17 Oct 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a flame of fire, a lazy-day Saturday, as the father the son in whom he delights, be not wise in thine own eyes, blessed and highly favoured, blessed with God's favour, christianity, dancing in the soft breeze, deepen my breath, depart from evil, direct thy paths, do not depend on your own native instincts, don't faint when you are rebuked by God, faith, fear the Lord, get down to the Lord's business, God corrects and chastens those He love, God desires deep intimacy with His human creation, God was well pleased, God's correction shows His love, handle the stress and strain of today's world, have fellowship and intimacy with God in all of life, health to thy body, health to thy navel, holy spirit, honour the Lord with thy substance, I marvel to think you can't be contained, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I want to be with you now, in all sincerity and truth, in all thy ways acknowledge him, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, lean not unto thine own understanding, living in reverential awe of the Lord, living sincerely for God, LOVE, marrow to thy bones, mercy, neither be weary of his correction, not being proud and arrogant, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, retain a good attitude in difficult times, risisng up to the sky, salvation, slow my thoughts, sought God with a sincere heart, strenght to your bones, tests of our faith, thank you for this tenderness, the BIBLE, the essence of God's artistic talent, the peace and calm of God, these trying and troubled times, thy barns shall be filled with plenty, thy presses burst out with new wine, total surrender to God, trials and tribulations, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, trusting faith in God's goodness and mercy, trusting God and His will for your life, truth, wanting to have greater intimacy with God, wanting to spend intimate time in God's presence, we can always do better, we need to do better, whom the Lord loveth he correcteth, wisdom, with the firstfruits of all thine increase, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 October 2026 Proverbs 3:5.
Proverbs 3:5. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
And then it was our lazy-day Saturday; bright and sunshiny though somewhat cool, with even an advisory of frost later in the evening. But we’ll take the sunshine anyway it comes. And after enjoying some lazy day time in bed, I got up a short while ago and looked out my bedroom window only to be greeted by a most wonderful scene; the tall tree in my neighbour’s backyard looks like a flame of fire rising up to the sky, with all its red, gold, green and yellow leaves dancing in the soft breeze, reflecting the essence of our God’s marvellous artistic talent!
It’s the same tree that did not lose all it’s leaves last winter, And strangely enough, no other tree in the neighbourhood looks as bright and flaming as that one, so it must be blessed with God’s favour more than some of the others. (smile) Anyway, now that I’ve enjoyed my lazy time, let’s get down to the Lord’s business, and we’ll begin by offering up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer in all sincerity and truth.
So, 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 we sought God with a sincere heart, He was well-pleased at our wanting to have greater intimacy with Him, because there’s nothing He desires and likes more than deep intimacy with His human creation. Like our earthly fathers are thrilled when their children come to them with a sincere heart for some intimate time, likewise our heavenly Father is thrilled when we come to Him, not wanting anything but to spend some quiet and intimate time in His awesome presence.
And once He’s assured that our motives are sincere, He will release that wonderful peace and calm that only He possesses, and only His sincere children can enjoy, although they don’t fully understand it. That’s the beauty of living for God and seeking Him with a true heart! He offers us blessings that we don’t understand but can still enjoy because of our total surrender to Him and our trusting faith in His goodness and mercy.
As Cousin Sol so wisely says in these wonderful verses of Proverbs: ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth) thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear (reverence) the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones.
Honour the Lord with thy substance (possessions), and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses (vats) shall burst out with new wine. My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of (detest) his correction: For whom the Lord LOVETH, he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he deilghteth.’ (Prov. 3:5-12)
Oh my people, if you desire a short and wise way to truly serve God, I believe those verses serve the purpose. Because they encompass all that’s necessary: meaning trusting God and His will for your life; not being proud and arrogant, but living in reverential awe of the Lord, and doing your best to stay away from evil, while honouring God with your possessions by being generous to the church and its outreach, as well as any others you can help. All of that causes the Lord to keep your life blessed and highly favoured.
And there’s one other important thing, don’t get snotty when the Lord corrects or chastens you, because just like our earthly father’s correct and chasten the children they LOVE, so does our heavenly Father correct and chasten those whom He LOVES. Yes my faithful brethren, those are the basic things it takes to live a good Chrisitan life, and if we faithfully follow them then our lives will be blessed and run fairly smooth. Now that doesn’t mean there will be no trials and tribulations, and tests of our faith by the Lord, but we will have the wherewithal to know and at least understand some of what’s happening, and thereby retain a good attitude in those difficult times.
It’s like the scholars explain the first couple of verses: ‘Three commands are given: trust, meaning “rely on, depend on”; lean not, meaning do not depend on your own native instincts; and acknowledge him, meaning have fellowship and intimacy with God in all of life. The result of such devotion is that God will make the paths straight before you.’ And per the last two verses, they simply say; ‘God’s correction shows His LOVE (cf. Heb. 12:5-6).’
And if you don’t know the verses referenced there, then here they are. ‘And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as children (sons), My son, despise not thou the chastening (discipline) of the Lord, nor faint (be discouraged) when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord LOVETH he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. (Heb. 12:5-6) Now that just reinforces what Cousin Sol says about the Lord disciplining those He LOVES.
And yuh know what mih bredrin; today, this sunshiny, lazy-day autumn Saturday in the middle of October, is an excellent day to spend some time pondering those wise and valuable words of Cousin Sol and seeing just how we match up to them in our own lives, then asking the Lord for His wonderful help to do better, because we can always do better! And in these very trying and troubled times, we all definitely need to do better! Much LOVE!
…living sincerely for God…is the only wise way…to handle the stress and strain of today’s world…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
10 Oct 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a dire subject, a great shower of thanks and praise should be raised to high heaven, a state of mind, a worthy venture, acknowledge the greatness of God, all that is therein, all the gods of the nations are idols, ascribe unto the Lord, bring an offering, declare his glory among the heathen, deepen my breath, each day we open our eyes, faith, fear before him all the earth, fill us with His awesome peace and calm, from day to day, give unto the Lord glory and strength, give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name, giving the Lord thanks and praise every day, God delights in His people's sacrifices of praise, grieved him at his heart, he cometh to judge the earth, he shall judge the people righteously, his wonders among all people, holy spirit, honour and majesty are before him, I marvel to think you can't be contained, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I want to be with you now, in all sincerity and truth, increase my awareness of you today, it repented the Lord that he had made man, it shall not be shaken, it warms the cockles of God's heart, Jesus Christ, judge the world with righteousness, lazy-day Saturday, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, let the earth be glad, let the field be joyful, let the heavens rejoice, let the sea roar, LOVE, mercy, Noah's time, O sing unto the Lord a new song, oodles of thanks and praise, our bounden duty, our finite minds cannot comprehend, our hearts are sincere and true, proclaim the good news of His salvation, quiet my soul, reaching out to God, relax my muscles, restores God's faith in creating mankind, salvation, say among the heathen, sing unto the Lord all the earth, sing unto the Lord bless his name, slow my thoughts, start acknowledging the small things in our lives, strength and beauty are in his sanctuary, thank you for this tenderness, thanksgiving weekend, the earth is again filled with appalling evil, the fruit of their lips giving thanks to his name, the Lord directs the Holy Spirit, the Lord is great and greatly to be praised, the Lord made the heavens, the Lord reigneth, the people with his truth, the world shall also be firmly established, then shall the trees of the world rejoice before the Lord, to offer our love and appreciation, tremble before the Lord all the earth, truth, turn things around, undeserved goodness, wiping the slate clean, wisdom, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness, ye kindreds of the people, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 October 2026 Psalm 96:1.
Psalm 96:1. ‘O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth.
And then it was our lazy-day Saturday! Awright! Another bright and sunshiny autumn day, though a little cooler than the previous ones and with less wind. And I certainly enjoyed some lazy time in my bed, that’s why we’re only getting a midday start. Now, since everyone will be busy preparing for the Thanksgiving celebrations, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer right away.
So in all sincerity and truth: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And as happens every time, when the Lord checks our hearts and finds them sincere and true, He soon directs the Holy Spirit to fill us with His awesome peace and calm; a state of mind and being that our finite minds cannot comprehend. That’s because the Lord takes pleasure in our coming to Him for greater intimacy. It just warms the cockles of His heart when we come reaching out to Him to offer our LOVE and appreciation for His grace, His mercy and undeserved goodness.
It restores His faith that creating mankind was a worthy venture, unlike in Noah’s time when things were so evil, that ‘it repented the Lord (or He was sorry) that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.’ (Gen. 6:6) So He destroyed the earth only leaving Noah and his family. Unfortunately though the earth is again approaching that stage of uncontrolled and appalling evil, where the Lord might just have to consider wiping the slate clean again. Please note though, the next time it won’t be with water, but something much more destructive and painful like fire.
But let’s not think on such a dire subject today, because hopefully we’ll be able to turn things around, and besides this is our Thanksgiving weekend when we ought to be offering up thanks and praise to our wonderful God for all His wonderful blessings to us in this amazing land of Canada. So, in accordance with that oh so true sentiment, let’s acknowledge the Greatness of the Lord, as Psalm 96 encourages us to do.
Please pray with me: ‘O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth. Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; shew forth his salvation (proclaim the good news of his salvation) from day to day. Declare his glory among the heathen (Gentile nations), his wonders among all people. For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord made the heavens. Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Give (ascribe) unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength.
Give (ascribe) unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts. O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear (tremble) before him, all the earth. Say among the heathen (gentiles) that the Lord reigneth: the world also shall be (is firmly) established that it shall not be moved (shaken): he shall judge the people righteously. Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof (all that is in it). Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall the trees of the world rejoice before the Lord: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.’ (Ps. 96:1-13)
Yes, my fellow believers, that’s the kind of honour, glory, praise and worship we ought to give to our great God who created the universe and all therein and still reigns supreme over it. Especially on this Thanksgiving weekend, our praises and thanks ought to be rising continually to high heaven; so much so that the Lord doesn’t have a chance to hear them all, much less digest them all. (smile) Now that would certainly be plenty praise and thanks if the Lord in His infinite wisdom and understanding couldn’t hear and digest it all. But that’s exactly the way we ought to be praising Him and giving Him thanks each and every day, not only at times like an official Thanksgiving day.
Each day we open our eyes from sleep, a great shower of praise and thanks ought to be raised to high heaven, because many around the world did not have the blessing of opening their eyes. And all during the day we ought to be thanking God and praising him for the little miracles and wonders He continually does in our lives, although we hardly notice some of them. But if we’ll keep track of all that happens as our day progresses, we will certainly see several times where the hand of the Lord has intervened on our behalf, and for those times we ought to be eternally grateful and tell Him so.
It’s a sad commentary on our current society that we only tend to acknowledge the big happenings and fail to, or refuse to acknowledge the small ones, where oftentimes the small ones are so much more fulfilling. And today, let’s pledge to begin looking for all the little things that the Lord does in our daily lives, and appreciate them more than we ever did before. So please have a happy lazy-day Thanksgiving Saturday, and remember to give our great God oodles of thanks and praise during the celebrations, for that’s our bounden duty! Much LOVE!
…God delights in His people’s sacrifices of praise…the fruit of their lips giving thanks to his name… (Heb. 13:15)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
03 Oct 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: A Humble Heart, a lazy day Saturday, all these things shall be added unto you, all thy days, as thy father David did walk, asked for understanding to discern justice, asking for wisdom and understanding, bestow the blessing of peace and calm, consider our personal situations, deepen my breath, discern between ggod and bad, done according to thy words, faith, give therefore thy servant an understanding heart, given thee a wise and understanding heart, given thee both riches and honour, given thee what thou hast not asked for, go and pray unto me, God Checked the motives of Solomon's heart, hang all the law and the prophets, hit the nail on the head, holy spirit, I am but a little child, I know not how to go out ot come in, I marvel to think you can't be contained, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I want to be with you now, I will hearken unto you, if thou wilt walk in my ways, in all sincerity and truth, increase my awareness of you today, it's of the utmost importance to keep God first place in our lives, Jesus Christ, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, lengthen thy days, like white on rice, LOVE, love the Lord with all thy heart soul and mind, make the irrevocable decision, mercy, not asked for long life nor riches, obeying God's commandments, on these two commandments, our finite minds cannot comprehend, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, salvation, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, slow my thoughts, Solomon did not seek material things, Solomon turned to pagan wives and their gods, stick to Jehovah God, thank you for this tenderness, the first and great commandment, the greatest wisdom is to seek God sincerely and serve him faithfully, the Lord is ecstatic when we seek greater intimacy with Him, the number one requirement, the Sermon on the Mount, then shall ye call upon me, there shall not be anyone among the kings like unto thee, therefore get wisdom, thou shalt love the Lord thy God, thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, to be on the safe side, to keep my statutes and commandments, truer words were never spoken, truth, whcih is the greatest commandment, when ye search for me with all your heart, who is able to judge so great a people, wisdom, wisdom is the principal thing, with all thy getting get understanding, ye shall seek me and find me, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Today’s Scrip-Bit 3 October 2026 Jeremiah 29:13.
Jeremiah 29:13. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
Oh friends, our first lazy-day Saturday in October has opened somewhat cool but sunshiny and bright! And I’ve enjoyed some of it lazing in bed, that’s why I’m only now doing the Lord’s business, so I can’t complain. (smile) And with the Lord first and foremost in our minds, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer in all sincerity and truth.
As one strong 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 we all know that if our prayer was sincere and heartfelt, that the Lord will soon open up His amazing box of blessings and bestow the peace and calm that we asked of Him, a peace and calm that our finite minds cannot comprehend, but can surely appreciate. For the Lord is always ecstatic when His children come to Him seeking greater intimacy. Remember what He said 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)
Yes my brethren, that’s what it takes to find the Lord and have Him hear you, then answer your prayer with awesome blessings. You must seek Him with all your heart! That’s the number one requirement! It’s like when the prideful Pharisee lawyer tried to get Jesus into an argument by asking which was the greatest commandment in all the law. Jesus simply answered: ‘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 the prophets.’ (Matt. 22:37-40)
Jesus hit the nail right on the head there, for our number one duty is to LOVE and serve Almighty God with all that we have and are. It’s like Jesus also pointed out in the Sermon on the Mount, when teaching about worrying over all the things we need in this life, like food, clothing and shelter: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33)
Oh my people, I don’t know how to make that point any clearer or drive it home any further, but keeping Almighty God first place in our lives is of the utmost importance. And we see the truth of that principle above there being played out in a big way in Cousin Sol’s life, when he became king of Israel after his father Bruh David died, and the Lord asked him what He desired. And what was his reply?
‘And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or to come in. And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people.’ (1 Kin. 3:7-9)
Yes mih bredrin, Cousin Sol humbled himself and asked for wisdom and understanding to judge God’s people. And what was the Lord’s response? The Bible says: ‘And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.’ (1 Kin. 3:10) Obviously He had first checked out the motives of Cousin Sol’s heart, and finding them to be right, ‘God said unto Him, Because thou asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast thou asked for riches for thyself, nor hast asked for the life of thine enemies, but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgement (justice);
Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither shall any arise like unto thee. And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any (anyone) among the kings like unto thee all thy days. And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen (prolong) thy days.’ (1 Kin. 3:11-14)
Ah friends that’s the kind of largesse the Lord can and will provide if we sincerely seek Him, keep Him first place, and walk diligently in His ways. He made Cousin Sol both the wisest and richest man ever, because he had a humble heart and did not come seeking the material things of the world, but wisdom and understanding. No wonder Cousin Sol could later write in Proverbs: ‘Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.’ (Prov. 4:7)
Truer words were never spoken my people. Notwithstanding that in Cousin Sol’s later years, he apparently forgot all of that and turned to pagan wives and their gods. Hopefully though, we won’t do like him, but to be on the safe side, let’s use this autumn lazy-day Saturday to consider our personal situations and make the irrevocable decision to stick to Jehovah God, like white on rice, faithfully worshipping Him, and obeying His commandments as best we can, for that’s the wisdom of the ages! Much LOVE!
…the greatest wisdom is…to seek God sincerely…and serve Him faithfully…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
26 Sep 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a beautiful autumn day, a fool's wisdom, a future and a hope, a peace that surpasses all understanding, be with him in trouble, because he hath known my name, because he hath set his love upon me, calamity, call unto me and I will answer thee, call ye upon him while he is near, christianity, deepen my breath, faith, flowery speech, gave up some of my lazy time, go and pray unto me, greater intimacy with God, have mercy on him, he shall call upon me, he will abundantly pardon, hearts not in sync with God, holy spirit, honour him, honoureth me with their lips, I have refused him, I know the thoughts I think toward you, 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, I will answer him, I will deliver him, I will hearken unto you, I will listen to you, in all sincerity and truth, in vain do they worship me, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ, lazy-day Saturday, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, let him return unto the Lord, let the wicked forsake his way, like Jesus, look not on his countenance, LOVE, loving God is what man was created for, man looks on the outward appearance, mercy, no rain, not rocket science but common sense, offer lip service to God, on the other side of the equation, our hearts conveyed the right motives, our motives inner thoughts and love are completely disconnected from God, pretending to honour God outwardly, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, right motives in our hearts, sacrificing for you, salvation, saying the right religious words, search for me with all your heart, seek ye the Lord while he may be found, set him on high, shew him my salvation, shew thee great and mighty things, slow my thoughts, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men, thank you for this tenderness, that surpasses all understanding, the BIBLE, the height of his stature, the Lord doesn't make empty promises, the Lord is his name, the Lord looks on the heart, the Lord sees not as man sees, The Lord will bless us, the Lord's in our court, the unrighteous man his thoughts, their heart is far from me, then shall ye call upon me, therefore will I deliver him, this people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end, truth, turn to God for the help that only He can give, we expect Him to hear and positively answer our reqyest, which thou knowest not, wisdom, wisdom for the ages, with a sense of calm and peace, with long life will I satisfy him, ye hypocrites, ye shall seek me and find me, you are here with me, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Today’s Scrip-Bit 26 September 2026 Jeremiah 33:3.
Jeremiah 33:3. Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty (inaccessible) things, which thou knowest not.
It’s our lazy-day Saturday my brethren, another warm and sunshiny autumn day. We certainly have been blessed with quite a few good days recently, but on the other side of the equation, we haven’t seen any rain, which is also necessary for things to run smoothly. And by the way friends, you’ll notice that we’re on a much earlier bus today, that’s because I’ve given up some of my lazy time to come down and write the Bit. Yuh see, like Jesus, I’m sacrificing for you. (smile)
Anyway, enough talk, 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 always, if our hearts conveyed the right motives, then the Lord will soon bless us with a sense of calm and peace that surpasses all understanding, for He just LOVES it when His human creation comes a calling for greater intimacy with Him. It’s something that He’s entreated us to do several times in His Word. Listen as He says through the prophet Jeremiah while he was imprisoned. ‘Thus saith the Lord the maker thereof, the Lord that formed it, to establish it; the Lord (Yahweh, Jehovah) is his name; Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty (inaccessible) things, which thou knowest not.’ (Jer. 33:3)
And we know the Lord doesn’t make empty or useless promises, so if He says that something good will happen when we do something, then we ought to do it, if we’re wise. Earlier on in Jeremiah,, the Lord also made it clear that He was in our court, when Jeremiah proclaims on His behalf. ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope). 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. 29:11-13)
That’s plain and straightforward my people. But please note the importance of that last verse. Before we can find the Lord, we have to seek Him, and not just seek Him, but seek Him with all of our hearts; that’s right motives. And that’s something many of us don’t do. We cry out to the Lord for help, but our hearts aren’t in sync with Him.
It’s as Jesus quotes Isaiah, (29:13) when talking about the Jewish traditions as opposed to God’s law. ‘Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophecy 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)
Ah friends, that’s so prevalent nowadays! Yes, too many of us simply offer lip service to the Lord, saying the right religious words, and pretending to honour God outwardly, while our motives, inner thoughts and LOVE are completely disconnected from Him. But yet we expect Him to hear and honour our requests. That’s a fool’s wisdom my brethren!
And if that’s what we’re currently doing, then there is a way to change it all, as Isaiah says when he talks about God abundantly pardons. ‘Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.’ (Is. 55:6-7) Yes mih people, all we have to do is sincerely turn back to the Lord, and He will pardon us. It’s not rocket science but simple common sense.
And if you still don’t believe, then listen to what the Lord says through the psalmist in Psalm 91. ‘Because he hath set his LOVE upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.’ (Ps. 91:14-16) Oh my fellow believers, that’s what the Lord does for those who sincerely LOVE and care for Him!
And just in case you forgot, like the Lord told Samuel when He sent him to anoint the next king of Israel from among the sons of Jesse, and he saw Eliab, the eldest son’s pleasing outward presence: ‘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)
Yes friends, just a little reminder that we can go to the Lord with all the flowery speech we want, but the first place He looks at is our hearts, and if that isn’t right with Him, then we’re wasting our time. So, as we experience this first lazy-day Saturday of autumn, let’s take a look at our hearts and see if they are truly right with God. And if they are not, then lets turn to Him for the help that only He can give to make them right! That’s wisdom for the ages! Much LOVE!
…LOVING God…is what we were created for…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
12 Sep 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a desire to obey God, a heartfelt plea, a hidden agenda in our hearts, a man after God's heart, a willing mind, according to thy loving kindness, according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies, against thee only have I sinned, be strong and do it, blameless when thou judge, blot out my transgressions, cast me not away from thy presence, cast thee off for ever, christianity, Christians, cleanse me from my sin, committed to doing God's will, create in me a clean heart, deepen my breath, dem's the breaks, done this evil in thy sight, Dr Charles Stanley, each time you fall, faith, flush our souls and spirits, God's all embracing calm and peace, grow up in the true presence of God, have a true heart for God, have mercy upon me O God, his heart was always stayed on the Lord, holy spirit, honoureth me with their lips, I acknowledge my transgressions, I have refused him, 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 there be any wicked way in me, if thou forsake him, if thou seek him he will be found of you, in all sincerity and truth, increase my awareness of you today, inner attitude, Jesus Christ, know thou the God of thy father, lazy-day Saturday, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, lead me in the way everlasting, look not on his countenance, LOVE, man looketh on the outward appearance, mercy, more intimacy with God, my sin is ever before me, obedience, obey God and leave all the consequences to him, pay a price for our sinful behaviour, pay lip service to God, perfect kind of day for lazing around, Pharisees, quiet my soul, real motives being selfish, relax my muscles, renew a right spirit within me, restore unto me, salvation, search me O god and know my heart, serve him with a perfect heart, slow my thoughts, Solomon my son, take heed now, take not thy holy spirit from me, thank you for this tenderness, the BIBLE, the height of his stature, the joy of thy salvation, the Lord hath chosen thee, the Lord looketh on the heart, the Lord searcheth all hearts, the Lord seeth not as man seeth, the slate isn't washed clean, their heart is far from me, this people draw near to me with their mouth, thou might be justified, to be a man after God's heart, to build an house for the sanctuary, truth, try me and know my anxious thoughts, turn back to him in humility, understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts, uphold me with thy free spirit, wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, wisdom, wisdom of the highest order, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Today’s Scrip-Bit 12 September 2026 Matthew 15:8.
Matthew 15:8. ‘This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.’
Oh boy, it’s our lazy-day Saturday! Another bright and sunshiny summer’s day; the perfect day for lazing around and taking things easy after a hectic week. I’m a tad unhappy though because I just had to get up from a nice lazy-day snooze and come downstairs to write the Bit. But dem’s the breaks; you got to do what you got to do. (smile) So, let’s get going by offering 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 all it takes is a sincere, heartfelt plea for more intimacy with Almighty God for Him to flush our souls and spirits with His all embracing calm and peace, because greater intimacy with His human creation is what He so desperately desires. Of course He wants other things like obedience, but the problem is you can do those things and don’t have a true heart for Him.
And there are so many verses of scripture that talk about having a true heart for God, that we can only talk about a few today, beginning with these words of Jesus, where He calls the Pharisees and the religious leaders hypocrites, quoting Isaiah 29:13, and saying: ‘This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.’ (Matt. 15:8)
That states the problem very clearly my people; we can pay lip service to God, saying the right prayers and gushing forth about God, while our hearts and true desires are elsewhere; our inner attitude and real motives being selfish and distant from Him. And that’s why when the Lord sent Samuel to anoint the next king of Israel, Bruh David, He warns him thus about Eliab, Jesse’s eldest son. ‘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)
Yes friends, that tells us very directly that when we approach God for anything, the first thing He does is look at the motives of our heart, and if they aren’t right, He won’t even consider our requests. And nobody knew that better than Bruh David. Listen as he imparts these words of wisdom to Cousin Sol. ‘And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever. Take heed now; for the Lord hath chosen thee to build an house for the sanctuary; be strong, and do it.’ (1 Chr. 28:9-10)
Ah mih people, how I wish that many more of us today would impart those wise words to our children, so that they can grow up in the true presence of God! And we all know that the Lord referred to Bruh David as a man after his own heart, (1 Sam. 13:14) now why is that when Bruh David made several serious mistakes (adultery and murder)? The answer is simple. Unlike Saul who did his own thing then made excuses, Bruh David had a desire to obey God. he was deeply committed to doing God’s will, and when he failed turned to God and repented.
He was only human, like all of us, and obviously made mistakes, but His heart was always stayed upon the Lord. and we see that very clearly when he declares in Psalm 139: ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my (anxious) thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.’ (Ps. 139:23-24) Oh friends, how many of us are brave and true enough to make that request of Jehovah God eh? Not too many; because many of us have a hidden agenda in our hearts that doesn’t vibe with God’s will.
And just look at Bruh David’s response in Psalm 51, to God’s sending the prophet Nathan to accuse him of his sinful behaviour. He immediately repents and plaintively cries out: ‘Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy LOVING-KINDNESS: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
Against thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified (be found just) when thou speakest, and clear (blameless) when thou judgest… Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right (steadfast) spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free (generous) spirit.’ (Ps. 51: 1-4; 10-12)
And yuh know what? The Lord forgave him, because He knew that His heart was right and sincere. However, Bruh David had committed some real grave sins and set a very bad example as the king, so although he was forgiven, he didn’t get away scotch free. War continually came against him, even his son Absalom tried to overthrow him. Then one son raped his half-sister, and another brother killed him. His household was forever plagued with problems and the Lord refused to allow him to build the temple, choosing Cousin Sol instead.
So although we confess, repent and are forgiven, it doesn’t always mean that the slate is completely washed cleaned. No. Sometimes we need to pay a price for our sinful behaviour, and it can often be a steep price, that’s why it’s so much better to do as the late Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley) says: ‘Obey God, and leave all the consequences to Him.’ That’s wisdom of the highest order! May we take it to heart this lazy-day Saturday and sincerely and successfully put it into action in our lives. Much LOVE!
..a man after God’s heart…turns back to Him in humility…every time he falls…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
05 Sep 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a feeling of calm and peace flowing over us, a truly heartfelt prayer, believe and you're saved, believing in Jesus is the only wise way to go, blessing and cursing, both thou and thy seed may live, But God commendeth his love toward us, carnal pleasures of earth, change whatever needs changing, choose life, Christ died for us, Christ paid our sin debt in full, christianity, deepen my breath, don't believe and you're condemned, enjoy a free and comfortable life in the hereafter, enjoying hell fire and damnation with Satan, enjoying salvation and eternal life with Jesus, faith, feel a lightening of our spirits, free will, God never gave up on us, God sent not his Son into the world to condemn it, God's undying love, 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, holy spirit, I call heaven and earth, 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, in all sincerity and truth, increase my awareness of you today, it's an easy choice, Jesus Christ, labour day weekend, lazy-day Saturday, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, live with the consequences of our choice, LOVE, mercy, moral achievement, only two options in life, pay a steep price later on, paying high consequences for eternity, positively answered prayer, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, sacrificing one's life for another is the greatest proof of love, salvation, serious consequences for neglecting God's offer of salvation and eternal life, set before you life and death, short term gain but long term pain, short term pain but long term gain, sin turned us away from intimacy with God, slow my thoughts, thank you for this tenderness, the BIBLE, the free gift of salvation, the Lord answers our prayer, the sacrificial death of Christ, the sinful pleasures of earth, the ultimate proof of God's personal love for all people, the world through him might be saved, there's no truning back after death, to record this day against you, trials and tribulations, tried to earn God's favour, true wisdom is accepting Christ as Lord and Saviour, truth, while we were yet sinners, wisdom, with God's help, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Today’s Scrip-Bit 5 September 2026 Romans 5:8.
Romans 5:8. But God commanded (demonstrated) his own LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
It’s our lazy-day Saturday once again friends! Yeah! And a bright and sunshiny one too, rather appropriate for this Labour Day long weekend with all its festivities. So, before you get active, or get lazier (smile) 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 truly heartfelt, that soon we’ll feel a lightening of our spirits, a feeling of calm and peace flowing over us, as the Lord answers our prayer for greater intimacy with Him. And let’s remember that a sincere prayer for greater closeness to and with God, is a prayer that will always be answered in a positive manner, because it’s one of the main reasons God created human beings; so that we could be intimate with each other.
But unfortunately, sin turned us away from that intimacy God desired, but He never gave up on us, and showed His great, undying LOVE for us, by sending His only Son, Jesus to die on the cross at Calvary and pay our sin debt in full, so that we could have another chance to get truly intimate with Him. And the Bible corroborates that, in no uncertain terms, when it says: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his own LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8).
Now, there can be no greater showing of LOVE than that my fellow believers! One overview explains it thus. ‘God shows His great LOVE for humanity by sending Jesus Christ to die for people before they turned away from sin or tried to earn God’s favor. From the very depths of His heart He poured out Unearned LOVE. Meaning, God did not wait for people to become good or fix their lives before showing mercy. And the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross is presented as the ultimate proof of God’s personal LOVE for all people. Then there’s the free gift of Salvation, which comes through this sacrifice rather than human effort or moral achievement.’
Now what more can we ask for eh? There’s nothing that proves LOVE more than sacrificing one’s life for another. But yet still so many of us simply refuse to accept God’s goodness, LOVE, mercy and grace as a worthwhile option for living this earthly life. And though God gives us free will to act as we desire, it doesn’t mean that He’s not in control or watching our every move, and the day will come when we will pay the serious consequences for neglecting His offer of salvation and eternal life, found only in acceptance of His Son, Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour.
Please note these ever so important words of Jesus, to the Jewish leader, Nicodemus, and subsequently to us. ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 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 3:17-18)
There you have it friends; plain and simple. Believe and you’re saved; don’t believe and you’re condemned. There are only those two options. So which one will you choose eh? Believing and thus enjoying salvation and eternal life with Jesus, or not believing and enjoying hell fire and damnation with Satan? I don’t know about you nuh, but to me the choice seems real easy; believing in Jesus is the only wise way to go!
And yes, some of the carnal pleasures of earth you might enjoy by following Beelzebub are nice, but they don’t last very long, certainly not longer than this lifetime, and they invariably cause you to pay a steep price later on, so why be so desperate to enjoy them eh? Remember, this life here on earth as compared to the one after death is comparatively very short, so why do stuff that now that you’ll be paying high consequences for eternity, when you can believe in Jesus now and enjoy a free and comfortable life in the hereafter?
Remember the sayings: Short term pain, but long term gain; Short term gain, but long term pain. Now, I think that describes the situation quite nicely. You can either have some trials and tribulations following Jesus in this life, then enjoy total joy and freedom in the next; or enjoy the earthly sinful pleasures now and then pay the pay the price for that throughout all eternity. The choice is yours my people. Each one of us has to make up our own minds as to what we’ll do, but remember, whatever choice we make, after death there’s no turning back or around, we’ll have to live with the consequences of whatever lifestyle we’ve chosen.
And to help us all with that most momentous decision making, let’s listen to this wise advice from Moses to the children of Israel. ‘I call heaven and earth to record (as witnesses) 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 could not get any clearer or wiser than that my brethren! So please let’s spend some lazy-day Saturday time contemplating those words and seeing how they fit into our current lives, and with God’s help, change whatever we need to change! Much LOVE!
…true wisdom is accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
29 Aug 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a gift, a horse of a different colour, a personal and intimate relationship with Jesus, another beautiful summer's day, boggles my imagination, caught up in religion, ceremonially unclean, christianity, condoned the circumvention of God's word, contemplate who we liste to, deceitful and fraudulent times, dedicated to the temple, devoted to God, don't want to hear sound doctrine, eating with unwashed hands, enjoy them while they last, except they wash their hands oft, except they wash they eat not, faith, false prophets, full well, God's word is more important than man's traditions, handed down tradition, have greater control over their congregations, he shall be free, hear what they want not what they need, holding the tradition of the elders, holy spirit, honour thy mother and father, 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, ignoring Jewish tradition, in a special way, in all sincerity and truth, in vain do they worship me, increase my awareness of you today, intimacy with our heavenly Father, it is corban, itching ears, Jesus Christ, laying aside the commandments of God, lazy-day Saturday, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, let him be put to death, let him die the death, lines up with the word of God, LOVE, making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, man-made religion, mercy, none of Christ's, ponder what we believe, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, religious leaders, rules that don't line up with God's word, salvation, slow my thoughts, soaking up the sun's warming rays, substituting modern religious custom for divinely revealed truth, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men, thank you for this tenderness, that ye may keep your own traditon, the BIBLE, the human misuse of God's word, the washing of cups, their heart is far from me, this people honoureth me with their lips, tradition brought Jewish religious practices into conflict with God's word, truth, unwritten traditions regarded as equal in authority to the Old Testament, well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, what they teach, whoso curseth mother or father, wisdom, ye hold the tradition of men, ye reject the commandments of God, ye suffer him no more to do for his mother or father, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Today’s Scrip-Bit 29 August 2026 Mark 7:9.
Mark 7:9. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandments of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
Boy, oh boy, our lazy-day Saturday is another beautiful summer’s day! For the past five days I’ve awakened to such loverly weather, that it boggles my imagination. And it would be ever so easy to get accustomed to that loverly kind of weather! But let’s not, for come next week when September arrives, it might just be a horse of a different colour. (smile) Anyway, it’s a day for just sitting outside on the deck or porch and just soaking up the sun’s warming rays, for in another little while the warmth of those rays will disappear completely until some time next year, when the winter season subsides. So enjoy them while they last.
But before the laziness sets in, 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 all know, there’s nothing better than seeking greater intimacy with our heavenly Father, for His ultimate desire and purpose for creating us was to form a deep, personal and intimate relationship with each of His children. Remember He sent Jesus to establish personal relationships, through the indwelling Holy Spirit, not man-made religion.
It’s like Mark says of the Jewish tradition. ‘For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft (in a special way), eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. and may other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots (pitchers), brasen vessels, and of tables (couches).’ (Mark 7:3-5) Thus, this conversation with Jesus, when the scribes and Pharisees asked Him about his disciples eating bread with unwashed hands.
‘He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias (Isaiah) prophesied of you hypocrites (pretenders), as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit (nevertheless) in vain do they worship me, teaching for (as) doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandments of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots (pitchers) and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandments of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
For Moses said, Honour thy father and mother, and Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death (be put to death): But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban (dedicated to the temple), that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mighest be profited by me; he shall be free. And ye suffer (allow) him no more to do ought (anything) for his father or his mother; Making the word of God of none (no) effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered (handed down): and many such like things ye do.’ (Mark 7:6-13)
Yes friends, as the scholars explain: ‘Certain unwritten traditions had come to be regarded as equal in authority to the Old Testament itself. And the concern was not with the dirty hands, but with how Jesus’ disciples were ignoring Jewish tradition and thereby becoming ceremonially unclean. Jesus is saying that years of tradition had brought some Jewish religious practices into conflict with the far older commands of the Old Testament.
Too many were substituting modern religious custom for divinely revealed truth. Thus, Jews could evade responsibility to parents by declaring their substance Corban, “devoted to God.” Religious leaders evidently condoned this clear circumvention of both the letter and the intent of the Old Testament. Jesus’ quarrel was not with God’s word, but with human misuse of it.’
And unfortunately, two thousand years later, we have come to the same impasse, where many are abusing and misusing God’s word in the New Testament, just like the Pharisees did the Old Testament. We have inserted all kinds of religious behaviour and traditions into our supposed worship of Almighty God, that go against His word. That means too many of us are caught up in religion, rather than a personal relationship with Christ, as He desires. And don’t be fooled, for the religious leaders of today are not against putting certain rules, regulations and traditions that don’t line up with God’s word into their teachings, so that they may have greater control over their congregation.
It’s also like Bruh Paul told Timothy that a time would come when people won’t want to hear sound doctrine, but have ‘itching ears’ where they want to hear what they like and not what they need, (2 Tim. 4:3) and there are many preachers and teachers who are open to such misuse and abuse of God’s word. That’s why it’s so important in these deceitful and fraudulent times for each believer to become better acquainted with God’s Word for themselves, and don’t just rely on what some supposed pastor or teacher says. Whatever they tell you must line up with the scriptures, and if they don’t then they are false prophets and none of Christ’s as John says in his epistle. (1 John 4:1)
And this last lazy-day Saturday in August is as good a day as any for us to spend some time contemplating who we listen to, what they teach, what we believe, and if it lines up with the Word of God. Much LOVE!
…God’s Word is more important than man’s traditions…and must always take first place…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
22 Aug 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a damp and cloudy day, a friend of the world, actions speak louder than words, be called the sons of God, christianity, controlled by the holy spirit, covering up in bed, deepn my breath, dem's the breaks, do mind the things of the flesh, do whatever we wish, enemies of God, everyone that loves is born of God, faith, God is LOVE, God loves to get close to His children, God sent his only begotten Son into the world, God sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins, God's peace that passes all understanding, God's unconditional LOVE, herein is love, holy spirit, I have chosen you out of the world, I marvel to think, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, if God so loved us we ought also to love one another, if the world hate you, in all sincerity and truth, in this was manifested the love of God, increase my awareness of you today, it doth not yet appear what we shall be, it hated me before it hated you, Jesus Christ, Jesus has set us apart, lazy-day Saturday, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, let us love one another, life dominated by our sin nature, lighten our spirits, like any loving father, lol around on the couch, Lord I want to be with you now, LOVE, LOVE is of God, mercy, mind the things of the Spirit, not subject to the law of God, not that we loved God but that he loved us, our own bosses, quiet my soul, receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, relax my muscles, salvation, see him as he is, slow my thoughts, spiritually born of God, stay on God's good side, talk is cheap, thank you for this tenderness, the atoning sacrifice, the BIBLE, the carnal mind is enmity against God, the children of God, the enduring effect of God's love, the Father hath bestowed on us, the fleshly carnal desires of the world, the friendship of the world is enmity with God, the lazy-day attitude, the world hateth you, the world knoweth us not, the world would love his own, they that are after the flesh, they that are after the Spirit, they that are in the flesh cannot please God, to be carnally minded is death, to be spiritually minded is life and peace, transformed into the likeness of Jesus, truth, we are the sons of God, we might live through Him, what manner of love, when he shall appear we will be like him, wisdom, ye are not of the world, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Today’s Scrip-Bit 22 August 2026 1 John 3:1a.
1 John 3:1a. Behold, what manner of LOVE the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons (children) of God:
It’s our lazy-day Saturday friends! So good to know that we are our own bosses today and can do what ever we wish; work hard, or do exactly nothing. And it’s shaping up to be a good day to do nothing because it’s damp and cloudy with rain promised during the day. And we all know that a wet, cloudy day is the best one to lol around on the couch or covered up in bed, just enjoying some quiet time with the Lord. And I must admit that I enjoyed a bit of covering up in the bed before I had to come down and do the Lord’s work. But dem’s the breaks! (smile)
But before we get too far gone into the lazy-day attitude, 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 for sure, if our prayer was truly sincere, and we really wanted to get closer to God, then He will soon lighten our spirits with His peace and calm that passes all understanding, because there’s nothing He LOVES more than getting close to His children, like any LOVING Father would. It’s like John says in his first epistle. ‘Behold, what manner of LOVE the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons (children) of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now we are the sons (children) of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.’ (1 John 3:1-2)
Yes friends, when we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour we become spiritually born of God and therefore His children. And according to the scholars, ‘Bestowed is in the perfect tense, suggesting the enduring effect of the LOVE God has given.’ And it cannot be any other way, for what the Lord gives He does not take away, especially His wonderful, unconditional, unwavering LOVE! And when Jesus returns we will be transformed into His likeness, a process that has already begun with our accepting Him as Lord and Saviour and having His Holy Spirit dwelling within us, leading and guiding us in His ways.
However, since the world doesn’t know God, therefore it doesn’t know us either; the children of God. That’s something Jesus pointed out to the disciples as a condition of following Him. ‘If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would LOVE his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.’ (John 15:18-19) And that’s an important point for us to remember; we’re not of the world. Meaning we don’t behave like the world, don’t do like the world does, or think like it does. Because Jesus has set us apart, sanctified us to do His work, which is usually the exact opposite of the world’s desires, that are fleshly and carnal.
That’s why Bruh Paul wrote thus to the Roman church. ‘For they that are after the flesh do mind (set their minds on) the things of the flesh; but they that after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.’ (Rom. 8:5-8) Yes my brethren, to be carnally minded, or having one’s life dominated by our sin nature does not jive with being spiritually mind or being controlled by the Holy Spirit, therefore the two things cannot survive together. It’s either one or the other.
And if we unwisely choose to be carnally minded, then we’re choosing to be enemies of God, as James so rightly declares. ‘Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of (with) the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will (wants to) be a friend of the world is the enemy of God (makes himself an enemy of God). (James 4:4) And I don’t think any of us in our right minds would like to become God’s enemy. No sir! For look at the awesome power He can unleash against us, from life to death and everything in between! That’s why it’s wise to stay on God’s good side, by being spiritually minded, being sanctified or set apart form the world to do His work, and living in close proximity to Him.
Here’s how John puts it in his first epistle: ‘Beloved, let us LOVE one another: for LOVE is of God; and every one that LOVETH is born of God, and knoweth God. He that LOVETH not knoweth not God; for God is LOVE. In this was manifested the LOVE of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him. Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation (atoning sacrifice) for our sins. Beloved, if God so LOVED us, we ought also to LOVE one another.’ (1 John 4:7-11)
And that’s the ONLY way it can be my fellow believers! If we are filled with God’s LOVE, then we ought to share and show it with each other! Otherwise, we’re not truly children of God. And this damp and cloudy lazy-day Saturday is an excellent day to ponder our status on the subject, and consider how we go about showing that we’re children of God. Much LOVE!
…remember talk is cheap…but actions…which can be expensive…speak louder than words…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
15 Aug 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a desire to know God better, a groundbreaking action, a mirculous situation, a more intimate relationship with God, accept Christ as Lord and Saviour, Adam and Eve, all we have to do is believe in Jesus, be able to separate us from the love of God, children of God, christianity, come to earth to suffer on our behalf, compassion, consider how good we have it, deepen my breath, disobedience of our forefathers, doing good to followers despite their disobedience, don't expect to suffer any hardship, entitled children, eternally sealed by the Holy Spirit, faith, gave his only begotten Son, glorify the Father through Jesus, God commendeth his own love toward us, God never stopped loving us despite our disobedience, God sent Jesus to die on the cross, God sent not his son into thte world to condemn the world, God so loved the world, God's initial goal for creating man, God's nature is one of love, grace, hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God, have everlasting life, he that believeth not is condemned already, he that believeth on him is not condemned, hell bound, holy spirit, I am persuaded, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I want to be with you now, in all sincerity and truth, in Christ Jesus our Lord, increase my awareness of you today, instead of complaining, Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus endured without batting an eyelash, King of Kings, know you all the more, lazy-day Saturday, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, leave the glory of heaven, looking forward to our glorious future with Jesus, LOVE, marvel to think, mercy, moaning and groaning, moaning and groaning about god doesn't love us, neither death nor life, nor any other creature, nor things present nor things to come, nothing whatsoever can separate us from god's love, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, salvation, sealed until the day of redemption, seeking greater intimacy with God, slow my thoughts, stand a few hard times for Jesus, suffer a little here on earth for Jesus, sufferation, thank you for this tenderness, that neither death nor life nor angels, the annals of history, the BIBLE, the bondage of Satan, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the One True God, the relationship soured, the rough times, the whining of spoiled children, the world through him might be saved, to give us a better option for life, to pay our sin debt in full, truth, we see the glory of heaven, while we were yet sinners christ died for us, 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
Today’s Scrip-Bit 15 August 2026 Romans 5:8.
Romans 5:8. ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his (own) LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’
And then it was our lazy-day Saturday, where some of us have the option and/or opportunity to laze around and do nothing much, or nothing at all! And that’s always nice, especially after a hard week’s work, fighting through the traffic and all the other stuff that comes with a job; a lot of it unpleasant and negative. But thankfully we’re children of God; followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, the great Lord of Lords and King of Kings, who has most generously imbued us with His Holy Spirit that leads and guides us through all the rough times of this earthly life…that is if we listen to His guidance. (smile)
Now, before we get too far into that lazy-day Saturday mode, 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 what does that prayer mean? Basically that we’re seeking greater intimacy with our heavenly Father. We desire to get closer to Him, to know Him better, and thus arrive at a more intimate relationship than we currently have. And believe me, that’s also the Lord’s greatest desire. Yes, having a close, intimate relationship with us was His initial goal for creating human beings. However, through the disobedience of our forefathers, Adam and Eve, the relationship soured and we were set adrift on our own. And we all know the great mess we’ve made of our lives without the proper guidance and direction of our Creator.
But although He allowed us to do our own thing, doesn’t mean that He forgot about us, or stopped LOVING us, No way! His LOVE continued as strong as ever, and it hurt His heart to see the awful problems we were facing on our own and the bondage that Satan had us tied up in. Thus, when the time was right, when He could not take the ‘sufferation’ we were experiencing through the guidance of Satan, making us automatically hell bound, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross of Calvary to pay for our sins, thereby giving us another and better option for life, both this one and the next.
And if you don’t believe that it was indeed God’s great LOVE for mankind that fuelled His actions, then please listen to this seminal, highly influential verse of scripture, as penned by Bruh Paul in his letter to the church at Rome. ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his (own) LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8) Now, has any other supposed god throughout the annals of history ever down such a groundbreaking action; doing good for their followers, while they were still intent on being disobedient ?
Absolutely not! That’s because the other supposed gods have no real LOVE for those who worship them; they’re just greedy and selfish and want more than they ever deign to offer. But the Creator of the universe; the One True God, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, has an entirely different perspective on the subject; that’s because His very nature is one of LOVE, compassion, mercy and grace, and not one of greed and hate, bondage and cruelty like the other supposed gods that have filled history.
And if you don’t believe Bruh Paul, then listen to Jesus as He explains the situation to the Jewish Leader 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. For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 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 3:16-18)
Look at that miraculous situation nuh mih bredrin! Jesus came to save the world, and all we have to do is believe in Him! What could be simpler than that eh? Believe and you’re saved! That’s why it’s ever so wise to turn to Christ and accept Him as Lord and Saviour! And once you do that, according to Bruh Paul, you become sealed by the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption. (Eph. 4:30b) Meaning that when you believe in Jesus, you are sealed as His forever by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Consequently, Bruh Paul could further write to the church at Rome: ‘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.’ (Rom. 8:38-39)
Wow! What an awesome statement! Nothing in this world can separate us from God’s LOVE! What could be more important than that eh? Nothing! Once we pledge our allegiance to Christ nothing can ever separate us from the LOVE of the Father! Now that should make some of us sit up and take notice, and stop complaining about all the stuff we have to go through in this sinful world, moaning and groaning about God doesn’t LOVE us, otherwise He wouldn’t allow us to go through them! That’s just the whining of spoiled and entitled children, who don’t expect to suffer any hardship at all.
And if Jesus endured the ‘sufferation’ He did for us, without batting an eyelash, the least we can do is stand a few hard times, while looking forward to the glorious future we will eventually have with Him, when He comes into His glory. And I believe this glorious, summer, lazy-day Saturday is the right time to consider how good we have it, and instead of complaining, glorify the Father through Jesus Christ! Much LOVE!
…if Jesus could leave the glory of heaven and come to earth to suffer on our behalf…why can’t we suffer a little here on earth for Him…until we see the glory of heaven…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
01 Aug 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: bad planning, being obedient to God's will, bringing shame and disgrace on the name of Jesus, Calypsonian Shadow, Caribana celebrations, Caribbean Carnival, costumed revellers, deepen my breath, faith, feeling the feelings, find them sincere and true, full value for their money, go and pray unto me, gospel truth, grow in spiritual maturity, growing in godliness, hearken unto you, holy spirit, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I want to be with you now, if any man will come after me, in all sincerity and truth, in the middle of the band's performance, increase my awareness of you today, invigorating sounds of West Indian musci, Jesus Christ, Lamport Stadium, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, leggo beast behaviour, let him deny himself, living for God, LOVE, Love the Lord thy God, mercy, not growing in spiritual maturity, Pan Alive Steelband Competition, Pan Fantasy, quiet my soul, RBC Redemption Sound Setters, relax my muscles, sacrifice, salvation, search for me with all your heart, seeking sincere intimacy with God, self-discipline, shut off the lights, sincere love for God, slow my thoughts, take our faith for granted, take up his cross daily and follow me, thank you for this tenderness, the first and great commandment, the great commandment, the Lord checks the state of our hearts, the wee hours of the morning, then shall ye call upon me, truth, unfulfilled lives, using small bands as filler, warmed the cockles of God's heart, wisdom, with all thy heart soul and mind, ye shall seek me and find me, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 August 2026 Matthew 22:37.
Matthew 22:37. Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
And what a gorgeous summer’s day is this first Saturday in August; well suited to the Caribana, sorry, the Caribbean Carnival Parade taking place right now down on the lakeshore of Toronto, with the bright costumed revellers jumping down the street to the sweet, invigorating sounds of West Indian music. Ah mih people, I remember the days when I use to be front and centre down on University Avenue, and later Lakeshore Boulevard behaving like leggo beast.
It’s interesting though that this is the 59th version of Caribana – and you can call it want you want, it will go down as Caribana in the annals of history. It seems like I missed the first five, but was very present at the next thirty, and probably haven’t seen one in the last twenty, because of my reduced physical condition, and the watering down of the celebration in my opinion.
But I do attend one function of the celebration each year; that’s the Pan Alive, or Steelband Competition on the Friday night, and although I wasn’t feeling up to scratch, nonetheless dragged myself out to it last night. And it wasn’t bad, although not up to the standard of some earlier years, when you had more big and serious bands, participating, without the small bands being used as filler. But most of them sounded good, although the surprise of the evening was the guest band from Bethel, Tobago, the RBC Redemption Sound Setters, who played after the competition was over, that’s after midnight, when they rudely shut off the lights in Lamport Stadium in the middle of the band’s performance.
Only in Toronto you say! And that happened because of bad organization. The show was billed to start at 7 p.m. but did not get going until after 8; a regular occurrence. Then they had too much stuff before the bands began to play, necessitating the show to go till after midnight. And sadly it happens every year; poor planning and execution. But this is the first time I’ve seen them turn off the lights.
Thankfully though, one spotlight remained on the band and they gave the small remaining crowd full value for their money. Everybody was surprised at how good they were and how different their pans sounded to ours up here. I myself was surprised, although I had visited their pan yard a few years ago when I was in Tobago and heard them playing well. And if they were still playing after midnight, that tells you I did not get home until the wee hours of the morning, thus I am somewhat late on this lazy-day Saturday. (smile)
By the way, my side, Pan Fantasy did not win the competition this year…you can’t do so every year, else it won’t be a competition, (smile). And although I don’t agree, the Judges and many of the audience agreed that PanMasters Steel Orchestra won the competition with a rousing rendition of the song ‘Feeling the Feeling ‘ from the amazing repertoire of the now departed, but still dearly LOVED Tobago born Calypsonian Shadow.
Anyway, enough talk, 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 I know that when the Lord checks the state of our hearts, He will find them sincere and true, thus He won’t hesitate to fill us with the peace and calm that we’ve asked for, because the cockles of His heart were warmed by our seeking sincere intimacy with Him. And that’s all the Lord really desires of us yes; sincere intimacy with Him. And He says it several times in His Word, as in this instance 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)
Yes friends, that’s what the Lord desires of us; seeking him with all of our hearts! And it’s like when the arrogant Pharisee lawyer said to Jesus: ‘Master (Teacher),which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, 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.’ (Matt. 22:36-38) And if Jesus says it, then we know it’s the gospel truth!
That just goes to show how important seeking and LOVING our wonderful God is. The problem though, seems to be that we don’t take those words as seriously as we ought to, and therefore don’t seek the Lord or LOVE Him as much as we should. And I believe our failure to do that shows up in the evil and ungodliness of our world, and the unfulfilled lives that so many of us are living, even supposed believers. Too many of us either take our faith for granted, or don’t pay sufficient attention to the things we ought to do to grow in spiritual maturity and LOVE for God.
And that’s all we are really about down here yuh know; living for God by being obedient to His will for our lives, while growing in godliness and sincere LOVE for Him. And it’s not rocket science, but it does require some sacrifice and self-discipline. But that’s where too many of us seem to draw the line; we’re not prepared to sacrifice ourselves or our possessions, neither are we willing to give up our right to behave as we so desire. But then how can we call ourselves, Christians or true followers of Christ eh, when that’s exactly what He requires of His people?
And under those circumstances, I believe it’s important that we close with Jesus’ basic requirement for His followers. He says: ‘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 brethren, that’s what we signed up for when we decided to be a Christian. So let’s not forget it and do otherwise, thus bringing shame and disgrace on the name of Lord Jesus Christ! Much LOVE!
…God LOVES us… and all He asks…is that we LOVE Him back…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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