06 Nov 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a broken and contrite heart, a broken spirit, a new heart also will I give you, a new spirit will I put within you, a state of sinfulness, a strong and steadfast soldier in christ's army, a strong will, abundance, afraid of what man can do, ambassadors of Christ, blood and burnt offerings, bring light to a dark and evil world, cause you to walk in my statutes, Christ-like duties, clear direction for my life, clemency, come to know and love christ like we do, confess Jesus openly, curse, deliver me from bloodguiltiness, divine protection, do good in thy good pleasure, exalt you in due time, faith, forgiveness, give you an heart of flesh, God-given purpose, good friends, good health, guide us in the way we should go, holy spirit, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, humility, in all sincerity and truth, Jesus Christ, keep my judgements and do them, living a Christ-like example, LOVE, mercy, my mouth shall shew forth thy praise, negative word, no freedom to live in known continual sin, not to the best of our ability, open thou my lips, our avowed enemy, paid obeisance to God, pride, promotion, prosper and succeed, quiet as lambs, saddened by our disobedience, salvation, Satan, self-control, sharing the knowledge of Christ, sing aloud of thy righteousness, sinners shall be converted, spreading the good news of Christ, supernatural wisdom, take away the stony heart, talent, teach transgressors thy ways, the believer's earthly role, the gift of God, the God of many chances, the help of Jesus Christ, the sacrifices of God, the trademarks of Satan, thou delightest not in burnt offering, thou desirest no sacrifice, too comfortable in the pleasures of the world, truth, turning away from the faith, use those blessings to help others, wisdom, without shame or embarrassment
Psalm 51:13. ‘Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.’
So we come to Thursday, the second to last day of our work week, and we’re all anxious to see Friday and the beginning of the weekend, but unfortunately we have to make it through Thursday first. (smile) But that should be a problem we can easily overcome with the help of Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit that dwells within us for the very purpose of leading and guiding us in the way we should go as faithful believers in Christ. So let’s hunker down with Him and do our Christ-like duties nuh. (smile)
And today we’ll continue looking at Psalm 51, where David pleads for forgiveness, then for cleansing from the Lord for his adulterous sin with Bathsheba, the wife of his solider Uriah. And it’s interesting that after Bruh David pleads for forgiveness and cleansing, he then offers Praise for Forgiveness with these words of ministry. ‘Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.’ (ps. 51:13) Now, that’s also our God-given purpose. But are we doing it to the best of our ability? Absolutely not! Otherwise our world would not be in such a terrible state of sinfulness, hate, greed, strife, envy and deceit; all the trademarks of our avowed enemy, Satan.
And Bruh David continues with his promise of ministry: ‘Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. O Lord open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.’ (Ps. 51:14-15) There again my fellow believers, those are things we should also be doing, but unfortunately are not doing them very well either. How many of us are truly singing aloud the righteousness of God eh? Or how many mouths are proclaiming His praise? Certainly not enough! In other words we are not being good ambassadors and disciples of Jesus Christ, as He desires and expects of us.
That’s why so many are turning away from the faith and not enough others are taking their place. We seem to be too afraid of what mankind will say or do to us if we confess Jesus in all sincerity and truth. In church we carry on everlasting, but out in the world where it really matters we are quiet as lambs. It’s easy to talk up Jesus amongst a group of believers, however that’s not we’ve signed up for. We signed up to bring light to a dark and evil world by unabashedly spreading the good news of Christ. That means doing it without embarrassment or shame, being a strong and steadfast soldier in Christ’s army.
Now, no army would be victorious if many of it’s soldiers are afraid of fighting, like so many of us supposed Christians are. And if by chance we’re not afraid, then we’ve become too comfortable in the ways and pleasures of the world, and don’t want to make the effort it takes to glorify Christ to the world. But please note what Bruh David then says in the psalm. ‘For thou desirest not sacrifice; else I would give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.’ (Ps. 51:16-17)
Yes friends, that’s what the Lord desires when we sin against Him; a humble spirit and heart; our inner being saddened by our disobedience. As Peter tells us: ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.’ (1 Pet. 5:6) Humility is the number one attitude of the true believer. We cannot seriously engage with the Lord if pride is uppermost in our souls, for it’s one of the things He most dislikes. That’s why our first move in pleading for forgiveness is to become humble in God’s sight. For remember, we don’t deserve clemency, but it’s the awesome gift of God’s compassionate nature.
And I like what the scholars say about verses 13-17 in the psalm. ‘This passage clearly teaches that those who have failed God may be restored to the service of God.’ And isn’t that the most wonderful truth! Yes my people, our God is the God of many chances! Once you come to him with a sincere and humble heart seeking forgiveness, He will indeed offer you another chance. But please note that does not give us the leeway to live in known continual sin and then continually plead for forgiveness.
And Bruh David concludes the palm with a Plea for Blessings on Zion. ‘Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem. Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering, and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.’ (Ps. 51:18-19) Ah mih people, back then the Israelites paid obeisance to God, through blood and burnt offerings, but those are no longer necessary, for what the Lord requires of today is the sincerity of our hearts.
And it all falls into line with the prophecy of Ezekiel. ‘A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony (hardened, unresponsive to God) heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh (tender, responsive to God). And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgements, and do them.’ (Ezek. 36:26-27) Yes mih brethren all of that came through when Christ returned to heaven and the Holy Spirit came to dwell in us. Therefore, it’s no longer about physical offerings, but the offerings of our hearts.
Now, let’s go home declaring (steups!!!) our undeserved Thursday Blessings, which the Lord has so generously bestowed on us 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 (awright!!!) it now behooves us to go out and use those undeserved blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him as we do! Much LOVE!
…sharing the knowledge of Christ…while living a Christ-like example…is the believer’s earthly role……
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
01 Nov 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a blossoming of life, a simple formula for achieving peace of mind, a warm glow of heat, aggrieved, an undying affirmation of faith and trust, becoming more intimate with God, behold the upright, bring forth thy righteousness as the light., cease from anger, clocks turning back, commit thy way unto the Lord, confidently trust the Lord, Daylight Savings Time, deepen my breath, delight thyself also in the Lord, do good, dwell in the land, everlasting life, evildoers shall be cut off, faith, feed on his faithfulness, forsake wrath, fret not thyself because of evildoers, fret not thyself because of him who prospers, fret not thyself in any wise to do evil, full of the fruit of the Spirit, give thee the desires of thine heaert, growing closer to God, have life more abundantly, he shall bring it to pass, holy spirit, I am the way the truth and the life, 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, in the face of the wicked's prosperity, increase my awareness of you, it only causes harm, Jesus Christ, lazy-day Saturday, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, LOVE, mark the perfect man, mercy, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity, no man comes to the Father but by me, note the blameless man, nothing better than spending time with the Father, refuse to surrender fully to God, Rest in the Lord, surrendering our lives to God, the christian's greatest endeavour, the end of that man is peace, the good graces of the Lord, the Lord shall deliver them from the wicked, the Lord shall help them, the Lord shall save them because they trust in Him, the unchanging character of God, those the wait upon the Lord shall inherit the earth, thy judgement as the noonday, trust also in him, trust the Lord with all of life's problems, undying affirmation of faith and trust, unwise actions, unwisely choose to keep control, wait patiently for the Lord, what it takes to live the abundant life
Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 November 2025 Psalm 37:5.
Psalm 37:5. Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
And then it was Saturday…our lazy-day Saturday! A mostly sunny and surprisingly somewhat warm day, as I went outside before coming down to write the Bit and felt a warm glow of heat on my face from the mid-morning sun. And is it ever good to feel the warmth of the sun at this time of year. Oh, by the way it’s also the first day of November and all the Halloween nonsense is now finished. The clocks will also be turned back one hour tonight to facilitate Daylight Savings Time, another of our unwise actions.
But the power brokers seem to like those unwise actions, and the people are not enough aggrieved by them to rise up and meaningfully complain. So, until that time comes, we’ll just have to grin and bear it. But that doesn’t mean because we don’t agree with some things that we cannot enjoy life. Absolutely not! For we have a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who came to earth and died that we might have life, and have it even more abundantly. (John 10:10b)
As this commentary explains: ‘It means blossoming into a life full of the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22–23). While false teachers and false religions offer shallow, temporary relief, only Jesus brings truly everlasting life and spiritual abundance (John 14:6).’ And we know that reference refers to this wonderful verse: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ And He certainly is all of those things!
Anyway, on this first-lazy day Saturday in November, let us now offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, with all sincerity and truth. ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And there’s nothing better than spending time with the Father and becoming more intimate with Him. It also warms the cockles of His heart, because He created us for that very purpose; to have strong and LOVING communion with Him. Unfortunately though, too many of us miss out on that glorious situation, because we’re too busy to spend time with God, or we just don’t believe it’s necessary. But as the old people would say; the taste of the pudding is in the eating. It might look good or bad, but you’ll never know what it tastes like until you eat it.
Likewise, you’ll never know how beautiful true intimacy with our heavenly Father is until you try it. That’s where we find all the peace, the calm, the LOVE and compassion, the understanding and joy that enables us to live that abundant life Christ died for us to have. That’s why Bruh David strongly exhorts us in Psalm 27: ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on his faithfulness).
Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (for it only causes harm). For the evildoers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps. 37:1-9)
There it is my people, the sure way to enjoy the abundant life that begins right here on earth. And as the scholars explain: ‘The psalm also contains a simple formula for achieving peace of mind in the face of the wicked’s prosperity: fret not…neither be thou envious, (vs. 1), trust…do good (vs. 3), delight thyself also in the Lord (vs.4), commit thy way…trust (vs.5), rest…wait patiently…fret not (vs.7), cease from anger…forsake wrath…fret not (vs.8). All of these exhortations urge the believer to confidently trust the Lord with all of life’s problems.’
It surely does my people. And that’s the only way for us to get in to the good graces of the Lord, and most importantly stay in His good graces. It’s not a one time thing, but a continuous process of putting our lives in His august trust, surrendering our lives completely to Him. That’s the ONLY way He can mould and change us into the image of Christ that He desires. The problem though is that too many of us refuse to surrender fully to the Lord. Oh yes, we give Him some parts of ourselves, but not all of us. We unwisely choose to keep some for us to control. But that means we cannot then enjoy the abundant life, because it’s only through total surrender that is possible.
And I like what the scholars say to end their explanation. ‘The psalm concludes most appropriately with an undying affirmation of faith and trust in the unchanging character of God.’ And reading that most appropriate ending together is a perfect way to end Today’s Bit. So please read with me: ‘Mark the perfect (blameless) man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace. But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off. But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: he is their strength in the time of trouble. And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.’ (Ps. 37:37-40)
Yes my fellow believers, trust and total surrender in the Lord God Jehovah is what it takes to live the abundant life. So let’s be wise and put all that we are and have in His mighty, LOVING and compassionate hands to day nuh. Because it’s all for our benefit! Much LOVE!
…growing closer to God each day…should be the Christian’s greatest endeavour…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
18 Oct 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a wise and understanding heart, according to his riches in glory, all these things shall be added unto you, an understanding heart to judge thy people, as thy father David did walk, become obedient to God's will, bless the Lord oh my soul, built high places for foreign gods, confirmation of a divine covenant, deepen my breath, discern between good and bad, do nothing all day, establish His covenant, established it upon the floods, establishes God's ultimate authority over creation, eternal life, faith, foreign wives, god is the creator and owner of the entire world, growing intimacy with god, he does according to his will, he hath founded it upon the seas, He sware unto thy fathers, holy spirit, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, in all sincerity and truth, increase my awareness of you today, it is he that giveth thee the power to get wealth, Jesus Christ, keep my statutes and commandments, laze around, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, lengthen thy days, Lord I want to be with you now, LOVE, material things, mercy, my God shall supply all your needs, narrow pathway that leads to Christ, negative perspective, not from our own might, our prosperity comes from God, quiet my soul, reassures us of God's love, relax my muscles, remember the Lord thy god, rewards, riches and honour, salvation, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, seeking greater intimacy with God, share a reciprocal love, slow my thoughts, Solomon's humility, stay on the straight and narrow path, surrender our will to God's, thank you for this tenderness, that's life, the earth is the Lord's, the enemy intrudes into your life, the fulness thereof, the omnipotence of God, the wisest and richest man ever, the world and they that dwell therein, truth, turn him away from God, unevenly balanced scales, walk in my ways, went not fully after the Lord, wisdom, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Matthew 16:33. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
And then it was our lazy-day Saturday…another beautiful sunshiny day! Bless the Lord oh my soul! No work today; that means no bosses telling us what to do, no sitting in traffic twice a day tired and frustrated with life. No sir! Today, we, or at least some of us (smile) can just laze around and do nothing all day, if we so desire! And yes, it’s tough on those with young children and household chores to do that cannot be done during the work week. But that’s just life, and the more we desire to have, be it children or material things, the more we will have to do, because children and things need looking after.
Enough of that negative perspective though, let’s take a break from it all and simply offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, seeking greater intimacy with our EVER-LOVING God. 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 we keep saying, there’s nothing better than growing intimacy with our God, for it not only reassures us of His great LOVE for us, but it also enlivens and encourages us to be our best; to surrender our will to His and do His work with obedience and excellence. In other words, it helps us to be better followers of Christ! And let’s not forget that one of God’s reasons for creating us was that we could share a reciprocal LOVE; He LOVING us, and we LOVING Him in return.
But unfortunately, down through the years, the scales have become unevenly balanced, and God has done most of the LOVING, while we’ve been rebellious and disobedient. And though He sent Jesus to try and bring us back into balance, the scales are still a long way from being balanced, because too many of us like the sinful lusts and pleasures of the world. We’re too caught up in acquiring the material things it proclaims that are so important. And in a lot of cases they might be important, but NOTHING is as important as seeking Almighty God!
And whenever the things of the world threaten to overwhelm us, these wise words of Jesus ought to rise up in our hearts, mind and spirits, and make us think before we react. He says; ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) Yes friends, the Lord knows all that we need, and when we place Him first in our lives, He’s promised to meet all our needs. Listen as Bruh Paul tells the Philippians. ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:19)
Now what part of that don’t you understand? And if you’re a believer, that ought to be one of the many scriptures you have at the ready when the enemy intrudes into your life. Please also remember the Bible tells us that ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods (rivers).’ (Ps. 24:1) And according to this commentary, ‘It means that God is the creator and owner of the entire world, including all of its inhabitants and everything within it. This concept establishes God’s ultimate authority over creation and is often cited to explain that all of humanity and the natural world belong to him.’
Then there’s this other most important scripture, as Moses warned the Israelites long ago: ‘But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee the power to get wealth, that he may establish (confirm) his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.’ (Deut. 8:18) And that has not changed my people. Today, we still need to be reminded that our prosperity comes from God and not from our own might, and consider it as confirmation of a divine covenant.
And all of that was practically proven when Cousin Sol ascended his Father Bruh David’s throne and the Lord asked him what he desired, and he asked for ‘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. 3:9) And the Lord was pleased that Cousin Sol did not ask for riches, or long life or his enemies lives.
Consequently, He told him: ‘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 after thee 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.’ (1 Kin. 3:12-13) Yes my brethren, because of Cousin Sol’s humility, the Lord made him the wisest and richest man the world has ever seen!
However, there was one caveat to God’s goodness. ‘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. 3:14) Unfortunately though, in Cousin Sol’s old age, he allowed his many foreign wives to turn him away from the Lord to their worthless gods and idols. The Bible tells us: ‘And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after (did not fully follow) the Lord, as did his father David.’ (1 Kin. 11:5)
He built high places for the gods of his wives, and burnt incense and sacrificed to their gods. Therefore the Lord stirred up several enemies against Cousin Sol, but even then, for Bruh David’s sake, the Lord did not take away all he had, or dethrone him, but allowed him to die as king. However, because of his turning to foreign gods, his house lost the rule of most of the tribes of Israel. (1 Kin. 11)
Ah mih people, let’s hope that all we’ve said and read today will powerfully resonate in our hearts, and thus cause us to stay on the straight and narrow path that leads to Christ, with salvation and eternal life as our rewards! Much LOVE!
…how often must we hear and see the omnipotence of Jehovah God…before we believe…and become obedient to His will…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
27 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bunch of sinful ingrates, accounted sheep for the slaughter, angels, anyone who's seen the light of Jesus knows the truth, be able to separate us from the love of God, by grace are ye saved through faith, dead in sins, deepen my breath, distress, duped by the devil, eternal life, faith, famine, for God so loved the world, for thy sake, God broke His own heart for us, God commendeth his love toward us, God gave Jesus as a sacrifice, God who is so rich in mercy, God's love for mankind, he gave his only begotten son, holy spirit, I am persuaded, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, in all sincerity and truth, in all these things, increase my awareness of you today, it is the gift of God, Jesus Christ, kept in total darkness, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, lest any man should boast, Lord I want to be with you now, LOVE, man's foolish decisions, mercy, nakedness, neither death nor life, never doubt God's great love for mankind, Nicodemus, nor any other creature, nor height nor depth, nor powers, not of works, peril, persecution, principalities, quickened us together with Christ, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, salvation, salvation is the gift of God, Satan's evil machinations, seeking greater intimacy with God, shunned intimacy with God, slow my thoughts, thank you for this tenderness, the sword, the truth will set him free, things present, things to come, tribulation, truth, we are killed all the day long, we are more than conquerors, which is in christ Jesus our Lord, while we were yet sinners christ died for us, who shall separate us from the Love of Christ, whosoever believeth in him should not perish, wisdom, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Romans 5:8. But God commendeth (demonstrated) his (own) LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Another lazy-day Saturday…and is it ever bright and sunshiny! Brother! September is really treating us to some beautiful summer weather! And I hope that we won’t be angrily complaining when the cold weather at lasts sets in. (smile) But I know that’s just a pipe dream, because in this modern day society, complaining has become an integral aspect of our lives, even to the point of complaining just for complaining sake. Fortunately though, there’s nothing for us to complain about today since it’s so beautiful outside and we don’t have to go to work.
But to help ease whatever anxiety we might still possess, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, in all sincerity and truth. As one strong voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And as we say every Saturday; there’s nothing better than seeking and achieving greater intimacy with Almighty God, our Creator. For intimacy is one of the main reasons for which He created us. But unfortunately, down through the years, mankind, for whatever reason(s) has shunned intimacy with God, obviously much to God’s disappointment and man’s misfortune. However, our God is so wonderful, compassionate and LOVING, that He has never given up on us, even sent His One Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross so that we could be reconciled to Him, to get that intimacy we both were denied through Satan’s evil machinations, and our foolish decisions.
Now, on the subject of God’s LOVE for mankind, there are two most relevant scriptures. The first is where Bruh Paul declares to the Roman church: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his (own) LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8) That just goes to show that God did not wait for us to come to Him with clean and pure hearts. No! He instigated the whole affair of salvation and eternal life, because of His great LOVE for His most important creation, and not wanting to lose any of them to the evil Beelzebub.
That’s why Bruh Paul could also write these magnificent and reassuring words to the church at Rome: ‘Who shall separate us from the LOVE of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake, we are killed all the day long; we are accounted sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’
Mama Mia! What powerful and reassuring words from Bruh Paul, letting us know that nothing whatsoever can ever separate us from God’s LOVE, which comes to us through Christ! And just in case you didn’t know, (smile) that scripture is found in Romans 8: 35-39.
Now, the second poignant scripture we spoke of earlier, comes from the lips of Jesus Himself. That happens while talking with Nicodemus, the Jewish leader who had come to Him under cover of night seeking answers. Jesus candidly informs him: ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ (John 3:16) So what more do we need to see and understand that Almighty God’s LOVE for us is extremely important to Him? So important, that He was willing to break His own heart, to give His Son as a sacrifice, to suffer so much pain and abuse, for a bunch of sinful ingrates!
No wonder, Bruh Paul could write thus to the Ephesians. ‘But God, who is so rich in mercy, for his great LOVE wherewith he LOVED us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us (made us alive) together with Christ, (by grace ye are (have been) saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kingdom toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.’ (Eph. 2:4-9)
Yes friends, God LOVES us with such a fierce fatherly LOVE that He’s done everything in His power to give us the opportunity to get back into His good graces. And having seen and heard all of that, how can we then not desire greater intimacy with God eh? Not unless we are totally duped by the devil and his evil cronies and kept in total darkness and falsehood. For anyone who’s seen the light of Jesus knows the truth, and the truth will set him free from the evil and lying wiles of Satan. (John 8:32)
So my people, we can doubt many things in this world, but there’s one thing we can NEVER doubt, that’s God great, unconditional, undying, absolute and everlasting LOVE for His most wonderful, but sadly most foolish creation, human beings! Consequently, on this beautiful lazy-day Saturday, as we laze around doing not much of anything, let’s take some time to ponder that age old, but oh so true question of God’s undeniable LOVE for us nuh! Much LOVE!
…if God didn’t LOVE us…why did He sacrifice His Son Jesus…so that we could be reconciled back to Him…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
13 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sense of deep communication, according to the fruit of his doings, all my members were written, before you came out of the womb, blaspheme God, covered me in my mother's womb, curiously wrought, deepen my breath, desperately wicked, devilish times, divine scrutiny, faith, fearfully and wonderfully made, formed my inward parts, God is omniscient, God's holy purposes, heart throbs, hidden motives, hiding our true feelings and works from God, holy spirit, honour me with their lips, human motivations, I knew thee, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I sanctified you, I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, in all sincerity and truth, in thy book, in vain they do worship me, increase my awareness of you today, inner intentions, Jesus Christ, know you all the more, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, lead us into the arms of Christ, lie abed as late as possible, lip service, Lord I want to be with you now, LOVE, made in secret, man's sinful ways, marvellous are thy works, mercy, more lazing around, my soul knows that very well, my substance was not hid from thee, ordained thee a prophet, our entire being relaxes, outward actions, possessed my reins, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, salvation, seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, seeking intimacy with God, skillfully made, slow my thoughts, suffer the consequences, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men, test the minds, thank you for this tenderness, the heart is deceitful above all things, the tension drifts into outer space, their heart is far from me, their works are in the dark, this people draw near to me with their mouth, thou art acquainted with all my ways, to give every man according to his ways, to our detriment, truth, understand my thought afar off, when ye shall search for me with all your heart, who can know it, who sees us, wisdom, woe unto them, words of praise, wrought in the lowest parts of the earth, 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
Jeremiah 29:13. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
And then it was our lazy-day Saturday! Thank You Lord! It’s the time to just lie abed as late as possible, then get up, have a cup of coffee, and retire to the couch for more lazing around. (smile) After five frustrating and draining days of work, we’ve earned the right to relax, to just be quiet and allow our bodies to catch themselves. And there’s no better way to accomplish that desired situation than by offering up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer.
So, with all sincerity and truth, let’s pray: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And as we say those simple words of praise and communion, we feel the peace and calm of the Lord just flowing into us and with a deep sigh, our entire being just relaxes, and all the tension of the past five days just drift right into outer space. (smile) Yes friends, that’s what seeking intimacy with our wonderful God can do!
Remember, that’s what He desires from us; that sense of deep and sincere communication. He says it very clearly in His Word, through the prophet Jeremiah. ‘And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:13) Now isn’t that a marvellous promise? It certainly is! But it requires seeking the Lord with all of our hearts. We cannot go seeking Him with just lip service and no heart throbs, for He will not answer us. And sadly, that’s what many of us are doing today, simply running to God with our mouths and asking for all sorts of unwise things, and when we don’t get them, we wonder why, and then bad talk and blaspheme the Lord.
But it’s like Jesus said to 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 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) Yes my fellow believers, unfortunately that’s very true of many of us in these dreadful and devilish times.
And I like this verse of promise from Isaiah’s prophesy. ‘Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?’ (Is. 29:15) Now that’s exactly how many of us behave; foolishly trying to hide our true feelings and works from the Lord. But remember our God is omniscient, all seeing, all knowing and wise as ever, so there’s nothing we can ever hide from Him.
Especially when He checks the motives of our hearts before He even considers our prayers. And He says it quite plainly through the prophet Jeremiah. ‘The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked (incurably sick): who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I try (test) the reins (minds), even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.’ (Jer. 17:9-10)
And I like what this commentary says about that last verse: ‘It explains that God not only examines human motivations but also rewards individuals according to their deeds and the fruit of their actions. This divine scrutiny extends beyond outward actions to the inner intentions and thoughts of every person, revealing hidden motives and ensuring judgment aligns with their true desires and ways.’
Oh my brethren, we cannot get away from the close scrutiny of our all knowing God. He made us and knows exactly what we’re all about. And it’s like the Lord said to Jeremiah when He called him into ministry. ‘Before I formed thee in the belly (womb) I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee (set thee apart), and ordained (appointed) thee a prophet unto the nations.’ (Jer. 1:5) So the Lord knows what’s happening with us right from the very beginning.
It’s also like Bruh David says in that magnificent Psalm 139 – Praise to the All-Knowing God. ‘O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou comapsseth (comphendest) my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. …For thou hast possessed my reins (formed my inward parts): thou hast covered (weaved) me in my mother’s womb.
I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right (very) well. My substance (bones) was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously (skillfully) wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect (unformed); and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned (the days fashioned for me) when as yet there was none of them.’ (Ps. 139:1-4; 13-16)
Oh my people, all of that just shows how our God is deeply involved in our creation even before we’re created. He doesn’t just create us, He plans it all out before putting it into action. That ought to tell us that there’s nothing we can hide from Him, nothing about us He doesn’t know, and nowhere we can go where He won’t find us. (Ps. 139:7-12) So why are we still foolishly trying to hide things from Him and escape His LOVING embrace eh? Who knows?
But it is certainly time to stop doing it, for it will only be to our detriment. Remember all the Lord is doing is not for Himself, but for us, and if we don’t show the proper wisdom and appreciation, we will have to suffer the consequences, which can be very heartrending. So, on this somewhat cloudy, lazy-day Saturday in mid-September, let’s seriously consider all we’ve said, and let it sincerely lead us into the arms of Christ, where we were created to be! Much LOVE!
…man was made by God…for God’s holy purposes…not for man’s selfish, sinful ways…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
09 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a heat warning, a truly heartfelt prayer, air conditioned comfort, all these things shall be added unto you, better to be safe than sorry, communion with god, deepen my breath, establish His covenant, eternal punishment, eternal separation from Almighty God, faith, free will, God's infallible word, grace, greater intimacy with God, hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God, he that believeth not is condemned already, he that believeth on him is not condemned, healing and cleansing of the sick and suffering, holy spirit, I go to prepare a place for you, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I want to be with you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, I will not leave you comfortless, in all sincerity and truth, in my Father's house are many mansions, in the Lord's will, increase my awareness of you today, it's wiser and safer to believe in Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus died on the cross, joy, laze around, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, let not your heart be troubled, lived a satisfying life, LOVE, mercy, peace, quiet my soul, receiving peace and calm in our souls, relax my muscles, salvation, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, slow my thoughts, suffer terrible consequences, thank you for this tenderness, that our sins could be forgiven, that where I am there ye may be also, the destruction of the wicked, the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the goodness and grace of Jesus, the lake of fire, the Lord answers the prayers of His people, the Lord gives you the power to get wealth, the poor and downtrodden, the Triune God, truth, turned their backs on God, wisdom, ye believe in God believe also in me, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
John 3:18a. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already,
Well friends, it’s another hot, sunshiny summer’s day in August… and I just saw a heat warning advisory on the computer. But what’s new about all of that eh? Nothing! For we have been experiencing those kinds of days for a while now, and through the goodness and grace of Jesus, we’ve learned to handle them. (smile)
And to make matters even better, today is our lazy-day Saturday, which means we don’t need to go out unless it’s absolutely necessary, just stay inside in air conditioned comfort and laze around. What a marvellous way to spend a hot summer’s day! And we can even improve on that by offering up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, with all sincerity and truth.
So, as one strong and truthful voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And if our prayer was truly heartfelt, then we ought to be receiving some peace and calm in our souls, bodies and minds right about now. For the Lord answers the prayers of His people, when they are sincere and in His will. And what can be more in His will than to have greater intimacy and communion with Him eh? Nothing really, for that’s His basic purpose for creating us in the first place.
Unfortunately though, too many of His creation have turned their backs on Him, wanting nothing whatsoever to do with Him, and that obviously disappoints Him. But God knew the risk He was taking when He gave us free will, or the ability to make certain choices in this life. The problem though is that those who turn away from their Creator will eventually suffer terrible consequences, the most terrible one being eternal separation from Him through eternity, for they will be caught up in the destruction of the evil and wicked of the earth.
And if you don’t believe me then read Revelation chapter 20, and see, and hopefully understand, exactly what forsaking the Lord God Jehovah and His Saviour Son Jesus Christ will mean in the days to come. And I know that some of us after reading that chapter of Revelation will think it’s all nonsense…and who knows, it just might be.
However, just supposing it isn’t nonsense. Isn’t it better to be safe rather than sorry, and therefore accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, so you don’t have to endure the terrifying end of eternal punishment in the lake of fire (Rev. 20:14) painted for those who did not accept Him? Of course! And even if hell and heaven don’t truly exist, and our physical death covers it all, then by accepting Jesus you would still have lived a good and satisfying life; one filled with joy, peace, LOVE, grace, mercy, and all the other good things that Jesus provides for His followers. Now, where else can you find all of that good stuff eh? Nowhere else but with Jesus!
Remember, Jesus came to save the world from certain hellfire and damnation, as He so clearly informs Nicodemus, the Jewish ruler, who, through fear of his associates, came to Him under cover of darkness seeking answers. ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:17) Please note that it’s only through Jesus that the world will or could be saved. And that means believing in Him, as He then tells Nicodemus. ‘He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.’ (John 3:18)
There it is my brethren, in black and white, transmitted down through the ages in the Bible, God’s infallible Word! What more can we ask for eh? Jesus came and died on the cross so that our sins could be forgiven; He told us all that was necessary to know about the Triune God, that’s the Father, Son and Holy Spirit; showed us His overwhelming LOVE and compassion, through healing and cleansing of the sick and suffering, the poor and downtrodden.
He even promised to come back to take us with Him, as He reassured the disciples. ‘Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions (dwellings): if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.’ (John 14:1-3) What an awesome promise friends! And why would Jesus lie? No reason whatsoever, for He can do whatever He promises.
And even more importantly, He also promised that when He went away: ‘I will not leave you comfortless (as orphans): I will come to you.’ (John 14:18) And He did that through the power of the Holy Spirit coming to live in those who accepted Him as Lord and Saviour. And as per the material things of the world, as per wealth and riches and all the things the world hungers, thirsts and kills for, here’s what Jesus had to say on that subject. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33)
Remember too, that ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.’ (Ps. 24:1) In other words, the earth and all that’s in it belongs to the Lord, for He created it all. And let’s not forget this other most important scripture, which Moses pointed out to the Israelites so long ago. ‘But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.’ (Deut. 8:18) That means the ability to produce true and lasting wealth, comes only from Jehovah God!
So friends, on this hot, lazy-day Saturday in early August of the quickly moving year of 2025, I’d suggest that we spend some time contemplating all that we’ve said, and see how we match up with it, and then try to improve our positions, for we all have room for improvement. Much LOVE!
…it’s wiser and safer to believe in Jesus…than not to believe in Him…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
02 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a Guidebook for earthly living, a most encouraging and reassuring promise, after one time is two, all things work together for good, be not afraid, be strong and of a good courage, Bible, brings us to a realization, called according to His purpose, Caribana Parade, christianity, Christians, daily taking up our cross, deepen my breath, denying ourselves, do according to all that's written therein, enter the pearly gates of heaven, faith, following Jesus, frustrations, God has the power to make everything right, God is in control, God will eventually make all things right, God will never leave nor forsake us, have good success, have not I commanded thee, holy spirit, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, if we read the Bible, if you can't control it don't worry about it, in all sincerity and truth, increase my awareness of you today, it's all for our benefit, its multitude of wisdom and riches, Jesus Christ, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, leave it all to God, Lord I want to be with you now, LOVE, make thy way prosperous, mercy, neither be thou dismayed, omnipotent god, Pan Alive Steelband Competition, place our total faith and trust in God, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, salvation, slow my thoughts, still fresh through all the ages, thank you for this tenderness, the beauty of prayer, the Bible is God's word to us, the C.N.E grounds, the indisputable truth, the Lord thy God is with thee wherever you go, the low standard of the mas, the trials and tribulations of life, this book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, thou shalt meditate therein day and night, to spend eternity with Christ, to the ends of the earth, to them that love God, truth, we'll find God wisdom on its pages, wisdom, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Romans 8:28. And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
And then it was our lazy-day Saturday for this our August long weekend, but for many of us, it certainly won’t be a lazy-day, for we’ll be somewhere down the Lakeshore around the C.N.E. grounds taking in the Caribana Parade. And yes, I know that’s not the official title, but to us old folks, it will always be CARIBANA, and will go down in the annals as such. (smile) Now, as the old people would say, after one time is two yes. And that’s the reality of the situation, for I never missed the Caribana Parade for thirty something years, but for the last fifteen or so I haven’t been. Sometimes I don’t even remember that it’s around. Why?
For several reasons. First of all, because the old bones can’t take the stress of the plenty walking and jumping any longer, plus I would go there and not see anyone I knew. That was just unfathomable, because in earlier times, as soon as I hit the Lakeshore I would see oodles of people I knew. And last, but possibly the most important reason is that the quality of the mas in the parade has gone down so low that it’s not worth going to see anymore. And that’s not only my opinion, but a lot of others too, who knew what real mas and mas costumes were about.
But the Caribana Celebrations is still a big thing in the city and I’m glad that they can make some tourist dollars off of it. And just to show how the standards have fallen, I went to the Pan Alive Steelband Competition last night, and there were only three bands out of the six that competed that should have been in the competition. Even one of the guest bands sounded better than the first three competitors. Steups! But who am I, a non mas and non pan person to say anything eh? (smile) And to stop my spirit from getting upset as I remember what was, and what is right now, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer with all sincerity and truth.
As one strong voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
That did it friends! (smile) I’ve released whatever frustrations I had about the state of the current mas and pan situation, and have accepted that things change, and not always in a manner that I like, but since I cannot change them, I just have to leave them alone. And that’s the beauty of prayer; it brings us to a realization, that if we cannot control it, we should not worry about it, just leave it all up to God, because He has the power to make everything right, and has promised to do so, through this marvellous verse from Romans. ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28)
Yes my faithful brethren, if we LOVE the Lord and place our total faith and trust in Him, then eventually, when, in His wisdom, He knows the time is right, then He will work everything out for our good. So, although it can be very difficult when we’re going through the trials and tribulations of this earthly life, we need not worry, because we know that our omnipotent God is in control and He will eventually make all wrongs right! But we can only stand strong in faith when we know His Word, that’s why constant reading and meditating on it is absolutely necessary.
The Lord even said it in no uncertain terms to Joshua, when He made him the leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. And not once, but several times in a few verses of Joshua chapter one. Hear this direct command: ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth (shall be constantly in your mouth); but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh. 1:8)
Straight from the Lord’s mouth my people! If we want to be prosperous and have success then we need to know His Word, because that’s the purpose for which it was created. That reminds me of the quote I got from some unremembered place: ‘The Bible is God’s Word to us, still fresh through all the ages. And if we read it, we will find God’s wisdom on its pages.’ That’s gospel truth friends! The Bible was written as a Guidebook for Earthly Living, but we have to read and study it constantly if we want to discover its multitude of wisdom and riches.
And this last thing God said to Joshua is one of my favourite scripture verses. After telling him about constantly meditating on His Word, the Lord then expounded and admonished: ‘Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.’ (Josh. 1:9) Oh my people, what a most encouraging and reassuring promise! And it’s the indisputable truth, for our faithful God is always with us, since He’s promised never to leave nor forsake us. (Heb. 13:5)
And if we want to have a successful and prosperous life here on earth, then enter the pearly gates to spend eternity with Jesus, then we have to take all those commands and promises seriously, live by them each and every day, being true disciples of Christ. That’s denying ourselves, taking up our cross every day and following Him to the ends of the earth! (Luke 9:23)
And today is a good day to ponder our situation; whether we’re following God’s directives, meditating on His word, denying ourselves, daily taking up our cross and following Him. Remember, it’s all for our benefit! Much LOVE!
…if you don’t know God’s Word…then you cannot live the way He desires…or have a prosperous and successful life…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
26 Jul 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sense of peace, acceptable to God, actively pursuing peace, against them that do evil, approved of men, be as wool, be devoured with the sword, be not overcome of evil, be red like crimson, be white as snow, be willing and obedient, but righteousness peace and joy in the Holy ghost, cease to do evil, christianity, condemned, deceit, deepen my breath, defend, delivers them out of all their troubles, depart from evil, do good, dwell for evermore, eat the good of the land, end of sermon, evil shall slay the wicked, faith, fall short of the grace of God, follow after the things which make for peace, follow peace with all men, fomenting strife, for our own benefit, from before mine eyes, guilty, He keepeth all his bones, he that desires life and loves many days, his ears are open unto their cry, holiness, holy spirit, I marvel to think, 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, Jesus Christ, judge the fatherless, keep thy tongue from evil, laze around, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, learn to do well, lest any man fail, let not your good be evil spoken of, let us reason together, looking diligently, LOVE, make hay while the sun shines, many are the afflictions of the righteous, many be defiled, mercy, none of them that trust in him shall be desolate, overcome evil with good, plead for the widow, put away the evil of your doings, quiet my soul, raise our hopes dreams and faith, relax my muscles, relieved the oppressed, reprove the oppressor, salvation, saveth such as be of a contrite spirit, seasoned instruction, seek justice, seek peace and pursue it, slow my thoughts, spend some intimate time with the Father, teach you the fear of the Lord, thank you for this tenderness, that he may see good, that I may know you all the more, the BIBLE, the face of the Lord, the kingdom of god is not meat and drink, the Lord and His word dont ever change, the Lord is nigh unto them of a broken heart, the Lord redeems the soul of his servants, the Lord's loving-kindness, the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it, the remembrance of them from the earth, the reverence of the Lord, the righteous cry, the root of bitterness springing up trouble you, they that hate the righteous shall be desolate, things wherewith one may edify, thy lips from speaking guile, to cut off, truth, upgrading our witness for Christ, vindicate, wash you make you clean, wisdom, without which no man shall see the Lord, ye refuse and rebel, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present, your sins be as scarlet
Psalm 34:14. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
And then it was Saturday, our lazy-day Saturday, where we don’t have to do anything but laze around, if we so desire. (smile) And since it looks like it’s going to be another hot and hazy day, even with a promise of rain in the afternoon, the wisest thing is to stay inside and enjoy the calm and peace of an air conditioned situation. (smile) And to help us do just that, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday prayer with all sincerity and truth.
As one strong voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
Ah friends, just offering up the words bring a sense of peace and quietness, and when the Lord replies with His LOVING-KINDNESS, then it will be even better. So let’s raise our hopes, our dreams and faith as we spend some quiet, intimate time with the Father, this last Saturday in July 2025. Yes my brethren, July will be finished in less than a week’s time, so let’s make hay while the summer sun still shines by upgrading our witness for Christ. End of Sermon!
And as we promised yesterday, if God spared our lives today, we’d continue looking at the remainder of Psalm 34, as the scholars called it, the section of ‘seasoned instruction that can stem from such a deliverance,’ like Bruh David had from Saul and the Philistines with the Lord’s help. And that section begins thus: ‘Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear (reverence) of the Lord. What man is he that desireth life, and LOVETH many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile (deceit) Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.’ (Ps. 34:11-14)
Yes my people, if we want to learn the reverence of the Lord those are some of the things we need to do; don’t speak or do evil, but do good and seek peace, and pursue it. As Bruh David says in Psalm 37: ‘Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.’ (Ps. 37:27) And as Isaiah proclaims on the Lord’s behalf: ‘Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgement (justice), relieve the oppressed (reprove the oppressor), judge (vindicate or defend) the fatherless, plead for the widow.’ (Is. 1:16-17)
Now those are the things we’re supposed to be doing rather than doing evil and fomenting strife like we’re doing today. And it’s certainly interesting how Isaiah continues that passage. ‘Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.’ (Is. 1:18-20)
It’s laid out plain and straightforward my people. If we are obedient to the Lord’s word, we will prosper, if not, we shall be destroyed. And we can see evidence of it in the many heart rending problems that the Israelites faced when they disobeyed God, so why do we think it will be any different today eh? The Lord and His Word don’t change.
And as per peace, let’s note, it’s not only a matter of seeking peace, but actively pursuing it, looking for it, going out of our way to find it and make it happen! Bruh Paul in his epistle to the Romans, also warns us: ‘Let not the your good be evil spoken of: for the kingdom of God is not meat (food) and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify (build up) another.’ (Rom. 14:16-19)
And later on the author of Hebrews also encourages us to: ‘Follow (pursue) peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see God. Looking diligently lest any man fail of (fall short of) the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.’ (Heb. 12:1-5) So friends, we see how very important the pursuit of peace is in the believer’s life. And if we don’t actively seek it, we can cause a lot of problems in both our lives and the lives of others.
Then Bruh David continues explaining why we should fear the Lord and do good. ‘The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off (destroy) the remembrance of them from the earth.’ (Ps. 34:15-16) Yes my brethren, the Lord dislikes evil, and has promised to destroy it and all memory of it from His world. Now, we don’t want to be amongst those that are destroyed, do we?
Obviously not! Then listen and inwardly digest these marvellous words of the rest of the psalm. ‘The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of contrite (crushed ) spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate (condemned or held guilty). The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate (condemned or found guilty).’ (Ps. 34:17-22)
Oh my fellow saints, that’s what we have to look forward to when we fear the Lord, do good and not evil, and sincerely pursue peace! There’s nothing better to be gained in all the world! So please, let’s spend some time today contemplating those scriptures and seeing how they fit into our current lives. It can only be to our own amazing benefit. Much LOVE!
…be not overcome of evil…but overcome evil with good… (Rom. 12:21)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
22 Mar 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a good omen, a more rewarding prayer, bask in the light of Jesus, be filled with their own devices, be quiet from fear of evil, Bible, call upon him while he is near, call upon me, call upon meI will not answer, christianity, Christians, deepen my breath, disdained all my counsel., distress and anguish come upon you, double-minded attitude, eat the fruit of their own way, faith, fighting a valiant battle, fools hate knowledge, God will abundantly pardon, he will have mercy upon him, holy spirit, how long ye simple ones, I have called and ye refused, I love them that love me, 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, I will not answer, I will pour out my spirit unto you, in all sincerity and truth, in the opening of the gates, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ, laugh at your calamity, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, let him return unto the Lord, let the wicked forsake his way, LOVE, make known my words unto you, mercy, mock when your fear comes, naivety, no man regarded, pray unto me, pros and cons, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, run to the rock for rescue, salvation, seek me and find me, seek me diligently, seek ye the Lord while he may be found, seeking sincere intimacy with God, seriously contemplate the consequences of each decision, she raises her voice in the streets, slow my thoughts, stretched out my hand, thank you for this tenderness, the complacency of fools, the foes of darkness, the morally dull, the scorners delight in scorning, the turning away of the simple, the unrighteous man his thoughts, those who seek me early will find me, truth, turn you at my reproof, undivided attention, waywardness, when terror comes as desolation, whoso hearkens to me shall dwell safely, will ye love simplicity, wisdom, wisdom calls aloud in the streets, wisdom crieth without, ye shall search for me with all your heart, you are here with me, you can't be contained, your destruction comes as a whirlwind, your love surrounds and fills me
Proverbs 8:117. I LOVE them that LOVE me; and those that seek me early (diligently) shall find me.
And it’s another lazy-day Saturday friends, but a windy, chilly and cloudy one, until a short while ago, around mid-day, when the sun, fighting a valiant battle, finally overcame the clouds and shone forth in all its bright and manly presence. (smile) Now that’s a good omen for us believers in Christ Jesus, reassuring us that if we stand strong and fight the foes of darkness, we too can overcome and bask in the glorious light of Jesus!
And with that reassurance under our belt, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer with all sincerity and truth. As one strong voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And there isn’t a more rewarding prayer than one seeking sincere intimacy with our heavenly Father, for that’s one of His heart’s greatest desires. It warms the cockles of His heart when we come sincerely seeking Him. That’s why there are several scriptures in God’s Word that specifically speak about seeking Him. Let’s check out a few of them nuh, like this one from Isaiah, where He writes: ‘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)
Right there my people, we see the wisdom of seeking God; He’ll pardon and have mercy on all who seek Him. But there’s one important proviso, as stated in this scripture from Jeremiah that we all know, where he declares: ‘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 your whole heart.’ (Jer. 29:12-13) Yes friends, there is a necessity to seeking God sincerely, or with all of your soul, body, mind and heart if you want to find Him.
Meanwhile Cousin Sol who has something to say on every subject, (smile) says it thus in Proverbs: ‘I LOVE them that LOVE me; and those that seek me early (diligently) shall find me.’ (Prov. 8:17) There again, more sincere and whole hearted seeking of God is necessary to find Him. We just can’t go with any wishy-washy, double-minded attitude and find Him. No! It must be with all of our being! And Cousin Sol further intimates that we must seek God as though we’re seeking for silver or gold, for hidden treasure; that’s with total undivided attention, putting all we have into it. (Prov. 2:4)
So, now that we have heard all about the benefits of sincerely seeking the Lord, let’s look at what happens if we don’t seek Him. And Cousin Sol puts it right out there when he talks in the beginning of Proverbs about ‘Wisdom Cries in the Streets.’ The scholars explain that He personifies her as a prophetess calling out in public places to everyone to come to her and learn.
He writes: ‘Wisdom crieth without (calls aloud in the street); she uttereth (raises) her voice in the streets (plazas). She crieth in the chief place of concourse (concourses), in the opening of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, How long, ye simple (naïve) ones, will ye LOVE simplicity (naivety)? And the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?’ (Prov. 1:20-22) Now those are very good questions my brethren, questions that many of us need to seriously consider today, since our world is currently so full of exactly what Cousin Sol’s talking about; naivety or lack of knowledge, the scorning of scoffers, hatred of wisdom by fools or the morally dull.
But then we have this graceful invitation that was also turned down. ‘Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought (disdained) all my counsel, and would (have) none of my reproof:’ (Prov. 1:23-25) Yes friends, that’s exactly what too many of us have done; rejected God and His awesome help, and what our foolish and mentally disturbed world is adamantly continuing to do.
But hear what’s in the works for such of us nuh! ‘I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear (terror) cometh; When your fear (terror) cometh as desolation (a storm), and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.’ (Prov. 1:26-27) Now is that what we truly desire? I doubt it. And the story is not yet finished.
Listen up: ‘Then they shall call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early (diligently), but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear (reverence) of the Lord: They would (have) none of my counsel: they despised all of my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. For the turning away (waywardness) of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity (complacency) of fools shall destroy them. But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet (be secure or at ease) from fear of evil.’ (Prov. 1:28-33)
There you have it my fellow believers, the pros and cons for seeking God diligently and with our whole being, and also being foolish and rejecting Him. Now, it’s up to each of us to choose the path we shall tread, but first, please let’s very seriously contemplate the consequences of each decision! Much LOVE!
…the time to sincerely seek God is…NOW…for as the old song says…if you wait too late…when you run to the Rock for rescue…there’ll be no rock…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
18 Nov 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: be obedient to God's holy will, cry out to God for help, departed into a solitary place and there prayed, detracts from the power of prayer, divine help, enjoy the pece and stillness that radiates from God's awesome presence, God loves being in the presence of His children, God will never turn down a sincere cry, holy spirit, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, in all sincerity and truth, in the morning, increase my awareness of you today, it's not a shame to cry, Jesus Christ, Jesus went out, Jesus went up into a mountain apart to pray, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, LOVE, quiet my soul, rising up a great while before day, slow my thoughts, spending quiet time with the Father, tears are the window washers of our souls, the aura of light and love, the guiding of the Holy Spirit, the mire of Satan's cesspool, the silence says it all, the sunshine is in the ascendance, truth, wisdom, you are here with me, your peace and love are present
Mark 1:35. And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he (Jesus) went out, and departed into a solitary (deserted) place, and there prayed.
And the sunshine missing from yesterday has returned this lazy-day Saturday friends. Thank the Lord! Oh, there are a few clouds hanging around, but it’s good to know that the sunshine is in the ascendance! Glory be! And with all of that thankfulness in our minds and on our tongues, (smile) let’s get to out Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, and declare it (yesss!) like we really mean it.
Altogether now: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
Now let’s hope that our sincerity shone through in our words and that the Lord did quiet our souls and deepen our breaths while surrounding us with His glorious presence, because there’s no greater feeling of peace and joy than when one can truly feel the Lord’s presence surrounding us. That aura of light and LOVE, of compassion and well-being that emanates from His presence is like no other in this whole wide world!
And sadly, that’s something too many of us don’t take the time to seek and find. Even when we pray, we often just get up and go about our business, without spending a few moments to either listen to what the Lord has to say in reply to our prayers, or to just sit quietly and enjoy the peace and stillness that radiates from His awesome presence. And that unfortunately detracts from the power and rejuvenation that prayer is supposed to have.
Taking time to just spend in God’s presence is one of the most energizing and refreshing things we can ever do. We don’t even need to say a single word, but silently ask Him to come into our presence and be with us. And believe me, He will do it very enthusiastically, because, like any other father, there’s nothing the Lord enjoys and relishes more than being in the presence of His children.
Remember how Jesus always went off by Himself somewhere to pray, especially after some tiring preaching, even to the point of leaving the disciples on their own. Like the time he fed the five thousand men, besides women and children, then sent the disciples to the other side of the lake in a ship. ‘And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart (by himself) to pray: and when evening was come, he was there alone.’ (Matt. 14:23)
Yes friends, Jesus relished the quiet time He spent with the Father, because He knew that He desperately need the refreshing and rejuvenation for His human body and soul to do the tasks the Father had set him. And, except in the Garden of Gethsemane, the night before His crucifixion, when things were really on the bubble, I’m sure that Jesus didn’t say all that much to the Father, for they both knew the plans that were afoot, but He just felt so much better simply basking in the Father’s presence. It’s like those times in our own experiences when we’re with a friend or somebody close to us, and there’s no need for words, because the silence between us says it all.
But my favourite verse about Jesus’ prayer life is this one found in the gospel of Mark, where he writes: ‘And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he (Jesus) went out, and departed into a solitary (deserted) place, and there prayed.’ (Mark 1:35) Wow mih bredrin! If Jesus, the Son of God, God Himself, needed to get up early and go out and pray to his heavenly Father, so that He could handle the days difficulties and do His bidding, what does it say about us eh?
We need the guiding of the Holy Spirit even much more, especially in these days of worldwide chaos and disaster. But so many of us just get up and run out of the house desperate to get to work on time, without even giving the Lord a simple thank you for bringing us safely through the night, much less asking Him to take us safely through the day! And then we wonder why our lives are so miserable and chaotic.
Hn! What else do we expect when we don’t honour God eh? When we’re too busy with the perishable things of this evil world, and don’t sufficiently consider the imperishable things of the next life! There’s no magic or miracle to it nuh my fellow believers. All the Lord asks of us is basically to LOVE and reverence Him, and be obedient to His Holy Will, which we can find in His Word, the Bible.
But being the stubborn, rebellious, sinful children we are, we foolishly refuse to adhere to His wishes, and instead lustfully listen to the lies and deceits of Satan, just like our foolish foreparents, Adam and Eve did. And when we find ourselves deep, and sinking ever deeper in the mire of Satan’s cesspool, we wonder why that is.
The foolish and ever-stubborn ones simply accept their fate, but the smart ones desperately cry out to God for help, because they know deep down, that our LOVING God will NEVER turn down a sincere cry for assistance from one of His human creations. Just like He heard Jonah’s sincere cry from the belly of the fish and delivered him, likewise He will deliver all who cry out to Him from the mire of Satan’s sinful cesspool.
And that is our prayer for all of us today friends; that wherever we are, and at whatever stage of our lives, if we need help, then let us cry out to our heavenly Father for it, because He’s promised never to turn away a single soul who comes to Him in all sincerity and truth!
And yuh know what, every single, solitary one of us needs divine help, right this very minute, for none of us are perfect, and if the ONLY perfect One that ever lived on planet earth, Jesus Christ, needed divine help to handle his situation, then we most certainly do too! So let’s do what we know we need to do nuh; cry out to God for divine help! Much LOVE!
…it’s not a shame to cry…for tears are the window washers of our souls…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
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