07 Oct 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a leisurely day, anger, at the forefront of our minds, away from have to things, be of good cheer, behooves us, burn out, coddling a pent-up rebellion, come to know and love him like we do, didn't want to go to church, do what we feel like, doing a brisk business, faith, fear, followers of Christ Jesus, foolishness, for His name's sake, get away from the alarm clocks, get away from work family friends, God is a refuge for us, greed, handle our problems properly, hate, he leads me beside the still waters, he leads me in the paths of righteousness, he makes me lie down in green pastures, he restores my soul, holy spirit, hurry, i have overcome the world, I shall not want, I will fear no evil, In God is my salvation and my glory, in god's eyes, in me ye might have peace, in the world ye shall have tribulation, insecurity, Jesus Christ, learned a profound lesson, let not your heart be troubled, life is good, lock stock and barrel, lose our focus, lose the capacity for personal enjoyment, LOVE, mental illness, mercy, my hope is from him, my peace I give unto you, my refuge is in God, my soul wait thou only upon God, neither let it be afraid, not as the world gives, of whom shall I be afraid, Once in a while we can, once in a while we can do what we want to, once in awhile we need to walk think meditate, One Year Book of Bible promises, only God can satisfy our deepest longings, our competitive society, Peace i leave with you, personal enjoyment, pour out your hearts before him, pressing commitments, propaganda, rely upon God, reminiscent of our current society, retain our sanity in this crazy world, salvation, Selah, sense of purpose, share His love with my neighbours, share our private secrets with God, share the amazing love and friendship of Christ, the beloved of God, the Lord is my light and my salvation, The Lord is my shepherd, the Lord is the strength of my life, the mind doctors, the negatives running rampant in our society, the rock of my strength, the shattering pressures, these things I have spoken unto you, thou art with me, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me, to whom we belong, trust in him at all times, trust my friend Jesus, truth, trying to keep up with the world system, unfair systems of the world, whom shall I fear, wisdom, without hurting someone, worry
Psalm 23:1. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
And finally the bright sunshiny days have come to an end! Yes, rain is in the offing for today. We’ve already had a small drizzle, but with all the cloudiness around, we’ll probably have some bigger showers later in the day. And we really can’t complain because we’ve had such beautiful unseasonable weather recently, and though rain might fall, the temperature is still almost summer-like. (smile) So let’s give thanks, for life is good; we’re alive, and the weather is fine!
Now, here’s a very interesting and rather appropriate writing from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. And though I’m sure I’ve shared this one before, it’s worthwhile hearing again, because it’s highly reminiscent of our current society. It’s aptly titled, ‘Once in a While We Can.’
So please read with me: ‘One bright Sunday when I was twelve, I didn’t want to go to church. I wasn’t coddling a pent-up rebellion. I simply pictured a leisurely day away from “have to” things. How to explain and be understood! Finally I just blurted it out as Mother prepared breakfast. She listened attentively. “Honey,” she said calmly, we can’t always do what we feel like doing without hurting someone.” That settled it, I thought. I was sorry I had asked. Suddenly I heard, “But once in a while we can do what we want to – just because we want to. You may stay home this Sunday.”
The memory of that day is still vivid. Not because I stayed home from church, but because I learned a profound lesson: Once in a while we can! Once in a while we can get away from the alarm clocks, peanut butter jars, milk cartons…away from the shattering pressures of our competitive society. Once in a while we need to get away from work, family, friends, and pressing commitments. Often we lose the capacity for personal enjoyment. Once in a while we need to walk, think, and meditate. Only God can satisfy our deepest longings. He longs for us to share our private secrets with Him. Once in a while we can.’
And that my friends is ever so true! In fact, it’s not only we need to do it, but we must do it, if we’re to retain our sanity in this crazy world in which we now live! Everything is fast and quick, busy and now for now, that if every so often we don’t get away from it all, we’ll simply burn out, lose our focus and sense of purpose. And that’s not a very nice picture to contemplate, much less experience.
And all around us, we see the danger in living at the crazy pace our society dictates with the high amount of mental illness and burn out that now exists. Pharmaceuticals for tiredness and mental illness have reached a sky high level, and the mind doctors are doing a brisk business because of the amount of fear, insecurity, greed, anger, hate, and all the other negatives that currently are running rampant throughout our world. And please note that this downward trend is not filled with only unbelievers, but also many believers, who are trying to keep up with the world system, but unfortunately are not doing so well at it.
Why? Because we have forgotten where our hope, health and strength come from. And just to remind us where it comes from, please listen as Bruh David passionately declares: ‘The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?’ (Ps. 27:1) Yes my fellow believers, as a follower of Christ Jesus, that’s where our health, hope and strength are supposed to come from! Not from the insecure, unfair and uncompromising systems of the world, that so many of us are trying to get them from.
That’s why Bruh David also penned these words in Psalm 62: ‘My soul, (silently) wait thou only upon God; for my expectation (hope) is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved (shaken). In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your hearts before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.’ (Ps. 62:5-8) Now that’s something we ought never to forget, especially when the trials and tribulations of the world come upon us.
And we also need to vividly remember these two poignant and very reassuring verses from Jesus. The first says: ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27) And the second verse strengthens the first. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) Now, if those two verses from our Lord and Saviour don’t resonate strongly within us, then I don’t know what will.
But hopefully, may be these verses will. (smile) They are the ones listed as the Bible Promise for our reading today. So, please read with me: ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.’ (Ps. 23:1-4)
And if we keep those scriptures at the forefront of our minds, then we won’t allow the world to drive us crazy with all the foolishness and the propaganda that it purports to be progress and wisdom. Now, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting all the world know to whom we belong lock, stock and barrel.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And having said all of that, it now behooves us to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…only as we rely upon God…will we be able to handle our problems properly…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
30 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a month of good weather, a pelican in the wilderness, a sparrow alone on a house top, adorationworship, all the kings of the earth thy glory, an owl of the desert, as we forgive our debtors, blurt out our needy requests, but thou O Lord shall endure forever, come to know and love him like we do, comes sincerely from the heart, Consider This, daily bread, deliver us from evil, desires to hear our problems, divine intervention, don't make it a habit, don't take it for granted, duty bound, eaten ashes like bread, faith, for thine is the kingdom, forgive us our debts, give us this day our daily bread, hallowed be thy name, hear my prayer O Lord, help us in the best way possible, holy spirit, hurry, if God spares life, in earth as it is in heaven, in god's eyes, In Touch Devotional, Jesus Christ, Jesus is our personal friend, Jesus taught his followers to pray, lead us not into temptation, let my cry come unto thee, LOVE, loves us closer than a brother, mercy, mingled my drink with weeping, my bones burn like glowing embers, my bones cleave to my skin, my days are like a shadow, my days vanish like smoke, my enemies reproach me all the day, my heart is blighted, Our Father which art in heaven, prayer is welcome in heaven, salvation, share His love with my neighbours, share the amazing love and friendship of Christ, soothes his troubled mind, the beloved of God, the heathen shall fear thy name, the last day of September, The Lonely Soul, the power and the glory for ever, the prayer of the destitute, the unchanging nature of God, the voice of my groaning, thine indignation, thou hast lifted me up and cast me down, thy kingdom come, thy remembrance unto all generations, thy will be done, thy wrath, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, wisdom, withered like grass, worry
Psalm 102:1. Hear my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry come unto thee.
Oh friends, it’s Tuesday, another beautiful summer’s day! It’s also the last day of September; a month that’s been awfully good to us in terms of weather conditions. It’s provided so many nice, bright, sunshiny and warm days that we’re not accustomed to at this time of year, that I’m anxiously wondering what the month of October will offer us. But we’ll have to wait until tomorrow to find that out, if God spares life. (smile)
Anyway, today we’re going to look at an article in the September In Touch Devotional under the title of Consider This. So please read with me. ‘When Jesus taught His followers how to pray, He began with adoration and worship and ended with a request – a model many of us follow today. In Psalm 102, we find an honest cry from the writer’s heart: ‘For my days vanish like smoke; my bones burn like glowing embers. My heart is blighted and withered like grass; I forget to eat my food (Ps. 102:3-4 -New International Version).
It’s only after this revelation, this transparency before him, that the writer praises God for who he is and the ways He is faithful. Sometimes, before we can offer praise and adoration, we need to talk to God about how we’re feeling. And that’s okay. Jesus is Lord, but He is also our friend – one who wants to hear how we’re doing and listen to our honest, unfiltered selves.’
Ah mih people, that’s all oh so true! Jesus gave us a model pray in what we call The Lord’s Prayer, where He offers up praise and adoration before asking for a personal request. He taught us thus: ‘Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil (the evil one): for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.’ (Matt. 6:9-13)
Yes friends, we see Jesus giving the Father glory and adoration before asking for His daily bread. And that’s a good model to follow, if we do it sincerely, so that God knows we’re not just coming to Him for selfish and greedy reasons, but we also value His Lordship and sovereignty. However, sometimes we’re so befuddled, anxious, afraid or whatever, that we don’t have time, or cannot even form words of adoration, and all we can do is blurt out our needy requests to God. And as the article says, that’s also okay with the Lord, for Jesus is our personal friend, the One who LOVES us closer than a brother, and He’s only to glad to hear our problems and then help us in the best way possible.
But we ought not to make it a habit and/or simply take it for granted. No. For just like we don’t like others to come to us just bleating out their wants and needs, but to at least make some pleasant conversation first, (smile) so does the Lord in general like to hear our appreciation and admiration for His heavenly grandeur. And having said all of that, let’s see what Psalm 102 has to say. And the very title, ‘The Lonely Soul,’ as well as the preamble before the psalm, tell us a whole lot about it. ‘A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the Lord.’ Now that’s something many of us know about. (smile)
So, please read with me. ‘Hear my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry come unto thee. Hide not thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble: incline thine ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily. For my days are consumed (vanish) like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth (a fire in a fireplace). My heart is smitten (stricken), and withered like grass; so that I forget to eat my bread. By reason of the voice of my groaning my bones cleave (cling) to my skin (flesh).
I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert. I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top. Mine enemies reproach me all the day; and they that are mad against me (deride me) are sworn against me. For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping, Because of thine indignation and thy wrath: for thou hast lifted me up (exalted me), and cast me down. My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass.’ (Ps. 102:1-11)
Now that’s certainly telling the Lord what’s wrong. However, right after pouring out the troubles of his heart, the psalmist turns to praise and adoration, and confidently declares: ‘But thou, O Lord, shalt endure for ever; and thy remembrance unto all generations. Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come. For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour the dust thereof.
So the heathen (Gentiles) shall fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth thy glory. When the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory. He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer. This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the Lord.’ (Ps. 102:12-18)
Then the psalmist continues for another ten verses pouring out his admiration and gratitude to Almighty God. And as the scholars so interestingly point out: ‘The answer to the psalmist’s grief is not, in this case, direct divine intervention to alter his situation, rather the psalmist’s own reflection on the unchanging nature of God in His dealings with men soothes his troubled mind.’
Wow! So, you see, once we truly know and LOVE the Lord, we don’t always need divine intervention to solve our problems, but it can also come from our very own reflections. And once we sincerely praise and adore our great God, it doesn’t matter when we do it, for heaven is not a place that stands only on rigid ceremony.
Now, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And having made that declaration (steups!!!) we are now duty bound to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…any prayer is welcome in heaven…once it comes sincerely from the heart…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
23 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a disciplined mind, a profound inner calm, a spiritual guard for the heart and mind, abide in me and I in you, all the necessary tools, as the heavens are higher than the earth, ask what ye will and it shall be done, be careful for nothing, beyond human logic or comprehension, bring all things to your remembrance, but of power love and a sound mind, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, cast forth as a branch, cast them into the fire, Chrisitans ought to hate evil so much, come to know and love him like we do, divinely provided assurance, duty bound, evil and cruelty being perpetrated in our world, except it abide in the vine, except ye abide in me, external circumstances, faith, for without me ye can do nothing, foundational scriptures, God has not given us the spirit of fear, He shall teach you all things, he that abides in meand I in him, herein is my Father glorified, hold on to, holy spirit, hurry, I am the vine ye are the branches, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, in difficult or frightening circumstances, in everything by prayer and supplication, in god's eyes, in these trying and uncertain times, Jesus Christ, let not your heart be troubled, let your requests be made known unto God, LOVE, make a Christ-like difference, mercy, my peace I give unto you, my thoughts are not your thoughts, my thoughts than your thoughts, my ways are not your ways, neither let it be afraid, no more can ye, not as the world giveth, Peace i leave with you, protecting believers from fear and anxiety, relying on God's promises, rooted in a relationship with Christ, salvation, shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ, share His love with my neighbours, so are my ways higher than yours, so ye shall be my disciples, souls, spread the amazing love and friendship of christ, supernatural peace, the awesome help of Jesus, the beloved of God, the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, the Comforter, the leading and guidance of His Holy Spirit, the peace of God, the same brings forth much fruit, the testimony of Christ, these things I have spoken unto you, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, want to have good success, we can handle whatever comes against us, which passeth all understanding, willing to sacrifice themselves to stop it, wisdom, with all our hearts souls bodies and minds, worry
Philippians 4:13. ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’
And after Monday comes Tuesday; another bright and sunshiny day in this awesome month of September! I must admit though, that with all these beautiful summer days, most likely fostered by climate change, I am somewhat concerned about what’s going to happen later on, and when. But with Christ’s help and our strong faith, we will successfully overcome whatever comes against us. That reminds us of two invaluable scriptures: The first one comes from Bruh Paul’s marvellously encouraging letter to the Philippians while residing in a Roman jail. He assures them: ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ (Phil. 4:13)
And there’s absolutely no doubt about that, for whatever Christ desires us to accomplish, we can and will accomplish it through His amazing strength! And the second marvellous scripture comes from Bruh Paul’s second letter to Timothy, where he reassures him, and consequently us, of this immense fact: ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7)
Yes friends, those are two foundational scriptures that we ought to hold on to with all of our hearts, souls, bodies and minds, if we want to have good success in these very trying and uncertain times. We cannot afford to be afraid, and we must believe that we can handle whatever comes against us with the awesome help of Jesus, through the leading and guidance of His Holy Spirit that indwells us for that self-same reason!
And we have the testimony of Christ to attest to those two scriptures, when He tells the disciples of the coming of the Holy Spirit. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter (Helper), which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:25-27)
Ah mih people, right there Jesus assures of His heavenly peace and the power through His Holy Spirit of not being afraid. And please notice how He’s very particular to differentiate His peace from that of the world. Because His peace is indeed not of this world. For as Bruh Paul says in his missive to the Phillipians: ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:6-7)
And what is this peace that passes all understanding? This commentary explains it thus: “Peace that surpasses all understanding” describes a profound inner calm and assurance that is divinely provided, beyond human logic or comprehension, even in difficult or frightening circumstances. This supernatural peace, often called the peace of God and rooted in a relationship with Christ, acts as a spiritual guard for the heart and mind, protecting believers from anxiety and fear by relying on God’s promises rather than external circumstances.’
And the scholars add that the peace of God is so wonderful that it exceeds our ability to understand it. And that ought to come as no surprise to us, since the Lord tells us very clearly in Isaiah: ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ (Is. 55:8-9) And that’s why He is God. If His ways and thoughts were not higher than ours, we would not have any cause to look up to Him, to worship and deify Him, for He would be just like us.
And if you are still not satisfied that we can do all things through the strength of Jesus that He equips us with, then listen to His words, when He calmly informs the disciples, and therefore us: ‘Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:4-5)
Now what can be more provocative and poignant than that eh my people? Nothing! Like the branch of a tree, we can only bear fruit if we stay attached to Christ, for like the tree, He is the one that enables us to bear fruit. And furthermore, if we don’t abide in Him, here’s what happens. ‘If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my word abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto (for) you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.’ (John 15:6-8)
Yuh see that my brethren? If we don’t abide in Jesus and His word in us, then we’re cast out into hellfire and damnation! But if we abide in Him, and His Word in us, then we can ask whatever we want, (within God’s will obviously) and it will be granted unto us, and we will bear good fruit and be His disciples. Unfortunately though, it’s not working out as smoothly as it ought to, for too many of us are not abiding in Jesus, neither is His Word abiding in us. Therefore we cannot be His disciples and bear good fruit to glorify the Father. And that’s why our world is in such a terrible mess, with evil and ungodliness ruling the roost.
But, it’s not too late to turn things around, for as we said at the very beginning, we can do all things through Christ, who strengthens us, we just have to be willing to get up and do the necessary work, for we already have all the necessary tools. So, let’s get up today and decide to make a Christ-like difference nuh! Aren’t you tired of seeing all the evil and cruelty that’s been perpetrated in our world? As supposed Christians we ought to be, and that ought to inspire us to get up and make a positive difference.
Now, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And now, we’re duty bound to go out and spread the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…Christians ought to hate evil so much…that they are willing to sacrifice themselves to stop it…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
16 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a servant of Christ, almost all of our unhappiness is the result of, angry, arrogant, at the hands of a just and righteous God, be discouraged, be like minded, be ye followers of me, being of one accord, believers must stop comparing themselves, bitter envying and strife in your hearts, building ourselves up in front of others, but every man also on the interests of others, celebrities, christ is the only one worth comparing ourselves to, climate change, come to know and love him like we do, comparing ourselves to each other, confusion and every evil work, consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners, demonic, depressed, despising the shame, do I now persuade men or God, do not boast, driving the soicety to its unfortunate end, duty bound, earthly, endured the cross, envy, even as I am also of Christ, faith, fashion ourselves after others, focus on christ, for the joy that was set before him, forgetful of our many blessings, fulfil ye my joy, glory not, good summer weather, greed, having the same love, holding on to envy, holy spirit, hurry, if i pleased men, in god's eyes, in humility, in lowliness of mind, influencers, jealous, Jesus Christ, Leaders, leading, leading people astray, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds, let each esteem the other better than themselves, let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, lie not against the truth, live in harmony with each other, lock stock and barrel, look not every man on his own things, looking unto Jesus, LOVE, lust, mercy, miserable, no real substance to them, not satisfied with who we are, not try to win approval from others, of one mind, only compare ourselves to Christ, P.S. I Love You, power brokers, proud, salvation, seek to please men, sensual, set down at the right hand of the throne of God, share His love with my neighbours, share the amazing love and friendship of Christ, social media, stop wanting to be like those in the upper echelons, strife, suffer the same fate, telling others how to live, the author and finisher of our faith, the beloved of God, the desire for material wealth, the gospel truth, the power of the enemy, the result of comparing ourselves to others, thinking that we're better than others, this ungodly and evil society, this wisdom descendeth not from above, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, undaulterated sin, ungodly, unhappy, utter destruction, value others above yourselves, wanting to be like someone else, where envying and strife is, wisdom, worry
1 Corinthians 11:1. ‘Be ye followers (imitators) of me, even as I also am of Christ.’
Oh friends, it’s another sunshiny day in mid-September! And I must say that September is treating us very nicely with lots of decent summer weather in a very un-September-like manner. (smile) Yes, usually by mid-September we’re experiencing some cold days, getting us accustomed to the winter weather that’s forthcoming. But not so this year. And are we ever glad and thankful for it, and hope it continues for a while yet. And I guess we have to thank climate change for that blessing. But let’s remember that what we gain one way, we’re likely to lose another, so let’s not go overboard, for soon we might be singing a completely different song. (smile)
And today I want to look at a quote from my ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU’ Poster. We haven’t looked at anything from it for a long while. And it’s simply a cardboard poster my young daughter gave me several years ago, with some living truths written on them. Quotes like this one: ‘Almost all of our unhappiness is the result of comparing ourselves to others.’ And isn’t that the gospel truth! It surely is! For in this modern day society, it’s all about comparisons, and wanting to be like somebody else, or have what they have.
We simply are not satisfied to be who we are and grow in that character. It’s like we believe God didn’t know what He was doing when He made all of us different, even unique, so we have to fashion ourselves after others, like celebrities and other leaders and power brokers in our society, figuring that if we look and behave like them, we will become like them and acquire what they have.
What utter rot! Especially when the supposed leaders of this society, the celebrities and influencers have no real substance to them, are two-faced, and their actual lives are truly not worth living, for many of them are miserable, unhappy, depressed and ungodly. They have never even truly lived through the ups and downs of real life but are endeavouring to tell others how to live. They are just leading people, especially the young ones astray, with all the nonsense on social media and the many other platforms available for posting their foolishness.
But the power of the enemy, through strife, greed, envy, lust and the great desire for material wealth is driving the society to its unfortunate end. And unless believers stop comparing themselves to others, and stop wanting to be like those in the upper echelons of this ungodly and evil society, we too will suffer the same fate that they will eventually suffer; that’s utter destruction at the hands of a just and righteous God.
Anyway, the really sad thing about comparing ourselves is that it can either make us angry, jealous and forgetful of all our many blessings, or it can make us proud, arrogant and thinking that we’re better than others. Neither of those outcomes is satisfactory, so let’s park for a minute and check out a few of the many scriptures that dissuade us from comparing ourselves to others.
And this first scripture comes from Bruh Paul’s letter to the Philippians, where he advises then: ‘Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be like minded, having the same LOVE, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the interests of others.’ (Phil. 2:2-4) And what does all of the mean? Basically to live in harmony with each other, and in humility, value others above yourselves, while paying serious attention to your own work, but also taking an interest in the work of others.
Then there’s this scripture from James, that hits right to the heart of the matter. ‘But if ye have bitter envying and strife (self-seeking) in your hearts, glory not (do not boast), and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish (demonic). For where envying and strife is (self-seeking exist), there is confusion and every evil work.’ (James 3:14-16) Yes friends, holding on to envy, and trying to build ourselves up in front of others is nothing but unadulterated sin.
And I like this verse from Bruh Paul to the Galatians: ‘For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.’ (Gal. 1:10) And that my people is the indisputable truth! If we seek to please men, then we obviously cannot please God. We must focus on Christ and not try to win the approval of others. So, therefore as this commentary tells us: ‘It does not matter what your neighbor has, is doing, or has done; it only matters that we focus on God and what He wants us to do and be.’
Now, we don’t have time for the many more scriptures on comparing ourselves to others, but we’ll close with this very important one. In the words of Bruh Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians, he ardently advises and admonishes them: ‘Be ye followers (imitators) of me, even as I also am of Christ.’ (1 Cor. 11:1) Oh my people, if there’s anyone, we should desire to compare ourselves to, it ought to be none other than our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, for He is the only One worthy of such an honour.
As the author of Hebrews so confidently writes: ‘Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher (originator and perfector) of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction (hostility) of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint (become discouraged) in your minds (souls).’ (Heb. 11:2-3) Yes friends, if we want to compare, that’s the kind of comparison we ought to make!
Now, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And having said that, we’re now duty bound to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…the only comparison that interests God…is to that of Jesus Christ…in whose image He’s fashioning us…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
09 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a confident and dependent trust in God, a warm welcome, Abraham's faith, abundant redemption, accepted in God's sight, be gracious unto you, be of good courage, being not weak in faith, blessed are all they that wait for him, challenges, considered not his own body dead, convinced that God could keep His promises, delivered for our offences, faith, faith has a purpose, faith must have a valid content, faith must have a valid object, faith produces works, giving God the glory, have mercy upon you, he shall strengthen thine heart, holy spirit, hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord, hurry, I wait for the Lord, if God spares life, if we beleive on him that raised Jesus from the dead, imputed to him for righteousness, in god's eyes, in his word I do hope, it is good that a man, Jesus Christ, Jesus' righteousness is available to all, let Israel hope in the Lord, lock stock and barrel, LOVE, mercy, more than they that watch for the morning, my soul doth wait, my soul waiteth for the Lord, no element of uncertainty, not written for his sake alone, plenteous redemption, proble, raised again for our justification, recued us from the throes of sin and death, redeem Israel from all his iniquities, salvation, share His love with my neighbours, strong in faith, the beloved of God, the deadness of Sarah's womb, the difficulty of waiting on God, the father of many nations, the Lord is a God of justice, the Lord is good unto them that wait for him, therefore will the Lord wait, to the soul that seeketh him, to whom it shall be imputed, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, wait in faith on the Lord, waiting, waiting on God is not easy but it's wise, wavered not at God's promise through unbelief, who against hope believed in hope, with the Lord there is mercy, worry
Lamentations 3:25. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
A warm welcome to Tuesday, a sunny and fairly warm day, when all the stress and frustrations of Monday have been washed clean from the slate of life, and we’re only dealing with Tuesday and its problems and challenges! Wow! What a nice Bruh Paulean sentence! (smile) At least I am like Bruh Paul in one respect, I can write long and convoluted sentences.
Anyway, it’s another great day on God’s Planet Earth, so let’s enjoy it the best we can, which includes contemplating a couple of interesting verses from the Lamentations of Jeremiah. They come from that famous chapter 23, and say: ‘The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam. 3:25-26) And those verses are ever so true and resonate with a sense of the difficulty we all have of waiting patiently and earnestly on God.
It’s like the prophet Isaiah wrote re God’s graciousness and mercy in spite of Israel’s rebelliousness. ‘And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgement (justice): blessed are all they that wait for him.’ (Is. 30:18) And the scholars offer this explanation. ‘Because God is gracious and has been willing to wait for His people to return to Him, He will certainly bless those who wait for him. “Waiting” is a confident and dependent trust in God.’
And there are many verses in scripture that talk about waiting on God, though it’s not always easy to do. So let’s examine a couple more nuh, like this passage from Psalm 130 which says: ‘I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord more that they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning. Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy (LOVING-KINDNESS), and with him is plenteous (abundant) redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.’ (Ps. 130:5-8)
Oh friends, that’s how we ought to hope, trust, have faith and wait in the Lord, for He’s promised us oodles of blessings if we wait on Him. And there’s no better example of patiently waiting, especially when there seemed to be no hope, than Abraham and God’s promise of a son from his own loins and thus becoming the father of many nations. It’s as Bruh Paul writes to the Romans re Abraham’s faith.
‘Who against (contrary to) hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb: he staggered (wavered) not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong (strengthened) in faith, giving God the glory. And being fully persuaded (convinced) that, what he had promised, he was also able to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.’ (Rom. 4:18-22)
Ah mih people, how many of us would have waited 25 years for God’s promise of a son eh, especially when the man was a hundred years old and the woman ninety? Not many of us. But Abraham believed that God was able to do what He promised, and thus waited patiently for it. And because of that strong faith and waiting ability, he was considered righteous. And you surely need a lot of faith to wait so long for something that went against the laws of nature.
And the scholars offer some interesting insights into those verses. ‘There are five essential characteristics of faith. (1) Faith must have a valid content. Paul quotes Gen. 17:5 (the promise to be the father of many nations); the content of Abraham’s faith was valid because that content was the revelation of God. (2) Faith must have a valid object. The object of Abraham’s faith was God, the giver of the revelation.
(3) Faith is contrary to hope and yet rests upon hope. This is a hope in which there is no element of uncertainty (vs. 18a). (4) Faith has a purpose. The purpose of Abraham’s faith was that he might become the father of many nations, realizing the promises given him in the Abrahamic covenant (cf. Gen. 12:1-3; vs. 18b). (5) Faith produces works. Abraham’s faith conditioned the way he lived. He staggered not (did not doubt) God’s promises.’
And these next verses are also very important. Bruh Paul writes: ‘Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for (because of) our offences, and was raised again for (because of) our justification.’ (Rom. 4:23-25) Yes friends, Abraham’s testimony was also an example for us, to encourage us to believe in God, the Father who rescued us from the throes of sin and death by the sacrificing His Son Jesus Christ.
And here are some explanations from the scholars. ‘But for us also: The principle of justification valid for Abraham is valid for all believers. Raised again for our justification: Because Jesus was raised from the dead we know that His sacrifice on Calvary was accepted in God’s sight and Jesus’ righteousness is available to all.’
Now, there’s much more to say on the subject of waiting on and hoping in God, but it’s too much for this one session, so, as always, if God spares life, we’ll continue on this topic tomorrow. But here’s this classic scripture to end on: In the words of Bruh David: ‘Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.’ (Ps. 27:14) That’s wise advice my brethren, and with it under our belts, let’s go home now declaring (chuhhh!!!) our Tuesday mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And now it behooves us to go out and share the amazing friendship and LOVE of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him the way we do! Much LOVE!
…waiting on God is not easy…but it’s ever so wise…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
02 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a core tenet of christian belief, be discouraged, better late than never, change us into the image of christ, christian belief, come to know and love him like we do, consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners, despising the shame, duty bound, endured the cross, faith, for the joy that was set before him, God's Master Plan, holy spirit, hurry, I am the way the truth and the life, if God spares life, in god's eyes, Jesus blazed the trail, Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ as our Intercessor, Jesus finished the course, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds, looking unto Jesus, LOVE, mercy, no man cometh unto the Father but by me, only one way to zion gate, proves the genuineness of our faith our faith, salvation, set down at the right hand of the throne of God, share His love with my neighbours, share the amazing love and friendship of Christ, temptation tough times, the author and finisher of our faith, the beloved of God, the definitive source of truth, the exclusive path to God and eternal life, the joys of summer vacation, the Lord tests us, the quintessence of life, the sole source of all truth, the straight and narrow path, the way the cookie crumbles, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, wisdom, worry
ohn 14:6. I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
So friends, it’s back to work, back to school, and away from all the joys of summer vacation. But it’s a beautiful Tuesday in my neighbourhood for doing that. And I guess the traffic jams might have been somewhat worse than usual this morning as so many people come back to a normal, humdrum, same old, same old way of life. (smile)
But unfortunately, that’s the way the cookie crumbles, and we just have to roll with the punches, which we can certainly do when we have Jesus Christ as our Intercessor, Pilot, Guide and Leader. Praise the Lord! For He’s the quintessence, the embodiment, the epitome of what we’re all about.
As the author of Hebrews so wisely advises: ‘Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher (originator and perfector) of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction (hostility) against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint (be discouraged) in your minds (souls).’ (Heb. 12:2-3)
Yes my faithful brethren, Jesus is the One who has originated our faith and saw it through to the very end. As the scholars say, He has already blazed the trail and finished the course. Now it’s our turn to follow Him down that straight and narrow path that He’s established. And per the scholars, it’s time for us believers to emulate the supreme example of endurance that Jesus provides in His earthly journey. For as Jesus Himself reminded the disciples and subsequently us: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:6)
And what does that mean? I like the way this commentary explains it. ‘It signifies that Jesus Christ is the exclusive path to God and eternal life, the sole ultimate source of all truth, and the giver of true, spiritual life, which is found by believing in and following him. This statement is a core tenet of Christian belief, emphasizing Jesus’ central role as the mediator between God and humanity. To accept Jesus as the “way, the truth, and the life” means to believe in him, trust his teachings, and follow his example to find salvation and true, eternal life.’
Yes friends, Jesus is the ONE and ONLY path to God the Father. It’s not one of many paths. There is absolutely NO OTHER way but through Him! Likewise, as the commentary further breaks it down: ‘He is the definitive source of truth, not just one truth among many. He is the ultimate authority and revealer of what is true.’ And as per Life: ‘Jesus offers life—not just physical existence, but a rich, meaningful, and eternal spiritual life. He has the power to give life, and those who believe in him receive this gift of eternal life.’
Wow! What more can one ask for eh? Absolutely nothing! The trouble though is that we believers expect life to get easy when we accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour. However, the opposite is often true, for then the Lord needs to prove us and our faith as well as turn us into the image of Jesus, which is His Master Plan. However, unfortunately, the only things that test our faith and turn us around are temptations, tough times and circumstances, bringing patience and perseverance to bear in our lives.
Oh mih bredrin, I can’t take it any longer nuh, I have to stop the Bit here today because I am having some serious problems with my keyboard, it’s typing all sorts of nonsense, or not typing at all, and as luck would have it, I don’t have any new batteries of the required size. As always, the devil finds pleasure in interrupting God’s work. And also in tempting me to use some fine language. But surprisingly, and thankfully, I have not succumbed to that temptation…yet. Praise the Lord! (smile)
Chuh! I just succumbed! Anyway, we will continue with that topic of testing our faith and giving us an image or likeness of Christ tomorrow, if God spares life. Now, let’s declare our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock stock and barrel.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And with those words, we’ve now become duty bound to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
..as the old reggae song says…there’s only ONE WAY to Zion Gate…that’s through Jesus…
P.S. Sorry the Bit’s so late, but I began late, and then the foolish keyboard problems only made matters worse. But it’s always better late than never. (smile) Much LOVE!
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
19 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a dysfunctional family, a forefather of Jesus, Absalom, all these things happened unto them, Ammon, bad decisions, bewildered, but such as is common to man, Christians, civil war, clutches, could have sworn I was free, crushes, daringly, dauntingly, defeat, desire steals in, despair, did not lose everything, don't let me renege, duty bound, faith, fiercely threatening me, for examples, God is faithful, God will make a way of escape, God will not leave you stranded, God will not suffer you to be tempted more than you can bear, have a part to play, havoc, Hold Me to My Yes, holy spirit, house of cards, hurry, I'm frightened, immediate pseudo-happiness, in god's eyes, in our defence, Israel's history as an example, Jesus Christ, lest he fall, let him that thinks he stands firm, like a midnight thief, LOVE, mercy, my total being responded, no temptation has overtaken you, nor has ugliness plagued me, old memories have not haunted me, others can come to know and love Christ like we do, quench the parched earth, repented of his folly, resist temptation, sacrificed the ultimate victory, salvation, share His love with my neighbours, sincerely loved the Lord, spells disaster, suddenly, take heed, Tamar, temptation will always come, the beloved of God, the BIBLE, the day I said yes to you, the ends of the world, the enemy seeks the target of my heart, the example of David and Bathsheba, the sinister temptation, through faith and God's grace, to sacrifice the ultimate for the immediate, to share the amazing love and friendship of Christ, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, until my breath is tight, until my thoughts reel, until now, wisdom, with the temptation, worry, written for our admonition
1 Corinthians 10:12. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth (stands firm) take heed lest he fall.
And it’s a humid, cloudy morning in my neck of the woods. But whether or not rain will fall is another matter. Let’s hope that some does fall though to quench the parched and thirsty earth, and help put out the forest fires that are still burning all over the place. For, earlier on when I opened my bedroom blinds I smelled smoke, and before I came down here to write the Bit, I went out on to my porch and I also smelled smoke out there. Don’t know where it’s coming from, but let’s hope and pray that the rain comes in sufficient quantity and puts an end to it all.
Now, today we’ll look at an interesting and very appropriate poem for many of us, from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. And the interesting aspect begins right with the title, ‘Hold Me to My Yes.’ So please read with me: ‘I’m frightened, Lord Bewildered What shall I do? I could have sworn I was free – Free from the sinister temptation So fiercely threatening me. Months have passed Even years Not once have old memories haunted me Nor has ugliness plagued me Until now.
Suddenly Tauntingly Daringly Desire steals in Like a midnight thief. It clutches Crushes Until my thoughts reel Until my breath is tight. Lord, the day I said yes to You My total being responded. This You know. Now while the enemy seeks The target of my heart Don’t let me renege – Hold me to my yes. For this we both know: To sacrifice the ultimate For the immediate Spells disaster Despair Defeat.’
And don’t we all know that. For many times in our lives, although we ought to have known better, we have sacrificed the ultimate victory which includes waiting, or doing something else, for the immediate pseudo-happiness. We have a very good example of that in Bruh David, who instead of being out fighting with His men, stayed at home and then allowed the enemy to foolishly get him involved with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, one of his trusted soldiers. And one thing led to another.
He got Bathsheba pregnant, made arrangements for her husband to be killed out on the battle field, took her to wife, then lost the son she eventually bore, and had oodles of problems for the rest of his life because of that one unwise transgression. The Lord promised him that his family would be dysfunctional, and they certainly were. With one son Ammon, falling in LOVE another son’s sister Tamar, eventually raping her, causing the brother, Absalom to kill him, who then ran for his life to another territory.
In the meanwhile Bruh David grieved the loss of his sons, but then after some three years, was talked into letting Absalom return home. One more mistake on Bruh David’s part, for that same Absalom eventually rose up against his father in civil war, causing him to flee. And finally while fighting his father’s forces, Absalom was hanged when his mule went under the thick boughs of an oak tree and his head was caught in it. But when Bruh David heard this, he mourned for His son Absalom, and was rebuked by his friend and right hand man Joab. And you can find all of that in 2 Samuel chapters 11 to 19, along with all the deceits and conniving that went on during that time.
So you see, from one mistake, Bruh David’s whole house of cards tumbled down. But because He sincerely LOVED the Lord, and repented of his folly, He did not allow him to lose everything and kept his name front and centre, even to being a forefather of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. That just goes to show the havoc that can be wreaked on us, and those close to us, when we make bad decisions. Therefore we must be very careful in all our doings, especially in these deceitful and untrustworthy times, always seeking wise guidance from the Lord, for what might seem right, might not be wise, it might just be a ploy of the devil to get us into trouble.
And we definitely don’t need his help, since we do enough of that on our own. (smile) Anyway, the scripture posed for today’s poem is also interesting. It comes from Bruh Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, talking about Isreal’s history as being an example for us all. He writes: ‘Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples (examples): and they are written for our admonition (instruction), upon whom the ends of the world (ages) are come.
Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth (stands firm) take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken (overtaken) you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able: but will with the temptation also make a way of escape, that ye may be able to bear (endure) it.’ (1 Cor. 10:11-13)
Yes my fellow believers, there is no temptation that will overtake you that has never been used before, but in the Lord’s goodness, He will either make a way for you to escape it, or give you the strength and willpower to endure it. But we also have a part to play in that, by knowing the scriptures and being able to bring them to mind to first resist the temptation, and if not, then to have the necessary amount of faith to know that the Lord will not leave you stranded. Remember, we all have a part to play in our own defence, it’s not only in God’s hands.
As we see from Bruh David’s example, although he messed up badly, his faith in and LOVE for God were strong enough to keep him going throughout all his many problems. That’s the kind of faith in and LOVE for our heavenly Father that we need to have, if we’re to be able to handle our problems. Now, let’s declare our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
That now makes us duty bound to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…temptation will always come…but through faith and God’s grace…we will handle it…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
12 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a stiffnecked people, a zeal for God, be renewed and revitalized, children of the Most High God Jehovah, Christ is the end of the law for righteousness, christianity, come to know and love christ like we do, establish their own righteousness, faith, generous grace and mercy, god moves in mysterious ways, God's greatest creation, God's initiative in grace, God's omnipotent power, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God, hearken unto the word of the Lord, heat advisory, holy spirit, hurry, if God spares life, ignorant of God's righteousness, in god's eyes, in thy mouth and in thy heart, Israel mistook the purpose of the law, Israel's foolish rejection of Christ, Jesus Christ, lift our heads and hearts to heaven, lock stock and barrel, LOVE, man's humble obedience to God's grace, mercy, mistook the scope of the law, not according to knowledge, others can come to know and love Christ like we do, pinned their hopes on their own religious achievement, promises of rain, righteousness is universally available, righteousness only attainable by belief in Christ, salvation, say not in thine heart, seeking redemption in God's mercy, share His love with my neighbours, substituted works for faith, Thank You Lord, thanks to God's goodness and mercy, the awesome truth, the beloved of God, the BIBLE, the law points to, the purpose of the law, the word is nigh thee, the word of faith, to all who respond to God's revelation of Himself, to every one that believes, to whom we belong, trust my friend Jesuss, truth, Tuesday Mantra, turn from their rebellious ways, we can do anything within God's will, we praise and glorify your holy name, who shall ascend into heaven, who shall descend into the deep, wisdom, worry, your undying love
Romans 10:8. The word is nigh (near) thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is the word of faith, which we preach;
And then it was Tuesday, with Monday being consigned to the confines of history. But unfortunately only the name has changed, for it’s still a very hot and humid summer’s day, with an ongoing heat advisory, although there are some vague promises of rain in the offing…but I wouldn’t count on that, because I’ve heard that story before. (smile) Anyway, however it turns out, let’s remember that we are children of the Most High God Jehovah, and can do anything we need to, within His will, and with His omnipotent power.
And all God’s children cried out in thanksgiving: ‘Thank You Lord for your undying LOVE, and generous grace and mercy, without which we would certainly be in an even bigger muddle than we currently are in! We praise and glorify Your Holy Name! Amen!’ And isn’t that the awesome truth! For without our hope, faith and trust in Almighty God, we’d be in really bad shape. But thanks to His goodness and mercy, we can lift up our heads and hearts, hands and eyes to heaven and be renewed and revitalized.
Now, I’m chuckling here, because our God is indeed a great God, and does move in mysterious ways, for a few minutes ago, I opened the Good Library in front of me, but never paid attention to where it opened. But just now I looked at it and saw it opened unto the epistle of Bruh Paul to the Romans, and right there was the stuff that we were just talking about. Bruh Paul, in writing to Israel about their foolish rejection of Christ, tells them:
‘Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record (witness) that they have a zeal of (for) God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. For Moses describeth (writes about) the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.’ (Rom. 10:1-5)
And what does all of that mean? The scholars explain it thus: ‘Christ is the end of the law: Israel mistook the purpose of the law. The law pointed to the righteousness that is attainable only by belief in Christ. Israel also mistook the scope of the law. The righteousness to which it pointed was universally available to all who responded to God’s revelation of Himself through the law. But by Paul’s time many had substituted works for faith. Rather than seeking redemption in God’s mercy, they pinned their hopes on their own religious achievement.’
And Bruh Paul continues: ‘But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) Or, who shall descend into the deep (abyss)? (that is, to bring Christ up again from the dead.) But what saith it? The word is nigh (near) thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is the word of faith, which we preach;’ (Rom. 10:5-8)
Now that certainly sounds like a mouthful, but as the scholars explain: ‘Paul skillfully weaves together quotations from Deuteronomy 9:4, and 30:10-14, which speak of God’s initiative in grace and man’s humble obedience to it. He then applies this truth to the gospel of Christ.’ And briefly, in the passage from Deuteronomy 9, Moses is castigating the people, letting them know that the Lord is not offering them the Promised Land because of their righteousness or uprightness of their heart, but because of the wickedness of the nations who then inhabited it. For Israel were a stiffnecked, or rebellious and stubborn people.
Meanwhile in Deuteronomy 30, Moses is telling Israel they can get away from their cursed life, if they turn from their rebellious ways and hearken unto the word of the Lord, and keep His commandments with all their hearts and souls. ‘For this commandment which I command thee this day, is not hidden from thee (is not too mysterious for thee), neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? But the word is very nigh (near) unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.’ (Deut. 30:11-14)
Ah friends, Bruh Paul had to know his scriptures to so skillfully weave those points from Moses into his own teaching. In other words, God’s commandments and Word is not far from us, that we have to depend on someone to get them for us. No! They have already been offered to us, and consequently are right with us; in our hearts, mouths, souls and bodies. Therefore it’s up to us to follow them. And I think we’ll stop there for today, because the Bit will get too long and heavy, if we continue with the rest of the stuff we want to talk about. So tomorrow, if God spares life, we’ll continue talking about Bruh Paul’s take, on the word of faith.
Now, for those of us who are doing our best to live the way we ought to, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And having said that, it now behooves us to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…we don’t deserve anything from God…but because of His great LOVE and compassion for us…His greatest creation…He generously offers us all that He is and has…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
05 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adopt the righteousness of God right now, air quality advisory, all the horns of the wicked will I cut off, all the wicked of the earth, all these things shall be added unto you, before it's too late, blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, but the dregs thereof, caribana festivities, christianity, come to know and love him like we do, cut off all wicked doers from the city of the Lord, duty bound, early destroy all the wicked of the land, exalt the righteous, faith, give thanks for God's deliverance, God is the judge, God's justice will prevail, God's righteous judgement, God's role as the ultimate judge, God's Sovereignty, God's wrath, he poureth out of the same, he shall serve me, he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight, he that walketh in a perfect way, he that worketh deceit, holy spirit, humble the wicked, hurry, I am the beloved of god, I will declare for ever, in god's eyes, in the hnad of the Lord is a cup, it is full of mixture, it is fully mixed, Jesus Christ, leggo-beast kind of partying, LOVE, mercy, mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, no one can take that from me, not be aligned with the wicked of the earth, not what I do, not what I have, on the late bus, salvation, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, shall not dwell within my house, shall wring them out and drink them, share His love with my neighbours, share the amazing love and friendship of Christ, sing praises to the God of jacob, the BIBLE, the breath of life, the horns of the righteous shall be exalted, the righteous judge, the ultimate faith of the wicked is in God's hands, the wicked may seem to prosper, the wine is red, they shall be filled, to go to bed late is to rise up late, trust in god's righteousness, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, Walk with a Perfect Heart, wisdom, workers of iniquity, worry
Psalm 75:9. But I will declare for ever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
Oh friends, forgive me, but we’re on the late bus this Tuesday morning. And it’s not because I was partying, I’m too old to get into that leggo-beast kind of partying, but I was up late doing some other stuff, and thus went to bed late, and consequently the old adage applies; to go to bed late is to rise up late. (smile) Anyway, the long weekend holiday celebrations are now over; as they say; deh done like dinner! Now we’ll have to wait another year to get back into the Caribana festivities and what ever activities take place at this time of year.
But since the Lord has granted us the breath of life to see another day, although we have another bad air quality advisory, (smile) let’s keep our promise of yesterday to continue looking at the marvellous words of Asaph in Psalm 75, titled ‘The Righteous Judge.’ Yesterday we saw where he offers up thanks for God’s presence and amazing works (vs.1), then tells of the promise of God’s righteous judgement in His own time (vs. 2-5), then he explains, gives us some idea of what that judgment will be like, (vs. 6-8).
However, yesterday we only progressed to verse 7, meaning we did not get all that Asaph said about the judgement. And after Asaph tells us in verse 7 that ‘God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up (exalts) another,’ he paints a tough picture of that judgement in verse 8. So let’s begin there today, as Asaph writes: ‘For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture (fully mixed, foaming); and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them (drain it) out, and drink them.’ (Ps. 75:8)
Now that’s surely an interesting way for the wicked to be destroyed. And I like the overview this commentary offers. ‘Psalm 75 is a psalm of thanksgiving that focuses on God’s righteous judgment and sovereignty. It highlights God’s role as the ultimate judge, who will exalt the righteous and humble the wicked. The psalm uses imagery of a “cup” to represent God’s wrath, which the wicked will be forced to drink. It also emphasizes God’s power to both exalt and humble individuals, regardless of their earthly status.’
Hopefully friends, we will acknowledge that coming judgement and do our best not to have to drink of the dregs of that deadly cup of wine. Meaning, we will not be aligned with the wicked of the earth, but with the righteous, to whom the kingdom of God is promised. As Jesus says in the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount; ‘Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.’ (Matt. 5:6) And later on He admonishes us thus: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33)
Yes my brethren, the Lord urges us to seek righteousness above all else, for when we do, everything else will fall into place. That’s the Lord’s promise, and He never makes idle promises, or reneges on them. And having said all of that, (smile) let’s turn back to Psalm 75, the last two verses, where Asaph shows his confidence in God’s judgement, as he writes: ‘But I will declare for ever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob. All the horns (strength) of the wicked also will I cut off (destroy); but the horns (strength) of the righteous shall be exalted.’ (Ps. 75:9-10)
Oh my fellow believers, that’s what’s in store for us all; if we’re wicked, we’ll be destroyed forever, but if we’re righteous, we’ll be exalted, lifted up, by Almighty God! So which scenario looks the best eh? Obviously the one that promotes righteousness! And there are numerous promises in the Bible that the wicked will eventually destroyed, so it couldn’t be a joke. Promises like this one written by Bruh David in Psalm 101, titled ‘Walk with a Perfect Heart.’
Speaking on God’s behalf, he ends the psalm thus: ‘Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect (blameless) way, he shall serve me. He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry (continue) in my sight. I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; that I may cut off all wicked doers (workers of iniquity) from the city of the Lord.’ (Ps. 101: 6-8)
There we have it my brethren, more ammunition that the Lord will eventually destroy the wicked from the face of the earth and give it to the righteous. So what are we waiting for to turn to righteousness and grab hold of it with all of our souls, bodies, hearts and minds eh? For that’s where the answer to everything lies!
And I believe it’s fitting for us to end today’s chat the same way the above commentary does. It concludes: ‘The psalm can be interpreted as a reminder that God’s justice will prevail, and that while the wicked may seem to prosper for a time, their ultimate fate is in God’s hands. It also encourages believers to trust in God’s righteousness and to give thanks for His deliverance.’
Oh my fellow saints, I could not have said it any better! But I can certainly encourage us to do what the commentary says: ‘trust in God’s righteousness and give thanks for His deliverance,’ for that’s where our salvation and eternal life comes from. And for those of us who are trying to live righteously, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And with that declaration (awright!!!), we’re now duty bound to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him the way we do! Much LOVE!
…let’s adopt the righteousness of God…RIGHT NOW…for soon it might be too late…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
29 Jul 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a belief in divine intervention, a future certainty, a heat warning, All glory be to Jesus, an expectation of positive outcomes, an optimistic state of mind, believers in Christ Jesus, bounden duty, christianity, come to a dead end, come to know and love christ like we do, down in the dumps, every morning is a fresh beginning, faith, faith walk, for what a man sees why does he yet hope for ir, give me new direction, goals vanish, God can make a path through the wilderness, guide my steps, handle anything that comes against us, he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him, he that comes to God, holy spirit, hope, hope leads to faith, hope that is seen is not hope, hope thou in God, hope when facing adversity, hurry, I know you never fail, I shall praise him, I take your hand in this place, I will do a new thing, in god's eyes, In Touch Organization, In you I always have hope, Jesus Christ, joy and strength of God, light in the darkness, LOVE, make a way in the wilderness, make a way where there seems to be no way, mercy, must believe that he is, now it shall spring forth, perseverance, rivers in the desert, salvation, share His love with my neighbours, shrouded in darkness, sing a song of praise, strong belief, tempted to feel all is lost, the beloved of God, the BIBLE, the evidence of things not seen, the gospel truth, the health of my countenance and my God, the King of Kings, the Lord of lords, the substance of things hoped for, the trail ahead, the whole wide world, to cherish a desire with anticipation, to expect with confidence, to provide solutions, trust in a higher power, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, we are saved by hope, when plans evaporate, Why art thou cast down o my soul, why art thou disquieted within me, wisdom, with patience we wait for it, without faith it is impossible to please God, without hope you can't have faith, worry, You know the way
Psalm 42:11b. hope thou in God: for I shall praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
Ah mih people, it was hot yesterday, and it will be hot again today, with a Heat Warning already been issued. But we’ve been longing for summer, and that’s what we’re getting. (smile) Anyhow, we believers in Christ Jesus can handle anything that comes against us, be it human, animal or weather related, for we are assured that we can do anything that’s necessary through our Lord and Saviour who strengthens us! (Phil. 4:13) And all God’s people shouted a loud and grateful: ‘All glory be to Jesus, the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords!’
And today, we’re going to look at a word that’s ever so important in our faith walk; it’s the word HOPE! And what’s HOPE all about eh? One commentary tells us that ‘Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one’s own life, or the world at large. As a verb, Merriam-Webster defines hope as “to expect with confidence” or “to cherish a desire with anticipation”.’
But then this other commentary says: ‘What is the Bible definition of hope? The Bible almost never uses the word “hope” the way we do. For us, “hope” refers to something like a “wish” or a “dream.” But in the Bible, “hope” refers to an “expectation”—a future certainty.’ And hope leads to faith, for without hope, you cannot have faith, that strong belief, which as the Bible tells us: ‘is the substance (realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction) of things not seen.’ (Heb. 11:1)
That means hope and faith primarily involve believing for future things, for what is unseen or not yet attained, not something that’s the present reality, already visible, like Bruh Paul writes to the Romans. ‘For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience (perseverance) wait for it.’ (Rom. 8:24-25)
And having established our basic definition of HOPE, let’s now turn to the recently issued Prayer Cards by the In Touch Organization and offer up a prayer on that controversial but very important and relevant Christian attitude of HOPE! Please pray with me: ‘Thank You, God, for the hope I have today. The trail ahead is shrouded in darkness, but You’re my light. Though I’m tempted to feel all is lost, I know You never fail. Guide my steps, because You know the way. When plans evaporate and goals vanish, give me new direction. Every morning is a fresh beginning in Your great faithfulness. So I take Your hand in this place and sing a song of praise. In You I always have hope. Amen.’
That’s the end of the official prayer, but the card continues with this wonderful advice: ‘You may think you’ve come to a dead end. But God can make a path through the wilderness.’ And isn’t that the gospel truth, as He’s promised through the prophet Isaiah. ‘Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.’ (Is. 43:18-19) Yes friends, all through the scriptures the Lord has promised to make a way where there seems to be no way, for those who sincerely believe and trust in Him and His Son Jesus Christ.
As this commentary further explains. ‘The saying “God can make a way where there seems to be no way” expresses a belief in divine intervention and the power of faith to overcome seemingly impossible situations. It’s often associated with verses like Isaiah 43:19, which speaks of God making a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. This concept is a common theme in religious and spiritual contexts, emphasizing trust in a higher power to provide solutions and hope even when facing adversity. The saying also offers comfort and encouragement to individuals facing difficult situations, reminding them that they are not alone and that solutions can be found through faith.’
And many of us who have been Christians for a while, will be able to attest to those sentiments, for we have indeed found solutions, comfort and encouragement in our faith journey with Christ. But getting back to the Prayer Card. It offers this verse from Psalm 42, as the basis of our prayer. It only quoted one line: ‘Hope in God, for I shall yet praise him,’ but we’ll quote the whole verse here because it’s very applicable and appropriate to the whole situation of hope and faith.
It’s that famous verse from the pen of the Sons of Korah: ‘Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.’ (Ps. 42:11) Oh my people, that is such a beautiful and encouraging verse of scripture that it’s quoted twice in Psalm 42 (vs. 5,11) and once in Psalm 43 (vs. 5) It just shows the wonderful, uplifting emotions we can gain from Almighty God when we are down in the dumps, and encourages us to never give up the hope, the promise, the light in the darkness, the joy and strength we find in Him.
Now, with all of that marvelous and miraculous hope built up in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, (smile) let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And having made that statement, it’s now become our bounden duty to go out and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do. Much LOVE!
…but without faith…it is impossible to please God…for he that cometh to God…must believe that he is…and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him… (Heb. 11:6)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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