05 Dec 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a means of restoring faith in you, allow God to lead us, amidst all the anxiety and confusion, apostasy, arguments with fellow workers, be responsible, become better witnesses for Christ, blasphemers, boasters, brutal, but denying the power thereof, by the example that we set, covetous, crying out for help, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, despisers of good, diligence, discontent, disobedient to parents, dissatisfaction, excellence, faith, false accusers, fierce, Friday chant, from such turn away, get ahead, God is faithful, God will make a way of escape, God will not suffer you to be tempted more than you can bear, goes against our natural instincts, haughty, having a form of godliness, he that shall endure to the end, heady, high minded, holy spirit, in the face of suffering or persecution, in the last days perilous times shall come, incontinent, introduce a new flock of believers, irreconcilable, Jesus Christ, keep God first place in our lives, lasting faith is emsostrated throuh perseverance, LOVE, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, mankind is on a rampage of ungodliness, men shall be lovers of their own selves, mercy, money lovers, new technology, no temptation has overtaken you, omnipotent help, our sinful world can wake up, overbearing bosses, patience, patience under pressure, proud, reckless, religion without power or spiritual life, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, Satan is laughing all the way to hell, serious problems are escalating, show them the error of their ways, sitting in traffic, slanderers, smelling like roses, stay in the race, steadfastness, such as is common to man, talk to God, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that you can endure it, the example that we faithful believers set, the false teachers abound, the same shall be saved, the throne of grace, the times are very decitful, there is no escapting temptation completely, these ungodly times, tials.challenges, traitors, true breakers, true faith is worth the rewards, truth, unexpected storms, unholy, until the very end of life, we're working for God not man, wisdom, with the temptation, without natural affection, without self-control
Matthew 24:13. ‘But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.’
So, at long last we’ve come to Friday, the day that most workers look forward to, knowing that the next day is Saturday and they can do their own thing. Consequently, every Friday they shout to the high heavens: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and the weekend is finally here! No more sitting in traffic twice a day, like it’s a parking lot; no more glares and stares from overbearing bosses, and no more arguments with fellow workers over petty stuff! Just peace and quiet for a couple of days! Thank the Lord for that!’
Yes friends our work day world is getting crazier and crazier with all the new technology and ways of working that are being introduced and changed, but we have to keep up as best as possible, if we at least want to stay in the race, much less get ahead. We might not like some of the new stuff, but we each have to talk to God and find out what He wants us to do in our workday world. And whatever He tells us to do, even if it goes against our natural instincts, we ought to do it, with diligence and excellence, because in the long run, it’s Him we’re working for, not mankind.
None of us really know where our world is headed, but if we keep God first place in our lives, and allow Him to lead us, we will come out of it all, somewhat worse for wear, but smelling like roses. (smile) And when we look back at what He’s brought us through, all we can say is a grateful ‘Thank You God!’ And this a good scripture verse to remember when we’re going through out trials and tribulations. Bruh Paul writes thus in his first letter to the Corinthians; ‘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. 10:13)
Now, before we misinterpret that verse, let’s make it clear that it does not mean that the Lord will enable us to avoid all temptation, but that He will enable us to handle and endure it. For there is no real escaping temptation in this sinful and ungodly world, that’s why believers have to be so careful about whom they talk and walk with, for the times are very deceitful, and the false teachers and preachers do abound. And you better believe that these words of Bruh Paul to Timothy on the subject are now glaringly in vogue in our current society.
He says: ‘This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous (money lovers), boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy. Without natural affection, truce breakers (irreconcilable), false accusers (slanderers), incontinent (without self-control), fierce (brutal), despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady (reckless), high-minded (haughty), lovers of pleasures more than (rather than) lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.’ (2 Tim. 3:1-5)
Brother! It seems as if Bruh Paul is living today and writing about our current world, for all that he’s listed there is what’s currently taking place! Mankind has gone on a rampage of ungodliness and sinfulness, and Satan is laughing all the way to hell, because he has so many of us going down to destruction with him.
Now here are some interesting explanations from the scholars. As per the last days, they began with the birth of Christ and will culminate in Christ’s return to earth to set up His kingdom. The prediction of perilous times indicates that apostasy (falling away from the faith) will characterize the final day so the church age.’ And is it ever doing so, as many of the previous believers are foolishly moving away from faith in Christ, for one reason or another. Meanwhile ‘a form of godliness is mere religion without power or spiritual life. Paul commands Timothy to turn away from those false teachers.’
But please my fellow believers, I implore us not to forget these wise words of Christ about the end times. ‘But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.’ (Matt. 24:13) And I like how this commentary explains that verse. It says; ‘It signifies that true, lasting faith is demonstrated through perseverance through trials and challenges. It emphasizes the need for steadfastness and patience in one’s beliefs, even in the face of suffering or persecution, until the very end of life or the end times as described by Jesus. This concept is a common theme in the New Testament, and the Greek word for “perseveres” (hypomenō) suggests a steadfastness and patience under pressure.’
And that’s the living, gospel and infallible truth my people! Faith in Christ calls for much steadfastness and patience under pressure. But let’s remember, when we cry out to Him for help, He does give us the wherewithal to handle our problems. So let’s go to the throne of grace right now through our Friday Chant, boldly, but humbly, seeking divine aid for the many problems we’re currently facing.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And does our sinful world ever need to wake up, but it will not, until we believers become better witnesses and ambassadors for Christ! That’s the long and short of the story! Much LOVE!
…true faith in Christ is not easily maintained…but it’s surely worth the rewards…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
04 Oct 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a parable, ambassadors, apostasy, backsliders, be responsible, better examples, Bible, blasphemers, boasters, Christian living, christianity, corrupt minds, disciples, discontent, disobedience, dissatisfaction, divers lusts, divine aid, faith, false teachers, folly, Friday chant, in the last days, in the last days perilous times shall come, insatiable need, Jambres, Jannes, Jesus Christ, laden with sins, late to bed - late to rise, lead captive silly women, liars, LOVE, lovers of pleasures, lovers of their own selves, manifest unto all men, men, more than lovers of God, omnipotent help, perilous times, proud, resist the truth, simmering unrest, slanderers, smell the coffee, stay safe, the church age, the error of their ways, traitors, truth, turning away from God, unexpected storms, ungodly times, wake up, wisdom, wise guidance
2 Timothy 3:1. This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
And He spake unto them a parable, saying, Late to bed, late to rise. Let him who has ears to hear, hear. And as always, there’s truth to Jesus’ parables. (smile) I did go to bed rather late this morning, thus I woke up rather late, and that explains the lateness of the Bit. But, nonetheless, we were able to shout ’TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and the weekend is here at long last!’ Although I doubt it’s at long last, because the days are flying by so fast; they morph into each so speedily that before you can truly consider one, it’s another.
Anyway, it’s also another beautiful sunny, fairly warm day in the month of October, for which we also give great thanks. And finally I get to quote some scripture on the last days of the church age that I’ve been trying to get in from the outset of our discourse on that topic, but could never find the time nor space to fit it in, (smile) and it’s oh so relevant and reflect Jesus’ words on the subject. We’re talking here about Bruh Paul’s wise words of warning to his protégé Timothy.
Listen up, as he says: ‘This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous (money lovers), boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers (irreconcilable), false accusers (slanderers), incontinent (without self-control), fierce (brutal), despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady (reckless) highminded (haughty), lovers of pleasures more than (rather than) lovers of God;
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers (varied) lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate (disapproved) concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs was also.’ (2 Tim. 3:1-9)
Oh friends, every time I read those words of Bruh Paul, I wonder if he isn’t still alive, because those words so aptly describe our cultures, societies and our overall world today! The world is currently filled with perilous times galore, and mankind is all that Bruh Paul foretold they would be; greedy, with no LOVE for God, but plenty for worldly pleasures, covetous, liars, traitors, haughty, without thanks or holiness, and especially disobedient to parents. Now that last one we certainly cannot deny, as this generation is so disobedient it’s not funny.
And the scholars explain the first four verses thus: ‘The last days began with the birth of Christ and will culminate in Christ’s return to the earth to set up His kingdom. The prediction of perilous times indicates that apostasy (turning away from God) will characterize the final days of the church age.’
And we don’t have to look very far to see that people are turning away from God in droves, while figuratively speaking, only a handful are coming to Him. That doesn’t say much for our world or Jesus’ church, meaning us, His supposed believers, disciples and ambassadors. We obviously have not been the worthy salt of the earth and light of the world we ought to have been, otherwise our world would not have fallen so far and fast on the way to hell in a handbasket.
Meanwhile, per the other five verses in the scripture passage, the scholars explain: ‘A form of godliness is mere religion without power or spiritual life. Paul commands Timothy to turn away from these false teachers who pray upon silly women laden with sins, who are especially susceptible to false teachers. Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth condemns not intense study but some esoteric quest for truth apart from God’s Word. Jannes and Jambres, according to Jewish tradition were the two magicians in Pharaoh’s court who attempted to duplicate the miracles of Moses. (cf. Ex. 7:11; 9:11).’
Ah mih people, there’s absolutely no doubt that Bruh Paul’s prophecy holds true to the state of our current society. But the only unfortunate difference is that not only are silly women, but also silly men are being persuaded to turn away from God by the numerous false teachers out there. And the supposed quest for truth, apart from God’s Word, has never before been so intense in the modern world, with so many different types of truth abounding, and where everyone has his or her own truth.
And though, deep down we might desire to turn things around, we all know we cannot do it without the help of Jesus, for He says, He is the vine, and we are the branches, and if we don’t stick close to Him, we won’t be able to do anything. (John 15:5) So please, let’s go to the throne of grace, right now, through our Friday Chant, seeking that divine aid to help us do what we cannot do in our own strength.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And having prayed that prayer, let’s not forget that nothing will change until we change, until we become better examples of true Christian living! Much LOVE!
…in a world that’s turning away from God…there’s an insatiable need for true believers…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
16 Jul 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new commandment I give unto you, a rainy Tuesaday, a reverential fear of God, as I have loved you, Bible, blasphemers, by this shall all men know that ye are my disiciples, cannot kill the soul, christianity, dissensions, divide and conquer, divisions, faith, fear him which can destroy both body and soul, fear of God's wrath, fear them not whick kill the body, god, God's displeasure, God's love is tronger than His wrath, hurry, if ye have love one to another, in god's eyes, in the last days perilous times shall come, infighting, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ her Lord, life is all about love, LOVE, LOVE one another, Love thy neighbour as thyself, lovers of their own selves, my neck of the woods, petty jealousies, proud, rumbling thunder, share His love with the world, that ye also love one another, the beloved of God, the church's one foundation, the power of love, thou shalt love the Lord thy God, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, wisdom, with all thy heart soul and mind, worry
John 13:34. A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another.
Oh boy, it’s a rainy Tuesday morning in my neck of the woods! And like it means serious business too, because the thunder’s been rumbling in a very intimidating manner! But there’s no need to worry, because it all comes from our great God, who made the heavens and the earth and still owns and controls it! And if He chooses to grit His teeth and cause the earth to shake with rumbling thunder every once in a while to show His displeasure with our sinful, ungodly life style, then who’s to say Him nay eh? (smile) Nobody whatsoever, because He’s the Boss, and the Boss can do whatever He so desires!
So it’s a two in one session; some heavenly blessings and some heavenly displeasure. Please, let’s be wise and pay some serious attention to the displeasure aspect, because we would not like to feel even one iota of His godly wrath, which can immediately destroy us, both body and soul. As Jesus warns the disciples and by extension, all other followers: ‘And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.’ (Matt. 10:28)
And what does that mean? Listen to this commentary. ‘Jesus’s command, Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul (v 28), informs His disciples of the extent of the danger that they will face for following Him. Earthly rulers and mobs will kill the bodily lives of Christ’s followers for the sake of extending or preserving their earthly power.’ So we don’t need to truly fear them, for they can only kill our bodies. But God Almighty can destroy us completely.
Therefore we ought to have both a reverential fear or awe of Him, as well as a real fear of the power He possesses and can unleash at a moment’s notice if His displeasure is stirred up. But we don’t need to fear God’s wrath if we live the godly and LOVING life that He expects of His followers. Remember that although His wrath is lethal, His LOVE is even more powerful, and once we’re living in LOVE with Him and each other, there’s nothing to fear.
Jesus said it very simply but with the utmost confidence and sincerity when He answered the question posed by the facetious Pharisee lawyer: ‘Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ (Matt. 22:36- 40)
Yes friends, in God’s kingdom, everything swings on the power of LOVE! Can you imagine a world that is just filled with LOVE? Unfortunately though, most of us cannot conjure such a divine situation because we have become hard, cynical and too accustomed to a world where the negative things like hate, anger, strife and the rest of them are rampant and overwhelming.
And it’s ONLY LOVE, the LOVE of believers in Christ Jesus that will ever make a difference in this hateful and ungodly world. And Jesus harped on the necessity for LOVE amongst His believers. Listen to this directive. ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another. By this shall men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:34-35)
Oh my fellow believers, Jesus could not have been any clearer or more explicit. The attribute that’s supposed to set us apart from the heathen and let others know that we are disciples of Jesus Christ is LOVE for each other. But can we truthfully say that LOVE exists today amongst the supposed disciples of Christ in any serious and sincere amount? I doubt it. Not when there are so many divisions, dissensions, denominations, cliques, petty jealousies, infighting and outright evil doings in the body of Christ, in His church.
That thread of true LOVE in Christ’s church is sadly missing. No wonder the heathen don’t consider us disciples, but rather hypocrites, since we don’t even show the most basic aspect of Christ’s nature, LOVE, to each other and to the world in general. It hurts the heart when you think of the awesome power, the great difference Christ’s church could make in this world if it came together as one, instead of being broken up into many weak and powerless pieces, acknowledging the wisdom of Satan’s scheme, to divide and conquer.
And when we sing that famous hymn ‘The church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord; she is his new creation by water and the Word,’ we’re making a mockery of it because so many people today are trying to lay their own foundation in the church of Christ, unlike what Bruh Paul says in his first letter to the Corinthians: ‘For other foundation can no man lay that that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.’ (1 Cor, 3:11) Oh my people, the only foundation that’s supposed to be in Christ’s church is Christ Himself! We need to build on that, not on anything else. Otherwise it would not be truly of Christ.
But, unfortunately, our world had become just like Bruh Paul warned Timothy long ago . ‘This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous (money lovers), boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy.’ (2 Tim. 3:1-2) And he goes on to name a long list of other sinful and ungodly deeds that mankind would be guilty of. And there’s no doubt that all those things are very blatant and rampant in our world right now.
And the only antidote for what’s ailing our world is true LOVE and LOVING actions amongst those who profess belief in Christ Jesus. It’s a simple but not an easy answer, but with God’s help we can turn things around if we seriously try. However, that’s where the problem lies, we don’t want to seriously try because it will take too much effort and sacrifice. But that’s another sermon for another day!
Right now let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) 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 having made that claim, 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!
…life is all about LOVE…LOVE for God…for ourselves…and for our fellow human beings…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
24 Nov 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a child of the Most High God, a new flock of believers, always a catch to a sales pitch, Black Friday, but denying the power thereof, covetous, crying out for help, do Satan's dirty work for him, false accusers, Friday chant, from such turn away, having a form of godliness, in the last days perilous times shall come, Jesus Christ, laughing all the way to the bank, like a magicians set up -illusory, LOVE, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, man's inhumanity to man makes millions mourn, men shall be lovers of their own selves, psychological illusion, return backsliders to your fold, Satan's quick demise, set a good example, simmering unrest in our land, soar with eagles, stop falling for Satan's evil wiles, the error of their ways, the throne of grace, truth, trying to push God out, wake up and smell the coffee, we seldom ever get something for nothing, wisdom, wise guidance
2 Timothy 3:1. This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
And after only one measly day of Thanksgiving in the U.S, the world has followed it back to its favourite pastime; making money! Yes, today is Black Friday, the day of the biggest sales events of the year in the U.S. and neighboring countries like Canada, have no recourse but to follow the foolishness, which is mostly like a magicians setup, illusory; consisting of good hand and eye coordination, wands and staffs making you feel like something is going on, when in reality it’s all an illusion.
It’s the same with many of these supposed big Black Friday sales, they promise the world but only offer a few items truly on sale. The desire of the whole operation is to get you into the store and wave their magic wands at you, confuse you into buying stuff you either don’t need, or you can’t afford. And it’s sad that every year the same things happen; people fall for it, rushing and pushing to get into the stores, which usually leads to some sort of unnecessary violence.
But the store owners don’t care, they are just interested in the congested traffic and the money been spent in their businesses. Then tomorrow they’ll holler about their big profits, laughing all the way to the bank, celebrating another successful exercise in psychological illusion on the masses.
Ah Lord eh! When are we ever going to learn? We seldom ever get something for nothing, or less than it costs the sellers. The business people are there to make money, not to give it away There’s always a catch to their sales pitch, a price to be paid, be it up front or later. But we keep on falling for the sales pitches, especially in these times of high inflation and low monetary rewards in the comparatively few jobs available.
And it’s interesting how prices keep on rising, along with profits, but the wages of the workers remain stagnant, and if the purveyors of the criminal economic actions, could, they would even try to lower the wages of their employees. No wonder the ongoing truth in the sad statement; man’s inhumanity to man, makes millions mourn. And, unfortunately, it seems like we have reached the stage of world evil and ungodliness that Bruh Paul warned Timothy about in his second letter.
‘This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous (money lovers), boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy. Without natural affection, trucebreakers (irreconcilable), false accusers (slanderers), incontinent (without self-control), fierce (brutal), despisers of those that are good. Traitors, heady (reckless), highminded (haughty),lovers of pleasures more than (rather) than lovers of God. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.’ (2 Tim. 3:1-5)
And isn’t that a most accurate picture of our current world? Sad to say, it most certainly is! Our world has gone crazy, with no kind of discipline, everyone just looking out for themselves, doing what they want with no regard to how their actions affect other around them. And don’t talk about ungodliness, for I don’t know if there’s ever been such an ungodly time as this.
We’ve even reached the stage of attempting to push God out of our society, which only shows how proud, haughty and foolish we’ve become, because the Creator of the universe will NEVER allow himself to be pushed out of His own creation! But we haven’t learned from Satan’s quick demise when as the Archangel Lucifer he tried to overthrow God, but was summarily kicked out of heaven to dwell in the fires of hell. Satan has learned his lesson, but he’s trying to get us to do his dirty work for him, and unfortunately too many of us are listening to him and doing it.
But friends, wisdom dictates that if you want to live the abundant life, you can’t walk with the chickens or fly with the low flying birds, you must soar with the eagles. And that’s what the Lord is expecting of each one of us who calls himself a child of the Most High God! And yes, it’s not easy to soar with the eagles when the crows and chickens keep nipping at your feet, but we do have an avenue to help us get away from them, that’s the throne of grace. So please, let’s go there right now nuh, through our Friday Chant to get the help we need to keep soaring with the eagles.
As one voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.
And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And the first item on our to do list my people, is to set a good and godly example to those around us, otherwise there will be no divine help forthcoming. Much LOVE!
…as true believers in Christ…we need to stop falling for the evil wiles of Satan…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
01 Jul 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a lazy-day Saturday, an outward miraculous manifestation, apostasy, beware of the doctrine of the Pharisees, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, come unto the knowledge of truth, esoteric quest for truth, ever learning, Happy Canada Day, hereby knoweth ye the Spirit of God, how many baskets ye took up, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, in the last days perilous times shall come, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, let my muscles relax, Lord I want to be with you now, LOVE, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, men shall be lovers of their own selves, never able to come, O ye of little faith, prey upon silly women, quiet my soul, remember Almighty God, Sadducees, slow my thoughts, take heed, thank you for this tenderness, that I may know you all the more, the five loaves of the five thousand, the Pharisees, the seven loaves of the four thousand, warnings of smoke, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Matthew 16:6. Then Jesus said to them, Take heed and beware of the leaven (yeast) of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
HAPPY CANADA DAY!
Well friends, this Lazy -day Saturday has certainly opened into a bright and sparkling summer’s day, although with some warnings of smoke. But, despite that negative attachment, it promises to be a wonderful celebration of our country’s birthday! So, a Happy Canada Day to all you my Scrip-Bit friends and families! May the Lord bless us with all we need to enjoy this memorable weekend, as we remember that Canada is still one of the few countries you can move around with a fair amount of freedom and without too much provocation re racial and religious and political matters.
And most of all, let’s remember the One who gave us all the good things that we have; Almighty God, and give Him the proper thanks, praise and reverence that He deserves. Now, as one sincere voice, let’s say our Lazy-Day Saturday prayer. ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
Oh my faithful brethren, every time we say that prayer, it touches something deep within me. I guess it just seems to bring us closer to our heavenly Father in real time. And it seems to be ever so appropriate for a lazy-day Saturday, where we have no pressing commitments, so we can afford to relax and spend some satisfying quiet time with our Creator and Provider, our Comforter and place of Refuge. And I hope you all feel the same way, and do spend some quiet time with the One who LOVES us so much that He sacrificed His only Son Jesus for our benefit.
And do I ever LOVE the Good Library, for as always, when I don’t know what to say and I open it, it always points me to something interesting. And today it opened unto the 16th Chapter of Matthew where Jesus had just finished berating the Pharisees and Sadducees re asking for a sign from heaven, an outward miraculous manifestation, then left them standing in awe and confusion. (Matt. 16:1-4) Then He went on to warn the disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
The Good Library relates it thus: ‘And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. Then Jesus said to them, Take heed and beware of the leaven (yeast) of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread. Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them. O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many baskets you took up?’ (Matt. 16:5-10)
And it is indeed amazing that the disciples could forget the two miracles Jesus did with little food to serve a multitude and then have plenty left over. And those miracles you can find in several of the gospels, but for easy access, I’ll just quote them from Matthew; Chapter 14:15-21 and Chapter 15:32-38. So they should have realized that it really had nothing to do with them not bringing bread, for if the situation truly warranted it, Jesus had the awesome power to provide actual bread for them, to fill all their physical needs and still have much left over.
But their young, uneducated minds never considered those things, thus Jesus had to explain it further to them. ‘How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, but that ye should beware of the leaven (yeast) of the Pharisees and Sadducees? Then understood they how he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine (teaching) of the Pharisees and Sadducees.’ (Matt. 16:11-12) And yuh know what my fellow believers, that warning of Jesus still holds true for all of us today, because there are still many out there who are teaching a false or incorrect gospel, one slanted to their own unscrupulous desires.
That leads us to these prophetic words of Bruh Paul to Timothy. ‘This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous (money lovers), boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers (irreconcilable), false accusers (slanderers), incontinent (without self-control), fierce (brutal), despisers of those that are good,
Traitors, heady (reckless), highminded (haughty), lovers of pleasures more than (rather than) lovers of God: Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof, from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts. Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.’ (2 Tim. 3:1-7)
Oh my bredrin, I don’t know if these are the last days or not, because there are many arguments over the signs etc., but what I do know for sure is that all those things Bruh Paul warned Timothy about are very rampant in our current world. And if you don’t see them, then you’re living with your head in the sky or in the dirt. Lawlessness and irresponsibility are at unbelievable heights. Promises are made and broken without remorse. Pleasure is our number one activity. And we boast so much about what we don’t have that it’s shameful.
Oh friends, apostasy, that’s abandonment and renunciation of our religious beliefs is definitely alive and well. You see people all over the place turning away from God, and there’s even a foolish movement afoot to try and completely rid our society of God. Hn! That’s undoubtedly a fool’s wisdom! For it will never happen, because God will never allow it. He might allow us to do all sorts of other nonsense, but rid the society of His awesome presence…NEVER!
And we’ll close with a couple of explanations from the scholars on those verses above. They say that ‘A form of godliness is mere religion without power or spiritual life. Paul commands Timothy to turn away from those false teachers who prey upon silly women laden with sins, who are especially susceptible to false teachers. Ever learning and never coming to the knowledge of the truth condemns not intense study, but some esoteric quest for truth apart from God’s word.’
And is there ever much questing for truth today my fellow saints. Never knew there could be more than one truth. But everybody seems to have their own truth in these perilous times. And those who don’t have it, are unfortunately searching for truth in all the wrong places, when it’s right in front of their very faces, in the Word of God! Much LOVE!
…hereby knoweth ye the Spirit of God…every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh…is of God… (1 John 4:2)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
29 Dec 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a form of godliness, a man with a new nature, a sacrificial life, attain a mature knowledge of God, Christ's church is divided, curse, denying the power thereof, divine protection, do the work of God, faith, favour, fight tooth and nail, gospel revival, hell, I am with you always, if any man will come after me, in the last days perilous times shall come, let him deny himself, LOVE, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, negative word, new values and a new lifestyle, put on the new man, renewed in knowledge, self-control, take up his cross daily and follow me, teach all nations, the Bible is for everyday living, the bounden duty, the decline of our society, the devil's rightful place, the Great Commission, the sun is shining, the weather is fine, Thursday Blessings
Luke 9:23. If any man will (desires to) come after me (be my disciple), let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
Well, here’s another ‘Can you believe it’: On Thursday 29th December 2022, the sun is shining and the weather is fine! The temperature is about 8 degrees Celsius. That’s in the middle of winter. Rain is expected not snow! As the old people would say, what en’t reach you, en’t pass you! In other words, you won’t believe it until you see it! So it’s obvious that times are a changing; both in weather and the nature of man, and thus in our society. Mankind is certainly becoming like Bruh Paul wrote to Timothy so long ago.
‘This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be loves of their own selves, covetous (money lovers), boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers (irreconcilable), false accusers (slanderers), incontinent (without self-control), fierce (brutal), despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady (reckless), highminded (haughty), lovers of pleasures more (rather) than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof (mere religion without the power of a spiritual life): from such turn away.’ (2 Tim. 3:1-5)
Oh friends, it seems that Bruh Paul is in our midst today writing about the sorry state of our world. For, unless you are blind, deaf, dumb and totally not involved, you have surely noticed the decline of our society, debased to the level of all the things Bruh Paul spoke to Timothy about. I don’t know if there’s ever been an angrier and more strife-filled time in mankind’s history across the whole known world at the same time, like we’re now experiencing, where everybody is in an uproar over something, and nobody’s satisfied about anything.
I daresay the last days can’t be far ahead. But until that time, it is the bounden duty of we believers to fight tooth and nail to keep the world for Christ! This is the time for which we were created. We have all we need to change things, but we are just fearful and lazy, preferring to enjoy the pleasures of the world rather than do the world-changing work of God.
Yes my people, please, let’s remember Jesus’ parting desire, His Great Commission. ‘Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:19-20)
Now my fellow believers, please tell me what aspect of that is rocket science eh, that’s so high that we don’t understand it? It’s simple and clear forward like everything else Jesus says! We just don’t want to make the sacrifice it entails to do His work. But please remember these words of Jesus also; the requirements for being His disciple. ‘If any man will (desires to) come after me (be my disciple), let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23)
Oh my brethren, the life of a follower of Jesus involves daily sacrifice if necessary. It is a good, abundant and prosperous but also sacrificial life, like Jesus’ was. He never asks us to do what He never did, or will not empower us to do. The problem is that we need to raise the level of our faith, the level of our trust and surrender to His faithfulness. We can’t just lie down and play dead before the evil doings of the world. No! We need to put on the armour of God that we recently spoke about and join the spiritual battle that’s taking place for the soul and spirit of our world, our children and our families!
Unfortunately though, most of that fight is being conducted by a handful of believers. And when Christ’s church should be so deeply involved in this fight, it’s not, because it’s divided, disunited and torn apart by selfish, petty disagreements. The enemy has successfully divided and conquered it. Yesterday we saw where Bruh Paul spoke to the Colossians about putting off the old man. Today though is a different day, one where we desperately need to listen and do as he exhorts: ‘And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.’ (Col. 3:10)
Oh friends, that’s what we need in our world today; the new man, the new person we are supposed to become after accepting Christ as Lord and Saviour. And to paraphrase the scholars, that’s a man with a new nature, a Christ-like one, ‘with new values, aspirations and a new lifestyle. And that new man needs to be constantly renewed or developed until he attains a mature knowledge of the God who (re)created him. The more a believer knows and understands God, the more he will be like God in character and conduct.’
And isn’t that the living truth! It surely is! That means to improve our Christ-like mettle, improve our faith and desire to do Christ’s bidding, our first priority is to learn more about God, that’s read, study and meditate on His awesome Word. And a dusty Bible, sitting unopened and unused in a corner is not the way to learn about God. Rather, as they say, the Bible is for everyday living, not only for weekends. So you need to open, read and study it, EVERY DAY, if you truly want to know more about your heavenly Father. That’s the long and short of the story!
And what I LOVE about our great God is His faithfulness and generosity, where He showers us with undeserved blessings so that we can do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings, but we have to declare them before they can be activated. So let’s do that right now nuh. 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!’
So now that those blessings have been activated, let’s get out there and enthusiastically share them faithfully and generously, and thus put and keep the devil in his rightful place…that’s in hell. Much LOVE!
…we believers need a resurgence of faith and courage…which can only come from serious study of the Bible…and a time of serious gospel revival…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
22 Nov 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: be ye also ready, but of that day and hour knoweth no man, disobedient to parents, hurry, I am the beloved of god, in god's eyes, in the last days perilous times shall come, lock stock and barrel, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, men shall be lovers of their own selves, pleasure-oriented, prepared for Christ's return, prepared for winter, religion without power, self-gratifying, share His love with my neighbours, spiritual life, the coming apostasy, the coming of the Son of man, the condition of humanity, the days of Noah, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, watch and pray, watch therefore, wherein the Son of man cometh, without self control, worry, ye know neither the day nor the hour
Matthew 25:13. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
And the days roll along unconcernedly, just as they were programmed to do, while we wise ones get into winter mode. Yes friends, it’s true wisdom to get oneself ready for the winter season; mentally, physically, and emotionally, for if you don’t, winter will have you going stark raving crazy after a li’l while. (smile) That’s because it’s a very aggressive season; always in your face, with the cold, and either ice, wind or snow, and if you’re not prepared for it on all fronts, you will have a most miserable time.
And you know what? Even when you think you’re fully prepared for it, it throws you a curved ball and blows your mind. And yuh see what happened in Buffalo this past weekend…and this is only the start of the season…so please prepare yourself. Just like we need to be prepared the next coming of Jesus, if we want to see heaven with Him till eternity. Please remember this serious warning of Jesus, when he speaks of His return to earth. ‘But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.’ (Matt. 24:36-37)
Now there are two important facts there; only the Father knows when the Son will return, and it will take place like it did in the times of Noah, at a time of much carousing and evil doing, when the judgement day is totally unexpected, like Noah’s associates were when the earth cleansing flood occurred, wiping out all mankind except Noah and his family.
So, Jesus continues: ‘Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman (master) of the house had known in what watch (hour) the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered (allowed) his house to be broken up (into). Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.’ (Matt. 24: 42-44) Oh my people, Jesus couldn’t have been any plainer or more explicit unless He had added the exact time of His return.
And the scholars explain. ‘24:35-38. Verses 35 and 36 warn against attempts to set an exact date for Christ’s return at the end of the church age. To speculate that “day” and “hour” do not eliminate “year” is a gross oversimplification. The Father only knows of the Christ’s return since it has been set by His authority (cf. Acts 1:7). However, we are given a comparison to the days of Noah (and the Flood), which illustrate and prefigure the condition of humanity at the time of Christ’s return. The last generation, like the one of Noah’s day, is pleasure oriented and self-gratifying by eating and drinking. The reference to marrying and giving in marriage (vs. 38) may refer to carrying on the normal course of life without heeding the impending judgement.’
And yuh better believe that they are speaking there of a generation eerily similar to ours; pleasure-oriented and self-gratifying, for lawlessness and licentiousness are the norm of our current society, and very few have time for God. Like Bruh Paul so knowingly wrote of the coming apostasy (abandonment of faith in God) in his second letter to Timothy.
‘This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous (money lovers), boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy. Without natural affection, trucebreakers (irreconcilable), false accusers (slanderers), incontinent (without self-control), fierce (brutal), despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady (reckless), high-minded (haughty), lovers of pleasures more than LOVERS of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof; from such turn away.’ (2 Tim. 3:1-5)
Ah mih bredrin, you’d think that Bruh Paul was living today and describing our current lifestyle, for he’s hit the nail right on its proverbial head with his description of what’s happening in today’s world. As the scholars say of verses 1-4: ‘The last days began with the birth of Christ, and will culminate in Christ’s return to earth to set up His kingdom. The prediction of perilous times indicates that apostasy will characterize the final days of the church age.’ And if that is so, then we had better get ready for Christ’s imminent return, because we are currently experiencing ‘perilous times’ and our world couldn’t get any more godless than it is already.
And per verse 5, the scholars explain: ‘A form of godliness is mere religion without power or spiritual life. Paul commands Timothy to turn away from those false teachers who prey upon women laden with sins, who are susceptible to false teachers.’ And are we ever seeing the prevalence of false teachers, those who talk a good talk, but like the Pharisees of old, don’t walk the spiritual walk, because they lack the true spiritual power of God.
Ah my fellow saints, there is more I’d like to say on the subject, but it’ll make it way too long, and knowing our short attention spans, (smile) we’ll stop there for today, and continue it on the morrow, the Lord willing. In the meanwhile, for those of us attempting to stay prepared, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) 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!’
Now friends, let’s go out and do just that; 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 Christian’s motto should be…watch and pray…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ
06 Jul 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a Christian life begins with total commitment, be not conformed to this world, be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, by the mercies of God, disobedient to parents, dissension within Christ's church, endure to the end, hands on the plough, holy acceptable unto god, I am halfway home, I beseech you therefore brethren, I can settle for that, I don't let God be God, I will die victoriously, I'm looking straight ahead, in the last days perilous times shall come, inherent sinful nature, it is better to walk over the billows than to go under them, leap up like wild animals, LOVE, men shall be lovers of their own selves, not looking back, nothing worthwhile is ever easy, One Year Book of Bible promises, present your bodies a living sacrifice, Ruth Harms Calkin, shall he find faith on the earth, show love to a desperately needy world, step out of my rocking boat, stop using our bodies for sinful purposes, tempestuous waves of change, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the perfect will of God, the word rebellion frightens me, time is flying by, to a glorious future with Jesus, walk the waves with you, Wednesday Wail, when the Son of man cometh, which is your reasonable service, wisdom in spades
Luke 18:8. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
Wow mih bredrin! Another week is quickly passing by; it’s already Wednesday…what’s happening with the days eh, why is time flying by so quickly? One would think that with the numerous problems we have in our world that time would at least seem to stand still, but like everything else, it is behaving in a most contrary manner. (smile) It’s a good thing we have Jesus to keep us steadfast and focused yes, otherwise we’d be jumping all over the place like jackrabbits.
And to help handle the uncertain situation which our world currently faces, we are going to look at a poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin aptly titled ‘I Can Settle for That.’ So, please read with me. ‘The word rebellion frightens me. I always associate it with Revolt…terrorism…riots…death… with economic and social issues… With the drug scene That promotes life without purpose. I associate it with tempestuous waves of change That leap up like wild animals.
Like the disciples in the storm I want to awaken You, Lord. I wonder why You seem to be sleeping. But, Lord, maybe I don’t Really know You very well. Maybe I don’t let God be God. After all, You are not frightened. You do not hold your hands up in despair. You never say, “You should have come yesterday.” Nor do You say, “You’re the wrong age and colour.” You never say “You’re too timid, too slow.”
You simply tell me to step out Of my rocking boat. You tell me to walk the waves with You. You assure me you are not asleep. You tell me to show genuine LOVE To a desperately needy world. You insist it is far better To walk over the billows than to go under them. You tell me if I die in the attempt At least I will die victoriously. Then, facing me directly, You ask “Can you settle for that?” Lord, if You are with me I can settle for that.’
Mama Mia! Isn’t that the living truth my people? If God is with us, we can indeed settle for anything, because He controls it all! And the reason why we are so uncertain, afraid and worried is simply because we do not have sufficient trust and faith in our great God, in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit that dwells within us and is supposed to lead and guide us to all truth. In fact, we have not given ourselves completely to Almighty God, therefore we don’t let God be God. How can He be, if we don’t surrender our all to Him eh?
That’s why the Bible verse for that poem is Bruh Paul’s plea to the church at Rome. ‘I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable (rational) service.’ (Rom. 12:1) Yes friends, we are supposed to surrender our entire bodies and souls to Christ, if we want to truly benefit from all that He has to offer.
Now listen to how the scholars explain that verse. ‘12:1. By the mercies of God summarizes all that God has accomplished for the believer in Romans chapters 1-11: in justifying the believer (chps. 1-5), enabling the believer to live a righteous life (chps. 6-8), and being faithful to Israel (chps. 9-11). That ye present refers to a definite act of presentation. The verb is used of offering a sacrifice that became “holy” under the Levitical system (cf. Ex. 29:37). This shows that the Christian life begins with total commitment and irrevocable presentation. Your bodies: The body has been an instrument of sin (chp. 6). Now it is to be presented to God as a channel through which the righteousness of God is manifested.’
Yes, that all sounds like a big mouthful, but it simply means that we stop using our bodies for sinful purposes and instead use them for righteous ones. And we’d all be foolishly fooling ourselves to pretend that we don’t know the sinful things we use our bodies for. (smile) That’s why this next verse is so important in our transformation. Bruh Paul then declares in his usual practical way. ‘And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.’ (Rom. 12:2)
Ah mih bredrin, to truly live for Christ we have to shun, to shuck off the things of this evil world that find no place, are not welcome in God’s kingdom. And no, it’s not always easy to do, because of our inherent sinful nature and the rampaging evil and evil doers that are currently controlling our world. But with Christ’s help and our perseverance, we can do a good job of it.
We must just want it badly enough. But like we said yesterday, too many of us don’t want it badly enough to put out the necessary effort to live sincerely for Christ, that’s why Christianity is in such a shambles, why Christ’s church is filled with so much evil and ungodly doings, why there’s so much dissension within Christ’s church, and instead of getting better, it seems to be getting worse.
Oh my fellow believers, we need to remember that Christ is depending on us to keep His church going strong and sincere. We are all He has down here to do His bidding, and if we are not doing it properly then His church will obviously suffer serious setbacks. This leads me to consider the question Jesus asked at the end of the parable of the persistent widow. He says: ‘Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?’ (Luke 18:8)
Now that’s a very interesting question with the great number of former believers turning away from God, the apostasy that Bruh Paul warned Timothy of. ‘This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous (money lovers), boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy…’ (2 Tim. 3:1-2) And he goes on to list a host of other ungodly activities which we are currently seeing at a high level in our society.
However, my brethren, because we are sincere, faithful, and strong, we will do our best to stand up for Christ and continue to tell others about Him and the marvellous benefits living for Him bring. So, for those of us in that camp, let’s go home now declaring (awright!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. Wow!
Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And believe me friends, if we endure to the end, that future will indeed be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine. So, let’s be with Christ for the long haul nuh; that’s wisdom in spades! Much LOVE!
…nothing worthwhile is ever easy…and that definitely goes for living for Christ…but the rewards will certainly outweigh the difficulties…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
22 Jun 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: apostasy will characterize the final days of the church age, arrogance, Christ has already won the victory, denying the power thereof, endure to the very end, from such turn away, God has our best interests at heart, God is not a man that he should lie, happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, having a form of godliness, he returneth to his earth, his breath goeth forth, I am halfway home, I even I am he that comforteth you, I have the keys of hell and of death, in that very day his thoughts perish, in the last days perilous times shall come, in whom there is no help, looking forward to a glorious future with Jesus, LOVE, men shall be lovers of their own selves, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, nor in the son of man, not turning baack, pride, put not your trust in princes, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the church must maintain that victory on earth, the Immutability of God, the son of man which shall be made of grass, the universe is unfolding as it should, this know also, traitors, Wednesday Wail, whose hope is in the Lord his God
2 Timothy 3:1. ‘This know also that in the last days perilous times shall come.
And then it was Wednesday, another hot and sunshiny day in God’s world, with temps again somewhere in the thirties, and we are all enthusiastic to be alive to see and experience all the wonderful things God has in place for us today! Glory Hallelujah! For as the man says in his song: ‘No doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.’ And of that we can be very sure because our God is the very beat planner there is, ever was, or ever will be, and nothing that He plans ever goes awry. (smile) That’s how much confidence and assurance we have in Him! For He has never let us down, and we believe He never will.
Why, you ask? Because He is God, the Creator and Ruler of the universe, omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent and can do ALL things. So why would He promise something that He can’t do eh? Remember too that there is NOTHING He cannot do! And as the false prophet Balaam said to the Balak, the king of Moab. ‘God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?’ (Num. 23:19)
And I like how the scholars explain that verse. They say: ‘The immutability (unchangeability) of God is stated. The word repent is parallel to lie and is coloured in tone by this very association. Here His repenting is related to falsehood. The concept of the truth of Yahweh is related to immutability. Since God is truth, He does not lie; in fact, He cannot lie. He is unchanging. God is utterly different from man. Something that comes far too easily for many men is impossible for Almighty God. He cannot lie.’
And that’s where our God wins out over all the other supposed gods! He doesn’t change, He doesn’t behave like fragile and unstable, unreliable men. He is stable, the foundation of all we hold dear, thus we can put our utmost trust in Him. That’s why the psalmist warns us in Psalm 146 – The blessedness of trusting God: ‘Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man (a human being), in whom there is no help (salvation). His breath goeth forth (spirit departs), he returneth to his earth, in that very day his thoughts perish. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God.’ (Ps. 146:3-5)
Yes friends, that’s the awesome truth! And possibly the biggest reason why our world is in such a confused and evil mess. We don’t trust the Lord God Jehovah like we use to do, even one generation ago. We’ve now placed our trust in princes, leaders, human beings who by their very nature are unstable, unreliable, untrustworthy and most important of all die, return to the dust from which they were created, ofttimes suddenly and without notice, and then are of no use to us.
However, the great God, I AM, has been around since everlasting, and will be around till the end of time, and is all powerful and all knowing, therefore we can put our trust in Him! As He says through the prophet Isaiah: ‘I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man (mortal man) that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass.’ (Is. 51:12)
Ah mih people, why then are we so intent on ridding our society of Almighty God who only has our best interests at heart eh, and who is the ONLY ONE we can ever turn to with assurance and certainty in our time of need? Because we are listening to the workers of iniquity, the disciples of the devil, leaders and false prophets who only want to cause harm and strife amongst God’s people. It’s pride and arrogance, self-importance and self-aggrandizement that’s currently driving our world and unfortunately too many of us are listening to, believing and doing what those evil, ungodly leaders are putting forth.
Remember what Bruh Paul wrote in his second letter to Timothy about the coming apostasy (turning away from God). ‘This know also that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous (money lovers), boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers (irreconcilable), false accusers (slanderers), incontinent (without self-control), fierce (brutal), despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady (reckless), high-minded (haughty), lovers of pleasures more than (rather than) lovers of God: Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof (mere religion without spiritual power): from such turn away.’ (2 Tim. 3:1-5)
Oh my fellow saints, it’s like if Bruh Paul is living with us right now, for all that he’s said in those few verses have become reality in these last days! The scholars tell us that ‘The last days began with the birth of Christ and will culminate in His return to earth to set up His kingdom. The prediction of perilous times indicates that apostasy will characterize the final days of the church age.’ And only if you are completely out of your mind you won’t realize the truth of the sadly fallen, and still falling standards of our society. We are no longer respecters of men nor God!
Unfortunately, the devil and his evil minions are now ruling the roost, but that doesn’t mean they will eventually gain the victory, because Jesus has already assured us of that. As one commentator on the agodman.com website writes: ‘The Lord Jesus has already won the battle – He has won the victory, and now our work as the church on earth is to maintain Christ’s victory. Hallelujah, the victory has been won, and we can apply it, stand in it, proclaim it, and make it real to the enemy wherever we are and wherever we go!’
And that’s the gospel truth friends. So, let’s allow these upcoming scriptures to fill our hearts, minds, bodies and souls. The first says: ‘…For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.’ (1 John 3:8) Yes friends, when Christ rose from the dead, it meant He defeated Satan, hell, death, and the grave. And, as He said to John in the Book of Revelation. ‘Fear not; I am the first and the last. I am he that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.’ (Rev. 1:17-18)
Please let those verses reassure us of Christ’s victory, never forgetting though that we still have to work hard to retain that victory. Consequently, we can now go home declaring (awright!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ, that we are indeed keeping the battle going in His mighty name.
Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And please, never never forget that if we endure to the very end, that that promised future will be even more glorious that we can ever ask or imagine! Wow! So, let’s make sure we endure to the very end nuh! Much LOVE!
…only in and through Christ Jesus…is salvation and eternal life possible…
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