The Overwhelming Importance of Christians Understanding How to Run the Race of Faith! Part 1.

05 Jun 2026 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Today’s Scrip-Bit   5 June 2026   Hebrews 12:1b.

Hebrews 12:1b.         let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (ensnare) us, and let us run with patience (perseverance) the race that is set before us.

And then it was that blessed day of Friday, another hot and sunny one, and all the shouts of the Friday Mantra gloriously rose up to heaven: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and the weekend is here at last!’ Our society has become so obsessed with Friday that we don’t give much thanks for any other day. I guess it’s because Friday has become associated with the end of the work week, and our society does not have a great work ethic, so working is not something we like to do. 

But as the saying goes; if you want to eat, and have a roof over your head, you have to work. Bruh Paul even went so far as to tell the Thessalonians, that the busybodies and gossipmongers among them, who refused to work, should not be given food. (2 Thess. 3:10-11) Now, that seems a fair reckoning, but doing it is an entirely different story. (smile)

And today we’re going to talk about one of the most precious things we have, but also one of the hardest to keep on the right trail. That’s our Christian faith, which in this evil and godly world of today is being seriously challenged at every turn, but needs to be strong enough to endure and withstand the constant temptation and bombardment that’s thrown at it. For it’s our faith that keeps us rooted and grounded in the goodness, mercy and LOVE of our ever-faithful God.

And this passage in Hebrews 12, gives us an interesting explanation and path to follow. ‘Wherefore seeing (since) we also are encompassed about with (surrounded by) so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (ensnare) us, and let us run with patience (perseverance) the race that is set before us.’ (Heb. 12 :1) Ah friends, that’s a tough requirement, but it needs to be done, if we are to be successful in our race of faith.

There are a lot of heroes of the faith, witnesses, who have gone before us and who are looking on at our progress. We also need to stand strong like they did, but there’s only one way to do that. As the author of Hebrews says; we need to lay aside every weight, or whatever impediment that keeps us weighed down, the scholars suggest stuff like clothing and body weight. But for the diligent runner or the faithful Christian, those things must be removed, so it can lighten our load.

We also need to put aside every sin which so easily ensnares us. And what sins ensnares us eh? The scholars seem to think that refers to the one sin that is uppermost in our lives; the one sin that defeats us above all others. And there are numerous sins that ensnare us. It’s like Bruh Paul wrote the Colossians: ‘Mortify therefore (put to death) your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection (passion), evil concupiscence (desire), and covetousness, which is idolatry:

For which things sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. But now ye also put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds:’ (Col. 3:5-9) Now that gives us some idea of the kinds of sins we ought to put aside as we run our faith race.

Then the author of Hebrews states that we should run our faith race with patience, that’s perseverance, or better yet endurance. We need to have the endurance of a long distance runner because our faith race is indeed a long one, and those short of breath will never win it. And we have another good example of how we should run that race from Bruh Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. He writes: Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run that ye may obtain.

And every man that striveth for the mastery (competes for the prize) is temperate in all things (has self-control). Now they do it to obtain a corruptible (perishable) crown, but we an incorruptible (imperishable). I therefore so run , not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under (discipline) my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway (be disqualified).’ (1 Cor. 9:24-27)

Yes mih bredrin, this race of faith that we’re running is one for our very life, therefore we need to be serious about it, have discipline and self-control, while working hard to keep our endurance going strong, for endurance and self-discipline are two important aspects of our race, that we badly need if we hope to win that imperishable crown promised to us by the Lord.

But sadly, endurance and self-discipline are two of the least recognized and practiced attributes in today’s society. Not many of us can stick with anything or project for a long time, or have the discipline to do the tough things needed to accomplish success. No wonder our society has become lackadaisical and undisciplined, wild and unruly. Unfortunately though, time and space have run out on us, so if God spares life tomorrow, we’ll continue looking at this race of faith that we are required to run.

Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid to help us run our race. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work. It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. You know our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving, and we desperately need your help to fix them. Heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. So please give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.

And despite the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times, help us to be responsible, and get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that we can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out next week and further your glorious kingdom by the good example we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

And we Christians also need to wake up and smell the coffee, because our work and witness for Christ is definitely not good or strong enough, otherwise our world would not be in the terrible state it’s currently in! Much LOVE!

…everyone who runs a race…runs to win…but you can’t win if you’re not prepared…

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

The Overwhelming Importance of a Strong Work Ethic in Any Society that Wishes to Prosper

24 Mar 2025 Leave a comment

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

2 Thessalonians 3:10.        For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

And then it was Monday, that disturbing and frustrating day, when we begin the same old, same old work cycle again. (smile) But if we want to eat, and have a roof over our heads, some kind of rewarding work is necessary in this dog eat dog world. For no one’s giving you anything for free these days, but that doesn’t stop many of us from being lazy and not wanting to work, believing that we’re entitled to a good living without lifting a finger. 

Remember though, what Bruh Paul wrote to the Thessalonians in his second letter. ‘For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busy bodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.’ (2 Thess. 3:10-12) 

Oh my people, how wonderful it would be to implement such a system in these times of entitlement when a large body of our population hates and refuses to work, but delights in indulging in much gossip and meddlesome ways, especially on social media! Many of us would certainly be going hungry. Sadly, the work ethic that existed for generations has now disappeared and everyone wants to simply get as much as they can, for doing as little as they can. But that’s what kills a society, not what builds it. 

The problem is that our society has reached such a high level of knowledge and technology, as well as prosperity, that it’s fairly easy to coast along on our laurels and get by. However, when too many people are merely coasting along in life, the fabric of the society soon begins to fall apart and the society eventually dies from apathy and lack of a strong work ethic. As the scholars tell us, ‘idle hands are the Devil’s workshop.’ And that’s no lie! Satan doesn’t want us doing anything that would enhance our society or standard of living, for he is the master of death and destruction. 

That brings us to these wise words of Cousin Sol from Proverbs. ‘Where there is no vision (prophetic vision or revelation), the people perish (cast off restraint): but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.’ (Prov. 29:18) And that’s oh so true my people! But what does it mean? 

This commentary explains it thus: ‘The phrase emphasizes the importance of having a vision, a guiding principle, or a purpose for life. Without such a vision, people are prone to unrestrained behavior and ultimately fail to thrive. Some translations use the word “perish” or “cast off restraint” to convey the idea that without a vision, people are left without a sense of direction or purpose, leading to negative consequences. Meanwhile, in a spiritual context, it refers to a lack of divine guidance or revelation, a lack of spiritual leadership.’ 

And we see that happening very clearly back in the days when the Israelites were ruled by judges. The Bible 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’s exactly the evil and ungodly way that our society, or rather our world is moving; everyone doing their own thing, with no sense of godly direction. The Book of Samuel also gives us insight into the problem when it says: ‘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 (no prophetic revelation).’ (1 Sam. 3:1) 

The scholars explain that’ the severity of Israel’s apostasy (cf. Judg. 21:25) caused a dearth of God’s revelatory work. The condition was perpetuating and self-defeating (cf. Prov. 29:18). By God’s grace, the prophetic institution would receive renewed impetus and standardization in the person and work of Samuel.’ 

Oh by God’s grace, I wish we could have someone or some people powerful enough to breathe some godly revelation into today’s crazy, hateful and resentful society. But as has happened to every society which rose to great heights by working diligently and with a God-given purpose, but then forgot God and went their merry way rejoicing, they eventually fell on hard times, with chaos and destruction staring them full in the face. 

Now, is that what we want for our society…what we want our children’s children to experience? I very much doubt it. But if we don’t start taking serious stock of ourselves RIGHT NOW, and turn from our evil ways back to the God of our forefathers, then that is the fate that will possibly befall us, but for sure, our progeny. So, with the Lord’s promise of coming to the throne of grace for help in times of need, let’s do that right now nuh, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. 

Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. 

Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. 

Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’ 

And it’s good to  remember some of those things required to receive divine aid; like humbling ourselves, praying, sincerely seeking God’s face, turning from our evil ways, etc. etc. So, if we truly want it, let’s get with the programme nuh! Much LOVE!

…we are our worst enemies…foolishly turning away from God…when all He desires to do is bless us…

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