Today’s Scrip-Bit   18 May 2024 Ephesians 4:30.

18 May 2024 Leave a comment

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

Ephesians 4:30.       And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

Well, it’s a somewhat cloudy but warm lazy-day Saturday, on this first long weekend of the summer. And it’s a holiday in honour of the powerful Queen Victoria, who in her long reign (1837-1901) saw Britain through its ‘great age of industrial expansion, economic progress and, especially, empire building. At her death, it was said, Britain had a worldwide empire on which the sun never set.’ And although comparatively few people know of her, or why there’s a holiday named in her honour, I can guarantee that many of us will be aggressively celebrating her holiday this weekend. (smile) 

But before we get to the celebrations, let’s show a li’l wisdom, a modicum of circumspection if you will,, and offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer to help quiet and refresh our tired souls. As one voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’ 

And as always, if our prayer was sincere, we know that we will receive our requests, because our wonderful God never turns down those kinds of requests. Yes friends, whenever we ask God for more of Himself, for greater intimacy with Him, He’s only too glad to give it to us, because it’s what He created us for; constant communication and intimacy. And it saddens His heart, grieves the Holy Spirit when we turn away from that communication and intimacy. Remember Bruh Paul’s words on the subject to the Ephesians? ‘And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.’ ((Eph. 4:30) 

Now we do that quite easily when we allow the devil to get into our hearts and minds and cause us to do things we know are wrong. That’s why Bruh Paul, in speaking about putting on the new man, was giving the Ephesians practical steps to avoid that kind of behaviour. And I like how this commentary explains it in simple, practical everyday terms. ‘When we, deliberately or inadvertently, behave in a way that is inimical to our spiritual improvement it grieves the Holy Spirit; in the same way that a LOVING parent is grieved when his or her child behaves in a self-destructive manner.’ 

Yes, it’s the same way our heavenly Father is saddened when we stray from His will and word. And I guess while we’re here, we might as well check out those practical applications that Bruh Paul talks about in the putting on of that new man. Just to remind us of some inappropriate behaviour on this long weekend. (smile) So He writes: ‘That ye put off concerning the former conversation (conduct) the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be ye renewed in the spirit of your mind. And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members of one another. 

Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place (an opportunity) to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice. And be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.’ (Eph. 4:22-32) 

Now there’s very good practical advice for living the Christian life, and thus not grieving the Holy Spirit. But it’s not always easy to do, especially when faced with all the temptations and trials of this evil and ungodly world. That’s why we need to remind ourselves of them every so often. And if you find it all a bit much to comprehend, (smile) then the scholars have broken it down very nicely for us. They say: ‘This section gives practical guidelines as to how “the old man” (vs. 22) can be laid aside and how the “new man” (vs. 24) can be assumed in daily living. 

The passage specifies five sins to be discarded, the virtues that are to replace them, and the motive for such exchange: (1) Lying is to be replaced by truth-telling, since Christians are fellow members (vs.25). (2)Sinful anger is to be replaced by (briefly held) righteous indignation, that the Devil may not be given an opportunity (vs. 26-27). (3) Theft is to be replaced by honest work, in order that one may have the means to meet the needs of others (vs.28). (4) Foul language is to be replaced by gracious speech, that it may edify others and not grieve the Spirit (vs. 29-30). (5) Resentment and wrath are to give way to kindness and forgiveness, since God has forgiven us (vs. 31-32). 

So there we have it friends, both in the very words of Bruh Paul, and in the simplified explanations of the scholars. (smile) That means we have no excuses for not putting those practical suggestions into action in our own lives. And why won’t we do it eh? We all know that it most definitely makes for a better life, but because the greed and envy, the jealousy and selfishness innate in our spirits, with the encouragement of the world system, too many of us still insist on living like the “old man”, refusing to put on the new one that characterizes Christ and His true followers. 

Ah friends, we’re only hurting ourselves and those we LOVE, for our beliefs and actions don’t only reverberate or boomerang back on us, but also on those around us. So please, let’s wake up and see the light nuh, smell the sweet perfume of the roses that exists in the beautiful garden of Christ! Much LOVE!

…as Christians…we should be IN the world…but not OF the world…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   27 April 2024 Amos 5:4.

27 Apr 2024 Leave a comment

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

Amos 5:4.        For thus saith the Lord unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live.

Rainy days and lazy-day Saturdays always make me glad… especially if I don’t have to go out in them. (smile) And though the early morning rain has stopped now, it’s still wet and cloudy out there, so don’t go out unless you really have to, stay inside and enjoy the relaxing laziness of the day. And to help us do that, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer. 

In sincere and heartfelt voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’ 

And as always, if our words were truly sincere, then we know that the Lord is currently answering our prayer for calmness and peace, and filling our souls and spirits with His undying, unconditional LOVE, for He never allows those kinds of prayers that truly seek Him, to go unanswered.  

Now, the Good Library just opened at an interesting passage from the Book of Amos, regarding ‘A Lamentation for Israel.’ Israel has gone astray once again and the Lord in His wrath is not coming with salvation for Israel, but with complete judgement. Here, the prophet Amos is informing them of the Lord’s words. ‘For thus saith the Lord unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live. But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought (nothing). 

Seek the Lord, and ye shall live, lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel. Ye who turn judgement (justice) to wormwood, and leave off (abandon) righteousness in the earth. Seek him that maketh the seven stars (the Pleiades) and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with (as) night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The Lord is his name:’ (Amos 5:4-8) 

Oh friends, what an interesting passage of scripture, one that ought to remind us of our current plight, for we have also turned away from the God of our forefathers and taken up with the evildoers of Satan, and from day one, it has been said and shown that the evildoers will not survive the wrath of God’s judgement, but will be summarily destroyed in God’s time. But though we have seen it happen in the history books and the Bible, we still refuse to bow to the Lord God Almighty, our Creator and Controller in favour of the passing pleasures of sin. 

But please note the words of Amos from the Lord. I believe He is telling us the very same thing today; turn from our evil ways, ‘Seek ye me, and ye shall live.’ As the scholars explain: ‘Three times the invitation, ‘Seek ye me, and ye shall live, is given (vs. 4, 6,14). Though God’s judgement is imminent, it can be avoided, or at least postponed, by seeking the Lord. The only hope is to seek the Lord in true repentance and thus avoid the judgement of God.’ 

 And yuh know what my people, many of us are claiming that we’re living in the end times, and if that is true, then doesn’t it make all the more sense, is it not divine wisdom for us to turn away from our evil and ungodly ways and seek the Lord with all of our hearts, souls, bodies and minds so that we can escape His awesome wrath come the judgement day? It surely is! For as the scholars just reminded us the ONLY HOPE of avoiding severe retribution is to seek the Lord as quickly and sincerely as possible. But unfortunately many of us still insist on clinging to the evil, sinful tailcoat of Beelzebub and refuse to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. 

The evil and ungodly pleasures of this world hold more delights for us than acknowledging the Lord God Jehovah. However, please note these further words of the Lord through Amos’ lamentation to Israel. ‘For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty (many) sins: they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right (from their right of  justice) Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time; for it is an evil time. Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the Lord, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken. Hate the evil, and LOVE the good, and establish judgement (justice) in the gate: it may be that the Lord God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.’ (Amos 5:12-15) 

Oh my fellow believers, it seems as though Amos is living amongst us today, for what he’s saying is exactly what’s happening in our world today. The injustice, the crooked deals, the evil deeds that are currently taking place as though they are natural and right outcomes is all disgusting and against the Lord’s Word. And He’s seeing it all, and because of His great LOVE for us is still warning us to turn away from evil, to seek Him, that we may live. How many times in the bible are we told to seek good and not evil eh? 

Amos says it here, and the psalmist says it thus in Psalm 97: ‘Ye that LOVE the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.’ (Ps. 97:10) Meanwhile, Bruh Paul in his letter to the church at Rome tells them in no uncertain terms. ‘Let LOVE be without dissimulation (hypocrisy). Abhor that which is evil; cleave (cling) to that which is good….Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.’ (Rom. 12:9, 21) 

How many more warnings do we need before we wake up from our foolish, sinful slumber and heed them eh mih bredrin? I guess Cousin Sol could not have said it any better in his opening statements in Proverbs. ‘The fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the (principal) beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.’ (Prov. 1:7) And right now friends, we are behaving like those proverbial fools. Let’s hope that we wake up soon and thus avoid the justice that will befall those who don’t listen. Much LOVE!

…he who has ears to hear…let him hear… (Matt. 11:15)

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   17 February 2024 John 10:7.

17 Feb 2024 Leave a comment

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

John 10:7.       Verily, verily, I say unto you, I AM the DOOR of the SHEEP.

And this snow-white, chilly, lazy-day Saturday has opened up with brilliant sunshine! Glory to God! And isn’t it rather interesting and amazing how sunshine can alleviate even the worst of days, both physically and emotionally. I guess that’s just the normal response that the light of Jesus has on us, His oh so important creation. Remember, He created both the sun and us, and all His creations work hand in hand with each other as He’s built in an automatic chemistry between them. Yes friends, in God’s great and wonderful universe, all things work together, for good. (smile) 

Now, let’s turn to our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer and offer it up in all sincerity and truth. As one voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’ 

That prayer touches my heart, and I know it touches God’s too, because it’s simple and to the point; desiring more of God in our lives, to truly feel His awesome presence and LOVE flowing around, in and through us. And  the Lord always answers sincere prayers like that, because they warm the cockles of His heart, letting Him know that His people truly desire Him to be with them. And that’s why, if we were sincere in that prayer, our hearts and souls are now quiet and at peace, and we can say ‘Thank You Lord, for Your peace and LOVE!’ 

Now, yesterday we began looking at the many I AM’s that Jesus declared (yes!!!) Himself to be, while here on earth, but because of much talking, (smile) was only able to finish the first one; ‘I AM the BREAD of LIFE!’ So without further ado, let’s look at the second one, ‘I AM the LIGHT of the WORLD!’ (John 8:12) Jesus made that magnanimous statement to a group of unbelieving Pharisees, who figured that it could not be true because he was ‘bearing record’ or witnessing of His own self, in other words blowing His own horn. 

But if the foolish, hypocritical Pharisees had taken time to consult the scriptures, the Old Testament, since there was as yet no New Testament, they would have seen several references to Christ as the bearer of spiritual light. Scriptures like this one from Isaiah: ‘The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.’ (Is. 9:2) To whom does that refer, if not to Jesus, the coming Messiah? 

And this scripture from Malachi also refers to Jesus. ‘But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall (grow fat like stall-fed calves). And ye shall tread down (trample) the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord.’ (Mal. 4:2-3) Yes friends, as the scholars explain, ‘the Sun of righteousness is a figurative representation of the Messiah,’ our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

And we all know that the main purpose of the Sun is to bring light to the darkness, therefore Jesus’ coming, brought light to this dark and evil world. And John 1:1-9 gives us further enlightenment on Jesus’ claim to be the light of the world. But because of time and space we can only quote this verse: ‘That was the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.’ (John 1:9) John the Baptist only came to bear news of the Light, that was Jesus. And most importantly, now that Jesus is no longer on earth in physical form, He’s bequeathed to us, His followers, that designation, when He said: ‘Ye are the light of the world… Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 6:14 &16) 

That means we have our work cut out for us here, in this world of near total darkness. But that’s a sermon for another day,let’s turn now to the Jesus’ next declaration (yeah!!!) of ‘I AM,’ which has to do with being the door to the sheep enclosure. As He specifies: ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, I AM the DOOR of the SHEEP. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I AM the DOOR: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for (except) to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:7-10) 

Isn’t that ever so wonderful my people, that Jesus is the door to our salvation! Anyone else who claims to be our Saviour is a liar and a thief, and only comes to disrupt the sheepfold and bring further calamity. But Jesus refuses to allow it, as He says in His next ‘I AM,’ statement. ‘I AM the GOOD SHEPHERD: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling (a hired man), and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling (hired man) fleeth because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I AM the GOOD SHEPHERD, and know my sheep, and am known of them.’ (John 10:11-14) 

Oh my fellow saints, do we truly know and believe that Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd of our Christian flock, and the door by whom we must enter to receive salvation? I certainly hope so, otherwise we’ll be left out in the cold when Jesus returns. And if you think things are bad now, believe me, they’ll be ever so much worse if Jesus returns and you’re not numbered amongst the sheep of His fold. So please, on this first lazy-day Saturday in Lent, let’s take the time to analyze both our physical and spiritual selves and see if we are in sync with Jesus. And if not, let’s go to the Father, through the Holy Spirit, and ask for divine help to make it so. Turning to the Father for divine help is always the best decision in any situation! Much LOVE!

…whatever your situation calls for…Jesus is the answer…

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Today’s Scrip-Bit   6 January 2024 James 4:3.

06 Jan 2024 Leave a comment

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

James 4:3.       Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts (pleasures).

Well, cloudy days are here again! Glory Hallelujah! Yes friends, another cloudy day has made its appearance on this lazy-day Saturday. The question is, how long will this cloudy period last? The one we just came out of lasted two weeks. Let’s hope that in this new year of 2024, we see the sun much more often than every two weeks. (smile) And even though the constant cloudy days tend to darken our spirits, we cannot afford to let them get us down. 

No, we have to stand up strong and keep on doing what we need to do with the help of the Holy Spirit of Jesus, who is the way the truth and the life of our faith! (John 14:6) Without Him, we can’t do much of anything. (John 15:5) That’s why it’s oh so necessary to have Him as the most important person in our lives. And having said that, it’s time to offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer and acknowledge Jesus as the Guiding Light in our lives. 

As one sincere voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’ 

And if you were indeed sincere, I’m sure that all those things you asked for happened and will happen as the day goes along. That’s the beauty of living for Jesus; whatever we ask, and sincerely believe for it to happen, once it falls into His will for our lives, He will grant it. Although He doesn’t say just when. (smile) Remember His faithful promise: ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.’ (Matt. 7:7-8) 

And the scholars explain those verses thus: ‘The three imperatives ask, seek, and knock are in the present tense of the original language, suggesting both perseverance and continued prayer. Fervent and continual prayer is to be made on behalf of those for whom we are concerned. God promises to answer all genuine prayer (vs. 8). Everything we need for spiritual success has been promised to us. God leaves us no excuse for failure.’ 

Oh friends, we certainly cannot dispute that last sentence, because God has already planted in us all the seeds we need for success; meaning the fruit of the Spirit. That’s LOVE, joy peace, longsuffering (patience), goodness (generosity), gentleness (kindness), faithfulness, meekness (courtesy and consideration for others), temperance (self-control). (Gal. 5:22-23) 

Our job now is to use the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit to grow those seeds into full blown fruits that God can use for His earthly work. So that we’ll shine like the light of the world, and have so much salty flavour that others will want to be like us, and have what we have. But, unfortunately, like fruit on a tree, that doesn’t happen overnight, it’s a lifetime process and we often mess it up by doing ungodly things, being disobedient and rebellious. 

As James says: ‘From whence come wars (conflicts) and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts (desires for pleasure) that war in your members? Ye lust, and ye have not; ye kill (murder), and desire to have (covet), and cannot obtain: ye fight and war (battle), yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts (pleasures). Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the (with) world is enmity with God? whosever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy (makes himself the enemy) of God.’ (James 4:1-4) 

Oh my people, there’s so much truth in those verses that it’s not funny. It’s a proven fact that we often don’t get what we want, because we ask for the wrong things. Too many of us are still following the ways of the world, lusting for power, earthly wealth and pleasure and thus turn away from God to seek them. So, instead of striving with God to gain godly things, we strive and fight with each other to gain those worldly things. And though we all know that you can’t be God’s friend and also a friend to the world, many of us are still trying to ride the fence, trying to have our souls in both camps at the same time. But that will never be a successful ploy. It’s either one or the other. 

And James gives us the better option. ‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts ye double-minded. Be afflicted (lament), and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness (gloom). Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?’ (James 4:7-12) 

Yes my fellow saints, those are some of the things we need to do to turn our lives and our world around! We must clean up our lives, both outwardly by our deeds, and inwardly by our thoughts and decisions. Without doing those things, we will forever be fighting and striving in vain, because God will not allow us to succeed if we are in the enemy’s camp. Therefore, on this first Saturday in this new year, please let us seriously consider changing our evil ways and ungodly habits, humbling and submitting ourselves to God so that He can give us the awesome grace and mercy that we so desperately need to make our lives and our world a better place. Much LOVE!

…imagine the awful legacy we’ll leave our children…if we don’t make peace with God… 

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Today’s Scrip-Bit   30 December 2023   1 John 2:15a.

30 Dec 2023 Leave a comment

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

1 John 2:15a.        LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world.

And here it is, another lazy-day Saturday clouded in darkness and drizzle! The eve of New Years’s Eve to boot! The time when preparations for the big day are at an all time high. But I don’t think the inclement weather will stop the celebrations, or even curtail it much, for in years past when it was snow instead of rain, everything went on as normal. It seems we will brace any kind of weather to celebrate the incoming New Year. However, for those of us who are not into all the hoopla of the time, and just want to be lazy and relax quietly with God and our thoughts, after all the hullabaloo of Christmas, this wet and cloudy day is admirably suited for it. 

So let’s turn to God and open up our hearts and souls to him, through our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer. As one sincere voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’ 

Ah friends, it’s ever so good to be quiet and talk to out heavenly Father, knowing that He hears us and will react favourably to our requests to grow closer to Him. And there’s really nothing in this world that pleases God more than when we seek to have greater intimacy with Him, because that’s the main purpose for which He created us; to have close fellowship, enjoyable communion together. And sadly, that’s where many of us believers, and the world in general has fallen down; we don’t favour close fellowship and communion with God, our Creator and Controller. 

Now, isn’t that somewhat foolish, not to want to communicate with the One who made you and still pulls all your strings? I would say it’s downright foolish, since within our own strength we can’t do a whole lot. Jesus puts it very clearly: ‘without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5) And as Moses says in the Good Library: ‘But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth that he may establish (confirm) his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the Lord thy God, and walk after other Gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish. As the nations which the Lord destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the Lord your God.’ (Deut. 8:18-20) 

No wonder we’re suffering so many trials and tribulations in these ghastly times! We have certainly turned away from the Lord God Jehovah and served and worshipped other supposed gods. We are even attempting to get rid of Him completely from our society. What madness, what foolishness! Do you really think the Creator of the universe will allow some mickey mouse creation of His, called mankind, to overthrow Him? No way Jose! Look at Satan, as the archangel Lucifer, he tried the same foolishness, to overthrow God. 

And what happened to him eh? He was unceremoniously kicked out of heaven along with the other foolish angels who sided with him, to walk the earth and dwell in hellfire in sorrow and pain, eternally separated from the One True God! Is that what we want for ourselves and our families? It would certainly seem so, since so many of us have turned away, or are turning away from the God of our forefathers and embracing some pagan form of religion like materialism that the world favours so much. But friends, that’s the wisdom of a fool, for you cannot carry any of that material stuff with you when you die. You only take what you brought with you, your soul! 

And as Jesus so gravely warned. ‘And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.’ (Matt. 10:28) But we seem to fear mankind who can only kill our bodies, much more than Jehovah God who can destroy both our bodies and souls in hell, as he has already done with the fool Satan, the prince of darkness and foolishness, whom we seem so intent on following. Oh my people the scriptures tell us so often that it’s unwise to follow any other deity than the One and ONLY True God. 

That’s the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob, who created the world and all therein and stills controls it, and will NEVER give up what He created. But we simply refuse to listen and keep going our own way, only to suffer the pangs of the devil and hell. When are we going to wake up and realize that the devil is only out to cause confusion, hatred and violence on the earth eh? Anything that will turn us away from God is what the enemy is searching for and ever so ready and willing to use. And unfortunately, we give him so many opportunities to enter our souls and disturb and destroy them when we don’t stay close to God; don’t read His word, don’t pray, don’t talk to Him and obey His holy will. 

That’s why James also warns us to ‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh (near) to God and he will draw nigh (near) to you… Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.’ (James 4:7, 8a, 10) And Peter likewise cautions us: ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you.’ (1 Pet. 5:6-7) And the Lord showed His heartfelt care and compassion when He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross at Calvary to save us from our abominable sins. So how can we believe, much less say that He doesn’t care for us eh? 

And we’ll close with this other warning from John written in his first epistle. ‘LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh (physical desires), and the lust of the eyes (personal desires), and the pride of life (self-interest), is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.’ (1 John 2:15-17) 

Oh friends, when are we going to wake up to the reality that there’s no greater force in this world than Jehovah God, it’s Creator and Controller, and He cares for us and desires us to spend eternal life with Him? If we allow Satan to plunge the world in much more darkness, then it might just be too late. Let’s be wise and make the necessary changes in our lives and in our world right now nuh. Much LOVE!

…he who doesn’t hear…will surely feel…  

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