The Overwhelming Need for Christians to Understand the Importance of Not Complaining! Part 2!

23 Apr 2026 Leave a comment

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

1 Peter 4:9.        Use hospitality one to another without grudging (grumbling).

And so we come to Thursday, the second to last day of our work week. It’s a nice, warm sunshiny day, but I believe too many of us are looking forward to tomorrow, Friday, the end of the work week, instead of concentrating on the challenges of today. And we need to be very careful with those kinds of situations, for we can cause ourselves serious problems if our minds are not focused on what’s happening in front of us right now. Remember, Jesus warned us to concentrate on today’s problems, rather than what might happen on the morrow. (Matt. 6:34)

Anyway, as promised yesterday, if God spared life today, which He’s most generously done, (smile) then we would continue looking at some of the scriptures that deal with complaining and the dire consequences that can result from it. Now, yesterday we stopped where, after the Israelites complained, the Lord had sent fiery serpents into the camp to bite them and many of them died. Then they repented of their complaining and asked Moses to pray to God for them, and Moses did as asked.

And anyone who thinks the Lord doesn’t have a sense of humour or of the unexpected and unconventional, had better think again, for here’s His solution to the Israelites snake bite problem. ‘And the Lord said unto Moses, make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, he shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld (looked at) the serpent of brass, he lived.’ (Num. 21:8-9)

Now, only our mysterious and unconventional God would choose to have us look on the same thing that caused our problem to be saved from it, especially when it was a snake that held the negative image of the devil incarnate. But it worked then, and according to the scholars the bronze snake played a large role in Israel’s life, and remained a symbol of deliverance, but unfortunately by Hezekiah’s time it had become a source of spiritual confusion and idolatrous worship, and they fell back into the ancient pagan way of thinking and worshipping the bronze snake as the bearer of life.

It was not until Hezikiah, who developed a great trust in the Lord and did what was right in His sight, that the idol worship was destroyed. The Bible tells us that Hezekiah, ‘Removed the high places (places for pagan worship), and brake the images (sacred pillars), and cut down the groves (wooden images), and brake in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it, and he called it Nehushtan (a bronze thing).’ (2 Kin, 18:4) So, we can see how easy it is for something man made to be turned into idolatry if it lasts long enough in our societies.

Meanwhile, the second incident of complaining that Bruh Paul spoke about in his letter to the Corinthians stems from the Israelites lack of faith and reluctance to enter the Promised Land, after the 12 spies came back from checking it out. They foolishly believed the ten who said it was indeed filled with milk and honey, but there were giants whom they could not defeat.  And summarily refused to countenance Joshua and Caleb’s contention that they were strong enough, especially with the Lord’s help to go in and take it.

And they murmured and grumbled and complained so much that the Lord said unto Moses. ‘How long will this people provoke (despise) me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the (miraculous) signs which I have shewed among them? I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they.’ (Num. 14:11-12) Yes friends, that’s how the Lord’s wrath can be stirred up when we refuse to believe his signs and wonders and complain about our situations.

However, the Israelites were lucky that Moses intervened on their behalf and reasoned with the Lord that if He destroyed them all, then the other nations would hear about it and claim that ‘Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he had slain them in the wilderness. And now I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying, The Lord is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation, Pardon I beseech thee, the iniquity of these people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even unto now.’ (Num. 14:16-19)

Moses certainly knew how to get God’s attention, basically with God’s own words and His merciful behaviour so far to the Israelites. ‘And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to thy word: But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted (tested) me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it.’ (Num. 14:20-23)

And to make a long story short, the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for forty years until all those who had come out of Egypt died and only Joshua and Caleb, because of their strong faith, entered the Promised Land with the new generation of the Israelites. And it all came from their complaining and the lack of faith in the God of their forefathers, even after all the miraculous signs He had showed them. And sadly, many of us today feel and behave the same way, and eventually we will pay for our lack of faith and belief.

That’s why this scripture from Peter is so important. ‘And above all things have fervent charity (LOVE) among yourselves: for charity (LOVE) shall cover a multitude of sins. Use hospitality one to another without grudging (grumbling).’ (1 Pet. 4:8-9) And our God is so wonderful and generous that He has further bestowed on us undeserved blessings to do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings, so let’s declare and thus activate them right now nuh.

As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’ 

And having made that declaration, we’re now duty bound to go out and use those blessings to help 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!

…grumbling and complaining…in spite of God’s goodness and mercy…only raises God’s wrath…

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

1 Peter 4:9.        Use hospitality one to another without grudging (grumbling).

And so we come to Thursday, the second to last day of our work week. It’s a nice, warm sunshiny day, but I believe too many of us are looking forward to tomorrow, Friday, the end of the work week, instead of concentrating on the challenges of today. And we need to be very careful with those kinds of situations, for we can cause ourselves serious problems if our minds are not focused on what’s happening in front of us right now. Remember, Jesus warned us to concentrate on today’s problems, rather than what might happen on the morrow. (Matt. 6:34)

Anyway, as promised yesterday, if God spared life today, which He’s most generously done, (smile) then we would continue looking at some of the scriptures that deal with complaining and the dire consequences that can result from it. Now, yesterday we stopped where, after the Israelites complained, the Lord had sent fiery serpents into the camp to bite them and many of them died. Then they repented of their complaining and asked Moses to pray to God for them, and Moses did as asked.

And anyone who thinks the Lord doesn’t have a sense of humour or of the unexpected and unconventional, had better think again, for here’s His solution to the Israelites snake bite problem. ‘And the Lord said unto Moses, make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, he shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld (looked at) the serpent of brass, he lived.’ (Num. 21:8-9)

Now, only our mysterious and unconventional God would choose to have us look on the same thing that caused our problem to be saved from it, especially when it was a snake that held the negative image of the devil incarnate. But it worked then, and according to the scholars the bronze snake played a large role in Israel’s life, and remained a symbol of deliverance, but unfortunately by Hezekiah’s time it had become a source of spiritual confusion and idolatrous worship, and they fell back into the ancient pagan way of thinking and worshipping the bronze snake as the bearer of life.

It was not until Hezikiah, who developed a great trust in the Lord and did what was right in His sight, that the idol worship was destroyed. The Bible tells us that Hezekiah, ‘Removed the high places (places for pagan worship), and brake the images (sacred pillars), and cut down the groves (wooden images), and brake in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it, and he called it Nehushtan (a bronze thing).’ (2 Kin, 18:4) So, we can see how easy it is for something man made to be turned into idolatry if it lasts long enough in our societies.

Meanwhile, the second incident of complaining that Bruh Paul spoke about in his letter to the Corinthians stems from the Israelites lack of faith and reluctance to enter the Promised Land, after the 12 spies came back from checking it out. They foolishly believed the ten who said it was indeed filled with milk and honey, but there were giants whom they could not defeat.  And summarily refused to countenance Joshua and Caleb’s contention that they were strong enough, especially with the Lord’s help to go in and take it.

And they murmured and grumbled and complained so much that the Lord said unto Moses. ‘How long will this people provoke (despise) me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the (miraculous) signs which I have shewed among them? I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they.’ (Num. 14:11-12) Yes friends, that’s how the Lord’s wrath can be stirred up when we refuse to believe his signs and wonders and complain about our situations.

However, the Israelites were lucky that Moses intervened on their behalf and reasoned with the Lord that if He destroyed them all, then the other nations would hear about it and claim that ‘Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he had slain them in the wilderness. And now I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying, The Lord is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation, Pardon I beseech thee, the iniquity of these people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even unto now.’ (Num. 14:16-19)

Moses certainly knew how to get God’s attention, basically with God’s own words and His merciful behaviour so far to the Israelites. ‘And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to thy word: But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted (tested) me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it.’ (Num. 14:20-23)

And to make a long story short, the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for forty years until all those who had come out of Egypt died and only Joshua and Caleb, because of their strong faith, entered the Promised Land with the new generation of the Israelites. And it all came from their complaining and the lack of faith in the God of their forefathers, even after all the miraculous signs He had showed them. And sadly, many of us today feel and behave the same way, and eventually we will pay for our lack of faith and belief.

That’s why this scripture from Peter is so important. ‘And above all things have fervent charity (LOVE) among yourselves: for charity (LOVE) shall cover a multitude of sins. Use hospitality one to another without grudging (grumbling).’ (1 Pet. 4:8-9) And our God is so wonderful and generous that He has further bestowed on us undeserved blessings to do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings, so let’s declare and thus activate them right now nuh.

As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’ 

And having made that declaration, we’re now duty bound to go out and use those blessings to help 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!

…grumbling and complaining…in spite of God’s goodness and mercy…only raises God’s wrath…

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

There’s no Shame in praying Desperate Prayers in Desperate Times!

24 Aug 2024 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 3:4.       I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill (mountain). Selah.

Oh friends, what a beautiful lazy-day Saturday this is turning out to be! Sunny and cool, with just the right amount of laziness attached to it. (smile) And I did take some advantage of the situation by lying in bed a little longer than usual. But it’s now time to get the Lord’s work going, and we’ll do that by offering up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer with heartfelt sincerity. 

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 we know that a positive answer will soon be forthcoming because our God just LOVES those kinds of prayers that cry out for His awesome presence in our lives! 

Now, let’s continue looking at some desperate prayers from men of great faith, beginning with Bruh David, who had numerous prayers of desperation, as can be seen in his psalms while he ran from king Saul who desired to take his life. Listen to this excerpt from Psalm 143 – A Prayer for Guidance and Deliverance. 

‘Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness. and enter not into judgement with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified (righteous). For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten (crushed) my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness (dark places), as those that have been long dead. Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate. I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse (ponder) on the work of thy hands. I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land.’ (Ps. 143:1-6) 

And that’s only the tip of the iceberg, for Bruh David had numerous foes in his lifetime. Hear this prayer of desperation from Psalm 3, when he fled from the rebellion of his son Absolom. ‘Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me. Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah. But thou, O Lord, art a shield for (around) me; my glory, and the lifter up of (the one who lifts up) my head. I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill (mountain). Selah. 

I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about. Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten (struck down) all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken  the teeth of the ungodly. Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.’ (Ps. 3:1-8) 

Please note that although Bruh David cried in desperation to the Lord for help, he never stopped believing and always acknowledged God’s power, goodness and mercy. And Bruh David wasn’t the only king to cry out in desperation to God, King Hezekiah did it too. First when the Assyrian army threatened to destroy Israel unless they paid tribute. 

The Bible tells us: ‘And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said, ‘O Lord God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth. Lord, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, Lord thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God. 

Of a truth, Lord, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands. And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone: therefore thy have destroyed them. Now therefore, O Lord our God, I beseech thee, save us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord God, even thou only.’ (2 Kin. 19:14-19) 

Yes friends, the first place Hezekiah went was to the Lord. And I like how he laid out the letter before Him. And we know the outcome. After sending reassurances to Hezekiah by the prophet Isaiah, (2 Kin. 19:20 34) the Lord showed up in all power and might. The Good Book says: ‘And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote (killed) in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they (the Israelites) arose early in the morning, behold, they (the Assyrians) were all dead corpses. So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.’ (2 Kin. 19:35-36) 

But that wasn’t the end of Hezekiah’s woes though. The Bible says: ‘In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live. Then he (Hezekiah) turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, saying, I beseech thee, O Lord, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. and Hezekiah wept sore (bitterly). 

And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying, Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the Lord. And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city (Jerusalem) for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake. And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. And they took and laid it on the boil, and he (Hezekiah) recovered.’ (2 Kin. 20:1-7) 

Yes my fellow beleivers, many men of great faith endured desperate times and were forced to pray desperate prayers, men like Elijah, Jonah, Jacob, Job, Abraham, Bruh Joseph and Bruh Paul. So it’s quite okay to cry out to God in desperate times, and if you have a heart for Him, He will hear you and act on your behalf! Much LOVE!

…there’s no disgrace in desperately crying out to God…in desperate times…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 4 April 2013 Malachi 3:10

04 Apr 2013 Leave a comment

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

Malachi 3:10.    Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
 
Oh Friends, oh Friends, the ole fella’s up and about with surprising spunkiness this Resurrection Thursday morning! Yes my people, please remember that it’s only been a few days since our Lord and Saviour Jesus defeated that ole cowardly crook Lucifer, and triumphantly rose from the grave, which had no power to hold Him captive for long. And all God’s people declared a loud and grateful, ‘Glory Hallelujah! Blessed is the Lamb that was slain but rose again with absolute power and might, to whom all knees shall bow and every tongue confess that He is God!’ (Rom.14:11) Yes mih Friends, our Advocate, Deliverer, Leader, Prince of Peace, etc. etc. is riding high in the world this week. Please let’s keep Him riding high all year long, because that’s what He expects, desires and most assuredly deserves. The heathen will try to put Him down, try to make Him of no account, but we, His true believers and followers know that He is indeed the Most Wonderful Being in ALL the universe! Let’s make sure that others know it, and by our faithful words and actions, draw them into His ever increasing and most worthy fold, so that they too will experience the LOVE, the Brotherhood, the Salvation and Eternal Life that we’ve been guaranteed. And all God’s children said a loud and hearty. ‘Amen!’ Yeh mih breddren, the ole fella’s chuckling here because he certainly seems to be on a roll this morning. The Good Lord didn’t even give me a chance to ask for strength and guidance, but just got me going, jump-started me right away. No wondering what to write at all. And all I can say is a hearty, ‘Thank You Lord! You are so wonderful to me, that I don’t know what I’d do without You in my life! And thankfully I’ll never have to find that out, since You’ve faithfully promised never to leave or forsake me, but be with me all the days of my life, even into eternity. Thank You again Lord!’ Awright Friends, enough of that now, or else I’ll just get carried away and continue with much deserved thanks and praise to our wonderful God. (smile) And today we’ll continue with our Bit that deals with tithes. ‘Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat (food) in mine house, and prove (test) me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.’ And that’s the living truth, my brethren! If we do as God declares, we’ll be so blessed that we won’t have room to store the great magnitude of blessings He’ll pour down on us. And remember, that’s not because of what or how much we give, but because of our obedience, which signifies that we hold the Lord in true sovereignty and reverence. Now let’s look at a true example of tithing bringing great blessing. It deals with King Hezekiah’s provision for priests and Levites in olden Israel. Having set the work assignments for both groups, he then made provision for them to concentrate on their numerous duties without having to worry about food and shelter too. ‘Moreover he commanded the people that dwelt in Jerusalem to give the portion of (due to) the priests and the Levites, that they might be encouraged in (devote themselves to) the law of the Lord. And as soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of Israel brought in abundance the first fruits of corn, wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the field; and the tithe of all things brought they in abundantly. And concerning the children of Israel and Judah, that dwelt in the cities of Judah, they also brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep, and the tithe of holy things which were consecrated unto the Lord their God, and laid them by heaps. In the third month they began to lay the foundation of the heaps (lay them in heaps), and finished them in the seventh month. And when Hezekiah and the princes came and saw the heaps, they blessed the Lord, and his people Israel. Then Hezekiah questioned with the priests and the Levites concerning the heaps. And Azariah the chief priest of the house of Zadok answered him, and said, Since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the Lord, we have had enough to eat, and have left plenty: for the Lord hath blessed his people; and that which is left is this great store (abundance).’ (1 Chr.31:4-10) Yes my people, the Lord is indeed faithful to all His promises! Now here’s some info from the scholars that I think is very important to us all. ‘Tithing is the practice of giving 10 percent of one’s income to the Lord. It is called “storehouse tithing” by some who require that the tithe be given to the Lord through the local church. Illustration: while some Christians disagree, the principle of “God’s place” for worship is the basis for storehouse tithing. (Deut.12) The temple in the Old Testament (1) was the central place characterized by God’s presence; (2) possessed the symbols of redemption; and (3) was where the man of God served. In the New Testament, these three attributes characterize the local church. Hence the principle of storehouse tithing continues into the church age. Application: Some people withhold their tithe from their local church because they disagree with its expenditure of funds. These Christians should join another church where they can wholeheartedly make their contributions in good conscience. Because our actual tithe belongs to the local church, giving to parachurch organizations should be in addition to the tithe. (First Ref, Gen.14:20; Primary Ref, Mal.3:10; cf. Matt.22:21) Ah Friends, I know that that will complicate some of our lives, including mine, but we’ll just have to step up to the plate as best we can. And please, let’s not beat ourselves to death if we’re guilty of not fully tithing. The Lord knows our circumstances and the state of our hearts, and once we do our best to repair the situation, He will still look down favourably on us. Remember His mercy and LOVING-kindness know no bounds. Now let’s allow Cousin Sol to take us home with some of his wise words on the topic. ‘Honour the Lord with thy substance (possessions), and with the first fruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses (vats) shall burst out with new wine.’ (Prov.3:9-10) And that my Friends is the gospel, gospel truth! So let’s try and catch up as best we can nuh, starting NOW! Much LOVE!…give to Caesar…the things that belong to him…and to God…the things that belong to Him… (Matt.22:21)