20 Dec 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a gentle but refreshing calm and peace, a touch of God's peace, an attitude of gratitude, and again I say rejoice, anxious, be careful for nothing, be of good cheer, bring good news to mankind, Christ's birth would bring peace and joy to mankind on earth, deepen my breath, do our best for christ, faith, feel the Lord's Spirit drawing us closer to Him, forgiveness from sins, four days to Christmas, gladness, Glory to god in the highest, God's plan of salvation, gratitude, heaven's intention, holy spirit, i have overcome the world, 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, if ye love me keep my commandments, in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, in me ye might have peace, in the world ye shall have tribulation, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, let not your heart be troubled, let your moderation be known unto all men, let your requests be made known unto God, LOVE, make small improements, mankind is more warlike and bloodthirsty, mercy, merriment, my peace I give unto you, neither let it be afraid, no matter what life throws at us, not as the world giveth give I unto you, on earth, our victory lies in Jesus, our victory lies in Jesus not in our circumstances, peace good will toward men, Peace i leave with you, quiet my soul, reconciliation, regardless of our circumstances, Rejoice in the Lord always, relax my muscles, righteousness, salvation, shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ, slow my thoughts, stand strong and steadfast in faith, still have joy, thank you for this tenderness, thanks, the angels came to earth, the Lord is at hand, the peace of God which passeth all understading, these things I have spoken unto you, too much strife in our world, truth, turbulent and ungodly times, wisdom, you are here with me, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Luke 2:14. ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’
Then it was only 5… and it’s also our lazy-day Saturday! Glory be! Actually friends, it’s only four shopping and preparation days to Christmas, since the fifth day is Christmas Day. (smile) And I know all around the world the merriment and gladness is ramping up as the day draws nearer, but let’s not forget the reason for it all; the wonderful birth of Christ Jesus, some two thousand years ago.
That was the beginning of God’s great plan of salvation and forgiveness for His human creation. And just for the very idea that God thought so highly of us, or LOVED us so much to discombobulate Himself and break His own heart, to provide reconciliation and righteousness to mankind, ought to give us an attitude of immense thanks and gratitude. Anyway, before we get into whatever we have to do today, let’s offer up some thanks and praise in the form of our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer.
So, in sincere and heartfelt 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 we were truly sincere, then in a moment’s time we’ll feel the Lord’s Spirit drawing us closer to Him, producing a gentle but refreshing calm and peace. And there’s nothing we can desire and require more in these turbulent and ungodly times than a touch of God’s peace and calm. For, remember what the Bible says about it? Jesus made two most encouraging statements about it. The first one says: ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27)
And if that did not touch your heart, enough to bring you peace, then listen to this other statement from Jesus: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) And yes, it’s ofttimes difficult to actually find peace in this tumultuous world, but Jesus is the best hope we have for doing so. Why?
Listen to Bruh Paul as he spells it out in his letter to the Philippians. ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation (gentleness) be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:4-7)
Now all of that simply means that if we live sincerely for Christ, or as He quite clearly said: ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments;’ (John 14:15) then we will be able to access the peace of God, which passes all human understanding and stand strong and steadfast in faith, regardless of our circumstances. But we have to do the things required of us, before we can acquire God’s peace.
And I like how this commentary puts it. ‘ The peace that transcends all understanding comes from knowing that no matter what life throws at us, we can still have joy when we know that our victory lies in Jesus Christ and not in our circumstances.’ There you go my faithful brethren! True peace only comes from knowing Jesus and sincerely living for Him!
And furthermore, this Christmas season is supposed to be one of joy and peace, for remember the night Christ was born and the angels came to earth in their multitude to serenade the occasion and bring the good news to mankind? The first people they gave the good news to were some lowly shepherds, looking after their flocks by night. And how did they end their words of greeting? ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’ (Luke 2:14)
Yes my people, heaven’s intention was that Christ’s birth would bring some peace and joy to mankind down here on earth. Unfortunately though, it has not done much of that, for down through the ages, mankind has become ever more warlike and blood thirsty. But nonetheless, Jesus expects those of us who sincerely believe and try our best, to make some small improvements in the world, even if it’s our own families or neighbourhoods. And sadly, even that, many of us are not doing, for there’s much more strife in families, churches and neighbourhoods than is necessary.
So what’s the answer eh? Just continue being our best; sincerely doing our best for Christ in whatever way we can. For that’s all He really expects of us. And on this Saturday before Christmas, when our world is in such turmoil and ungodliness, I plead with us, as believers in Christ, to come together and make a strong push for Jesus, for that’s the only way, we will ever bring some semblance of true joy and peace to the earth. We pray it in Jesus’ name! Amen! Much LOVE!
…true joy and peace…don’t come without…the sincere involvement of Jesus…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
20 Oct 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a new work week, all we like sheep have gone astray, answer our prayers, burdensome, calls together his friends and neighbours, conquering power, divine aid, don't commit adultery, don't lie, don't murder, don't steal, ease the pain, even our faith, faith, fear, fearful, forgotten their resting place, found my lost sheep, God is sovereign, gone from mountain to hill, greater is he that's in you, having an hundred sheep, he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God, his commandments are not grievous, holy spirit, honour the Sabbath day, honour your father and mother, humble ourselves, I do not forget thy commandments, I have gone astray, if ye love me keep my commandments, in the wilderness, in this dark and evil world, indifference, insufficient Christian witness, irresponsible, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, Jesus has won the victory, joy shall be in heaven over one repentant sinner, lackadaisical attitude, languishing in a cesspool of evil, lays it on his shoulders rejoicing, leaves the ninety and nine, lethargic, like a lost sheep, likewise, loses one of his sheep, LOVE, love God with all your heart soul body and mind, Love your neighbour as yourself, make a difference, make hay while the sun shines, mass confusion in our world, mercy, my people hath been lost sheep, ninety and nine just persons who need no repentance, pray, reconciled back to his fold, rejoice with me, sacrifices, salvation, seek thy servant, sheep stray from their shepherd, sincere repentance, sincerely seek God's face, spreading our salty flavour and bright light, strong faith in Christ, suffer dire consequences, than he that's in the world, the ball is in our court, the God who heals, the iniquity of us all, the Lord hath laid on him, the many suffering from negative situations, the only one to solve our problems, the right tonic, the throne of grace, the victory that overcomes the world, their shepherds have caused them to go astray, this is the love of God, to find favour with God, truth, turn from our evil ways, turned every one to his own way, victory over hell death and the grave, we keep His commandments, whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world, when he comes home, who is he that overcomes the world, wisdom, wise guidance, ye are of God
Psalm 119:176. Oh Lord, I have gone astray, like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.
It’s Monday friends, it’s Monday! Time to get out there and take advantage of this new work week in Jesus’ mighty name! Yes, time for us to get out into the evil world and make hay while the sun shines, for one day the sun will stop shining and we won’t be able to make any hay then! (smile)
And believe me, with every passing day, it becomes more imperative, more important that we allow our salty flavour and our bright lights to make a difference in this dark and evil world, for we are quickly losing control of it…if we haven’t already, and that’s not what Jesus left us down here to do. He came to earth, did His part, won the victory over hell, death and the grave, then went back to heaven, leaving us down here to maintain that victory. Remember what He said to us: ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments.’ (John 14:15)
And John, later on in his first epistle, added his take to that statement. ‘For this is the LOVE of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous (burdensome).’ (1 John 5:3) And no, His commandments are certainly not burdensome! They might entail some difficulty, some sacrifices at times, but what’s so difficult in ‘don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, honour your father and mother, honour the Sabbath day, LOVE your God with all your heart, soul and mind, and LOVE your neighbour as yourself?’
There’s nothing there for us to misunderstand or not comprehend. However, our response to His commandments have been lethargic, fearful, irresponsible and obviously not good enough, otherwise our world would not be languishing in the cesspool of evil and ungodliness that it’s currently engulfed in.
No friends, our Christian witness has certainly not been good enough, which brings us back to these important words of John’s first epistle. ‘For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?’ (1 John 5:4-5)
Oh my people, it’s through our faith in Jesus Christ that we overcome the world, but if our faith is not strong, we’re fearful, lackadaisical, or simply not interested, then we obviously cannot overcome it. And I like what the scholars say about verse 5. ‘There is conquering power through this confession because God is sovereign over the world, and ONLY through the Son does man have access to and find favour with God.’
And we know that’s the awesome truth, but for some reason(s), we simply refuse to rise to the task and do what we know Jesus expects of us, both as individuals, and as His corporate church. And we can certainly do it, because as John also reminds us: ‘Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that’s in the world.’ (1 John 4:4)
That’s more awesome truth my brethren! Our God is stronger than the god of this world, there’s no denying that! But we need to come together and live it; make it work! And I have the right tonic for our indifference, fear, or whatever is holding us back from doing the Lord’s will. It’s a very applicable statement from Psalm 119. So please pray with me: ‘Oh Lord, I have gone astray, like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.’ (Ps. 119:176)
Yes my fellow believers, that’s our problem. Like Isaiah says when talking about Jesus’ sorrow. ‘All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.’ (Is. 53:5) No doubt about it, we had all gone astray in the early days, and the Lord placed all our sins on Jesus, so we could be reconciled back to his fold. It’s also like Jeremiah declared: ‘My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their resting place.’ (Jer. 50:6)
So it’s not the first time we have gone astray like lost sheep my people, and we desperately need the Lord to come seeking us. And He will, as Jesus so plainly says. ‘What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just (upright) persons, which need no repentance.’ (Luke 15:4-7)
Yuh see mih bredrin, Jesus is always on the lookout for His lost sheep, and can you imagine the joy there’ll be in heaven when so many of us lost ones have been found…it will be immense! But the ball is still in our court; we must admit that we’re lost, and want to be found. And to help us do that, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise 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 we’re serious, we’ll note some of the requirements for receiving divine aid: humbling ourselves, praying, seeking God’s face, and turning from our evil ways. So please, let’s get to work nuh! There’s much to be done, and we cannot waste another moment. Much LOVE!
…when sheep stray from their shepherd…they very likely will suffer dire consequences…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
17 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a large responsibility, add a little balm to our wounds, another fine summer's day, appear beautiful outward, born of God, detracts from our Christian influence, endure to the end, faith, follow the world's wisdom, God's commandments are not burdensome, God's commandments are not grievous, halfway home, hands on the plough, he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God, he that endureth to the end shall be saved, holy spirit, honour me with their lips, hypocrites, if any man will come after me, if ye love me keep my commandments, in vain do they worship me, insincere religious behaviour, Jesus Christ, Jesus' admonishment of the Pharisees, let him deny himself, like unto whited sepulchres, LOVE, mercy, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, not looking back at the past, our second wind day, outwardly appear righteous, pay lip service to God, paying lip service, salvation, so glad to be alive, take up his cross daily and follow me, talking through our hats, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men, thank God, the breath of life, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the Christian life is not easy and comfortable, the Comforter, the lack of true Christian behaviour, the rewards are worth the sacrifices, the sun is in ascendance, the world is going to hell in a handbasket, their heart is far from me, this is the love of God, this is the victory that overcometh the world, this people draw near to me with their mouth, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, undeserved grace, we love the children of God, Wednesday Wail, whatever is born of God overcomes the world, when we love God and keep his commandments, whitewashed tombs, who is he that overcometh the world, whosoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, wisdom, within are full of dead men's bones, within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity, woe unto you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites, ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake
John 14:15. If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments.
And this Wednesday, our second wind day, has turned out to be another fine summer’s Day! Well, it’s a tad cloudy, (smile) but there’s no doubt that the sun is in ascendance, so let’s give our good God some thanks and praise for allowing us to see another beautiful day on planet earth. And all God’s children gave a loud and grateful shout of: ‘Thank you heavenly Father, for LOVING us so much and granting us the undeserved grace and mercy to live another day! We LOVE You, and praise Your holy name! Amen!’
And I’m sadly chuckling here friends, because that statement we made above there about LOVING God, carries a rather large requirement and responsibility with it. For remember what Jesus said to the disciples before telling them about the coming of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. it was a simple but most important statement. ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments.’ (John 14:35) Yes my fellow believers, that’s the gist of the whole story; if we LOVE God, we will keep His commandments.
And since too many of us are not keeping His commandments, then it means we don’t truly LOVE Him, we’re merely talking through our hats, merely paying lip service. It brings us right back to Jesus’ admonishment of the Pharisees. ‘Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias (Isaiah) prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh (near) unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.’ (Matt. 15:8-9)
And that’s oh so true my people! Too many of us supposed Christians only pay lip service to God, but basically follow the world’s wisdom in most of what we do. And that greatly detracts from whatever influence we might have with the unbelievers. That means we’re behaving like the leaders of Israel in Jesus’ time, when He again admonished them for their insincere religious behaviour, this time re washing of hands before eating, by saying:
‘Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres (whitewashed tombs), which indeed appear beautiful outward, but within are full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.’ (Matt. 23:27-28)
And unfortunately my brethren, too many supposed Christians of today are the same way. We look good on the outside, behave ever so righteously, but on the inside we’re a terrible mess, or as Jesus says, ‘full of hypocrisy and iniquity.’ No wonder the world is going to hell in a handbasket…and very quickly too. And a lot of it has to do with the lack of true Christian behaviour by those of us who claim to be followers of Christ.
But have we ever seriously considered what it means to be a follower, a disciple of Christ? I doubt many of us have, but just take it for granted. Here though, is what Jesus says about and expects from His disciples and followers. ‘And he (Jesus) said to them all, If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23)
Yes my fellow believers that’s what Jesus expects from those who claim to be His followers. But how many of us really fall into that category eh? Not many, since we find it hard to deny ourselves, and even more so, take up our cross DAILY. Now that’s the operative word in that whole sentence. We have to be able to deny ourselves and live for Jesus DAILY, not only when it’s convenient for us. And no, it’s not easy doing that, but whoever said that following Christ was easy eh? It’s not! But the rewards for doing so are most definitely worth the sacrifice it entails.
Enough admonishment though, for we all know that we’re not doing such a great job on Jesus’ behalf, otherwise our world would not be in the sorry, strife-filled, angry and hateful state it’s now in. So now, let’s add a little balm to our wounds, (smile) with these healing words from the first epistle of John.
‘Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that LOVETH him that begat LOVETH him also that is begotten of him. By this we know that we LOVE the children of God, when we LOVE God, and keep his commandments. For this is the LOVE of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous (burdensome). For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?’ (1 John 5:1-5)
There again, John reiterates the fact that we need to keep God’s commandments, and they are not burdensome, as so many of us believe, because we just want to live the easy comfortable life. But that’s not the Christian life. And there will always be problems, simply because we call ourselves Christians. It’s as Jesus said when He talked about sending us forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: ‘And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.’ (Matt. 10:22)
Now that last part is the important part…he who endures to the end, he shall be saved. That means we need to endure to the end, despite what happens to us along our life’s journey. And as John so rightly says: ‘he that overcomes the world is he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God!’ So once we truly believe, we can indeed overcome the world! And with that, let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus!
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And it’s been promised that all who endure to the end, will not only be saved, but have an even more glorious future than they can ever imagine. So please let’s be wise and endure right to the very end with Jesus, so that we can enjoy that more than glorious future together! Much LOVE!
…if one wants to be a part of an organization…one must follow the rules…so, to be a Chrisitan…we must keep Christ’s commandments…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
07 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sound bite, all our gratitude, amazing pity, At the cross, bare our sins in his own body, bathed in its own blood, become extinct, by whose stripes ye were healed, Christ suffered for us, Christ the mighty maker died, Christians, committed himself, devote that sacred head, did my Saviour bleed, did my sovereign die, dissolve my heart in thankfulness, drops of grief can ne'er repay, eternal life, faith, faithful obedience of Christ, for crimes that i had done, for man the creature's sin, for sinners such as I, gave himself a ransom for all, God so loved the world, grace unknown, grateful to the Father, happy all the day, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, he groaned upon the tree, he threatened not, hellfire and damnation, hereunto were ye called, hide my blushing face, his soul in anguish stood, holy spirit, horrendous sacrifice, I give myself away, I received my sight, if ye love me keep my commandments, improve our witness for Christ, in the sight of God and our Saviour, invading their private spaces, isaac watts, it was there by faith, Jesus Christ, Jesus work on the cross, leaving us an example, like a dodo bird, live unto righteousness, LOVE, love beyond degree, melt my eyes to tears, mercy, neither was guile found in his mouth, now I'm happy all the day, now returned unto the shepherd, on the tree, one mediator between God and men, praise and worship, put our hearts, reviled not again, salvation, selfless sacrifice, shut his glories in, sweet jesus, sweet sacrifices of praise, that magnificent avenue for sinners, that we being dead to sins, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, the bishop of your souls, the burden of my heart rolled away, the debt of love I owe, the everlasting option of salvation, the firm mark of wrath divine, the great love of God, the happiest people on the planet, the help of the Holy Spirit, the horrendous brutality of the cross, the last bell is ringing, the miserable lives of believers, the sin defeating power of the cross, the sun in darkness hide, there is one God, this is good and acceptable, thy body slain, tis all that I can do, to be testified in due time, to come unto the knowledge of the truth, to follow his steps, to him that judges righteously, too much noise, truth, unchristian-like attitudes, when he suffered, when he was reviled, where I first saw the light, who did no sin, who his own self, who will have all men to be saved, wisdom, worship Christ faithfully, you were as sheep going astray
1 Peter 2:24. Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes (wounds) ye were healed.
Oh friends, Sunday has opened somewhat chilly and cloudy, but listen well, the last bell is ringing from church! That means if it stops and we’re not there, we’re late. And we don’t want to miss even one minute of praise and worship to our great God, so please, let’s get a move on!
Ah, those were the days when the bells would toll, inviting believers to come to the Lord’s sanctuary for spiritual renewal. But like many, old, but oh so good things, the ringing of church bells has become extinct like the dodo bird. People today would complain of too much noise, of invading their private spaces, but there’s more noise in the world today than there’s ever been, and a few church bells on a Sunday morning would not only remind us that it’s time for church, but would also add a good sound bite to the early morning air. (smile)
And on this first Sunday in September, we will open our service with a most wonderful and appropriate hymn, aptly titled ‘At the Cross.’ This is one of the many hymns written by Isaac Watts (1674 – 1748) and was published in the year 1707. It is an extremely popular hymn, even being used by many evangelists during their crusades. And it basically tells us about the horrendous sacrifice Jesus bore so that we could have the everlasting option of salvation.
But enough talk, let’s get to offering up sweet sacrifices of praise in a soulful, scintillating, mid-tempo version of the song. And as we sing, let’s remember that it was the only the great LOVE of God and the faithful, unswerving obedience of Christ that wrought that magnificent avenue for sinners, called salvation. A debt we can never repay, so let’s put our hearts and all the gratitude we have into it. And we’ll begin with the rocking refrain. (smile)
Singing: (Refrain: At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight, And now I am happy all the day!) ‘Alas! and did my Savior bleed And did my Sovereign die? Would He devote that sacred head For sinners such as I? (Refrain) Thy body slain, sweet Jesus, Thine— And bathed in its own blood— While the firm mark of wrath divine, His Soul in anguish stood. (Refrain)
Was it for crimes that I had done He groaned upon the tree? Amazing pity! grace unknown! And LOVE beyond degree! (Refrain) Well might the sun in darkness hide And shut his glories in, When Christ, the mighty Maker died, For man the creature’s sin. (Refrain) Thus might I hide my blushing face While His dear cross appears, Dissolve my heart in thankfulness, And melt my eyes to tears. (Refrain)
But drops of grief can ne’er repay The debt of LOVE I owe: Here, Lord, I give my self away ’Tis all that I can do. (Refrain) At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight, And now I am happy all the day! Now I am happy all the day…happy all the day…happy all the day…’
Now that was a truly heartfelt version, and so sincere, that it even had heaven singing along with us. (smile) And yuh know what friends, with all the selfless sacrifice that the Father and Jesus offered for us to achieve salvation and eternal life, we ought to be happy every single day! Yes, ALL believers ought to be happy that they’re no longer headed straight for hell fire and damnation because of Jesus’ work on the cross.
But one would never believe that we’re on our way to heaven, or wherever Jesus and the Father are, to spend eternity with them, judging by the sour, miserable and fearful lives so many of us supposed believers are living! Christians are supposed to be the happiest people on the planet. However, a stranger visiting planet earth would never believe that by the unhappy, unchristian-like attitudes we display.
And the first thing we need to remember about the cross and its sin defeating power is that it all stemmed from the Father’s great LOVE for His sinful, disobedient creation. As Jesus proclaimed to Nicodemus: ‘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)
That’s why we should always be so grateful to the Father, and worship Christ so faithfully and steadfastly, because He was the one who bore the horrendous brutality of dying on the cross, being buried, then being resurrected so that our abominable sins could be paid for.
And this scripture that Bruh Paul wrote to Timothy concerning prayers for all men, throws some light on our subject. He says: ‘For this (praying for all in authority) is good and acceptable in the sight of God and our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.’ (1 Tim. 2:3-6)
Yes friends, Jesus gave His life for us. There’s no doubt about that, and it’s a debt we can never repay, but neither Him nor the Father expect repayment, all they are looking for is to LOVE them and keep their commandments. As Jesus said: ‘If ye LOVE me, my commandments.’ (John 14:15) It’s as simple as that!
Then there’s the scripture, where Peter, in talking about submission to rulers and bearing our tribulations patiently, writes: ‘For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile (deceit) found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again (in return); when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes (wounds) ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop (Overseer) of your souls.’ (1 Pet. 2:21-25)
And all of God’s children gave a loud and grateful shout of ‘Thank You Lord! Thank You for Jesus and Your Unconditional LOVE for us poor ungrateful sinners! We LOVE You and praise Your Holy Name! Amen!’
Now my fellow believers, having seen all that Christ has selflessly done on our behalf, lets’ go out and improve our witness for Him nuh, it’s not too much to ask, especially since we all have improvements we can make! Much LOVE!
…in this evil world…it’s not easy to live righteously…but the help of the Holy Spirit makes it possible…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
18 Jul 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new commandment I give unto you, as I have loved you that ye also love one another, assurance that we're not alone, be not dismayed, be responsible and stay safe, bring every evil tongue to judgement, by this shall all men know that ye are my disiciples, christianity, concerns, confusion of these ungodly times, crises, crying out for help, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, discontent and dissatisfaction, dissension, distill fears, divine promises, do not fear, fade away over the weekend, faith, fear thou not for I am with thee, Friday chant, frustrations of the work week, God is active in our everyday lives, God's unwavering support, hang all the law and prophets, holy spirit, I am thy God, I will help thee, I will strengthen thee, if ye have love one to another, if ye love me keep my commandments, improve our Christian witness, it breaks Christ's heart, Jesus Christ, joy, like they never existed, LOVE, love is missing from our world, Love thy neighbour as thyself, mercy, no love no peace, no weapon formed against us shall prosper, omnipotent help, on these two commandments, our chaotic world, peace, persoanl struggles, petty differences, problems are escalating, salvation, stand strong and steadfast, strife within Christianity, take comfort in God's presence, Thank God it's Friday, that ye love one another, the BIBLE, the first and great commandment, the main attraction in our lives, the straight and narrow road of Jesus, the throne of grace, the wide and winding road of Satan, thou shalt love the Lord thy God, trusting faith, truth, under divine protection, unexpected storms, up in arms, uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness, wake up and smell the coffee, wisdom, wise guidance, with all thy heart soul and mind
John 13:35. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.
And then it’s Friday! Thank God for that! Although the day is going to be sunny, but much cooler than the last few, we’re still excited to welcome the weekend! For the concerns and frustrations of this past work week will fade away over the weekend like they never existed, and we’ll begin afresh next Monday. How true that is my people. There are always concerns and frustrations to deal with in this crazy and ever more chaotic world.
But with Jesus as the main attraction in our lives, we don’t have to be overly concerned with them, or be concerned to the point of worry, for He has promised that no weapon formed against us will prosper, and that we will bring every evil and lying tongue to judgement. (Is. 54:17) That means we are under divine protection., for as the prophet Isaiah also writes on God’s behalf: ‘Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.’ (Is. 41:10)
Yes friends, we’re commanded not to be afraid, because our great God is active in our everyday lives. There’s assurance that we are not alone. We have divine assistance, which provides comfort, strength and unwavering support. That means in any personal struggles or crises, we must remember that we’re not alone, that God is fighting alongside us, for us, and we can therefore take comfort in His awesome presence. And let’s hope those faithful, divine promises distill any fears or worries that me might currently have, because that’s what they were given for.
And remember one of Jesus’ most spoken phrases was ‘Do not fear.’ So, if we’re true believers in Jesus, then we ought to abide by His commands. As He says in John’s gospel: ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments.’ (John 14:15) And one of His most important commands was this: ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:34-35)
Oh my people, I’m sure it breaks Christ’s heart when He sees how terribly we follow that commandment! For we certainly do not treat each other with the LOVE that’s expected of us. There’s so much dissension and petty differences in the lives of individual believers, as well as the church as a whole, that we definitely could not say we’re LOVING each other the way Christ LOVED us. Not even close!
No wonder there’s so much strife within Christianity, as well as the world, because that most godly attribute, LOVE, is sadly missing. And where there’s no LOVE, there can be no peace, joy or comfort. And the sad fact is that we all claim to be searching for peace and joy, but how can we find those when we refuse to have LOVE, for God, ourselves, and for each other.
Remember the great commandments? Jesus stated them thus to the arrogant lawyer who tried to tie Him up with foolish questions. ‘Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and prophets.’ (Matt. 22:37-40)
So you see my fellow believers, everything in this world hangs on one thing, that’s LOVE! LOVE for God, ourselves and our neighbours. Without that divine attribute first and foremost in our individual lives, the Church, and the world in general, there’s no hope whatsoever of us ever attaining joy, peace and minds free from worry. That means all the foolishness that’s being tried and proposed in the world for joy and peace are simply talk, or rather a waste of time, for there’s NO LOVE between those of us trying to make peace. Everybody’s up in arms over some real or imagined slight or ill treatment, but no one’s willing to forgive and forget those real or imagined affronts.
So, we’ll apparently continue going down the wide and winding road that Satan has laid out for us, rather than the straight and narrow one that Jesus has initiated. But one thing’s for sure; we won’t lose hope! No sir! So, with that most miraculous and provocative thought in heart, mind, body and soul, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid for whatever ails us.
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!’
Now, let’s not fool ourselves by thinking that because we’ve prayed sincerely, that divine aid will be quickly showered down upon us. Not at all! And why is that, you ask? Because our witness for Christ is not good enough, and until we make some serious improvements to it, no divine aid will be forthcoming. We need to do our part before the Lord does His. Much LOVE!
…it’s impossible to understand…why so many hearts and souls…made from, and for LOVE…refuse to LOVE…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
03 Jul 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid, a godless society, a great family, a positive outlook on life, a strong will, abundance, actions prove love, an expression of love, another day another dollar, arise and flourish, baptizing them in the name of the Father, be completely lost, Christians, complacent, curse, discarded on the dumping ground fo life, divine protection, even unto the end of the world, faith, favour, fear him which can destroy both soul and body, fear not them which kill the body, fight the good fight, glorify your Father which is in heaven, good for nothing, good friends, greed, hide your light under a bushel, highest level of innovation, his commandments are not grievous, holy spirit, I am with you always, if any man will come after me, if ye love me keep my commandments, in the name of the Holy Spirit, in the name of the Son, Jesus Christ, keep arrogance and judgement from my heart, lack of faithful witness for Christ, lazy, let him deny himself, Let your light so shine before men, lost our salty flavour, LOVE, mercy, negative things, negative word, nigh impossible, not able to kill the soul, not putting fort the necessary effort, nothing can separate us from the Love of God, overrun by negative things, positive ad productive changes, preach Christ Crucified, promotion, prosperity, salvation, see your good works, self-aggrandizement, self-control, spread our salty flavour, stand strong in Faith, supernatural wisdom, take up his cross daily and follow me, talent, teach all nations, teaching them to observe all things, that we keep his commandments, the BIBLE, the Great Commission, the salt of the earth, this is the love of God, through him that loved us, to be cast out, trodden under foot of men, truth, we are more than conquerors, we can do anything through Jesus, whatsoever I have commanded you, wisdom, with Jesus in our lives, Ye are the light of the world
John 14:15. If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments.
Another day, another dollar! That’s what we’re working for, on this Thursday morning in early July. But in reality, after taxes, inflation, pension plan etc. etc. we might only end up with about thirty five cents out of that dollar, and it’s definitely not easy, nigh impossible, to live on that in these dreadful times. However, as children of God, who have been made to see another sunshiny summer’s day on God’s great earth, we have the ability to make something from nothing, for we can do any and everything through Christ Jesus who strengthens and enables us. (Phil. 4:13)
Give Him the glory my people! For He’s been such a blessing to us, that without Him, we’d be completely lost and discarded on the dumping ground of life. But with Jesus in our lives, we can arise and flourish, for we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us. (Rom. 8:37) And how wonderful it is to further know that NOTHING can separate us from the marvellous LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom. 8:38-39)
No wonder we stand strong in faith and fight the good fight that Jesus has called us to engage in on His behalf. We know it as the Great Commission, where He commands us to ‘Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:19-20)
Now that’s the job we ought to be doing down here on earth if we claim to believe in Jesus and all that he stands for. But unfortunately we’re not doing such a great job, judging by the overwhelming strife, anguish, poverty, hunger and sickness that exist in a world of plenty; a world that’s reached its highest level of innovation, knowledge, information and prosperity in its entire existence. But all these negative things exist because our world is also a generally godless society that is overrun by other negative things like greed, arrogance, entitlement and self-aggrandizement.
The truth of the matter though is that we supposed believers are not putting forth the energy and effort necessary to make positive and productive changes in our world. We’re either lazy and complacent, living in our comfortable little corner, not wanting to be disturbed or bothered to help anyone in need. Or, we are afraid of what man can do to us, if and when we preach and live Christ crucified. But please remember Jesus’ warning to that situation. ‘And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.’ (Matt. 10:28)
That means we’re not to be afraid of man, because all he can kill is our bodies, but our fear should be of God who can destroy both our bodies and souls. But that doesn’t seem to bother us in the least since we’re going about our selfish business as usual, without a qualm regarding our lack of good and faithful witness for Jesus.
Like we’ve also forgotten, or simply disregarded His entreaty, that we’re the salt of the earth, and should be spreading that salty flavour of Christianity all over the planet. And why aren’t we doing that eh? Is it because we have apparently lost our salty flavour? If so, then as Jesus says, we are good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men. (Matt. 5:13) I would certainly hope that is not the case.
And what about Jesus’ other contention? ‘Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.’ (Matt. 5:14) Yes friends, that’s what we’re supposed to be; bright lights shining forth like cities and lighthouses set on hills, to provide the light of Jesus for the numerous people who are still living in darkness today. But instead, we seem to be hiding our light under a bushel or a basket, so that it’s not getting to anyone else and lighting their way. But Jesus’ specific instruction was to: ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:16)
Ah mih people, how easily we disregard Jesus’ desires, but yet still insist on calling ourselves His ambassadors and disciples. Remember His saying on discipleship? ‘If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) Yes friends, that’s what a disciple of Christ looks like! And how many of us can truthfully claim to be doing that to the best of our ability eh? Not enough of us!
Let’s also remember the rather profound statement that Jesus made while comforting the disciples before His departure. ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments.’ (John 14:15) It’s as simple as that my fellow believers. If we LOVE Jesus, we will keep His commandments. And this commentary explains the verse thus: ‘It emphasizes that LOVING Jesus is demonstrated through obedience to his teachings and instructions. The verse highlights that keeping commandments is not a burden, but an expression of LOVE and a way to experience a deeper relationship with God.’
And John corroborates that when he says in his first epistle: ‘For this is the LOVE of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous (burdensome).’ (1 John 5:3) No my brethren, God’s commandments are not burdensome, but we do have to come up a little higher than normal to keep them. And on that exhilarating note, (smile) let’s go home declaring (steupsss!!!) and thus activating what we call our Thursday Blessings, undeserved, but generously given to us by God to do His earthly work.
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 (yesss!!!) it now behooves us to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…you can’t say you LOVE someone…and not have actions to prove it…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
24 Nov 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a blade of grass, a strong will to live, abide with you for ever, accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour, all fear is gone, an empty grave, and i in him, as death gives way to victory, because He lives, Bill & Gloria Gaither, brings forth much fruit, calm assurance, church family, cloven tongues like as of fire, cross the river, death, died to buy my pardon, drug abuse, face uncertain days, faith, false accusations, feel the pride and joy, fellowship, fight life's final war, filled with the Holy Ghost, forgive, give you another Comforter, grace, he holds my future, he that abides in me, heal, hold a newborn baby, holy spirit, I am the vine ye are the branches, I can face tomorrow, I will not leave you comfortless, I will pray the Father, if thou faint in the day of adversity, if ye love me keep my commandments, inconsequential things, Jesus Christ, leave you as orphans, life is worth living, LOVE, mercy, mononucleosis, one day, prayer banned in public schools, proves my Saviour lives, racial tension, reach the sunshine of the world, salvation, see the lights of glory, shift in values, speak in other languages, speak with other tongues, strife, Ten Commandments, thanks and praise, the resurrection of Jesus, the Spirit of truth, thy strength is small, tough times, truth, victory, wisdom, without me ye can do nothing
Proverbs 24:10. If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.
So friends, we’ve lived to see another brand new day; a Sunday to boot, which means we ought to gather in the Lord’s sanctuary with other faithful believers to give Him much thanks and praise for all the undeserved blessings, grace and mercy He’s bestowed on us this past week, and pray for a continuance of such goodness in the upcoming week. And today we’re going to open our worship with a truly inspirational song, one that we all know and LOVE, written by Gloria and William Gaither, based on a tough time in their lives. It’s simply but most appropriately titled; ‘Because He Lives.’
So, let’s raise our voices in sweet sacrifices of praise, and offer up a soulful, sincere, mid-tempo version of the song. Singing: ‘(Chorus: Because He lives, I can face tomorrow Because He lives, all fear is gone Because I know He holds my future, And life is worth the living Just because He lives.) (Repeat) God sent His son they called Him, Jesus He came to LOVE, heal and forgive He lived and died to buy my pardon An empty grave is there to prove my Saviour lives. (Chorus) How sweet to hold a newborn baby And feel the pride and joy he gives But greater still that calm assurance This child can face uncertain days because He lives
And then one day I’ll cross the river I’ll fight life’s final war with pain And then, as death gives way to vict’ry I’ll see the lights of glory and I’ll know He lives Because He lives, I can face tomorrow Because He lives, all fear is gone Because I know He holds my future And life is worth the living Just because He lives And life is worth the living Just because He lives And life is worth the living Just because He lives.’
Oh my people, that was a beautiful rendition of that most inspiring song. And I guess that’s why we sung it so sweetly, (smile) for all of us have been through hard times and it’s only the trust and faith in Jesus that’s pulled us through. Apparently, it was the same with the Gaither family back in the 1960’s, when a deep shift in values was taking place in their world. The winter of 1969 was particularly hard for them, because it was long and severe, and Bill fell ill with a bad case of mononucleosis.
Concurrently, there was also strife and false accusations amongst their church family. Gloria says she can remember sitting in their living room in fear and agony on New Year’s Eve, as the educational system was being infiltrated with the “God is dead” idea, while drug abuse and racial tension were increasing. And as always, everybody was blaming everybody else. Nothing has changed since then, except that the idea of God being dead, has blossomed, where schools no longer teach about God, where the Ten Commandments and prayer are now banned in public schools and those of higher education.
What a time for the Gaithers to discover they were about to have a baby! And though it was good news, they were also concerned about the wisdom of bringing a new life into that chaotic world. Then, one sunny day in the early spring, Bill, Gloria and Bill’s father George walked across the paved parking lot at their small A-frame offices. George called Bill and Gloria’s attention to a spot they had not noticed. He pointed out a tiny blade of grass that had pushed aside layers of dirt, rock and concrete to reach the sunshine of the world above. It had such a strong will to live; it had overcome all the odds to fulfill its destiny.
That blade of grass became a symbol to the Gaithers of how God works in His creation. And it inspired Gloria to write a song expressing the hope that was shaped by the resurrection of Jesus, as well as that blade of grass and the birth of her son. And that’s the story of the song. No doubt many of us also have such inspiring stories, although we have not written any songs about them. But that’s the way Jesus works in our lives; using small and apparently inconsequential things and moments to build our faith and trust in Him.
That’s why we can never give up hope, despite the many times we fall. That’s why Cousin Sol penned these words in Proverbs. First of all: ‘If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.’ (Prov. 24:10) And then: ‘For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief (calamity).’ (Prov. 24:16) And we can do all of that only because of the completed work of Jesus. As the song says, ‘He came to LOVE, heal and forgive He lived and died to buy my pardon An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.’
Oh glory be my fellow believers! Without Jesus, we cannot do much of anything, as He so rightly says in the gospel of John. ‘I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5) Yes friends, in the natural we are weak, weary and finite human beings. But if we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, then His Holy Spirit comes and fills our souls and spirits with the power to do anything that He desires us to do.
It’s like He promised the disciples and those of us who believe in the future: ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter (Helper), that he may abide with you forever. Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless (as orphans): I will come to you.’ (John 14:15-18)
And we all know that Jesus kept that promise, for on the day of Pentecost after His ascension, the Holy Spirit came down from heaven, ‘as a sound of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them, cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues (in other languages), as the Spirit gave them utterance.’ (Acts 2:2-4)
And since that time my fellow saints, every time someone accepts Christ as Lord and Saviour, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within them, to lead, guide and comfort them just like Jesus promised. So, let’s go home today, renewing our faith, promising ourselves to keep it strong and to get back every time we falter or fall, because Jesus empowers us through His Holy Spirit. and as the chorus of the song reminds us: ‘Because He lives, I can face tomorrow Because He lives, all fear is gone Because I know He holds my future, And life is worth the living Just because He lives.’ And that’s the gospel truth my people! Let’s never forget it! Much LOVE!
…with Jesus as our Lord and Saviour…our strength ought not to fail…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
06 May 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abhor that which is evil, as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, be not weary in well doing, Bible, brotherly LOVE, christianity, cleave to that which is good, count him not an enemy, divine aid, eat their own bread, enjoying the high life, faith, god, have no company with him, humble servants, if any would not work neither should he eat, if he thirst give him drink, if thine enemy hunger feed him, if ye love me keep my commandments, in due season we shall reap, instant in prayer, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus, Jesus Christ, let love be without dissimulation, LOVE, mass confusion, negative situations, no work no pay, patient in tribulation, recompense to no man evil for evil, rejoicing in hope, shame, shamed into working, sincere repentance, the God who heals, the household of faith, the separation of the sheep from the goats, turn from our evil ways, vengeance is mine saith the Lord, wisdom, with quietness they work
2 Thessalonians 3:13. But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.
One more Monday, one more day of work, that’s the way the cookie crumbles! Yes friends, that’s how modern-day life works; no work, no pay, and no money, no food, clothing or shelter. And I do know that the Lord has promised that if we keep Him Number One in our lives, He will provide all of our material needs, but that doesn’t mean just sitting down and doing nothing. We are expected to work down here on earth, as well as in heaven above.
Don’t let all the glorious and marvellous aspects of heaven fool you into thinking that you’ll be doing nothing for eternity. No sir! And though I don’t know exactly what we will be doing in heaven, I do know that we will be doing something constructive, not just lazing around and enjoying the high life, like so many of us want to do down here.
And it always intrigues me when I think of Bruh Paul’s writings to the Thessalonians on the subject of working and eating. ‘For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk disorderly among you, working not at all, but are busybodies.
Now them that are such, we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread. But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing. And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not an enemy.’ (2 Thess. 3:10-15)
Now in these modern times there are many busybodies, gadabouts and lazy people who don’t want to work, but prefer to live like parasites off of others who toil and labour for their daily bread. And I wonder how Bruh Paul’s system would work in today’s crazy and oh so convoluted world. He doesn’t mean to have the lazy person excommunicated, just shamed into working.
Hn! I don’t believe that would work very well in our society, because there are so many layabouts who have absolutely no shame. In fact, our current society is one in general that doesn’t know the meaning of the word. Some of the things we do, the atrocities we commit nowadays, would never have been committed just a few generations ago, because they would just be too shameful and definitely not appreciated. But in today’s free for all society, any and everything goes, and words like shame, disgrace, disrepute and embarrassment, no longer carry a strong deterrent value.
But what we really want to talk about today is the li’l gem hidden in Bruh Paul’s words above: ‘But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.’ That friends, is one of the most important aspects of our Christian faith. Jesus alluded to it in Matthew 25:31-46, when He spoke of the separation of the sheep and the goats, where doing good to the poor and needy also meant doing good to him. ‘Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.’ (Matt. 25:40)
And Bruh Paul exhorts us in several scriptures to do the same thing. Listen to him in the letter to the Galatians. ‘And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.’ (Gal. 6:9-10)
Then in his first letter to the Corinthians, in speaking of victory over death, he says: ‘But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain (futile) in the Lord.’ (1 Cor. 15:57-58)
And last but not least, to the church at Rome, Bruh Paul writes: ‘Let LOVE be without dissimulation (hypocrisy). Abhor that which is evil; cleave (cling) to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned (be affectionate) one to another with brotherly LOVE; in honour preferring (giving preference to) one another…Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation (persevering in tough times); continuing instant (steadfastly) in prayer; Distributing to the necessity (needs) of the saints; given to hospitality.
Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not…Recompense (repay) to no man evil for evil. Provide (have regard for) things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in (depends on) you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.’ (Rom. 12:9-10, 11-14, 17-21)
Now, having read and inwardly digested those scriptures, (smile) let’s go to the throne of grace in prayer, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, for divine aid to put it all into action. Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!
And again, we say: Amen!’ Please, let’s not forget that God promised to prosper us… if we turn from our evil ways, so let’s be wise and begin there nuh. Much LOVE!
…if ye LOVE me…keep my commandments… (John 14:15)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
15 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a good attitude, abide with you forever, another comforter, bring all things to your remembrance, christianity, degeneration of our well being, divine help, ease the pain, faith, forgiving God, full spiritual armour, gentle leading, god, God-centred lives, grace, guide you into all truth, he shall testify of me, holy spirit, I will pray the Father, if ye love me keep my commandments, in the holy name of Jesus, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus, Jesus Christ, leave you comfortless, let not your heart be troubled, LOVE, mercy, method to God's madness, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my peace I give unto you, negative situations, neither let it be afraid, our Triune God, Peace i leave with you, Pentecost Sunday, rat race, repentance in our hearts, road rage, send in my name, stressful factors, teach you all things, the calming power of Jesus, the God who heals, the Holy Ghost, the Holy Trinity, the pittance, the Spirit of truth, truth, turn from our evil ways, unsavoury work mates, until our dying day, weekend reverie, wisdom
John 14:16. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter (Helper), that he may abide with you for ever;
And as always, after Sunday comes Monday – the day we rather unfairly dislike. And why do we dislike Monday? Because it disturbs our weekend reverie, sending us back out into never ending rat race of the workday world, with endless traffic jams, that breed bitter road rage, and on top of all that, unsavoury work mates. (smile) But if we want to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table, then we have to bite the bullet, get out there and labour for the pittance our selfish and greedy masters believe we’re worth.
And it’s best we do it with a good attitude, for anything less will only lead to further degeneration of our wellbeing. We cannot be overwhelmed by the stressful factors of this busy world and yet lead productive, God-centred lives. Thus, we need the calming power of Jesus at the forefront of all that we do, through the leading and guidance of His Holy Spirit that dwells within us to accomplish that very task. Remember Jesus’ promise to the disciples, when He informed them of His return to heaven in the near future? ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter (Helper), that he may abide with you for ever;’ (John 14:15-16)
Please note that last phrase, the Comforter is to be with them and us forever! So, from the day we believe in Christ, and that Comforter comes to dwell within us, He never leaves until our dying day. Now, that ought to give us a wellspring of confidence, but unfortunately not enough of us supposed believers enjoy it, because we don’t follow the Comforter’s gentle leading. We talk the talk, but in reality don’t walk the walk. And what’s this Comforter all about eh? As per Jesus: ‘Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless (as orphans): I will come to you.’ (John 14:17-18)
And there Jesus promises that He will always be with us through the Spirit of truth, which the world doesn’t and cannot know, but that we know and will eventually have dwelling in us. Then later on He expands on the Spirit of truth and what it would do. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter (Helper), which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:25-27)
Ah friends, what comforting words from our Lord and Saviour! Yes, the Comforter or Helper, would be the Holy Spirit, the third member of the Holy Trinity, our Triune God! And according to Jesus, He would enable the apostles to remember all His words and works as they endeavoured to do His bidding and put quill to parchment to ensure that His earthly legacy endured down through the ages. And that’s exactly what the Holy Spirit did back then when He filled the believers on that fateful Pentecost Sunday in Jerusalem and the church of Christ was born, and what He’s still doing to this day for us who have believed because of what the disciples have written; that’s the New Testament.
And if there’s one thing to be said for Jesus, He was always encouraging His followers. As we saw above there, He blessed them with His particular kind of peace, unlike any the world could provide, and that they should not be worried because He had things under control. And in the next chapter, He reiterates His earlier encouragement. ‘But when the Comforter (Helper) is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which preceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: And ye shall also bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.’ (John 15:26-27)
Then Jesus expands on that when He tells them: ‘I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself (on his own authority); but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine (what is mine), and shall shew (declare) it unto you.’ (John 1612-14) Now that’s certainly an interesting scripture and as the scholars point out: ‘Just as Jesus came to do the will of His Father, so the Holy Spirit is sent to speak not of Himself, but of Christ.’
So what’s the long and short of the story? That if we have Jesus, His peace, LOVE, grace, mercy etc. as well as the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us and remind us of Jesus, then we ought not to be afraid of this evil and ungodly world, and should get out there on Mondays, in full spiritual armour, just rearing to go and to do serious battle in the holy name of Jesus! And to help us keep everything in perspective, let’s go to the throne of grace right now, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine help.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And if we do as we prayed; turn from our evil ways, by humbling ourselves, praying and sincerely seeking God’s face, then divine help will surely be forthcoming! Much LOVE!
…there is method to God’s supposed madness…as first He operated through Jesus…and now operates through the Holy Spirit…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
14 Jan 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: bring all things to your remembrance, comfort ye my people, confidence for the upcoming week, faith, fellowship, gospel truth, He gave me wealth untold, he may abide with you for ever, He shall give you another Comforter, he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, He's only a prayer away, holy spirit, I am the light of the world, I asked the Lord, I asked the Lord to walk with me, I count my blessings every day, I did not ask for riches, I will not leave you comfortless, I will pray the Father, if ye love me keep my commandments, inclement weather, Jesus Christ, Jimmy Duncan, Johnny Lange, lift your cares away, LOVE, raising our passion for Christ, sacrificial praises, salvation, search for me with all your heart, the Holy Ghost shall teach you all things, the power to uplift hearts, the tender mercy of our God, to give light to them that sit in darkness, when darkness was all I knew, wisdom, ye shall seek me and find me
John 14:16. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter (Helper), that he may abide with you for ever.
Oh, come one, come all to the Lord’s house on this Sunday, His special day, where there will be worship, praise, exaltation, fellowship, and a whole lot of other good vibes! Please don’t allow the inclement weather to prevent you from enjoying all that good stuff, for when you leave, you’ll be totally refreshed, rejuvenated and filled with the Holy Spirit, so you can step out into the world with the utmost confidence in the upcoming work week. And all God’s people said a loud and grateful ‘Amen!’
Why? Because they know that’s the gospel truth! It’s exactly what happens when you visit the Lord’s sanctuary on His day. And we’ll start it all of with some worship, singing this favourite song, not quite an oldie, since it was only written around the middle of the last century, but certainly a goldie, written by prolific songwriters, Jimmy Duncan and Johnny Lange, respectively writers of hit songs ‘My Special Angel,’ and ‘Mule Train.’ No, the young ones won’t know those two songs, but they were big hits two generations ago, and still have the power to uplift hearts and move dancing feet.
But the Duncan and Lange song we’re going to sing today is simply but rather aptly titled, ‘I asked the Lord.’ So, without further ado, let’s offer up sacrificial praises to heaven in a mid-tempo, sincere and grateful version of the wonderful song. By the way, I added the last two verse from a rendition by one Linus Wee, because I thought they rounded out the song rather nicely. Now, singing: ‘I asked the Lord to comfort me When things weren’t going my way; He said to me “I will comfort you And lift your cares away.”
I asked the Lord to walk with me, When darkness was all that I knew; He said to me, “Never be afraid, for I will see you through.” I did not ask for riches, He gave me wealth untold- The moon, the stars, the sun, the sky, And He gave me eyes to behold. I thank the Lord for everything, And I count my blessings each day; He came to me when I needed Him – I only had to pray: He’ll come to you if you’ll ask Him to – He’s only a prayer away. I asked the Lord to lead the way, When each step was getting so rough, He said to me “put your trust in me, and I’ll direct your path.”
I asked the Lord to come inside And take all my struggles away. He said to me, “Cast your cares on me, and live each day by day.” I did not ask for riches, He gave me wealth untold- The moon, the stars, the sun, the sky, And He gave me eyes to behold. I thank the Lord for everything, And I count my blessings each day; He came to me when I needed Him – I only had to pray: He’ll come to you if you’ll ask Him to – For He’s only a prayer away. Yes… He’ll come to you if you’ll ask Him to – For He’s only a prayer away.’
And that’s a certainty my people! Our great God is only a prayer away, so we don’t have to go far to look for Him. For as he says through the prophet Jeremiah: ‘Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:12-13) So friends, communicating with our heavenly Father is simple, but it does take some effort and sincerity on our part. And having unintentionally begun at the end, (smile) let’s now go to the beginning of the song and check out some scripture references.
And right there in the opening verse we can find some potent scripture to back it up: ‘I asked the Lord to comfort me, When things weren’t going my way;…’ We’re talking about Jesus’ promise of a Comforter. He advises the disciples: ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter (Helper), that he may abide with you for ever. Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless (as orphans): I will come to you.’ (John 14:15-18)
Yes friends, our Saviour is indeed wonderful, promising not to leave us comfortless, but to send someone like Him, the Holy Spirit, which the world didn’t know, but the disciples did, because He was already with them in their daily lives. However, after Jesus ascended to heaven, the Holy Spirit would then come and dwell in them, and also in every other believer. And that miraculous event happened at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended on the believers sitting in the upper room, with cloven (divided) tongues like of fire, and had them speaking in different languages. (Acts 2:1-14)
Jesus also told the disciples: ‘These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.’ (John 14:25-26) Yuh see mih bredrin, how important the Holy Spirit is in our lives. He not only comforts us, but also leads and guides and reminds us of all that Jesus taught.
And the second verse says: ‘I asked the Lord to walk with me, When darkness was all that I knew;’ And obviously the Lord promised to do so, as Jesus faithfully proclaimed: ‘I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ (John 8:12) Then we have these great verses from the second most popular prayer, Psalm 23, where Bruh David confidently asserts: ‘He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me: thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.’ (Ps. 23:3-4)
Oh my fellow believers, when we’re in the company of our God, there’s no need to fear anything, for the Good Shepherd always has us under His watchful eyes. Then we have these words from Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist: ‘Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring (dawn, Messiah) from on high hath visited us. To give light to them that sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.’ (Luke 1:78-79)
But yuh know what my people, there are so many wonderful scriptures I want to share regarding that song, but there’s just not enough time nor space today, so we’ll just have to continue it tomorrow. In the meanwhile, let’s just continue raising our passion for Christ, and do our best to live a Christ-like life, so that others will see Him through us and want to accept Him as their Lord and Saviour too! Much LOVE!
…comfort ye, comfort ye my people…saith your God… (Is. 40:1)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
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