The Overwhelming Importance of Christians Living by Christ’s Rules for His Church and NOT by Their Own!

30 Oct 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Romans 12:18.        If it be possible, as much as lieth in you (depends on you), live peaceably with all men.

It’s raining, it’s raining, on this Thursday morning! But it’s merely drizzling, as it’s done the last couple of times. And although a continuous drizzle can be just as bad as a short downpour, when I think of rain it evokes a sense of more than a drizzle. (smile) But unfortunately all the rain might now be centred in the Caribbean in Hurricane Melissa where she’s created untold havoc in places like Jamaica and Cuba…and might not be done just yet as she flies northward in search of more prey. 

And unfortunately too, in those circumstances, all we can do is pray and offer whatever physical help we can afterwards. So please, let’s keep those unfortunate people in our prayers, and help however we can, for we never know when our circumstances might turn bad, and we’ll also need help. And since God seems to have spared our lives today, let’s turn to His Word as promised and check out some more scriptures that deal with unity, harmony and likeminded purpose. Or, as that commentary yesterday so nicely put it: ‘passages that emphasize unity in purpose, LOVE, and harmony, grounded in humility and a shared commitment to Christ.’ 

Now reading that just makes me feel so sad about the state of Christ’s church with all the disunity and infighting. And we’ll begin today with more words on Christian unity and compassion from Bruh Paul’s epistle to the church at Rome. He writes: ‘Let LOVE be without dissimulation (hypocrisy). Abhor that which is evil; cleave (cling) to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned (affectionate) one to another with brotherly LOVE; in honour preferring one another (giving preference to another). Not slothful in business (lagging in diligence); fervent (boiling over) in spirit; serving the Lord; 

Rejoicing in hope; patient (persevering) in tribulation; continuing instant (steadfastly) in prayer; Distributing to the necessity (needs) of saints; given to hospitality. Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not (do not set your mind on) high things, but condescend to men of low estate (associate with the lowly). Be not wise in your own conceits (estimation). Recompense (repay) to no man evil for evil. 

Provide things honest in the sight of all men (have regard for good things). If it be possible, as much as lieth in you (depends on you), live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head (a sense of shame or remorse). Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.’ (Rom. 12:9-21) 

Ah mih people, Bruh Paul just laid out the basics of our Christian faith. To LOVE each other with a sincere LOVE, not a hypocritical posture, treat others with kindness and compassion, don’t resort to evil, but to replace it with good, and even when wronged, don’t resort to your own vengeance for the Lord says that is His prerogative. Also to feed your enemies, which might cause them to be ashamed and turn to Christ through your kindness. And as per the scholars: ‘The Christian’s conduct in the local church toward fellow believers is to be a volitional caring for others (done of one’s own free will), LOVING faithfully in spite of the response received. The LOVE is to be genuine and unfeigned.’ 

Now, if we could only have more of that in the church than the hypocrisy and strife that’s currently deep seated in it, our lives and that of the world would be so much better. I don’t think we fully realize that it’s we Christians who are expected to make the world a better place, for the evil doers will not. It’s not on their agenda, but it’s on ours. And it’s like Jesus said: ‘Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, LOVE your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 

That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh the sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye LOVE them which LOVE you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans (tax collectors) the same? And if ye salute (greet) your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans (tax collectors) do so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.’ (Matt. 5:43-48) 

And if Christ, the originator and perfector of our faith says that’s how it should be, then that’s what we ought to do. So, if you consider yourself His true disciple and follower, then there’s to be no questioning of His directives. But because some of the things Jesus desires us to do seem difficult and run against the grain of our culture and religious denomination, we tend to question and shy away from doing His bidding. And that’s why His church is in such a mess; awfully divided, in disharmony, with many petty differences keeping it from being united. 

Ah friends, it’s a sad day when you look at our world and see the turmoil it’s in, and know that with a little effort on our part we could help to make it better. But for whatever reason(s) we refuse to make that effort. Even with the amazing, undeserved blessings that we call our Thursday Blessings, which the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work. But nonetheless, with great hope and faith in our hearts, let’s declare and thus activate them 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!’ 

And having made that declaration, (yesss!!!) we’re now duty bound to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us, so that they can also come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…unless there’s first sincere LOVE and unity in Christ’s church…our world will never see peace…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

The Overwhelming Importance of Unity, Compassion, Humility and Selflessness in the Christian Church!

29 Oct 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ephesians 2:5.        Let this mind be in you, which was in Christ Jesus:

It’s a sunny Wednesday friends, time to catch our second wind and get going again, all in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Remember what we said yesterday? That be we slaves or free, we ought to do all that we do, as though we’re doing it for Jesus, that means in an excellent manner and with a good attitude. And not because there’s a rich reward from Christ, but because we simply LOVE Him and want to do all that He desires. 

And today, we’re going to check out the Let Us Pray Section in this month’s In Touch Devotional. So please pray with me: ‘Lord, grant me humility – to see the world through my neighbour’s eyes, to experience life from their perspectives, both the good days and the bad. Help me kneel beside them in hard places, to bubble over with delight when they rejoice, to forego the need for words when theirs fail, to be a companion on their journey. Let me be of the same mind as my brothers and sisters, and – like You – be moved by compassion. In Jesus’ name, amen.’ 

Now that’s what you’d call a concerned, caring and compassionate prayer! It’s all about others, not about us, except in the sense that we think about others as much as we do ourselves. And there’s a lot of scripture that commands us to do just that. As one commentary says; ‘passages that emphasize unity in purpose, LOVE, and harmony, grounded in humility and a shared commitment to Christ.’  So let’s check out a few of them nuh, starting with this one from Bruh Paul’s missive to the Philippians, where he writes. 

‘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 things (interests) of others. Let this mind be in you, which was in Christ Jesus: 

Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men (emptied himself of his privileges): And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient  unto death, even the death of the cross.’  (Phil. 2:2-8) 

Yes my brethren, that’s the kind of example we need to follow! Jesus gave up all His godly privileges so that He could come to earth and become one of us. He humbled himself and was obedient to the Father’s directives, even to death on the cross. That says a whole lot about His obedience, something that far too many of us lack in these turbulent and ungodly times. But let’s get to some important explanations from the scholars, as they tell us that Bruh Paul rejoiced over the Philippians, but there was some disunity and lack of harmony among them. Thus he wants them to fulfil his joy, or make it complete by being likeminded, or living in harmony with each other. 

And that means: (1) having the same LOVE toward one believer as shown toward another, without partiality; (2) being of one accord; that is to be united in spirit; (3) of one mind; that is, the whole church is to have the same values, and goals; (4) let nothing be done trough strife or vainglory, for selfish ambition or conceit; (5) let each esteem the other better than themselves; that is, each is to regard his fellow Christian as more important than himself; and (6) look…every man also on the things of others; that is, each is to be just as concerned for the needs and problems of his brother as he is for his own affairs.’ 

Wow! What a wonderful world we would live in if only a half of the supposed believers lived like that! But unfortunately that’s not happening, for today there’s more infighting and backbiting within the church than within the devil’s legions. Too many supposed believers are following the wide and winding road that leads to destruction. That’s why the devil is ruling the roost. And he doesn’t even have to try hard to divide and conquer us, because we are doing the dividing ourselves. Oh my people, it’s so heartrending when you see fellow Christians illtreating each other for selfish purposes. 

And Peter also admonishes us on the subject, with these poignant and powerful words. ‘Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, LOVE as brethren, be pitiful (tenderhearted), be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing (reviling for reviling): but contrariwise (instead) blessing; knowing that ye should inherit a blessing. 

For he that will LOVE life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile (deceit): Let him eschew (turn away from) evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue (pursue) it. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.’ (1 Pet. 3:8-12) 

Ah mih bredrin, when will our Christian community ever get to be like that eh? Do we have to wait until Jesus returns? Now that would indeed be a sad commentary on our faith. But who knows? All we can do as individuals is to try to live the way we’re supposed to, and hope and pray that more of us will fall into line through the perseverance of the Holy Spirit and our own compassionate efforts. Now, let’s go home declaring (chuh!!!) our Wednesday Wail. Tomorrow, if God spares life, we’ll continue looking at some scriptures that talk about unity. 

So, as one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

And if you didn’t know it, there’s a promise that says all those who endure with Jesus right to the very end, will enjoy a future so glorious we won’t comprehend it. So please, let’s do our best to endure to the very end with Jesus nuh, so that we can enjoy that more than glorious future together! Much LOVE!

…the basics of the Christian church are…humility, compassion, obedience and unity…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

The Overwhelming Importance of UNITY in Christ’s Church to Successfully Fight against Satan! Part 2!

23 Aug 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

1 Corinthians 12:25.        That there should be no schism (division) in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.

So, it’s our lazy-day Saturday, somewhat cloudy and humid but sunshiny enough to be very thankful for it. It’s such a rare chance to lie in bed without an alarm suddenly blaring at some ridiculous early hour in the morning exhorting us to get up and make ready for another tough and ofttimes frustrating work day. 

But thankfully, today, there’s none of that sudden, instant clamour for movement, and many of us can afford to just laze around and do little or nothing without feeling guilty. (smile) Anyway, to help lessen any guilt we might have, let’s offer up the perfect antidote for those wrong feelings. That’s our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer,  which take us before our heavenly Father seeking intimacy and LOVE. 

As one sincere and heartfelt voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’ 

And as I remind us every week, intimacy and LOVE are two things our heavenly Father cannot and will NEVER refuse, if we come seeking them with sincere hearts, minds, bodies and souls. And why is that? Because He made us exactly for those things, so that we could have close and constant communion together. So He cannot then turn around and refuse just what He created us for. No way! 

That means if our prayer was sincere, our hearts ought to be receiving His awesome calming and peaceful presence right now. And it’s the ideal time to keep our promise of yesterday. That’s to continue talking about the utmost importance of unity and togetherness in Christ’s church, if the Lord spared our lives today.  Now, yesterday we saw where Jesus prayed for the disciples and those who followed, after hearing the Word, to be as one, even as He and the Father were one. (John 17:20-23) 

That’s undoubtedly stressing unity amongst believers, something that’s very absent from the church today. There’s more infighting, squabbling and bickering amongst Christians than a sense of togetherness. Even within the various denominations we find too much unnecessary dissension and thus the falling apart of the Christian fabric. And in way too many cases the differences are fairly petty and not important enough to cause serious fall out. But that’s how it’s going. Somebody or bodies are not satisfied with some minor thing in one church, so they break away and form another church, thereby devaluing the strength and oneness of the church even further. 

And it’s very interesting to hear what Bruh Paul had to say about church unity. He wrote thus to the church at Corinth. ‘For as the (human) body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: So also is Christ. For by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond (slave) or free; and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many.’ (1 Cor. 12:12-14) Yes friends, whether we be Jews, Gentiles, slaves or free men, we are all part of one body of Christ called His Church! 

And Bruh Paul goes on using the human body as an analogy for the church by philosophizing about the rebelling of different parts of the body and how it would affect the whole. ‘If the foot shall say, because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now there are many members, yet one body.’ (1 Cor. 12:15-20) 

Oh my fellow believers, regardless of where we come from, or what we look like, once we believe in Christ Jesus, then we’re all a part of the ONE body of His church, with separate duties and strengths, but ONE TOTAL PURPOSE; that is to live for Jesus and spread the good news of His gospel, despite our differences.  

As Bruh Paul continues to show the importance of church unity, when he writes: ‘And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble (weak), are necessary: And those members of the body which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely (unpresentable) parts have more abundant comeliness (modesty). 

For our comely (presentable) parts have no need: but God hath tempered (composed) the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked: That there should be no schism (division) in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether (if) one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.’ (1 Cor. 12:21-27) 

Yes my brethren, whoever we are, or whatever positions we hold, we are very necessary to the working of the body of Christ. When any part of our human body is sick, it affects all the others. And when it gets better, all the other parts are happy. That’s how it ought to be with body of Christ’s church. Please note that it’s also the one and the same Holy Spirit that brought us all together as one. 

And as the scholars explain re vs. 27: ‘In one succinct statement, the apostle expresses both the unity and the diversity of the body of Christ. The absence of the definite article in Greek (ho, “the”) before the expression body of Christ emphasizes character: since they are Christ’s body, their actions and attitudes toward one another should reflect His character.’ 

And there’s no way we can ever say that in these desperate and ungodly times we are treating each other with the character of Christ! However, unless and until, we begin doing so, the devil will keep on laughing at us as he goes his merry way rejoicing in the evil that he’s perpetrating with our help; through our inaction and Christ-like attitude towards each other! Much LOVE!

…if you don’t take action against wrongdoing…then by your inaction…you are encouraging and helping it…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit   12 June 2024 John 13:34.

12 Jun 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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.

It’s Wednesday friends…the middle day of our work week! Can you believe it? I certainly can’t. (smile) The days seem to be going by so quickly, and I’m not getting even a half of the things I want to get done! But that’s life I guess. If you don’t get up and make hay while the sun shines, you’ll be left behind. And sadly, that’s what’s happening with our Christian church. We’re so busy fighting each other that we don’t have the time or energy to fight the enemy like we should be doing.  One good example of that is where I read recently that down in the U.S. an umbrella church group was planning to kick out any individual members that had women as pastors or high officials in their church. 

Now that’s a real kick in the teeth to female pastors and other female high-ups in the body of Christ, for today there are many women who play a large part in the running of churches. But that’s one of the things that just boggles my imagination. Is that important enough to create more strife in the church? I certainly don’t think so, especially when the world is going to hell in a hand basket and we Christians, the ones who are supposed to stop it from going there are doing nothing, or very little to prevent it. Instead we’re fighting amongst each other over relatively petty and unimportant stuff. I’m sure Jesus must be shaking His head in disbelief, the way I am. 

What were Jesus most important words to those who follow Him? ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another: as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:34-35) It’s only ONE commandment we have to follow friends; LOVE one another like Jesus LOVED us. But do you think we can, or are doing that? Certainly not! No wonder the unbelievers don’t pay much attention to the empty words we speak to them and the hypocritical actions we try to fool them with. 

We’re so selfish and self-centred that it’s become a joke amongst the heathen, so much so that when we go to them and tell them about the LOVE of Jesus and all that stuff, they simply laugh in our faces because they know the hypocrites that we truly are. If we can’t LOVE each other like Jesus desires, how can we claim to LOVE others not of the faith eh?  We are just like the Pharisees of Jesus’ time, whom He called out thus: ‘Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres (white-washed tombs), which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity (lawlessness).’ (Matt. 23:27-28) 

Yes friends, unfortunately too many of us supposed believers are exactly like that in these crazy and exasperating times. We look good on the outside, and we talk the kingdom talk, but inside we’re dirty and disgusting just like the religious leaders of Christ’s day were. As it’s so commonly known; we talk the talk, but don’t truly walk the walk. Remember were only supposed to be IN this world, but not OF it. As Jesus prayed to the Father on our behalf. ‘I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil (one). They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them (set them apart) through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they might be sanctified through the truth.’ (John 17:15-19) 

Oh my fellow believers, are we sanctified, set apart by the truth of God’s word. It certainly doesn’t seem so, with all the petty infighting that’s currently going on between the various denominations and cliques of Christ’s church, and consequently our lack of witnessing to the unbeliever. The truth of the matter is that we cannot make any substantial changes in the world without interacting with unbelievers, however we cannot theoretically get into bed with them, meaning that we can’t do all the things they do, we have to set a good Christ-like example. 

Unfortunately, too many of us are getting into bed with the unbelievers and thus making them change us, instead of us changing them. We all like the pretty, materialistic things of the world and are following the unbelievers too much in an ungodly attempt to get them. We’ve apparently forgotten the true meaning of discipleship, so let’s refresh our memories with Jesus’ explanation nuh. ‘And he said to them all, If any man will come (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) Note the important words there friends: ‘deny himself, and take up his cross daily.’ 

However, today, very few of us are willing to make any sacrifices in the cause of Jesus. And we’re certainly not picking up our crosses daily and following Him…perhaps once in a while, if we’re lucky. So how can we ever do anything worthwhile for Jesus in this world if we don’t follow the few directives He gives us eh? LOVE one another; that means no infighting. Do not be of this world. Don’t let the world change you, you’re supposed to change it. Deny yourself. Be prepared to make sacrifices on His behalf. Ah mih people, until we truly begin to follow the basics of Jesus’ teaching, we’ll continue to fail Him. and that’s truly sad, after all the sacrifices He’s made on our behalf. 

Anyway, for those of us trying to be faithful, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

And believe me, if we stick to Jesus until the very end, that future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine. So, see you there! Much LOVE!

…heaven is our home…not this world…so let’s start behaving heavenly nuh…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien