The Overwhelming Importance of Christians Continually Seeking Greater Intimacy With God!

Psalm 37:25.        ‘I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed (descendants) begging bread.’

Okay! At last it’s our lazy-day Saturday, where anything goes…well, anything within reason. (smile) For we are followers of and believers in Christ Jesus, and that means there are some things we ought not to do, for He does not condone many of the things the world considers all right. But there are enough things allowed to keep us joyful and contented on this chilly, windy but bright and sunshiny Saturday, and one of them is to offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer. 

So let’s do so with all sincerity and truth. ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’ 

Now, if our prayer was truly sincere, if we truly desired to get a li’l closer to God, to develop some more intimacy with Him, then we’ll soon be feeling that sense of peace and calm washing over us, for there’s nothing He LOVES more than His human creations seeking to get close to Him. And if our hearts and motives are right, He will surely grant our request for greater communication and involvement. And that’s why so many of our lives are dull, dreary and without good purpose; we refuse to get closer to the One who controls our lives and all that’s in the world. 

Remember what the Bible tells us: ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods (rivers). (Ps. 24:1-2) So that tells us that the Lord is sovereign over all the earth and all that’s in it, which includes us human beings. Consequently, wisdom ought to be leading us to pay much more attention than we’re currently doing to the Creator and Ultimate Sovereign of the universe. 

Remember our lives are in His hands. He controls our birth, life and death. And also as Moses wisely informed the Israelites: ‘But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish (confirm) his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. (Deut. 8:18) Ah mih people if everything in and on the earth belongs to the Lord, then it must also be in his power to cause us to be prosperous. Simple logic decrees that. 

So, if the Lord has so much power over our lives, why are we so reluctant and consequently foolish in trying to ignore Him as much as possible, instead of running to Him and being greeted with open arms? Because we’ve fallen for the foolishness of Satan, who promises us all sorts of things but cannot keep those promises. And whatever he is able to give has so many strings attached to it, like a spider’s web, that we can never get loose from his avaricious grasp without the help of Jesus. Remember that; Jesus is the ONLY ONE who can take us from Satan’s greedy and evil grip. 

It’s also worthy of note that Satan, like us, is a created being, and if he was as powerful as he pretends, he would not have been kicked out of heaven for trying to overthrow the Lord. And like us, his time is finite. Yes, he’s living on borrowed time, for when the Lord is ready Satan will come to the end the Lord promised. ‘And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.’ (Rev. 20:10) 

And is that the same fate we desire to meet? I sincerely hope not! Not when we can achieve the exact opposite of life in heaven on earth with Jesus, where ‘God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.’ (Rev. 21:4) 

Now please look at both those scenarios and tell me which you prefer? The one for Satan might look somewhat rosier on earth, but the end certainly is unacceptable. And I don’t know why we sell our souls to the devil to get material wealth and power, when we can get the same things from the Lord if we live the way He desires. Living sincerely for God doesn’t mean a poor, downtrodden, primitive, sad, desperate life. No way! Remember Jesus came to earth not only to save us from our abominable sins, but also that we could have an abundant life right here on earth. He said it quite clearly: ‘I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10b) 

And an abundant life doesn’t mean scratching and scraping to make ends meet. No. But to get that abundant life, we also have to do as Jesus declared. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) And what better way to close today than with these most reassuring and faithful words of Bruh David from Psalm 37. He assuredly states: ‘I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed (descendants) begging bread.’ (Ps. 37:25) 

Now, if we can’t believe Bruh David, who went through so many trials and tribulations in the service of the Lord, then who will we believe eh? So what are we to do? It’s like Cousin Sol says: ‘Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.’ (Prov. 4:7-8) 

And where do we get that wisdom and understanding? From Almighty God obviously! Where else? As Cousin Sol so profoundly declares: ‘The fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the beginning (principal beginning) of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.’ (Prov. 1:7) 

Please my people, let’s not be foolish, but be wise on this lazy-day Saturday and seek the Lord while He may be found. Much LOVE!

…it all begins with God…flows through God…and ends with God…

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

The Faithful Promises of God to the Righteous!

Psalm 92:12.         The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon (strong and tall).

And then, at long last, it was our favourite workday, Friday. And although the sun’s not as hot and shining as we might like it, with a few clouds overhead, it doesn’t stop those shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ from rising on high. I guess it would take a really terrible Friday to stop those shouts from rising up. (smile) Anyway, since God has spared our lives to see another day on His beautiful planet earth, that’s sadly beset by all kinds of disasters, both natural and man-made, let’s keep our promise of yesterday to check out God’s promises for the righteous, having seen how He intends to utterly destroy the wicked.

And one of the best scriptures on God’s blessing on the righteous is found in Psalm 1, aptly titled – Blessings on the Godly. The psalmist opens with this awesome proclamation: ‘Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate (ponder on) day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers (channels) of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.’ (Ps. 1:1-3)

Wow! What a wonderful blessing the Lord proclaims for the righteous! And if that scripture doesn’t take your fancy, then try this one from Psalm 92, titled – Give Thaks to God. The psalmist confidently declares: ‘The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon (strong and tall). Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall bring forth fruit in their old age; they shall be fat and flourishing (plump and green); To shew that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.’  (Ps. 92:12-15)

Now, that’s the indisputable truth! There is no unrighteousness whatsoever in the Lord God Almighty! That’s why we can trust His every word and lean on His everlasting arms without fear! And even in their old age, the righteous will still be flourishing bringing forth good fruit, because the Lord is with them. But if you still don’t believe, then try this word from the prophet Jeremiah. ‘Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see (fear) when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful (anxious) in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.’ (Jer. 17:8)

Another wonderful verse of the Lord’s blessing upon the righteous! And you might be wondering why all these metaphors about trees planted by water. That’s because in the old time agrarian society, where farming was a major part of life, it was much easier for them to understand that kind of comparison. And furthermore, when you receive Christ as Lord and Saviour,  afterwards you don’t just sit around and do nothing, No, you’re expected to grow in spirituality and obedience, in faith and righteousness.

And what better way to explain that than by talking about trees planted by a plentiful supply of water with long, strong roots that go deep into the ground, and bear good fruit even in a season of drought. That’s how the righteous Christian ought to be; with strong roots planted in God and His Word, not afraid of whatever comes against him because of his strong faith in His Creator and Giver of Life, who blesses Him with all the necessities of life.

And Psalm 37 further tells us: ‘The steps of a good man are ordered (established) by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. I have been young, and am now old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed (descendants) begging bread. He is ever (always) merciful, and lendeth; and his seed (descendants) is blessed. Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore. For the Lord LOVETH judgement (justice), and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.’ (Ps. 37:23-29)

Now, you cannot want better testimony than that! Straight from the personal experience of Bruh David. He was a man just like us, with all our faults and foibles, but He trusted the Lord with all of his heart, and though his life was not easy, he still ended up victorious because of the Lord’s faithfulness. And  he perfectly describes the Lord’s faithfulness and blessings on the righteous in his famous and heartfelt Psalm 23 – the Lord is My shepherd. Perhaps you should take a minute afterwards and check it out and see how rich and wonderful it is in godly faithfulness and blessings. (smile)

In the meanwhile please follow these most reassuring words of Bruh David from Psalm 37. ‘Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.’  (Ps. 37:34) And that’s the gospel truth my people! Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine help in these tough and turbulent times.

Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough…  because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.

We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’

And  truthfully, one of the major reasons for the chaotic state of our world is insufficient Christian witness. We have been too much a part of the world, rather than being apart from it and spreading our marvellous salt and light so that the unbelievers could be attracted to Jesus. And if we want to see productive and positive changes in our world, then we have to step up to the plate and hit the ball out of the park. And do it right now! It’s as simple as that my faithful brethren! Much LOVE!

…to enjoy the good life…one must live the good life…

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

Let Almighty God be Your Refuge and Shelter in Times of Trouble!

Psalm 9:9.       The Lord will be a refuge (stronghold) for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.

And the snow fell, but not to a great extent, so that this Thursday morning in early December is not as bad as it could have been! Thanks be to God for that! And what’s on the agenda for today? A li’l something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. This one is simply titled ‘NOW!’  And by the way, I don’t remember if I have ever shared it before, but in any case, they are all worth sharing over and over again. (smile) 

So please read with me: ‘My great strong God! All the fight Is drained out of me. In my debilitating weakness I can’t even hold on to You. But Your own words Keep my hope stirring: “For I Your God Am firmly grasping Your right hand. I am saying unto you Do not fear. I have become your helper.” Now, dear Lord! Now!’ 

And isn’t that the way we always desire the Lord to react to our problems, with alacrity and undivided attention. And yes, sometimes when that is called for He will respond with haste, but our God is not there to jump when we call, we have the situation all wrong. The truth of the matter is that we are the ones who are supposed to jump to it when He calls. 

Anyway, what does the poem tell us? Basically that our omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present God is always there looking out for our problems and troubles. He’s promised to help us in all situations, so we should not be afraid of whatever comes against us. And that promise found in Psalm 9 is the Bible promise for today’s writing. It says: ‘The Lord will be a refuge (stronghold) for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord hast not forsaken them that seek thee.’ (Ps. 9:9-10) 

Oh my fellow believers, that’s the indisputable truth! The Lord has never, and will never abandon anyone who puts their sincere trust in Him. And Bruh David spells it out very nicely in Psalm 37 titled – Trust in the Lord, when he writes: ‘The steps of a good man are ordered (established) by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed (descendants) begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed (descendants) is blessed.’ (Ps. 37:23-26) 

Now that’s how the Lord treats the righteous and his descendants. And if you don’t believe Bruh David, then listen to the sons of Korah from Psalm 46 titled – Our Refuge and Strength. They open the psalm confidently proclaiming: ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help (an abundantly available help) in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.’ (Ps. 46:1-3) 

Oh my people, what powerful faith is engendered by those words! And that’s the kind of faith we believers in these ungodly and evil times need to have if we intend to make any kind of productive difference! The devil is riding high right now, but we certainly have the ability and the tools to overthrow him, if we get together and put our hearts, minds, souls and bodies to it. 

It’s like Bruh Paul wrote to Timothy in his first epistle. ‘But thou, O man of God, flee these things (the world’s evil); and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed (confessed) a good profession (confession) before many witnesses.’ (1 Tim. 6:11-12) 

Yes mih bredrin, we are expected to fight a good fight of faith, so that when our time to leave this earth comes, we can proudly say like Bruh Paul: ‘For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure (death) is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that LOVE his appearing.’ (2 Tim. 4:6-8) 

What a wonderful reward awaits us in heaven my people; that crown of righteousness! But only if we keep on being righteous and fight the good fight of faith down here. And I know all of us desire to have that awesome crown, but please, let’s remember it’s not something that’s handed out willy nilly, but only to those who truly deserve it. And if we sincerely want it, then we still have some time to turn ourselves around and become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus! 

And the Lord in His utmost generosity has indeed given us tools to do the job He desires of us. We call them our Thursday Blessings. So please, let’s declare them now so that they can be activated. As one strong and sincere voice! ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! 

I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’ 

And having made that declaration (awright!!!) we are now duty bound to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us. Much LOVE!

…to win the crown of righteousness…one must fight tooth and nail for it…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   26 February 2024 Philippians 4:19.

Philippians 4:19.        But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Jesus Christ.

Monday it is my people…and the bells toll once more, but this time not for worship, but for work! Yes friends, it’s time to get a move on, to get up and earn a living so we can feed, house and clothe our families. And, unfortunately, in these trying economic and ungodly times, that’s not always an easy task to accomplish, as negative circumstances keep coming against us. But if Jesus is your Lord and Saviour, then you have a fighting chance, in fact a winning chance to repel all the negativity that’s wanting to disrupt your life. That’s because Jesus is the Master of the positive circumstance, and has faithfully promised to look after all who sincerely trust in Him. 

Listen to this promise from Bruh Paul to the church at Philippi. ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ (Phil. 4:13) Now that’s the first thing we need to remember when the bad times hit; we have the power through Christ to handle any situation that comes against us! Then there’s this promise from the prophet Isaiah: ‘No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me, saith the Lord.’ (Is, 54:17) What reassurance that the devil cannot harm us! 

And to go along with those faithful promises is this awesome one from Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28) Now that’s a scripture we all know and constantly quote in the good times, but the problem is that we don’t take it very seriously when the tough times happen. For one reason or another, those trying circumstances flush that promise right out of our minds, and we begin claiming woe is me, instead of claiming the faithfulness of God’s promise, and declaring (chuh!!!) it over our negative circumstances. 

And Bruh David puts it ever so nicely in his famous Psalm 37, titled ‘Trust in the Lord,’ when he says: ‘I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed (descendants) begging bread. He is ever (always) merciful, and lendeth; and his seed (descendants) is blessed.’ (Psalm 37:25-26) Now there’s a very important scripture for the righteous to hold on dearly to! And what does all of that mean eh? I believe these two commentaries explain them best. 

The first says: ‘But as he (Bruh David) looked back on it all, he concluded that in his experience, the righteous had not been forsaken and their children had not needed to beg for bread. David knew that God has the power to take care of those who are striving to do right and their families. He trusted in God and His promises.’ And that’s what we, in these uncertain and unconventional times need to do in a big way, for if we don’t trust sincerely and staunchly in the Lord, then we’ll find ourselves on the outside looking in. And that’s never a good place to be. 

Now, the other commentary to which we referred re ‘his seed begging bread,’ says: ‘Again, it may be observed, that the psalmist is speaking in the context of righteous men that are liberal, and give to the poor freely and largely; and it is seldom if ever known that they or their children come to want and poverty.’  So, in other words, the general principle involved here, is what you sow is what you reap. Therefore the righteous need to live by a plentiful sowing of good seed, and thus the eventual reaping of a plentiful harvest; of giving generously and later receiving in abundance. That relates to either the righteous or their descendants, for the Lord’s goodness extends from generation to generation. 

And last, but not least, is this marvellous promise of Bruh Paul to the Philippians. ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Jesus Christ.’ (Phil. 4:19) Yes my fellow saints, when we are faithful to Almighty God and live righteously for His Son Jesus Christ, He will supply all our needs. But as Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, our first priority is to ‘Seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) 

And yuh know what friends, there’s not one scripture we’ve quoted that we can say is alien or unknown to us. We know them all, and quote them to others in trouble, but when our troubles come, we’re helpless to put them into useful action. So let’s remember that the faithful promises of our God are what we need to live the good and righteous life and don’t hesitate to call them up, when the enemy comes against us, as he very well will. Now, let’s go humbly but confidently to God, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking mercy and grace in our sure time of need. 

‘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 if our prayer was truly heartfelt, then we’d realize that the answer problems is found right there in it: ‘humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek your face.’ That’s the place we need to start, if we expect to receive divine help! Much LOVE!

…the Lord’s many promises were not made for fun…but for us to seriously live by…

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