The Necessity for Christians to Understand the Importance of Being Blessed! Part 2.

01 May 2026 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 5:12a.         Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven:

So we’ve finally come to Friday, and our Friday Mantra’s has been sent on high: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here at last!’ But it’s also the first of May, with May Day celebrations around the world, as this overview tells us: ‘May Day, celebrated annually on May 1st, is a dual-purpose occasion marking ancient spring festivals and International Workers’ Day. It honors the fight for an eight-hour workday, originating from the 1886 Haymarket affair in Chicago, and is celebrated worldwide with marches, rallies, and traditional festivals celebrating the start of summer.’

Unfortunately, many of the young people don’t know of the enormous fight in the last couple of centuries to gain some decent labour relations. And though the current employers are fighting tooth and nail to restrict our hard won privileges, we cannot afford to let that happen, because if they had their greedy and exploitative way, we’d go right back to the dark ages. But thankfully some of us are still willing to get up and fight for good working conditions.

Anyway, since the Lord saw fit to bless us with life today, we need to keep our promise of checking out scriptures that talk about ‘blessed.’ And we ended yesterday right in the middle of the Beatitudes, a number of statements Jesus pre-fixed with the term ‘Blessed’ at the beginning of His Sermon on the Mount. So the next one is: ‘Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.’ (Matt. 5:7)

And the scholars tell us ‘Those who are merciful…shall obtain mercy has reference to those who have been born again by the mercy of God. Because divine LOVE has been extended to them, they have the work of the Holy Spirit in them producing a mercy that defies explanation by unregenerate men. Jesus Himself became the ultimate example of this when He cried from the cross, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)

Then we have, ‘Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.’ (Matt. 5:8) And per the scholars, ‘Those who are truly saved shall see God. These are the pure in heart. Their lives have been transformed by the grace of God. They are not yet sinless, but their position before God has been changed. They have the New Birth, saving faith, and holiness. The process of sanctification is ever conforming them to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29), which image consists in “righteousness and true holiness” (Eph. 4:24).

Then there’s this Beatitude: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.’ (Matt. 5:9) Sadly in these strife-filled times there doesn’t seem to be any peacemakers or children of God around. But as the scholars explain, ‘The peacemakers are ones at peace with God, and desire to live in peace with all men (cf. Rom. 5:1). Their peace with Christ enables them to be ambassadors of God’s message to a troubled world. Hence they shall be called the children of God. Throughout the Beatitudes Jesus clearly underscores that only those who have the qualities of a changed life, herein described, are citizens of His kingdom.’

Then we come to this somewhat tough Beatitude. ‘Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’ (Matt. 5:10) And the scholars tell us, ‘As Jesus develops His message, He clearly teaches that such a life causes His people to be in direct contrast to the world in which they live. Therefore He reminds us, Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. The plural use of “ye” in verse 11 indicates that He foresaw this persecution touching all His followers. Notice 2 Timothy 3:12, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”

Yes friends, that’s a tough row to hoe, but hoe it we must, if we’re to consider ourselves followers of Jesus Christ. And the blessedness get even tougher as we continue; (smile) ‘Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.’ (Matt. 5:11-12) Ah mih bredrin, those are not easy sentiments to take in, but as followers of Christ they are true.

As per verse 11, the scholars say that ‘Again, Jesus warns that men shall revile you, and persecute you. This became true during His own ministry, in the lives of the apostles, and throughout the history of the church. The persecution spoke of here is twofold. First, it involves a physical pursuing of the persecuted, and second, a personal attack of slander against them.’ And Bruh Paul personified the persecution of the church when he was still called Saul.

Then per the next verse, the scholars inform us: ‘Rejoice is the command that grows out of the blessedness of the believer. The phrase Rejoice, and be exceeding glad, means even more, exult! Great is your reward in heaven focuses attention on the eternal destiny of all things. If God is as real as He claims, if the Bible is true, if heaven is to be gained, then no temporary earthly  trouble or persecution can dispossess the child of God of joy in the prospect of the eternal glory that lies ahead.’

Wow! That’s much easier said than done! But that’s why the Lord has given us all the tools to do it. He knows that fighting His battle here on earth will be tough, but then He expects us to allow the eternal rewards to encourage and strengthen us. And these days we badly need help to keep the fight going, so let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, to receive divine help in these times of dire need.

Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work. It hasn’t been easy but with your generous help, I made it through. You know our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving, and we desperately need your help to fix them. 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. So please give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. 

And despite the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times, help us to be responsible, and get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that we can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out next week and further your glorious kingdom by the good 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 we Christians definitely need to wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong, if we are ever going to make inroads into the enemy’s stronghold. Much LOVE!

…truly living for Jesus is not easy…but the rewards are certainly worthwhile…

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Today’s Scrip-Bit   1 May 2023   2 Thessalonians 3:10b.

01 May 2023 Leave a comment

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

2 Thessalonians 3:10b.          …that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

Can you believe it friends, it’s Monday May 1st. 2023! Wow! April is done like dinner! It didn’t even last long enough to have desert. (smile) And May Day is suddenly upon us. And what’s the significance of May Day? On May 1, each year, millions of workers around the world celebrate International Workers’ Day (May Day) as their Labour Day. For more than a century International Workers’ Day has acknowledged and celebrated the achievements of the trade union movement. 

The workers honour and draw inspiration from the activism and collective power that won the struggle for an eight‑hour workday. International Workers’ Day, or May Day, is a message of solidarity by workers worldwide who are resisting exploitation. However, not all countries celebrate their Labour Day on May 1st.  Some like Canada and the U. S celebrate it on the first Monday in September. Meanwhile there are also traditional festivals of a joyful nature that grace the fist day of May, like dancing the maypole; a tall pole with several long ribbons attached to the top, with each person holding one of the ribbons and dancing around each other. 

Unfortunately though, in Canada, May Day is not a holiday, that means we’ve got to get up and make our way through another plethora (profusion, abundance) of early morning traffic (smile) to our jobs. Chuh! What a bother eh! Work is for the birds yes! And I know many of us believe that. But please note these comparative words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount in His teachings on worry. ‘Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather in barns: yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are you not much better than they?’ (Matt; 6:26) 

And yes, indeed we are! But I want to point out that although the birds of the air don’t reap or harvest or store, they still have to go about and look for their food. The Lord provides it, but they have to go and get it. He doesn’t breast feed them like so many of us desire. That means we too have to get up and get a move on, and lay hold on whatever the Lord has provided for us. Yes friends, the Lord’s grace, mercy and goodness are out there waiting for us in abundance, but we need to make tracks, expend some energy to get them, for they won’t just fall in our laps like rain from the skies. 

And sadly, that’s something many of us modern-day people, even believers, aren’t very interested in doing. We want to live high on the hog, without doing anything to earn that privilege, believing instead that we are entitled to it. But the truth of the matter my brethren is that we are not entitled to a blooming thing! Even salvation, which is free, must be accepted once offered. We have to do something on this earth to pay our way. And Bruh Paul gave some excellent advice on the subject in his second letter to the Thessalonians. 

He says: ‘For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread. But ye brethren, be not weary in well doing. And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish (warn) him as a brother.’ (2 Thess. 3:10-15) 

Now that might be a good plan to implement in our time because we have so many lazeros and busybodies, who strongly resist doing an honest day’s work, but are stirring up oodles of strife, especially on social media, where they can do it incognito and not face any repercussions for their wrongdoing. It’s sad too, but the work ethic of our current generation is very poor, if present at all. It’s become a sickness now in the society, where many of us expect to go to work and do very little, but receive full remuneration. And if we’re not lazing on the job, then we call in sick and still expect to get paid. 

Now, I’m not saying that the employers themselves are sweethearts, but in the long run, they have the power and can make life difficult for us. And trying to shame those backsliders might not work either, because many of them have no shame whatsoever. (smile) In fact, I believe that the word ‘shame’ and the emotion its expected to convey, have been discarded from our vocabulary and society. So what’s the answer then? Take them out in the square every Monday morning and put a good licking on them for everybody to see! 

I know that might never happen, because of all the do-gooders, who don’t realize that our problems stem from our society getting soft because wrongdoers are not being held sufficiently responsible for their anti-social behaviour. And until we wake up and get tough with them, stop mollycoddling them and stop making a setta foolish excuses for them, our society and it’s standards will keep falling until we reach a point where there are no standards, just chaos. End of sermon! 

Now let’s go to our Creator, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine help for our earthly problems. As one sincere voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. 

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.  

And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’ 

Now, my fellow believers, if we truly want divine help, then we have to clean up our act; start doing the right things, and stop doing the wrong ones. And we all know what they are. So please, let’s stop pussy-footing around nuh, and get serious and do something to improve our world, or soon we will have no world at all! Much LOVE!

…enough is  enough…for our grandchildren’s sake…it’s time to start taking back our world from the enemy… 

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