The Overwhelming Need for Christians to Believe that God will One Day Judge the World!

04 Aug 2025 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 75:7.        But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up (exalts) another.

So it’s a bright and sunshiny Monday, the last day of this August long weekend that features the Caribana cultural activities. And even with an air advisory warning from the numerous forest fires, the celebrations are moving full steam ahead. (smile) But please, let’s remember tomorrow is work, and if you don’t show a modicum of circumspection in your celebrating today, tomorrow you’ll suffer the consequences; being physically sick, hung over, dead tired, or whatever negative situation crops up, and it might even endanger your job. So let’s be wise and party heartily, but above all, party wisely! End of Sermon. (smile)

And today we’ll look at the interesting Psalm 75, titled The Righteous Judge, who obviously is Almighty God. This psalm comes from the pen of Asaph, another great song writer that worked with Bruh David. The psalm opens thus: ‘Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto thee do we give thanks: for that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare.’ (Ps. 75:1) And as in so many other psalms, we see the writer opens with praise and thanksgiving for God’s presence and His awesome works.

Then he continues: ‘When I shall receive the congregation (choose the appointed or proper time) I will judge uprightly. The earth and all the inhabitants are dissolved: I bear up (firmly set up) the pillars of it. Selah. I said unto the fools (boastful, arrogant), Deal not foolishly (boastfully or arrogantly): and to the wicked, lift not up the horn (don’t raise your head proudly like a horned animal): Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck (in insolent pride).’  (Ps. 75:2-5)

And what does all of that mean? This commentary explains it thus: ‘The psalm begins by thanking the Lord for His many incredible actions. It then speaks from the Lord’s perspective as He states that judgment will occur only on His timing. The psalmist compares the boastful people to a wild ox that lifts up its horn against heaven and stretches its neck out in arrogance. And those tempted to reject God’s authority, are met with serious warnings. Those who oppose the Lord will suffer wrath beyond their imagination.’

Then Asaph gets to the meat and potatoes of the psalm, explaining God’s judgement. ‘For promotion (exaltation) cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up (exalts) another.’ (Ps. 75:6-7) And is that ever the indisputable truth! For we see examples of it, as well as hear the same words all through the scriptures. But we still refuse to believe it. And these words from the song of Hannah, the prophet Samuel’s mother, in thanksgiving for the Lord’s answer to her prayer for a son, tell it like it is:

‘The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.  He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and he has set the world upon them.

He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the Lord shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn (strength) of his anointed.’ (1 Sam. 2:6-10)

Yes friends, Hannah says it all in that marvellous song of thanksgiving for the Lord’s curing of her barren state. And one of the best examples of that lowering and exalting is found in the Book of Daniel, where the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, having troublesome dreams,  appeals to Daniel for help, and is given the revelation that because of his arrogance and foolish pride, he will go mad for seven years. And we see it when He get’s proud and boastful about his building of the great empire of Babylon, ‘by the might of my power, and the honour of my majesty.’

While the word was in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee. And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass like oxen, and seven times (years) shall pass over thee, until thou know the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like birds’ claws.’ (Dan. 4:30-33)

You see my people, the Lord’s Word is not a joke, so we had better believe whatever it says. And I like how after seven years of madness, the kingdom is restored to Nebuchadnezzar, and he testifies thus: ‘Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth and his ways judgement (justice): and those that walk in pride he is able to abase (humble).’ (Dan. 4:37) Now if a pagan king could make such a mighty testimony about the Lord’s power, why aren’t we believing it eh? For today, we are walking in so much pride and arrogance, that humility and meekness are almost non-existent. No wonder so many of the proud and boastful are falling.

Ah friends, unfortunately, we got away from the psalm, but that’s okay for the scriptures we looked at gave us a better understanding of it. (smile) And if the Lord spares life tomorrow, we will continue looking at the remainder of Psalm 75. Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine help for our numerous problems.

Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.

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

And we all know what it will take to get divine aid…better Christian witness from us. So please, in our best interest, let’s cut out all the foolish talking and useless pride, and simply do it nuh. Much LOVE!

…a word to the wise is sufficient…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 9 September 2016 Proverbs 28:20.

09 Sep 2016 Leave a comment

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

Proverbs 28:20.   A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent (go unpunished). 

And then it was Friday – the day that we all LOVE and anxiously look forward to all week, because it heralds the beginning of the weekend. 

Then we can all joyfully declare ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend’s here at last! Glory to God! If I had to go to that so and so work one more day…Steups! I would certainly have gone crazy! I need sometime for mihself, to do what I want to do, without any foolish supervisor constantly looking over mih shoulder and barking orders!  Thank God for Fridays and the weekend yes!’ 

Yeh friends, we all need a break from work, but the problem stems from how we use that break. If we use it just to satisfy our lustful and sensory pleasures then we’re not helping ourselves or fulfilling God’s mandate. But sadly, that’s what too many of us do and consequently we fall into the enemy’s trap. 

So with that in mind, let’s chant our Friday Chant nuh, which gives us a better perspective on how to use the weekend. Chanting as one, in harmony and unison: ‘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. 

Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’ 

Now that’s a much better way to handle the weekend – with a good balance of activities and one that will also glorify our heavenly Father! And remember, glorifying Him is one of our main duties on this planet earth. 

So let’s have a look at our Bit, the same one as yesterday. ‘A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent (go unpunished).’ 

Ah mih breddren, our great and wonderful God has spelled it out as simply as possible – if you are obedient to His word, He will bless you abundantly, otherwise you and yours will be cursed forever. Now what is so difficult to understand about that eh? 

I really don’t know nuh, but we still are too closely wedded to the things of the world and not to those of heaven. And then we wonder why blessings are not flowing down upon us like rain, instead of the serious calamity and disasters that are currently flooding our lives and our world. 

Oh friends, a lot of it has to do with our continual and blasphemous rejection of Almighty God, the awesome Creator of heaven and earth and all therein. Our intentional desire to drive Him out of our society will not endear us to Him, so why do we do the sinful things we do, then try to call upon Him when adversity hits eh? That makes absolutely no sense my people. 

Now let’s check out a couple scriptures that point out the gross stupidity of our behaviour, starting with these words of wisdom from Cousin Sol. ‘Blessings are upon the head of the just (righteous): but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked. The memory of the just (righteous) is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot… The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.’ (Prov.10: 6-7, 22) 

Oh brother, it just boggles my imagination when we do some of the stuff we do that is totally repugnant to our God and His word, then expect Him to bless us and make us prosper, when it’s so clear that that will never happen. 

Listen here now to one of the great promises of blessings in the Good Book. It concerns tithes, where the Jewish people were disobedient, just like we are today. 

The Lord’s speaking through the prophet Malachi. ‘For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, Wherein (in what way) shall we return? 

Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat (food) in mine house, and prove (test) me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be enough room to receive it. 

And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome (delightful) land, saith the Lord of hosts.’ (Mal.3:6-12) 

Oh friends, what could be simpler than that eh? We follow God’s law of tithing, giving ten percent of our earnings to Him, so that His priests and the widows and orphans and strangers can have food, and He’ll bless us so greatly that we won’t even have room to store it! 

Mama Mia! What an awesome promise! And we know that our God is ever faithful to keeping His promises. But I guess most of us don’t appreciate the promise, that’s why we don’t tithe. But please remember friends, that not tithing is disobedience, for the Lord has made it a sure and serious condition of our loyalty to Him. 

Anyway my people, let’s get wise nuh, let’s sit down today and ponder all that we’ve said, and see how we shape up in obedience to God’s word, then sincerely ask Him to help us do better. You know He won’t refuse such a request, because He desires us all to become as Christ-like as possible. Much LOVE!

…promises…promise…promises…oh how faithful and true…rewarding and worthwhile…are the promises of Almighty God…

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 18 December 2013 Proverbs 10:22

18 Dec 2013 Leave a comment

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

Proverbs 10:22.    The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.
 
Oh Friends, oh Friends, today’s another red-letter day in the ole fella’s life; my 42nd wedding anniversary! Wow!
 
Who would ever have thought that we’d last so long eh, especially with all the topsy-turvy stuff that went on in the earlier days, most of it my fault? And though there have been a couple of short separations, it’s obvious that the Good Lord had other plans for us.
 
Now it wasn’t always easy, always peaches and cream, but you can bet your bottom dollar that it was interesting! More interesting now with 20-20-vision hindsight, than it felt during the actual moments. (smile)
 
That brings me to what I consider one of the many failings of our society. We impress upon our young people the fairy tale about LOVE, marriage and living happily ever after. But Friends, as most of us have seen and and sadly discovered, that’s just a myth!
 
We should be telling them more about the practicalities, the three-ring circus that’s truly marriage; the engagement ring, the wedding and then the suffering.
 
It’s no joke Friends, because living in such close proximity to another person, seeing their faults and foibles, many of which you never knew about before, and waking up everyday on the other side of the bed with that person for numerous years is not an easy task, certainly not one for the fainthearted. But if you’re in the marriage for more than just the good times, you will persevere and make it work.
 
And remember too, that it takes two to tango, so unless both parties are willing to work at it, then it will never last. But now, unfortunately, we’ve raised a generation of children who can’t handle hardships or differences, because even in our own marriages, we’ve gone out of our way to hide the unpleasant parts from the children.
 
Consequently, there are more divorces and separations than ever today, simply because the young generation lack the proper advice on the subject, as well as the necessary backbone and belly to see it through. So as soon as something goes wrong, everybody wants to bail out of the marriage.
 
But please remember the words that most of us said in our wedding vows; for better or worse, until death do us part. However we never seem to remember those words when things get rough, and very few of us really live them.
 
Unfortunately too, there is no marriage primer available that will work for all marriages, because we are all different and live under different circumstances. The only constant Friends, is that both people need to work at it sincerely, otherwise it’s doomed from the beginning.
 
Ah mih people, as usual I have to chuckle, because our God is truly something else yes! I wasn’t even planning to mention my wedding anniversary, but obviously He had other plans, and when I got to writing, that’s what flowed from my pen.
 
But if it will help some other couple to understand what marriage is all about; give and take and hard work, and cause them to stand strong and work out their problems together, then it will indeed have served some useful purpose.
 
That’s why our Bit is powerful and true. ‘The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.’
 
It would certainly be great if the Lord could use my words to bless some couple having problems with their marriage, which brings us to the Old Testament marriage of Isaac and Rebekah.
 
One time when there was famine in their land, Isaac thought of going down to Egypt to survive it, but the Lord told him to stay put in Gerar, in the land of the Philistines.
 
‘Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father…. Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.’ (Gen.26:3,5)
 
And Isaac obeyed, but like Abraham did with Sarah, he told the Philistines that Rebekah was his sister, because she was beautiful, and like his father before him, thought that they would kill him and take her away. Hn! Like father, like son!
 
Ah Friends, the webs we weave, when we intend to deceive! But unfortunately those webs of deceit don’t last forever, and our deeds done in darkness, usually come to light at some stage. And the longer they stay hidden, usually the more destructive they are when revealed in the light.
 
And that’s exactly what happened to Isaac. The Good Book puts it thus: ‘And it came to pass, when he (Isaac) had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with (caressing) Rebekah his wife.’ (Gen.26:9)
 
Obviously it caused a furor in the Philistine camp. The king called Isaac and blasted him, and instructed his people not to dally with Rebekah. (Gen.26:9-11) But in spite of his deception my brethren, listen to the next words of the Good Book.
 
‘Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received (reaped) in the same year a hundredfold: and the Lord blessed him. And the man waxed (grew) great, and went forward (continued prospering until) he became very great.’ (Gen.26:12-13)
 
That was the blessing of the Lord upon him for obeying his directive to not go down to Egypt, despite his deception with the Philistines.
 
Now Friends, that doesn’t mean we can all be deceitful and still receive wonderful blessings, for even Isaac with all his material blessings still found it hard to live in Gerar because of disputes over wells with the Philistines, and eventually had to move away because he had gotten too big and powerful for their liking. (Gen.26:14-25)
 
And we’ll end with these thoughts from the scholars, which should make some things clearer. ’26:1-16. A famine in the land: There had been a famine in Abraham’s day (12:10). He had not been forbidden to go down to Egypt as Isaac was now being directed by God in verse 2.
 
God forced Isaac to trust in His ability to provide, and not do the natural thing that everybody else would be doing (42:5). Besides, this was God’s promised land for Abraham and his descendants (vv 3-4). She is my sister is the very same expression Abraham had used, 12:13 and 20:12-13.
 
Abimelech was evidently a Philistine dynastic title. This was not the same Abimelech that Abraham had encountered some 97 years earlier. Isaac sowed in the land and received an hundredfold in spite of the famine and persecution because he obeyed God and was the promised seed.’ 
 
Awright Friends, that’s more than enough for us to ponder on today. But please remember that Isaac was only blessed because He obeyed God, and he still had his problems otherwise. So even when we’re blessed, everything is not always peaches and cream. (smile) Much LOVE!
 
…the best wisdom for all time…obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him…  (Uncle Charles – Charles Stanley)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 December 2013 Proverbs 10:22

17 Dec 2013 Leave a comment

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

Proverbs 10:22.    The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.

Oh Friends, I don’t know about you all nuh, but I’m tired of the snow and cold already! And that’s only the first big snowfall and cold spell of the year. I guess I’m tired mainly because I had to be out and about in it all.
 
But here this, the weather people are forecasting above freezing temps and rain for later this week! That discrepancy and uncertainty is what drives people crazy and also gets them sick, because they don’t know how to properly prepare for the weather in these changing times.
 
However Friends, I also have the answer, the antidote for it all; prayer!
 
And like Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) describes it in his devotional for yesterday: ‘Prayer is the umbilical cord that allows you – with your embryonic ideas – to draw nourishment from a source that you, like an unborn infant, can neither see nor fully know or comprehend – God our heavenly Father! Prayer is the power that pulls everything together successfully.’
 
And that’s a novel but absolutely true way to put it my people! When I read it yesterday, I just knew that I had to share it with you. And would you believe that I’ve been reading that devotional for a number of years now, and that idea did not even sound familiar when I read it yesterday.
 
Ah Lord eh! Makes you wonder what I’m thinking about when I read them. (smile) I guess though, that I wasn’t mature enough in Christ for it to make a notable impression on me, before yesterday. But who knows, since our God moves in such mysterious and unfathomable ways with His higher thoughts and methods.
 
Anyway, the important thing is that I’ve finally recognized it, so let’s turn to our Bit. ‘The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.’
 
More undeniable truth my brethren! For when our God blesses us, we know that we are blessed, and He doesn’t include any sorrow in it. Now maybe the sorrow will come before, or even after the blessing, (smile) but the blessings are usually blessings alone.
 
And we’ll continue from where we left off yesterday, with Abraham’s servant being sent to his master’s home country, Mesopotamia, to find a wife for Isaac from his brethren. And Friends, it’s not by luck or chance, but rather by divine decree and guidance, that Abraham’s servant ended up in the city where Nahor, Abraham’s brother dwelt.
 
Neither was it luck or chance, but divine appointment, that caused Rebekah to come out and fulfill all the conditions that the servant had desired of the Lord in prayer.
 
Oh mih people, yuh see the wonderful and inescapable truth of what we’ve been saying above, about prayer being the lifeline, the umbilical cord to God! The servant prayed faithfully, setting some parameters, and asking the Lord to send someone favourable to fulfill them.
 
And I like how the Good Book says that before he was even finished making his requests known to God, that Rebekah showed up. (Gen.24:15a) Oh my brethren, we can’t ask for a better example than that of faithful and fulfilled prayer!
 
And if you read what transpired afterwards, as I asked you to do yesterday, (Gen.24:16-25), you’d have seen Rebekah offer the servant drink, as well as offer to quench his camels thirst. And when she’d fulfilled her pledge, he gave her an expensive gold nose ring, weighing half a shekel, approximately $960.00, since a shekel of gold is worth around $1920.00. To that he added 2 gold bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight. Do the math my people.
 
And after he enquired about her family, she then ran home and told her family about the strange happening that had befallen her. That brought her big brother Laban out to meet the servant. And to make a long story short, (smile) they invited him to lodge with them. He graciously accepted the offer, and after the camels were looked after, they set food before him, but he refused to eat before he divulged his purpose. (Gen.24:28-33)
 
‘And he said, I am Abraham’s servant. And the Lord hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses (donkeys).’ (Gen.24:34-35)
 
What I want us to note here my fellow believers, is the difference in blessings. In the first scenario, the Lord showed the servant favour by granting his prayerful request, while in the second, He gave Abraham material wealth.
 
So not because our Bit says that the blessings of our God make us rich, it doesn’t necessarily mean material wealth. The blessings of our great and wonderful God can come in all shapes, sizes and forms, whatever suits His purpose. His omnipotence and LOVING-kindness don’t limit Him to any one kind of blessing.
 
And that’s something all believers ought to fully understand. Not because we pray for material wealth or any other kind of blessing means that we’ll automatically receive it. We’ll be showered with whatever fits the needs of God’s plan for our lives.
 
And until we fully understand and appreciate that point, we’ll always feel disappointed and/or hard done by our God. But we need to remember that God’s not there to simply do our bidding, to serve our selfish and petty requests.
 
On the contrary, we are here to serve His desires; to LOVE Him, to LIVE out our Faith, and to SPREAD His Holy Word! At times though, we seem to forget that HE is the MASTER, and we are the SERVANTS, not vice versa! 
 
And on that oh so important remembrance, we’ll close for today. I don’t want to give us too much to ponder on, (smile) just enough to keep us focused in the right direction – on Jesus Christ, our ever-LOVING Lord and Saviour. Much much LOVE my fellow believers!
 
…this Christmas season…let’s show the world what true LOVE is all about nuh…by keeping Jesus first and foremost…in our hearts, minds, souls and actions…