keep God first place

The Remarkable Benefits Believers have Received from the Death and Resurrection of Jesus! Part 2.

26 Jun 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a compassionate heart, a positive outlook on life, being confident of this very thing, being justified by his blood, being made more like Jesus in conduct and character, bounden duty, broken right now, by grace are you saved through faith, Christ's death atones for our sins, Christ's righteousness is imputed to them through faith, created in christ Jesus unto good works, curse, divine protection, eternal life, faith, favour, follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, forgiveness of sins, God commendeth his love for us, God demonstrated his LOVE for us.', God hath before ordained, God made Him to be sin for us who knew no sin, god's declaration that a person is righteous, God's supernatural wisdom, good friends, good health, grow in spiritual maturity, he that believeth in me, he which hath begun a good work in you, holy spirit, I am the resurrection and the life, in the name of Jesus, it is the gift of God, Jesus Christ, Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, joy in God through Christ, justification, justified by his blood, keep God first place, lest any man should boast, LOVE, mercy, negative word, new life, not becuse of inherent righteousness, promotion, raised from glory to glory, receive clear direction for my life, received the atonement, reconciliation, reconnection to God, salvation, salvation is not of works, sanctified -set apart for God's work, saved from wrath through Christ, self-control, self-discipline, set apart for a sacred purpose, share our blessings generously, the numerous benefits of Christ's death and resurrection, the penultimate day of our work week, the recent heat wave, the righteousness of God in christ, the saving grace of God, though he were dead yet shall he live, truth, underserved divine favour, undeserved blessings, unless we have Christ we have nothing at all, we are his workmanship, we cannot earn salvation, we should walk in them, while we were yet sinners christ died for us, whosoever believeth in me shall never die, will perform it until the day of Jesus, wisdom

John 11:25. I am the resurrection, and the life he that believeth in me, though he were dead (may die), yet shall he live:

Ah friends, it’s Thursday, the penultimate day of our work week, and it looks like we’ve gotten through the recent heat wave without too much damage! Thank the Lord! And with a li’l rain falling in the early morning hours, and some falling outside right now, it’s helped to give us a cool, but somewhat cloudy day. And as we promised yesterday if God spared our lives, we would continue looking at some of the numerous benefits that His death and resurrection brought us.

Remember, yesterday we read this commentary that gave us a brief insight into some of those things: ‘‘Christ’s death and resurrection offer believers forgiveness of sins, new life, and the hope of eternal life, among other benefits. His sacrifice on the cross atones for our sins, while his resurrection conquers death, granting believers new life and the promise of eternal life.’ And we went through some of the relevant benefits and scriptures.

Today, as time and space permit, we’ll do a few more starting with one we touched on briefly yesterday. That’s reconciliation, or reconnection to God. That’s a major benefit, because our sins had separated us from our heavenly Father, and Christ’s dying and taking them, brought us back into communion with Him. And this passage of scripture touches on several of the things Christ’s sacrifice did for us. And one thing we should note is that it all happened because of God’s great LOVE for us.

Bruh Paul writes: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now (having been) justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his son, much more, being (having been) reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement (reconciliation).’ (Rom. 5:8-11)

Yes friends, in that passage we see God reaching out to us, although we were enemies, to provide reconciliation, salvation and justification through the death and the shed blood of His son. And what is salvation? Salvation is the saving grace of God, as Bruh Paul writes to the Ephesians. ‘For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship (creation), created in Christ Jesus unto (for) good works, which God hath before ordained (prepared) that we should walk in them.’ (Eph. 2:8-10)

And the gist of all that is simply that we are saved by the grace or undeserved divine favour of God, it is a gift of God, and we cannot earn it, no matter how hard we try. The fact is, we do good works because we’re expected to once we’re saved. We don’t do good works to be saved. And that’s something we all ought to understand, because many of us still believe doing good works will get us into heaven! Unfortunately it will not. Only faith, or belief in Christ Jesus will do so.

As Jesus said to Martha, the sister of Lazarus, before He raised him from the dead. ‘I am the resurrection, and the life he that believeth in me, though he were dead (may die), yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?’ (John 11:25-26) Now that’s a very crucial question! For belief and faith in Christ is the only way we will ever experience eternal life. His death paid the atoning price for our sins. ‘For he (God) hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Christ.’ (1 Cor. 5:21)

And ‘the righteousness of God’ is another benefit we received from Christ’s death and resurrection. Earlier on we talked about being ‘justified by his blood” that’s another benefit. So what’s justification, and what’s the righteousness of God? They are both intertwined, as this commentary explains: ‘Justification is God’s declaration that a person is righteous, not because they are inherently righteous, but because Christ’s righteousness is imputed to them through faith.’ Yes friends, all that we are, all that we have is because of Christ and applied to us because of Him. We have been made righteous, justified, reconciled and sanctified because of His work on the cross.

And sanctified simply means been set apart to do God’s work for a sacred purpose. It’s the process of being made more like Jesus Christ in character and conduct. And it’s a lifelong journey, not a one time event. It calls to mind this verse: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus.’ (Phil.1:6) Meaning that once God begins changing you into the image of Christ, He will not stop until Christ returns, or He takes you home.

Ah mih people I know it’s difficult to take in and understand all that Christ has done for us, but as the Lord changes us into His image, and we work with Him to do so, we will grow in spiritual maturity and understand more and more, as He raises us from glory to glory. So there’s no need to worry, once we keep God first place and follow the guidance of His Holy Spirit. And to show His goodness and mercy, God has bestowed on us what we call our Thursday Blessings. Undeserved blessings to do His earthly work. So, let’s declare and thus activate them right now!

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, it’s now our bounden duty to use those blessings to help others, just as generously as God shared them with us! Much LOVE!

…unless we have Christ…we have nothing at all…

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

The Overwhelming Importance in God’s Eyes, of Honouring One’s Parents!

11 May 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a legacy of saving power, a mother's love is unconditional, a new spiritual family, a shield from every earthly trial, a single mother, a steady anchor, above the world's noise, all one in Christ, always there for her, always there to protect her children, an enthusiastic person, be generous, be responsible, behold thy mother, calm assurance, Christ's love for his mother, created another human, every waking hour, faith, God's tender caring, God-given strengths of a mother, good bad or indifferent, guide me still today, Happy Mother's Day, heartfelt version, her caring ways, her hugs feel like home, her source of inspiration, her words calm our fears, holy spirit, honour thy father and mother, I hear my mother's voice, I reach to feel God's grace, in each challenge, in god's spiritual image, Janice Kapp Perry, Jesus Christ, keep God first place, live in my soul, LOVE, loving hands, mankind can never repay their debt, mercy, mind boggling, misfortunes, moments of despair, my mother's faith, my mother's voice, my reaching soul, painful task, prayers of earnest pleading, sacrifices go unnoticed, salvation, soothed my fevered brow, taught me, the august privilege, the bsasis of everything good in her life, the challenging cycle of giving birth, the disciple Jesus loved, the essence of her being, the Lord thy God giveth thee, the only commandment of promise, the power of her teachings, the safe place we run to, the world feels too big, those united by faith are family, through my darkest days, thy days may be long upon the land, timeless words of wisdom, to Christ and their mothers, to forget all the pain, to turn to God in prayer, trials, truth, turned me to God, wisdom, Woman behold thy son

Exodus 20:12a. Honour thy father and thy mother:

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY.

Well, a Happy Mother’s Day to all you mothers out there in God’s great universe, be you good, bad or indifferent! But on this bright, warm, sunshiny Sunday, the important thing is that you’re a mother, and you’ve behaved somewhat like God; created another human being in His spiritual image. Only mothers can do that! And you’ve felt the pain and discomfort that came with that august privilege, (smile) and sincerely promised yourself NEVER to do it again. But after seeing the beautiful creation to which you gave life, you forgot that promise and did it over and over again.

Now that’s one of the God-given strengths of being a Mother; to be able to forget all the pain and discomfort and go through the challenging cycle of giving birth again. Men think that they’re the stronger sex, and in a physical sense they might be, but when it comes to emotions and the things involved in bringing a child into this world, they can never hold a candle to a mother’s power, patience and perseverance. And if only for that, mothers ought to be treated with much more respect and reverence for being able to handle such a mind boggling and painful task without going crazy.

Well, in honour of Mother’s all over the world, today we’re going to sing a wonderful song written by Janice Kapp Perry (born October 1, 1938) an American composer, songwriter, and author, in honour of her mother Ruth. When she was asked to write a new Mother’s Day song, her source of inspiration had to be her own mother, because she was a good mother.

And according to Perry, her mother’s LOVE was the basis of everything good in her life. She was always there for her. A very enthusiastic person, energetic, she LOVED projects played in a dance band with their father, wrote musicals for the community. As far as her children were concerned, she was just a cheerleader. She LOVED everything they did. Made them feel like they could do things.’

Now that’s what a Mother’s LOVE is all about! So, let’s stop talking and sing the song ‘MY MOTHER’S LOVE,’ in a soulful, scintillating, heartfelt version, showing true appreciation for all those good mothers so many of us, like me had, and fortunately some still have.

Singing: ‘My mother’s voice, the power of her teachings, Live in my soul and guide me still today. her caring ways, her timeless words of wisdom Come forth to help me through each day.‘

In each challenge, each choice, Above the world’s noise, I hear my mother’s voice. My mother’s faith, her prayers of earnest pleading, Turned me to God in moments of despair. Her calm assurance of His tender caring Taught me to turn to Him in prayer. Through my darkest of days I reach to feel His grace. Such was my mother’s faith.

My mother’s hands that lifted and protected, Those loving hands that soothed my fevered brow Were as a shield from every earthly trial, And still, the memory helps me now. And my heart is aware, the strength that I now share Came from my mother’s hands. My mother’s voice will live in me forever. A steady anchor for my reaching soul,

As generations climb the path together to sweet eternities untold. My mother’s LOVE, the essence of her being, Flows in and through me every waking hour. A quiet strength grew from her constant caring, A legacy of saving power. By her words and her touch she strengthened me so much. I felt my mother’s LOVE… I felt my mother’s LOVE.”

What beautiful words in honour of Mothers! And some of them do resonate with me towards my mother Molly. Like the opening words of the song: ‘My mother’s voice, the power of her teachings, Live in my soul and guide me still today. Her caring ways, her timeless words of wisdom Come forth to help me through each day.’ And that’s a veritable fact my brethren, because she was also a strong, enthusiastic self-reliant, woman, despite the many trials and misfortunes she suffered, being a single mother.

But in my formative years, she taught me a few basic lessons about life: to keep God first place, to be responsible and to be generous. She not only taught me them, but also lived them out in her life, although it’s only as I got older, I realized the truth in all those lessons. (smile) Oh friends, we cannot put a price on a Mother’s LOVE, because like God’s LOVE for us, it’s unconditional, no matter what! She will always LOVE her children and shower them with care.

As one commentary describes it: ‘Mom’s LOVE: Often characterized as unconditional, maternal love is typically nurturing, protective, and self-sacrificing. A mother’s LOVE is generally focused on the well-being and development of her child, often prioritizing their needs above her own.’ Yes, that’s what Mothers do.

And why is a mother’s LOVE so powerful? This commentary answers it thus: ‘Because she’s the one who LOVES us before we even take our first breath. She’s the safe place we run to when the world feels too big. Her hugs feel like home, her words calm our fears, and her sacrifices often go unnoticed but never unfelt. Mothers aren’t perfect, but their LOVE is powerful.’

And that’s the gospel truth my fellow believers. The only LOVE stronger than a mother’s is that of the Lord! That ought to tell you how strong a mother’s LOVE is. You see it even in the animal kingdom, where mothers are ever so protective of their young ones, they will fight a bigger and more powerful animal to protect their children. No wonder, the Lord in issuing His Ten Commandments placed within them this one: ‘Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.’ (Ex. 20:12)

Yes my people, that’s the ONLY commandment with a promise at the end, so it must truly be important in God’s eyes to honour your parents. Please note, He didn’t say like or LOVE them, but simply to honour them, and I guess that means even if they are not what we consider worthwhile parents. And what better way to end today’s Bit on Mother’s Day than with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ showing His LOVE for His mother.

The Bible tells us that while hanging on the cross in the throes of death, ‘Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he LOVED, (John), he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.’ (John 19:26-27) Now that was very thoughtful and considerate of Jesus! And what does it signify?

One commentary says: ‘This act is interpreted as Jesus providing for his mother’s care and establishing John as her guardian. It also highlights the concept of a new spiritual family within Christianity, where those united by faith are considered family, even without biological ties.’

More gospel truth my people! As Bruh Paul would say, be we Jew or Gentile, we’re all ONE in Christ! So let’s not only celebrate our mothers today, but try to remember them more all through the year, as we ought to! Much LOVE!

…mankind can never repay the debt they owe…to Christ…and to their mothers…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 January 2024 Proverbs 29:18.

01 Jan 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a beggarly society, a famine of the heart, a lack of God's word, denying the power thereof, economic deprivation, faith, from such turn away, gospel revivals, having a form of godliness, humble servants, hunger, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, joy, keep God first place, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, lovers of their own selves, materialism, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, New Year's Eve, no godly wisdom in leadership, no open vision, peace, perilous times, poverty, sincerely seek God's face, strife, strong faith in Christ, the God who heals, the prince of darkness, the word of the Lord was precious (rare), truth, violence, where there is no vision the people perish, wisdom

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Proverbs 29:18. Where there is no vision, the people perish; but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

Oh my Script-Bit friends and families, I do wish all of us a happy and prosperous 2024, with all of God’s grace and mercy enlivening our spirits, causing us to draw closer to Him and do better work on His behalf! That’s because our New Year’s resolution is to become more intimate with Him. (smile) And now that we’ve had some snow, but still no sunshine, and the big New Year’s bash is over for another 365 days – no 366, as this year is a leap year, what’s the result eh? Tiredness and/or inebriation from too much drink and too much partying, but everybody will agree on how they had such a great time. (smile)

All to what purpose, for nothing has changed since last night, and most likely nothing will change for better, but more likely for worse soon. Today there are still wars and rumours of wars, violence, strife, hatred, anger and all the evil and negative things promoted by the prince of this dark world. Hunger and poverty, economic deprivation and homelessness, as well as health care and education are still major problems in our world. But no one ever considers spending the money we spend on things like New Year’s Eve on those immediate and moral necessities.

No, there’s never any money to do those things, that’s why our modern-day society, which is rolling in material wealth, is in such misery and has become more beggarly than ever. Charitable associations abound, with everybody begging for a handout, supposedly to help others right in the rich, supposed first world countries. Why do we need so many charitable institutions eh? And where does all the money they collect go to eh? What gets me annoyed is that even the ones you give to, keep asking for more, and some you don’t even know about write for donations. These days when I go to the mailbox, if there are ten pieces of mail, at least eight are from Charitable Organizations asking for donations.

Meanwhile, in all this flurry of materialism and greed, the things of God; LOVE, peace, joy, wisdom and understanding, compassion and humanity are being relegated to the back burners of our society. In fact, in the last few days, several players in the war games have ramped up their positions, getting ready for possible engagement before long. What is it with the human soul, mind, body and spirit that we are so enamoured with war and violence eh, with gross inhumanity to our brothers, both literally and figuratively?

You certainly don’t hear of any countries ramping up for gospel revivals, or LOVE Revolutions, or any of those things that have to do with Almighty God. No, that would not be tolerated, but warmongering will always be welcome! Ah Lord eh! I believe that our sad situation has to do with two basic scriptures. The first being the wise words of Cousin Sol in Proverbs. ‘Where there is no vision, the people perish; but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.’ (Prov. 29:18) Yes friends, where there is no prophetic vision, no redemptive revelation of God, the people perish because they cast off restraint and do as they want. But he who keeps God’s moral law, as well as the law of man will be blessed.

It’s as simple as that my brethren. If there’s no godly wisdom and leadership in a society, it will obviously crumble in short time. And we have a very good example of that back in the days of the judges of Israel, when the Good Book tells us: ‘In those days there was no king In Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.’ (Judg. 21:25) And that was definitely a chaotic time in Israel. These words from the first book of Samuel also illustrate the malady that happens when God is not present in a society. ‘And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious (rare) in those days; there was no open vision.’ (1 Sam. 3:1)

The scholars then explain: ‘The severity of Israel’s apostasy (turning away from God), as we see in the quote from Judges above, caused a dearth of God’s revelatory work. The condition was perpetuating and self-defeating as Cousin Sol says in the Proverbs quote. By God’s grace the prophetic institution would receive renewed impetus and standardization in the person and work of Samuel (cf. 3:21; 10 20) That’s where the Lord spoke to Samuel.

And the prophet Amos said the very same things. ‘Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the word of the Lord. And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and from to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.’ (Amos 8:11-12) Oh my people, back then Israel suffered from a famine of the heart, a lack of God’s words to guide them, just like we are suffering from the same malady today!

It’s the same way that Bruh Paul warned Timothy. ‘This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous (money lovers), boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers (irreconcilable), false accusers (slanderers), incontinent (without self-control), fierce (brutal), despisers of those that are good. Traitors, heady (reckless), highminded (haughty), lovers of pleasures more (rather) than lovers of God. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.’ (2 Tim. 3:1-5)

Ah my fellow saints, unless you are living on a different planet, you will undoubtedly see the wisdom of Bruh Paul’s words, for those negative things are rather prevalent in our world today. And there’s only ONE way to combat them; that’s sincerely seeking the wisdom the revelation of God’s Word, and putting it into practice. And to help us do that we need to go to God for His divine help, since we can’t do it on our own. And there’s no better time than on this New Year’s Day, the first day of 2024, to go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking God’s face and His help.

Altogether now: ‘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 the moral of the story is that if we turn from our evil ways, the Lord will prosper us. So let’s enjoy the day, but remember to keep God first place in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls! Much LOVE!

…the Lord will prosper us…in direct proportion to our obedience…

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ

Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 February 2021 1 Thessalonians 5:6.

17 Feb 2021 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a helmet, a time of fasting and praying, as do others, Ash Wednesday, be not found wanting, be prepared, build up each other, children of the day, cometh like a thief in the night, comfort yourselves, God hath not appointed us to wrath, halfway home, hands fixed on the plough, I'm not turning back, I'm so glad to be alive, keep God first place, Lent, Lenten season, let us watch and be sober, life eternal, LOVE, much thanks and praise, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, new mercies and compassions, seek ye first the kingdom of God, the breastplate of faith and love, the breath of life, the day of the Lord, the grim reaper, the hope of salvation, the preparation, the readiness, therefore let us not sleep, time of reflection, to a glorious future with Jesus, to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Wednesday Wail, when the roll is called up yonder

1 Thessalonians 5:6. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober (self-controlled).

Well it’s another new day, another Wednesday, with lots of new mercies and compassion for which we are eternally grateful! Therefore we will give the Lord much thanks and praise and enjoy the day as we sincerely, diligently and efficiently do His holy will! And His children’s voices were raised in a loud, grateful and spontaneous ‘Amen!’

Today is also Ash Wednesday, the day in our religious calendar that begins our season of Lent. And what is Lent, you ask? Basically it’s a time of fasting and praying, of reflection and thanksgiving, of abstinence and self-denial, of desiring to get more intimate with our God, of giving up some of the things that we enjoy, but which keep us from giving our all to Him. It corresponds to the forty days that Christ spent in the wilderness fasting, being tempted by the devil, while preparing Himself for His upcoming earthly ministry. (Matt. 4:1-11)

Likewise, every so often, not necessarily in the Lenten season alone, we ought to empty ourselves, get serious and talk as intimately as possible with our great and wonderful God; go to Him with life changing and puzzling questions and await His faithful answers. Oh friends, it’s only as we sincerely seek God that we can ever get answers. For as Jesus said so plainly: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33).

That’s why we should always endeavour to keep God in first place in our lives, for without Him in that Number One position, we will not be beneficiaries of all the wonderful and immeasurable benefits that He has prepared for us. And one of those immeasurable benefits is life – both earthly and eternal!

Ah mih people, it’s so good when you can wake up another day and don’t see your name listed in the obits. (smile) Yes, heaven might be wonderful and all that, but I’m sure that most of us are not quite ready to go there. There’s something about earthly living; could be the enticing promises of sinful living, (smile) or better yet, the desire to do God’s work here on earth. But whatever it is, in most of our hearts and souls, we’re not ready just yet to give up this tempestuous, troubled, evil, dangerous and uncertain earthly life. (smile)

I pray though, that we’re all ready, just in case the Grim Reaper shows up unexpectedly and calls our name, or Jesus happens to come again to receive His own unto himself. That is all important friends; the preparation, the readiness for heaven whenever it calls. We cannot be found wanting when Christ calls us to come home, whether it be in death or His Second Coming. When either of those times arrive, He must be our Lord and Saviour, or else we will not spend eternity with Him, and that will indeed be a crying shame, with much weeping and gnashing of teeth, but then it will be too late.

As Jesus clearly stated; when He shall return, and when we shall be called home, no man knows it. ‘But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only…Watch therefore; for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.’ (Matt. 24:36, 42) And since ALL options will be off the board when either of those situations occur, it’s of the utmost importance to always be in a state of readiness for either occasion.

‘Be prepared; be ready,’ should be our watchwords and motto in this earthly life, for we don’t want to miss out on the eternal and heavenly one with Jesus. The only other option; hell, eternal darkness and the lake of fire with Satan is unthinkable! So let’s just concentrate on being with Jesus nuh, which means putting Him first place in our lives, and doing whatever He requires of us.

And Bruh Paul spelled it out quite clearly in his first epistle to the Thessalonians. ‘For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night…But ye, brethren are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children (sons) of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober (self-controlled).

For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and LOVE; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.’ (1 Thess. 5:2, 4-10)

Yes my brethren, that’s exactly why we do what we do; so that we can live together with Jesus forever! And one of the ways to ensure that in this evil world, comes from Bruh Paul’s last command. ‘Wherefore comfort yourselves together (encourage each other), and edify (build up) one another, even as also ye do (are now doing).’ (1 Thess. 5:11)

Oh my people, it’s ever so important for the saints of Christ to encourage, teach and build up each other, especially in these times of rampant sickness, evil, loneliness, depression and inhumanity. So like now, when isolation is the norm, let’s try and stay in touch with each other nuh. We have the means and the technology to do it, but we need to dig down deep and find the will, for it’s what Jesus desires of us.

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

And let’s not forget that if we endure to the end, that future will be even more glorious than our puny minds can even contemplate. Much LOVE!

…when the roll is called up yonder…will you be there…that’s the most important question…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 11 April 2020 1 John 4:8.

11 Apr 2020 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a sunless garden, abuse, awesome spirit, awesome truth, can't give what you don't have, Christ's redeeming presence, Covid-19, dead flowers, don't brood, Easter Saturday, Easter Sunday, eternal life, fear, fighting the devil in hell, Friend Anselm, God is light, God is spirit, Good Friday, good or evil, hang all the law, he that loves not, injustice, keep God first place, keep love in your heart, knoweth not God, laziness, live and love, LOVE is of God, Love makes the world go round, LOVE one another, love or hate, Love the Lord thy God, Love your neighbour as yourself, lower echelons, mere human love, negative behaviour, no tomorrow, on these two commandments, pandemic, problems not insurmountable, procrastination, ramp up our efforts, resurrection, sufferation, the greatest is love, thinking of Jesus, top echelons, with all thy heart mind and soul, you reap what you sow

1 John 4:8. He that LOVETH not knoweth not God; for God is LOVE.

Come Easter Saturday morning, me and my friends, will be heart-broken, thinking of Jesus, His beaten and battered body buried in the tomb, but whose awesome spirit is fighting the devil in hell, so that He can return triumphant on Easter Sunday! Oh glory to God my faithful brethren! He’s such a wonderful God, and LOVES us much that He gave His only Son to die to atone for our sins on that horrible but blessed day called Good Friday!

And it is always worth noting, that though we’re sorrowful for the abuse, injustice and terrible ‘sufferation’ Jesus experienced on our behalf yesterday, without Good Friday, we would never be able to have the joyous resurrection of Easter Sunday, and thus the amazing promise of eternal life! And all God’s people gave a loud and grateful cheer of ‘Praise the Lord, for His mercy and LOVING-kindness to the children of men!’

And having said all of that, let’s turn now to the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And the first one says it in spades: ‘The future depends on what you do today.’ And is that ever so true my fellow believers! The seeds of our today doing will be the ones we reap henceforth. As we all know, we reap whatever we sow, and as Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley) likes to say: ‘We reap what we sow, more than we sow, and later than we sow.’

And ain’t that the gospel truth! Have you ever noticed how much harvest we receive even though we only sow a few seed? Well that’s exactly what will happen to us, with whatever we sow today, good or evil, LOVE or hate. It will be multiplied and measured back to us several fold. So please, lets pay close attention to what we sow today, for it will certainly boomerang on us tomorrow.

And here’s another nugget of truth: ‘Most people spend more time and energy going around problems than trying to solve them.’ That’s for certain sure! We like to give it a fancy name like procrastination, but it’s usually an act of laziness, or fear, as we just don’t want to face the problems that have come against us. I can testify to the laziness aspect. (smile) And the truth is, if we just ramp up our efforts and deal with the problems in a timely and effective manner, most of them will quickly go away, for most problems are never as insurmountable as they seem when we shy away from them.

Therefore, this next quote is rather timely. ‘Don’t brood. Get on with living and LOVING. You don’t have forever.’ And isn’t that what many of us are finally finding out with the Covid-19 pandemic that’s clutching tenaciously at our throats? We can’t allow life to pass us by without making significant efforts to throttle it and keep it in line. We must LIVE and LOVE as though there was no tomorrow! And who knows if there will be eh?

But still so many of us refuse to do what is necessary to survive, or at least have a reasonable chance of surviving. There is still too much doubt, denial, confusion and totally different messages prevailing amongst the top echelons in our society, so what can we expect from the lower rungs eh, but the same negative behaviour.

Then there’s this: ‘LOVE yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to LOVE yourself to get anything done in this world.’ I don’t know how much truth there is that statement nuh, although I suspect there is some. The long and short of the story though is that Jesus said: ‘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. 22:37-40)

Yuh see friends, LOVE for God ought ALWAYS to be first place! And you’ll notice that LOVE for self runs a distant third, because we need to LOVE our neighbours after we LOVE the Lord. The only mention of LOVE for self there is in the context of LOVING our neighbours. How much we LOVE others, will be in direct proportion to how much we LOVE ourselves! The truth being that we can’t LOVE anyone, or can only LOVE them as much as there is LOVE in our own hearts. As Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) likes to say on the subject: ‘You can’t give away what you don’t have.’

And isn’t that the awesome truth! If you don’t have LOVE in your heart, you obviously can’t give it away! That brings us to this amazing quote: ‘Keep LOVE in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead.’ And don’t I ever know that! Oh friends, LOVE is the most important thing in the world, as Jesus reminded us above. LOVE for God, our neighbours and ourselves! For LOVE is truly what makes the world go around!

As John so clearly tells us in his epistle. ‘BELOVED, let us LOVE one another: for LOVE is of God; and every one that LOVETH is born of God, and knoweth God.’ (1 John 4:7)

But the scholars clarify that by stating: ‘In context, John is not saying that everyone who LOVES is somehow a Christian, whether they trust in Christ or not. He makes it clear elsewhere that true knowledge of God entails right belief about Christ, as well as right response to God, including LOVE of others. Mere human LOVE apart from Christ’s redeeming presence and motivation falls short of LOVE in its fullest dimension as a human response to God’s perfect and infinite compassion (cf. 1 Cor. 13).’

Thus the LOVE we’re talking about here is that which is securely entwined with true belief in Jesus Christ. And thus John could continue: ‘He that LOVETH not knoweth not God; for God is LOVE.’ And all God’s people declared a loud and proud ‘AMEN!’

And we’ll close with this reminder from the scholars, re that verse. ‘John has also recorded that “God is light” (1:5) and “Spirit” (John 4:24). LOVE is one of many attributes of God and is to be understood in relation to the others, such as holiness and justice.’

And that’s why sin had to be justly paid for, before forgiveness could be bestowed. Much LOVE!

…but the greatest of God’s attributes is…LOVE…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 October 2018 Deuteronomy 26:9.

08 Oct 2018 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a formidable task, a land that flows with milk and honey, all Christians hands on deck, aura of love, blessings, brought us into this place, Canadian, Christ's love Revolution, confidence, drunk or sober, enthusiasm, evil, faith, fellowship, fomenting, forgiveness, friends, generous help, given us this land, glorious kingdom, glory to God, Granny's warning, hope, Jesus Christ, joy, keep God first place, lies, LOVE, loving kindness, mercy, mind yuh business, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Moses, offering succour to the stranger, peace, pushed God out, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, righteousness., salvation, sending portions to the poor, society runs 24/7, spiritual armour, staying on the straight and narrow path, sunk as deep in the mire, thanksgiving, the fruits of our labour, the fruits of our prosperity, the Holy Spirit, The Israelites, the Worker Bee, this is the day the Lord has made, trust, truth, ungodly world, we will rejoice and be glad in it, wide and destructive path, wisdom

Deuteronomy 26:9. And he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY CANADA!

Yes my people, it’s Thanksgiving Day in Canada! Glory to God! As the psalmist says: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps.118:24) In fact, all weekend we’ve been celebrating and doubly rejoicing. Why? Because we have been obeying the Lord’s ordinance, as delivered to the Israelites by Moses, bringing the fruits of our prosperity to offer it before the Lord, sending portions to the poor and offering succour to the stranger!

And why wouldn’t we eh my brethren when ‘He hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey.’ And does this great land of Canada ever flow with milk and honey? It surely does, because we are living so much better than most of the world. Oh, like everyone else, we have our problems, but thankfully we have not sunk as deep in the mire as some of the other countries around.

We have not pushed God out of our society as much as they have. But if we continue on the wide and destructive path we’re currently on, we will eventually get like them. And the only thing that will stop us is by concentrating on staying on the straight and narrow path of Jesus; fomenting His LOVE Revolution, and thus keeping God first place in our society. And to do that successfully, we need all Christian hands on deck because it’s a formidable task, and no one else can do it, or is even interested in doing so.

Hn! Looks like I’ve preached the Sermon before the preamble. (smile) Anyway, the Holy Spirit knows where it’s leading me. And let’s not forget that today is Monday; the day so many of us LOVE to hate. And Glory be! It’s a holiday in this great land, therefore many of us won’t be going out to labour today…

And I hear a great groan from those who have to go to work because our modern society runs 24/7. But as always, we do have the cure for your Monday Blues. We call it our Monday Morning Battle Hymn! And it does work. So let’s get to it nuh…with whatever enthusiasm you can muster.

‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.

We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.

But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’

And all God’s people continued with a loud, hearty and grateful: ‘Praise the Lord!’ as they feel their spirits miraculously lifted and their minds and bodies become more alert. Oh friends, that’s the power of the Holy Spirit; the worker bee of the Holy Trinity! And if we’re wise, we’ll pay more attention to Him as He tries to guide us in godly fashion, moment by moment.

And as always, the loudest and most raucous voices belong to those not going to work and have been deeply involved in the celebrations. And before I forget, for all you celebrators, Granny’s warning is a must this weekend. Don’t care if yuh tired hearing it, but it will protect your soul! Sonny Boy; drunk or sober, please mind your business!

Now getting back to the Thanksgiving story, here is some interesting scripture the Israelites were told by Moses to say and do after they had presented their offering of first fruits. ‘And now, behold I have brought the first fruits of the land, which thou, O Lord, hast given me. And thou shalt set it before the Lord thy God, and worship before the Lord thy God: And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you.’ (Deut.26:10-11)

Yes friends, it’s our God-given right to enjoy the fruits of our labour with the poor and the stranger in our midst, but only after we have given the Lord His share first. Remember, EVERYTHING belongs to the Lord, and it’s only through His grace and LOVING-kindness that we are able to get wealth and become prosperous. So for those of us not going to work today, let’s rejoice and celebrate in the gifts God has blessed us with, but also remember to share our blessings with the less fortunate. Much LOVE!

…give thanks to the Lord…for His goodness endures forever…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 January 2016 Psalm 78:11

17 Jan 2016 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a gem from Anselm, about trees in winter, angel food, asaph, at letting things go, baggage, church bells ringing, complaining, craving, disasters, disbelief, dwellings, experts, fallible, feathered fowls, food, forgat his works, forgetfulness, futility, go naked in the world, going our own way, going to hell in a hand-basket, habitations, hard-headed, he who doesn't hear will feel, his wonders that he had showed them, human, invitation, keep God first place, like the sand of the sea, lustful, lusts of our flesh, manna, murmuring, politically correct, progress, quails, race of life, reminisce, satiation, selfish, skylarking, smote, stay alive, staying alive, stubborn, Sunday, survival, the better days of old, the corn of heaven, The Israelites, the wrath of God, there's something incredibly honest, they sinned still, time for church, to fight another day, to gather at the Lord's house, unfaithfulness, ungrateful, vanity, water in the wilderness

Psalm 78:11. And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had showed them.

Oh friends, as I listen to the church bells peal in my mind this frosty Sunday morning, I am reminded of my youth, when the church bells actually did peal on a Sunday morning with a glorious invitation to gather at the Lord’s house to praise and worship Him, to give thanks for the past week, and pray for a safe and secure journey in the upcoming one.

How sad that church bells no longer ring out on a Sunday morning eh? But I guess in our foolish, politically correct society that would disturb and encroach upon the rights of others. Ah Lord eh! And we wonder why our society is going to hell in a hand basket?

But I’ll dwell, reminisce on the better days of old, when the church bells were a staple in our society and people were glad to hear them ring because it woke them up and reminded them that it was time for church. (smile)

Now at one stage I lived fairly close to the church, so like most young people, I never hustled until I heard the last bell ringing, because it only took me a couple minutes to get there. And I’d get there just in time for the proceedings to begin. No waiting around, sitting on the hard pew benches, fidgeting and talking with your friends, only to be told to shut up by your elders.

Hn! You couldn’t try that with the young people nowadays, instead they’d tell you to shut up. Steups! But I guess that’s what we call progress nuh.

Anyway, on a brighter note, here is a gem from our friend Anselm, who always aspires to inspire us. ‘I realize there’s something incredibly honest about trees in winter, how they’re experts at letting things go.’

And isn’t that a fact my people! The trees know that winter is coming and they don’t stand a chance of staying alive in the cold, mucky season if they want to keep all their greenery. So it’s all a matter of simple survival. Shed your leaves and go naked in the world for a few months if you want to stay alive, to fight another day.

The same thing goes for us my brethren. If we want to run our race of life as smoothly as possible, then we have to give up, get rid of the baggage that’s dragging us down; be it friends, family, business associates or some activity, and keep God first place in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls.

We definitely cannot afford to do like the Israelites in our Bit did. ‘And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had showed them.’

But before we get into our Bit, I wonder how many of you noticed the mighty and wonderful work I did yesterday eh? In the middle of the Bit, I took the Israelites out of Israel instead of out of Egypt. Hn, Hn! What a mighty work! And I read the Bit at least three times before publishing it yes. Just goes to show that the ole fella is human after all and thus fallible.

Anyway, let’s get to the story of the Israelites, their forgetfulness and unfaithfulness. Now yesterday we ended with them wondering if God, who had provided water for them in the wilderness could also provide food. (Ps.78:20)

What a bunch of selfish, lustful, ungrateful people! ‘Therefore the Lord heard this, and was wroth (furious): so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel; Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation:

Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn (bread) of heaven. Man did eat angels’ food: he sent them meat to the full (food to satiation). He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind.

He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea: And he let it fall in the midst of the camp, round about their habitations (dwellings). So they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire.’ (Ps.78:21-29)

Oh my people, our God is truly something else yes! Remember how the Israelites were murmuring and complaining in the wilderness about food, and the Lord sent them manna. But that didn’t satisfy them, they wanted meat, flesh. So the Lord rained down a torrent of quails upon them, so they ate until they were satiated. (Ex.16)

I guess it’s like we do with our children sometimes: when they want some kind of food so badly, we give it to them until they are stuffed and uncomfortable and possibly get sick. That usually cures them of the greed and lust for that particular food. But the manna and quails did not satisfy the Israelites.

For as Asaph continues: ‘They were not estranged from (deprived of) their lust (craving): but while their meat was yet in their mouths, The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest (stoutest) of them, and smote down the chosen (choice) men of Israel.’ (Ps.78: 30-31)

Yeh friends, our God is not a skylarking God, but a serious deity. Yuh see before they could even finish eating the flesh of the quail, He struck down some of the mightiest men, because of their disbelief and unfaithfulness. (Num.11:33)

But in spite of all that, Asaph declares: ‘For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works. Therefore their days did he consume in vanity (futility), and their years in trouble.’ (Ps.78:32-33)

Oh what a foolish, stubborn and hard-headed people! But please don’t laugh and try to put them down, because we are doing the very same thing now. God is trying to talk to us, but we’re not listening. We’re just interested in going our own way. He’s showing us signs and wonders, natural and man-made disasters, warning us of things to come if we deviate from His path. But we’re not paying any attention, because we’re too wrapped up in the lusts of our flesh.

Oh friends, if God’s chosen people paid a most serious price for their disobedience, why do you think we won’t for ours eh? And I’ll leave us to ponder on that most vital question today. Much LOVE!

…he who doesn’t hear…will certainly feel…rest assured of that…

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