The Overwhelming Importance of Christians Understanding that Forgiveness of Sin Doesn’t Mean No Punishment!

Today’s Scrip-Bit   29 October 2026   1 Chronicles 21:1.

1 Chronicles 21:1.        And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked (moved) David to number Israel (take a census).

Oh friends, it’s just one of those days where old age, laziness and a touch of seasonal allergies have combined to dim the enthusiasm of getting up to greet another day. And it’s a beautiful sunshiny, warm though somewhat windy Thursday, our penultimate day of the work week. Now who wouldn’t want to rise and greet such a day at the end of October eh? (smile) In fact, I was up fairly early, spun around a bit, then went back to bed, and found it difficult to get up. And that’s my excuse for being somewhat late to the party! (smile) Anyway, here we are, not brimming with energy, but enough to do a good job with the Lord’s help.

And the Good Book opened today at 1 Chronicles, where Bruh David is gathering all the stuff required to build the Lord’s temple, saying, ‘Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be builded for the Lord must be exceeding magnifical, of fame and of glory throughout all countries: I will therefore now make preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death.’ (1 Chr. 22:5) That was after Bruh David had dropped into the Lord’s bad books for having a census done in Judah and Israel.

The Bible tells us: ‘And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked (moved) David to number Israel (take a census)… And God was displeased with this thing (it was evil in the eyes of God); therefore he smote (struck) Israel.’ (1 Chr. 21:1&7)  But we know how Bruh David, once enlightened of his wrongdoing, always sincerely repented before the Lord. ‘And David said unto God, I have greatly sinned, because I have done this thing: but now, I beseech thee do away (take away) the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.’ (1 Chr: 21:8)

But Bruh David wasn’t going to get away so easily this time. ‘And the Lord spake unto Gad, David’s seer, saying, Go and tell David, saying, Thus saith the Lord, I offer thee three things: choose the one of them, that I may do unto thee.’ (1 Chr. 21:9-10) Imagine that nuh, the Lord offering Bruh David three choices of punishment. Only our God could be so unique!

‘So Gad came unto David, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Choose thee, Either three years of famine (2 Sam. 24:13, says 7); or three months to be destroyed before thy foes, while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee; or else three days the sword of the Lord, even the pestilence, in the land, and the angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the coasts (territory) of Israel. Now therefore advice thyself (consider) what word I shall bring again to him that sent me. And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait (distress): let me fall now into the hand of the Lord; for very great are his mercies: but let me not fall into the hand of man. So the Lord sent pestilence upon Israel: and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men.’ (1 Chr. 21:11-14)

Ah friends, all of that simply shows that Bruh David was only a man like us, and made mistakes but also paid the price for them. Yes, although the Lord favoured him, considered him a man after His own heart, He always took him to task for his wrongdoing, especially after he became king and had the added responsibility to set a good example and ensure God’s glory. And you can read in the rest of 1 Chr. 21, how in the midst of destroying Jerusalem, the Lord stopped His angel, ‘repented him of the evil’ and when Bruh David saw the angel of the Lord standing with drawn sword over the land, he and the elders of Israel, clothed in sackcloth, obviously mourning those destroyed, again repented of his sin, pleading that it was his sin and his house, not the people should be punished.

Then Bruh David was commanded to set up an altar at the threshing floor of a man called Ornan the Jebusite, which he did, though adamantly refusing the land as a gift and instead purchasing it for six hundred shekels of gold. And it’s after all of that, that Bruh David began gathering the material to build the Lord’s temple. ‘Then he called for Solomon his son, and charged (commanded) him to build an house for the Lord God of Israel. And David said unto Solomon, My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build an house unto the name of the Lord my God:

But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight. Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon (Peaceful), and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his day. He shall build an house for my name; and he shall be my son, and I will be his father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel for ever.’ (1 Chr. 22:6-10)

Ah friends, although Bruh David received a lot of grace and mercy from God in trying to do His will, he still suffered a great deal for the mistakes he made. And since the Lord is the same yesterday, today and forever, it means that we are also liable to experience a lot of adversity in doing His will, and like Bruh David we should not lose heart or give up, because it’s simply how the Lord runs His affairs. For as Bruh Paul warns in Galatians: ‘And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not (do not lose heart).’ (Gal. 6:9) So my people, it’s of the utmost importance that we stand strong in faith despite adversity, because eventually we will be well rewarded by the Lord.

Now, let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings; undeserved blessings generously bestowed by God on us to do His earthly work. 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 now behooves us to go out and generously use those blessings to help others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE the Lord like we do! Much LOVE!

…forgiveness of sin…doesn’t exempt one…from paying a price for said sin

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

The Overwhelming Importance of Christians Doing EVERYTHING as if it’s for God!

Today’s Scrip-Bit   26 October 2026   Colossians 3:23.

Colossians 3:23.       And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men:

And then it was Monday that day we all LOVE to hate, simply because it begins a new work week. I believe that we’d dislike whatever the day was called that ended our two-day weekend and had us scurrying back to the daily grind and common task. That’s back to two a day traffic tie-ups and work that doesn’t energize, stimulate or excite us, so we don’t put out our best effort, and thus end up doing mediocre work.

And yes, sometimes the conditions under which we work, the supervision we must adhere to, or even the work itself are admittedly not amenable to bringing out the best in us. However, as children of Jehovah God, as Christians, that’s believers in Christ Jesus, we are expected to give of our best efforts in every situation, because that’s a mark of being a true believer and child of God. And there are numerous scriptures that command us to do just that. So, let’s look at a few of them today, to remind us of our commitment to Almighty God nuh.

And we’ll begin with these verses that we all know quite well, although we don’t always follow them. (smile) They come from Bruh Paul’s letter to the Colossians. The first verse comes from his talk about putting on the new man, where he ends that passage thus: ‘And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.’ (Col. 3:17)

Then a little later, in talking about servants’ attitudes to their job’s Bruh Paul admonishes them: ‘And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men: Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.’ (Col. 3:23-25)

Yes friends, although Bruh Paul was actually talking about slaves there, the same directive also applies to us doing work for earthly masters for remuneration. As the scholars explain: We are to perform our duties wholeheartedly, doing the best job we can, with all of our strength, because in the long run, we’re not working so much for our earthly employers, (unto men) but for our heavenly Master (to the Lord.) And the fact that we will receive the reward of the inheritance, which is salvation, from the Lord and not from men, verifies the assertion in verse 23 that we serve Christ; not our earthly employers.

Then we have this verse where Bruh Paul exhorts Timothy: ‘Study (be diligent) to show (present) thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.’ (2 Tim. 2:15) There Bruh Paul is telling us to be diligent and zealous (to study). And the scholars explain that studying ‘Involves a total effort of mind, emotion and will.’ And when we seriously consider the way we do our work in these lackadaisical times of supposed entitlement, I very much doubt that many of us put a total effort into it. And, as per Rightly dividing the word of truth, the scholars say that means, ‘The apostle appeals for efforts to be made to properly interpret the Word of God.’

And what would the scriptures be without some wise words from Cousin Sol eh, who seems to have something to say on every subject.  (smile) On the topic of work from Proverbs, he establishes that ‘He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack (negligent) hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.’ (Prov. 10:4) And that’s no lie, because we see it happening every day to those around us who don’t apply themselves properly to their tasks. Then from Ecclesiastes, speaking as the Preacher, Cousin Sol offers this most excellent advice: ‘Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.’ (Eccl. 9:10)

Yes my people, there is no work, wisdom or enjoyment in the grave, and it’s our portion, our responsibility to do the best we can with what we have in this earthly life. And we’ll end with this gem from Bruh Paul to the Galatians. He strongly advises: ‘And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not (do not lose heart, become discouraged). As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.’ (Gal. 6:9-10)

Oh my faithful brethren, we could not end with better advice than that! So, having reminded ourselves of all those marvellous scriptures, let’s spend some time pondering them, then doing our best to action them nuh. And for divine aid to help us do that, we’ll go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.

Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise and thank You this Monday morning for our jobs; jobs we sometimes don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose; 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 weekend. It’s that rejuvenation of spirit which now allows us to sally forth with confidence into the evil and ungodly world, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s evil schemes.

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 allow Your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit to 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, thereby furthering Your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Amen!’

And with the Holy Spirit leading us out into battle, let’s get out there, engage the enemy, and win the day for Jesus Christ! Much LOVE!

…whether therefore ye eat or drink…or whatsoever ye do…do all to the glory of God…  (1 Cor. 10:31)

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

The Necessity for Believers to be strong and steadfast in Faith during Times of Adversity!

Hebrews 12:3.        For consider him that endured such contradiction (hostility) of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint (become discouraged) in your minds (souls).

And at long last it’s Friday! Yes, the day we all pine and give thanks for even though it may be wet and cloudy like today, because it means the end of our work week and we can get rest and relaxation from all the harassing and frustrating stuff that besets us during those trying times. And we’re especially glad for this weekend, so that we can recuperate from the extracurricular activities of the last one, that’s the Labour Day celebrations. 

But as we keep on reminding us, there are consequences to all of our actions, and if we don’t hear, we will certainly feel, as many of us did this past week, having to drag ourselves through it, because of overdoing the Labour Day festivities. Hopefully though, after many mistakes, one day we will learn not to abuse situations. And let’s hope that happens sooner rather than later. (smile) 

That brings us to this gem of wisdom from Cousin Sol in Proverbs: ‘If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.’ (Prov. 24:10) And that’s the gospel truth my fellow believers, for as the scholars say: ‘Strength in the face of adversity is the true test of one’s endurance.’ And sadly that strength is not showing up as it ought to amongst the current crop of believers, otherwise the enemy would not have such a stranglehold on our world! 

And that should not be, because we have all that’s necessary to stand up strong and fight the enemy mano a mano. However, we’re still either afraid or simply like the comfortable life without any botheration or sacrifices. That though is totally not what Jesus wants and expects of His followers. And what does He expect? These are His exact words. ‘If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) 

Yes my fellow believers. That’s what is expected of us; first off to deny ourselves, or make some sacrifices, and to daily take up our cross by doing, not shirking our duty in Christ’s organization. But too many of us supposed believers only pay lip service to our Christian duty. And the simple truth is that if every one who calls themselves a Christian would go out into the world and truly behave like one, our world would be such a wonderful place. But no, too many of us are either afraid to face the rejection and abuse of the world or prefer to behave like the world and compromise our Christian position. 

And from the beginning to the end of the Bible we’ve been warned and reminded of the need for believers to stay strong and courageous. Way back in Deuteronomy, in giving reasons for exemptions from battle, Moses told the Israelites thus: ‘And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren’s heart faint as well as his heart.’ (Deut. 20:8) Yuh see friends, when we are scared we are liable to inflict our fear on others, and that certainly won’t do in any army, especially one of Christian soldiers. 

And what did the Lord tell Joshua after he made him the leader of the Israelites. ‘Have I not commanded thee? be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.’ (Josh. 1:9) And nothing has changed since then friends. In fact God’s presence with us has gotten even stronger with the indwelling Holy Spirit. So there is even less cause to fear than before. 

And in the scriptures, Jesus Himself reminded us of the necessity to stand strong. ‘And he (Jesus) spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint (lose heart) (Luke 18:1) That parable was the one about the persistent widow seeking justice from an unjust judge. (Luke 18:2-8) He also warned us thus of the end of the church age: ‘And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity (lawlessness) shall abound, the LOVE of many shall wax (grow) cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.’ (Matt. 24:11-13) 

And we’re certainly seeing the ascendance of false prophets, as well as lawlessness with much deception and a thorough lack of LOVE. That means, to be saved, we have to refute and reject those false prophets and deceptions, and keep the LOVE of God strong in our hearts. It’s not always easy to do, but as we said earlier, we have all the tools necessary to do it. We just have to come up with the desire and the belly and backbone. 

Then the author of Hebrews reminds us of Jesus’ situation. ‘For consider him that endured such contradiction (hostility) of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint (become discouraged) in your minds (souls).’ (Heb. 12:3) Now that’s a very good scripture for us to consider my fellow saints. Just think what would have happened to us, to our salvation, if Jesus had been afraid of the hostility that He faced eh? But He stood strong and faced whatever came against Him, and He expects His followers to do the same, for He’s equipped us with all that we need to do it. 

And lastly, here’s this scripture from Bruh Paul to the Galatians. ‘And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not (do not lose heart). (Gal. 6:9) Now, to help us stand strong, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant seeking divine aid. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough…  because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. 

Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. 

Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

And we need to realize that divine help will not be forthcoming until we become better examples of Christian witness. Much LOVE!

…between the promises of God in His Word…and the guidance of His Holy Spirit…the believer has more than enough help to stand strong in faith…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   27 May 2022   2 Corinthians 9:7b.

2 Corinthians 9:7b.      for God LOVETH a cheerful (joyful) giver.​

It’s a wet and cloudy Friday morning, but nonetheless the populace is still shouting ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is finally here!’ That’s although most of them only had a four-day work week with the Victoria Day holiday on Monday past. But such is the nature of the human animal, that even if we only had to work two days, we’d still be proclaiming the end of the work week. (smile) 

And today the Lord has put it on my heart to talk about how He LOVES a cheerful giver. Bruh Paul said it in His second missive to the church at Corinth. ‘But this I say, he which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully (with blessings, generously). (2 Cor. 9:6) 

Yes friends, as the scholars tell us: ‘One’s return is determined by his investment.’ (Ref. Prov. 11:24, Luke 6:38, Gal. 6:7). While it does not suggest indiscriminate giving , it does denote “unrestrained” giving.’ Meaning that we don’t have to just give away everything we have, but we must give and it must be generously, with a pure and unadulterated heart. As Bruh Paul continues. ‘Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity (compulsion): for God LOVETH a cheerful (joyful) giver.’ (2 Cor. 9:7) 

And yes, my fellow saints, does our God ever LOVE a person who gives with a cheerful heart, because it reminds Him of Himself; of how He’s given to us so generously, right down to the sinless life of His only Son, Jesus Christ. Now the scholars explain that verse by stating that the ‘Cheerful giver: is to have a willing heart and a sincere desire to participate in the offering. Paul is not so much interested in their money. Nor is God for that matter, as the passage from Proverbs 22:9 indicates. Giving is not a joke. It is serious business, but it is a delightful experience all the same.’ 

And it surely is, for when you give with a generous and willing heart a spirit of thankfulness and satisfaction rises up in you, knowing that you have sincerely helped someone else, you’ve done what Christ commanded…LOVED your neighbour, at least to some small extent. Bruh Paul then explains why it’s so important to give and to give with a good heart. ‘And God is able to make all grace abound toward you: that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.’ (2 Cor. 9:8) 

In other words, when you give generously and with a willing heart, God, who’s the source of all things, will make sure that you are never lacking in anything, will bless you bountifully, and thus enable you to keep on doing good works in His mighty name! Like Jesus said in Luke 6:38. ‘Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give unto your bosom (pocket). For with the same measure that ye mete (use) withal it shall be measured to you again.’ 

And that’s the living truth my people! However we give, whatever measure we use to give, the same measure will be used to give back to us. So, if we use a generous measure to give, then a generous measure will be used to return to us. And that’s just the way of God ‘s kingdom; you reap what you sow. As Bruh Paul plainly said to the Galatians. ‘Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.’ (Gal. 6:7) A lot of us foolishly think and believe otherwise though. We think we can sow evil or sparingly and yet reap a bountiful harvest of good. But those who think so will be in for a big surprise come the day of Jesus, if not before. 

And these two verses from Proverbs 22 admirably bring the right perception to the matter. ‘He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity (trouble): and the rod of his anger (wrath) shall fail (perish). He that hath a bountiful (generous) eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.’ (Prov. 22:8-9) Now it couldn’t get any clearer than that! But Cousin Sol tries hard to do so in Prov. 11:24-28. So please read it. That’s your homework for today, (smile) because I want us to go out with these magnificent verses from Bruh Paul’s letter to the church at Galatia, where He continues with the act of sowing and reaping. 

‘For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.’ ( Gal. 6:8) Yes my brethren, when we ‘conduct ourselves by the evil dictates and desires of our sinful nature, thus practicing the deeds of the flesh,’ of carnality, eventually we will be rewarded with eternal destruction. However, when we conduct ourselves with the enabling help of the Spirit, we’ll be rewarded with eternal life. ‘And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not (do not lose heart). (Gal. 6:9) 

It’s only a matter of time friends before we reap our sure reward, so please let’s not stop doing good, let’s not faint and lose heart. ‘As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.’ (Gal. 6:10) Oh my people, let’s take those wise and wonderful words to heart today nuh, because it’s what our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ desires of us, what He died to help us become; Christ-like saints, not evil sinners! So, let’s go to Him right now, through our Friday Chant, asking for His divine help, so we can be the kind of people of whom He’s proud. 

Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means we desperately need your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets. 

So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks. And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. 

And please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

The next move is now up to us; to keep our promises so that the Lord can keep His. Much LOVE!

…you reap what you sow…more than you sow…and later than you sow…  (Uncle Charles – Dr. Charles Stanley) 

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