04 Oct 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a desire for sincere intimacy, a God full of compassion, a life-saving choice, a rebellious people, a serious warning, a waste of life, a word to the wise is sufficient, abnormal weather, all should come to repentance, all to smithereens, an example to us, as some men count slackness, blessed are all they that wait for him, blessing and cursing, boosts our souls and spirits, both thou and thy seed may live, breaks God's heart, choose life, chosen to embrace Satan's evil ways, continue unchanged, deepen my breath, delivered my soul from the depths of hell, Dr. Charles Stanley, end up in unwise situations, eternal separation, faith, from the beginning of time, get you out of the way, God is not willing that any should perish, God's righteous desires, gracious, great is thy mercy, greater intimacy with God, hell fire and damnation, holy spirit, how should we then live, human creations have turned against God, I call heaven and earth, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, I marvel to think, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I want to be with you now, increase my awareness of you today, Israel paid harsh consequences for disobedience, Jesus Christ, laze around, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, leave all the consequences to Him, life challenging predicament, longsuffering, LOVE, lying children, may be gracious unto you, mercy, obedience and faithfulness to God, obey God, one of the reasons God created us, our children don't follow our guidelines, our transgressions and sins be upon us, pateince, pay harsh consequences for rebellious choices, personal experience, pine away, plenteous in mercy and truth, prophesy deceits, prophesy not unto us right things, quiet my soul, rebellious times, reconcile the situation, relax my muscles, right to the very end, salvation, say to the seers see not, set before you life and death, slow my thoughts, Son of man, speak unto the house of Israel, speak unto us smooth things, thank you for this tenderness, that choice also impacts us today, the Holy One of Israel, the Lord is a God of justice, the Lord is longsuffering to us-ward, the Lord is not slack concerning His promise, the Lord will be exalted, the wicked turn from his way and live, therefore will the Lord wait, to cease from before us, to witness this day against you, truth, turn aside out of the path, turn ye from your evil ways, wallowing in Satan's evil mire, warms the cockles of God's heart, why will ye die, will not hear the law of the Lord, wisdom, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Isaiah 30:9. That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the Lord:
Wow! Another sparkling, warm, beautiful summer-like day in early October. And it’s our lazy-day Saturday to boot! What bliss! (smile) We can even laze around outside at this time of year, if we so desire. And I do hope we give much thanks for this wonderful, but certainly abnormal weather, we are currently enjoying, for it’s eventually going to end. Anyhow, to aid in our lazing around, (smile) let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer with heartfelt sincerity and truth.
As one strong voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
Ah friends, there’s nothing like attaining greater intimacy with our LOVING God, for it not only boosts our souls and spirits, but it also warms the cockles of God’s heart, since a desire for sincere intimacy with us is one of the reasons He created us. And in these rebellious times, when so many of His human creations are turning, and have turned against Him, it just breaks His poor heart all to smithereens, because it means we have chosen to embrace His enemy, Satan’s evil ways, rather than His righteous and godly desires.
It’s just like how we end up with broken hearts when our children don’t follow our guidelines and end up in unwise situations totally opposite to what we desire for them. And I’m sure that when the Lord looks around and sees so many of His human creation following Beelzebub, wallowing in his evil mire, that it not only breaks His heart, but it keeps Him from sending Jesus back to earth, for He just cannot stand to lose so many of His creation to hell fire and damnation, and eternal separation from Himself.
It’s like Peter says: ‘The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.’ (2 Pet.3:9) Yes my people, the Lord certainly doesn’t want any of His human creation to perish, but that all of them should trust in Him and thus receive salvation and eternal life in His glorious company.
And there are several scriptures that attest to the sentiments in that verse, like these from Psalm 86 God’s Readiness to Forgive – where Bruh David writes: ‘For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest (depths of) hell (Sheol)…But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.’ (Ps. 86:13, 15) And those have been the wonderful attributes of our marvellous God from the beginning of time, and will continue unchanged right to the very end!
Now listen to Isaiah, as he talks about God’s graciousness and mercy towards a rebellious Israel. ‘And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you, for the Lord is a God of judgement (justice): blessed are all they that wait for him.’ (Is. 30:18) And that’s no lie friends! Our God is indeed filled with patience, as so many of us know from personal experience, because He waited so long for us to wake up and turn to Him for healing, salvation and eternal life. (smile)
Then there’s this interesting scripture from the prophet Ezekiel, as he talks to his people about turning from their evil ways. The Lord commands him: ‘Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine (waste) away in them, how should we then live? Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?’ (Ezek. 33:10-11)
And my brethren, that’s the very question the Lord’s asking us today…why will we die, why won’t we turn from our evil ways and live? Dying in our evil ways is simply a waste of life! It’s like Moses said to the Israelites so long ago. ‘I call heaven and earth to record (witness) this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.’ (Deut. 30:19)
It’s all so simple friends; God offers us two paths; life or death, blessings or curses. And he urges us to choose life with blessings, which entails obedience and faithfulness to God. And it was such an important moment, such a life-saving choice that Moses called both heaven and earth to witness it and the resulting consequences from that choice. Now what we have to remember is that choice did not only impact that generation, but also their descendants and those who choose to follow God, which also includes us in this twenty-first century.
Ah my fellow believers, there’s not much more to say on the subject, except these words from the Lord to the prophet Isaiah, re the rebellious people of Israel, words that resonate very well and very loudly in these evil and ungodly times. ‘Now go, write it before them in a table (on a tablet), and note it in a book (on a scroll), that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever: That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the Lord: Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits: Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.’ (Is. 30:8-11)
The Lord knew why he had Isaiah write those words, as an example, a serious warning for us. But just like Israel, we’re content to ignore them and go our merry way rejoicing, living our evil and ungodly lifestyles. But just like Israel paid harsh consequences for their disobedience, so will we also pay harsh consequences for our rebellious choices. The only way to reconcile the situation is by doing as Uncle Charles (the late Dr. Charles Stanley) liked to say; ‘Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.’ And that’s the ONLY way we will ever get out of our current, life challenging predicament. Much LOVE!
… a word to the wise is sufficient…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
27 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bunch of sinful ingrates, accounted sheep for the slaughter, angels, anyone who's seen the light of Jesus knows the truth, be able to separate us from the love of God, by grace are ye saved through faith, dead in sins, deepen my breath, distress, duped by the devil, eternal life, faith, famine, for God so loved the world, for thy sake, God broke His own heart for us, God commendeth his love toward us, God gave Jesus as a sacrifice, God who is so rich in mercy, God's love for mankind, he gave his only begotten son, holy spirit, I am persuaded, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, in all sincerity and truth, in all these things, increase my awareness of you today, it is the gift of God, Jesus Christ, kept in total darkness, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, lest any man should boast, Lord I want to be with you now, LOVE, man's foolish decisions, mercy, nakedness, neither death nor life, never doubt God's great love for mankind, Nicodemus, nor any other creature, nor height nor depth, nor powers, not of works, peril, persecution, principalities, quickened us together with Christ, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, salvation, salvation is the gift of God, Satan's evil machinations, seeking greater intimacy with God, shunned intimacy with God, slow my thoughts, thank you for this tenderness, the sword, the truth will set him free, things present, things to come, tribulation, truth, we are killed all the day long, we are more than conquerors, which is in christ Jesus our Lord, while we were yet sinners christ died for us, who shall separate us from the Love of Christ, whosoever believeth in him should not perish, wisdom, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Romans 5:8. But God commendeth (demonstrated) his (own) LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Another lazy-day Saturday…and is it ever bright and sunshiny! Brother! September is really treating us to some beautiful summer weather! And I hope that we won’t be angrily complaining when the cold weather at lasts sets in. (smile) But I know that’s just a pipe dream, because in this modern day society, complaining has become an integral aspect of our lives, even to the point of complaining just for complaining sake. Fortunately though, there’s nothing for us to complain about today since it’s so beautiful outside and we don’t have to go to work.
But to help ease whatever anxiety we might still possess, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, in all sincerity and truth. As one strong voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And as we say every Saturday; there’s nothing better than seeking and achieving greater intimacy with Almighty God, our Creator. For intimacy is one of the main reasons for which He created us. But unfortunately, down through the years, mankind, for whatever reason(s) has shunned intimacy with God, obviously much to God’s disappointment and man’s misfortune. However, our God is so wonderful, compassionate and LOVING, that He has never given up on us, even sent His One Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross so that we could be reconciled to Him, to get that intimacy we both were denied through Satan’s evil machinations, and our foolish decisions.
Now, on the subject of God’s LOVE for mankind, there are two most relevant scriptures. The first is where Bruh Paul declares to the Roman church: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his (own) LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8) That just goes to show that God did not wait for us to come to Him with clean and pure hearts. No! He instigated the whole affair of salvation and eternal life, because of His great LOVE for His most important creation, and not wanting to lose any of them to the evil Beelzebub.
That’s why Bruh Paul could also write these magnificent and reassuring words to the church at Rome: ‘Who shall separate us from the LOVE of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake, we are killed all the day long; we are accounted sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’
Mama Mia! What powerful and reassuring words from Bruh Paul, letting us know that nothing whatsoever can ever separate us from God’s LOVE, which comes to us through Christ! And just in case you didn’t know, (smile) that scripture is found in Romans 8: 35-39.
Now, the second poignant scripture we spoke of earlier, comes from the lips of Jesus Himself. That happens while talking with Nicodemus, the Jewish leader who had come to Him under cover of night seeking answers. Jesus candidly informs him: ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ (John 3:16) So what more do we need to see and understand that Almighty God’s LOVE for us is extremely important to Him? So important, that He was willing to break His own heart, to give His Son as a sacrifice, to suffer so much pain and abuse, for a bunch of sinful ingrates!
No wonder, Bruh Paul could write thus to the Ephesians. ‘But God, who is so rich in mercy, for his great LOVE wherewith he LOVED us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us (made us alive) together with Christ, (by grace ye are (have been) saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kingdom toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.’ (Eph. 2:4-9)
Yes friends, God LOVES us with such a fierce fatherly LOVE that He’s done everything in His power to give us the opportunity to get back into His good graces. And having seen and heard all of that, how can we then not desire greater intimacy with God eh? Not unless we are totally duped by the devil and his evil cronies and kept in total darkness and falsehood. For anyone who’s seen the light of Jesus knows the truth, and the truth will set him free from the evil and lying wiles of Satan. (John 8:32)
So my people, we can doubt many things in this world, but there’s one thing we can NEVER doubt, that’s God great, unconditional, undying, absolute and everlasting LOVE for His most wonderful, but sadly most foolish creation, human beings! Consequently, on this beautiful lazy-day Saturday, as we laze around doing not much of anything, let’s take some time to ponder that age old, but oh so true question of God’s undeniable LOVE for us nuh! Much LOVE!
…if God didn’t LOVE us…why did He sacrifice His Son Jesus…so that we could be reconciled back to Him…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
20 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a celebration of life, a community of faith, a metaphor for freshness and abundance, a source of divine blessing, all that thou settest thine hand unto, behold how good and pleasant it is, bless thee, deepen my breath, down to the skirts of his garments, even life for evermore, faith, fellowship, for brethren to dwell together in unity, greater intimacy with God, gullible and fearful people, he hears us, holy spirit, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I want to be with you now, if we ask anything according to His will, if we know that he hears us, in thy storehouses, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ, lazy-day Saturday, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, living in harmony with God and each other, LOVE, mercy, nothing like offering up heartfelt and sincere prayers, people who share a close relationship, quiet my soul, rand down the beard of Aaron, relax my muscles, salvation, slow my thoughts, thank you for this tenderness, the calming and peaceful of God, the dew of Hermon, the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion, the divisiveness of Christ's church, the gospel truth, the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee thy God, the life-giving blessing that God bestows, the Lord shall command the blessing upon thee, the precious ointment upon Aaron's head, the profound and positive impact of unity among people, there the Lord commanded the blessing, this is the confidence that we have in Him, to alleviate all the stress, truth, we have the petitions we desired, whatsoever we ask, where his people dwell in unity, wisdom, you are here with me, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Psalm 133:1. ‘Behold, how good an how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!’
Oh my bredrin, it’s our sunny but somewhat cloudy and cool lazy-day Saturday, where we either sleep in for as long as possible, or get up and loll around on the couch, on the porch, the back yard or some such place that’s conducive to doing little of anything. (smile) That’s our Saturday heritage.
Unfortunately though, I cannot enjoy those luxuries this morning because I have to attend a celebration of life at my church for one of our long time parishioners and church leaders. That means I am up and about at a rather early hour trying to do the Bit before I leave. And if I’m not successful in doing so, I’ll just do it when I return. Now that might make it a tad late, but rest assured you will get it asap. (smile)
And to start the day off on a wise footing, let’s offer up our ‘Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer,’ with all sincerity and truth. As one voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
Ah friends, there’s nothing like offering up heartfelt and sincere prayers to our wonderful God, for as John reminds us in his first epistle. ‘And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired (asked) of him.’ (1 John 5:14-15)
That means our asking for greater knowledge and intimacy with God, which is something He greatly desires, will surely be answered. So by now we ought to be feeling that calming and peaceful presence of His Holy Spirit working in us to help alleviate all the stress and strain of the just completed work week. What a great God we serve my people!
And our praying together reminds me of that beautiful Psalm 133, where Bruh David confidently proclaims: ‘Behold, how good an how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!’ (Ps. 133:1) And isn’t that the gospel truth! It surely is! For what can be better than people who share a close relationship, such as a community of faith, living in harmony with each other and their God? Absolutely nothing!
And to illustrate the goodness of that unity, the psalm continues with two powerful images that the Jewish people would be most familiar with. ‘It is like the precious ointment (oil) upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts (edge) of his garments; As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded blessing, even life for evermore.’ (Ps. 133:2-3)
Yes friends, brethren dwelling together in unity is as powerful and profound as when on the orders of God, (Ex. 29:1-9) Moses appointed Aaron as the priest and his sons to serve in the priesthood. Meanwhile Leviticus tells us: ‘And he (Moses) poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron’s head, and anointed him, to sanctify him.’ (Lev. 8:12) Thus the running down of the anointing oil on Aaron’s beard and clothes. According to one commentary: ‘This symbolizes something valuable and fragrant, a blessing from God.’
Then, when we talk of the dew of Hermon and the mountains of Zion, they are one and the same place. As Deuteronomy tells us about some of the land that Israel possessed. ‘From Aroer, which is by the bank of the river Arnon, even unto mount Sion, which is Hermon.’ (Deut. 8:48) And according to the above commentary, the dew that fell on Mt. Hermon and the mountains of Zion: ‘This is a metaphor for freshness, abundance, and the life-giving blessing that God bestows where His people dwell in unity.’
And we see that in the last part of verse 3 of the psalm; ‘for the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.’ That blessing can be found in Deuteronomy 28. ‘The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.’ (Deut. 28:8) Ah my fellow believers, there’s nothing as important as believers dwelling in unity and harmony, for then they are able to do God’s work properly and enjoy His many blessings for that work.
And I like how the commentary describes the overall action of the psalm. ‘Psalm 133 uses vivid imagery to describe the profound and positive impact of unity among people, particularly within the context of faith and community, highlighting it as a source of divine blessing and life.’
And we ought to remember that, and start bringing all the many feuding divisions, religions, cliques or what have you, together, so that we can do God’s work properly, for all the divisiveness now pervading Christ’s church is sadly keeping us from that unity and thus positive and productive work. All it does is allow the enemy to have greater control of the many gullible and fearful people in the world, when it should be Christ Jesus they are worshipping and serving.
Therefore on this lazy-day Saturday, as we laze and loll around the house, please, let’s seriously consider the disunity in Christ’s church and think of ways that we can reduce it and thus become as true brethren living in true unity. Remember, it’s all for our benefit, not God’s! Much LOVE!
… when Christ’s church is divided…His work is compromised…and thus of inferior quality…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
06 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a good example to follow, a longing for spiritual renewal, a portion for foxes, a thirsting soul, all that swear by God shall glory, and the lust thereof, comfortable slumber, deepen my breath, devour our sense of godliness, dire situations, divine help, during the work week, early will I seek thee, enjoying the peace and quiet, faith, fally by the sword, filling our hearts, get into sync with God, God's goodness and mercy, greater intimacy with God, he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever, holy spirit, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I want to be with you now, I will bless thee while I live, if any man love the world, improve our disobedient ways, in a dry and thirsty land where no water is, in the shadow of thy wings I will rejoice, increase my awareness of you today, is not of the Father but of the world, Jesus Christ, lament, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, lift up my hands in thy name, lost our humanity, LOVE, love not the world, lust for plenty, mercy, my flesh longeth for thee, my lips shall praise thee, my mouth shall praise thee, my soul shall be satisfied, my soul thirsteth for thee, neither the things that are in the world, O God thou art my God, offers up praise and thanksgiving, our most sought after goal, overflowing with thanksgiving, personal desires, petition, physical desires, praise thee with joyful lips, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, salvation, seen thee in the sanctuary, self-interests, sincere and heartfelt prayer, sincere closeness with God, slow my thoughts, sought the Lord's presence, spiritual maturity, spiritual renewal, thank you for this tenderness, the king shall rejoice in God, the Lord's face lights up, the Lord's heart dances a tango, the love of the Father is not in him, the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, the material things of the world, the overwhelming peace and joy of God, the pride of life, the righteous shall be glorified, the wicked shall be destroyed, the wisdom of the ages, the world passeth away, this age of greed, thy lovingkindness is better than life, thy right hand upholds me, to see thy power and thy glory, truth, wisdom, with marrow and fatness, with no hustle and bustle, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Psalm 63:1. ‘O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
Then it was Saturday, our lazy-day Saturday! And we do not mind in the least that it’s cool, because it’s mostly sunny, for we plan on doing very little of anything but lazing around in this first part of the day. And I did laze around in the bed this morning, enjoying the peace and quiet that surrounded me, without all the hustle and bustle that goes on during the work week.
Now, to further our efforts of peace and calm, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, in all sincerity and truth. As one strong voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And we know that if our prayer was sincere and heartfelt, the overwhelming peace and joy of the Lord will soon be filling our hearts, minds, souls and bodies! Why? Because a prayer to get closer to God, for greater intimacy with Him, is one He simply cannot refuse, since that’s what He’s all about; LOVE and togetherness. Oh, how the Lord’s face lights up, and His heart dances a tango, when we come to Him just seeking true closeness, nothing else but being near to Him and enjoying His marvellous company!
That reminds us of Psalm 63 – A Thirsting Soul – written when Bruh David was running from the murderous clutches of King Saul and hiding in the wilderness of Judah. He didn’t ask for deliverance or revenge on His enemies or any such thing, but he simply sought the Lord’s presence and remembered His goodness and mercy.
Thus, he writes: ‘O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen (looked for) thee in the sanctuary. Because thy LOVING-KINDNESS is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.’ (Ps. 63:1-4)
Oh my fellow believers, isn’t that just wonderful! Instead of crying out for divine help in such a crucial time, Bruh David offers up praise and thanksgiving. Now that’s an example many more of us ought to follow. Instead of always asking God for help when we come to Him, sometimes we just need to go to Him for His awesome refreshing presence and company, offering Him praise and thanksgiving for all that He’s done, and still intends to do for us.
It’s like the scholars explain: ‘Unlike many of the psalms written in these dire situations, however, this psalm is overflowing with thanksgiving rather than lament and petition. David declares his longing for spiritual renewal (vs. 1-2), he expresses his thankful mood (vs. 3-6), he gives voice to his trust in God (vs. 7-8), and he announces his hope for the future (vs. 9-11). Enemies are mentioned only in passing (vs. 9-10).’
Oh friends, could we ever do something so wonderful when we are being bombarded by the wiles of the enemy and the numerous temptations that this world offers? I certainly hope so, because that’s when we will know that we’ve attained a decent level of spiritual maturity. And that we can do like Bruh David, as he continues with praise and meditation.
‘My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow (the best) and fatness (abundance); and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips. When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.’ (Ps. 63:5-8)
Ah mih people, as I read those words I wonder about certain things Bruh David mentions. The first is, are we ever satisfied? In this age of greed and lust for plenty, even when the Lord blesses us, are we truly ever satisfied, and give Him thanks for it? Not very often…if ever. Then, where is our supposed trust in God, and our praise for His goodness to us? Much, if not all of it has disappeared, because we have become so taken up with the material things of this world, that we’ve lost the humanity and the spirituality we once had. We’ve allowed the world to devour our sense of godliness.
It’s as John writes in his first epistle. ‘LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh (physical desires), and the lust of the eyes (personal desires), and the pride of life (self-interests), is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.’ (1 John 2:15-17)
Now, hopefully, that scripture passage will awaken us from the comfortable slumber that we’ve fallen into, and cause us to improve our disobedient and lustful ways. (smile) And Bruh David, in his unshakeable confidence in the Lord, concludes the psalm thus: ‘But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth. They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion (a prey) for foxes (jackals). But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.’ (Ps. 63: 8-11)
And that’s the gospel truth my people! The Lord has promised throughout His Word that the wicked will eventually be destroyed, while the righteous shall be glorified! So please, let’s take a few moments to consider our ways this lazy-day Saturday, and see where we’re out of sync with the Lord, and ask for His help to get back into sync with Him. That’s wisdom for the ages! Much LOVE!
…sincere closeness to God…ought to be our most sought after goal…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
30 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's wisdom, a permanent rejection of Christianity, apostasy, before it's too late, cause for thought, deepen my breath, disobedience, doctrines of devils, draw near me with their mouth, examples for us, faith, fear toward me, flatter him with their mouth, giving heed to seducing spirits, greater intimacy with God, holy spirit, honour me with their lips, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, in the latter times, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ, lack of genuine faith, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, learn to honour God with hearts and mouths, lied unto him with their tongues, LOVE, mercy, neither were they steadfast in his covenant, outward devotion with words, paying lip service to God, punished for our rebelliousness, quiet my soul, rebelled against Almighty God, relax my muscles, removed their heart far from me, salvation, seek to hide their counsel from God, sincere heartfelt prayers, slow my thoughts, some shall depart from the faith, taught by the precept of men, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men, thank you for this tenderness, the doctrines of men, the high god their redeemer, the Lord judges the motives of our hearts, the motives of our hearts, the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid, the whole armour of God, the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, their heart is far from me, their heart was not right with him, their works are in the dark, they remembered that God was their rock, this people draw near to me with their mouth, times of lawlessness and ungodliness, truth, wisdom, woe unto them, worshipping God with insincere hearts, ye hypocrites, you are here with me, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Matthew 15:8. This people draweth nigh (near) unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips: but their heart is far from me.
Okay, so today has again opened somewhat sunny with a cloud shadow, but it’s our lazy-day Saturday, so we don’t really care. (smile) We’re not planning on going anywhere, and possibly not doing anything either, for that’s the purpose of the early part of this day. And yes, celebrations for the long, Labour Day weekend will come later, but right now it’s time to just relax, let the world go by, while God comes into our hearts, through our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer.
So, as one strong and sincere voice, let’s offer up this heartfelt prayer to our heavenly Father. ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And as we keep reminding ourselves, if our prayer was sincerely heartfelt, then the Lord who judges the motives of our hearts and not only what comes out of our mouths, will soon join us in a moment of greater intimacy, of peace and calm, for intimacy is what He most desires with His human creation. In fact that’s one of the very reasons He created us. So when we sincerely seek it, He cannot refuse to grant it.
Now, that matter of lip service to God is a very huge one, that’s why He checks the motives of our hearts, before considering our prayers, and it’s a problem that’s been noted several times in the Bible. Let’s check out a few of them nuh, beginning with this scripture from Psalm 78, as Asaph, the writer talks about one occasion when the Israelites having received godly punishment for disobedience, returned to the Lord.
‘And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer. Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues. For their heart was not right (steadfast) with him, neither were they steadfast (faithful) in his covenant.’ (Ps. 78:35-37)
Ah mih people, when we see the foolish disobedience that Israel constantly displayed and the many times that they were punished for it, it ought to give us great cause for thought, because all those things were written in the Bible as examples for us. But we are obviously not paying attention to that, because we have also rebelled against Almighty God in these times of much lawlessness and ungodliness. We’re possibly even worse that the Israelites because we have invented so much more evil than they ever knew about.
And yet we don’t think or expect to be punished for our rebelliousness. That’s fools wisdom my brethren, for the Lord will eventually punish all who disobey Him. That’s a promise. And you know He never reneges on His promises be they good or bad. Let’s hope and pray that we learn to honour God with not only our lips but also with our hearts before it’s too late. Now, here is a second mention of people worshipping God with insincere hearts. This comes from the prophet Isaiah, as he talks about the marvellous work the Lord will do for the Israelites.
‘Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men. Therefore, behold, I will (again) proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.
Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us? Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay (you have turned things around! Shall the potter be esteemed like the clay): for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed (formed) say of him that framed (formed) it, He had no understanding?’ (Is. 29:13-16)
But yuh know what friends, that’s exactly how we are behaving – like the Lord didn’t make us, and He has no understanding of men’s affairs, which is totally untrue, and only works to our detriment. And all of that leads us to Jesus admonishing the Pharisees using Isaiah’s words when they complained about the disciples eating with unwashed hands. ‘Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias (Isaiah) prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh (near) unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips: but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.’ (Matt. 15:7-9)
And unless we’re blind, we can see that happening all over our world today, where people are showing outward devotion with their words, but their actions show a lack of genuine faith and devotion in their hearts, for their worship is based on human rules, the doctrines of men, laid down in the tenets of religion, which are being taught as the commandments of God. And that’s what religion does, inculcate the traditions of men into the Word of God, that eventually the Word itself gets lost in the overabundance of tradition.
That’s why it’s so important for individual believers to read and know the word, so that they can refute the doctrines of the many false teachers and pseudo-intellectuals who are leading people astray in these ungodly and uncertain times. That’s why Bruh Paul warned Timothy thus: ‘Now the Spirit speaketh expressly (clearly), that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing (deceiving) spirits, and doctrines of devils:’ (1 Tim. 4:1)
And the scholars explain ‘depart as apostasy, which is the deliberate and permanent rejection of Christianity after a previous profession of faith in it.’ And we see that all around us today, where people are leaving the faith, having listened to false teachers, and doctrines of devils (doctrines taught by demons) evil spiritual beings working on Satan’s behalf. And as the scholars further say, ‘Underestimating their immense power would be a grave mistake. Christians who believe they can “wrestle” with demons without using “the whole armour of God are seriously deluded.’
So, let’s end today remembering that we cannot run nor hide from our Creator, for He knows and sees everything that we think or believe, therefore our words must be sincere and heartfelt. We must also be careful about what and whom we listen to, for there’s a whole lot of falsehood and deception out there in today’s ungodly world, that means knowing the Word and being continually dressed in the whole armour of the Lord! Much LOVE!
…our motives must be right with God…if we expect to receive answered prayer…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
16 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a position of authority, a sincere heart for God, according to my integrity, according to the fruit of his doings, believe not every spirit, boggles the mind, chaotic world, Christians, concrete jungle, deceit, deepen my breath, desperately wicked, every spirit that confesseth Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus is come in the flesh, false doctrines, false prophets, false prophets are gone out into the world, God is omniscient, God searches our hearts to discover our true motives, God's plan for our lives, God's playbook, greater is he that is in you, greed, holy spirit, honour me with their lips, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I test the most secret parts, I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, in vain they do worship me, increase my awareness of you today, incurably sick, inequality, inequality of wealth, is not of God, is of God, it is already in the world, Jesus Christ, judge me O Lord according to my righteousness, know ye the Spirit of God, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, look not on his countenance, Lord I want to be with you now, LOVE, man looks on the outward appearance, mercy, my defence is of God, negative and ungodly things, outright lies, poverty, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, salvation, seeking intimacy with God, slander, slow my thoughts, strife, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men, test the mind, than he that's in the world, thankful to see another day, the BIBLE, the fruit of his deeds, the gospel truth, the heart is deceitful above all things, the height of his stature, the indisputable truth, the Lord looks on the heart, the Lord sees not as man sees, the main point is sincerity, the medium of prayer, the power of the Holy spirit, the spirit of the antichrist, their heart is far from me, these people draw near to me with their mouth, to give every man according to his ways, truth, try the spirits whether they be of God, try to hide things from God, who can know it, wisdom, ye are of God, ye have overcome them, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Today’s Scrip-Bit 16 August 2025 1 Samuel 1:7b.
1 Samuel 1:7b. for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.
Oh friends, am I ever disappointed that I could not stay longer abed this glorious lazy-day Saturday in the middle of August 2025! And why is that? Because after spending almost the whole day in the concrete jungle city called Toronto, enduring traffic jams, going and coming, and waiting a couple of hours before I could have my procedure done, I got home tired and went to bed early – well early by my standards. (smile) But then the ole back eventually rebelled when I lay abed for longer than normal, thus forcing me to get up earlier than I intended. But that’s what happens when you’re getting on in life. Note, I did not say getting old. (smile)
Anyway, we’re up and about, and thankful that we’re alive to see another beautiful day on God’s beautiful but currently chaotic and disastrous earth. That means we have a purpose for being here at this time and place, and the Lord is trying to initiate His plan, His playbook for our lives, but unfortunately too many of us are resisting His advances and His plays. But let’s see if we can’t turn things around somewhat nuh, through the medium of prayer, which God instituted so we can communicate with Him, thus letting Him know how we feel about any and everything, especially the plays He’s calling in our lives. (smile)
Remember, He wants to be involved in everything that concerns us, be it big or small, relevant or irrelevant. So let’s begin with offering up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
Now that’s the easiest way to get God’s attention, by seeking greater communication and intimacy with Him. For remember one of the reasons He created us is for us to LOVE Him and each other, and achieve an intimacy that’s pure and wholesome. But the main point of the whole process is sincerity. If we’re not sincere, then the Lord will ignore whatever we say. For unlike mankind, He doesn’t just listen to our words, but searches the depths of our hearts to discover our real motives.
And there are several scriptures which repeat that fact, beginning with this one from 1 Samuel, where the Lord admonished Samuel when he sent him to anoint a new king from the sons of Jesse, and Samuel looks on the comely and manly features of the eldest son, Eliab and believes that he is the chosen one. ‘But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature, because I have refused (rejected) him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.’ (1 Sam. 16:7)
And so it went, until the Lord chose the most unlikely of Jesse’s sons to be king, Bruh David, because he had a sincere heart for the Lord. Then, we have these words of Bruh David from Psalm 7 – A Plea for Protection from Enemies – where he declares: ‘The Lord shall judge the people: judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me. O let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins (tests the hearts and minds). My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.’ (Ps. 7:8-10)
Oh my people, being of an upright, sincere heart is ever so important in our relationships; both with God and with our fellow man. Although, like the prophet Jeremiah said so long ago: ‘The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked (incurably sick): who can know it?’ (Jer. 17:9) And that’s the indisputable truth! Man’s heart is oh so wicked that it cannot be trusted, especially in what looks like these last days, when negative and ungodly things like greed, deceit, envy, slander, strife, poverty, inequality are ruling the roost in our world.
That’s why Jeremiah follows up that verse with this one: ‘I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins (test the mind, the most secret parts), even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings (deeds).’ (Jer. 17:10) And knowing all that, it boggles my mind to think that so many of us, even supposed believers, still try to hide things from God eh? We go to Him with a lot of praise and whatever in our mouths, but our hearts are nowhere close to what our mouths are spewing.
It’s like Jesus said to the scribes and Pharisees: ‘This people draweth nigh (near) unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.’ (Matt. 15:8-9) And brother, is that ever happening in today’s society! The false prophets, the evil snake and His cohorts are running riot over the land with false doctrines, deceits and even outright lies. And sadly, many of us are buying into it!
But if we are true believers, we ought to know better, for as John warns in his first epistle: ‘Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try (test) the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is the spirit of the antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.’ (1 John 4:1-3)
And that’s ever so true friends, for the antichrist is raising a hue and cry all over our world right now, and we have to be very careful about what and whom we listen to. But hear this most important fact from the next verse. ‘Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.’ (1 John 4:4)
Now my people, if we don’t believe anything else today, please, let’s believe that, and please, let’s take it to heart, write it indelibly in souls, mind and bodies, because it is the gospel truth, and only as we believe it, and operate from that position of authority and power of the Holy Spirit, will we ever defeat the enemy. Much LOVE!
…it’s foolish to try and hide anything from God…for He created us…and is omniscient – all-knowing…knows everything about us…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
09 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a heat warning, a truly heartfelt prayer, air conditioned comfort, all these things shall be added unto you, better to be safe than sorry, communion with god, deepen my breath, establish His covenant, eternal punishment, eternal separation from Almighty God, faith, free will, God's infallible word, grace, greater intimacy with God, hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God, he that believeth not is condemned already, he that believeth on him is not condemned, healing and cleansing of the sick and suffering, holy spirit, I go to prepare a place for you, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I want to be with you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, I will not leave you comfortless, in all sincerity and truth, in my Father's house are many mansions, in the Lord's will, increase my awareness of you today, it's wiser and safer to believe in Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus died on the cross, joy, laze around, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, let not your heart be troubled, lived a satisfying life, LOVE, mercy, peace, quiet my soul, receiving peace and calm in our souls, relax my muscles, salvation, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, slow my thoughts, suffer terrible consequences, thank you for this tenderness, that our sins could be forgiven, that where I am there ye may be also, the destruction of the wicked, the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the goodness and grace of Jesus, the lake of fire, the Lord answers the prayers of His people, the Lord gives you the power to get wealth, the poor and downtrodden, the Triune God, truth, turned their backs on God, wisdom, ye believe in God believe also in me, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
John 3:18a. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already,
Well friends, it’s another hot, sunshiny summer’s day in August… and I just saw a heat warning advisory on the computer. But what’s new about all of that eh? Nothing! For we have been experiencing those kinds of days for a while now, and through the goodness and grace of Jesus, we’ve learned to handle them. (smile)
And to make matters even better, today is our lazy-day Saturday, which means we don’t need to go out unless it’s absolutely necessary, just stay inside in air conditioned comfort and laze around. What a marvellous way to spend a hot summer’s day! And we can even improve on that by offering up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, with all sincerity and truth.
So, as one strong and truthful voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And if our prayer was truly heartfelt, then we ought to be receiving some peace and calm in our souls, bodies and minds right about now. For the Lord answers the prayers of His people, when they are sincere and in His will. And what can be more in His will than to have greater intimacy and communion with Him eh? Nothing really, for that’s His basic purpose for creating us in the first place.
Unfortunately though, too many of His creation have turned their backs on Him, wanting nothing whatsoever to do with Him, and that obviously disappoints Him. But God knew the risk He was taking when He gave us free will, or the ability to make certain choices in this life. The problem though is that those who turn away from their Creator will eventually suffer terrible consequences, the most terrible one being eternal separation from Him through eternity, for they will be caught up in the destruction of the evil and wicked of the earth.
And if you don’t believe me then read Revelation chapter 20, and see, and hopefully understand, exactly what forsaking the Lord God Jehovah and His Saviour Son Jesus Christ will mean in the days to come. And I know that some of us after reading that chapter of Revelation will think it’s all nonsense…and who knows, it just might be.
However, just supposing it isn’t nonsense. Isn’t it better to be safe rather than sorry, and therefore accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, so you don’t have to endure the terrifying end of eternal punishment in the lake of fire (Rev. 20:14) painted for those who did not accept Him? Of course! And even if hell and heaven don’t truly exist, and our physical death covers it all, then by accepting Jesus you would still have lived a good and satisfying life; one filled with joy, peace, LOVE, grace, mercy, and all the other good things that Jesus provides for His followers. Now, where else can you find all of that good stuff eh? Nowhere else but with Jesus!
Remember, Jesus came to save the world from certain hellfire and damnation, as He so clearly informs Nicodemus, the Jewish ruler, who, through fear of his associates, came to Him under cover of darkness seeking answers. ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:17) Please note that it’s only through Jesus that the world will or could be saved. And that means believing in Him, as He then tells Nicodemus. ‘He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.’ (John 3:18)
There it is my brethren, in black and white, transmitted down through the ages in the Bible, God’s infallible Word! What more can we ask for eh? Jesus came and died on the cross so that our sins could be forgiven; He told us all that was necessary to know about the Triune God, that’s the Father, Son and Holy Spirit; showed us His overwhelming LOVE and compassion, through healing and cleansing of the sick and suffering, the poor and downtrodden.
He even promised to come back to take us with Him, as He reassured the disciples. ‘Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions (dwellings): if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.’ (John 14:1-3) What an awesome promise friends! And why would Jesus lie? No reason whatsoever, for He can do whatever He promises.
And even more importantly, He also promised that when He went away: ‘I will not leave you comfortless (as orphans): I will come to you.’ (John 14:18) And He did that through the power of the Holy Spirit coming to live in those who accepted Him as Lord and Saviour. And as per the material things of the world, as per wealth and riches and all the things the world hungers, thirsts and kills for, here’s what Jesus had to say on that subject. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33)
Remember too, that ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.’ (Ps. 24:1) In other words, the earth and all that’s in it belongs to the Lord, for He created it all. And let’s not forget this other most important scripture, which Moses pointed out to the Israelites so long ago. ‘But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.’ (Deut. 8:18) That means the ability to produce true and lasting wealth, comes only from Jehovah God!
So friends, on this hot, lazy-day Saturday in early August of the quickly moving year of 2025, I’d suggest that we spend some time contemplating all that we’ve said, and see how we match up with it, and then try to improve our positions, for we all have room for improvement. Much LOVE!
…it’s wiser and safer to believe in Jesus…than not to believe in Him…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
02 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a Guidebook for earthly living, a most encouraging and reassuring promise, after one time is two, all things work together for good, be not afraid, be strong and of a good courage, Bible, brings us to a realization, called according to His purpose, Caribana Parade, christianity, Christians, daily taking up our cross, deepen my breath, denying ourselves, do according to all that's written therein, enter the pearly gates of heaven, faith, following Jesus, frustrations, God has the power to make everything right, God is in control, God will eventually make all things right, God will never leave nor forsake us, have good success, have not I commanded thee, holy spirit, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, if we read the Bible, if you can't control it don't worry about it, in all sincerity and truth, increase my awareness of you today, it's all for our benefit, its multitude of wisdom and riches, Jesus Christ, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, leave it all to God, Lord I want to be with you now, LOVE, make thy way prosperous, mercy, neither be thou dismayed, omnipotent god, Pan Alive Steelband Competition, place our total faith and trust in God, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, salvation, slow my thoughts, still fresh through all the ages, thank you for this tenderness, the beauty of prayer, the Bible is God's word to us, the C.N.E grounds, the indisputable truth, the Lord thy God is with thee wherever you go, the low standard of the mas, the trials and tribulations of life, this book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, thou shalt meditate therein day and night, to spend eternity with Christ, to the ends of the earth, to them that love God, truth, we'll find God wisdom on its pages, wisdom, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Romans 8:28. 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.
And then it was our lazy-day Saturday for this our August long weekend, but for many of us, it certainly won’t be a lazy-day, for we’ll be somewhere down the Lakeshore around the C.N.E. grounds taking in the Caribana Parade. And yes, I know that’s not the official title, but to us old folks, it will always be CARIBANA, and will go down in the annals as such. (smile) Now, as the old people would say, after one time is two yes. And that’s the reality of the situation, for I never missed the Caribana Parade for thirty something years, but for the last fifteen or so I haven’t been. Sometimes I don’t even remember that it’s around. Why?
For several reasons. First of all, because the old bones can’t take the stress of the plenty walking and jumping any longer, plus I would go there and not see anyone I knew. That was just unfathomable, because in earlier times, as soon as I hit the Lakeshore I would see oodles of people I knew. And last, but possibly the most important reason is that the quality of the mas in the parade has gone down so low that it’s not worth going to see anymore. And that’s not only my opinion, but a lot of others too, who knew what real mas and mas costumes were about.
But the Caribana Celebrations is still a big thing in the city and I’m glad that they can make some tourist dollars off of it. And just to show how the standards have fallen, I went to the Pan Alive Steelband Competition last night, and there were only three bands out of the six that competed that should have been in the competition. Even one of the guest bands sounded better than the first three competitors. Steups! But who am I, a non mas and non pan person to say anything eh? (smile) And to stop my spirit from getting upset as I remember what was, and what is right now, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer with all sincerity and truth.
As one strong voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
That did it friends! (smile) I’ve released whatever frustrations I had about the state of the current mas and pan situation, and have accepted that things change, and not always in a manner that I like, but since I cannot change them, I just have to leave them alone. And that’s the beauty of prayer; it brings us to a realization, that if we cannot control it, we should not worry about it, just leave it all up to God, because He has the power to make everything right, and has promised to do so, through this marvellous verse from Romans. ‘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)
Yes my faithful brethren, if we LOVE the Lord and place our total faith and trust in Him, then eventually, when, in His wisdom, He knows the time is right, then He will work everything out for our good. So, although it can be very difficult when we’re going through the trials and tribulations of this earthly life, we need not worry, because we know that our omnipotent God is in control and He will eventually make all wrongs right! But we can only stand strong in faith when we know His Word, that’s why constant reading and meditating on it is absolutely necessary.
The Lord even said it in no uncertain terms to Joshua, when He made him the leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. And not once, but several times in a few verses of Joshua chapter one. Hear this direct command: ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth (shall be constantly in your mouth); but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh. 1:8)
Straight from the Lord’s mouth my people! If we want to be prosperous and have success then we need to know His Word, because that’s the purpose for which it was created. That reminds me of the quote I got from some unremembered place: ‘The Bible is God’s Word to us, still fresh through all the ages. And if we read it, we will find God’s wisdom on its pages.’ That’s gospel truth friends! The Bible was written as a Guidebook for Earthly Living, but we have to read and study it constantly if we want to discover its multitude of wisdom and riches.
And this last thing God said to Joshua is one of my favourite scripture verses. After telling him about constantly meditating on His Word, the Lord then expounded and admonished: ‘Have not I commanded thee? Be 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) Oh my people, what a most encouraging and reassuring promise! And it’s the indisputable truth, for our faithful God is always with us, since He’s promised never to leave nor forsake us. (Heb. 13:5)
And if we want to have a successful and prosperous life here on earth, then enter the pearly gates to spend eternity with Jesus, then we have to take all those commands and promises seriously, live by them each and every day, being true disciples of Christ. That’s denying ourselves, taking up our cross every day and following Him to the ends of the earth! (Luke 9:23)
And today is a good day to ponder our situation; whether we’re following God’s directives, meditating on His word, denying ourselves, daily taking up our cross and following Him. Remember, it’s all for our benefit! Much LOVE!
…if you don’t know God’s Word…then you cannot live the way He desires…or have a prosperous and successful life…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
19 Jul 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a case of belief versus disbelief, a heartfelt prayer, bangles, baubles, bet your bottom dollar, blistering summer heat, bright shining beads, deepen my breath, difficult for the Lord to refuse our desires, eternal life with Christ, faith, God sent not his Son into the world to condemn it, godly wisdom, having good communion with God, holy spirit, I marvel to think, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, if you're not for me then you're against me, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ, lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, Lord I want to be with you now, lose all the marvellos benefits of God, LOVE, mercy, only a facade, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, salvation, seeking greater intimacy with God, sincere belief in Christ, sincerity and truth, slow my thoughts, sweltering days, take the extreme heat over the extreme cold, thank you for this tenderness, the best decision a human being can make, the straight and narrow path, the wide and winding way, the world through him might be saved, thieves do not break through and steal, to catch your fancy with, to catch your selfish and greedy flesh, to curry favour, to their own detriment, truth, unfortunate categories, we brought nothing into the world, we carry nothing out of the world, where moth and rust doth corrupt, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, where thieves break through and steal, where your treasure is there will be your heart also, wisdom, Ye cannot serve God and mammon, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
John 3:17. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Saturday, oh lazy-day Saturday! How great it is to see and experience you! Yes friends, that’s what it is; a bright and sunshiny lazy-day Saturday with temps in the mid-twenties! No more of that blistering summer heat. Thank the Lord! Those sweltering days in the past couple of weeks were certainly tough on both old and young, and makes me sometimes thankful that we don’t live in the tropics with that kind of hot weather all year round. But if I had a choice, you can bet your bottom dollar that I would take the extreme heat over the extreme cold. Any day! (smile)
And having said that, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, with all sincerity and truth. As one strong voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
Oh my people, what a heartfelt prayer! That indeed makes it difficult, if not impossible for the Lord to refuse our desires. And I believe getting to know God better, seeking greater intimacy with Him, is one of the best desires we can ever have, for to have good communion with Him, is one of the major reasons He created us. And only fools and mad men don’t desire such intimacy with their omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present Creator. Thank God we don’t fall into any one of those unfortunate categories!
But sadly, too many of God’s human creation choose not to seek intimacy with Him, only to their own detriment, for as the old saying goes, if you’re not with me, then you’re against me. And if you’re against God, you’ll most certainly lose all the marvellous benefits that He has to offer those who sincerely seek Him, and most woefully you won’t experience eternal life with Him, but eternal death with the prince of darkness, Satan. And as I keep reminding us, that is the worst fate than can ever befall a human soul. However, too many of us don’t seem to care, and continue along our merry way, rejoicing along the wide and winding way with Satan, instead of along the straight and narrow path with Christ Jesus.
And why do you think Jesus left His comfortable royal living in heaven and came to earth to sacrifice His sinless life for a bunch of ungrateful sinners eh? So that we could escape the horrendous death staring us straight in the face if we continued with our sinful ways. He said it Himself to Nicodemus, the Jewish ruler who came to Him under cover of night seeking answers: ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:17)
There it is friends, Christ’s major purpose for coming to earth, stated as simply as possible, and certainly not difficult to understand. But the wonderful thing about being saved through Jesus Christ is that it’s so easy to accomplish; it only takes sincere belief in Him! As He says: ‘He that believeth on him, (God’s Son) is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.’ (John 3:18) And it’s all so simple and straightforward; believe in Jesus and you are saved. Do not believe in Him, and you are immediately slated for eternal separation from Almighty God.
And I like how the scholars put it: ‘This verse answers the question, “Why do people go to hell?” It is because they do not believe in Jesus.’ It’s as simple as that my brethren! It’s a case of belief versus disbelief, with belief unfurling all the wonderful things God has in store for those who believe in His only begotten Son. And it’s true that Satan might have some half-decent material things to curry favour with, to catch your fancy with, like ‘baubles, bangles and shining beads,’ but the problem with most of Satan’s stuff is that they are not real, they’re only a façade, a trick to catch your selfish and greedy flesh, and they don’t last very long either.
And even worse, when you die, you leave it all behind, for we brought nothing into the world and we carry nothing out of it. Why do you think Jesus made these monumental pronouncements regarding treasures in the Sermon on the Mount eh? He very confidently states: ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, were moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves do not break through nor steal.’ (Matt. 6:19-20)
That’s such wonderful advice my people! Advice we should all heed without a moment’s thought! (smile) But the problem with too many of us though is that we’re trying to hedge our bets, seeking the material and ungodly things that Satan eschews, while also trying to keep one foot also in heavenly bound things. But Jesus nixes that idea right away, when He points out: ‘For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also… And Ye cannot serve God and mammon.’ (Matt. 6:21, 24b)
Yes my brethren, it’s impossible to serve God and mammon, that’s money or the material things of the world at the same time, for they are two different places, with two different sets of rules and regulations, and wherever you have the most treasure set aside, then that’s where your hearts will be focused. But both Satan and God desire your undivided attention and adoration, so neither will be happy if you try to serve them both simultaneously.
But, thankfully, true, godly wisdom dictates that serving Almighty God fully in heart, soul, mind and body is the best decision a human being can make in this earthly life. So we hope and pray that we’ll all make, and/or renew that wise decision today, on this lazy-day Saturday in mid-July 2025, so that we can rest assured of obtaining eternal life with Christ Jesus! Much LOVE!
…only in fully serving Christ…can we expect to receive all the wonderful benefits He has to offer…both here on earth…as well as in heaven above…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
05 Jul 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a Sunday afternoon stroll, an attitude of prayer, ask and it shall be given to you, be patient in tribulation, communication with God, continuing instant in prayer, deepen my breath, delve into God's Word, everyone that asks receives, everyone that seeks finds, eye-opening scripture, faith, for our benefit, frequent prayer, go and pray unto me, He spake a parable unto them to this end, holy spirit, I love them that love me, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I will hearken unto you, in Christ Jesus concerning you, in everything give thanks, in the face of adversity, in the morning, in the Spirit, increase my awareness of you today, intimacy with god, Jesus Christ, Jesus went out into a solitary place and prayed, knock and it shall be opened unto you, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, LOVE, maintain gratitude, make time to be intimate with our heavenly Father, meditate and pray, men ought always to pray and not faint, mercy, not lose heart, patient in tribulation, perseverance, pray without ceasing, praying always, put the word into action, quiet my soul, refreshing ourselves, rejoice evermore, rejoicing in hope, relax my muscles, relieve frustrations, rising up a great while before day, salvation, search for me with all your heart, seek and you shall find, slow my thoughts, spiritual success, thank you for this tenderness, the armour of God, the BIBLE, the Christian life, the wronged woman seeking justice from the unjust judge, then shall ye call upon me, this is the will of God in Christ, those that seek me early will find me, to everyone that knocks, to him that knocks it shall be opened, truth, watching thereunto, wisdom, with all perseverance and supplication for all saints, with prayer and supplication, ye shall seek me and find me
Luke 18:1. And he (Jesus) spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint (lose heart).
And finally we come to another Saturday, our lazy-day Saturday, where we dare to lie about doing as little as possible, in the opening rounds of refreshing our tired selves and spirits from a mediocre and unpleasant week. And the best way to begin relieving our frustrations is by offering up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer in all sincerity and truth.
So, as one strong voice, let’s pray. ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And there’s nothing better at relieving frustrations than seeking intimacy with our heavenly Father, because it lightens our spirits and renews our souls. Remember that eye-opening scripture we read yesterday from the prophet Jeremiah? ‘Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:12-13)
Yes friends, anytime we’re disheartened, discouraged, fearful, worried, lost or even just tired, the best way to relieve our anxieties is by sincerely seeking Jesus in prayer with all of our hearts. souls, bodies and minds. Cousin Sol also offer his two cents worth on the subject in Proverbs, when he writes of the Lord: ‘I LOVE them that LOVE me; and those that seek me early (diligently) shall find me.’ (Prov. 8:17)
This brings to mind this ever so important verse of the Bible, where it says: ‘And he (Jesus) spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint (lose heart).’ (Luke 18:1) Then He told them about the wronged woman who kept seeking justice from the unjust judge, until he finally got tired of her and gave her the justice she desired and deserved. And prayer, sincere and steadfast must always be number one in our lives.
Look at how often Jesus prayed. Before and after almost every event He went away by Himself to pray, to seek intimacy, strength, renewal and direction from the Father. And this scripture verse on the subject just touches my heart. Mark writes: ‘And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he (Jesus) went out, and departed into a solitary (deserted) place, and there prayed.’ (Mark 1:35)
Now, if Jesus, the Son of God, thought it necessary to make time to be in the Father’s presence, how much more do we, miserable and sinful creations that we are, need to make time to be intimate with our heavenly Father eh? Much, much more! And there are a number of scriptures that do encourage, admonish and exhort us to pray.
So let’s look at a few of them now nuh, beginning with this famous one from Jesus: ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.’ (Matt. 7:7-8)
And the scholars offer this explanation of those verses. ‘The three imperatives, ask, seek, knock are in the present tense of the original language, suggesting both perseverance and frequent prayer. Fervent and continual prayer is to be made on behalf of those for whom we are concerned. God promises to answer all genuine prayer (vs. 8). Everything we need for spiritual success has been promised to us. God leaves us no excuse for failure.’ And that’s something we ought to grab hold of and hold on to quite tightly: we have no excuses for spiritual failure, because God has already given us what we need, and shown us the way to succeed.
Now here is another verse of scripture that encourages us to pray, from Bruh Paul to the Romans. When talking about overcoming evil with good, he says a part of our behaviour to enable us to do that, must be: ‘Rejoicing in hope, patient (persevering) in tribulation; continuing instant (steadfastly) in prayer.’ (rom. 12:12)
Then to the Ephesians, when talking about the armour of God, Bruh Paul ends with this most important verse. ‘Praying always with prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for the saints.’ (Eph. 6:18) What he’s saying there is that despite all the godly armour you might have on, prayer is still very important, for without it, the armour won’t work.
And finally, to the Thessalonians, Bruh Paul exhorts them thus: ‘Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5:16-18) Yuh see how he throws in that li’l gem in the middle: ‘Pray without ceasing.’ The scholars tell us that means we ought always to have an attitude of prayer, although we might not be praying audibly, and that constant attitude of prayer will help us to maintain gratitude in the face of adversity.
No friends, living the Christian life is not easy, definitely not a Sunday afternoon stroll in the park,, but as we saw earlier on, our wonderful God has given us everything we need to live the successful Christian life, so it’s all up to us to delve into His word, meditate and pray on it, then put it into action in our lives. And there’s no better time to begin doing that than right now. So, let’s take some time on this lazy-day Saturday, the first one in July of 2025, and spend it in true and sincere intimacy with our marvellous God. That can only be to our benefit! Much LOVE!
…without prayer…there’s no communication with God…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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