The Wisdom in Living a Simple, God-directed Life!

19 Jul 2024 Leave a comment

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

Proverbs 3:5.       Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

And then it was Friday… but the shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! were not as loud or as plentiful as they usually are because many people are still in disaster mode and don’t have the enthusiasm, energy or faith to raise their voices in praise. But raising out voices in praise is exactly what we ought to do in dire situations because acknowledging God raises our levels of energy, enthusiasm and faith, despite our negative circumstances. 

And to make matters worse, this morning there’s been a technological breakdown with a computing firm called Cloudstrike, which has paralyzed systems and events all over the world. It’s not a hacking or invasion of the system but a technological problem and hopefully by day’s end it will be corrected. But in the meantime many institutions, both large and small cannot carry on their business as usual. Consequently, a large portion of the population has also had their activities curtailed by the outage. 

It just shows the tremendous reliance we’ve placed on technology and the worldwide difficulties it causes when something goes awry. But that’s the way of our current world, Information Technology (IT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are now ruling the roost. And we’re now experiencing what can happen when we place all our eggs in one fragile basket, for though technology is wonderful when it works properly, but the smallest wrinkle can cause monstrous problems. 

We just have to learn to handle those times when technology lets us down. And the first thing we should always do when unexpected situations arise is go to God in prayer for wisdom and strength to handle them. He is our guide and protector and will NEVER lead us down the wrong path. And we have God’s faithful promise of that from way back when Moses said it to the Israelites: ‘And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.’ (Deut. 31:8) 

Yes friends that’s the Lord’s ever-faithful promise! And since He does not change, as this commentary tells us: ‘Malachi 3:6 says, “I am the Lord, I change not.” Hebrews 13:8 says Jesus is the same “yesterday, today, and forever.” When everything else shifts and changes, you and I are still standing on a solid, unchanging foundation.’ Wow! What assurance we have my brethren! 

And furthermore God doesn’t lie, as the Bible assures us: ‘God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?’ (Num. 23:19)  That means whatever He promises, or says He’ll do, it will be done! Matter fixed! And when it comes to seeking godly direction, these wise words from the wisest man who ever lived, Cousin Sol, should be our guiding light. 

‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy way acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth or straight) thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones. Honour the Lord with thy substance (possessions), and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses (vats) shall burst out with new wine. My son, despise not the chastisement of the Lord; neither be weary of (detest) his correction: for whom the Lord LOVETH he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.’ (Prov. 3:5-12) 

Oh friends, those are verses to live by! Why? Because they encompass all of what God expects from us! Trusting in Him, and not in ourselves; having a reverential fear of Him and not engaging in evil; honouring Him by being generous in our relationships, first to him, and then to our fellow man; and not despising His correction when we do wrong. If we follow those basic desires of God, then our paths will be straight, our bodies will be strong and healthy, our lives will be prosperous; overall, the Lord will cause His face to shine upon us. 

But yuh know what? Our intelligence and information levels have risen so much in the last century, that we no longer focus on the simple things in life, everything now needs to be more sophisticated and complex, otherwise it’s not worthwhile. But friends, the simple things have always been, and will always be the best way to go. And we’ve said that to point out the simple commands that Cousin Sol lays down for the perfect Chrisitan life, but we try to make it much more complicated than it ought to be. And hopefully, this time around, those simple directives will stick in our minds and we’ll put them into action and thus simplify out much too complicated lives. (smile) 

Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant to help with 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 if we truly desire divine aid, then we’ve got to set a better example as believers in Jesus Christ! Much LOVE!

…Jesus lived a simple life for a reason…it was the easiest and best life to live…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   13 August 2022   John 8:31.

13 Aug 2022 Leave a comment

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

John 8:31.       If ye continue (abide) in my word, then ye are my disciples indeed;

And then it was Saturday – our lazy day, where some of us have options as what to do with the day. And believe me, I had to force myself to get out of the bed this morning, because it felt so good just to lay there and do nothing but doze in and out of sleep and think dreamy, heavenly thoughts. (smile) Unfortunately though, I eventually woke up to the reality that I had work to do, that others were expecting words of wisdom from me re the quotes that our friend Anselm had sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. 

Oh, reality is such a hard task master, but I knew that with God’s help, with His awesome faithfulness, I would be able to pen something worthwhile. ‘So Lord, I’m invoking your help, your faithfulness right now! Please show me what you want me to write on this most recent bunch of quotes. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.’ 

And the first one says: ‘In order to write about life first you must live it.’ And that’s the gospel truth! You can’t write about what you don’t know. Although many of us are doing just that nowadays in this sad era of many truths, of fake news, of amazing levels of dissension and deception, with the social media platform that allows us all to be pundits and soothsayers and know it alls. That’s one of the main reasons why our world is in such chaos; too many of us don’t know a blooming thing about life, having not lived long enough or experienced enough of it to make useful comments, but we voice our opinions on everything anyway and add to the worldly confusion. 

And as life gets more confusing, it’s becoming even more important to look to the Good Book for the real truth in every situation, for it’s the ONLY unchangeable aspect in our lives these days. Everything else seems subject to change, but our God does not change. He said so in Malachi. ‘For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.’ (Mal. 3:6) And let’s be glad that He doesn’t change, otherwise we’d be long ago removed from the scene. (smile) 

And why would He want to change eh, when He is perfect in all His ways. So, whatever He’s said or caused to be written is written in stone for our benefit. That’s why Jesus is also the same yesterday, today and forever. (Heb. 13:18) And He’s also the source of ALL truth. ‘I am the way, the truth and the life…’ (John 14:6) Therefore if you want to know truth, you must get in agreement with Jesus, learn His word and put it into action. As He said to the disciples. ‘If ye continue (abide) in my word, then ye are my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’ (John 8:31-32) Glory be my people! 

So, we realize right away that if we want to have a safe, constant and stable life, our best bet is living through our unchanging God and His unchanging Word. That brings us to this next quote. ‘The whole secret of a successful life is to find out what is one’s destiny to do, and then do it.’ More gospel truth my fellow believers! For if you are a believer in Almighty God, then you will know that He has a plan for every life He creates. Jeremiah said it for Him. ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer. 29:11) 

It’s therefore obvious that God has good plans for us, but to find them out, we must go to Him in all sincerity and truth and ask about them. Now, finding out our destiny or God’s plan for our life is possibly the easy part of the quote, the doing it, is where things get somewhat sticky and difficult. Why you ask? Because of the unpredictability and changing nature of this earthly life. And the next quote speaks to that matter as it tells us: ‘If life were predictable it would cease to be life, and be without flavor.’ 

I guess we can’t deny that, because it’s the unpredictability of life that turns us on, that excites us and causes us to want to live. That’s why we’re always looking for something new, something exciting, something that will get our adrenalin flowing, despite the danger and misfortune that might lie in it. Excitement, unpredictability, newness, spiciness, are the flavours that we seek in life, not sameness or same old, same old. (smile) And believe me, living for, and walking with Jesus is the most unpredictable and exciting, yet encouraging and reassuring thing we could ever do. 

Yes friends, Jesus indeed provides an unpredictable though very safe environment for us to work in. Remember, He promises that though the world is full of trials and tribulations, all of which we cannot escape, we won’t be allowed to handle more than we can bear, (1 Cor. 10:13) and that everything will work out for our good in the long run if we stay under His protective umbrella. (Rom. 8:28) 

However, the following quote adds another dimension to the subject, when it says: ‘The big lesson in life, baby, is never be scared of anyone or anything.’ Now there’s a whole lot of truth to that statement, because if you live life like a scaredy-cat, it definitely will not be enjoyable. But you also have to be responsible, you just can’t flaunt your boldness in life’s face, because it will have you flat on your back in no time at all. Life likes, and expects you to stand up to it, but it doesn’t take kindly to us trying to put it down, make it look foolish. 

And you can only have the power and the wisdom to handle life properly if you are a true believer in Christ Jesus and put His words into action in your life. That’s because true wisdom is only found in Him, as James says: ‘If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not (without reproach); and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering (not doubting)…(James 1:5-6) And then we must also remember that ‘God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound or disciplined mind. (2 (Tim. 1:7) 

So you see friends, the only wise way to live this God created life in this God created world, is in a God dictated manner. (smile) And this last quote adds yet another dimension to the whole experience. ‘Not how long, but how well you have lived is the main thing.’ Now that’s ever so true! How well, how godly, how genuinely, and respectfully we live this life is way more important than how long we live it. 

Yes, although you may not believe in God, it’s still very important that you live, a kind, honourable, generous and humble life, for those are the things that cause others to be good to you in return and help you along the rough and rocky road that earthly living entails. And the truth is, we all need help in living life. Much LOVE!

…how you live life…is how life will respond to you…  

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8​  

Today’s Scrip-Bit 29 April 2015 Psalm 22:9 ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏

29 Apr 2015 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 22:9.   But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me HOPE (caused me to trust) when I was upon my mother’s breast.

Well Friends, it’s a wonderful Wednesday! We’re alive, the sun’s shining brightly, it’s fairly warm, God is still on His throne, and the universe is unfolding as it ought! Glory Hallelujah!

It also means that we’re now halfway through our work week, so please don’t give in or give up, don’t look back, just keep pressing patiently and excellently forward in Jesus’ name!

And all God’s people gave a mighty shout of ‘Praise the Lord!’

And I couldn’t resist sharing this poem from the One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, it seemed so appropriate. It’s titled, ‘ I TRUST YOU.’

And it says: ‘Lord, it was on an April morning So many years ago That You said to me so clearly “Trust Me and you won’t be disappointed.” Having heard You on that special morning I simple cannot “unhear” you now.

I can’t forget that morning Nor do I think You want me to. Because You live in an eternal Now Your words are just as relevant today As they were that long-ago morning. I trust You. You will not disappoint me!’

And that’s the God-awesome truth my people! Once we have paid attention to, accepted God’s call on our lives, He will NEVER, NEVER disappoint us! You can bet the bank on that!

Why? Because our God is omnipotent and ever-faithful, and as the Bible Promise used for that poem says: ‘Jesus Christ (is) the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.’ (Heb.13:8) More God-awesome truth Friends!

And that unchangeable position provides us with a strong, uncompromising sense of safety and security. So we’re not surprised or confounded when Bruh David solemnly declares in our Bit: ‘But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me HOPE (caused me to trust) when I was upon my mother’s breast.’

Ah mih people, the Lord knew exactly what He was doing when He breathed His wonderful breath of live into our little bodies. And that word ‘HOPE’ is such a marvellous and magnificent word that with our finite minds, we can never really begin to comprehend its awesome meaning. But I’ve tried to break it down to it’s elementary potential.

‘H’ stands for Humour. Humour dissipates tension, cools situations like nothing else. And laughter is the best free remedy and medicine in the world! ‘O’ stands for Opportunity. We need to be always on the lookout for opportunities to serve God, for they crop up when we least expect them to.

‘P’ stands for Patience and Perseverance. We need to bide our time quietly, but still keep keeping on with the perseverance Christ expects of us. And ‘E’ stands for Enthusiasm, Endurance, Encouragement, Exhortation and all the other good stuff that lifts our spirits!

And that’s my take on the word ‘HOPE.’ Hope it makes sense. (smile)

Now let’s look at some scriptures that deal with ‘HOPE’ in all its different circumstances. And we’re going to begin with a statement from Job, who after enduring the cruel remarks and judgements of his supposed friends, says of God: ‘He hath destroyed me (breaks me down) on every side, and I am gone: and mine HOPE hath he removed (uprooted) like a tree.’ (Job 19:10)

Oh Friends, it’s such a sad and desolate time when our HOPE dies! We need to avoid that happening like the plague. For if there’s no HOPE in our souls, then there’s no reason really for living. For as Cousin Sol so wisely tells us in Proverbs. ‘HOPE deferred maketh the heart sick, but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.’ (Prov.13:12)

What a powerful statement my people! And the scholars explain it thus: ‘13:12. HOPE deferred depresses, but its fulfillment revitalizes.’

What a powerful truth, for when we lose HOPE our lives just seem to fall apart. But when we recapture that strong emotion, oh mih breddren, our lives are just flooded with purpose and promise, and we move on from strength to strength in Jesus.

Now listen to the Sons of Korah on the subject from Psalm 42 – An intense longing for God. ‘Why art thou cast down , O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? HOPE thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance (help, salvation), and my God.’ (Ps.42:11)

Yes Friends, that is wisdom personified! Being merely frail and fickle humans, our HOPES and fears and dreams are always in a state of confusion, a state of turmoil, that’s why it’s ever so necessary and important to hold on to the HOPE we find in Almighty God.

As we saw yesterday, the Good Book tells that ‘HOPE is the anchor of our soul.’ (Heb.9:19) What a promise, what an anchor my brethren! We couldn’t want for a better anchor than that which is secured in heaven!

And we shall end with a most encouraging and appropriate verse on the subject from Psalm 31. Bruh David wisely advises us: ‘Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that HOPE in the Lord.’ (Ps.31:24)

That my Friends is heavenly wisdom at its peak! So please let’s go out and put it into action in our lives today, so that we can be worthwhile ambassadors for Jesus. That’s all He really desires of us. Much LOVE!

…without HOPE…a man’s life is technically over…