5:1-5)
There again, John reiterates the fact that we need to keep God’s commandments, and they are not burdensome, as so many of us believe, because we just want to live the easy comfortable life. But that’s not the Christian life. And there will always be problems, simply because we call ourselves Christians. It’s as Jesus said when He talked about sending us forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: ‘And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.’ (Matt. 10:22)
Now that last part is the important part…he who endures to the end, he shall be saved. That means we need to endure to the end, despite what happens to us along our life’s journey. And as John so rightly says: ‘he that overcomes the world is he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God!’ So once we truly believe, we can indeed overcome the world! And with that, let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus!
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And it’s been promised that all who endure to the end, will not only be saved, but have an even more glorious future than they can ever imagine. So please let’s be wise and endure right to the very end with Jesus, so that we can enjoy that more than glorious future together! Much LOVE!
…if one wants to be a part of an organization…one must follow the rules…so, to be a Chrisitan…we must keep Christ’s commandments…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
08 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a doer of the work, a hearer of the word and not a doer, a joyful day, all sinned and disobeyed your word, alleviate our problems, altruistic service, balance in our christian walk, be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, beholds himself, blame everyone else for our problems, blame ourselves, breathe the breath of life, bridleth not his tongue, Christians talk a good talk, clean outside but dirty inside, compromises, controlled speech, deceiveth his own heart, deceiving yourselves, divine aid, don't walk the talk, don't walk the walk, faith, forgets what kind of man he was, frees from the principles of sin and death, God's unadulterated Word, holy spirit, humble servants, hypocrites, if any be a hearer of the word, if you think you're religious, ill prepared, in their affliction, increasing our knowledge of God's Word, inefficiency, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep himself unspotted from the world, lack of responsibility, lack of true Christian attitudes, like unto a man that beholdeth his face in a glass, look in the mirror, LOVE, mass confusion, mercy, negative situations, not a forgetful hearer, pray, problems are escalating, promise to prosper us, protect the victory that Jesus won, pure religion, rebukes mere doing, rebukes mere listening, salvation, separation from the world, sincerely seek God's face, spiritual metaphor, stress, taken advantage of it, the death and resurrection Of Jesus, the God who heals, the Mosaic Law, the perfect law of liberty, the royal law, the stress of our busy society, the teachings of Christ, the throne of grace, this is the day which the Lord hath made, this man shall be blessed, this man's religion is vain, to visit the fatherless and widows, too much leeway, truth, turn from our evil ways, undefiled before God, we will rejoice and be glad in it, whited sepulchres, whitewashed tombs, whoso looketh into, wisdom, wise guidance
James 1:22. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
Monday, oh Monday! What a joyful day it is! And some people will begin thinking that I’m crazy for exalting Monday. And they might just be right, who knows. (smile) But every day aren’t we supposed to mouth the encouraging scripture which says; ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it?’ (Ps. 118:24) Of course! So then, why isn’t Monday a joyful day, and one in which we ought to rejoice eh?
Because we are often so ill prepared to meet it, and we try to take it out on the day, rather than our own inefficiency and lack of responsibility. And yes, it’s often tough getting up and going back to work on a Monday morning after sleeping in for a couple of days, to once again face all the stress and frustration inherent in our busy society. But that’s what life is all about, and we’ve been doing it for donkeys’ years now, so why does the problem of rejoicing and being glad in Monday still exist eh?
Because we like to blame everyone and everything else for our problems, rather than look in the mirror and blame the one who’s staring back at us. That’s certainly reminiscent of the way James uses it as a spiritual metaphor, when he talks about hearers and doers of the word. ‘But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding (observing) his natural face in a glass (mirror): For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what kind of man he was.’ (James 1:22-24)
Ah friends, far too many of us supposed believers fall into that category, where we talk a good talk but don’t walk the relevant walk. That’s why the world considers us to be nothing but a bunch of religious hypocrites or as Jesus called the Pharisees ‘whited sepulchres (whitewashed tombs), clean outside, but dirty inside. (Matt. 23:27) And they’re quite right, considering the compromises and lack of true Christian attitudes we so regularly display.
However, according to James, this is the attitude that the true Christian ought to be displaying. ‘But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed (what he does).’ (James 1:25)
And the scholars offer these explanations on that verse. ‘The perfect law of liberty probably refers to the teachings of Christ and His apostles. This law is perfect, since Christ brought to completion the teachings and work of the Mosaic Law (cf. Matt. 5:17-20; Rom. 10:4). It is a law of liberty because it frees from the principles of sin and death (Rom. 8:2-3; Gal. 5:1, 13). James also describes it as the royal law (2:8) for it is the law of the messianic King (cf. Gal. 6:2)
Now there are plenty of references for you to look up, so please check them out, because they greatly benefit us by increasing our knowledge and understanding of God’s Word. And James isn’t finished with his admonition. He continues: ‘If any man among you seem to be (thinks he’s) religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain (useless). Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.’ (James 1:26-27)
And the scholars explain those verses thus: ‘In verses 22-25 James has rebuked mere listening – by the hearer who does not do. In verses 26-27 he rebukes mere doing – by the doer who leaves his inner life unchanged. James offers not a formal definition but three key aspects of pure religion: controlled speech, altruistic service, and separation from the world.’
Again, if we use those explanations as a sounding board, too many supposed believers are guilty of those unchristian attitudes. We talk but we don’t do; we do, but our lives stay the same and our motives are often wrong! And yes, it’s hard to find a good balance in our Christian Walk, with all the evil and ungodly things going on around us, but that’s why we have the Bible, God’s unadulterated, infallible and ever wise Word to read, meditate upon and put into action, as well as His Holy Spirit to lead and guide us in making wise decisions.
Unfortunately though, we don’t utilize all the tools we have at our disposal, therefore the enemy has gained a large foothold in the world, and we now must come from behind, in second place, to recover what we’ve lost and thus protect the victory that Jesus so sacrificially won through His death, resurrection and ascension. But we can do it, if we put our whole hearts, souls, bodies and minds to the grindstone, for the enemy is not more powerful than us, we’ve just given him too much leeway, which he’s taken advantage of.
And the first move for retaking our heritage is going to the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine guidance. 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 the answer to our problems lies right within our prayer: humble ourselves, pray, sincerely seek God’s face, and turn from our evil ways. Then and only then will divine aid be forthcoming! Much LOVE!
…every day the Lord allows us to breathe His breath of life…is one He expects us to enjoy…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
12 Dec 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a figure of shame and reproach, abundance, all is right in God's world, an horn of salvation, be saved from our enemies, Bible, blessed be the Lord God of Israel, blessed with sunshine, bounden duty, Christian, Christmas, courage, creativity, curse, faith, fear came upon all that dwelt round about them, go before the face of the Lord, good cheer, good will to all, he spake and praised God, his tongue loosed, holiness, holy spirit, hypocrites, immaculate conception, in the days wherein he looked on me, in the house of his servant David, in the shadow of death, Jesus Christ, joy, lifts the spirits, LOVE, makes one feel, mercy, Messiah, negative word, prosper, redeemed his people, remained speechless, remember his holy covenant, repent ye, righteousness, salvation, seen a vision in the temple, self-control, self-discipline, serve him without fear, shall be called the prophet of the Highest, she brought forth a son, strong winds, succeed, supernatural wisdom, talent, the birth of John the Baptist, the dayspring from on high, the hand of all that hate us, the kingdom of heaven is at hand, the Lord had showed upon her great kindness, the people waited, the season of warmth, they rejoiced with her, thou child, thus hath the Lord dealt with me, to give light to them that sit in darkness, to guide our feet in the way of peace, to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, to prepare his ways, truth, waxed strong in spirit, what manner of child shall this be, wisdom, Zacharias
Luke 1:76. And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
Ah mih people, at long last we have been blessed with some sunshine this Thursday morning. However, some of the glow has been removed, because it’s cold and tinged with some strong winds, that came up during the night and are still going strong right now, harassing the naked trees to do a dance many of them cannot do, therefore a lot of broken branches litter the ground. But as I keep saying, sunshine is the important element, for it lifts the spirits, makes one feel that all is right in God’s world! (smile)
And be that as it may, let’s continue with the Christmas Story, re the Birth of John the Baptist. Yesterday we left off where the angel Gabriel commanded Zacharias, John’s father, to become dumb, unable to speak until the birth of his son, because he had not believed his good news. (Luke 1:20) The Bible then tells us: ‘And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried (delayed) so long in the temple. And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.
And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration (service) were accomplished (completed), he departed to his own house. And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.’ (Luke 1:21-25)
Yuh see again friends, how big a deal it was for women to bear children back then! Otherwise, their lives would be rather miserable, with all sorts of jests and jeers made towards their barren state. And even the husbands being ridiculed for having a childless wife. No wonder so many women cried out to the Lord to correct their barren state, and like Hannah, Samuel’s mother, promising all kinds of things, if He did. (1 Sam. 1) Anyway, we know that when Elisabeth was five months pregnant, her cousin, Mary, Jesus’ mother, who had recently received the news of her immaculate conception, came and spent three months with her, then went back to her own home.
The Bible then continues: ‘Now Elisabeth’s full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. And her neighbours and her cousins (relatives) heard how the Lord had shewed great kindness upon her; and they rejoiced with her.’ (Luke 1:57-58) Yuh see how the ole hypocrites an’ dem come out of their lair because she had finally born a son. Before that, she was just a figure of shame and reproach, through no fault of her own. Ah Lord eh! But the best is yet to come.
Luke continues the story by saying: ‘And it came to pass, that on the eight day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. And they made signs to the father, how he would have him called. And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all. And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.’ (Luke 1:59-64)
Ah friends, what drama we find in God’s Word! But so it should be, when He is in fact the creator and greatest perpetrator of drama! And what happened when Zacharias finally spoke after months of being dumb? The story goes: ‘And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings (things) were noised about (discussed) throughout all the hill country of Judaea. And all they that heard them laid them up (kept them) in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.’ (Luke 1:65-66)
The Lord certainly knows how to get our attention. For as the scholars explain about the statement above, Fear came: ‘The working of God produced a unique sensation among a people where not even a prophet had spoken for centuries.’ The Lord made sure that the people knew that His infallible and ever-faithful hand was involved in John the Baptist’s birth.
And He didn’t stop there. No. The Bible continues: ‘And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began (through the ages): That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;
The oath which he sware to our father Abraham. That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life. And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission (forgiveness) of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring (dawn, Messiah) from on high hath visited us. To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.’ (Luke 1:67-79)
Oh friends, for a man who hadn’t spoken a single word for months, Zacharias sure had a mouthful to say. By then he obviously believed the words of the angel Gabriel and was being used by God to further prophesy the fulfillment of His covenant of a coming Messiah, with His people Israel. John would be the one to go before that Messiah, to light the way, to prepare the people for His coming.
And Luke ends the story thus: ‘And the child grew, and waxed (became) strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing (manifestation) unto Israel.’ (Luke 1:80) And we all know what happened when he finally appeared on the scene, coming out of the desert like a wild man, crying out, ‘Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ (Matt. 3:2) And so it is my people, therefore, let’s declare our Thursday Blessings, so that we can activate them and use them to do God’s work here on earth like John did, with his blessings.
As one 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 our bounden duty to go out and use those blessings on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…it’s Christmas time…the season of warmth…of joy and good cheer…so let’s spread it around…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
08 Oct 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: alive and kicking, became obedient unto death, being found in fashion as a man, being in the form of God, Bible, christianity, diligent servants, don't do the right things, duty bound, even the death of the cross, faith, god, he humbled himself, holy spirit, hurry, hypocrites, if there be any wicked way in me, in god's eyes, Jesus Christ, know my anxious thoughts, know my heart, lead me in the way everlasting, LOVE, masquerading as Christians, meditate on the Word, mercy, new mercies and compassions, permeating the land, salvation, search me O God, share His love with my neighbours, sinfulness, the beloved of God, the breath of life, the dustbin of history, the form of a servant, the light of the world, the salt of the earth, to be qual with God, too comfortable, too fearful, too lazy, trust my friend Jesus, truth, try me, Tuesday Mantra, ungodliness, walking our talk, wisdom, without complaining, worry
Philippians 2:8. And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Tuesday, Oh Tuesday! How we LOVE thee! For thou hast pushed that ugly, ole, disruptive, overbearing Monday out of our way! And for that, we give thee much thanks, Oh Tuesday! Yes friends, many of us are happy to see Monday flushed into the dustbin of history, because it brings out too many negative things in us. But that’s just because we don’t do the right things in the first place.
But nonetheless, we’re alive and kicking this Tuesday morning, so let’s give our wonderful God some thanks and praise for that, as well as for all of His new mercies and compassions that He’s poured out on us on this brand-new day, that’s sunny, but a tad cool in my neighbourhood.
Please pray with me: ‘Oh heavenly Father, we thank You for the breath of life to see this new day, and ask that You let Your Holy Spirit lead and guide us in the way You desire us to go, so that we can be good and diligent servants as we engage in our daily walk. Please help us to be the salt of the earth and light of the world that You desire us to be. We pray it all in the holy name of Jesus! Amen.’
Now, that means listening to whatever the Holy Spirit has to say to each of us, then getting up and doing His bidding. And there’s oodles of work to be done, if we ever hope to make something godly and righteous of this sinful world. The point being, that we can only make any worthwhile changes with the help of Jesus and His Holy Spirit.
But there’s so much work to be done, that we cannot only touch the surface with Jesus, but we have to dig deep down in and with Him; study and meditate on the Word like there was no tomorrow, then right away put it into practice. For who knows if there will be any tomorrow? Our biggest problem, I believe, is not so much knowing the word, but putting it into practice, which ofttimes takes more than what many of us are willing to give.
Many of us know the word well enough to make some beneficial changes in our world, but the problem is getting us to make the effort, to put out the energy needed to make the sacrifices required to put those changes into effect. It’s all a matter of us being too lazy, too comfortable or too fearful. Remember, Jesus didn’t have to undergo the sufferation He underwent, but because of the Father’s great LOVE for his sinful creation, that’s us, and Jesus LOVE for the Father, He did it, without complaining too.
As the Bible tells us: ‘(Jesus) Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men (emptied himself of all his privileges): And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ (Phil. 2:6-8)
Yes my brethren, that’s what Christ did for us, so why can’t we become a li’l uncomfortable and do His work eh? Because we’re just a bunch of talkative, no good, lazy, compromising, comfortable and fearful hypocrites, masquerading as Christians! Yuh think, with the number of supposed believers in the world, if each one of us would get out into the world and act like we should, not join or compromise with the world, that the sinfulness and ungodliness that’s currently permeating the land would be as bad?
No way! But it’s just that we supposed believers are not prepared to stand up and sincerely fight for what we claim to believe in. And the longer we wait to pull up the reins on the soaring ungodliness, the worst it will become, until we won’t ever have a chance of stopping it. Oh my people, do we really want to see our grandchildren and their children living in a world that’s worse than this one?
Of course not! But to make that happen, we have to stand up strong and fight the enemy RIGHT NOW! It’s high time to stop all the talking, which we’re so good at, like the hypocrite Pharisees of Jesus’ day, and begin walking that talk. That’s the only way we will ever make any serious changes in our current sinful and ungodly world. And what a wonderful world we can bring about if we would just walk our talk a bit more than we’re currently doing.
But it actively requires Christ’s church, that’s His people, not the buildings, to get together and stop fighting against each other, to drop the animosity and petty differences that keep us apart. Christ is depending on us to do His work, and we cannot do it if we’re as divided and uncompromising as we are.
Oh my fellow saints, we desperately need to search our hearts and see what’s there and how we can make the necessary changes. It’s like Bruh David says in that great Psalm 139: ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my (anxious) thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.’ (Ps. 139:23-24)
Yes my fellow saints, that’s what we all need to do TODAY, so that we can be on our way to becoming the true salt of the earth and light of the world as Jesus desires. End of Sermon! (smile) Now let’s go home declaring (oh heifer dust!!!) yes, my exclamation was much stronger today. (smile) Let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) 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 all of that, we are 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!
…what’s it going to take… for Christians…to get up and truly act like Christians eh…another world war…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
30 Jul 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all scripture is given by inspiration of God, be not dismayed, be thou strong and of a good courage, believers are catalysts for Christ, Bible, biting the bullet, blaspheme Christ's name, but of power love and a sound mind, christianity, divisions, do not fear, don't walk the walk, eternal life, even unto the end of the world, faith, fear him which can destroy both soul and body, fear not them which kill the body, fear of man, fear thou not for I am with thee, For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, god, have I not commanded thee, hurry, hypocrites, I am the beloved of god, I am thy God I will strenthen thee, I am with you always, I stand at the door and knock, I will come into him, if any man hear my voice and open the door, in god's eyes, instruction in righteousness, Jesus, Jesus Christ, LOVE, petty jealousies, poor witnesses for Christ, profitable for doctrine reproof correction, salvation, share His love with my neighbour, talk a good talk, teach all nations, teaching them to observe all things, the Bible authored by the Holy Spirit, the Bible is our guidebook for earthly living, the Great Commission, the Lord thy God is with thee wherever you go, the love of a comfortable life, to live for Christ, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness, will sup with him and he with me, wisdom, worry
Revelation 3:20. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup (dine) with him, and he with me.
And then it was Tuesday! Praise the Lord for His awesome goodness and mercy in allowing us to see this brand new day! But friends, let’s remember that God didn’t allow us to see another day just for the fun of it. No! He has things in mind for us to do; purposes for us to accomplish that will raise up, that will spread His kingdom all over the face of the earth.
That was the overall purpose of the Great Commission that Jesus gave to His followers. ‘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)
And I believe that in these modern, technological and busy times, although we have many more avenues to do our duty, we’ve sadly neglected our basic purpose on God’s earth. It’s to live the way Christ desires of us, in a manner that others will see it and want to have what we have. In other words, our basic purpose is to bring souls to Christ, or at least open the way for Him to knock on their hearts and come into them. Let’s remember these poignant words of Christ to the church at Laodicea. ‘Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup (dine) with him, and he with me.’ (Rev. 3:20)
Oh friends, that’s what Christ is doing each and every day; knocking at the doors of human hearts, waiting for an invitation to come into the hearts of unbelievers, and we believers are expected to be the catalyst for that circumstance. By our witness and example the hearts of unbelievers ought to be softened, so that when Christ knocks on the doors of their hearts they will be readily amenable and available to let him in, so that He can offer them the great benefits of salvation and eternal life that He has to offer!
And we all know that we’ve not been doing a good job of softening the hearts of unbelievers with our witness and lifestyles, otherwise so many people would not be rooting for Satan, and living the life that he desires them to live. And why is that eh? What has made us such poor witnesses for Christ eh? Why do people choose to blaspheme His name and laugh at us, call us hypocrites eh? Because that’s the witness we show them. We talk a good talk, but unfortunately don’t walk the walk.
Look at all the division, dissensions, petty jealousies, and evil doing that’s to be found in Christ’s church…and that’s not in the church buildings, but in the members who are supposed to represent and validate the body of Christ. And, as I’ve said before, but it’s certainly worth saying again. The two main things that keep us from representing Christ in a fulsome way is firstly fear, fear of man, and secondly the overwhelming LOVE of a comfortable life.
As per fear, we seem to be scared of what the world can and will say about us; the names they will call us, or what physical harm they will do to us if we break out in full bloom and voice about being believers in Jesus Christ. But let’s not forget this warning of Jesus and take it very seriously. ‘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)
In other words my fellow believers, fear of man should not be our overwhelming concern, but rather fear of God, who can destroy both our souls and bodies in hellfire and damnation! And, furthermore, one of the most repeated commands in the Bible is: ‘Do not fear!’ And God doesn’t mean we should never feel fear, because fear is one of the emotions He’s built into us. What He wants to see, is what will we do and where we will go when the power of fear overcomes us.
And the basic answer is to turn to Him in faith and let him help us deal with our fear. As the prophet Isaiah said to the Israelites on the Lord’s behalf. ‘Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.’ (Is. 41:10) Then Bruh Paul told Timothy this scripture, which we all quote but don’t put into action, else we would not be as fearful as we are. ‘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 if you don’t believe those two scriptures, then try this one on for size. (smile) It’s the Lord talking directly to Joshua, when He made him the leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. He said to Joshua, mano a mano! ‘Have not I commanded thee? be thou strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.’ (Josh. 1:9) It couldn’t be said in any firmer words or tone than that my brethren!
And Joshua, though most likely afraid of the vast responsibilities suddenly placed on his shoulders, took the Lord’s words to heart and went out and did the job expected of him. Likewise, we are expected to take all the encouraging and reassuring words found in the scriptures and use them in our daily lives. What’s the purpose of knowing the scriptures if we don’t put them into action? None whatsoever!
Please, let’s remember the awesome purpose of the scriptures as Bruh Paul told Timothy. ‘All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished (equipped) unto all good works.’ (Tim. 3:16-17) Yes friends, the Bible is our Guidebook for Living, authored by the Holy Spirit of God. And if we want to live a good, full, interesting and eternal life, we ought to follow it much more closely than we’re currently doing. End of Sermon! (smile)
And if God decides to give us another wonderful and exhilarating day on planet Earth, then we will continue with today’s topic… the lack of good witness from believers. Now, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know of whom we belong to 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 made that sincere announcement, 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!
…to live for Christ means…biting the bullet whenever necessary…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
09 Jul 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new commandment I give unto you, as I have loved you, Bible, bounden duty, by this shall all men know, by this shall men know that ye are my disciples, christianity, Christians, compassion, divisions and dissensions within Christ's church, every good and every perfect gift is from above, faith, fanfare, first fruits, forgiving, god, God is the source of all light, God never changes, God's mercies and compassions are new every day, God's wrath, human kindness, hurry, hypocrites, if any man will come after me, in god's eyes, in the world but not of the world, Jesus, Jesus Christ, let him deny himself, lock stock and barrel, long-suffering, LOVE, mercy, no variableness, of the world, petty jealousies, shadow of turning, share His love with my neighbours, slow to anger, take up his cross daily and follow me, talk the talk, the beloved of God, the Father of lights, the way the truth and the life, there's no darkness in God, this is the day the Lord has made, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Manrta, walk the walk, we will rejoice and be glad in it, wisdom, worry, ye love one another
James 1:17a. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights,
O.K! Tuesday is here in all its summer glory; sunshiny and warm, and we’ve forgotten Monday, forgotten all the frustrations and concerns it might have caused us, because Tuesday is a new day! And what do we say when a new day dawns? ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it!’ (Ps. 118:24) Yes friends, that’s exactly why the Lord gave us a new day, so that we could enjoy it with all of His mercies and compassions that are brand new every day! (Lam. 3:22-23)
Wow! What an awesome God we serve my brethren! Good and faithful is He from the beginning right down to the very end. As James so rightly says in his epistle: ‘Do not err (be deceived) my brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variableness (variation), neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.’ (James 1:16-18)
What reassuring scriptures my faithful believers. But what does it all mean? These two commentaries spread some light on the situation. The first one says: ‘So, if “there is no shadow of turning,” that means there is no darkness in Him. He is light and He doesn’t change. As we move in and out of the light and the earth moves, our shadow shifts. Not true for God. He is the source of light – there is no shadow because there is no movement (turning) in Him.’
And the second tells us: ‘James is encouraging believers in Christ to tell themselves the truth: God gave you every single good thing in your life. He is the source of all the good you have and all the good you crave. Who God is does not change when our circumstances change.’ And that’s the gospel truth my people! Our God never changes, from day one to the end of time, He has been, He is, and will be the same; merciful, forgiving, LOVING, compassionate, long-suffering, slow to anger, etc. etc. God.
But don’t forget that though He is longsuffering and slow to anger, He will not put up with our foolish, ungodly ways for ever, and we certainly don’t want to feel His wrath. Remember how the Israelites felt it when they refused to live the way He desired and chose to worship man-made idols instead. And remember too how He destroyed the world by flood when the world was so sinful and ungodly. So, although He’s good and LOVING and all those other marvellous things, His wrath can be very destructive.
Now that means we should be careful of how we live, but it’s exactly what we’re not doing, for the world is more sinful and ungodly than its ever been! And sadly, many of us supposed believers are helping it along by being OF it, rather than simply living IN it as Jesus desires. So who knows where our world is headed? We’re sure of only one thing, that it’s going through a rather tragic and disastrous time with all sorts of man made strife and natural disasters like we’ve never seen before.
Some say it’s a sign of the end times, while others say no. But whatever it is, we can only work on the premise that Jesus is the answer…the way the truth and the life, and no man gets to see the Father’s face unless we go through Jesus. (John 14:6) That means sincerely living for Jesus is the wisest decision and best action we can ever take. Being good agents, ambassadors and disciples for His kingdom. And let’s remember what that means in Jesus own words. ‘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)
That says it all friends! To follow Jesus we have to be much more like Him than we currently are! We have to stop allowing the world to control us as much as it’s doing, and live sacrificially for Him, like He did for us, while LOVING each other, the way He LOVED us. Remember these poignant words of His. ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:34-35)
Now, can we truly say that the members of Christ’s church, truly LOVE one another? Definitely not! With the amount of divisions, dissensions, the serious infighting and petty jealousies that cause much strife in the body of Christ, truly LOVING each other is far from being a reality! And that’s why the heathen don’t see us as true disciples of Christ, and don’t show us any respect. In fact many of them laugh at us and call us hypocrites, because we’re so good at talking the talk, but terrible at walking the walk.
And until we change our hypocritical, two-faced ways like the Pharisees of old, we will never climb to the standard that Jesus desires of us, and one that will make others believe us and want what we claim to have. So, if we are truly desiring to live for Jesus, then we know what we all have to do; stop being as hypocritical as we currently are, reduce the divisions, dissensions and infighting in the church, and start sincerely LOVING each other! And that only means being good to each other, treating each other with courtesy and respect, helping each other in times of need. In other words, basic human kindness. And if we can’t show basic human kindness to those around us, then we have no claim to be called Christians. End of Sermon!
Now, for those of us who are sincerely trying to live for Jesus, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one 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 made that declaration (yesss!) it’s now our bounden duty 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!
…true believers ought to live like Jesus did…without much fanfare…but with much kindness and compassion…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
22 Jul 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a gift of God's grace, a means of restoring faith in you, a wise materbuilder, absent from the body present with the Lord, after this the judgement, appear before the judgement seat of Christ, be revealed by fire, bring backsliders back to your fold, by thy words thou shalt be condemned, by thy words thou shalt be justified, combustible materials, Covid-19 virus, every idle word that men speak, faith without works is dead, faithful believers, for other foundation can no man lay than Jesus, Friday chant, hypocrites, incombustible materials, introduce a whole new flock, it is appointed unto men once to die, LOVE, our own indulgent purposes, show them the error of their ways, talk without action is useless, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, they shall give account of on judgment day, trusting faith, unrest in the streets, wake up and smell the coffee, whether it be good or bad
Matthew 12:37. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
And although many of us have not done much for the entire week, we are still boldfaced enough to raise our voices in insincere thanks today, saying ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ What a bunch of hypocrites we really are! There is no real thanks in our declaration, just mere selfish desires that the work week is almost over and then we can do as we please; party, over-indulge, etc. etc. It’s surprising how we can call God’s name, use it for our own indulgent purposes, but not seriously and sincerely talk to Him about the things that truly matter in this mish-mash life and ungodly world in which we’re currently living.
But please remember friends that one day we will all be called to account for our life, for the words we spoke and the actions we took or did not take. Jesus told us quite plainly: ‘But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.’ (Matt. 12:36-37) Yes my brethren, come the judgement day we’ll answer for a lot of stuff that in the world view, we now think is quite all right, but it really isn’t.
So, for argument’s sake, (smile) crying out ‘Thank God it’s Friday,’ and not really meaning it, might be words you’ll be called to give account for. That’s why Bruh Paul wrote thus in his second missive to the church at Corinth. ‘We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour (make it our aim), that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him (be well pleasing to him). For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done; whether it be good or bad.’ (2 Cor. 5:8-10)
Oh my fellow believers, as Bruh Paul already pointed out in 1 Cor. 3:10-15, all our works will be judged by fire, and rewards handed out based on those that survive the flames. And though we’re not under condemnation, nor fear being thrown out of heaven once we get there, we must be aware that God will still hold us responsible for the deeds done in the body. Now don’t think we can get away from that judgement either, (smile) because there are two certainties in this life, as the author of Hebrews puts it. ‘And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement.’ (Heb. 9:27)
So, all of us will die, and all of us will face the judgement seat of Christ! It means that if want to have less face time with Christ at the judgement and earn more rewards, then we need to ensure that our words, deeds and motives down here on earth are well-pleasing to Him. It’s as simple as that. And remember, no one is going to answer for us, neither are we going to answer for anyone else. It will be just the individual and Christ. So, please stop concentrating and worrying about what others are saying and/or doing and concentrate on what you are saying and doing.
And I guess the best way to make us understand is by quoting Bruh Paul’s words from 1 Cor. 3:10-15, about building our individual ministries and Christians being co-labourers. He says: ‘According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay that that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble (straw); Every man’s work shall be made manifest (become evident): for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try (test) every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide (endures) which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved: yet so as by (through) fire.’ (1 Cor. 3:10-15)
Therefore my brethren, it’s imperative that we build our lives, our ministries, whatever we build, on the one true and solid foundation of Christ Jesus, the Rock! And that we build with gold, silver or precious metals which are incombustible and thus cannot be burned or consumed by the figurative fire or judgement. However, if our buildings are constructed of cheap, combustible materials like wood, hay, stubble or straw, they will obviously be consumed by the fire and we will lose any rewards we might have expected, which are all a gift of God’s grace.
The good thing though, is that we will not lose our salvation. But as the scholars point out: ‘The stress in this entire passage is not on a person’s relationship to Christ, but on service to Christ.’ So, although we believe, and are saved, we are still expected to do some useful work to build the kingdom. How would you feel if you are one of those in heaven who don’t have any rewards eh, because your service to the kingdom didn’t survive the judgement, while all around you are others displaying their gracious gifts for their worthwhile service?
None of us will be pleased, although I suppose jealousy and envy won’t be a part of our character then. (smile) To avoid that kind of situation then, let’s think about doing more worthwhile service now nuh. And to help us do that, let’s go to the throne of grace in sincere prayer, through our Friday Chant, laying all our wants and needs before the feet of our Creator.
As one confident but humble voice. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means 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 both the virus and the unrest in our streets.
So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks. And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways.
And please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets 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!’
Now, if we want to see positive results, it behooves us to go out into the evil world and truly behave as faithful believers! Much LOVE!
…faith without works is dead…talk without action is useless…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
24 Jul 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a mindset of love, a new commandment I give unto you, an early morning flower, an ugly caterpillar to a beautiful butterfly, another blessed day in the life, But God commendeth his love toward us, by this shall all men know, Christ's redeeming presence, covenant love, God sent His son, God's perfect and infinite compassion, hypocrites, if ye have love one to another, in terms of love of God self and neighbour, like burnt toast, LOVE, love is an action word, LOVE is of God, love means comittement and action, love one another as I have loved you, LOVE the Lord with all our hearts, Love thy neighbour as thyself, opening to the sun, thank you heavenly Father, the moral life can be summed up, to be the propitiation for our sins, unconditional LOVE, which is the great commandment, while we were yet sinners christ died for us, without the love of Christ you're nothing, ye are my disciples
John 13:35. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.
Saturday, oh Saturday! Another blessed day in the life! Thank You my heavenly Father, for it is only with Your divine help and protection, your awesome grace and mercy, that I awoke this morning and can put one foot in front of the other! Without You, I’d just be like burnt toast, without any good use, only waiting to be thrown in the garbage. But when You proclaimed Your amazing and unconditional LOVE for me, life just blossomed, like an early morning flower gracefully and gratefully opening to the sun, like an ugly crawly caterpillar being miraculously transformed into a beautiful, colourful butterfly!
Oh Father God, with such a blessed, secure and comforted life, how can I not LOVE You with all my heart, mind body and soul eh? That’s why Your most wonderful Son, Jesus, when asked ‘Master which is the great commandment in the law?’ quoted the words of the Old Testament Covenant. ‘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. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and prophets.’ (Matt. 22:36-40).
And that’s the indisputable truth my fellow saints! LOVING our heavenly Father, our Most High God Jehovah is the number One action that’s called for in our lives! And then we need to LOVE those around us in the same manner that we LOVE ourselves. That obviously means that the action, emotion and mindset of LOVE is ever so important in our lives. So important that Jesus, before His crucifixion said to the disciples: ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another, as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:34-35)
Oh my people, once again Christ reiterated the utmost importance that LOVE ought to play in our lives, especially those who claim to be His disciples, His followers, His ambassadors and agents! And as one commentary on the Great Commandment from the LoyolaPress Website explains: ‘Jesus teaches that the moral life can be summed up in terms of LOVE of God, self, and neighbor.
The New Testament understanding of LOVE is based on the Old Testament understanding of covenant LOVE, which is that God’s steadfast LOVE will never waver. The Christian who cooperates with the Holy Spirit will not waver in his or her LOVE for God. This is a LOVE of commitment and action to a better personal relationship with God. It shows a true appreciation of how much God LOVES the person as an individual — as well as the person’s willingness to serve the neighbor.’
Yes my brethren, the three most important words there are ‘commitment and action.’ Those are the backbone of LOVE! We have to be committed and then put that commitment into action, because LOVE is not merely a spoken word, but even more importantly an ACTION word! For you cannot say that you LOVE and don’t have action to back it up. But that’s just how many of us in this evil and ungodly world do it, even supposed Christians. We talk a good talk, but our actions don’t show any real LOVE!
Remember Jesus said that people would know us as His disciples if we showed LOVE to each other. But you can check out any Christian congregation and the amount of dislike and resentment you’d find would be unbelievable. And John in his first epistle reminded us of that godly action that’s necessary amongst believers. ‘Beloved, let us LOVE one another: for LOVE is of God; and every one that LOVETH is born of God, and knoweth God. He that LOVETH not knoweth not God; for God is LOVE.
In this was manifested the LOVE of God towards us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so LOVED us, we ought to LOVE one another.’ (1 John 4:7-11)
Oh friends, we couldn’t have a better reason for LOVING God, than His action of showing how much He cares for us by sending His One Son to die for us. And the thing is that God cared for us so much, as Bruh Paul states to the church at Rome: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his (own) LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8) Imagine that nuh! We did not have to change first before He LOVED or saved us. But the Lord stepped out first. He showed that He was seriously in LOVE with us by acting on His words and sending Christ to die for us.
So why is it so hard for us to treat each other decently eh? And yes, LOVING each other doesn’t necessarily mean dying for each other, although that’s a possibility, but simply being thoughtful of and caring for others, especially those of the faith. And that’s why the heathen laughs at us and consider us such amazing hypocrites when we talk about LOVE, because we don’t treat each other in a Christlike or LOVING manner. So why would they want to be like us eh? We ourselves are the biggest detriment to Christ’s church by the evil and ungodly way so many, too many of us behave.
And I want to close with this important explanation from the scholars, re 1 John 4:7. They say: ‘In context, John is not saying that everyone who LOVES is somehow a Christian, whether they trust in Christ or not. He makes it clear elsewhere that true knowledge of God entails right belief about Christ, as well as right response to God, including LOVE of others. Mere human LOVE apart from Christ’s redeeming presence and motivation falls short of LOVE in its fullest dimension as a human response to God’s perfect and infinite compassion (cf. 1 Cor. 13).’
That means you can have all the LOVE in the world, as the world defines it, and don’t have Christ, then you’re still lacking in true LOVE! And I guess you all have realized by now that once again I did not receive any quotes this past week from our friend Anselm. Please, let’s pray that he is all right, and will soon resume his task of aspiring to inspire us for a better tomorrow. Much LOVE!
…regardless of how many gifts you possess…if you don’t have the LOVE of Christ…you’re nothing…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
24 Nov 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a mighty conqueror, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, around me like a mighty shield, ask the Lord for help, ate and drank with publicans and sinners, awakened when the final trump calls, bounden duty, but sinners to repentance, chores, Christ's awesome interest in our lives, Christ's Church, come unto me, don't have to hurry, dull dour Christian, excited Christians, full of dead men's bones., full of hypocrisy and iniquity, give Christ much thanks and praise, glorious sacrifice of His sinless life, glory and adoration, glory hallelujah, have life more abundantly, help the sick and suffering, helping each other, hypocrites, I am the beloved of god, I came not to call the righteous, I can do all things, I don't have to worry, in god's eyes, late night shenanigans, lend a helping hand, like unto whited sepulchres, make clean the outside of the cup, mamaguying, meek and lowly in heart, not be ashamed to preach Christ, not what I do, not what I have, not what people say about me, on the cross at Calvary, our sins to be forgiven, outwardly appear righteous, reverence that will never end, self-righteous, share His love with the world, sucking lime, take my yoke upon you, the Christian Brotherhood, the great invitation, the Holy Spirit of Christ, the many benefits of knowing Christ, the poor me one, the promise of eternal life, the scribes and Pharisees, they they that are whole need not a physician, through Christ who strengthens me, to be reconciled to Almighty God, to stand justified and righteous before God, too proud to beg, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, With Christ beside me, within they are full of extortion and excess, ye shall find rest unto your souls
Luke 5:32. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Chores, chores, chores! Oh how I hate it when early morning chores impede my already slow and shaky progress in writing the Bit! (smile) Yeh, waking up, when the body is just getting into full sleep mode is hard enough to contend with after some late night shenanigans. So half asleep, all I want to do is get my strong, sweet java and come down here and ask the Lord for help and guidance to write His Bit.
Chuh man! I don’t need no other foolish, but possibly necessary chores (smile) to intervene there. But who says that life would be easy eh? Nobody. And furthermore, I know I can handle those chores with my eyes closed because I know that I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me! Glory Hallelujah my faithful bredrin!
And with Christ beside me, around me like a mighty shield, and within me, I become a mighty conqueror, so that no one can stand against me and no harm can come to me all the days of my life! Mama Yo! What a wonderful Lord, Saviour, Guide and leader we have! Please precious saints, please give Him much thanks and praise, glory and adoration, with reverence that will never end!
And is the ole fella excited this Tuesday morning or what! But that’s what is supposed to happen to believers in Christ when we truly understand the full power and majesty of His awesome interest in our lives, and the many benefits He’s willing to provide, if we will only do His bidding.
Ah mih people, we can’t be true Christians if we’re not excited by all that’s possible and available to us in and through Christ! A dull, dour Christian is NO Christian at all! For if we’re not excited for our sins to be forgiven, to be reconciled to Almighty God, to stand justified and righteous before Him and be awakened when the final trump (not Donald) calls, so the promise of eternal life with Christ can be fulfilled, then what’s the point in believing eh?
I hate to see the supposed pious, the supposed humble, the poor me one, who thinks that they are being so Christian by downgrading and degrading themselves. Yes, we need to be humble and all that, but not to be ashamed to preach Christ and his gospel. Remember He died that we might have life, and have it more abundantly. What does that mean eh? Dragging and eating dust all the days of our lives?
Certainly not! But to be standing proud and honouring His name and glory; letting ALL and sundry know what He’s done for us in particular, for this sinful world in general, and all the wonderful benefits and promises He has bestowed upon us, especially His momentous and glorious sacrifice of His sinless life for us on the cross at Calvary! And how can you tell people about that, if you’re dragging, ashamed and otherwise not excited eh? How can you offer Jesus’ Great Invitation when you seem like you’re on your last breath and expect people to believe you eh?
Listen to Him open up His very heart and soul to all who are shaking it rough nuh: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly (gentle and humble) in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt. 11:28-30) Now how can you invite someone to come to Jesus and enjoy those benefits eh, if you yourself are looking and behaving so rough and weary and laden eh? I certainly wouldn’t want to listen to anyone spout the great benefits available when they don’t look like they have received them!
And that’s partly why the heathen today doesn’t pay much mind to we supposed believers; because we don’t look like and don’t behave like believers are supposed to behave! Too many of us are sour and miserable, cheap and greedy, with generosity a bad word in our vocabulary, and too much like the world around us!
Ah mih people, why you all start me off eh? (smile) But is true. If you look at the normal, ordinary Christian you’d never know that we different from the world, and we have so many good things going for us. Half of us so unpleasant, like we always sucking lime; and the next half either too proud to beg or to lend a helping hand. But that’s what Christianity is all about. And remember when the hypocrite Pharisees asked Christ why he ate and drank with publicans and sinners, He answered: ‘They that are whole (healthy) need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.’ (Luke 5:31-32)
And when Jesus spoke there about the ‘righteous’ He was just mamaguying the Pharisees. He really meant the ‘self-righteous’ like the Pharisees themselves, who thought they were so good and righteous that they needed no repentance. Oh my people, too many of us today also behave like the Pharisees, willing to tell others what to do but not doing anything of the kind ourselves.
Remember how Jesus lambasted the scribes and Pharisees, the religious leaders in Matthew 23? ‘Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter (dish), but within they are full of extortion and excess (self-indulgence). Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter (dish), that the outside of them may be clean also.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye are like unto whited sepulchres (white washed tombs), which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity (lawlessness).’ (Matt. 23:25-28)
Now you can imagine how angry and upset Jesus was by the self-righteous, hypocritical behaviour of the supposed religious leaders who were leading the people astray with a whole lot of man-made tradition and not enough true religious doings, if He could spend so much time telling them off. He really got it off His chest that day. Unfortunately though, times have not changed that much for there are still too many of us supposed believers who behave and act like those long gone scribes and Pharisees, hence the Christian brotherhood, Christ’s church is not held in as high an esteem as it deserves.
Friends, our unchristian behaviour is killing Christ’s church. Please, please, I plead with us to wake up and do better. Remember that this pandemic situation and strife filled world is nothing but a wake up call to Christ’s church to get with the true programme; help the sick and the suffering, look out for the poor and homeless, and all those who are badly wounded, thus we can sincerely bring others to Christ, which is our bounden duty as believers. And I do hope what I’ve said makes sense, but even if it doesn’t, I know that with the Holy Spirit of Christ dwelling within you, you are wise enough to pick sense from nonsense. (smile)
Now let’s go home declaring (awright!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know who and whose we are. In strong voice with sincere hearts: ‘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!’
Now let’s go out, or even stay in (smile) and do just that nuh. Much LOVE!
…true Christianity…is all about…helping each other…and spreading the LOVE of Jesus…
P.S. Yes, it long, and somewhat late, but it good…and true too! (smile)
08 Aug 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: action changes things, Anselm's quotes, aspires to inspire, become our limits, believers, benefit our world, blaspheme against holy god, bring to fruition, Christians, complaining, compromising, daydreamer, don't face, even as I am not of the world, fears, followers of Christ, for a better tomorrow, get it done, heaven on high, hypocrites, keep them from the evil one, light of the world, live a life that's pleasing to god, not take them out of the world, notice things that others don't, pay close attention, pilgrims, raise a glass, raise a toast, ruminating, saints in Christ, salt of the earth, Saturday, social media, take chances, the most accommodating day, they are not of the world, words of wisdom
John 17:16. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Raise a glass friends! Raise a toast to the most accommodating day of the week – Saturday! That’s the only day that welcomes you to do exactly as you please; work, laze, party, clean, shop, etc. etc. So let’s all declare: (yeahhh!) ‘Welcome Saturday! Welcome in the best way possible! And we gratefully thank the Lord Jehovah for you!’ Yes, we can’t forget to thank the Lord for all that we have, for it’s through His generosity, mercy, grace and forgiveness that we have all we have. (smile)
And having said all of that, deep down, I don’t know if I’m all that thankful for Saturdays nuh, (smile) since the next task at hand is for me to interpret the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. Sometimes they are simple and straightforward, but at other times I have a heck of a time figuring out what the quoter really meant. Take for instance this first one today. ‘Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it’s the only way you can do anything good.’
Now I’m not sure whether the last word in that first sentence is really ‘down,’ or he meant ‘done.’ That’s my first dilemma. (smile) But I’m going to take it that he meant ‘Get it done.’ Because that makes more sense to me. In this life, we certainly need to step out and take chances, especially when we’re in the employ of Jesus Christ, for that’s the only way we’ll ever know or do anything, be it bad or good. We need to get things DONE! Especially in this social media society where there’s way more talk than action. But it’s really action that changes things and situations!
And that segues nicely into this next quote: ‘Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.’ Yeh friends, the daydreamer, not the night dreamer, is the one who usually effects the most change in our society. They consciously dream during the day (smile) for things that might be, things that they might be able to bring to fruition and benefit our world. That’s how many of our inventions have come about. Some thoughtful person ruminating on how to fix a stubborn problem, or simply ruminating period, then coming up with a bright idea and changing everything, hopefully for the better. That’s not to put down might dreamers, for they too have a useful purpose… just don’t ask me what. (smile)
And then we come to this interesting quote: ‘Look for the thing you notice, but no one else notices.’ Now that’s ever so important in all walks of life, especially business and commerce, for it’s the person who has the uncommon or unnoticeable idea who has the best chance of benefiting from it. Don’t know if I put that in a very understandable manner, (smile) but a lot of stuff; inventions and things like drive-ins and drive thru restaurants and motels did not always exist, but came from day-dreamers and those who noticed things that others didn’t. Now they are all the rage in our society. That’s the benefit of noticing, of paying close attention to your surroundings and the people around you.
So what’s next you ask? Well the next quote gives us the answer in spades: ‘Just do your best and to hell with the rest.’ Ah mih people, that’s about all we can ever do; our best. And once we’ve sincerely done that, we ought not to worry about anybody or anything else, that’s because we can’t ever do better than our best. And as Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) likes to say: ‘Do what you can, and the Lord will do the rest. But He won’t ever do what you can do.’ Certainly words of wisdom my fellow saints in Christ!
And yuh know that our Lord and Saviour expects nothing but the best from each of His followers! That means we have to be full of salt and shine as brightly as possible in this dark, sinful. evil and salt-less world! But unfortunately too many of us are not doing our best, being that effervescent salt and light Jesus desires in His followers. Remember we said above that we need to do things, and that it’s those who get things done that make the major difference in our society.
So obviously, if we were getting the supposedly Christian things done in our society, the world would definitely not be as ungodly, sinful and evil as it is, and be so desirous of kicking God out of our midst, rather than being wise and welcoming Him with open arms. The question we then need to ask, is why the saints of Christ are not truly behaving like the saints of Christ? And I think this last quote has quite a lot to do with it. ‘The fears we don’t face become our limits.’
Yes friends, too many believers are too afraid to stand up and witness for Christ. That’s the long and short of the story! If all Christians were witnessing as we ought to, our world would never be so ungodly and evil! That’s a definite fact! And whoever refuses to admit that is… I won’t write what I think, because we’re a family blog. (smile) And the said part is we don’t have to go out on the street corners or shout it from the rooftops, but just live a life that’s pleasing and worthwhile to God, cut out the compromising and the complaining about what we don’t have, and be grateful for all that we have!
We’re living better than 90 something percent of the world! So why the hell are we so complacent but yet so complaining eh? Ah Lord eh! I get so upset when I see so many supposed believers behaving worse than the world, because they are afraid to behave like true believers. That’s why the heathen mock and blaspheme holy God and laugh at us and call us hypocrites! And as the quote above says, the fears we don’t face become our limit.
Yes that’s as far as we will ever go, until believers learn to face their fears of this evil world, and don’t just spout scripture like we can do all things through Christ who strengthen us, but actually put the scriptures into action. That’s why they were given to us; because there’s power in the Word of God and right now we desperately need to use that power contained therein! Oh friends, I got a li’l worked up there, was pounding the keyboard real hard, so I hope what I’ve written makes sense. (smile)
But truthfully, we seem to have forgotten that Jesus desires us to be in the world, but not of the world. Remember how He put it in John 17, when He laid it all before the Father, in what is the real ‘Lord’s Prayer,’ or what some call the ‘High Priestly Prayer of Christ.’ ‘I pray not that thou shouldest take them (His followers) out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from evil (the evil one). They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.’ (John 17:15-16)
Let’s remember that nuh friends, remember that this earth is not our home, we’re only pilgrims passing through on the way to our real home, heaven on high. Now let’s go out and behave appropriately nuh. In Jesus name. Amen! Much LOVE!
…of the world…or in the world…that is the question…
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