The Last Days are drawing closer … with every passing day!

04 Oct 2024 Leave a comment

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

2 Timothy 3:1.       This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

And He spake unto them a parable, saying, Late to bed, late to rise. Let him who has ears to hear, hear. And as always, there’s truth to Jesus’ parables. (smile) I did go to bed rather late this morning, thus I woke up rather late, and that explains the lateness of the Bit. But, nonetheless, we were able to shout ’TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and the weekend is here at long last!’ Although I doubt it’s at long last, because the days are flying by so fast; they morph into each so speedily that before you can truly consider one, it’s another.  

Anyway, it’s also another beautiful sunny, fairly warm day in the month of October, for which we also give great thanks. And finally I get to quote some scripture on the last days of the church age that I’ve been trying to get in from the outset of our discourse on that topic, but could never find the time nor space to fit it in, (smile) and it’s oh so relevant and reflect Jesus’ words on the subject. We’re talking here about Bruh Paul’s wise words of warning to his protégé Timothy. 

Listen up, as he says: ‘This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous (money lovers), boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers (irreconcilable), false accusers (slanderers), incontinent (without self-control), fierce (brutal), despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady (reckless) highminded (haughty), lovers of pleasures more than (rather than) lovers of God; 

Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers (varied) lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate (disapproved) concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs was also.’ (2 Tim. 3:1-9) 

Oh friends, every time I read those words of Bruh Paul, I wonder if he isn’t still alive, because those words so aptly describe our cultures, societies and our overall world today! The world is currently filled with perilous times galore, and mankind is all that Bruh Paul foretold they would be; greedy, with no LOVE for God, but plenty for worldly pleasures, covetous, liars, traitors, haughty, without thanks or holiness, and especially disobedient to parents. Now that last one we certainly cannot deny, as this generation is so disobedient it’s not funny. 

And the scholars explain the first four verses thus: ‘The last days began with the birth of Christ and will culminate in Christ’s return to the earth to set up His kingdom. The prediction of perilous times indicates that apostasy (turning away from God) will characterize the final days of the church age.’ 

And we don’t have to look very far to see that people are turning away from God in droves, while figuratively speaking, only a handful are coming to Him. That doesn’t say much for our world or Jesus’ church, meaning us, His supposed believers, disciples and ambassadors. We obviously have not been the worthy salt of the earth and light of the world we ought to have been, otherwise our world would not have fallen so far and fast on the way to hell in a handbasket. 

Meanwhile, per the other five verses in the scripture passage, the scholars explain: ‘A form of godliness is mere religion without power or spiritual life. Paul commands Timothy to turn away from these false teachers who pray upon silly women laden with sins, who are especially susceptible to false teachers. Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth condemns not intense study but some esoteric quest for truth apart from God’s Word. Jannes and Jambres, according to Jewish tradition were the two magicians in Pharaoh’s court who attempted to duplicate the miracles of Moses. (cf. Ex. 7:11; 9:11).’ 

Ah mih people, there’s absolutely no doubt that Bruh Paul’s prophecy holds true to the state of our current society. But the only unfortunate difference is that not only are silly women, but also silly men are being persuaded to turn away from God by the numerous false teachers out there. And the supposed quest for truth, apart from God’s Word, has never before been so intense in the modern world, with so many different types of truth abounding, and where everyone has his or her own truth.  

And though, deep down we might desire to turn things around, we all know we cannot do it without the help of Jesus, for He says, He is the vine, and we are the branches, and if we don’t stick close to Him, we won’t be able to do anything. (John 15:5) So please, let’s go to the throne of grace, right now, through our Friday Chant, seeking that divine aid to help us do what we cannot do in our own strength. 

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 having prayed that prayer, let’s not forget that nothing will change until we change, until we become better examples of true Christian living! Much LOVE!

…in a world that’s turning away from God…there’s an insatiable need for true believers…

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

The Absolute Necessity for True LOVE in this Evil World!

16 Jul 2024 Leave a comment

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

John 13:34.        A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another.

Oh boy, it’s a rainy Tuesday morning in my neck of the woods! And like it means serious business too, because the thunder’s been rumbling in a very intimidating manner! But there’s no need to worry, because it all comes from our great God, who made the heavens and the earth and still owns and controls it! And if He chooses to grit His teeth and cause the earth to shake with rumbling thunder every once in a while to show His displeasure with our sinful, ungodly life style, then who’s to say Him nay eh? (smile) Nobody whatsoever, because He’s the Boss, and the Boss can do whatever He so desires! 

So it’s a two in one session; some heavenly blessings and some heavenly displeasure. Please, let’s be wise and pay some serious attention to the displeasure aspect, because we would not like to feel even one iota of His godly wrath, which can immediately destroy us, both body and soul. As Jesus warns the disciples and by extension, all other followers: ‘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) 

And what does that mean? Listen to this commentary. ‘Jesus’s command, Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul (v 28), informs His disciples of the extent of the danger that they will face for following Him. Earthly rulers and mobs will kill the bodily lives of Christ’s followers for the sake of extending or preserving their earthly power.’ So we don’t need to truly fear them, for they can only kill our bodies. But God Almighty can destroy us completely. 

Therefore we ought to have both a reverential fear or awe of Him, as well as a real fear of the power He possesses and can unleash at a moment’s notice if  His displeasure is stirred up. But we don’t need to fear God’s wrath if we live the godly and LOVING life that He expects of His followers. Remember that although His wrath is lethal, His LOVE is even more powerful, and once we’re living in LOVE with Him and each other, there’s nothing to fear. 

Jesus said it very simply but with the utmost confidence and sincerity when He answered the question posed by the facetious Pharisee lawyer: ‘Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ (Matt. 22:36- 40) 

Yes friends, in God’s kingdom, everything swings on the power of LOVE! Can you imagine a world that is just filled with LOVE? Unfortunately though, most of us cannot conjure such a divine situation because we have become hard, cynical and too accustomed to a world where the negative things like hate, anger, strife and the rest of them are rampant and overwhelming. 

And it’s ONLY LOVE, the LOVE of believers in Christ Jesus that will ever make a difference in this hateful and ungodly world. And Jesus harped on the necessity for LOVE amongst His believers. Listen to this directive. ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another. By this shall men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:34-35) 

Oh my fellow believers, Jesus could not have been any clearer or more explicit. The attribute that’s supposed to set us apart from the heathen and let others know that we are disciples of Jesus Christ is LOVE for each other. But can we truthfully say that LOVE exists today amongst the supposed disciples of Christ in any serious and sincere amount? I doubt it. Not when there are so many divisions, dissensions, denominations, cliques, petty jealousies, infighting and outright evil doings in the body of Christ, in His church. 

That thread of true LOVE in Christ’s church is sadly missing. No wonder the heathen don’t consider us disciples, but rather hypocrites, since we don’t even show the most basic aspect of Christ’s nature, LOVE, to each other and to the world in general. It hurts the heart when you think of the awesome power, the great difference Christ’s church could make in this world if it came together as one, instead of being broken up into many weak and powerless pieces, acknowledging the wisdom of Satan’s scheme, to divide and conquer. 

And when we sing that famous hymn ‘The church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord; she is his new creation by water and the Word,’ we’re making a mockery of it because so many people today are trying to lay their own foundation in the church of Christ, unlike what Bruh Paul says in his first letter to the Corinthians: ‘For other foundation can no man lay that that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.’ (1 Cor, 3:11) Oh my people, the only foundation that’s supposed to be in Christ’s church is Christ Himself! We need to build on that, not on anything else. Otherwise it would not be truly of Christ. 

But, unfortunately, our world had become just like Bruh Paul warned Timothy long ago . ‘This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous (money lovers), boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy.’ (2 Tim. 3:1-2) And he goes on to name a long list of other sinful and ungodly deeds that mankind would be guilty of. And there’s no doubt that all those things are very blatant and rampant in our world right now. 

And the only antidote for what’s ailing our world is true LOVE and LOVING actions amongst those who profess belief in Christ Jesus. It’s a simple but not an easy answer, but with God’s help we can turn things around if we seriously try. However, that’s where the problem lies, we don’t want to seriously try because it will take too much effort and sacrifice. But that’s another sermon for another day! 

Right now let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’ 

And having made that claim, it now behooves us to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…life is all about LOVE…LOVE for God…for ourselves…and for our fellow human beings…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   3 June 2024   1 John 2:15a.

03 Jun 2024 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.

It’s here friends, right on schedule…Monday…that day so many of us detest, because we believe that it usurps our weekend. (smile) But Monday is just keeping us on the straight and narrow path, reminding us that working for a living is as important, if not more important than just hanging around doing nothing productive, or what we call enjoying life. Without Mondays to wake us up to the reality of life, so many of us would be lost and adrift on a stormy sea of lawlessness and chaos. 

So instead of disliking Mondays, let’s tell it thanks for bringing us back into the real world every week. (smile) And it’s especially important for we believers in Christ Jesus who need as many checks and balances as we can get to keep us walking the straight road to heaven and not the directionless one that leads to Satan’s lair. 

For as Bruh Paul warned Timothy and by extension us: ‘This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous (money lovers), boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers (irreconcilable), false accusers (slanderers), incontinent (without self-control), fierce (brutal), despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady (reckless), highminded (haughty), lovers of pleasures more (rather) than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.’ (2 Tim. 3:1-5) 

Ah mih bredrin, I don’t know if these are really the last days or not nuh, but I do know that those traits Bruh Paul outlined to Timothy are now sweeping our world with an intensity and viciousness like we’ve never seen before. The rule of law is being overturned in numerous places, only to be replaced by strife and chaos. Likewise the rule of God is disregarded as if it never existed. That means apostasy, or turning away from God is a major casualty in these turbulent times. 

We also have a warning from John in his first epistle about the chaotic situation that’s in progress in our world. He says: ‘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-interests), 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) 

Now that’s a plain as day. All the stuff that’s happening in the world is not of God, and as children of God we ought to stay away from it. And let’s not forget the ongoing problem we have of false teachers, who are also out in great numbers. They preach their own version of the Bible, slanted towards their own aggrandizement and though it seems that they are in tune with God, in actual fact they are the devil’s own, like wolves in sheep’s clothing, and thus have God’s people unknowingly going astray. 

That’s why it’s ever so important for believers to truly know God’s Word, so that they can compare what they hear and see to what the Word says, because there are so many unscrupulous people out there taking advantage of those with little or weak knowledge of God’s Word. Christianity is definitely not an easy path to tread these days, since there are so many pitfalls being laid out to capture the weary, the gullible and those who simply don’t know any better. 

And with all the new technology, like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the social media platforms, falsehood and deceit are running rampant and will only get worse as our areas of expertise and knowledge widen. Thus we believers ought to exert every effort to do as John advises: ‘This then is the message which we have heard of him (Jesus), and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not (practice) the truth: 

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.’ (1 John 1:5-10) 

That my fellow saints is the style of life we need to adopt; walk in the light of Jesus and do our best not to be entrapped by the profusion of sin and temptation that’s currently in the world. However, if we do become ensnared by it, then we must not deceive ourselves or be ashamed, but be big enough to admit it and go to the Father in repentance for forgiveness and cleansing. Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, for help to keep walking the straight path in these very dangerous and ungodly times. 

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!’ 

Let’s not forget the importance of turning from our evil ways, if we truly desire divine assistance. Much LOVE!

…the road may be rough and rocky…but we have all we need to make it safely home…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   1 January 2024 Proverbs 29:18.

01 Jan 2024 Leave a comment

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

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

Proverbs 29:18.       Where there is no vision, the people perish; but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

Oh my Script-Bit friends and families, I do wish all of us a happy and prosperous 2024, with all of God’s grace and mercy enlivening our spirits, causing us to draw closer to Him and do better work on His behalf! That’s because our New Year’s resolution is to become more intimate with Him. (smile) And now that we’ve had some snow, but still no sunshine, and the big New Year’s bash is over for another 365 days – no 366, as this year is a leap year, what’s the result eh? Tiredness and/or inebriation from too much drink and too much partying, but everybody will agree on how they had such a great time. (smile) 

All to what purpose, for nothing has changed since last night, and most likely nothing will change for better, but more likely for worse soon. Today there are still wars and rumours of wars, violence, strife, hatred, anger and all the evil and negative things promoted by the prince of this dark world. Hunger and poverty, economic deprivation and homelessness, as well as health care and education are still major problems in our world. But no one ever considers spending the money we spend on things like New Year’s Eve on those immediate and moral necessities. 

No, there’s never any money to do those things, that’s why our modern-day society, which is rolling in material wealth, is in such misery and has become more beggarly than ever. Charitable associations abound, with everybody begging for a handout, supposedly to help others right in the rich, supposed first world countries. Why do we need so many charitable institutions eh? And where does all the money they collect go to eh? What gets me annoyed is that even the ones you give to, keep asking for more, and some you don’t even know about write for donations. These days when I go to the mailbox, if there are ten pieces of mail, at least eight are from Charitable Organizations asking for donations. 

Meanwhile, in all this flurry of materialism and greed, the things of God; LOVE, peace, joy, wisdom and understanding, compassion and humanity are being relegated to the back burners of our society. In fact, in the last few days, several players in the war games have ramped up their positions, getting ready for possible engagement before long. What is it with the human soul, mind, body and spirit that we are so enamoured with war and violence eh, with gross inhumanity to our brothers, both literally and figuratively? 

You certainly don’t hear of any countries ramping up for gospel revivals, or LOVE Revolutions, or any of those things that have to do with Almighty God. No, that would not be tolerated, but warmongering will always be welcome! Ah Lord eh! I believe that our sad situation has to do with two basic scriptures. The first being the wise words of Cousin Sol in Proverbs. ‘Where there is no vision, the people perish; but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.’ (Prov. 29:18) Yes friends, where there is no prophetic vision, no redemptive revelation of God, the people perish because they cast off restraint and do as they want. But he who keeps God’s moral law, as well as the law of man will be blessed. 

It’s as simple as that my brethren. If there’s no godly wisdom and leadership in a society, it will obviously crumble in short time. And we have a very good example of that back in the days of the judges of Israel, when the Good Book 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 was definitely a chaotic time in Israel. These words from the first book of Samuel also illustrate the malady that happens when God is not present in a society. ‘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.’ (1 Sam. 3:1) 

The scholars then explain: ‘The severity of Israel’s apostasy (turning away from God), as we see in the quote from Judges above, caused a dearth of God’s revelatory work. The condition was perpetuating and self-defeating as Cousin Sol says in the Proverbs quote. By God’s grace the prophetic institution would receive renewed impetus and standardization in the person and work of Samuel (cf. 3:21; 10 20) That’s where the Lord spoke to Samuel. 

And the prophet Amos said the very same things. ‘Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the word of the Lord. And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and from to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.’ (Amos 8:11-12) Oh my people, back then Israel suffered from a famine of the heart, a lack of God’s words to guide them, just like we are suffering from the same malady today! 

It’s the same way that Bruh Paul warned Timothy. ‘This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous (money lovers), boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers (irreconcilable), false accusers (slanderers), incontinent (without self-control), fierce (brutal), despisers of those that are good. Traitors, heady (reckless), highminded (haughty), lovers of pleasures more (rather) than lovers of God. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.’ (2 Tim. 3:1-5) 

Ah my fellow saints, unless you are living on a different planet, you will undoubtedly see the wisdom of Bruh Paul’s words, for those negative things are rather prevalent in our world today. And there’s only ONE way to combat them; that’s sincerely seeking the wisdom the revelation of God’s Word, and putting it into practice. And to help us do that we need to go to God for His divine help, since we can’t do it on our own. And there’s no better time than on this New Year’s Day, the first day of 2024, to go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking God’s face and His help. 

Altogether now: ‘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 the moral of the story is that if we turn from our evil ways, the Lord will prosper us. So let’s enjoy the day, but remember to keep God first place in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls! Much LOVE!

…the Lord will prosper us…in direct proportion to our obedience… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   15 January 2022   1 Samuel 15:22b.

15 Jan 2022 Leave a comment

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

1 Samuel 15:22b.     Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

Saturday, Saturday! A somewhat cloudy, but ever so cold Saturday! Yeh friends, it seems like we are moving into the serious part of the winter weather with mostly minus temperatures. Hn! But I remember saying that earlier on in the season, then we were hit with spring-like temps. I wonder if that’s going to happen again? (smile) One can only hope and pray!

But nonetheless, it’s Saturday and we can lay abed a little longer, take things easy and begin recuperating from a tiresome workweek. Unfortunately though, our usual Saturday expose of our friend Anselm’s quotes will not happen, since I have been locked out of my Microsoft e-mail account, meaning I cannot access any quotes our dear friend might have sent me. And that will most likely be the situation until I can regain use of my account.

So what shall we ponder today eh? And the Lord didn’t miss a beat! (smile) I turned a couple pages in the Good Book and there it was right before me; the wise words of Jeremiah, on the Lord’s behalf concerning the punishment of Judah for their rebellion. ‘Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Put (add) your burnt offerings unto your sacrifices, and eat flesh. For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices:

But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you. But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imaginations (stubbornness) of their evil heart, and went backward and not forward.’ (Jer. 7:21-24)

Now aren’t those some very interesting verses of scripture my brethren? They certainly are! And I daresay that they thoroughly reflect our situation today. But before we get into the meat of the matter, let’s listen to this explanation from the scholars re verses ‘21-23. These verses do not minimize the importance of the Old Testament sacrifices, but call attention to the necessity of the believer living a life of total obedience and devotion to God. The Scriptures consistently teach that religious observances devoid of spiritual reality are worthless (cf. 1 Sam. 15:22-23; Ps. 40:6-8; Is. 1:10-20; Mic. 6:8).’

And that’s the problem right there in a nutshell; there is way too much religiosity without the necessary obedience in our society today. As Bruh Paul told Timothy in his second letter about what would happen in his time. ‘For men shall be lovers of their own selves…lovers of pleasures more (rather) than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.’ (2 Tim. 3:2, 4-5) That’s right friends, many of us today have a lot of religion, but without the power gifted by a real spiritual life.

And yes, sacrifices were important back in olden times, but obedience has always been the NUMBER ONE requirement of our God! Remember how Israel’s first king, Saul, lost his kingdom, through disobedience to God’s directions. He chose to save the enemy’s king and their animals for sacrifices despite the Lord telling him to destroy everybody and everything. And we all know how the prophet Samuel, his mentor, draped him up over the matter, saying to him.

‘Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft (divination), and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.’ (1 Sam. 15:22 -23)

Yuh see mih people, Saul lost his kingship simply because of disobedience. And I wonder if we sit down and ponder some of our own misfortunes, if we wouldn’t see a similar pattern in our lives? For remember, since our God does not change; is the same, yesterday, today and forever, it means that obedience is still His NUMBER ONE requirement for those who consider Him their God. And the good thing is that we no longer have to make burnt offerings or animal sacrifices because Jesus has fulfilled that necessity once and for all time. But yet we still refuse to obey.

And yuh know friends, the more things change, is the more they really stay the same, because listen to what the Lord told Jeremiah way back then. ‘Therefore thou shalt speak all these words unto them; but they will not hearken to thee: thou shalt also call unto them; but they will not answer thee. But thou shalt say unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the Lord their God, nor receiveth correction (instruction): truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth.’ (Jer. 7:27-28)

And isn’t that the indisputable truth! Our society today doesn’t listen to God’s voice. Instead, a great number of us want to get rid of Him completely from our society…which by the way will never happen. And truth… what is it today eh? What we knew as truth no longer exists, for there used to be one truth, but nowadays there are any number of truths on the same subject. Everybody has their own truth, and the word of the Lord no longer prevails.

So what do we truly expect when we disobey God, even try to kick Him out from amongst us eh? Sunshine, lollipops and roses… prosperity and peace? Not on your life! But the same calamity filled, disaster prone and strife filled life that the rebellious Israelites experienced, and that we are currently experiencing. Friends, it’s not pure happenstance, chance or whatever you choose to call it, that our world is in such turmoil and dissatisfied uproar, our stubborn rebellion, our total disobedience and turning away from God has a lot to do with our current unfortunate situation.

And sadly life will not get better until we have some semblance of a serious return to walking with Almighty God in obedience and LOVE for Him and each other. I don’t know how else to put it. But let’s hope more of us will come to understand and accept it as the truth, as our lives continue to deteriorate under our own leadership. Much LOVE!

…we’ve tried all we know to solve our problems…without any success…why not try God now…we have absolutely nothing to lose…and so much to gain…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   27 October 2021   2 Timothy 3:16.

27 Oct 2021 Leave a comment

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

2 Timothy 3:16.     All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 

Wait nuh…is it really Wednesday already? But it was just Monday! Hn, hn, hn! I guess with the constant rain and darkness over the last few days, I’ve lost track of time. It seems dry now, but still somewhat cloudy. And it’s a good thing I had the Holy Spirit of Christ to keep me anchored, otherwise I might have lost track of myself too. (smile) 

Now that just goes to show how important the Holy Spirit is in a believer’s life. It keeps us anchored in Christ, our feet on the ground, so that we don’t lose our way. Without the Holy Spirit’s wise guidance we’d indeed be lost and ever so vulnerable to the enemy’s wiles and deceitful schemes. But He is our sounding block, our go to person in times of doubt and trouble, He holds our reins and guides us along the paths of righteousness. He leads us to the appropriate word of the Father when we need it, because as the scriptures tell us: ‘Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.’ (Ps. 119:105) 

And in all truth, there’s not a problem we face in this life that we can’t find a wise word from the Good Book to show us the right way, the best decision to make. Remember, it’s our Guidebook for earthly living. Just like you look at all the guidebooks when you travel to see the best places to go, likewise, we ought to continually look within the Lord’s Word to see how we ought to live our lives. 

Bruh Paul said it thus to Timothy in his second letter. ‘All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished (equipped) unto all good works.’ (2 Tim. 3:16-17) Now those are remarkable words my brethren, words that we ought to take to heart and follow as best we can, because they were written for our edification and benefit, so that we can grow and mature as true Christians. 

And the scholars offer some interesting explanations on those verses. ‘3:14-17. Inspiration of God (lit. “God-breathed”) describes the unique character of Scripture. It is not only written by men, but authored by God. Inspired by the supernatural guidance of the Spirit of God, so that what they wrote was the divine Word of God, transcribed accurately, reliably, and without error in the original manuscripts. 

For doctrine means to tell one what to believe. For reproof means to tell one what is wrong. For correction means to tell one how to correct wrong. For instruction in righteousness means to tell one how to live. Perfect (proficient, capable) is having everything to do what God wants. Thoroughly furnished means “thoroughly equipped.” God’s inspired Word properly used and applied, provides all we need for life and ministry.’ 

And the most important words there my brethren are ‘properly used and applied.’ Yes, if we don’t learn the Word of God and apply it properly it will be useless, just like any other guidebook not followed properly. And that’s one of the problems facing the church these days; too many different interpretations and directives of the same scripture. 

That means different doctrines and guidelines, which consequently lead to serious disputes amongst the brethren. And since no one wants to believe or admit that their interpretation is wrong or faulty, or that there could possibly be a meeting of the minds, Christ’s church is filled with dissension and disunity, strife, anger, and all the negative stuff that pleases the enemy and has Him laughing all the way to his lair in hell. 

Oh my fellow believers, we cannot win souls for Christ, or even get them to consider living for Christ if we as Christians can’t live in peace with each other. And to make matters even worse, the way our society functions today does not lend itself to godliness. As Bruh Paul so accurately described it to Timothy. ‘For men shall be LOVERS of their own selves, covetous (money LOVERS), boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 

Without natural affection, trucebreakers (irreconcilable), false accusers (slanderers), incontinent (without self-control), fierce (brutal), despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady (reckless), high-minded (haughty), LOVERS of pleasures, more than LOVERS of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.’ (2 Tim. 3:2-5) 

And if that isn’t the gospel truth regarding our current society, then I don’t know what is! Yes friends, apostasy, or the rejection of Christianity is happening in droves, since the culture of the society will not tolerate our standards of godly living. And as Bruh Paul told Timothy, re a form of godliness, where all we have is mere religion and no power or true spiritual life, is exactly what’s happening today! 

Our world has certainly gone bonkers with supposed Christian leaders watering down the Word and using it for their own evil purposes. The enemy even has flowering organizations working under Christ’s name. So, what else can we expect but strife and confusion in our unanchored, storm-driven society. It’s truly unfortunate friends, that when civilization has reached its highest pinnacle in terms of learning, of knowledge and understanding in things like science and technology, it has also reached a sad low point in godliness, truth, peace and LOVE! 

However, there is yet hope for some turn around through our relatively small group of faithful believers. And size doesn’t really matter, since we have Almighty God working with us. Remember what the twelve…or eleven disciples of Jesus did, a couple of thousands of years ago? They began proselytizing the world, saving it from sin and Satan, and it’s our bounden duty to continue that awesome work. So please, let’s stand strong and work smart, guided by the Word of God and His Holy Spirit! 

Now, for those of us who are seriously endeavouring to do just that, let’s go home declaring (steups!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

Now, having said all of that, we also need to remember that if we endure with Jesus to the very end, that the future will be even more glorious than our puny, finite minds can ever imagine! Much LOVE!

…a Christian’s lifeline…read the Word of God…believe it…and live it through His Holy Spirit…                                                                                                              

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 30 December 2020 Psalm 60:12.

30 Dec 2020 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 60:12.     ​’Through God we shall do valiantly, for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.’

Well it’s another snowy morning, this eve of New Year’s Eve Wednesday! And like Mother Nature is all about making her mark this crazy year of 2020, for it’s a long time since we’ve seen so much snow in such a short period of time. And as long as I don’t have to go out in it, I just LOVE to see the place sparkling white and virginal when I get up in the morning. (smile) Ah friends, we might as well be joyful in whatever circumstances we find ourselves yes, because being unhappy and miserable won’t make them any better, just worse. 

And remember we have Jesus…JESUS, that magnificent Lord and Saviour always with us through His indwelling Holy Spirit, so there’s NOTHING we can’t handle when we include Him in our daily journey. Oh praise be to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, for all the wonderful things they’ve done, are doing, and have promised to do for us! Without them continually in our lives we’d be so lost and lonely, it wouldn’t be funny. How else would Bruh David be able to truthfully write: ‘Give us help from trouble: for vain (futile) is the help of man.’ (Ps. 60:11) 

And then in the very next verse assuredly proclaim: ‘Through God we shall do valiantly, for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.’ (Ps. 60:12) And yuh better believe that is ONLY Almighty God who is able and also willing to tread down our enemies if we place our sincere trust and faith in Him! And then hear Bruh David in Psalm 61 nuh: ‘Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed…’ (Ps. 61:1-2a) 

Oh mih people, so many of our hearts are so totally overwhelmed today, but we refuse to call upon the One True God, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; the Only One who can truly ease our pain and trouble! Why are we so foolish and stubborn eh? Why we still looking to man for help eh, when we already know that man’s help is both futile and deceitful? And hear how Bruh David continues in that second verse: ‘Lead me to the rock that is higher than I:’ (Ps. 61:2b) 

Mama Yo mih bredrin! That’s where we ought to want to go, and need to go, and should go…to the ROCK that is indeed higher than us…Jesus Christ – the name that’s above every other name, the magnificent personage to whom ALL knees will eventually bow! Wow! 

And why should we look to Jesus you ask? Bruh David states it quite simply and clearly: ‘For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.’ (Ps. 61:3) And consequently, he declares (steups!) ‘I will abide in thy tabernacle (tent) for ever: I will trust in the covert (shelter) of thy wings.  Selah. For thou, O God, hast heard my vows: thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name.’ (Ps. 61:4-5) 

Yes friends, we too have the heritage of those who fear and reverence the name of the Lord…even in greater depth than those who went before us, since they never had Jesus sacrifice Himself for them, or His Holy Spirit dwelling in them, so we ought to have even more faith and good character than them! But sadly we don’t, because we don’t truly believe as we should, and are still turning to man and the evil world for too much of our happiness and contentment. 

Please remember all these things that Jesus said nuh. First, this to Thomas who questioned how they could know whither He was going. ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:6) And then to Thomas again, who doubted when his friends told Him they’d seen Jesus after the resurrection. He needed to see the scars in Jesus’ hands and sides before he believed. And eight day later, Jesus showed up again, this time Thomas was with them. 

And it is interesting how Jesus turned to Thomas, as though He came just to convince him. ‘Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side, and be not faithless (unbelieving), but believe. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.’ (John 20:27-28) And the website trusting in Jesus.com tells us: ‘This enlightening statement by Thomas is considered to be among the greatest confessions ever made and is only one of ten “New Testament” passages proclaiming that Jesus is God.’ 

The point of the story though is that Thomas believed because he saw the scars on Jesus’ hands and body. But hear Jesus to him after that. ‘Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.’ (John 20:29) 

Now friends, that points directly to us. We did not personally see Jesus walk on the earth, but we believe that He did, and that all the stuff that’s written about Him is true…at least I hope so. Now the problem with today’s world is that we don’t like to believe something until we see it, thus the saying – seeing is believing. But in Jesus’ economy, it’s all different; you won’t see something until you have the faith to believe it, as they would say, sight unseen! And that is the thing that’s screwing up our lives; we’re not fully believing in Jesus, because we’re listening to all the false, deceitful and misleading stuff that’s being noised abroad in these evil and disbelieving times. 

As Bruh Paul warned Timothy about the coming apostasy (turning away from God): ‘This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be LOVERS of their own selves, covetous (money LOVERS), boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy….’ (2 Tim. 3:1-2) And a whole lot more that you can read on your own. And when you read it, you will undoubtedly believe that this is the time Bruh Paul was referring to, for our world couldn’t get any more evil, wicked and unbelieving than it already is. 

So please, let’s do ourselves and our LOVED ones a great favour and believe nuh, truly believe. In these unheralded and oh so rough, tough and uncertain times, we need to above all else accept that Great Invitation that Jesus offered to all and sundry. ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto you souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt. 11:28-30) 

Please, please friends, those words were spoken for exactly a time like this. So let’s be wise and accept that wonderful invitation nuh. There’s never been and will never be one as wonderful and inviting and truthful as it. Now let’s go home describing our marvellous position in Christ nuh, through our Wednesday Wail, a position we have achieved by accepting His Great Invitation. 

Altogether now.’ ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

And furthermore, we do know that if we endure until the end, that future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine! Much LOVE!

…believe nuh….only believe…that is all He asks…is it that hard…