05 May 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a foundation of trust and reliability for believers, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a roof over our heads, a solid foundation for faith, a source of comfort and assurance, according to his riches in glory, all I have needed thy hand hath provided, all sinned and disobeyed your word, all these things shall be added unto you, better examples to the unbeliever, christianity, Christians, Christians are not putting their best foot forward, Christopher Rice, clothes on our body, comes down from the Father of lights, divine aid, ease the pain, establish His covenant, every good and every perfect gift is from above, faith, food on our table, For I am the Lord I change not, God doesn't change, God is immutable, God is steady and stable like a rock, God is the original source of everything, God's consistent character, God's constant presence in our lives, God's essence love and covenant, God's sovereignty over the universe, God's steadfastness, God's unchanging nature, God's unchanging reliability, God's unwavering commitment to his promises, great is thy faithfulness, hath gotten me this wealth, hear and answer our prayers, his compassions fail not, holy spirit, humble ourselves, indisputable truth, it is God who gives you the power to get wealth, It is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, LOVE, mercy, morning by morning new mercies I see, my God shall supply all your needs, my power and the might of mine hand, neither shadow of turning, not subject to change or fluctuation, placed the Lord first in our lives, praise the Lord for his wonderful benefits, pray, returned to the dust from whence we came, salvation, seek ye the kingdom of God and his righteousness, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, strong faith in Christ, the BIBLE, the Father would meet our needs, the God who heals, the Immutability of God, the Lord's faithfulness, the Lord's mercies, the many suffering from negative situations, the mass confusion in our world, the power to solve our problems, the throne of grace, they are new every morning, thou say in thine heart, thou shalt remember the Lord thy God, through Christ Jesus, to alleviate our problems, to those who believe in Jesus Christ, trials and tribulations, truth, turn from our evil ways, we have a job, wisdom, wise guidance, with whom is no variableness, ye sons of Jacob are not consumed
Lamentations 3:23b. … great is thy faithfulness.
Monday, oh Monday! How glad we are to see you again, because it means we have a job to go, and can thus keep a roof over our heads, food on our table and clothes on our body. Praise the Lord for His wonderful benefits to those who believe in His Son, Jesus Christ!’ Jesus promised that the Father would meet our needs if we placed Him first in our lives. He said it thus: ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33)
Yes friends, our God knows that we need, food, clothing and shelter and has faithfully promised that we won’t lack for anything if He is Number One in our lives. And Bruh Paul also corroborated that statement when he wrote thus to the Philippians: ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:19) Now that’s another powerful verse highlighting the Lord’s faithfulness.
So what’s this about the Lord’s faithfulness eh? Jeremiah ever so wisely reminds us in his Lamentations: ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam. 3: 22-23) And that’s the indisputable truth my fellow believers, for if our God wasn’t merciful and faithful, then we’d been long ago returned to the dust from whence we came.
That brings us to these marvellous words from the hymn ‘Great is Thy Faithfulness,’ by author Christopher Rice. The second verse sincerely proclaims: ‘Great is Thy faithfulness, great is Thy faithfulness Morning by morning new mercies I see All I have needed Thy hand hath provided Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.’ More indisputable truth my brethren!
And what, you ask, does the Bible mean when it says great is thy faithfulness? This commentary explains. ‘The phrase “Great is Thy faithfulness” comes from the Bible, specifically Lamentations 3:23. It is a declaration of God’s unchanging reliability and constant presence in our lives. The term “faithfulness” here refers to God’s steadfastness, His unwavering commitment to His promises, and His consistent character.’
What a steadfast and reliable God we serve my people! That’s why James, the brother of Jesus, could also confidently proclaim: ‘Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness (variation), neither shadow of turning.’ (James 1:17) That means that God doesn’t change, He is immutable (unchangeable). He’s steady and stable like a rock. And if you don’t believe me, then listen to the Lord Himself as He makes that fact known through the prophet Malachi. ‘For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.’ (Mal. 3:6)
Now what does that statement mean? It signifies that God’s character, promises, and nature remain consistent and unchanging, providing a foundation of trust and reliability for believers. And this commentary breaks it down further for us. As per ‘God’s Unchanging Nature: The verse emphasizes that God’s essence, LOVE, and covenant are not subject to change or fluctuation.’ Then, as per ‘Comfort and Assurance: This immutability of God is a source of comfort and assurance for believers, knowing that His character and promises are steadfast.
And as a ‘Foundation of Faith: God’s unchanging nature provides a solid foundation for faith, allowing people to trust in His character and promises throughout their lives. And in it’s ‘Application to the Descendants of Jacob: The verse specifically mentions the descendants of Jacob, signifying that even though they may have experienced trials and tribulations, their preservation is due to God’s unchanging nature.’
Yes friends, without a doubt, we’re still around because of God’s LOVE, mercy, forgiveness, grace and faithfulness. And if we will only stop taking those things for granted, but pay serious attention to them, bind them sincerely to our hearts and put them into practice, our lives would be a great deal more enjoyable than they currently are. And it all boils down to one thing my fellow believers, understanding God’s continued sovereignty over the universe He created, and that He is the One, who, in the long run causes us to get whatever we have, regardless of how we get it, for He is the original source of everything in the universe.
As Moses, said to the Israelites, in warning them not to forget God when they became prosperous in their new land. ‘And thou say in thine heart, my power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.’ (Deut. 8:17-18) Oh my people, let’s remember that all we have, comes from Almighty God, our Creator and Controller!
Now let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle hymn, seeking divine aid in these very troubled and difficult times. Altogether: ‘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. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but 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. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us 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!’
And what we learn from our prayer, is that until we believers start being better examples to the unbeliever, divine aid will not be forthcoming. Much LOVE!
…the world is filled with so much evil…because Christians are not putting their best foot forward…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
03 Apr 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a positive outlook on life, a zone of comfort and security, adaptability to change is a key in mental health, Bible, change for change sake, change is difficult to handle, change must be constrained by God's Word, christianity, Christians, clear direction for my life, climate change, comparing existing things to the flow of a river, constant transition, curse, eventual destruction of the wicked, every good and perfect gift is from above, everything must change, faith, favour, fear of change leads to depression, freezing rain, God's character doesn't change, good family, good freinds, good health, Heraclitus, his compassions never fail, holy spirit, I am the Lord I change not, It is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed, Jesus Christ, LOVE, mercy, negative word, neither shadow of turning., nothing stays the same, one of those days, prosper, results in stagnation, salvation, succeed, talent, the Father of lights, the fear of cahnge, the inability to change, the inherent nature of constant flux, the instability of life, the only constant in life is change, the topic of change, the Unchanging God, truth, when you are finished changing you're finished, wisdom, with whom is no variableness, ye sons of Jacob are not consumed, you could not step twice in the same river
Malachi 3:6. For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
Oh my people, as the song says, yesterday was just another one of those days, one where we see the ever-increasing action of climate change. First came the snow in the early afternoon, light, but then heavy, thankfully though not the 6 cm that was forecasted. Then came the freezing rain, and you could hear it hitting against the windows like it was trying to break them. So you can imagine the mess that weather situation caused in the evening drive home. Then came the rain, and that lasted for most of the night, only stopping sometime this morning.
Now it’s mostly cloudy with a ray of sunshine peeping through. However, they are forecasting heavy rain again for later, although the temperature is supposed to be in the high teens, and wonder of wonders, 9 cm. of snow for next Tuesday. And I’m not going to doubt them, because they have been right the last few times, except for the amount of snow we’ve received. (smile)
That brings us to this interesting topic of changes or changing. It’s been said that the only thing that doesn’t change is change. And this commentary tells us: ‘The saying “the only constant in life is change,” attributed to the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus, highlights the inherent nature of constant flux and transition in the world and our lives.’ So, we’re to assume that everything and everyone changes , possibly several times during their existence. And furthermore, many of us find change, be it good or bad, very difficult to handle.
And this commentary by Arapahoe Tim from his arapahoelibraries.org website attempts to give us an even broader understanding of the topic. He begins by quoting the other Greek Philosopher Plato. “Heraclitus, I believe, says that all things pass and nothing stays, and comparing existing things to the flow of a river, he says you could not step twice into the same river.” Then he continues: ‘One constant since the beginning of time might be change, however, the fear of change is also a constant. Since times immemorial, humans have liked routine. It makes us feel in control of our lives.
When that fear of change becomes irrational our ability to control it becomes a phobia, particularly Metathesiophobia. A Metathesiophobe feels they have no control over their lives due to constant change. Metathesiophobes tend to live in the past and are unwilling to progress, which often leads to depression which can seriously impact their professional and personal lives.
If a society or country rejects change there is no growth, no progress. The inability to change, progress, or grow can result in stagnation. Stagnation rejects realizing one’s full potential. Stagnation is not a healthy flowing river; it is an idle and stale pond.’ Then the writer ends with this quote from the U.S President Benjamin Franklin. “When you are finished changing, you are finished.”
And there’s no doubt that change is good, but change just for the sake of change is not wise. If the change improves things, then it makes sense, but if it doesn’t, then why change eh? Meanwhile, this other commentary from Hope Gilette on the psychcentral.com website further explains: ‘Change is all around us. Some change is fixed, like the shift of one season to another, while other change is evolutionary and progressive, tossing new circumstances our way as time goes on. It’s natural to dislike change — it often requires you to come out from a zone of comfort and security. But adaptability, the process of reinventing your behaviors, thoughts, and emotions, can be a key protective feature in mental health.’
And there’s truth to it all, but there’s one good thing to be thankful for; that our wonderful God does not change, otherwise we’d be up the proverbial creek. (smile) All the changes in life would drive us crazy, if we didn’t have at least one solid and unchangeable entity to turn to in times of change. And He summarily declares it through the prophet Malachi: ‘For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.’ (Mal. 3:6) This commentary explains it thus: ‘This means he doesn’t change his character, his plan, or his mind. Frankly, with the instability of life, this is the security we all long for—consistent unconditional love. The Unchanging God.’
Now that’s certainly good news, for if God wasn’t steadfast and unruffled, He would have destroyed us long ago for all the disobedience and ungodly things we do. But because of His great LOVE for us, He’s stuck with His original plan of salvation, but certain eventual destruction of the wicked and their endeavours. And the prophet Jeremiah reminds us of that most salient fact in his Lamentations. ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.’ (Lam. 3:23)
Then we have another couple reminders of God’s unchangeable nature. This first one from Hebrews that declares: ‘Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.’ (Heb. 13:8) And last but by no means least, James throws in his two cents worth, when he writes: ‘Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness (variation), neither shadow of turning.’ (James 1:17) And do we ever have plenty of good and perfect gifts that the Father has bestowed on us, gifts to enable us to do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings, and it’s necessary to declare and thus activate them right now.
So 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 activated those perfect gifts, we’re now duty bound to go out and use them on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that others can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…change is a necessary aspect of life…but it must be constrained by God’s Word…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
13 Sep 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new flock of believers, according to his riches in glory, as one whom his mother comforteth, backsliders, be able to comfort them which are in trouble, be known to his servants, Bible, blessed be God, boasting on your behalf, boldness of speech, but for a season, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God, christianity, comforted us by the coming of Titus, comforteth us in our tribulation, crying out for your help, error of their ways, exceeding joyful, faith, filled with comfort, Friday 13th, Friday chant, god, God that comforteth, grace be to you, great is thy faithfulness, his compassions fail not, his indignation to his enemies, holy spirit, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, I even I am he that comforteth you, in all our tribulation, It is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed, Jesus Christ, LOVE, made you sorry with a letter, mercy, my God shall supply all your needs, omnipotent help, our sinful world, peace from God our Father, picture of comfort, so will I comfort you, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the example we faithful believers set, the Father of all mercies, the God of All Comfort, the hand of the Lord, the Son of man, this is the day the Lord has made, those that are cast down, thou shouldst be afraid of a mortal man, truth, wake up and smell the coffee, we will rejoice and be glad in it, wisdom
Isaiah 66:13a. As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you:
And it’s finally Friday! Friday the 13th to boot! But that doesn’t matter in the least, for we children of Almighty God don’t believe in the old wives tales like not walking under a ladder on a Friday the 13th, or allowing a black cat to cross our paths! No we’re staunch believers in Christ Jesus who protects and guides us through His Word and His Holy Spirit. Thus we can say with all certainty and comfort: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is upon us at last!
Then we joyfully follow that up with: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it!’ (Ps. 118:24) And a couple other acclamations won’t hurt either. (smile) Like: ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ (Phil. 4:13) Yes, that one strengthens us, but what about this other marvellous and reassuring acclamation about satisfying our needs. ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:19)
Now that takes care of our strength and our needs, but then we have this awesome reassurance from Jeremiah in His Lamentations regarding mercy and compassion. ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam. 3:22-23)
Oh my people, what a great God we serve! But that’s not all the assurances we have, no way! Here’s the one I really want to bring home to us this beautiful, sunshiny morning of Friday the 13th of September 2024. Let’s read then these heartfelt and reassuring words on comfort from Bruh Paul in his second missive to the church at Corinth.
He declares: ‘Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of all mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble (tribulation), by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.’ (2 Cor. 1:2-4)
Wow mih bredrin! How wonderful is that eh! The Lord comforts us in all our trials and tribulations so that we can comfort others who are also going through hardships. And that’s how the Lord ofttimes works through us: helping us with or through something, which then enables us to help others in the same boat. And here are a couple of scriptures from Isaiah that corroborate Bruh Paul’s statement, re the comfort of God.
Isaiah writes: ‘I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die (mortal man), and of the son of man which shall be made as grass; And forgettest the Lord thy maker, that stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?’ (Is. 51:12-13)
Yes my fellow believers, our God is our eternal comfort, and we do Him and ourselves a great injustice by not appreciating and gladly accepting His amazing comfort. For hear the prophet Isaiah again, as he talks about rejoicing with Jerusalem. ‘As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you: and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem. And when ye see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb (grass): and the hand of the Lord shall be known toward (to) his servants, and his indignation toward (to) his enemies.’ (Is. 66:13-14)
Oh, what a beautiful picture of comfort that is my people! But here’s the other side of the coin, the practical side, as Bruh Paul believes in delivering. This from his second letter to the Corinthians. ‘Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you (boasting on your behalf): I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation. For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without (outside) were fightings, within were fears.
Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus; And not by his coming only, but by the consolation (comfort) wherewith he was comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent mind toward me (your zeal for me); so that I rejoiced the more. For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent (regret it), though I did repent (regret it): for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season (a short while).’ (2 Cor. 7:4-8)
Yes friends, not only was Bruh Paul comforted by the coming of his protégé Titus, but also by the news that although he had written a rather severe letter to the Corinthians re their Christian shortcomings, they had eventually agreed to his charges an repented of their shortcomings. Such is the mysterious workings and comforting of our great God my brethren! Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant seeking comfort and help in these very needy times.
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 may we remember that like the Corinthians in Bruh Paul’s time, our current Christian behaviour is not up to scratch, and until we improve it, we will not see any divine aid! Much LOVE!
…one of God’s many attributes…is His ability to provide…lasting and sincere comfort…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
17 Aug 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's wisdom, a genuine desire for the well being of another, Bible, christianity, closer to God, deepen my breath, drift away from God, every one that loveth is born of God, faith, fellowship, god, God sent His only begotten Son, great is thy faithfulness, greedy, hang all the law and the prophets, he that loveth not knoweth not God, herein is love, his compassions fail not, hold your head and bawl, hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord, howl like a hyena, I may know you all the more, if God so loved us, increase my awareness of you today, it is good that a man, It is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed, Jesus, Jesus Christ, lazy, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, let us love one another, LOVE, love is God's greatest attribute, LOVE is of God, love is the greatest emotion, Love thy neighbour as thyself, mercy, negative news, not that we loved God but that he loved us, on these two commandments, power hungry, quiet my soul, reciprocated love, relax my muscles, run to God, s wisdom, sacrifice, sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins, slow my thoughts, strife-filled, Thank you Jesus, that we might live through Jesus, the Lord is good unto them that wait for him, the Lord is my portion saith my soul, the love of god manifested toward us, the sinsful pleasures of Satan, therefore will I hope in him, thou shalt love the Lord thy God, to the soul that seeketh him, True LOVE, truth, we ought also to love one another, wisdom, with all thy heart soul and mind, you're the Best
1 John 4:7a. Beloved, let us LOVE one another: for LOVE is of God;
And what a perfect lazy-day Saturday this is turning out to be; wet and cloudy, though somewhat humid, an excellent chance to just laze around and do nothing but laze around. (smile) I was able to enjoy some of it by staying in bed a li’l longer, only because I went to bed at a fairly late hour of the morning, so the ole bones didn’t have a chance to get creaky and cranky.
What a life! But it’s a good life, despite the many problems that do crop up, because we have our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to help us deal with them. And all God’s people said a loud and grateful: ‘Thank You Jesus! You’re the BEST! We LOVE You and praise your Holy Name!’ And that’s exactly how it ought to be! Therefore, in conjunction with that statement, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, in a sincere and heartfelt manner.
As one 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!’
Yes friends, that’s a prayer the Lord cannot refuse, simply because He LOVES it when we desire close communion with Him. It’s the reciprocated LOVE that He desires of us, of which we spoke yesterday. And it’s one of the major reasons He created us; to want to know Him as deeply as possible, and have His awesome presence constantly present in an overwhelming manner in our hearts, souls, bodies and minds. That’s why right now we’re feeling an increase of His godly presence moving in our receptive spirits. And thus, we ought to continue looking at scriptures that show the LOVE of Jesus, as well as LOVE for Him. (smile)
And I like this commentary that asks ‘What is true LOVE in Jesus?’ Then gives this reply: ‘True LOVE is a genuine desire for the well-being of another. It is holy, sacrificial, and other-oriented. A LOVE that we can only know through the One who is LOVE Himself. God commands His people to LOVE Him with all their heart, soul, and strength.’
So when the pretentious lawyer asked Jesus what was the great commandment, He obviously replied thus: ‘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)
Yuh see people, God’s plan is all about LOVE; LOVE for Him, for ourselves and each other! That’s all He asks of us. That’s because LOVE is the greatest emotion there is, and God’s greatest attribute is LOVE! As John so wisely and rightly declares in his first epistle. ‘Beloved, let us LOVE one another: for LOVE is of God; and every one that LOVETH is born of God, and knoweth God. He that LOVETH not knoweth not God; for God is LOVE!’ (1 John 4:7-8) And you simply cannot get away from the indisputable truth of that statement: God is LOVE; and LOVE is of God!!!
Then John continues: ‘In this was manifested the LOVE of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him. Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so LOVED us, we ought also to LOVE one another.’ (1 John 4:9-11)
Now that’s perfect logic my brethren! God showed His amazing LOVE for us by sending His Son Jesus to die on the cross at Calvary to pay for our sins. You simply cannot get any deeper or greater LOVE than that! So why is it so difficult for us to reciprocate that LOVE to God, and to also show it to our fellow humans eh?
It should not be that difficult if we take into account the great sacrifice that both the Father and Jesus made on our behalf. But being the whole set of negative adjectives we’ve become; lazy, greedy, sinful, entitled, ungodly, strife-filled, power-hungry, etc. etc. it’s no wonder we find it difficult to give LOVE to God, ourselves, and other humans. The sinful pleasures of Satan have become more important than the everlasting goodness of God.
And then we wonder why our world is in such a terrible state. The answer is very simple: there’s no real LOVE in our hearts, so how can there be any in our world? And it’s interesting, but also heart-rending, that we all watch the great amount of negative news with which we are bombarded every day, and we decry it, but do we do anything about it, even in our little sphere of the world, of our family, of our neighbourhood?
No! Because that would take too much energy and sacrifice on our part, and disrupt our comfortable, cozy, amenity-filled lives. But friends, the first thing to know about LOVE is that it calls for sacrifice! You cannot truly show LOVE until and unless you’re willing to sacrifice something for someone, which includes, God, yourself and your neighbours.
And please don’t think that you’re LOVING yourself when you buy up on credit all the bright and fancy baubles and bangles that the world offers, but which you cannot really afford. No, because when the time comes to pay for them, then you’ll hold your head and bawl, howl like a hyena, especially if they come and repossess the stuff. You LOVE yourself by taking your time, doing and buying what you can afford.
And these words on the amazing LOVE of God by the prophet Jeremiah in his Lamentations, are most excellent words for us to go home to. Please read with me: ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam. 3:22-26)
Please my fellow saints, let’s spend a few moments on this lazy-day Saturday pondering those words of awesome truth, so that they can bring us where we ought to be; closer to God! Much LOVE!
…it’s a fool’s wisdom…to drift away from God…rather than run to Him…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
02 May 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a heart glowing with praise, a positive outlook on life, be careful for nothing, Bible, christianity, compassionate heart, courage, creativity, devotional, faith, favour curse, great is our God and of great power, great is our Lord, great is thy faithfulness, he healeth the broken in heart, his compassions fail not, his understanding is limitless, in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, in every thing give thanks, in the morning, it is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, it is good to sing praises unto God, It is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed, it is pleasant, Jesus Christ, LOVE, mercy, more love and joy, negative word, praise is comely, Praise ye the Lord, pray without ceasing, psalms, rejoice evermore, success, supernatural strength, the believer's best freind, they are new every morning, this is the will of God in Christ, Thursday Blessings, thy faithfulness every night, to shew forth thy lovingkindness, to sing praises unto thy name O Most High, to warm our cold hearts, upon an instrument of ten strings, upon the harp, with a solemn sound, worship
Psalm 92:1. ‘It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:
Oh friends, at long last, warm and sunny days seem to be here again! Thank the Lord! It’s about time we felt some of the sun’s awesome heat to warm our cold hearts, souls, bodies and minds after this long winter season. Granted, it wasn’t that cold, but still the chilly, damp weather is what really gets into the bones and causes all sorts of illnesses and emotional downturns. But with summer seemingly on the way, there is a li’l more LOVE and joy in the society, although not as much as we so badly need.
And today we’ll take a look at a couple of scriptures about giving thanks to our great God, for all that He’s done on our behalf. And the first scriptures come from Psalm 92, aptly titled ‘Give Thanks to the Lord.’ So please read with me: ‘It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: To shew forth (declare) (steups!!!) thy LOVING-kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night, Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery (lyre or lute); upon the harp with a solemn (harmonious or melodic) sound. For thou Lord, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.’ (Ps. 92:1-4)
Oh my fellow saints, it’s so obvious that the Lord deserves our thanks, both morning and evening, and even during the daytime because of His unfailing goodness and mercy to us each and every day! And if, as the psalmist says he has made us glad through His work, then there’s even more reason to give Him praise and thanks!
And Psalm 147, titled ‘Sing Praise to the Lord,’ gives the same message. ‘Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah): for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely (beautiful). (It surely is!) The Lord doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel. He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds (sorrows). He telleth (counts) the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite (limitless).’ (Ps. 147:1-5)
More indisputable truth my brethren! Our God is both great and good, therefore He necessitates praise from His people! Unfortunately though, His people don’t thank him as much as they ought to. Some of us only give thanks on Sundays when we go to church, others don’t even remember to give thanks at all. But please remember as Jeremiah says: ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam. 3:22-23)
Oh friends, our wonderful God deserves amazing praise and thanks for the simple reason that we are still alive today, through His great mercies and faithfulness. You know how many people didn’t wake up this Thursday morning? Many! Why? I don’t know. But I’m sure some of them did not waken today because they were not in the habit of giving the Lord the thanks and praise He so richly deserves. It’s mind boggling that we can call on the Lord for all the stuff we want, but when we get it, we forget to give Him thanks and praise.
My people, we should be thanking our God all through the day: for every good and positive move we make; for every scrape or negative situation that He gets us out of. Praise should be a continual thing in the hearts and lives of the true believer. Why do you think Bruh Paul highly advised us through his letter to the Philippians to ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing: but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God.’ (Phil. 4:6) And to the Thessalonians, he said: ‘Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5: 16-18)
Yes my fellow believers, giving thanks and praise to Almighty God is essential in our daily lives, it’s His will for us. One of the reasons He created us is that we could praise and worship Him, and reciprocate his wonderful LOVE like all the other heavenly hosts. He didn’t just make us to beg and badger Him for lustful, ungodly stuff, as some of us seem to think from our ungrateful and rebellious attitudes. Heartfelt thanks is essential for the believer if he or she expects to receive all that God has in store for them. And I don’t know how else to say it but like that.
Anyway, enough preaching for today. And the Bit is already late because I had to go down to the hospital for some tests this morning, so let’s keep it short and sweet. (smile) And since it’s Thursday, it means declaring (chuh man!!!) our Thursday Blessings very generously given to us by the Lord to do His earthly work. So as one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance!
I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration (awright!!!) it’s now our duty to go out and generously use those blessings, so that others can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…a heart glowing with praise and thanksgiving…is the believers best friend…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
25 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a positive outlook on life, achieve perfection, advantage of light over darkness, anger flares, blaring car horns, buy into Christ's philosophy, christianity, compassion, courage, creativity, curse, faith, favour, fear hath torment, flawless, fulfill God's purpose in our lives, furious voices, god, God loved us, God's love for us, God's ways are higher than ours, great is thy faithfulness, grieved souls, herein is love, his compassions fail not, In Touch Devotional, It is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed, Jesus, Jesus brings life and light, Jesus Christ, let my presence bring quietness, LOVE, muscles tense, negative word, new every morning, not that we loved God, offer softness to strangers, peace flowing in my words, perfect love, perfect love casteth out fear, ramp up the love of God, salvation, Satan brings death and darkness, self-discipline, supernatural wisdom, tempers rise, the art of gentleness, the propitiation for our sins, there is no fear in love, Thursday Blessings, we ought also to love one another, wisdom, without blemish, your light warming hearts
1 John 4:18a. There is no fear in LOVE; but perfect LOVE casteth out fear: because fear hath (involves) torment.
Well, unlike yesterday, today, Thursday, our penultimate day of the work week, has opened bright and sunshiny, though somewhat chilly. But that’s okay, for once there is sunshine in the neighbourhood, then many spirits will be uplifted just because of it. That’s the advantage that light has over darkness, specifically, the light that Jesus brings to our lives and our world, over the sinful and ungodly darkness that Satan desires to engulf it in. And to help us see and receive that amazing light of Jesus, let’s turn to God in prayer. It’s this month’s prayer from the In Touch Devotional, Let Us Pray section.
So please pray with me: ‘God, teach me the art of gentleness in a world of blaring car horns, furious voices, and grieved souls. May I offer softness to strangers and to people I know – the same tenderness You’ve shown me. Not harsh, rushed, or callous, You’re filled with compassion and perfect LOVE. When tempers start to rise and muscles begin to tense, when anger flares in people’s eyes, Let my presence bring a quietness – Your light warming hearts, Your peace flowing in my words. In Jesus’ name. Amen’
Oh friends, do we ever need that kind of quiet calming and gentleness that Jesus offers in this harsh, angry and strife-filled world! And the world can only experience it through us, His loyal followers. As the prayer says: ‘Your light warming hearts, Your peace flowing in my words.’ And sadly, that’s the only way the world will ever see light and peace; through us, if we wholeheartedly buy into Christ’s philosophy and seriously and sincerely put it into practice. And all I want to do today is remind us of a few important scriptures that sort of jumped out at me while reading the prayer.
The first one deals with the phrase ‘You’re filled with compassion and perfect LOVE.’ And is our great God ever! And we all know this magnificent, heart-warming and uplifting scripture dealing with God’s wonderful compassion, as Jeremiah so rightly puts it in his Lamentations: ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam.3:22-23) And we’d better say, praise the Lord for those new compassion every day, otherwise we would have long ago been destroyed for our obstinate sinfulness and disobedience.
And as per ‘perfect LOVE’ what’s that you ask? Basically, as this commentary explains: ‘Perfect LOVE is an expression of God’s LOVE for us, and it is only complete (or perfect) when we reflect it back onto Him.’ And the Bible is peppered throughout with the amazing LOVE of God for us. And John in particular deals with what we call perfect LOVE in his epistles. Listen up: ‘Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that He LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so LOVED us, we ought also to LOVE one another.’ (1 John 4:10-11)
And there is no doubting that logic my fellow believers, for without God’s LOVE we’d all be headed straight for hell fire and damnation, with no option whatsoever to receive salvation and eternal life. So we had better be thankful for God’s LOVE and be wise and reciprocate it as best we can. And as the scholars tell us: ‘No human LOVE is the standard for understanding God’s great compassion, but God’s own action on man’s behalf.’ That brings to mind God’s declaration (yesss!!!) in Isaiah that His thoughts and ways are higher than ours, therefore we cannot understand them. (Is. 55:8-9) But we can definitely understand what He tells us to do.
Then John later continues: ‘Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the LOVE that God hath to us. God is LOVE; and he that dwelleth (abides) in LOVE dwelleth (abides) in God, and God in him. Herein is our LOVE made perfect (LOVE made perfect among us), that we may have boldness in the day of judgement: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in LOVE; but perfect LOVE casteth out fear: because fear hath (involves) torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in LOVE.’ (1 John 4:15-18)
And I believe it’s important to note this commentary on what it means to be made perfect in LOVE. It says: ‘We normally use “perfect” to mean “flawless, without any blemish” (“He got a perfect score on his exam”). But ‘teleios,’ (Greek word translated perfect) primarily means to fulfill one’s purpose. So being “perfected in LOVE” means “having God’s LOVE fulfill its purpose in us.” Remember that though we can try with God’s help to achieve perfection, none of us can be truly perfect in this world, except in the sense that we truly fulfill God’s purpose in our lives.
Ah my fellow saints, there seems to be much more I want to say, (smile) but time and space are not cooperating, so if God spares life, we’ll continue on this topic tomorrow. Now, let’s declare out loud, and thus activate our Thursday Blessings, those undeserved blessings bestowed on us by God to do His earthly work. As one 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 set those blessings in motion, we are now required to go out and share them with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him, like we do! Much LOVE!
…until Christians ramp up the LOVE of God in our world…evil will continue to have the upper hand…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
18 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a grateful heart, A Prayer of thanks, according to his riches in glory, all my love and adoration, be gracious unto thee, being my guide, being my sustainer in life, Between Freinds newsletter, cast thy burden upon the Lord, christianity, curse, disobedience, divine protection, express my gratitude to you Lord, faith, forgiving my sins, give you his peace, god, God commendeth his own love toward us, God so loved the world, great is thy faithfulness, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, he shall sustain thee, his compassions fail not, holy spirit, I bless your holy name, I give you glory, It is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed, Jesus, Jesus Christ, lift up his countenance on you, LOVE, make his face shine upon thee, mercy, my God shall supply all your needs, negative word, prayer, rebellion, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, self-control, thank you for being my provider, thank you for Loving me, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, the Friends of the Society of the Little Flower, The Lord bless thee and keep thee, the Spirit of truth, therefore I have hope, this I recall to mind, thou has lacked nothing, Thursday Blessings, while we were yet sinners christ died for us, wisdom, your kindness and grace
Philippians 4:19. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Now there’s no rain on this Thursday morning, but the clouds are battling with the sun to see who will win the day. Let’s hope the latter will be triumphant as the Son was against the dark and evil Satan. And there’s no better way to begin today than with a prayer for all that our wonderful God has done for us. It comes from the Between Friends Newsletter published by the Friends of the Society of the Little Flower, and it’s simply entitled ‘A Prayer of Thanks.’ So please pray with me:
‘Gracious Lord, Thank You for this LOVELY day. I come before You with a grateful heart. Thank You for all of your blessings and goodness in my life. It is only because of your kindness and grace that I am able to get through each day. I give You glory. I give You all my LOVE and adoration. Thank You for LOVING me and forgiving my sins. I want to express my gratitude to You, Lord, for everything You have done in my life. Thank You for being my Provider, I appreciate your works in my life. Thank You for being my Guide and helping me make good decisions. Thank You for being my Sustainer in life. Even when things are difficult, I trust that You are working and that You will always see me through. Thank You, Lord, for all that You do in my life. I bless your holy name. Amen.’
Ah friends, like a good cup of tea hits the spot in our stomachs, so that prayer hits the prayer spot in our souls! It seems to cover all of the major elements of our God’s grace and mercy towards us. So, let’s see what scriptures we can find that exemplify some of the things that our God is to us. And I guess the first scripture we should state is the first blessing that the Lord instituted among the Israelites, where He said unto Moses.
‘Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them, The Lord bless thee and keep thee: The Lord make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. And they shall put (invoke) my name on the children of Israel; and I will bless them.’ (Num. 6:22-27) And yuh know what friends, many thousands of years later we are still invoking the Lord’s name over us and receiving His blessings! Give him much thanks and praise!
And per God’s kindness and grace, I just adore this scripture from Jeremiah’s Lamentations. ‘Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall (bitterness). My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled (bowed down) in me. This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam. 3:19-23) Oh my fellow believers, truer words were never spoken! It’s only because of God’s grace and LOVING-kindness that we haven’t been totally destroyed, for that’s what we deserve for our rebellion and disobedience.
But our God LOVED us so much that He broke His own heart and sent His one Son, Jesus Christ, a sinless lamb to die on the cross so that our sins could be forgiven. As Bruh Paul writes to the Romans, one of my favourite scriptures: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his (own) LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8) Now if that isn’t a true showing, or rather the greatest example of LOVE, then I don’t know what is. And Jesus Himself said it so well: ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:16-17)
And as for being our Provider, there are so many scriptures on the subject that we can only quote a few, like this one that Moses pointed out to the Israelites: ‘these forty years the Lord thy God hath been with thee; thou has lacked nothing.’ (Deut. 2:7b) And that was the indisputable truth! They had food, clothing, health and every thing they needed. That’s why Bruh Paul could later on make this astounding but real proclamation: ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:19).
And Jesus could confidently announce: ‘Therefore take no thought (do not worry), saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:31-33) And you will discover that it’s the gospel truth, if you seek and keep God first place in your life.
There are also numerous scriptures about God being our guide. Let’s highlight a couple. This one from Isaiah is a popular one: ‘And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.’ (Is. 30:21) And that voice we hear guiding us is the voice of the Holy Spirit, as Jesus said: ‘Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself (on his own authority); but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak; and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine (what’s mine), and shall shew (declare) it unto you’ (John 16:13-14)) So both the Word of God and the Holy Spirit are our guides in these troubled times, therefore if we need wise guidance, then we must meditate on the Word and listen to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit.
And as God being our Sustainer, we only have room for a few of the many scriptures that exist. Listen to Bruh David as he says in Psalm 55 – The Plea of the Fearful. ‘Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer (permit) the righteous to be moved (shaken).’ (Ps. 55:22) That’s the indisputable truth my people! And Isaiah said it thus: ‘Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on (sustained by) thee: because he trusteth in thee.’ (Is. 26:3) And Jesus wraps it all up when He solemnly declares: (yesss!!!) ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27)
That says it all my brethren! Now let’s turn to those underserved blessings we call our Thursday Blessings, which the Lord has given us to do His earthly work. Let’s declare them so that they can be activated. As one 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 accepted those blessings, we must now go out and share them with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that others can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…like the great planner He is…the Lord has made preparation for ALL of our needs…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
15 Mar 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new flock of believers, agitate a complaining spirit, Bible, blameless and harmless, bless your Holy Name, climate change, compassion, complaining, crying our for help, do all things without murmurings and disputings, do not allow discontentment to fester, faith, Friday chant, give you thanks, god, grace, great is thy faithfulness, handle the unexpected storms, his compassions fail not, I may prove them, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, It is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed, Jesus, Jesus Christ, lack of meat, LOVE, mercy, omnipotent help, problems escalating, rain bread from heaven, rain from the skies, restoring faith in you, return backsliders to your fold, stand strong and steadfast, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the example we faithful believers set, the right attitude, the simmering unrest, the sin of complaining, the sons of God, they are new every morning, wake up and smell the coffee, walk in my law, wisdom, wise guidance, without me ye can do nothing, without rebuke, ye shine as lights in the world
Philippians 2:14. Do all things without murmurings (grumbling) and disputings:
Well, we were disappointed in the sun yesterday because it never won the battle with the dark clouds, and instead of blinding sunshine, those dark clouds poured down rain from late afternoon to late night. Now, today, when everyone’s shouting ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ it appears to be another cloudy day, with li’l hope of the sun’s appearance. But as the ole people would say, ‘be thankful for small mercies,’ since it could have been snow and not rain pouring down from the heavenly skies. In fact, without the startling effects of climate change, at this time of the year, it ought to be snow and not rain.
And we’re not really complaining nuh, (smile) we’re saying, ‘Thank You Lord for life and LOVE this Friday morning, be it cloudy, sunshiny, rainy or snowy! As always, we give You Thanks and bless your holy name! Amen’ Now, that’s the proper attitude to display, regardless of our circumstances, although it’s much easier said than done, and we do need the Lord’s help to do it. As Jesus so rightly said, ‘For without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5) At least nothing worthwhile or substantial. And as Bruh Paul wrote to the church at Corinth: ‘Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.’ (2 Cor. 3:5)
And isn’t that the gospel truth my people! It surely is, for without the mercy and grace of God we cannot do anything, and without His awesome breath of life, we won’t even be alive! That just goes to show how much we owe to our wonderful God Jehovah! As Jeremiah so wisely said in his Lamentations: ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam. 3:22-23) Yes friends, every day we get a new batch of grace, mercy and compassion! It’s like how Jesus taught us to pray: ‘Give us this day our daily bread.’ (Matt. 6:11)
And that’s how the Lord dishes out His largesse, just enough for every day. It’s like when the Israelites were complaining about food in the wilderness and the Lord, angered by their complaining, said unto Moses: ‘Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day (only eneough for one day), that I may prove (test) them, whether they will walk in my law. And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.’ (Ex. 16:4-5)
In other words, every day, they would collect just enough for that day, except on the day before the sabbath, when they would collect twice as much, so they wouldn’t have to go and gather any on the sabbath. And for forty long years the Lord provided the Israelites with manna which they abhorred. But although it might not have tasted or looked as good as the food they had back in their bondage in Egypt, that manna kept them going strong and healthy in the wilderness, because it was food from Almighty God. And sadly, it’s the same way so many of us complain today about what we don’t have, forgetting all that we do have.
We could have ninety nine good things, but we’d rather complain about the hundredth thing that we’re lacking, instead of enjoying the ninety and nine that we already have. But I guess that’s the nature of the beast, especially in these selfish and greedy times, where it’s all about ‘Me, Myself, and I.’ And one of Israel’s greatest sins was complaining. Remember what we spoke of yesterday when they complained about the lack of meat, being tired of the tasteless manna. The Lord rained down so much quail flesh on them, that they got sick of it, then He smote them with a great plague. (Num. 11:18-33)
Oh friends, the Lord knows that sometimes things are difficult, and what we’d like, we don’t have, or are not getting, but He expects us to always have a good attitude and not complain as though life were so tough and He wasn’t looking after us. And it’s not that He doesn’t want us to come to Him with our problems, real or perceived, but it’s how we come to Him; not in anger and defiance, casting blame, where it doesn’t belong. Technically speaking, it’s not wrong to complain, but it’s how we do it, and if there’s really something to complain about.
Nowadays, most of what we complain about are either petty or nonsensical. As this commentary so wisely advises: ‘The sin of complaining is a sin that God deals with swiftly and severely. The example recorded for us in Numbers 11 reminds us of the awful, wicked sin of complaining in our own lives. Don’t minimize what God has provided for you, and do not allow discontentment to fester and agitate a complaining spirit.’
No my people. That is one of the worst things we can ever do. Instead, let’s remember this memorable advice from Bruh Paul to the Philippians: ‘Do all things without murmurings (grumbling) and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless (innocent), the sons (children) of God, without rebuke (fault), in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation (generation), among whom ye shine as lights in the world.’ (Phil. 2:14-15) Yes my fellow saints, if we heed that wise advice, we will never go wrong…at least where complaining is concerned. (smile)
Now let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant with confidence and humility, to ask for the divine help we so badly need to handle our earthly problems. 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 right there in our prayer, we have the beginning of the answer to it; ‘by the example, we, your faithful believers set.’
Yes friends, we need to set a good example for the unbelievers to see, if we expect God to help us. Much LOVE!
…be careful how you complain…and what you complain about…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
27 Jan 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: every good gift, every perfect gift is from above, faith, God is ever-faithful, God never changes, his compassions fail not, holy spirit, I am the Lord I change not, I may know you all the more, increase my awareness of you today, It is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed, Jesus Christ, Jesus christ the same yesterday today and forever, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, Lord I want to be with you now, LOVE, mercy, quiet my soul, rock of ages, slow my thoughts, thank you for this tenderness, the abundant life, the Father of lights, the firstfruits of his creatures, the Immutability of God, the Lord's presence, the Unchanging God, thou art the same, thou O Lord shall endure for ever, thy years shall have no end, truth, unconditional LOVE, wisdom, with whom is no variableness, your love both surrounds and fills me
Hebrews 13:8. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.
Ah friends, I don’t know what to say about our recent weather patterns nuh. Remember, yesterday I said how it was so wet and cloudy in my neighbourhood and we couldn’t hope for much of a change. Well, lo and behold, when I went back upstairs a couple hours later, I was greeted by brilliant sunshine and almost dry streets. And though the brilliant sunshine did not stick around for the rest of the day, it certainly made it’s presence known and the place remained dry. And by the way, just for your information, on this lazy-day Saturday, the last one in the month of January 2024, it’s damp and cloudy out there right now. (smile)
But thankfully, that is immaterial at present, for we have God with us, so let’s get to our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer and appeal to our heavenly Father with true conviction. As one sincere 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 with those words of prayer floating up to heaven, we find the Lord’s presence floating down to us, in such abundance that we cannot handle it. But that’s the generous kind of Deity we serve. The more you LOVE Him, the more LOVE He bestows. Ah Lord eh! What would we do without Him eh? Just crumple up and die, I suppose. For who truly knows what to expect from anything or anybody in these confusing and convoluted days? The ONLY person we can be sure of is our great and wonderful God Jehovah!
Yes my people, it’s only God we can trust because He is ever-faithful and reliable, He never changes, remains the same all the time. Please beleive it my faithful brethren, our God is unchanging. The Bible tells us so. The prophet Malachi says it thus: ‘For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.’ (Mal. 3:6) And are we ever thankful for that, because if He was liable to change and wishy-washy like so many of the other false gods, we would have been destroyed long ago. As Jeremiah so aptly says in his Lamentations. ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.’ (Lam. 3:22) Words of indisputable truth!
Meanwhile the author of Hebrews reminds us: ‘Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.’ (Heb. 13:8) That means ‘While everything around us is changing, we can depend on God continually showing us His grace, LOVE, and compassion.’ How awesome is that eh! And this commentary puts it nicely into perspective. ‘What does it mean that God doesn’t change? We call this attribute immutability. This means He doesn’t change His character, His plan, or His mind. Frankly, with the instability of life, this is the security we all long for—consistent unconditional LOVE. The Unchanging God.’
It couldn’t get any better than that friends! With God being the same all the time, we know exactly what to expect from Him, no hemming and hawing or constantly changing His mind, but a steadfastness and reliability that no one or nothing else can ever match. That’s why James could write these encouraging words to his readers. ‘Do not err (be deceived) my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness (variation), neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.’ (James 1:16-18)
And so it should be, now and forever! God is good – ALWAYS GOOD – and doesn’t change, and we the redeemed, are the first step in His redemption of all creatures. Now if you want to find more information on that last aspect, the scholars give a reference to Romans 8:18-27. And it might not be a bad idea to check out that scripture, because it does deal with some interesting stuff. (smile) Finally, turning to Psalm 102, we find the unknown psalmist writing about the ‘Lonely Soul,’ and making some profound statements re the everlasting and unchanging nature of our most marvellous and magnificent God.
He writes: ‘My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass. But thou, O Lord, shall endure for ever; and thy remembrance unto all generations…. I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are throughout all generations. Of old thou hast laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure (continue): yea, all of them shall wax (grow) old like a garment; as a vesture (cloak) shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.’ (Ps. 102: 11-12; 24-27)
Oh my fellow saints, I don’t know about you all nuh, but being reminded of all that stuff, I do feel refreshed and revitalized knowing that our God is good and generous, He’s unchangeable, is compassionate and LOVING, and will endure forever with the redeemed of His people! Now isn’t that wonderful news? It certainly is! So let’s accept it with opened arms and enjoy the abundant life that Christ died for us to have. Otherwise it doesn’t make any sense being a Christian, reconciled, justified and set apart by Almighty God! Much LOVE!
… in this ever changing and unstable world…it’s good to know we have a stabilizing and unchanging rock of ages…Jesus Christ…to rely on…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
20 Jan 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: cease from anger, compassionate, delight thyself also in the Lord, doesn't play favourites, doesn't spare the rod to spoil the child, drink of the river of thy pleasures, evildoers shall be cut off, faith, faithful, for the salvation of the Lord, God never gives up on us, great is thy faithfulness, holy, how excellent is thy lovingkindness, I may know you all the more, increase my awareness of you, it is good that a man, It is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed, Jesus Christ, just, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, LOVE, loving, mercy, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, remembering mine affliction, rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him, righteous, salvation, should both hope and quietly wait, slow my thoughts, the Lord is good unto them that wait for him, the wormwood and the gall, therefore I have hope, those that wait upon the Lord shall inherit the earth, thy faithfulness reaches unto the clouds, truth, we serve an intimate God, wisdom, your unceasing nearness
Lamentations 3:26. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.
Well, I guess it’s what we will now refer to as a anormal day; cold and cloudy. And although there is a li’l daylight showing through the cloudiness, I won’t hold out much hope for bright sunshine. (smile) But, as we like to say, regardless of the weather and all our other disturbing circumstances, we will do very well, because we have the Lord Jesus Christ on our side! And all God’s people gave a grateful shout of ‘Praise the Lord!’
So, in keeping with that sentiment, let’s turn to our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer and declare it with all sincerity and truth. As one 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 always, when we say those few words with heartfelt feeling, we experience the presence of the Lord moving in and around us, doing exactly what we asked for, calming our souls and refreshing our spirits, while increasing our intimacy with Him. What a LOVING and intimate God we serve my fellow believers! There’s none other like Him! He’s holy, righteous, just, faithful, LOVING, compassionate, doesn’t play favourites, and doesn’t spare the rod to spoil the child. (smile)
That means He is the perfect Father! And although many of us have become rebellious children, He NEVER gives up on us, always has His eye on our situation, so that when we finally reach rock bottom, and in all sincerity, cry out to Him for help, He’s right there to save us and bring us back into His fold. What a wonderful, marvellous, caring and compassionate God we serve! We can never say it too often.
Bruh David said it thus in Psalm 36: ‘Thy mercy (LOVING-kindness), O Lord, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds. Thy righteousness is like the great mountains (of God); thy judgements are a great deep (ocean): O Lord, thou preservest man and beast. How excellent (precious) is thy LOVINGKINDNESS, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness (fulness) of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.’ (Ps. 36:5-9)
Oh my people, what a beautiful and true discourse on the wonderfulness of our great God! That’s why, despite the tough times Jeremiah went through doing the Lord’s work, he could still so rightly describe it in his Lamentations. ‘Remembering (I remember) mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall (bitterness). My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled within me (bowed down). This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam. 3:19-23)
And those words of truth we cannot ever doubt, for without God’s compassion and mercy, we would have been long ago consumed in our sin and unrighteousness. But the Lord is ever so faithful that even in Jeremiah’s tough times in doing the Lord’s work, he doesn’t give up, because he knew that the Lord would eventually come through for him. And because of that he had hope in the rough times, and likewise, we who claim to believe in God and His faithfulness, ought to have hope and not give up during the stormy times.
Just like the Lord is faithful to us, we are expected to be faithful to Him. Consequently, Jeremiah continues: ‘The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore I will hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.’ (Lam. 3:24-25) Yes friends, when we sincerely seek the Lord, His blessings flow down on us even more than normal. As the Lord says in Jeremiah 29:13. ‘And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’
That says it all! If we don’t actively and sincerely seek the Lord, we won’t find him, and therefore He won’t hear us. Then Jeremiah gives us this wonderful verse of scripture: ‘It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam. 3:26) Truer words were never spoken my brethren!
And Bruh David acknowledges them in Psalm 37. ‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on God’s faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday.
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (for it only causes harm). For evil doers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps. 37:3-9)
Oh my fellow saints, there’s nothing in those heartfelt words to doubt, because Bruh David lived them. He wasn’t perfect, and like us made many mistakes, but all through the long and dangerous years when he was anointed to be the next king of Israel but spent them running for his life from the current King, Saul, he never took matters into his own hands or turned away from the Lord, but waited patiently and always sought Him for advice and comfort. And if we are going to be true believers in Christ Jesus, then that’s how we also ought to live in these trying and turbulent times. Much LOVE!
…godly wisdom says to…earnestly seek the Lord…and then faithfully wait on Him…
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