The Overwhelming Importance of Believers not allowing the Lord’s Sanctuary to be used in a Wrongful Manner!

04 Sep 2026 Leave a comment

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   4 September 2026   Matthew 21:13.

Matthew 21:13.        It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

And then it was Friday, and our Friday Mantra rose up to high heaven with a glorious shout: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here at long last!’ And though the day is not as beautiful as yesterday, with only a sprinkling of sunshine and some cloud cover, no one really cares because this is the start of the long, Labour Day weekend. Unfortunately it means the end of the summer vacation for the school children and some adults, but the cottage country will be busy with end of summer festivities this weekend, while the Canadian National Exhibition, the CNE, our grand summer fair, down at the shores of Lake Ontario, (not Lake America) (smile) will be doing a brisk business before it closes on Monday for another year.

And all around the world, there will be marches and parties to celebrate the lessening of the employers’ stranglehold on workers down through the last few generations. Oh, it’s been a daunting battle, fraught with much bloodshed and suffering, and the employers’ would be only too glad to get us back under their greedy, inconsiderate, uncompassionate clutches, and they are constantly trying to do so, willing to grab whatever bit of influence and leverage they can. But please, let’s not relax and allow our hard earned, hard fought for rights to be repudiated on our watch. End of the Sermon! (smile)

And I guess the Lord desires to reinforce our fighting for our rights with the scriptures because the Good Book just opened to that interesting situation where Jesus was fighting for His and His Father’s rights. That’s on Palm Sunday, the day of His triumphal entry into Jerusalem and the multitudes hailed Him with cries of ‘Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.’ (Matt. 21:9)

Soon thereafter, the Bible tells us: ‘And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast (drove) out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew (overturned) the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves. And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. And the blind and lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.’  (Matt. 21:12-14) Now that’s fighting for you and your Father’s rights!

Yes friends, as the scholars explain, in reality, the atmosphere around the temple amounted to a public bazaar. And apparently this was not the first or only time Jesus cleansed the temple of the wrongdoers. But only John tells us this story. According to John, after Jesus performed His first miracle, turning water into wine at the marriage festival in Cana, ‘He went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days.

And the Jews Passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, And found in the temple those that sold oxen, and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge (whip) of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew (overturned) the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.’ (John 2:12-16)

Yuh see friends, Jesus was not afraid to fight for what was rightfully His, and so should we. And the scholars explain that Jesus’ display of anger indicated ‘His disdain for the corruption of organized religion which lacked purity of life and the power of God. In light of the seriousness of what He had come to do, Jesus could not tolerate such gross perversion of the temple, meaning the whole temple area on Mount Moriah including all the precincts and courts.’ And we could expect no less from Him.

And I like how Jesus just LOVES to quote scripture to bolster His actions. In the Palm Sunday instance, where He claims, ‘It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.’ He’s most likely quoting from Isaiah and Jeremiah. Isaiah, in talking about God’s salvation and righteousness, says of the Lord: ‘Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.’ (Is. 56:7)

Then as per Jeremiah, where the Lord is telling the people to amend their ways. ‘Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations? Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it saith the Lord.’ (Jer. 7:9-11)

Unfortunately today also, many churches are run like business places more than houses of prayer and worship. But be that as it may, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid to help us handle all the stuff that’s coming against us. 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!’ 

Now two words of warning: remember to have a modicum of circumspection in your partying this weekend, and we believers also need to wake up and smell the coffee, because our witness for Christ is certainly not good enough! Much LOVE!

…you have a right to fight…to protect what is yours…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 2 September 2019 Hosea 8:7.

02 Sep 2019 Leave a comment

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

Hosea 8:7.     ​For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind; it hath no stalk (the stalk has no bud): the bud shall yield no meal (it shall never produce meal): if so be it yield (if it should produce), the strangers (aliens) shall swallow it up.
 

(Scottish brogue please): ‘It was a drizzily day…a drizzily, drizzily day!’ (smile) Let’s hope today is not the same nuh, spoiling the Labour Day holiday. Yes, we can always move the celebrations inside, but it just doesn’t seem right when this is our last long weekend of the summer. We ought to be celebrating labour’s partial freedom in the bright sunshine outside. And yes, we’re only partially free because the employer has wrested back many of the benefits our forefathers won on the picket lines and serious physical clashes with the goons of the advantageous power-brokers. 

And they are still doing their best to take us back to those long-ago days when they could do whatever they wanted and we had no voice or say in the matter. Please don’t allow them to do it, else our grand- children will find themselves right back where we were a few generations back. It won’t be easy since the employer has most of the leverage, but they had it back then too, and we were able to break their advantageous hold because we stuck together and fought together through thick and thin. And that’s what it will take to best them again! So let’s stand strong together nuh and put up a good fight like our forefathers did, although those who control the means of production are doing their best to divide and conquer us. 

And now, our society has become so big and commercially inclined that even on Public Holidays we can’t afford to shut it down completely, which means some of us have to go to work on this Labour Day holiday Monday, and that is never easy when everybody else is at home having a good time. So it’s understandable when those unfortunates grimace and complain about the unfairness of life. (smile) Anyway, let’s help them by leading them in prayer, our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, which drives away all the doubts and fears and whatever is ailing us on a Monday morning. 

In strong, sincere voice now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together. We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. 

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

And as always, the voices of those not going to work are the loudest and most gravelly, ostensibly from all the celebrating they’ve been doing over the last couple of days. But please remember Granny’s advice: ‘Sonny boy, drunk or sober, ah beg yuh, please mind yuh business!’ And that’s exactly what I’m asking us to do; celebrate, but watch your p’s and q’s as the enemy is excitedly lurking around for us to give him just a toehold of opportunity so he can jump into our souls and begin creating the havoc for which he is famous. 

That’s why friends in these last days, these utterly troublesome and difficult times, it is ever so important for us to carefully watch the way we live, both as individuals and as a society as a whole. We cannot afford to be like Israel, who, back in the days of the prophet Hosea, had forgotten where their bread was buttered, and had gone a whoring after other gods. But the One, True and Living God will not be played for a fool my people. Hear His response to the Israelites folly. ‘For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind; it hath no stalk (the stalk has no bud): the bud shall yield no meal (it shall never produce meal): if so be it yield (if it should produce), the strangers (aliens) shall swallow it up.’  

And the scholars explain it thus: ‘8:7. They have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: They have sown the wind (Heb. ruach), but they will reap a hurricane (Heb. supah). They will be swept away in the judgement of God, and any benefits that they desired would fall to the hands of strangers to whom God would deliver them.’ And it happened to the Israelites several times friends. Each time they turned away from the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, they suffered serious calamity. But they didn’t seem to learn. Please, please, I implore us not to be like them, although that’s the direction in which our evil and ungodly world is currently headed. 

Oh yes, our God is patient and longsuffering, but only up to a point, and if we continue to ignore Him and push Him out of our lives, don’t think He won’t retaliate. And believe me, we don’t ever want to feel God’s wrath, because we simply could not handle it. As Cousin Sol so wisely informs us: ‘He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity (trouble): and the rod of his anger (wrath) shall fail (perish)’ (Prov.22:8) 

So today let’s contemplate our lives seriously nuh and see if we’re sowing the wind, sowing iniquity, and if so, wisely and quickly come before the Lord in sincere repentance, asking for forgiveness, so that we don’t reap the whirlwind. That’s wisdom of the highest order! Much LOVE!

…you can only reap what you sow…you can’t plant sin…and expect to reap righteousness…